Schiit Mani www.schiit.com/products/mani ---------------Nagaoka MP110 Cartridge amzn.to/2XzUiML ============Ifi Zen Phono amzn.to/39w4LLK -----------Fluance RT 83 amzn.to/3ArEGJM Amazon Music and Disney Plus Free Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9
Time for Mani 1 vs Mani 2 vs ifi Zen Phono on MM and MC separate as my understanding is that Mani does the MM better and ifi Zen Phono is the king for MC and has balanced out.
Just got a mani 2, had a Edwards audio apprentice which was very good for the money but this mani 2 is on another level. Crisp, clear, good bass. Listening to all my vinyl again
Did you look up the suggested gain modes from Schiit? I've never heard of anyone using the Decca mode, my Red sounds spectacular with the "Standard MM Mode" Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = L (Decca Mode) Gain: 30dB THD: 90dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz Sensitivity: 9mV for 300mV output Overload Margin: >20dB Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = H (Standard MM Mode) Gain: 42dB THD: 82dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz Sensitivity: 2.3mV for 300mV output Overload Margin: >20dB Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = L (Low Output MM/High Output MC Mode) Gain: 48dB THD: 80dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz Sensitivity: 1.3mV for 300mV output Overload Margin: >20dB Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = H (MC Mode) Gain: 59dB THD: 70dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz Sensitivity: 0.3mV for 300mV output Overload Margin: >20dB Input Impedance: Selectable 47 ohms (typical for MC cartridges) or 47k ohms (typical for MM cartridges) RIAA Accuracy: +/- 0.2dB, 20-20kHz Output Impedance: 75 ohms Topology: Fully passive RIAA network with ADA4897 and AD8066 gain stages, thin-film resistors, and film capacitors throughout Power Supply: “wall wart” style 16VAC transformer, regulated +/- 5V rails Power Consumption: 4W
Thanks for the review! I've had a Mani for a couple of years now so this was more of a bolstering of confidence in my purchase. I can't say I disagree with anything you had to say. I'm running it with the Ortofon 2m Blue on a Fluance RT85 and it is indeed very neutral. Given that the bass is better defined and more plentiful with the Blue, I've thought that the synergy with the Mani is excellent. Is this the "ultimate" phono preamp? No. Does it get you 95% of the way there for very little money? You bet your Yoda coffee mug it does!
I have the same- Fluance RT84, 2M Blue, and Mani. Best sounding setup I’ve ever had - beats Thorens TD 160 with Stanton 681 and Rega Planar 3 with Elys. Really great sound.
I've had the schiit mani for almost a year. i combined it with nagaoka mp-200 on my technics 1210GR, Kef LS-50 speakers and Onkyo A-9110 amplifier setup. it's definitely a sound I can enjoy for a lifetime, Just worth every penny. a great pleasure to get the sound you so desire. really good work from the schiit!
This is exactly the same thing I was going to do in a few weeks but on a lower end table (Technics SL-210 - since I acquired it and am just getting back into vinyl)....that being said I'd obviously be purchasing the new MANI-2 and was fearful it might not match up with the MP-200 as well as I have heard it does with the lower end Nagaoka's like the MP-110. I was glad to see your post hear as a vote of confidence for the match to the MP-200. Now if I can just find a reputable vendor to get the MP-200 from at a reasonable price - Amazon has it in the $400 range at time of this post but only form 2 unknown vendors and Amazon has been known to allow sales of gray market and fake copies to sell with not a concern in the world but their bottom line :(
The Mani was my first phono preamp. It was great for the price. Passed it on to my father-in-law when he got a new turntable. I purchased a Parks Puffin (ask Ron to send you his) and it’s been amazing in my system. I even use it with my DAC (you can use your Ares II)…. And yes! The Nagaoka MP series is a match made in heaven.
I have had the MP110/Schiit Mani combo on my Music Hall MMF 1.5 turntable for awhile now and am very pleased with them. The rest of my system includes a Bellari PP532, Schiit Schiit Modi 3 DAC, Cambridge Audio CXC CD transporn Schiit Loki mini + , Crown D-75 Amp and JBL 4406 Studio Monitors. I really enjoy your videos and your handle/mission statement. They have not only helped me to pick out great gear, but have helped to keep me sane during the pandemic. Thank you!
