The iFi Zen Air Phono Review!

[@gordonharless]

Update to my comment. Although my amp switches off rca inputs not being used to prevent cross talk, i was playing a cd after an album. Forgot to turn off the air. When i saw and turned it off, the volume on the cd increased. I think it reduced the gain on the other inputs. Did it to tuner too. Probably my amp, but i make sure it is off when playing anything but turntable. Still the best thing ive heard. No critique. Just information love it.

[@gordonharless]

Im stunned. Just got one. Eico st 70 and arxa. Slight hum i didnt like. Looked at the tube fosi but figured im gonna be running thru a tube pre on the amp so why over do it. Wondered if 40 db gain would be enough. It is. The bass is punchy and warm. The thing works as advertised and more. And dead quiet! Glad i lived long enough to discover it.

[@jari121]

I have both the Ifi Zen phono and the Zen air phono. I don't think there is much difference in their sound with MM cartridges. I didn't want to buy a separate good power supply for the Zen air phono, so I use an inexpensive battery bank, which is also a quieter option. I bought the Zen phono used and the Zen air phono new so they cost me the same. I also have the Schiit Mani and agree with you about its sound compared to both Ifi Zen phonos. I use the Mani with the warm Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge and the Pro-Ject Debut 3 turntable. I use the Zen phono with the more neutral and brighter Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge and the Rega P-3 turntable. The Zen air phono I use with the Goldring 1012 gx cartridge and the Rega P-2 turntable.

[@thevinylattack]

I had a feeling the sound would be very close, but couldn't confirm for the video.

[@bigmacfullerton7870]

Awesome review with great detail. I just bought the zen air from Crutchfield based on this review and many others. Nobody has anything bad to say about this unit. It’s right up my alley as I’m always looking for good sound at good prices.

[@thevinylattack]

Let us know how you like it.

[@bigmacfullerton7870]

@@thevinylattackI’m really pleased with the Zen Air. For $99 it’s a great deal and I have no desire to upgrade. It’s good to go. Sounds really good. One thing though, when I play records without the subsonic filter I notice the driver in my speaker is literally bouncing out of the cabinet. Tons of movement with the filter off but that stops with the filter on. So I just leave it on. Any idea what is going on there?

[@thevinylattack]

@@bigmacfullerton7870 Yes. That's what a subsonic sound looks like. You can't hear it, but your speakers are trying desperately to make it. I'd leave the filter on.

[@nramanynarayanan4201]

Performing a blind test to feel where singer is in comparison to where instrumens are in the background helped to pick this ifi phono and ditch Mani 2 . Noise level is almost 0 as well .

[@markpocock183]

Thanks for this. Would be interesting to get your impression of the MC performance.

[@thevinylattack]

The sound description I gave was for both MC and MM.

[@Porco1984]

Great review 🤘I'm actually looking for a phono preamp in the $100-150 range and the Zen Air Phono is definitely one of the contenders, but that plastic case is a bit of at letdown. Also been looking at the Rega Fono Mini A2D MK.II, seems the be decently reviewed as well.

[@thevinylattack]

For the money, it'll be hard to beat.

[@1mctous]

The Mani 2 is notably improved from the Mani, getting closer to neutral and sounding less constricted.

[@thevinylattack]

I'd really like to get one in at some point.

[@1mctous]

@@thevinylattack I kept the Mani 2 for my 2nd system. The Yamaha A-S301's phono stage and DAC are pretty mediocre but the amp itself is quite good for the money.

[@matereo]

The mani is a riaa thet sounds exeptional to some with the extremely unbalanced poor measuring Nagaoka mp110, and that should put out a warning to those who care about faithful reproduction of recordings.

[@1mctous]

@@matereo If we only cared about measurements, we wouldn't play LP's at all! I have done direct LP-CD comparisons and am well aware of how the MP-110 departs from neutrality. However flat frequency response doesn't tell the whole story. I'd be hard pressed to find a $130 cartridge with better transient response and tracking.

[@awarriorinside5814]

Worked good for a little over a year. Now the high frequencies over power the rest. Will look elsewhere for a replaceement.

[@thevinylattack]

You might try replacing your stylus first.

[@awarriorinside5814]

I have two cartridges. MP110 and ortofon red and same on both. Stylus' are not old.

[@thevinylattack]

@@awarriorinside5814 I'd make sure they're clean, then. The odds of a component like a phono pre-amp suddenly changing its pitch are extremely low. I doubt it's the iFi.

[@awarriorinside5814]

@@thevinylattack I also have another phono amp i use transfer records to flash drive and it works perfectly. Swap out with same cables, amp etc. Issue directly points at the Zen phono amp. I do agree that it would be rare for it to fail.

[@djsoulfilter]

IFI Zen Air or Mani 2? I'm town between the 2.

[@LS-ti6jo]

The regular Zen phono pre is great phono preamp, punching well above its weight class, though unlike you, I disliked its wall wart AC adaptor. Wall warts are a pain when used in a power strip or even a normal wall outlet. Other then that, the Zen is a smokin bargain. So I'd be interested in how it compared to this USB version

[@thevinylattack]

Wall warts are a bit of a pain, but they are also more stable than a USB connection for noise reduction.

[@whiskey3057]

What would you recommend as the ideal setup: A turntable, stereo receiver and speakers or A turntable, pre-amp, amplifier and speakers?

[@thevinylattack]

There's no one right answer. Everyone's needs and preferences will differ.

[@12_inch_spinnerz]

Have you done any reviews on the pro-ject box ds2?

[@thevinylattack]

Not as of yet. Perhaps down the line.

[@AcousticWisdom]

I’m running an old Dual turntable into an old pioneer receiver which has a built in phone pre amp. Can I use this in conjunction with that or would I need to do something different? I’m pretty new this stuff. Thanks 🙏

[@thevinylattack]

You can use this, yes. You would just take the RCA out of this preamp and run it into a regular input in your amp NOT the phono input.

[@AcousticWisdom]

@@thevinylattack perfect 👍 thank you! There is always a really low hum from the turntable. Hopefully this would get off that.

[@hifipi3.14]

I highly doubt anyone into MC carts would ever consider a $100 preamp. Even if it can do it, that buyer is generally looking for something better.

[@thevinylattack]

You'd be surprised. There are lots of nice MC carts around the $500 range which would put this right in line.

[@hifipi3.14]

@@thevinylattack maybe it’s just me, but if I’m going into that world $100 preamps aren’t on the consideration list. I did get a project phono box S3B with MC considerations down the line and feel like that’s on the budget end yet at $500. Instead of MC another gain option for MM seems like the better move, you did kind of touch on that. Always enjoy your videos though, would love to see more content 👍

[@metaljoe9088]

​@@hifipi3.14a hundred dollars without snake oil

[@hifipi3.14]

@@metaljoe9088don't watch his video on cables, you might get triggered

[@gregthomas2852]

Hey Chris. On your recommendation a few years ago, I bought the original Zen Phono, and its still kicking it - this sounds exactly the same

[@thevinylattack]

I'm glad to hear it's working out for you.

[@bauertime]

Would it be good to power the ifi with a usb power pack battery?

[@thevinylattack]

I personally wouldn't, but I don't need another thing in my life that needs charging.

[@bauertime]

@@thevinylattack Actually that's what I have found to be true. After dealing with it for a while, I've gone back to the plug. I'm not sure that I could hear a difference anyway.