Reviewing the iFi Zen Phono Pre-Amp: Does This Beat the Schiit Mani? 

Incredibly helpful. Been in the market for one of these and this price range. Thanks for being so informative!

I appreciate the quality lighting and sound on this video. A rare thing on RU-vid which is usually just a great resource for information, but you got that right as well. Bravo.

another great video..you do a great job explaining the pros and cons of gear ..keep it coming!

This settles it for me. Always appreciate your honesty and thorough reviews.

This was the first review I have viewed on your channel. May I say how fantastically complete, beautifully descriptive and comprehensive it is. I had decided to likely go with the Mani to replace the failed internal phono stage in my vintage NAD 1300 preamp. I've reverted to an Onkyo one in a vintage surround reciever, but it is somewhat inferior to the NAD's. Rather than repair the phono stage on the NAD right now I decided to to go with a new external one. Budget is limited at this time, so I thought I had decided on the Schitt, based on reviews and a sound demo or two. Seemed great overall for the price. I think now I will spend the extra $60 or so on the ZEN, based partly upon you're enlightening review. Thank you again.

Great job Chris. You articulate your views with wonderful tone and even tempo. One thing I did find out is a dedicated phono stage definitely ups the game for vinyl. I purchased a Sutherland Insight with the additional power filtering and I couldn't believe how it bested my onboard pre on my Mac. Big fan. Greg

First time & Wonderfully clear.

Love the detailed review.

My new favorite channel. Great stuff, thanks.

So, I recently blew the pre-amp in my vintage 1975 Pioneer SX-850 receiver. It had been recently refurbished so I didn't want to just take it back to the repair center. Remembering your advice here, I ordered and installed the Zen and it does indeed give a richer overall sound, adds more depth and makes things more clear. Thanks so much for this!

Nice review. Thanks!

Great review. Unfortunately this happens that in short order, new products are debuted. I’m wondering now how the Mani2 stacks up against the Zen.

Just discovered your channel,love it.I work for Goldring,our parent company also owns Q acoustics and we are involved in Zen,really love your reviews 👍 I'm new to the hobby and now also work within it 😀

Great review this is on my radar now for possible new pre amp. And coincidence I am going to see Halloween Killls tonight lol

I have the Zen Phono and can say that the balanced o/p takes it even further in performance. So quiet it's almost uncanny, with great dynamics and clarity.It's not warm I would say but totally glass clear without being harsh in any way. A superb Phono preamp.

I figured the IFI Zen would edge out the Mani based on other reviews. Yours was the most informative and entertaining. I already have the Mani so I'll keep it for now. Thanks again for the channel and reviews Chris.

love your review on zen phono. I think its time to review the Schiit Mani 2.

thanks for your review

11:18 Thanks for that succinct summary.

I’ve owned several phono preamps and finally settled with the Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline XR-2 and eventually upgraded the op amps to Sparkos SS3601. I absolutely love the sound produced and it’s quiet with not a lot of noise. Ray has been around a very long time and the units are custom built. No tubes, but changing op amps can be fun as well.

Thanks for your review, I have the bellari vp549 phono preamp that also has a subsonic filter and I will try the iFi Zen.

I have the ortofon blue, and the zen sounds great, transparent, and lively, really pleased with it.

I bought a zen pre amp some time ago very happy with it . I use a grando cart on a technics 1500c . They seem to pair very well and my audio guy highly recommended the zen

Frank from 33 rpm sent me over. Love the channel.

Damn..I just don't want to watch any other reviews than yours,so in formative on subject matter that you make it easy to make a purchase decision on the best products,these company's should pay your for your style and approach,your fantastic!! Great video again!!

I picked up a Mani 2 from their store in California and love it. Finally my cheapo AT-LP3 sounds great. beautifully defined and rich highs with tight base and middle. I left everything at factory setting for MM cartridge. The default gain is set at 48db. I can go up to 60db but do not see a need for it. I had a crackling and buzzing sound that mostly disappeared once I place the Mani next to the turntable and ran the outs to the receiver from there.

