Anavel0
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In still waiting on my Mani to come back from repair.
Schiit Mani
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walfredo
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rmullins08: Could you please provide your take on the art vs. mani. I am considering a phono stage and both are high in my list.
ViperGeek
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Nice review of the Mani on CNET:
http://www.cnet.com/news/lps-can-sound-better-than-cds-or-files-with-schiits-little-gizmo/
The article confirms there are two impedance matches (47
I'm window shopping between the Mani, Musical Fidelity V90-LPS, and Music Hall PA1.2.
- Dave
http://www.cnet.com/news/lps-can-sound-better-than-cds-or-files-with-schiits-little-gizmo/
The article confirms there are two impedance matches (47
Ω/MC
and 47kΩ/MM
) and four gain modes (30, 42, 47, and 59 dB), which is the same as listed on the "SPECS" tab of the Schiit website.I'm window shopping between the Mani, Musical Fidelity V90-LPS, and Music Hall PA1.2.
- Dave
I heard the V90-LPS which sounds like an attempt to get a warm tube-like sound but in so doing the highs and mids were cut leaving a very poor muffled mess. I found it difficult to believe it was rated well in Stereophile magazines top equipment write-up. Possibly I had a bad unit.
The Mani is very clean sounding, musical and pleasant to listen to. Only Schiit could pull off that quality at that price point.
My problem began when a neighbor loaned me his Hagerman Cornet 3 tube phono preamp. I used it to replace the mc pre-amp in my old SC-27. The sound was so nice that I just wanted to keep placing the vinyl one cut after another on my old LP-12.
But the Hagerman is 3 times the expense...
I am sending the mani back tomorrow and saving money aside for a tube pre-amp. If you have never heard one on your equipment do not (before it is too late) and you will most likely be very happy with the mani.
jhv
The Mani is very clean sounding, musical and pleasant to listen to. Only Schiit could pull off that quality at that price point.
My problem began when a neighbor loaned me his Hagerman Cornet 3 tube phono preamp. I used it to replace the mc pre-amp in my old SC-27. The sound was so nice that I just wanted to keep placing the vinyl one cut after another on my old LP-12.
But the Hagerman is 3 times the expense...
I am sending the mani back tomorrow and saving money aside for a tube pre-amp. If you have never heard one on your equipment do not (before it is too late) and you will most likely be very happy with the mani.
jhv
rongon
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My home-built tube preamp is on the fritz after 20+ years of use (power supply problem), and I haven't had time to get in there and fix it. After reading reviews (and noticing that former NYC Triode Mafia guy Herb Reichert has one) I got a Schiit Mani to use as a stopgap. I'm happy to report that I like the Mani very much.
My turntable is pretty good. It's a Thorens TD124 with an old Audiocraft AC3000 tonearm, restored for me by James Campbell in PA. The cartridge is a Denon DL110 (high output moving coil).
I was able to dial in the gain for the DL110 very easily. GAIN 1 is set to H, GAIN 2 is set to L. Total gain is then +48dB, which puts the output from the DL110 subjectively about even with the output from my CD player. Input impedance is set to 47k. That was easy!
So, how's the Mani sound? Well... Very nice, thank you. My tube preamp was never all that quiet, so the Mani compares well there. The Mani is very quiet. I don't think the Mani's sound is the ne plus ultra in transparency or super-clarity, but it sounds very clean. Most importantly to me, it does not have a typical 'opamp' sound. It does not sound thin, washed out or harsh. It sounds quite full; the midrange sounds full-bodied. The high frequencies are smooth and kind of 'delicate,' very non-aggravating. The bass is quick and tight; not overly prominent, but not thin or washed out. The bass from records in my system sounds a little more plump than from CD or SACD, but I don't mind that at all. It could be that the TD124 adds a bit of bass oomph. (I have a Technics SL1200MK2 I could try with it, but haven't gotten around to that yet.)
The one and only area where the Mani might be deficient is clarity and 'detail.' It makes a pleasant, although somewhat simplified sound. You don't hear every little nuance of every tiny sound in the recording. On the other hand, the Mani's sound is completely non-aggravating and easy to listen to. I like that.
I also have a Hagerman Bugle that I built from a kit (original Bugle, not Bugle 2). By comparison, the Bugle sounds a little more tight and quick, with less plumpness in the bass. But somehow the drums sound a little 'drier' or maybe 'thinner' through the Bugle. It's hard to describe these sonic subtleties. (Like "dancing about architecture," as the saying goes.) The Bugle is really good (and like the Mani, especially for the little money it costs), but it has a slightly different sonic signature. 'Drier' describes it, I think. Maybe the Bugle is a little more clear and quick sounding. Maybe it has lower distortion. Maybe it has a more accurate RIAA EQ. I don't know. I'll have to listen and compare some more.
