Anyone pick up the Zen phono yet? I'm thinking about grabbing it Friday but was curious if anyone had a chance to play with one of these yet.
ZEN gets groovy with iFi’s new phono stage
- Thread starter iFi audio
- Start date
KaiFi
500+ Head-Fier
I have one. Been using it for a few days now. I think it's excellent. It beats the Schiit Mani (which I had been using for the past couple of years). It sounds great with my high-output Ortofon 2M Blue and my HOMC Denon DL-160.
I've noticed some quirks with the buttons, though. I seem to have to press the power button twice to turn it off.
I've noticed some quirks with the buttons, though. I seem to have to press the power button twice to turn it off.
Last edited:
Ah! Thanks for the info! I've been using my old late 70's pioneer receiver and while it's neat I've been eyeballing a modern pre amp. Does the subsonic filter button do anything neat to the sound?
KaiFi
500+ Head-Fier
I think the subsonic filter's effects might be more noticeable with speakers, but I listen with headphones so I'm not sure I really notice anything. (I tried a Mofi StudioPhono that had the same feature and I didn't really notice a difference, at least with headphones).
.
I'll mostly be listening on headphones so that's good info to know. Thanks.
maninthehighcastle
100+ Head-Fier
For the price it is a great device. It works great and sounds good. Could be a little more dynamic, but for the price it's hard to beat.
shoktongxxx
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2010
- Posts
- 16
- Likes
- 0
can you please describe how it beats the Schiit Mani? Thank you!
Taz777
1000+ Head-Fier
I have this unit in between my Pro-Ject Essential III record player with Ortofon OM20 stylus and NAD D 3020 V2 amp. I get a slightly clearer and more holographic sound with the Zen Phono than with the NAD's built-in MM stage. It's not a big difference, but is noticeable when playing back good quality records.
shoktongxxx
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2010
- Posts
- 16
- Likes
- 0
got the Schiit Mani and pair it with my Rega 3 TT with Elys 2 cartridge and they sound great compare with my NAD C388 phono preamp, and Rega Fono Mini A2D..and I wonder if this iFi Zen Phono will be a big upgrade for the Schiit Mani on my system.
Just got my Phono... @iFi audio do you recommend leaving the subsonic filter on all the time? It *seems* like it will let anything through that is *NOT* ar 'warp'....
I'm going to leave it off by default, and turn on with visibly warped records...
Having a Schiit Mani now, but looking for an additional output port to connect to a multiroom streamer, this one seems to be perfect. However, just considering the costs, a Rolls VP29 also has another (3.5mm) output for like half the price. Would I notice a large degrade in soundquality on say a €1500 system (with second hand Kef LS50's at the end) if I choose something like the Rolls VP29 over this Ifi coming from a Mani? (So the main question is actually how this Ifi compares to a VP29)
For me, a 4.4mm balanced output is probably more of an annoyance over a normal 3.5mm hole due to the fact I want to connect it to a Yamaha WCX50 which has 2 regular RCA's and these cables are harder to find (and more expensive).
However, in this audiophile hobby it feels a bit strange to replace a unit with a cheaper one, mainly because of its I/O
Hence the question.
For me, a 4.4mm balanced output is probably more of an annoyance over a normal 3.5mm hole due to the fact I want to connect it to a Yamaha WCX50 which has 2 regular RCA's and these cables are harder to find (and more expensive).
However, in this audiophile hobby it feels a bit strange to replace a unit with a cheaper one, mainly because of its I/O
Hence the question.Users who are viewing this thread
