2021 The Best $500 and Under Phono Preamp Shootout
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Shootout for some of the most popular phono preamplifiers in the market today. Links below to products used for the shootout including the music.
Phono Preamps
Pyle PP999 - amzn.to/3zxhVnu
Schiit Mani - amzn.to/3gIGQgh
Musical Fidelity v90-LPS - adorama.rfvk.net/6bnQzm
IFI Zen Phono - adorama.rfvk.net/EaOgAD
IFI IPower X 15v - adorama.rfvk.net/NKRvE1
IFI Iphono2 - Out of Stock on Amazon
IFI Iphono3 - adorama.rfvk.net/e4e5jQ
Equipment used during evaluations
Musical Fidelity M3SI - adorama.rfvk.net/KeOvYe
Cayin Tube Amplifier (not the same model)- amzn.to/3BcCXIm
Denon VL12 - Can find on Ebay or other stores
Phono Cartridges
Hana EH - amzn.to/3Do4l86
Denon DL-103R - amzn.to/38iz6gx
AT VM95E - amzn.to/3kr8yiw
Sumiko Blue Point #2 - amzn.to/2WBOu56
Ortofon 2m Bronze stylus ( could not find cartridge for sale). - amzn.to/3BmNLDS
Alternative to 2M Bronze - amzn.to/3jpB7O5
Upcoming review of cartridge - Audio Technica VM740ML - amzn.to/3BfZmUY
Vinyl Music
Starset - amzn.to/3DuTr0y
Macy Gray - amzn.to/38o7TsS
The Pretty Reckless - amzn.to/2UW46zP
Architects - amzn.to/3zsd9rh
Korn (you can find it cheaper at other stores) - amzn.to/3jvqUjv
“It’s a Schiit product, I love Schiit products. But this is not the best Schiit” the phrasing was perfect 😂
For me, the fhat you're listening to Pioneer HPM-100 speakers invalidates any comments you make regarding detail, high frequency response and soundstage. Having had much exposure to those things back in the '70s as an audio salesman, I found them totally substandard compared to the other more accurate speakers of the day.
Mani with Nagaoka MP110 is amazing, I also have the music fidelity and the ifi, but the mani is better with the Nagaoka.
I hope to get a new Nagaoka soon.
I tried that combo, I enjoyed an Art Pro DJ more. And you can control the input very easy. Dods have the rumble decreased as well.
I think all the issues with the original Schiit Mani have been rectified or at least addressed in the new release Schiit Mani 2. The 2 does have a subsonic filter and a few other extra options.
That is good to hear. I only heard the original which I thought was not nearly as good as my Cambridge Audio preamp even when the Mani was working without the associated problems. I don't know why the Cambridge Audio products were not featured here. To me, the Cambridge Audio preamps do for vinyl what the Schiit multibits do for cd's.
Thank you. I just ordered the ifi phono 2. And the Starset record. I have a Fluance RT85 with a 2M Blue but may upgrade to the Hana. I use Martin logan electro static speakers. Excited to see how it sounds. Thanks again. Love the content. Keep it coming.
My RT85 and an vintage Technics SL-Q3 both with 2M blue or Nak 110 didn't produce to quality of a newer Technics sl-1210m5g. I did record plenty of samples, it actually was a little shocking
Schiit Mani is epic ,you benefit from an external power supply
The wall wart ps just holds it back.
The Schiit Mani definitely lives up to the legend that it is only with a decent power supply.
I’ve seen power supplies on eBay for mani. I just wish all these companies standardized the input power so you only need one high quality power supply for all units. I like the IFI units but the mani is 16v
Hmm. According to ASR, the noise is about 73db down. Pretty good for a Phono stage, altough really good ones as the midlevel Projects manages about -80db (for MM) and the Cambridge Duo -90db. The Mani has a slight elevation in the lower frequencies where there's not much content on a LP. So it seems the Mani would sound best with high output carts like the Ortofon Concorde's (or most other Ortofons). With a low output cart you would need more gain which would also amplify the low bass frequencies where the rumble lives. Would be nice to see it measured with and without an external PSU. I'm pretty new to this, but from my understandning a PSU isn't likely to make a night and day difference and I think it would be quite hard to detect the differences (with and without) by ear only. Also, the SNR of the LP medium is at best -70db in optimal conditions (virgin vinyl, perfectly aligned cart). So any improvement to noise levels (which is about the only thing a PSU can improve, right?) better than that should, theoretically, be out-shouted by the imperfections in the LP. What's the capacitance of the Mani? I'm keen on a new Audio-Technica cart, and apparently they're quite fussy about that.
