Sutherland Engineering Dos Loco Transimpedance Phono Preamp

Description

MY TAKE: Ron Sutherland's trans-impedance phono preamp designs are quite remarkable! - Galen Carol

What is the Dos LOCOS and who needs it? -

The journey to create the DOS LOCOS is a story of collaboration and discovery, highlighting the process as much as the outcome.

Born from the innovative spirit of the Phono Loco, with its pioneering all-transimpedance approach, the DOS LOCOS stands as a significant advancement in Ron Sutherland’s artistry.

For the first time, he teamed with trusted, passionate experts to add an ear-approved essence to his already proven approach to elegant circuitry.

Sutherland and team patiently experimented with combinations of parts and processes until they happily arrived at the moment where the music left everyone speechless. Only then did the DOS LOCOS arrive.

Everything that made the PHONO LOCO such a landmark piece — its no-compromises approach with no concession or allowance for anything that clutters the signal path — is refined to the point of pure musicality with the dual-mono DOS LOCOS.

Is it twice as crazy good, as the name might suggest? At least!

This phono preamp isn’t about specs and stats. Nor is it about announcing Sutherland’s genius. It’s about a group of likeminded music lovers relentlessly pursuing a sound that, before now, only existed in their imaginations.

There is no explaining the DOS LOCOS — not in the technobabble way normally used to sell audio components. By their own admission, Team Sutherland “moved into” something that goes well beyond technical description.

Their journey didn’t center around a test bench but rather the sweet spot of their listening room. The decision tree throughout the entire project revolved around one simple question:

Performance Realized?

Sutherland’s approach to audio engineering is disciplined and values-driven, focusing on high-quality, reliable components without succumbing to the temptation of adding unnecessary complexity. Our minimalist design ensures a signal path of unparalleled purity, letting nothing stand between you and the music.

The brilliance of this design isn’t in how many parts are added to the signal path but rather how few.

But those things have always been hallmarks of Sutherland Engineering. The DOS LOCOS is at a new level. It adds an indescribable mysticism that simply must be heard to understand.

This is your invitation to listen — to truly listen — and to be moved.

REVIEWS:

The Tracking Angle: "Throughout my recent months with the Dos Locos I’ve been struck by how different in character the Dos Locos sounds from my previous transimpedance preamps.  It still has the impossibly wide soundstage, the jet-black backgrounds, and I can’t stress this enough - the feel of just so much aural information pouring out of the speakers.  But it does so in such an alive, deep, easy, beautiful, liquid, and profoundly dynamic way that I’m concluding two important things – first, that Ron Sutherland has hit an absolute home run with the Dos Locos, and second, that this one isn’t going anywhere, it’s replacing and thoroughly outperforming the TZ Direct in my system." - Stephen CP Carroll

Full Tracking Angle Review

Stereophile: "Paired with the right cartridge, the Dos Locos is an extraordinary performer. Its tone has the purity of fresh snow, and it manages to sound highly resolved yet, at the same time, unstressed and relaxed. It's as quiet as any phono stage I've encountered, framing its sonic capabilities in an even more dramatic way. This one sings!" - Michael Trei

Stereophile: "Listening, I marveled at how much more vivid, dynamic, and downright liquid the Dos Locos sounded compared to the Little Loco I'd lived with. The newer phono stage sounded not like an improvement on its predecessor but like a completely different paradigm, with particular attention paid to musical acuity, ease of engagement, and sheer pleasure. In purely sonic terms, too, it was hands-down better in every single parameter." -  Alex Halberstadt

USER EXPERIENCES:

"My system is amazing with DOS LOCOS. It’s getting better and better every day. I can’t believe this is happening in MY living room. I don’t know when it stops getting better. It just continues to amaze. Every time I come into the room. Emotion overload." -Paul V.

"DOS LOCOS gives music focus, provides a rich sound stage with increased depth. It reduced the noise floor, separated the players. It puts them in the room." - Dick T.

"It’s quite amazing just how much more you get above the Little Loco. It’s more open, more depth and width and more detail. The thing that really struck me is how it provides all this without loosing warmth. Vocals are bang in the centre and the speakers are gone. It’s really outstanding." -Stephen in Scotland

"The sound is so beautiful. They are in the room. Spectator to a special event brought home. So real so powerful. So out of the way. This thing blows the top off of expectations." - H.P.

"Paired with a Dr. Feickert Volare/Kuzma Stogi/Hana Umami Red. All I can is WOW! I’m legit astonished. I’ve never heard a soundstage this realistic. When I shut my eyes, I can no longer even tell where my speakers are placed. It’s just a wall of sound, with every instrument in its own spot. Details never previously heard have come to life. It’s like magic. And I’ve only got around 20 hours of time on the units. Barely broken in. These units are special. Hands down one of the top 3 hi-fi purchases I’ve ever made. I’m at a loss for words to articulate how incredible my analog rig sounds with the Dos Locos. I knew they would improve the sound of my turntable, but I had no clue just how much they would elevate my listening experience. The emotions I feel while listening are profound. The Dos Locos have shattered my high expectations". - Jason Kirschberg

"Hi Ron, Here’s my feedback on the DL… It’s quite amazing just how much more you get above the Little Loco. It’s more open, more depth and width and more detail, but the thing that really struck me is how it provides all this without losing warmth. Vocals are bang in the center and the speakers are gone.It’s really outstanding". - Scott B.

“typically, you sacrifice the richness to get the stellar imaging. Not in this case!” - Paul H.

“The Dos Locos locked onto the performances, drawing my attention record after record to the musically important details.” - Brilliant Corners #22: Sutherland Dos Locos and Manley Oasis phono stages, by Alex Halberstadt @ Stereophile, December 24, 2024

SPECIFICATIONS:

Gain Adjustments - Internally adjustable to HIGH, MED or LOW. Transimpedance gain cannot be expressed in dB. There is plenty of gain for very low output MC cartridges. Even with the lowest output MC, background noise vanishes.

Cartridge Compatability - Use only low output MC, less than 20 Ohms internal resistance. Not MM, nor high output MC.

Stereo Application - Use a DOS LOCOs pair for stereo. See owner’s manual for details.

Mono Application - Use a single DOS LOCOS for optimal performance with your MONO cartridge. See owner’s manual for details

Power Requirements: 120 VAC

Dimensions (WHD): 17″ x 2 1/2″ x 13″

Weight: 11 lb.

Price: $9,800 (pair), $4,900 (single)