iFi Zen Phono 3 Preamplifier Review

[amirm]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the iFi Zen Phono 3 phono stage and preamp. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $224.

The desktop design of iFi products has been "agricultural" as Brits would say. It is nice to see them refine it in Phono 3, bringing some elegance. I thought the round porthole was a display but it is not. It just has white LEDs that light up to show the current setting. Not bad but dreams dashed. There is good flexibility as far as loading and inclusion of subsonic filter. Back panel shows a distinguishing feature of iFi phono stages:

Balanced output but oddly, it is 4.4 mm so you need an adapter or two to convert it to XLRs. One gain setting is provided for Moving Magnet and three for Moving Coil which is nice. Note that when you change the switch, it takes a good 5 to 10 seconds for the unit to output anything. This threw me off at first, making me think the other settings did not work. There is a blinking light in the front showing you that it is doing something.

iFi Zen Phono 3 Measurements
I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to do any playing with grounding other than connecting my analyzer to the grounding lug to get a clean response:

No distortion is visible which is nice. Noise level dominates SINAD (as it usually does for phono stages) and despite company marketing material, is not that exceptional. It lands Phono 3 in the middle of our chart:

I was hoping balanced output would improve things but other than increasing gain, I didn't not notice anything:

Here is moving coil response:

I do like the random nature of noise spectrum.

Frequency response/RIAA equalization is perfect which is a rarity:

Subsonic filter is very mild. Company talks about something dynamic about it. So maybe it works better in practice.

Distortion is very low:

Headroom is "good" at 1 kHz:

But reduces with increasing frequency as many phono stages do:

Sharp ticks and pops are rich in high frequencies so this is unfortunate.

Conclusions
Measurements are very close to that of the original iFi Zen Phono but feature set is much expanded and Phono 3 is much prettier. I think the premium of just $30 is very well justified. The heavy case helps in this case in keeping the cables from pulling the device off the shelf. So overall a well executed device and generational improvements.

I am going to recommend the iFi Zen Phono 3.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

 

[amirm]

Specs:

• MM/MC with 36-72dB gain range
• Independent loading adjustment
• Super-silent -151dBV noise floor
• Precise RIAA with balanced output
• Intelligent subsonic filter
• High-tech 1.2MHz clean power supply

 

[staticV3]

Subsonic filter is very mild.

*Infrasonic
(pedantic, I admit )

Thanks for testing!

 

[welwynnick]

Thanks Amir!

Out-performed by a Marantz AVP. Who'd have thought it?

Edit: I was rather hoping to see the Classic Audio MC Pro by Michael Fidler in the phono stage league table. That measured 72dB SINAD at 67dB gain, so quite a performer.

 

[NHL99]

Would be interesting if https://leema-acoustics.com/essentials/ could be reviewed. Owned one, it was very transparent.

 

[JSmith]

iFi Zen Phono 3

Thanks for testing, some pics;

JSmith

 

[thewas]

Nice to see a well implemented update, my only wish would be a more effective low pass rumble filter.

 

[Koeitje]

Why does it have to look like a boat? All I want to do with it is try and see if it floats.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Why does it have to look like a boat? All I want to do with it is try and see if it floats.

I agree: a stupid shape that has no advantages or aesthetic appeal and must add to the manufacturing cost.

 

[WOLFAGRAM]

The desktop design of iFi products has been "agricultural" as Brits would say.

And the power supply is rather "pedestrian".

 

[Multicore]

Subsonic filter is very mild. Company talks about something dynamic about it. So maybe it works better in practice.

Going by the graph, I'd say that subsonic does almost nothing. If the device really has dynamic filtering it should be well specified.

Update: I looked on their web site and found the following.

Super Smart. Super Subsonic.
Standard subsonic filters aren’t intelligent and are typically loathed by audiophiles. They filter not only the bass rumble from warped records but also the bass of the song.
Our intelligent subsonic filter knows the difference between the two and only filters the warp, leaving the song completely intact, and without adding group delay.

Since the very first iPhono launched in 2012, we have used our own in-house Subsonic Filter. As there is only minimal vertical modulation remaining at very low frequencies with an actual cut LP that is playable, we know that “vertical modulation” at low frequencies must be warp.
By understanding fully how LP’s are cut and replayed, it is possible to filter record warp strongly without at the same time attenuating low bass or adding group delay.

The iFi-designed subsonic filter will intelligently detect whether a subsonic frequency is a warp or a bass note. It will eliminate the warps and let all the bass and mid-range frequencies pass through untouched. Therefore, it will not affect the sound quality.

I don't understand.

 

[Multicore]

And the power supply is rather "pedestrian".

Nautical, agricultural, and pedestrian. This preamp is a true all-rounder.

 

[JeremyFife]

Thanks for the review Amirm.

I quite like the form factor of this (I own the previous version). Looks decent - shame that there is no benefit from using the balanced output, and that filter does seem to be very "mild" indeed. It's OK though

 

[Vini darko]

Is this the best frequency response from a phono amp? Can't remember seeing better.

 

[Mulder]

Is this the best frequency response from a phono amp? Can't remember seeing better.

Classic Audio MC Pro Phonostage Review

This is a review and measurements of the Classic Audio MC Pro by Michael Fidler. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $850 (£650/€750). As non-fancy enclosures go, this is pretty nice looking and with some unusual features such as low frequency blending to reduce noise, mono switch and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Bob from Florida]

Thanks for the review Amirm.

I quite like the form factor of this (I own the previous version). Looks decent - shame that there is no benefit from using the balanced output, and that filter does seem to be very "mild" indeed. It's OK though

The balanced output has an advantage in certain situations. MM setting is 36 db, fine for a 5 MV cartridge. A lower output MM, say 2.1 to 3 MV will benefit from the extra 6 db gain of balanced without losing headroom.

 

[DSJR]

That board looks over-populated to me and for such small signals, especially MC ones, isn't it all a bit too neatly laid out involving extra signal track and so on. Maybe it's not important as the basic performance is okay EXCEPT for hf overload, right where surface ticks and splats may overload it with a more 'exuberant' cartridge with an hf rise, as is common these days.

 

[teched58]

Street price is $249, not $224. @amirm , where is the RIAA response curve? Thanks!

 

[staticV3]

where is the RIAA response curve?

In the review:

Frequency response/RIAA equalization is perfect which is a rarity:

 

[French Meloman]

Interesting review (Thanks Amir) for a multitasking phono preamp. I particularly like the RIAA correction and the sufficient noise performance in MM mode. The headroom is acceptable for an entry/mid-range camera. The inclusion of a subsonic filter is a good idea but it seems too slow. On the other hand, on MC cartridges, the noise penalty is too high. In fact, it should be reserved for MM cartridges (or even high-level MC?). The brand would benefit from offering a phono stage dedicated to MC cartridges, provided that it seriously improves the noise performance.