A warm, thick, and leathery review! Upthumb for you, CAM, though I haven't gotten far enough into vinyl to figure out why I need something else into the signal path from my turntable to my integrated. Sure does look pretty, if you're into silvery boxes. Just in terms of enjoying different sound signatures...I think I'll buy a bunch of used records for now :)
I've used the Schiit Mani coupled with the Loki Mini+ for a couple of years now and I couldn't br happier. Currently, I'm running an ATLP7 turntable with an Ortofon Bronze. It's a stunning combination, very detailed, crisp highs, tight lows and a broad soundstage with a lot of seperation. The Loki is useful in taming down the highs a bit on some recordings and bringing up the low mids in others, but oftentimes, I just leave it off. A great review. I love your channel. 🙂
@@sepsism138 my amp is the Carver M500t power amp, 250 wpc, the speakers are Triangle Bro3. Years back I paired the Carver with Cerwin Vega cabinets with 15inch woofers. I got older and decided to tone it down a bit :-)
I'm very happy with my Mani, I even bought a dedicated power supply for it. It has grown with my cartridge upgrades all the way up to MP-200 Nagaoka and the Audio Technica AT-VMN750SH. My speakers are Dynaudio and they are a tiny bit euphonic, while my PS Audio Sprout 100 amp is full of power but has a tad bright presentation. The sum of all the parts is a very lively, neutral system that offers a lot of excitement when needed, and still enough refinement to work on anything from Morphine, Iggy Pop, and Linton Kwesi Johnson to Mahler, Coltrane, and Stravinsky. I'm really happy and the Schiit is perfect in this setup. I can't believe it's 130 bucks.
I actually have a rpm 1 carbon with sumiko Rainier. Really good sounding cart, I am actually going to replacing my xiv pickering. On my pl707 with a sumiko...
Would you choose the Cambridge Audion AXA25 with a Schiit Mani or just the Cambridge Audio AXA35 that has a built-in phono preamp? I mostly listen to Metallica type of music. I currently have a 1970s silver-era Pioneer SX-780. What do you think? Also, does the Schiit Mani move around too easily? It looks dinky.
I am giving this a thumbs up for the effortless and accurate pronunciation of Nagaoka. It doesn't seem like a hard name to pronounce, but wow do a lot of people seem to stumble on it.
Just got one of these and your review sealed it for me. Turntable is a Technics 1500c, cartridge is the AT VM95ML. I can't believe what I was missing. The phono stage has opened up like a blooming flower.... it was like I was driving in a tunnel and now I've come out of the other side. Wow. Bang for the buck at $150...
The Mani sounds great but it has some well documented issues with RF interference. I had one for a few months that perfectly tuned in a local radio station that you could hear at high volumes. Of course, not everyone experiences this issue, but it's something to be aware of.
Unfortunately the Mani for me had a lot of background noise and interference with radio frequencies but it sounded great when it wasn't picking up radio stations and static from the 1950s.
Had loads of probs with the mani . Sounded great apart from intermitent interference and noisy soundstage issues on 2 Sep units and that was after months of trying to get one in the UK. For the same money I got the music fidelity v90-lps which sounded just as good without any of the drawbacks. Since then iv bought the rega brio amp which has an amazing on-board phono so sold the music fidelity on ebay. I was sorry to see it go and would def recommend it.
@@Sheisintomalakasdino The pre-amp in my 80s Onkyo is still Perfect and better sounding than Most $250 preamps. I should just upgrade the capacitors and enjoy. We'll c.
Love your content. Curious, of all the stuff you have tested, would you be willing to do a Cheapaudiman, all star system. Your favorite of each piece, speakers, amp,, CD player, phono, phono stage, headphone, iem, tv sound system, etc, episode?
i've owned by schiit mani and ifi zen phono... both great products for the money and can't go wrong with either! The real winner of a product is that Schiit freya a great piece of kit there.
I bought a Mani for my daughter last year and WOW! On an old Realistic Shure cartridge, almost amazing! A fantastic pairing! Well worth it! Been dying to try that Nagaoka cart.
Ppl say blue can be a bit boring. But I have one and I like it. Project 1.2 turntable are that on. Had a project phono amp for many years,but then I borrowed a micromega for about 200€ and I couldn’t turn back. Just like you changed from throwing gravel as soundstage to stampede ? The soundstage. Or wiping your dirty window so you can see everything clearer. Edges got so much sharper and the background got black. So. A good phono preamp is a must,but to change my I think I must go up in price a big step. Or change it for tubes. If I want a big difference. Ty 4 the video
I have thousands of hours experience with the nagaoka plus mani. It is satisfying. The nag 200 is waaay better though and easily worth the upgrade qhen you're ready.