I have HANNA EL MC cartridge is very good cartridge for $450.00 on MM 5.3SE turntable and just upgraded to HANNA SL MC cartridges even better for under $1k on project tube box DB2 phonostage.
I agree on the Mani. It is very undynamic, and it is thin on the bass. It sounds like typical amplifiers and preamplifiers the have a lot of negative feedback. I always enjoy low negative feedback designs much more since I find the NFB creates a loss in dynamics. I sold mine not long after receiving it. It didn't even compare to my Musical Fidelity V-LPS II, which has been improved on by Musical Fidelity's later designs. My setup is a Micro Seiki RX-5000 turntable (120 lbs), Dynavector DV-501 arm, and a Dynavector 17d3 low output moving coil. This drives a Counterpoint Solid 8 Preamp (zero NFB) and an Ayre V-3 amp (also zero negative feedback) driving Carver ALS-III ribbon speakers. I was using the various phono preamps while I am rebuilding my all triode Counterpoint SA 5.1 preamp (also zero NFB) which slays ALL 4 of the phono preamps that I have been experimenting with.
Couldn't agree with you more,all my single ended triode tube amps I've built for myself are all zero negative feedback,the dynamics are fantastic.I've tried building with a negative feed back in circuit but the dynamics or lack of, was not to my liking.
You are really comparing apples and oranges here.. you know that?
@@claudionesdebologna2533 The Musical Fidelity V-LPS II was in the same price range as the Mani when it was produced years ago.
I've been looking for a Ifi Phono 2 off and on since you posted this, I could never find, any just the the new Ifi Phono 3 for $1k which is hugely out of my price range and system pairing. I just took a look on ebay and FINALLY found a Ifi Phone 2 for used for $350... STOKED!
Awesome.
@@ThriftShopReviews Have you picked up any new phono preamps? I've heard the Moon 110LP v2 is nice contender, it would be interesting to see how it compares to the iFi.
if you need a sub sonic filter, your tt isn't isolated well enough. spring suspended TTs like the AR or SOTA don't "hear" those low frequencies BECAUSE they are well isolate. tables that have the more solid mounts at their feet will transmit those low vibrations into the phono cartrigdge. there are isolation platforms that can help but it may take some experimentation.
i use a SOTA Sapphire tt and have a Rythmik sub that goes down to 15Hz and I have no need for the low filter.
ifi zen phono has 110pf so lot of the MM cartridges are not supported in their recommended load. Mani 2 goes up to 200pF so that's already a plus. Mani 1 I don't have anything to say as I don't know much about it but the Mani 2 has some more to offer in power supply, filter and more adjustment. On this review it was said that the Mani was very simple design and in the box there is not much and the box was just bigger. I get it when most of the pictures provided in internet are from the top. Flip the board over and you see most of the circuitry/components under it and the board is very busy. So a little correction there. ifi zen phono 5V and I do think this is not enough but in the world of USB it is convenient. It has balanced out and it seems that it has very good performance for MC in it price point when balanced is used. Going back to power supply the Mani 2 has 16V 1A upgraded from the Mani 1 that I believe was 16V 0.8A and more noise. Also the unit itself is noisy if placed close to interference like LED lighting. You can get upgraded power supplies that are 16V 2A and maybe even more Amp that does make the sound open up. Of course if you go over the manufacturers recommendations the risk is yours but that's one option to get more out of the Mani 2.
Darlington Labs MP-7 phono preamp looks like another great contender for MM cartridges, which I use Nagaoka.
I have a few planned vinyl videos coming out on the Technics SL-1210GR and a mystery phono preamp. I've been focused on item that help digital playback and found some amazing mindblowing things. The Darlington products do look good.
The Zen sounds better using the balanced output but the biggest improvement is with a better power supply.
A subsonic filter i believe is essential. Also another that is important is ultrasonic. Without older worn records can sound bad.
Thanks for the info. I’ll look into the iFi phono preamp. I’m also looking into the Puffin by Parks Audio. Looks interesting.
I almost purchased the puffin but took the chance on the iphono. Glad I did. If parks will offer up a puffin I will gladly review it.
@@ThriftShopReviews I bet they would loan you one if you ask them. Wouldn’t hurt to try 😁
The Puffin is truly an amazing product and grossly underpriced for what it offers. Couldn't be happier with mine.
