iFi Audio Zen Phono Stage Review & Comments

I can't imagine any intergrated pre amp being better than an external version. Does it offer mm and MC compatibility or alternative gain loading?
Hi. Good price for your Mani. Mine sold for £130+ P & P it wasn't on for more than half an hour I am satisfied with what I got . Enjoy
 
I pulled the trigger on Thursday. It turned up on Friday and am on my 6th Album since it arrived and the vinyl sounds great. Happy days!
 
I pulled the trigger on Thursday. It turned up on Friday and am on my 6th Album since it arrived and the vinyl sounds great. Happy days!
Enjoy. Brilliant piece of kit.
 
I pulled the trigger on Thursday. It turned up on Friday and am on my 6th Album since it arrived and the vinyl sounds great. Happy days!
What other kit are you using with it.
 
Difficult to say really as the stereo performance of the Denon itself will be relatively poor. The Rega may give a better performance but will still be stifled by the Denon itself. If I were going to spend money on trying to get a better performance out of the Denon it would be bring in a stereo amp that has HT by-pass ability and route all my music sources through that.
The Denon has a Direct function which bypasses the digital influence to a degree. It’s obviously not a true analog stereo receiver, but I’m a bit confused about what you mean by “stereo amp with HT bypass.” Did you mean like the “Direct” function of the Denon X6300H?

Also, has anybody tried to use the integrated phono amp on a higher end Denon, such as the X6300H? It’s not a flagship product, but was toward the top when it debuted. Obviously Denon is not high end, but we ARE discussing a sub $200 product.
 
Hows the unit sounding I got mine quite late and the missus wanted to watch tv so I only played one LP and haven't played anything yet as she is listening out for a Mothers Day delivery. Are you using the Subsonic Filter setting.
The subsonic filter will not affect the sound as it is SUBSONIC. It is designed to help the efficiency of your speakers by eliminating sounds that you may not hear, but are still present in the signal and are using up the potential energy of the speakers on unwanted low frequencies.
 
The Denon has a Direct function which bypasses the digital influence to a degree. It’s obviously not a true analog stereo receiver, but I’m a bit confused about what you mean by “stereo amp with HT bypass.” Did you mean like the “Direct” function of the Denon X6300H?

Also, has anybody tried to use the integrated phono amp on a higher end Denon, such as the X6300H? It’s not a flagship product, but was toward the top when it debuted. Obviously Denon is not high end, but we ARE discussing a sub $200 product.
Welcome to the Forum.

I have a Denon X6500. The front left and right channels are connected by the pre-outs to a Rega stereo amp that has HT by-pass. All my stereo music sources are connected to the Rega amp thus by-passing the Denon completely for stereo music. This enables me to use virtually two separate systems, one for film and TV and the second for music whilst still using the same pair of front speakers.

For film and TV both the Denon and the Rega need to be fired up, the Rega in HT by-pass mode being used as a power amp to the Denon. For music only then just the Rega stereo amp is used. It's a system I've been using for at least four years.
 
The subsonic filter will not affect the sound as it is SUBSONIC. It is designed to help the efficiency of your speakers by eliminating sounds that you may not hear, but are still present in the signal and are using up the potential energy of the speakers on unwanted low frequencies.
That's right. A subsonic filter is a filter with a particular cut off frequency. Its main purpose is to attenuate unwanted distortion from the subsonic range.
 
Welcome to the Forum.

I have a Denon X6500. The front left and right channels are connected by the pre-outs to a Rega stereo amp that has HT by-pass. All my stereo music sources are connected to the Rega amp thus by-passing the Denon completely for stereo music. This enables me to use virtually two separate systems, one for film and TV and the second for music whilst still using the same pair of front speakers.

For film and TV both the Denon and the Rega need to be fired up, the Rega in HT by-pass mode being used as a power amp to the Denon. For music only then just the Rega stereo amp is used. It's a system I've been using for at least four years.
What sources are you using that require the Rega to be used? Are you just using it for a pair of large front left and right speakers while you are watching movies/TV? If this is true, I’m sure it helps the efficiency of the unit. How is the loudness of the speakers calibrated to match the others on the movie track? I guess you run the odyssey EQ with the Rega attached. Just guessing here to potentially save you time responding.
 
What sources are you using that require the Rega to be used? Are you just using it for a pair of large front left and right speakers while you are watching movies/TV? If this is true, I’m sure it helps the efficiency of the unit. How is the loudness of the speakers calibrated to match the others on the movie track? I guess you run the odyssey EQ with the Rega attached. Just guessing here to potentially save you time responding.
For TV and discs I use the full surround sound via the Denon with the Rega's power amp driving the front left and right. For music I just use the Rega. You EQ the Rega into the system by running Audyssey and the volume when watching TV and discs is controlled by the Denon.
 
Can you guys tell me more about the Audyssey EQ? I am curious to hear your opinion about it.
 