Wow, nice review mate! I just recently stumbled upon the IFI Phono2 which was very positively reviewed. For over 20 years I've just been using the phono sections of my vintage (Read: Ancient!) Discrete Sherwood Newcastle dual-mono amps. And, let me tell you, the sound of this IFI on my system was frigg'n *AMAZING!* Fortunately, I was able still to find one new even though they've been discontinued and replaced by the IFI Phono3 at DOUBLE the price! ($1000!) Dude, you need to check it out if you can find one. It has numerous micro switches on the bottom of it. But, if you were that impressed with its little brother, you GOTTA hear this one! 😊 I'll try to post a link to pictures of my system, but usually those are removed immediately. Keep up the excellent work Bro!

Where is the iFi Zen Phono Pre-Amp made? This is an awesome review. Thank you so very much for your hard work. I watch and/or listen often and will continue doing so. I think I noticed on the back that iFi Zen is made in China. While I have several Chinese made electronic devices myself (hard to avoid), it's something I try to be mindful of considering the well-documented labor conditions in many Chinese factories. I'll stay with my Mani as it made in the USA (at least partially, if not completely). I love it. I'll tune in again soon. Grace and peace to you and your loved ones.

Great review, thanks! - Ya, I think the iFi Zen is the new giant killer... No longer need to spend upwards of $1,000 on a phono preamp anymore. - The Zen really does it all and sounds truly amazing! Especially using the balanced connection... Also I purchased iFi's iPower2 'quiet power adapter' which solved the cord-length 'problem' and brought an even quieter experience to the table! - (Not that 'more quiet' is really needed but it makes me feel better.)

The sound of a phono pre-amp is very much depends on a cartridge that you use, for my Nagaoka mp-110 I clearly preferred the Schiit Mani over the iFi Zen, and personal taste in sound of course, thanks for the review.

Have had the Ifi for nearly a year and love it, really impressed with the sound for the money paid. The only thing I don't like is the switch at the back for changing from MM to MC, it doesn't feel like it will last long.

I really enjoy your channel. I like your style and taste! I'm writing to let you know that ifi is out of stock in this item less that a year after they had so many reviewers post reviews of their equipment. Kindly please be careful about reviewing for manufactures that have difficulty keeping these items in stock. (two years later, ok but like yours, some of these ifi phono zen reviews are three months old!) This makes reviewers look bad. If you review it and we can't even think about purchasing it, what's the point? If reviewers declined reviews for manufactures that have a track record of running out of stock (as Amazon states: "currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock") Just tell the companies like ifi "no" please! (I just checked tonight and there was "one left in stock" suddenly! LOL!+)

Thank you for your reviews and opinions. I would really like to see you cover interfaces for recording vinyl to digital if that's also your area of expertise.

I'm waiting on delivery of the Shiit Mani 2. Here it's a solid upgrade from the original. Hopefully it will not disappoint.

I have the zen and I love it. I knew from the start of the video the ifi would win. You can always trust ifi, not a snake oil company.

Thanks for all the great, quality presented, advice on buying the rt82 for first TT. Running thru Sony integrated amp to Sony speakers for now, but want to get best preamp budgeted under $200 for the OM 10 cartridge. I don't know too much yet about specs but do know a proper match between cart and preamp is important. So far I've been bouncing between Art DJ Pre II, Ifi Zen, and Schiit Mani.or Mani 2 now, assuming similar quality. Any advice would be a appreciated greatly. Big fan of the show and thanks for all the help so far

Very clear review, interesting product. I would love to see those phono pre-amps see pitched against for instance a run of the mill Luxman vintage integrated amp. I am listening to an L210 and find the phono stage very good. But I sometimes wonder how much you have to fork out for a modern phono pre amp to beat it. Same thing goes for the head phone amp though here I already kind of decided that the L210 Headphone stage fulfils al my needs.

Great review, did you have any break in time for the zen? If so did the sound slightly change?