So Ifi Phono 2 will not be suitable with Tube amplifiers.
I'm looking to upgrade my Mani. I have a VPI Prime sScout with Goldring 1012 GX cartridge( upgrading it to either a Dynavector 10x5 or a AT 33PTG).
I have an Icon Audio ST40( tube amp).
So in this case which prono pre amp should I replace my Mani with?
You have a very nice turntable!! Jealous to say the least. I’m working on getting a VPI and a rega for evaluation and for a reference system other than my current 4 turntables. I know people love the mani but when I compared a bunch of preamps it just didn’t stack up. Perhaps mani is still a good value but given the system you have either the vista audio or iphono would we a huge upgrade. I found the iphono worked fine with tube amps but the vista was better. The iphono brought more soundstage to class a/b amps. I could detect a bit of multiple class a amplification with the harmonics somewhat in conflict. But that all depends on many factors with tube types etc. I was run king EL 84 mullards in a low power Cayin amp. Give either a shot and return what doesn’t sound the best. Btw I had a conversation with vista audio and he released new phono amps based on the mk1 architecture. The are dedicated to either MM or MC. This would save you money. They are called the 21 after twenty one years of business. I think $200 and worth a shot but I have not heard them yet and hope to review one of them
If you're listening to vinyl as background music why bother. Just put on a CD or Spotify.
some people enjoy listening to vinyl and don't blast the music or sit in the middle of the room and perform critical listening. I agree, if I have background music on I commonly stream via raspberry Pi from Tidal.
@@ThriftShopReviews yes critical listening is very good but as background music you're just wearing out your stylus and records.
Ive been using the Art Pro Audio DJPRE II - Phono Pre amplifier with my vintage Pioneer PL-117D turntable with the Audio Technica VM540ML Dual Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge with MicroLine Stylus, thats connected to a Behringer FBQ3102 EQ and a DBX 3BX Series II Expander which is connected to an AUX input on a Pioneer AVR VSX-933....in my view the pre amp is over looked and under rated, not surprising it didnt even get a mention here
I appreciate your comments. I would like to review the Art preamps in future videos but didn’t make the list this time around. Have you used the preamps I reviewed to provide a comparison? I would like to know how the Art compares.
I choose the Art Pro Iverson the Mani. Back to back never could really hear much pf any difference. However, the Art has the input gain control and the rumble filter. I want better, or will a $500 phone preamp not for much. Technics sl-1210m5g with mp-110 and ortfon 2m blue has been a great cpmbo
Schiit Mani 2 is out. Looks very good for $150. Jason seems to have addressed the shortcomings of the original Mani.
Yes I plan to order one. Had it in my cart then it warned me of a 2-4 week wait. I will still get one and make a video.
I ordered one. Paid extra for the silver finish so it matches the rest of my stack of Schiit 😂. Can't wait for it to arrive in a month.
@@audioaficionado9494 I ordered black. Thought about silver. Glad they give you options. Noticed ifi is releasing the Zen air phono in may.
Ifi Iphono2 is discontinued. From reading around they added the improved power supply and changed the color to black and increased the price. Also reading that it blooms as it burns in with very high potential. So solid, but just out of my price atm.
I am seeing a Puffin from parks audio get some good reviews, but not much in comparison. The company supposedly will send out a demo for content providers and I would be curious to get your opinion and comparison in your sub $500.
DAMN! Thanks to you I just bought an IFI IPhono2 damn you! :D Very nice and detailed review. I am currently using a newly bought all tube LittleBear T11 that I'm just breaking in. It is my first experience with anything with tubes, and the first time I'm trying anything different from the phono sections in my semi-vintage Discrete Sherwood Newcastle Dual-Mono preamps/amps. But, I'm taking a gamble since this li'l bugger is out of 'print' so to speak, I think this will give me a chance to compare it and it should be easy to sell since I had a bit of a hard time finding one ($449 from Crutchfield Audio - there was only ONE other on eBay for $550!) So, here's hoping. Thank you kindly for the excellent review!
I wish I could post a link to pictures of my system and vinyl collection, but I don't think RUclips will allow it.
Cheers!
Jaime.
You will love the sound from the ifi. I also have one of those cheap tube preamps. I put Mullard tubes in it. I will do a video on it. Yea the iphono2 is getting hard to find and wish the iphono3 was $600 and not $1000. Good luck my friend.