I got the IFI Zen DAC Signature a few days ago and it is fantastic with my Arcam SA10 amplifier and Wharfdale Denton 80th Anniversary speakers. The marketing suggests it is only suitable for headphones and most buyers are headphone system listeners but it is excellent in a conventional hifi set-up.

Feeding it via USB from my Apple M1 MAC mini (zero fan noise) with 5 TB portable USB external drive (also silent) running Jriver as a player and DNLA server which streams to my Arcam CDS27 SACD network streamer.

The IFI DAC exceeded my expectations and I'd love to hear this IfI phono stage with my custom Thorens TD160 - Rega RB300 - Goldring 1022 GX cartridge although the Arcam SA10 on board phono stage is pretty good, but as Ed Selley suggests it would be a pretty noticeable improvement, more than likely better money spent than a RB300 rewire and the endless amount of snake oil turntable improvements out there.
 
Thanks for your appreciation. Perhaps a word of clarification.
Zen DAC Signature does not have a headphone output and you'd need a separate headphone amplifier to fully enjoy headphones. People usually buy the Zen DAC Signature bundled together with one of the Zen CAN Signatures 6XX or HFM, which make a great combo. These two amplifiers offer a custom EQ setting precisely tailored across the entire frequency response curve to make the most of the most popular HIFIMAN and Sennheiser headphone models.
 
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Hello There,
Has anyone compared the Balanced output connection to the regular RCA output?
Basically is there an improvement in sound quality enough to spend around £50 on
a set of balanced cables?
 
Hello There,
Has anyone compared the Balanced output connection to the regular RCA output?
Basically is there an improvement in sound quality enough to spend around £50 on
a set of balanced cables?
I doubt it, assuming you have a "normal" set up.
 
I doubt it, assuming you have a "normal" set up.
My set up for music is very basic - a Pro-Ject Turntable and The wonderful sounding (to me anyway) Edifier S3000 Pro Speaker System and of course the iFi Zen Phono Stage.
The Edifiers have XLR Balanced inputs which I was thinking of making use of ?
Thanks for your reply.
Does anybody else know would it be worth spending approx £50 on a Balanced cable?
I see that iFi Zen make a Balanced cable for this but it is £100 !!!
 
Does anybody else know would it be worth spending approx £50 on a Balanced cable?
No really. For balanced to work properly then everything must be fully balanced. Balanced cables are better than RCA if the cables are pretty long. In a usual home set up the difference in sound quality will be miniscule, if at all, and not worth your £50. More to be gained by spending your hard earned on some music.
 
No really. For balanced to work properly then everything must be fully balanced. Balanced cables are better than RCA if the cables are pretty long. In a usual home set up the difference in sound quality will be miniscule, if at all, and not worth your £50. More to be gained by spending your hard earned on some music.

Pretty much this.

Because of my setup, I have to use the balanced output from my Zen phono stage into my CAN headphone amp when I want to use headphones. There is zero difference in quality from when I was using RCA

Edit: This thread if you’re in anyway interested in why I’m setup like that - Am I doing something wrong? (Headphone/Headphone Amp related)
 
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Pretty much this.

Because of my setup, I have to use the balanced output from my Zen phono stage into my CAN headphone amp when I want to use headphones. There is zero difference in quality from when I was using RCA

Edit: This thread if you’re in anyway interested in why I’m setup like that - Am I doing something wrong? (Headphone/Headphone Amp related)
OK - Thanks for the replys so far. Seems I am going to save £50 :)
One thought though - this begs the question - WHY do the manufacturers of high end equipment bother to include Balanced XLR inputs and outputs on their high end products ???
 
OK - Thanks for the replys so far. Seems I am going to save £50 :)
One thought though - this begs the question - WHY do the manufacturers of high end equipment bother to include Balanced XLR inputs and outputs on their high end products ???
It does give you a choice and an advantage if your kit is in different locations. I've no balanced components in my set up. Simple RCA from SACD player to headphone amp and Neutrik to the 'phones themselves.
 
My set up for music is very basic - a Pro-Ject Turntable and The wonderful sounding (to me anyway) Edifier S3000 Pro Speaker System and of course the iFi Zen Phono Stage.
The Edifiers have XLR Balanced inputs which I was thinking of making use of ?
Thanks for your reply.
Does anybody else know would it be worth spending approx £50 on a Balanced cable?
I see that iFi Zen make a Balanced cable for this but it is £100 !!!
Being an advocate of the balanced audio, I would say there is a noticeable difference, but since the perception of sound is always a subjective matter I'll focus on a few other elements.

To fully take advantage of the balanced cable you need both products connected with such a cable to be balanced. Balanced audio cables are less susceptible to noise and provide a more reliable signal, which is stronger over long distances.
 
Is anyone able to comment on how this compares to the clearaudio nano v2 phono preamp?

Would be interested on their thoughts
 

With reference to the "iFi Audio Zen Phono Stage" does anyone know if it is OK to leave it powered on 24/7 ? - I keep forgetting to turn it off.​

 

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