Great review...I bought this model from watching your review, instead of the Schiit Mani...and I have other Schiit products.. I also watched the review from Steve Huff just to see how it performed on his Hi End reference system....just hooked it up to my Dual 510 belt drive, and into my vintage Yamaha MX-1000 separted system. and my CA-800 pre amp has multiple settings for MM and MC ..... CHRIS! question, how should I input into my pre, going phono? or Aux.. Thanks for your Wisdom.

Great video Chris! I appreciate the detail and comparison. Basic question: I have an integrated amp with phono input (MM). If I add a phono pre-amp, should it be connected to the phono input or another analog input?

I have the IFI Zen hooked up to the same Technics SLD202 with an Audio Technica VM95SH ($300CAD nude shabita cartridge) and I’ve been happy with it so far! Glad to hear I’m not alone in my experience here.

The Zen with the upgraded ifi power supply is like your regular car getting a turbo installed (everything just improves significantly).

I was going to look at the Schiit but now I'll give this a go. See how it does compared to my free Fluance pre that came with my RT85.

I bought one of these when my very, very old Parasound Zamp phono pre amp died (lasted over 20 years though - great value). I first used the Zen with a Music Hall 2 table, and I appreciated the improved imaging (I could hear greater detail), but thought it odd the Zen's grounding post was too thick for the table's spade connector on the ground wire. I assumed standards had changed in the years since my table was built. 2 months ago, my Music Hall's motor died, so I did a serious upgrade to a Dr Feickert Volare table, bundled with a Origin arm & Mobile Fidelity cartridge. The Zen still performed well, but it's grounding post was still too thick for the new table's grounding wire spade connector. I emailed iFi about that several times, but I guess they don't respond to customers. So I recommend the Zen as a good value for someone who won't mind cutting off the connector attached to their table,s grounding wire. It would also be nice if iFi sold am external power supply unit in a chassis that matched the Zen,s (I hate wall warts).

I do enjoy my IFi Zen

I have the iFi iPhono 3 black label. Sounds good to me though I haven’t got anything else to compare it to. Would love to hear a review of that versus the EGLo :)

Great review . The only problem I have at this price point is it is good ? Or good for a disposable phono preamp ?

Next review the iPhono3 Black Label. That paired with a Lyra Delos is perfection!

Great review and a terrific channel. Quick question - although it might be too specific - I currently have a Fluance RT85 (Ortofon 2M Blue cart) plugged into the Phono input of a Denon PMNE 600 amp. Would the Zen offer any noticeable improvement and if I did get one, would I plug it into one of the other inputs on my amp or still use the phono? Really noob questions, but that’s what I am. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for another cool video. Question from a newbie: if your turntable has a pre-amp and it's plugged into powered speakers without a receiver, would using a pre-amp like this be a good idea or would it possibly mess things up?

Phase changing LED's would seem to be advantageous.

Following b/c I like your logo. 😂

My question as opposed to Ifi's considered excellent product is regardless of its noise suppression, which may exceed my Back in the Day Viynal investigations with the use of my Burwen DNF1201a sadly lost to time and moves not to mention it stopped functioning. This one unit besides saving lives, but numerous LPs that no matter how much I cleaned them kept fingers free of touching them using a dust cover etc.

I used the Mani at one time. Now I use the Bellari VP549 Phono Preamp. Way better sounding and only $25 dollars more than the Mani. The Bellari has a Rumble Filter, Cartridge Load Capacitance and a Trim/Gain control. Well worth the money.

I am using the Eastern Electric Mini-Max tube Phono Stage Pre-Amp.

Sir, I love your videos and definitely benefit from your vast knowledge. That being said, what's up with the cuts where there is audio but you don't "catch up" for a second? Not sure if this is intentional, but I find it distracting. Regardless, I appreciate what you do and you do it well.

Wonder how the Mani 2 would stack up against the iFi. As a Mani 1 and now a Mani 2 owner, I did not expect to hear too much of a difference, but the Mani 2 is a great upgrade. It has more of everything compared to the Mani 1 - more detail, better separation, bigger soundstage, and is overall much quieter...when the music stops, it is almost dead silent. (using Hana EL MC) How impressed am I with the Mani 2? Originally I was going to move the Mani 1 to a second turntable that is dedicated to mono playback. However the improvement is so noticeable, I'm going to purchase a second Mani 2 and put the Mani 1 on OfferUp.

