Sutherland DUO User Manual
Page 2
The short story is:
The DUO is derived from the cost-no-object Phono Blocks and the cost-optimized
20/20.
The long story is:
No expense was spared in the design and construction of the Phono Blocks. The
Phono Blocks are at the pinnacle of phono preamp performance. It just doesn’t get
any better.
The 20/20 was designed to get the most performance possible at its predetermined
price point. To get there, extra was spent to get premium parts and circuitry into the
signal path. Consequently, some expenses were squeezed out of less important ar-
eas. Those trade-offs have worked very well. The 20/20 has delivered an extremely
high level of performance at a reasonable price. It is an incredible performance value.
What if all the price constraints in the 20/20 were lifted ? The price goes up, the perfor-
mance goes up. It starts looking a lot like the Phono Blocks.
The actual signal path of the 20/20 is quite good. It uses a circuit very similar to the
Phono Blocks. In critical positions, it also uses the same premium quality (and high
cost) components. Very little was held back in that area.
The opportunity for upgrade is focused on a more refined power supply, improved cir-
cuit board properties and dual chassis construction.
Enter the DUO...
DUO...the short and long of it