My tube preamp, when it was working, was able to bring out more low level details from the mix, and gave a little more of a 'technicolor' presentation. It made you sit up and notice more. The Mani seems a bit laid back in comparison. Again, easy to listen to. And again, the very low noise floor of the Mani is a nice bonus. You can put your ear to the tweeter and hear almost no hiss or hum at all.
I have not heard the other low budget faves, like the ART, Bellari, Pro-Ject, NAD, etc., so I can't tell you how the Mani compares to those.
So, for what it's worth, that's my impression of the Mani. It seems to work very well in my particular setup. For only $140 including shipping, that works out well for me.
- RG
PS - About load resistance settings... The Mani only gives you two possibilities, 47 ohms and 47,000 ohms. My Denon DL110 works best into something like a 1500 ohm load (its coil resistance is spec'd at 160 ohms), and the DL103 likes something like a 400 ohm load (its coil resistance is spec'd at 40 ohms). Neither of those are accommodated by the Mani. However, if you're willing to rig up a female-to-male RCA adapter, you can solder in the correct load resistors between the signal and ground contacts inside your adapter. Something like this would work, if it can be opened up:
--
My turntable is pretty good. It's a Thorens TD124 with an old Audiocraft AC3000 tonearm, restored for me by James Campbell in PA. The cartridge is a Denon DL110 (high output moving coil).
I was able to dial in the gain for the DL110 very easily. GAIN 1 is set to H, GAIN 2 is set to L. Total gain is then +48dB, which puts the output from the DL110 subjectively about even with the output from my CD player. Input impedance is set to 47k. That was easy!
So, how's the Mani sound? Well... Very nice, thank you. My tube preamp was never all that quiet, so the Mani compares well there. The Mani is very quiet. I don't think the Mani's sound is the ne plus ultra in transparency or super-clarity, but it sounds very clean. Most importantly to me, it does not have a typical 'opamp' sound. It does not sound thin, washed out or harsh. It sounds quite full; the midrange sounds full-bodied. The high frequencies are smooth and kind of 'delicate,' very non-aggravating. The bass is quick and tight; not overly prominent, but not thin or washed out. The bass from records in my system sounds a little more plump than from CD or SACD, but I don't mind that at all. It could be that the TD124 adds a bit of bass oomph. (I have a Technics SL1200MK2 I could try with it, but haven't gotten around to that yet.)
The one and only area where the Mani might be deficient is clarity and 'detail.' It makes a pleasant, although somewhat simplified sound. You don't hear every little nuance of every tiny sound in the recording. On the other hand, the Mani's sound is completely non-aggravating and easy to listen to. I like that.
I also have a Hagerman Bugle that I built from a kit (original Bugle, not Bugle 2). By comparison, the Bugle sounds a little more tight and quick, with less plumpness in the bass. But somehow the drums sound a little 'drier' or maybe 'thinner' through the Bugle. It's hard to describe these sonic subtleties. (Like "dancing about architecture," as the saying goes.) The Bugle is really good (and like the Mani, especially for the little money it costs), but it has a slightly different sonic signature. 'Drier' describes it, I think. Maybe the Bugle is a little more clear and quick sounding. Maybe it has lower distortion. Maybe it has a more accurate RIAA EQ. I don't know. I'll have to listen and compare some more.
My tube preamp, when it was working, was able to bring out more low level details from the mix, and gave a little more of a 'technicolor' presentation. It made you sit up and notice more. The Mani seems a bit laid back in comparison. Again, easy to listen to. And again, the very low noise floor of the Mani is a nice bonus. You can put your ear to the tweeter and hear almost no hiss or hum at all.
I have not heard the other low budget faves, like the ART, Bellari, Pro-Ject, NAD, etc., so I can't tell you how the Mani compares to those.
So, for what it's worth, that's my impression of the Mani. It seems to work very well in my particular setup. For only $140 including shipping, that works out well for me.
- RG
PS - About load resistance settings... The Mani only gives you two possibilities, 47 ohms and 47,000 ohms. My Denon DL110 works best into something like a 1500 ohm load (its coil resistance is spec'd at 160 ohms), and the DL103 likes something like a 400 ohm load (its coil resistance is spec'd at 40 ohms). Neither of those are accommodated by the Mani. However, if you're willing to rig up a female-to-male RCA adapter, you can solder in the correct load resistors between the signal and ground contacts inside your adapter. Something like this would work, if it can be opened up:
--
I had forgot to mention that a signal "white noise" was run through the Mani for around 48 hrs to help burn in the pre-amp. The high end seemed more accurate showing the sound improving with time. Again, a good piece of equipment exemplifying a well... it's some good Schiit. :atsmile:
vocalstrance
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I have been very happy with my Schiit Mani. I use it with my Rega RP40 with the Elyss 40 cart > Mani > Valhalla 2 > HD800 or DT990 or usually Valhalla 2 > Bob Latino M-125's > Technis sb cr33's.
