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Fall in Love with Your Vinyl All Over Again
The ZEN Phono is an entry level phono stage with a difference. Normally, phono stages in this price range add excessive noise that hinders musical enjoyment. The iFi ZEN Phono is an exception to the rule due to its trickle-down know-how from AMR/iFi phono preamps.
First and foremost, the noise floor is a whisper-quiet 90/96dB (36/60dB, BAL 2V/SE 1V, A-weighted) on MM/MC respectively. It is also able to handle MM/MC cartridges from <0.25mV to >2mV to bring true high-end performance and flexibility to the entry level sector. Finally, the ZEN Phono has the performance and the features not found in many other phono stages, such as balanced circuitry, which is unheard of in this category, an Intelligent Subsonic filter that solves warp issues effectively, and MM/MC performance with -36dB >72dB gain.
Serious Trickle-Down Technology
While designed to be sold at a highly competitive price point and using ultra-modern manufacturing methods, the ZEN Phono’s fundamental design is based on classic ultra-fidelity products, which were, in their time, considered as market defining (Vendetta Labs SCP-2, AMR PH-77). The ZEN Phono offers true high-end performance, objectively and subjectively.
The ZEN Phono include some serious boutique audio components behind a circuit design that uses trickle down tech from its ultra-fidelity AMR PH-77 and iFi iPhono siblings. From the moment you lower the needle, you will be immersed, playing "just one more album" into the wee, small hours.
Regenerated Power Supply
Top-of-the-line audiophile phono amplifiers create their own power supplies off the mains, like a mains regenerator. This is the starting point for any good phono stage, because without this it will struggle to amplify the signal and not add noise.
The super quiet ZEN Phono creates a 1.2MHz power supply (20,000x mains frequency of 60Hz). Here, a 10uF filtering capacitor equals 200,000uF at lower frequency. The result? Very large filtering, as per classic LC filtering in tube amplifiers and located on its own ‘island’ so no surrounding noise pollution. It outputs a super clean +/- 12V DC.
RIAA EQ at Military Specification Level
The ZEN Phono uses iFi's famous two-stage circuitry with the latest op-amps. Equalization uses multiple parallel TDK C0G capacitors for the best stability and least distortion possible, even when compared to polystyrene capacitors. They are nearly as good as Teflon. Despite already using the lowest tolerance capacitors and multiples in parallel, tolerance is exponentially improved by the square root of the number of capacitors. The ZEN Phono achieves RIAA EQ tolerance level (+/- 0.15dB) which is equal to hand-selected capacitors!
AI Subsonic Filter
A subsonic filter removes extreme low frequencies resulting from warped records (records that are not perfectly flat). Such signals can cause the so-called “woofer pumping” effect, resulting in excessive distortion and possible damage to your speakers if the volume is set too high.
This is no ordinary sub-sonic filter. Normal subsonic filters don't just remove, they also remove bass and create phase issues. The ZEN Phono's iFi AI Subsonic Filter removes rumble only and has only a positive impact on sound. The AI Subsonic filter has been used since iFi Audio's first iPhono in 2012. Thereafter, it can be found in the iPhono2 and the iPhono3 Black Label and now, the ZEN Phono. There is no other phono stage in its price range that has this valuable feature.
Works with Any Cartridge
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 keep easily keep up.
Balanced Circuit Design
Balanced circuits are 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, and less interference equals clearer sound.
Superior Components
The OV series operational amplifier used in the ZEN Phono is another example of a top-notch component used to get the best sound quality out of iFi Audio products. The OVA2637 op-amp has low noise density and low distortion (0.0001%) and performs on a much higher level sonically than the product price suggests.
Each Panasonic ECPU capacitor in the ZEN Phono is constructed from some 3,500 layers of ultra-thin dielectrics less than 0.5μm thick. It offers class-leading Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), low impedance, frequency stability, and vanishingly low distortion.
Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer great Unity-Gain Bandwidth, very low-noise, high output-drive capability, Common-Mode Rejection Ratio: 100 dB and maximum-output-swing bandwidths, low distortion and high slew rate.
Class 1 ceramic TDK C0G capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications. They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.
The ZEN Phono uses 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.
A Short History of iFi Audio's Vinyl DNA
iFi Audio's parent company AMR made the PH-77 which was a £12,000 Stereophile Class A’ rated phono stage. It is a dual-mono, 35 kilo beats that sounds amazing. Michael Fremer said, “The PH-77 is a sweet, tonally well- balanced, quiet performer that produced a large, authoritative sonic picture packed with honest detail.”
iFi Audio made the iPhono, the iPhono2, and then most recently the iPhono3 Black Label that pushes the performance of its phono stages even further. Michael Fremer advised, “If you own an iPhono2 and love it, sell it and buy an iPhono3. It’s that much better. The improvement isn’t incremental. It’s a major step forward.”
iFi has distilled much of the AMR/iFi audio vinyl design into the low-price segment with the ZEN Phono. It makes your vinyl come alive.