Which gain setting did you use with your Hegel? I find the MM setting with a Ortofon Blue really quiet on my Hegel H95. Great review btw!!

This video is an oldie but goodie now - it really helped me make a decision back in the day. Any chance the NEW Zen Phono 3 or Schiit Skoll phono preamps are on your radar for a new comparison? I think the vinyl community would like to hear your take. Cheers! 🍻

The phono pre-amp also applies the RIAA curve to the output. With the RIAA curve, vinyl has pretty horrible fidelity.

If I was in the market to buy a new phono preamp, which I'm not, then I'd get one. But I'm happy with both of my Schiit Mani's.

New versions came out, with reduced features and lower price. I am wandering if they also reduced internal components quality. It would be interesting to see what you think about the V2 versions now. Great opinion and review as always. Thanks.

Have you heard the new Mani 2 yet? Also, I have an NAD C316 Bee v2 and am shopping for a turntable. I’m wondering just how good the internal phono stage is in comparison to the Mani 1, 2, or the IFI. Thanks for your channel. I’m a new fan.

It all depends on the reciever and chipsets you have how it will perform all are different period .

I actually preferred the ifi phono stage connected to my McIntosh ma5200 over the built in phono on the Mac. Sounded great. However, when used with my Hegel h160 I wasn’t impressed at all. With the Hegel the Project tube box S2 was the better fit, albeit at more than 2x the price. All this is to say that components play quite differently with other components, but for the price, build and sound quality I was impressed with the ifi zen and would also recommend it.

Brother man, I’m almost there! Yer recommends have helped me build my choices… Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo, Q Acoustics 3050i, & the ifi Zen phono…. But I’m confused! Will I still need an additional amp to run my speakers/turn table? Dude, I’m so green w/ all this. If I still need an amp, what would you recommend for a good beginner setup? Maybe the Arcam FMJ you use in this review? I’m purchasing everything w/ one fell swoop once I know I can listen to jams straight away. Penny for yer thoughts?

My Edifier S3000 Pro powered bookshelf speakers have L & R XLR inputs. So I can use a balanced 4.4mm to XLR L & R cable to send sound to my speakers? Awesome if I’m understanding correctly. Thanks for another great review!

Also, i see you're a Michigander! Im in West Michigan!

I noticed a very long break in period on the unit I purchased, the sound varied quite a bit for several hundred hours. There was a significant improvement in timing and extension at both ends with the Ipower supply...

I’m stuck! Your review is great! And I’ve had my eye on this ifi for a bit. But I have an issue. I have a set of Sonos S1 gen 2 speakers ( don’t judge me, I live in the suburbs and have a Costco card). Sonos also makes a pretty decent 125w amp that can hook into my S1s and can be wired with passive speakers down the road… I don’t necessarily want to be pigeonholed into using all Sonos components. And, as I’m building my sound system I want to get the best sound for my money. My TT is a Pro-Ject Carbon Debut Evo… That said, do you have sage advice about whether it’s wiser to buy the ifi/Sonos? I like the idea of using the speakers I have. I also like the idea of being patient, saving the money, and buying something down the road that will ultimately produce crystal-clear, audiophile sound. Penny for your thoughts.

Just watched your very informative video. Question: my cheap set up consists of an old but great shape Technics SL-D2 with a 2 blue Ortofon cartridge, an SX550 Pioneer and Klipsch RP600M speakers, would I benefit from a phono pre amp and which one, the Mani or Zen? Thank you!

Just started with vinyl (lovely christmas present from my wife), what would you reccomend to upgrade first: the preamp or the cartridge?? I was thinking on the Ifi Zen Phono or the Nag MP 110 (I would get the other later on, but don't know what to get first).