I had previously had a AT LP120 as my first TT. I was happy with it at first because it added something cleaner to my music that Pandora never had. But I could tell that the AT LP120 just didn't do my bass filled music any justice. So, I decided to remove the phono pre-amp in the TT and use the Mani with it. Well in the process of removing the pre-amp I destroyed the cartridge in the process. So, I cussed for a minute, sat down and decided to upgradefully and bought the Rega RP40 new.
Having let them both play for 150+ hours now, I couldn't be happier. The bass extension is finally there. It also sounds cleaner and I love vinyl even more now. Who knows if it's the new TT or the Mani.
I had previously had a AT LP120 as my first TT. I was happy with it at first because it added something cleaner to my music that Pandora never had. But I could tell that the AT LP120 just didn't do my bass filled music any justice. So, I decided to remove the phono pre-amp in the TT and use the Mani with it. Well in the process of removing the pre-amp I destroyed the cartridge in the process. So, I cussed for a minute, sat down and decided to upgradefully and bought the Rega RP40 new.
Having let them both play for 150+ hours now, I couldn't be happier. The bass extension is finally there. It also sounds cleaner and I love vinyl even more now. Who knows if it's the new TT or the Mani.
Gibsonmac
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I have both the Mani and Vincient PHO-700. For the price the mani is a nice, discrete, piece of kit, though it is a bit on the noisy side. Compared to the Vincient, it has a bit more on top, more forward highs (to be expected, tube v. ss) and just a bit more dynamic on the highs, it's neglegible but there if you listen. The Vincient is a bit richer in tone, warm and lush across the board, though still articulate. The mani is pretty damn noisy compared to the near dead silence of the Vincient, its less noticeable during most music, but apparent during certain songs.
I had the mani first, then a couple weeks ago I found a deal on the Vincient so decided to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did. It's around 3.5x the cost of the mani, to me well worth the extra cash.
I had the mani first, then a couple weeks ago I found a deal on the Vincient so decided to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did. It's around 3.5x the cost of the mani, to me well worth the extra cash.
Stereolad
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I've used my Cambridge Audio (MM only) for years, and the sound quality is good, but the output was so low I had to add a line amp to boost the signal from my Rega Bias 2 cart. I looked at only two preamps as a replacement, Parasound Z-Phono (no tabs on side), and the Shee-tah (pronounced correctly). They are both MM/MC preamps, and both have setting for increasing the gain. Steve Guttenberg is one of my favourite reviewers and he thought it was better than anything close to the price. I have a Parasound Amp and they are amazing in every way, but the Schiit really tantalized me.
Listening with a Marantz amp and a Rega RP1 with Bias 2 cart is a favourite for me (being British and all). I am did a comparison between the the Schiit Mani, Cambridge AZUR 551P, Vincent Pho8. Although the power is more stable with the Vincent, the detail of the Mani was better, but the bass was obviously improved. The other factor is the separation of instruments and voices, which the Mani is best. The Cambridge wasn't in the class of either and it doesn't provide capability with even the HOMC cartridge, which the other two do. For the money, the Schiit won, and I would recommend no other preamp in that price range. It's silly what some of the really high end preamps can cost you. I guess the Yanks know what they're doing.
Listening with a Marantz amp and a Rega RP1 with Bias 2 cart is a favourite for me (being British and all). I am did a comparison between the the Schiit Mani, Cambridge AZUR 551P, Vincent Pho8. Although the power is more stable with the Vincent, the detail of the Mani was better, but the bass was obviously improved. The other factor is the separation of instruments and voices, which the Mani is best. The Cambridge wasn't in the class of either and it doesn't provide capability with even the HOMC cartridge, which the other two do. For the money, the Schiit won, and I would recommend no other preamp in that price range. It's silly what some of the really high end preamps can cost you. I guess the Yanks know what they're doing.
Hawkertempest
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I am using an ADL GT40 as my phono stage but last week I ordered a Mani. It arrived in New Zealand today and will be delivered to me tomorrow. Can't wait to hook it up and have a listen. I have also ordered a Modi 2 Uber and a Wyrd de-crapifier.
This will be quite interesting as I will be able to do some listening comparisons by connecting my Rega RP6 through the Mani to my Cary SLP-05 Pre-Amps dedicated Tube Head Phone Amp into my 600 ohm Beyer T1's. Then compare the RP6 connected to the GT40 which is fed by the Wyrd into the T1's. Then finally when the Modi2 Uber arrives I can compare that as well. Then to keep the ball rolling for a bit more fun I have ordered 2 Audioquest Jitterbugs, so we'll see what improvements they make in the USB domain. I have heard they go well with the Wyrd.
