With MM/MC, high/low and very low, the ZEN Phono is able to handle just about any cartridge. From 36dB all the way up to 72dB. So as your vinyl system grows over time, the ZEN Phono will always keep up.
Cookie-Cutter ‘Sub-Sonic Filter’
Tom Evans who makes very nice phono stages made the following astute comment:
A rumble filter simply adds to the bass cut making your already “cut” records sound bass light. Plus, it “time-steps” the bass in relation to the higher frequencies (where our hearing is most sensitive) so much so it can confuse the ear into believing the bass is playing out of tempo.
iFi solution:
Since the very first iPHONO launched in 2012, we have used our own in-house ‘Subsonic Filter’. It made it into the iPHONO2 and the iPHONO3 and now, the ZEN Phono which is the very first time this filter is seen in such an affordable price level.
As there is only minimal vertical modulation remaining at very low frequencies with an an actual cut LP that is playable, we know that “vertical modulation” at low frequencies must be warp.
So we designed a filter to take advantage of this.
This is not artificial but real knowledge. By understanding fully how LPs are cut and replayed, it is possible to filter record warp strongly without at the same time attenuating low bass or adding group delay.
Fall in love with your LPs all over again.
Pedigree. Performance. Peerless.
LPs + ZEN = Magical combo.
You’ve spent years building your dream LP collection. We know because we have done the same!
The ZEN Phono is a wonderful enhancement to your vinyl setup. It will max out every MM/MC cartridge.
Choc full of AMR/iFi trickle-down vinyl technology, it will have you poring over your LPs into the wee, small hours.
Spec’d to make you smile
Unlike any other entry-level phono stage. The ZEN Phono has:
- MM/MC from 36dB >72dB gain. Super-silent noise floor -151dBV
- Precise RIAA with Balanced output, performance comparable to +$1k phono stages
- AI sub-sonic filter. Addresses warp without eliminating bass or causing phase issues
Hissless whisper
Flagship phono amplifiers create their own power supply off the mains, like a mains regenerator. This is fundamental to a well-designed phono stage. Without this, it will struggle to amplify the signal without added noise. This is why phono stages ‘hiss’ so annoyingly.
Unusually, the ZEN Phono has its own high-tech clean power supply. It creates a 1.2MHz power supply (20,000x mains frequency of 60Hz). In this circuit, a 10uF filtering capacitor = 200,000uF at lower, audible frequencies. With serious levels of noise filtration, it performs at the level of well-designed LC filtering circuits as found in classic tube amplifiers. Further, located on its own ‘island’ PCB, it is isolated so there is no noise pollution of the analogue stage.
Just super clean +/- 12V DC.
Measured EIN (Equivalent Input Noise) is -151dBV. It is 20dBV quieter than some Stereophile Class A+ phonos which are -131dBV.
Mil-spec RIAA
The EQ circuit uses multiple TDK C0G capacitors in parallel. This is for best stability and the least distortion. They beat polystyrene capacitors and are close to Teflon. Read more here.
Already using the lowest tolerance capacitors combined with multiples in parallel, tolerance is exponentially improved by the square root of the number of capacitors. This is quite a natty circuit design.
The RIAA EQ tolerance level (+/- 0.15dB) is impressive as it is en par with hand-selected capacitors!
With great circuit comes great components
The ZEN Phono has some seriously good audio components backing up the fab circuit design which has trickled-down from its ultra-fidelity AMR PH-77 and iFi iPhono siblings.
Scroll down for more on the most consequential circuit highlights/boutique components.
Super sub-sonic
The intelligent sub-sonic filter is from the iPhono range and is quite special.
Normal sub-sonic filters remove ‘rumble’ AND bass and cause phase issues.
Our unique AI phono sub-sonic filter removes ‘rumble’ only.
Balanced circuit design. Just not seen at this price point it is a superior method to the traditional single-ended circuit approach. Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk. Less Interference – clearer sound.
As with many other iFi audio products, we’ve incorporated a custom OV Series operational-amplifier. This top-notch component contributes to the extremely low noise, low distortion (0.0001%) and wide bandwidth.