Randy, thanks for the video. I added the Schiit Lokius equalizer and Sys to connect my Denon DCD-2560 and Philips 212 with the Statton 680ee to my Marantz 2250B. The Lokius I connected to the Marantz aux. The Denon is fine but the Philips sound has very low volume. I think I need to add a Phono pre-amp to the system ? Any suggestions on my problem. Of course when I used the Marantz phono section with the Philips the volume is fine. Thanks Dave
I just bought a fancy walnut Orbit turntable that came with the 2M red. I'd owned the cartridge in the past on a Pro-Ject Debut III turntable about 10 years ago and thought it sounded a bit shrill or hot, if you will back then. I was just using the phono stage of a Marantz receiver from the 70s. The turntable I just moved outta my system is a Pioneer PL-516 with the Nagaoka MP110. Honestly, I think both of these sound VERY similar through the Schiit Mani. I am happy with the preamp handling probably a wide range of stuff that cheap-o's like you and me are going to throw at it. It's good Schiit. I had to put multiple layers of tape and a color gel over the LED on the preamp. I hate how bright the white LED is. I have the same exact complaint of the Schiit Modi DAC I have sitting here at my computer. I just put a black sticker over that LED because it's on 100% of the time and I don't care to ever see it.
I just managed to pick up a nearly unused Emotiva USP-1. THE PHONO STAGE ALLOWS FOR MOVING magnet. Or moving coil cartridges. I'm pretty impressed with the phono stage sound. Do you think there is an appreciable difference in adding an outboard phono stage?
@@cheapaudioman thanks for your answer..I'm using the ortofon 2m red(wish I had blue...lol) and a Stanton 680, and a pickering v-15... pretty much spans the range...I may try a mani...
I run the Mani with the rt82 and om10 cartridge. I really like the sound. Some say the om10 can be too brassy,. I guess with the Mani that's not a problem.
Some yrs ago. I used the phono input on a denon receiver. And when i got the mani it was liking taking off a veil. So much more detail came thru and more pronounced bass.
My experience. I have a Schiit Mani ( my very first phono),upgraded with a Swagman PSU SE edition (meaning Nuvotem Talema transformer, Polypropylene capacitors, Dale resistors, Furutech IEC socket, EMI filter, Silver plated copper internal wiring etc. ) and it was originally on my Technics SL1500C (modded with isone footers, Kab damping and Kab clamper) it was absolutely brilliant not merely for "taming" the 2m Red , but for driving also the Naga Mp110. Still i've moved to IFI zen improved with the iPowerX with its 9v wallwart, and- honestly- the Mani has been ditched, for in the meantime i also have added to my pick up line-up an AudioTechnica Atvm95ML and a VM750Sh. Ifi has a darker blackground and more depth, not to mention that works (my impression) better with the 2M blue (yes i swapped the stylus). But still problem is that we are discussing about phono preamp that lay in the "cheap" category....meaning they do a TERRIFIC job for the money, but even if you tweak them just like i did for "squeezing" the best out of them, unfortunately they tend to make all the cartridges sound utterly nice, but still you as listener cannot fully get all the differences between them (and yes i am just talking about MM pick-ups)...I always used good connections AudioQuest red river plus Saturn grounding entering the Phono amp and Chord CVlearway out to my amplifier and the Mani was also provided ( Yes someone has reported about RFI noise) with a shielded IEC cable, but now i am a happy camper with IFI Phono 3 . The Zen ( and yes the Mani when i am using the Naga110 or the 2M red) are actually used for "feeding" my second system, hence the AudioTechnica LP7... Mani is a nice tool for starters, but still i like a little more (in its category) the Zen. This is my opinion...and now on my main system are arriving MC cartridges too Hana ML and AudioTechnica AT OC9XML), with both Mani and Zen i was not sure about purchasing, but with Phono 3 it's a total different story...
My daily driver is a Pioneer PL117D with an Audio-Technica AT-VMN95ML - using the ART Pro Audio DJ PRE II Phono Preamplifier ( 12 volt PSU) connected to a DBX 3BX Series II, the Behringer Ultragraph Pro FBQ3102 and my Pioneer VSX 933 - strictly for playing my vinyl collection - Ive wondered about swapping or upgrading but i cant imagine finding something comparable producing a noticeable difference.
I had a Schiit Mani before I purchased my PS Audio Stellar Phono ($129 -vs- $2499). Let’s just say the little Mani didn’t embarrass itself. One of the absolute best values in home audio ever!
Read the manual, lol, in the box list, mani, wall wart and cheap plastic bag! Got a good laugh out of the plastic bag being listed! Someone at Schiit has a sense of humor!