@@ThriftShopReviews Thanks Bro! Well... it WAS $200 : ) and it's one of the only ones I could find in that price range that was all tube. In 40+ years of doing this I've never tried anything with tubes. But, I'm really looking forward to trying the ifi. I just happened to stumble on your review, actually the review of the Vista audio because I heard the guy from Zero fidelity in doing a video with Jay Soulsik he very briefly mentioned in passing about it being really great for the price. Then I did a search for that and found your LAST review of just that unit, THEN I looked for this 'shootout' and the rest is history :D Thanks again man!
@@latheofheaven yea the vista audio is really good if running class a. I will caution you though, the ifi and vista audio are very revealing of your cartridge and system. Moving magnet cartridges will not shine as mush as moving coils. Get yourself the Hana EH or blue point special and be blown away. Moving magnet cartridges are very two dimensional. I have the vmn740ml and I wanted to pull my ears off, that bad. I will be doing reviews of 12 cartridges and will explain further along with preamp matching. Another shootout also.
@@ThriftShopReviews Thank you kindly man for the excellent advice. Yeah, my system is pretty resolving for what it is. The cartridge I have now is a vintage classic line contact AT which was considered their flagship at the time (about 35 years ago : ) VERY clinical, but it is a nice balance to my system. The tube phono amp I'm trying out now does indeed I THINK add some dimension and spaciousness, but it will be interesting to see how this one does. I'm glad that you mention that it is really detailed because that should balance the rest of my system which is a bit more laid back due to the tall multi-driver open dipole line-arrays (I wish I could send you a picture of my stuff, but that's okay) Thanks again very much for the excellent and helpful input! Jaime.
@@latheofheaven I have an older AT Shia at that I use sometimes. It creates a very dark background for the instruments to come through but still 2D. Just trust me on this. Try a Hana and be blown away with the soundstage.
Have you reviewed the MoFi UltraPhono Pre-amp? At $499 I would put it up against your ifi Phono 2 any day. Check it out if you haven't.
I will take that challenge!! It’s on my list to review. Perhaps later this year I will do another shootout.
@Thrift Shop Ive used the preamps youve reviewed and prefer the Art Pro DJPRE II i like having the input gain control and rumble filter options. The only down side is the annoyingly bright blue LED light which I have covered with black electrical tape. Ive thought about possibly upgrading periodically, but quite honestly I havent found anything significantly better, Apparently you havent either.
Others have also mentioned the Art phono. I will need to try and see how it stacks up.
I can't find the IFI IPower X 15v, would an "IFI Audio iPower Plus 15V for Pro iCAN and Pro iDSD" do?
I can only find the "iFi iPower X Power Supply 12v", but not the 15v.
I find the ifi ipower x on Amazon all the time. I have the ifi pro headphone amp and never thought to use it as a supply for low wattage applications. I’m sure it would work but sure of any implications from a high power output. That would be an expensive route for sure. The provided ifi power supply with their devices is good, excellent to be exact and should be considered when buying products. As they demand a high cost. I keep ifi power supplies around for all products during testing to see if provided powers supplies are missing what’s needed. Good question.
Not sure where you getting the $400 for the music fidelity from its £140 or $200
The art DJ 2 is a good phone for $60
I don't see a MSRP on Musical Fidelity's website. I found a range of prices from $449 to $299 on amazon and other places. One of those items that the price is not fixed!! Worth what I paid for it but not much more. I like MF products though. I looked at including the Art DJ and Vincent Pho 8 but had to stop somewhere. Hard to pick everything. I think my next phono preamp shootout will be more exciting in the $500 to $1,200 range. Thanks for the comment
@@ThriftShopReviews I googled and they seem to be that price... sorry I can't give you a links RUclips don't allow it anymore
Check out the Ray Samuel F-117 Nighthawk good for $800, and you might like to look at the Dynavector p75 MK4 phono stage, automatic cartridge loading and impedance 1000$.
@@johnsweda2999 No problem, I trust the prices you found. If you find a deal then buy it. I recommend other units though. I really want to try some of musical fidelity's higher end units!!
I use MUSICAL FIDELITY V90 LPS / REGA P3 / cartridge REGA EXACT ,.,..TOP 👍👍👍👍👍
Glad you like it. Curious how the rega sounds. Ever try other cartridges en that turntable ? I was thinking about a rega vs pro-ject shootout.
@@ThriftShopReviews , Yes , just the elys2 , but exact is a other world of sound !!!
@@romainmarchese9935 I highly suggest you try a moving coil and see how they compare. Big difference in soundstage between MC and MM. I have the rega ania and it sound really good. Still dialing it in but sounds much better than a MM cart
What was the capacitance setting for the I fi hana combo?