Panasonic ECPU capacitors. Each ECPU capacitor is constructed from some 3,500 layers of ultra-thin dielectrics less than 0.5μm thickness. It offers class-leading Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), low impedance and frequency stability and vanishingly low distortion.
Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer great unity-gain bandwidth, very low noise and distortion, high output drive capability, Common-mode and Power Supply Rejection Ratios of over 100 dB, wide maximum-output-swing bandwidths and high slew rates.
TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.
Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.
They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.
muRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.
Support
| Gain settings | MC (v lo)@ MC (lo) MC (hi) MM | 72dB (+/- 1dB) 60dB (+/- 1dB) 48dB (+/- 1dB) 36dB (+/- 1dB) |
| AI Sub-sonic filter | Remedies only the 'warp' in LPs | No negative impact to bass response |
| Max Output Voltage (RMS) | 20v RMS bal output into 100k (< 1% THD & N) 13.5V RMS bal output into 600R (< 1% THD & N) |
|
| Output Impedance: | BAL SE | 200 Ohm resistive 100 Ohm resistive |
| Input impedance | MM: 47K Ohms (Load: 110pF) MC High: 47K Ohms MC Low: 1K Ohms MC V Low: 110 Ohms |
|
| Signal/Noise Ratio: | 94dB(A) MM re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 80dB(unweighted 80kHz BW) MM re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 84dB(A) MC Hi re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 71dB(unweighted 80kHz BW) MM re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 90dB(A) MC lo re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 79dB(unweighted 80kHz BW) MC lo re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 79dB(A) MC vlo re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL 69dB(unweighted 80kHz BW) MC vlo re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL |
|
| EIN (equivalent input noise): | 0.6nV|/Hz (unweighted) MC lo/vlo 6.5nV|/Hz (unweighted) MM/MC hi | -151dBV (A weighted) -141dBV (unweighted) -130dBV (A weighted) -119dBV (unweighted) |
| Harmonic Distortion: | < -110dB / 0.0003% MM re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL < -80dB / 0.01% MC lo re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL < -86dB / 0.005% MC vlo re 2V BAL/1V UNBAL |
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| Dimensions | 160(l) x 113(w) x 35(h) mm 6.3" x 4.4" x 1.4" |
|
| Power Supply: | DC 5V / 500mA | |
| Net weight: | 515g (1.14 Ibs) | |
| Warranty: | 12 months |
Reviews
iFi Audio ZEN Phono
“There were finesse and power when required, and every record I played sounded more than good enough at least to my ears. True, playing the same records through my own phono stage, at about eight times the asking price of the Zen Phono, delivered a fuller sound, a little better at the frequency extremes, but eight times better? I think not.” “This is indeed a fine little device, and its current UK selling price represents something rare these days, a bona fide bargain.”
HIFICRITIC
(Click name to read original review)
Awesome product
I do not know why it has taken me all these years before I got myself a dedicated phono stage, however, it was probably laziness as all my AVRs have had phono stages.
Having upgraded my turntable I happened upon this product. It has tremendous professional reviews and I can now see why. I really can hear the difference between my AVRs built in phono stage and this external one.
So simple to use and a thing of beauty to looks at and hold, I would think that this is going to provide many years of pleasure.
(Click name to read original review)
Good little preamp
Bought the ifi zen and was not really sure what to expect. But it has really improved the sound quality over the built in phono stage. The subsonic filter works well on older records. Cuts down on background noise. Would defo recommend
(Click name to read original review)
Great Value
This Phono pre is about twice the price of the one that I’ve upgraded from, it creates a much lower noise floor and greater clarity during playback, I’ve got to wonder what the ifi Phono 3 can do.
(Click name to read original review)
Highly recommended
I bought a Den9n DP47F Turntable from Japan, and it comes with a MC cartridge and on my Marantz 7012 avr it just wasn’t cutting it , so I posed this dilemma to the AV Forums uk podcast and Steve recommended the IFI Zen Phono, his praise for the item sold it to me , and it is a great piece of kit love it .
(Click name to read original review)
It’s all about the quiet gains…
“… for the avoidance of doubt, the performance figures for the Zen Phono are serious stuff for a £150 phono stage”
“Pros:
Astonishing performance for the asking price
Excellent specification
Well made
Cons:
Nothing of note”
(Click name to read original review)
