Ifi Zen Phono Review - Very well specified for the money, but is it as good as they say?
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- The long overdue review of the Ifi Zen Phono - Apologies for repeating myself a few times here, this video was recorded in a very fragmented way :-)
I disagree with the comparison against the Rega mm, I have had both and in my opinion the Ifi is a far better unit. Used with the balanced output it in my regards sounds much better and the build quality is far better. Sorry just my two cents worth. Keep up the good work 👍
I'm considering buying one of these. Do you also have the better ifi power plug that is supposed to make a difference too?
Thank you for that down to earth assessment which is unlike so many reviews on UA-cam which sound like they have been scripted by the company. Good as the sound is, it gets a lot better with a better power supply.
That's your opinion. I feel it's quite attractive it sounds very good and is beautifully built, solid, and really quite heavy. Looks are always a personal thing.
Did you watch all of the video or just the first 30 seconds?
There was a 60's cartoon called The Jetsons made by the animators who created The Flintstones. The ifi products look like components that would be in The Jetson's hifi, which is kind of appealing to me. It reminds me of my cool uncle and aunt who didn't have kids and loved modern stuff (60's modern IN the 60's). Everything comes around...
ifi also has a power supply wall wart upgrade for about $80 that ups performance a bit and lowers noise a couple of dbs.
Hi Phil. I’ve been using the IFI Zen Phono for over a year now (Sondek with AT760 SLC cart) and I love it. As you said I bought it due to the online reviews as well as being MM and MC in case I ever go MC in the future. It certainly out performs the Musical Fidelity LX12-LPS that I had before. One thing you didn’t mention is the Subsonic Filter button on the Zen and whether you noticed and perceived improvement with or without it????
The handy aspect of this phono stage is you can use the high output MC setting to get more gain on an MM stage and the loading setting is still suitable
I’m using it. Sounds same but nice gain add to system.
While I haven't used the phono stage, I was until recently running my headphones through the IFi Cans unit. Excellent bit of kit for the price.
In my system I found it slightly lacked detail and sounded veiled and so sent it back .The internal phono on my vintage Sony str 6055 sounded noticeably better. Great build quality though and sounds decent enough.
Hi phill, great informative video, I have the zen dac v2, and phono amp, its very well made designed kit, I have zen dac v2 and the phono amp, both have good quality audio, I find the audio quality compares is a bit better than to the phono i/p to my Rotel A11 amp Regards mark
FYI , MM 47K Ohm (110pF), MC high 47k Ohm, MC low 1K Ohm, MC very low 110 Ohm.
It was designed by thorsten loesch and John curl, it’s supposed to be the best affordable phono stage currently.
High quality parts and a dual mono design, I want to try one for myself.
I had this phone stage as an upgrade to the built-in phone stage in my Mac MA 252. Ifi was better. I also tried the mofi phono which I found to be slightly better But it was lacking. I then purchased a Trigon vanguard III. Now that was a huge Improvement . Well worth the extra expense. Now I love my vinyl.
Just a word of warning. Purchased an ifi zen dac v2 in 2021 ... worked great for approximately a year and a half.
Then, it started disconnecting itself randomly after a couple of days use. Had to disconnect the usb and reconnect it ... the problem still persisted.
Upgraded the software as advised by ifi ... still had the same problem.
Then, a month later, then Zen dac started producing white noise on playback which made it impossible to listen to.
As it was now out of warranty, I had to replace it with something of better quality and actually reliable. This experience has put me off buying anything from IFI again.
Although it is very well built ... a total waste of money due to reliability reasons ... NOT RECOMMENDED !!!
I bought the zen can and its a bit of kit I wish I had bought the zen phono instead of the project phono stage 😁
6 Acoustic made in Canada the York phono stage, a true ball buster for sure, dead dead quiet Hana ml
How does this compare to the Lehmann blackbox in your other video? Thank you
Hi Phil.
I have a Rega P6 Exact and Rega Elex 4, is it worth me getting an external Phono stage and if so, what would you recommend if worth the upgrade.
