The Zen takes it. Fuller sound with more depth. The Pyle sounds FLAT which is what I would expect. I bought my daughter the Schiit Mani a while back and I was VERY pleased by its performance. It was much better than the internal phono pre-amp in the Insignia receiver I had her using before. Night and day difference, in fact.
@@kappandrew1 Would be interest to know what you think of the Mani 2 and how it sounds. I have the Fosi Box X2 and it is ok. I tried the DJPreII which sounded better than the Fosi but it had a buzz and crackling sound I could not get rid of, so I sent it back. I am thinking of Mani 2 as perhaps the best of the bunch. Fosi is kind of flat, I am hoping Mani 2 is more open with more defined highs and lows. Thanks.
Not for sure how you feel about preamp break in but the more you use it, it will sound better. I've been trying out phono preamps and right now it's the Musical Fidelity V90-lps. It was sounding pretty good but I hooked a iFi iPower X power supply $109 to it and the sound was dramatically better. Do yourself a favor and give it a try and if you don't hear a much improved sound, just send it back. I don't work for iFi I'm just a guy from Indiana trying to squeeze the best I can from my setup 👍
When i can hear the difference over youtube 128kbps broadcast it means a great deal. Throw away that pyle phono, the ifi zen air rounds circles on it. The pyle has no depth, no dynamics , dark highs and no bass punch. The ifi zen played everything way better with all i mentioned that was lacking in the pyle. Stick to the Ifi Zen and be done. Sounded great.
I agree... I had the Rolls and Fosi as my anticipated "best" but this thing surprised me. I might have to buy the next model up and see how it sounds...
@@kappandrew1 try the ifi audio zen one for digital. If have the zen dac v1 and the first version zen bt. The one will be my next upgrade. For phono I use my Harman Kardon citation 25 preamp. Sounds nice enough not to need a phono amp. Thorens, citation 24, citation 12 deluxe and ESL 57. Only new is the ifi stuff. Marantz cd80 to complete the picture 😁 Almost forgot the item I use most. Hifiman deva pro. Easily the best and most versatile headphone for the price
The Zen takes it. Fuller sound with more depth. The Pyle sounds FLAT which is what I would expect.
I bought my daughter the Schiit Mani a while back and I was VERY pleased by its performance. It was much better than the internal phono pre-amp in the Insignia receiver I had her using before. Night and day difference, in fact.
Ah yeah I was going to post about he Mani as well. Love that thing. Would like to see a comparison between it and the Zen!
I'll need to get the Schiit... I've been eyeing it.
@@kappandrew1 Would be interest to know what you think of the Mani 2 and how it sounds. I have the Fosi Box X2 and it is ok. I tried the DJPreII which sounded better than the Fosi but it had a buzz and crackling sound I could not get rid of, so I sent it back. I am thinking of Mani 2 as perhaps the best of the bunch. Fosi is kind of flat, I am hoping Mani 2 is more open with more defined highs and lows. Thanks.
Not for sure how you feel about preamp break in but the more you use it, it will sound better. I've been trying out phono preamps and right now it's the Musical Fidelity V90-lps. It was sounding pretty good but I hooked a iFi iPower X power supply $109 to it and the sound was dramatically better. Do yourself a favor and give it a try and if you don't hear a much improved sound, just send it back. I don't work for iFi I'm just a guy from Indiana trying to squeeze the best I can from my setup 👍
The Zen has a more defined sound and more open. The Pyle sounds like my Fosi Box X2. It is flat and warmer if you can call it that.
am i crazy or do the stereo channels flip between sample?
They might… I tried to make sure everything is lined up.
Just more details with the ifi zen !!!
When i can hear the difference over youtube 128kbps broadcast it means a great deal. Throw away that pyle phono, the ifi zen air rounds circles on it. The pyle has no depth, no dynamics , dark highs and no bass punch. The ifi zen played everything way better with all i mentioned that was lacking in the pyle. Stick to the Ifi Zen and be done. Sounded great.
zen for the win for sure, the pyle sounded flat compared to the ze,.
Your speakers are too small to test any preamp.
Gotta say this amp was a disappointment . Preferred the Musical Fidelity v90lps
Zen wins, landslide
I agree... I had the Rolls and Fosi as my anticipated "best" but this thing surprised me. I might have to buy the next model up and see how it sounds...
@@kappandrew1 try the ifi audio zen one for digital. If have the zen dac v1 and the first version zen bt. The one will be my next upgrade.
For phono I use my Harman Kardon citation 25 preamp. Sounds nice enough not to need a phono amp. Thorens, citation 24, citation 12 deluxe and ESL 57. Only new is the ifi stuff. Marantz cd80 to complete the picture 😁
Almost forgot the item I use most. Hifiman deva pro. Easily the best and most versatile headphone for the price