So I'm putting together my first setup. I haven't made the actual purchases yet so please give your advice if something should be changed...so far I have the Fluance RT85 turntable, a Yamaha R-N303BL receiver with a pair of Emotiva airmotiv B1+ speakers, I'm not sure I can do better at those price points but I'm new to this and I have a mid -tier budget

I just ordered a Fluance RT85 and I have some question. Since the second gain mode is closer to a typical magnetic cartridge needs should I use that mode for the ortofon 2m blue or stick with the lower DB first gain mode? Also the Ifi zen is no longer available on Amazon. Should I just go for the Ifi air and get the $60 Ifi upgraded power supply?

A comparison to the U-Turn Audio Pluto 2 would interesting as well.

I have a McIntosh c50 preamp with a very good phono preamp build in it. I purchased the IFi Zen to use with another setup, but decided to give it a whirl in my man cave system. I spent the extra money for the balanced cable and the iFi better power supply. I have to say that the Zen not only holds its own against the McIntosh c50, but actually has a darker background and has a punchier, more dynamic sound than the c50. Is it better? In some ways yes and in some ways it’s equally as good as the c50. I think all in I spent just under $400 but in return I got a phone preamp as good if not a smidge better than the phono preamp built in a $7000 dollar preamp! Other equipment was a VPI Prime table & 10” 3D VPI arm, Ortofon Quintet Black cartridge with boron cantilever, audio quest cables Carver Crimson 275 tube amp, McIntosh mc352 SS amp, Klipsch Hersey IV’s and Magnepan 1.7i speakers.

I added the ifi iPowerX to my Zen Phono and that made noticeable audible improvements. If you have the opportunity, try a better power supply. I’m very surprised with the overall package for under $300.

Hah. I ordered the iFi Zen a couple day ago after watching a different review. At the same time, I ordered the upgrade wall-wart power supply for the unit (iFi SilentPower iPower2 - about $70) which is supposed to make it quieter still. Should be arriving in a day or two. Edit: I hope the upraded power cord is longer too.

Hello, I have an atoll IN100 signature amplifier, with a phono module. Do you think zen would sound better? Kudos to your effort and your channel, Gogo from Slovenia

Have you tried the Art DJ pre? Really impressive and warm for the price. I prefer to the more etched sound doing Mani.

I have just purchased the Zen. Basically RIAA accuracy of 0.15db is unbeatable, even with higher end gear.

Very interesting review thank you ... I have a Project X1 turntable coupled to a Leak Stereo 130 with Lintons and overall I am very pleased with this combo based on my moderate budget for HiFi - The X1 comes standard with an entry level cartridge called the Project Pick-It S2MM and its quite good for an entry level cartridge - I am pondering about investing in a Phono Preamp and an cartridge - Ortofon Blue seems to be a good upgrade and that cartridge is highly regarded -- question is --- is it worth the investment on a phono preamp and cartridge for the X1 or should I upgrade the turntable ..greetings from Ireland -- Paul

thinking of getting the carbon evo with the zen. Got a 1500$ budget for my wifeys' B-D. working on a nice set up

Does it get my speakers to sound louder, my inbuilt preamp I can tell gets quality sound, it's just the volume of sound that I have a problem with, it's just so low

Basement flooded?! (that remark surprised me) I get that all the time here where I live (metro Detroit)

Come on, where is a review of the Hana ML? Very interested. I have Hana SL, incredible cartridge but I have only one to compare with - AT 120 Eb. Looking forward to hear your opinion.

I had the Shitt Mani for a couple of days, but I had to send it back, because the power adapter is cheap and it was picking up noise from my WiFi router. I spent an extra $125 and ordered the MoFi StudioPhono, which I've been extremely pleased with, but I've read that they just raised the MSRP form $249 to $349.

Did you ever try to add the upgraded ifi power supply? It's 69.99 more for it I believe. I have the Mani now and never could stop the Hum it had, Schitt trying to find out why this is happening and it's humming on both systems in my house so something with the Mani if they can not fix it I will have to go shopping again on the market for a phono preamp and I found the Ifi and was thinking maybe this can be the replacement and it seems by your review it can be. Thank you for this great review.