The Hana EH is a high output so the ifi iphono is set to moving magnet. I keep all dip switches off resulting in 100pF loading and 47k. I tried to adjust the setting but didn’t notice much on my system. You should adjust capacitance as needed for your system, cables etc.
i c... unique ifi huh
Should we chuckle at Audio Note with their all tube systems?
Cartridge/needle used? 2. Really the best you could do in the speaker chapter??? 🤔😕😜
I prefer Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 (with MC Quintet Black S).
you should have the Tom Evans in mix microgroove £500 I'm not sure what that would be in dollars but I think you can buy direct from the company
the Zen runs much better on alkaline batteries 4 for 6V you can double that up to 8 in-series. or you could use a power bank for charging lithium but is more noisy.
you've got isolation problems if you're getting feedback or the arm is not very good loose bearings. isolate your speakers and your turntable the vibrations from the speakers are getting back into the turntable nothing to do with the sound pressure in the room it's a mechanical thing.
place some tennis balls underneath the speakers with some double-sided sticky tape or better still blu tack and don't skimp on it. your turntable get some 5 inches of open cell foam like mattress foam and stick it to the bottom of the turntable take the feet off use contact spray adhesive, you can put the feet on a bamboo chopping board if you need the adjustment. that will sort out your rumble problem or wobbly floors.
I also have a lot of shit products so I made a new years resolution to get quality products.
Any info on the Vista @? Didn't see a link.
www.vista-audio.com/
Missed the most popular ones under $500, Project, Rega and Cambridge Audio.
Perhaps I will try some of those options in a round 2.
@@ThriftShopReviews can you please add the mofi studiophono to your list? Have you heard it before? I have not, but does get good user reviews it seems.
@@nicholas6823 the mofi was on my short list but didn’t find a deal on it. I haven’t heard it but curious to know how it stacks up.
Why not the Vista MM or MC?
I’ve reviewed multiple vista audio products. Go check out the videos.
Doesn't the mani have an input buffer, a gain stage, passive equalization and output buffer?
Why not review the pro-ject phono box ds 2.
Only because I didn’t find a good deal on several lower priced units. I wish I could review every product but so many below $500. Above $500 it will get easier!! Pro-ject has an entry level unit based on the same Pyle preamp or visa versa.
@@ThriftShopReviews I couldn't find the phono box ds2 on Amazon but I could find the S2 for $200 slightly lower quality but still has lots of adjustment for gain, resistance and capacitance loading underneath the unit.
It's been impossible to find the gain value of the Pyle. I have a Pyle pp555 and find the volume way too low and hoping to get either the art dj pre ii (db45 max gain) or the pro-ject mm/Mc (40 db gain). Can anyone confirm that these would boost the actual volume so that my receiver is not at max
@@debbiez8536 what cartridge are you using and amplifier? The problem might not be the phono preamp. Even the cables can be an issue if you lose too much voltage from the cartridge to the phono preamp. I didn't have any issues with the Pyle I reviewed with multiple cartridges. I plan to review the ART phono preamp in the future.
@@ThriftShopReviews using a Shure 97xe and Sony receiver (STR something, probably around 2010 or so but can get the actual number if it would help). I'm going crazy with this. Everything else on line level is 3 or 4 times louder (tv set to 35, phono set to max or right below)
Project ds2 has more controls than Vista audio preamp and cheaper.
Did Project make a non tube version of the DS2? The Project DS2 is $899 and its smaller brother the S2 is $499. I couldn't evaluate all phono preamps under $500 so I will save more for later. I would like to hear the Project DS2 but for $899 I will likely look into the Musical Surroundings lineup. Have you used the Vista Audio Preamp to know how it sounds?
@@ThriftShopReviews so it's not tube box ds2. It's phono box ds2. No tubes. It's AU $495 so should be around US $300.
@@dangerzone8408 It doesn't look like its being sold in the USA any more. I also found several version of it. One with USB is $699 and the standard model is around $399. I do see on for sale with wood panel sides for $399 and is normally $550. Project appears to be more expensive here in the USA.
by 08:00 time to go! one thing this guy forget to say is:
for my own system.
not much of it either.
Schitt Mani 2 is now out.
I will need to check it out.
2-4 week wait time 😞
@@ThriftShopReviews Oh wow, that is too long for us enthusiasts lol.
You say you listen mostly at high volume. That's obviously damaged your ability to hear properly