Kicking off with a Sundazed pressing of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, the track El Condor Pasa has more detail than I’d expect to hear from a phono stage in this price bracket. Inserting the ZEN Air into my system being fed by a VPI Scout 21 turntable with a high-output Benz Micro Ace SH MC cartridge, feeding Musical Fidelity M6 pre/power amps and driving Dynaudio Focus 260 speakers via Russ Andrews 8PR Kimber speaker cable, ensures it won’t be held back by its partnering kit. Simple user guide is a breath of fresh air compared to many rivals’ War and Peace style manuals Performance IFi ZEN Phono comes complete with everything you need to get you going. The first thing you notice is the ZEN’s improved casework, with a brushed alloy front panel and metal carcass that feels better built, right down to the hefty bolts securing its rear panel. Unboxing it reveals an almost identically sized unit, formed from better quality materials. The standard ZEN Phono may be twice the price of the Air model, but it’s still great value at a shade under £200, which is less than a midrange interconnect cable. While a mains cable is included there’s no plug, but with its USB-A socket and 5V DC input, most phone charger plugs can provide the right amount of juice, including those from Apple and Amazon. Set-up could not be easier, with font panel buttons for power and its subsonic filter, alongside LED lights denoting which cartridge type is selected. The whole unit comes housed in a plastic polycarbonite case which feels light yet solid with a nicely textured finish and small grippy domed rubber feet. Despite the low price, iFi has managed to pack in a range of quality components aligned to a sensible feature set, with a custom OV Series op-amplifier and TDK Class 1 ceramic capacitors, alongside ECPU types from Panasonic.Īir’s rear panel includes RCA in/outputs, knurled ground connector, switchable gain for MM/MC and power input The ZEN Air Phono model is the cheapest phono stage iFi offers costing less than a hundred quid, as part of iFi’s great value ZEN Air range. With an almost dizzying churn of latest products, it’s a wonder iFi’s boffins have time to sleep. And when you consider its job, it’s easy to see why, as these little units are their own preamps, designed to boost extremely low-level cartridge signals before handing over to your main amplifier.įast forward to today and iFi Audio is well established as a market leader for great value and spec laden desktop and portable audio, plus a range of accessories. These days we can expect much more from the humble entry level phono stage, with dedicated specialist manufacturers like Graham Slee showing that for a few quid extra, a standalone is a worthwhile investment. Having heard and tested many entry level phono stages from this era, in truth most were little better than the standard inclusions that came fitted to integrated amps a decade earlier, but they at least gave vinyl newbies a way in. The turn of the millennium saw vinyl’s comeback begin and the birth of the budget standalone phono stage, as an add-on to the amps of the day that were caught lacking them. Then when CD ruled the roost and vinyl’s demand waned, many amp manufacturers dropped this feature, as buyers mainly needed line-level inputs, for CD, radio and the like. Talk with one of our helpful, commission-free sales associates.Back when vinyl was king a built-in phono stage was all part of your average integrated amp’s offer, so much so they were taken as a given on the spec sheet. **When you get approved for Synchrony financing please write down your account number so you can use the financing immediately.Īll Synchrony orders must be placed over the phone by calling Upscale Audio at 90. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreement for their applicable terms. For new accounts: Purchase APR is 29.99% Minimum interest charge is $2. Regular account terms apply to non-promotional purchases and, after promotion ends, to promotional balance. Depending on purchase amount, promotion length and payment allocation, the required minimum monthly payment may or may not pay off purchase by end of promotional period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo purchase from the purchase date. No interest will be charged on the promo purchase if you pay the promo purchase amount in full within 12 months. *Offer applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional purchase is not paid in full within 12 months. On qualifying purchases made today with your Synchrony Financial credit card.
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