I recently purchased this preamp connected to my Schiit Freya + with balanced and RCA. At after about 1 o'clock on the volume a hum/buzz starts to come in both inputs with or without the turntable connected, gets louder as I increase. I do not get this on my other inputs. Is this normal or defective? I have time to send it back. I use the RCA to feed through a tube buffer and I have done all the isolation possible.

How do you feel about using this with the Fluance RT85 w/2m Ortofon blue cartridge hooked to Klipsch the sevens speakers? I didn’t want to rely solely on the built in preamp on the speakers. Is this a noticeably better option?

Good luck buying a Mani! I tried, and they were out of stock, with no estimate when they would deliver and charge my credit card. I HATE dealers with those surprise charges 1/2 year later, when I forgot about it. I tried contacting them, but there is NO phone number, and email response was NONE. Between crappy (non-existent) response until I requested cancellation (which was probably a canned bot-email), various problems that users report (like radio reception, noise, etc, with no quick repair or exchange in sight!), and that nasty way of charging my card whenever they send the box at their leisure, Schiit is NO company I want to deal with.

I'm lucky enough to have the classic and coveted Technics sl10 turntable complete with the original 310MC cartridge. That marvel is a minuscule .2mv (even lower than your Hana's .4) & with its incredible quality but miniscule voltage it needs a very detailed amp with high gain. Most MC units top out @ 60db which is just not enough for this cart... the Zen goes to 72db and even it's mid-level is an impressive 63db! This absolutely looks like one to try for sure. Do you know if it has any setting for the loading or is it likely fixed @ 100 ohms?

I have a Sony (PS-LX310) turnable. I bought it because it was on the shelf and I didn't want to order. It has a built in preamp but sounds awful (to me). I also bought a Sony receiver (190) as I read it is supposed to be made to go with that turntable. It has a phono input but it sounds bad (to me) as well. I also have Kanto YU6 speakers with a phono and it doesn't have the punch or eq I want to hear. Among it's shortcomings the Sony cartridge isn't changeable so it's either spend more money to buy a new turntable and try to get rid of this one (could be tough in my small town area) or the lower cost option of an external preamp. From your video this might be an option for me. Thanks for the video.

How can I control the overall gain with the mani 2? Would I just have volume control on my speaker volume faders in the back of each speaker? I don’t see a see volume knob.

Worth getting with Fluance RT 85 and my Kanto YU6 speakers which have an amp I think????

Hello, I am looking for information about the Ifi zen phono, because I have doubts if it would improve the sound of my HIFI equipment. I've seen your video and I've almost convinced myself that it may be worth it. But I have a couple of doubts: 1- I can't find the ifi zen phono anymore, I think it's discontinued. Now there is the Ifi zen phono3. But does it still have the same characteristics? 2- Would the Ifi zen phono3 improve the phono preamp integrated into my Pioneer SA-608 amplifier? My team currently consists of: Turntable: Technics, FG-SERVO PLAYER SL-23A Capsule: Ortofon, concorde (pro S needle) Amplifier: Pioneer SA-608 (with Phono input) Speakers: 2x Warfedale9.1 \\ 2x PILOT ST-303 Oh and if you have taken the trouble to read this far, do you think that any of the components of my equipment can be improved with a small investment that would really improve the sound of my HIFI equipment? To say that I'm happy with how it sounds, but if it can be improved without breaking the bank... Thanks for your videos, and forgive the badge!

I'm considering getting one of this .... currently I'm using AT LP120XUSB with standard cartridge hooked up directly to Yamaha receiver's Phono input. I'm planning to start upgrading... planning to get a phono preamp and Nagaoka Mp-110.... will this sound better? I was reading somewhere on the internet the the MP-110 needs 40db of gain from but the zen offers 36, 48, 60 and 72 .... will this be an issue???

Hey Chris, do you still have the EAT E Glo Petit? I had mine for a year and left channel is bad. Hope it's still under warranty.

Where are your thoughts on the Zen now a year later? Im thinking about getting one.

I’ve been using Schiit products for a few years and have been enjoying the mani so far with my new fluance rt82. It does have a slight hiss but only at very high volumes and even then I can’t notice it when the record starts playing.