Just ordered my first Schiit Modi and Magni Heresy to add to my desktop PC. I hope it was not a foolish move. If these units perform as many folks say they do I will save up for a Loki to add to the "Schiit Stack". Is this just money and time poured down the rabbit hole??
@@burner8959 I'm glad that you are very happy with your Schiit products. I've seen plenty of good reviews before I made the hard decision to make this purchase. Like most things, this is a want not a need purchase. Audio expenditure foolishness. Thanks so much for your reply.
I have a B&K CS-117 preamp with phono input. Running a Audio Technica TT and I have 3 different carts on their own headshell (Shure V15 type IV / Nagaoka MP-150 / Audio Technica AT15Sa) that I swap to depending on what I'm listening to . I don't know how B&K's internal phono amp would stack up to the Mani but for less that $200 I'm wondering if I would know the difference in sound quality.
I tested the Schiit Mani 2 to see what the hype was all about but I got very disappointed. Is the Schiit Mani 2 good enough for someone to quit Digital music and go to Analog? In my opinion the answer is NO! When listening to music through the Schiit Mani 2 I found myself yearning to my digital setup (Denafrips AresII using TIDAL). On the other hand, in general I prefer listening to Analog through my Pro-ject Tube Box S preamp than to my digital setup! This means that the problem is with the Schiit Mani 2! When compared with the Pro-ject Tube box S ($500) I noticed the following differences: 1) Loss of resolution and detail 2) Loss of air 3) Loss of the natural texture of instruments and vocals 4) Significant reduction in imaging 5) Less punchiness So the question is who is the Mani 2 for? In my opinion I don't know. In an age where digital music is widely available and almost free, the Mani 2 is for people who just want to play with records and don't so much care about sound. The Schiit Mani 2 isn't enough reason for someone to switch to Analog. There are many phono preamps out there which make the switch reasonable but are more expensive. What you get is what you pay for !
Looking at the mani now but I'm not crazy about the shipping fee. Planning on buying fluance 85 thought I could get by with the fluance phono amp for $99 but reviews shot that down. Any verdict. Or insight?
Looking to get a second, which would be my primary, stereo system. Would the Schiit Mani pair well with the Vista Audio Spark? Haven’t decided on speakers yet, but I am 98% sure I want the Vista (option 2 is Cambridge AXA25) as I like the retro styling/simplicity/minimalism of knobs and toggle switches. Anyway, I have said a lot after asking my question, so back to that. Schiit Mani + Vista Audio Spark, a good idea? What about the Cam ridge AXA25 + Mani?
I have a Mani. It tricked down to my home theater RT81+2M blue turntable. It’s a fantastic preamp for the money. It’s way better than the RT81’s internal preamp.
Hey can you review the Mackie mr624? Its slightly old at this point, but boy do I stil find them gorgeous. It'll probably be the first pair of speakers I buy. Wanted to know your thoughts on it.
Thanks Randy, I was personally interested in the bit about the 110. Have the Mani and 2M Red, honestly wasn’t thrilled with the sound, after all the praises I heard on YT?? Maybe this (the 110) is a way to get a little closer to what I want without spending a ton.
I have the Mani paired with the 2M blue and it’s great. Luckily the 2M red and 2M blue stylus’s are interchangeable with the same cartridge. So upgrading to the Blue is another option for you when your red needs replacing.
@@quikspecv4d true, it will pair better with blue but the sound signature will still be relatively close to the red because that’s ortofon sound signature at that price point, but definitely the blue is better than the red.
I have had Mani for a few years and I'm currently using it with Rega P3 and Nagaoka MP200. This is a really good combination, albeit with a pretty bright sound. I'm using it with Rega Elex-R, so maybe I must try also Rega's buid in phono amp. Previously I used Mani with Pro-Ject Debut 3 and Nagaoka MP110, which combination sounded much softer. I used to have Ortofon OM5 and OM5e and they sounded much worse than Nagaokas. Now I have also Rega P2 with Goldring GR1012. Does anyone have experience if Ifi Zen phono would fit better with these?
Hey "cheapaudioman" :) I like your videos and i need your help or opinion but is off this video topic! I have old technics su a800 amp(55wat per channel i think) and i want to buy Polk signature s20e speaker that you reviewed..will it work together(i listen rock and heavy metal) or you have some other suggestions for speakers this price range and this amp!? thanx if you have time to reply, cheers and all the best for your channel from Croatia :)
Randy, please help me understand the vinyl revival. I've enjoyed records, reel-to-reel, 8-track, cassette, CDs and the various digital files. I love the new electron microscopic view of music my dac, amp and planars can achieve. What is the appeal of going backwards to vinyl?