Try the fono mm from rega. Add more punch and substance to the sound. Go perfect with rega exact
I looked at this myself but ended up buying the Rega Fono MM mk5 and don’t regret buying it. I have an older Pro-Ject DS phono box on a second turntable running a Linn K9 MM cartridge with a ATVMC stylus for my older records and wonder if the iFI is a better phono amp than that one?
Any recommendations on a phono amp to suit a Dynavector 10x mk5. It has an output of 2.5mv. I am currently using a Musical Fidelity P173 (circa 1989) This has a built-in phono section mm and mc as most pre-amps of that era had. It sounds quite nice but.some Hi-fi dealers suggest that I would benefit by fitting an external phono stage
U CAN PICK UP XCELLENT ALL VALVE FONOS FROM ALI EXPESS FOR £170 GBP... I KID U NOT... THEY XCEPT PAYPAL... UR R NOT BEING FLEECED BY HUGE UK MARKUPS FROM TYPES LIKE HIM
I'd pay $20 more for a linear wall wart instead of the switch mde.
Why ?
@@r423sdex cheap switching supplies don't usually do a good job of suppressing noise and phono amps are very susceptible to noise.
I'D PAY 40GBP FOR A SOLID CASE TOROIDAL TRANFORMER BREEZE AUDIO LPSU FROM ALI XPRESS.. BUILT LIKE A TANK... IF SOLD IN UK USA 3 TO 500 GBP USD
@@matthewtaylor7355 Installed in a case of it's own several feet from the ZEN with a snubber across it's output to quell any diode spikes and keep them out of the amp.
.
A better phono stage and made in the UK and cheaper 100 squared is Edward's audio, make some very good phono that is reasonably priced.
I've looked on their website and there's very little useful information. They don't have a dealer in Scotland who I could visit either.
@@nattyco actually the technical information is beyond what they need to put so I would say it's got good information, not sure what information you're looking for? yeah you buy direct off the guy there's no dealership! I'm not sure if it's 30 days or more return policy but it would be 30 days minimum anyway by law if you're in the UK. There is some testimonies on his website reviews from reviewers so you could look at them.
in my secondary system im using a schitt magnius 3 mc mm with a atf2 it sounds very decent indeed ,mm to me sounds dull and uninteresting compared to mc ..
Congratulations. Mm sounds dull, you need a better system.
A Swiss army knife product.
Great video, as usual. Does anybody know what an upgrade pre amp wise for an Arcam 9 would be? thanks
I have a Rothwell Simplex to match with my Alpha 9 and 9P and it sounds very good indeed. I believe Cheshire Audio stock them too.
@@gregg1522 Hi Greg, thanks for the info. I'm going to give the Rothwell some serious consideration. By the way what cartridge do you use?
I use a AT-VM95ML, and my speakers are Monitor Audio Studio 20SE floor standers.
@@gregg1522 Cheers Greg, thanks for the info.
What is a good mm phone stage for £500
I’ve not actually heard one but from what I gather the Moon 110LP has good reviews.
@@gregg1522 thanks
Dépend your cardrige. If it’s a rega, I’ll say fono mm + interconnect rega couple 3
(Rega exact + fono mm is a killer combo )
@@remiwjuniski1808 thanks
@@remiwjuniski1808 it’s a ortafon black mm
I don't care how wonderful it sounds, it's HIDEOUS
@@Linux_Lucy or I could get one that isn't hideous and sounds even better
Have you had a good look at yourself lately?
Great way to look at audio. Looks amazing but sounds crap.
Might look better upside down
MADE IN CHINA £3 HIGH MARK UP UK
I have been using one of these for about 6 months. Mine has a slight buzz through the speakers. The volume level of the buzz varies depending on my choice of speakers (I have three pairs). I must admit, at this low price I have accepted the buzz and not sought a replacement. Has anyone else experienced a buzz?
Buy the ifi upgraded power supply and that goes away and it performs better also.
Nah, dont buy nothing. Try grounding the preamp to the table. If you have done that add a additional wire from the table ground to a electric socket plate screw. Should ground out the loop and stop the hum. Could be components close together as well. Try not to cross power/audio cables and don't run them parallel to each other. Avoid power strips and extension cords. Plug all the components especially Turntable and preamp directly into the wall socket.
I do recommend the ipower 2 with the ifi Zen but this sounds like a ground issue.