Next year I am ordering a Sutherland Phono Bloc Phono Stage plus a Brinkmann Balance II but that's a different journey.
This will be quite interesting as I will be able to do some listening comparisons by connecting my Rega RP6 through the Mani to my Cary SLP-05 Pre-Amps dedicated Tube Head Phone Amp into my 600 ohm Beyer T1's. Then compare the RP6 connected to the GT40 which is fed by the Wyrd into the T1's. Then finally when the Modi2 Uber arrives I can compare that as well. Then to keep the ball rolling for a bit more fun I have ordered 2 Audioquest Jitterbugs, so we'll see what improvements they make in the USB domain. I have heard they go well with the Wyrd.
Next year I am ordering a Sutherland Phono Bloc Phono Stage plus a Brinkmann Balance II but that's a different journey.
Hawkertempest
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Well my Mani arrived this morning and I have hooked it up to my Cary and WOW and I am only 1 and a half LP's into listening to this little piece of "Schiit"!!! (I had to say that). It is just amazing that something that small and only US$100 can sound that good out of the box is unbelievable.
I have a mate who is running a Sutherland PH1 through Martin Logan Summit X's and I am going to take this to his place tomorrow to do an AB, because I think we are going to get a surprise. My Rega RP6 is rocking, I am hearing stuff I have never heard before. I have just purchased a Subplatter de-coupler and some special bearing oil but I was struggling to hear the difference, but now when I remove the de-coupler it jumps out as plain as day.
This Phono Amp is a stunning piece of equipment for the price, it has put my Rega in another league. Bass is tighter, highs are crisper and clearer, no sibilance, mids are crisp and clear, decays are better and natural. Nat King Cole is in my head. My head is swinging, my feet are tapping, I am having trouble trying to type this because I just want to swing with the RP6.
I have read about people getting carried away like this and thought yeah, yeah, but hell here I am swinging away rocking and swinging with my Rega.............incredible........... I am in heaven!!!!!!!
I have a mate who is running a Sutherland PH1 through Martin Logan Summit X's and I am going to take this to his place tomorrow to do an AB, because I think we are going to get a surprise. My Rega RP6 is rocking, I am hearing stuff I have never heard before. I have just purchased a Subplatter de-coupler and some special bearing oil but I was struggling to hear the difference, but now when I remove the de-coupler it jumps out as plain as day.
This Phono Amp is a stunning piece of equipment for the price, it has put my Rega in another league. Bass is tighter, highs are crisper and clearer, no sibilance, mids are crisp and clear, decays are better and natural. Nat King Cole is in my head. My head is swinging, my feet are tapping, I am having trouble trying to type this because I just want to swing with the RP6.
I have read about people getting carried away like this and thought yeah, yeah, but hell here I am swinging away rocking and swinging with my Rega.............incredible........... I am in heaven!!!!!!!
Baldr
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Glad you like it! It is a simple solid state analogy of a passive equalized tube (valve) phono section I built as my first manufactured pre-amp 38 years ago.
bigro
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After Weeks of not knowing what to get me for Christmas the wife just declared order the TT you want. I went with the one that would not clean out the entire holiday budget instead, we we all know in this hobby the one you want most of the time is not the one you could afford.
I went with a Rega RP-1. Of course I ordered a Mani to pair it with. I did not get the Performance Pack, not sure if I want all of what is included. TheRP 1 has the Rega Carbon Cartridge. The Rega Documentation that is online is very sparse. The Whole owners Manual is two pages. Has any one paired the Mani with an RP-1 with the Carbon Cartridge? What are the switch settings on the mani used?
I went with a Rega RP-1. Of course I ordered a Mani to pair it with. I did not get the Performance Pack, not sure if I want all of what is included. TheRP 1 has the Rega Carbon Cartridge. The Rega Documentation that is online is very sparse. The Whole owners Manual is two pages. Has any one paired the Mani with an RP-1 with the Carbon Cartridge? What are the switch settings on the mani used?
vocalstrance
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I don't know about the RP-1, I have the RP-40 and the Mani. The Mani is set to 47k and both gains to low. Hope you love your new TT.
Anavel0
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I'm using an RP-1 but with performance pack. (Easily added on later if you want, no huge lose without it.) I'm using Gain 1 set to low and Gain 2 set to high. Input impedance set to 47k ohms. This will work for the Carbon MM too. To find the specs for the Carbon go to the cartridge product page online. It's pretty cut and dry though.
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