I’m not sure. I grew up on the tail end of records. Cassettes were king then cd’s. Probably the novelty and nostalgia. Novelty for the younger crowd and nostalgia for the older. I like to tinker so I enjoy it. Fidelity has gotten much better. Something nice about the process of putting a record on. More user experience than fidelity probably. Different carts are also fun. I don’t know “why” per se but I do know that if you walk to the electronics department in Walmart or target there are about 3-4 different turn tables to choose from and a rack of records. It’s interesting. Personally I enjoy listening to vinyl and when I get a chance to relax it’s generally with a turntable.
@@cheapaudioman Going back to vinyl is not going backwards, except as far as convenience and ticks and pops and a few other things like inner groove distortion (which you get sometimes). Cd's, which sound better than streaming if you have the right CD player, have missing frequencies because of filtering, dither etc. Any time you have missing frequencies used for digital filtering, you are not getting perfectly accurate harmonics. Cd's do sound a bit artificial compared to great analog or reel tape playback. There is also more resolution, transparency, detail, air and space, but to what degree more, depends on what equipment you are using or comparing. Analog doesn't make digital sound as bad in comparison, as it did 20 years ago. The gap has closed from a canyon to a large pothole. My favorite phono cartridge of all time is a Sumiko moving coil cartridge circa 1993. It will beat the pants off $200 cartridges of today. Some of Ortofons own current upper end moving coil cartridges would make the moving magnet Blue model sound very uneventful. In other words "You ain't heard nothin' yet."
Depends on the music... My favorite album is folk singer by Muddy Waters. I owner original pressing vinyl a recent pressing (200 grain) and both a flac file (remaster) and a wav rip from cd. I've also heard a friend's r2r version of this as well. Far and away the R2R is the best version followed by original vinyl pressing followed by wav rip from my cd. The new pressing and flac versions I got are far behind. I can't extrapolate how much of the change in sound is related to the media format and how much is related to the mastering. All of my impressions were made using the same amp -> speaker setup but would be changed by Phono/Dac. R2R was just perfection for this music format but costs $450 for a NOS version of it where the vinyl album can be had for $10 so that is what makes financial sense for me.
If you haven’t already checked it out, I highly recommend the Hagerman Labs Bugle phono preamp. $180 and it blew every other phono stage I’d heard up to that point out of the water.
I'm beyond impressed with Schitt audio. I'm buying a Modi dac for my high end Denon 80's CD player(all DAC chips where mediocre back then) & maybe à Mani for my turntable Asap. I have a really good MM pre-amp in my 80s Onkyo amp and might be better off if I just upgrade the components in my pre-amp. The Nagaoka MP110 is practically a legend at this point. The overall experience is world class awesome sauce for the working man whom isn't full of sh*t. It's warm analog heaven. The mid range overall is to good to be true but the high end is seriously lacking on the MP110. The low end is also weak, especially if you love tight, deep bass. If one is crazy about details and High frequencies, you can get a better cart and styli for the $$$$. I really wanna try a MP-110 cart with an MP-200 stylus.
Paired this with the RT 85. Love the sound but i have the hiss 😕. Unfortunately I don't have the ability to separate the mani from my other components so im picking up interference. If you have a compact setup, consider how the mani is plugged up because it is very, very prone to electrical interference.
@@tylerverkest3995 if you want to stay in that price range check out the dta pro by Dayton (155) The topping mx3 is cool and feature rich for 150. A bit darker sound would come from the Cambridge axr85, but it lacks a dac and pushes the price to 400. It’s a true class ab w a big transformer though. Randy has a review on the aiyama A07 that would probably be a good fit but you’d need a preamp/dac for that. Loxjie has a nice full featured amp but I can’t remember the name. I’m running an aiyama tube a-5 with some different Dayton’s in my bedroom for low level listening. It’s only got about 15-20 wpc and only has one rca, and one bt input. No dac, no remote. For 250 the smsl d9 could work but again, no dac iirc. I have the dta pro and it’s decent but the dac pops once in a while. It sounds v shaped and recesses the mids on the speakers they are hooked up to but it controls the bass decently and doesn’t lack in highs. Not sparkly or bright, but very present. Fosi audio has some interesting amps too that sound decent for the price. Edit: and you can always do an smsl or topping stack for the desktop that could add a headphone amp.
I would like to see a review of the ART DJpre ii, I came across it and think its a extremely good value but would like to know your thoughts as you have access to way more other products to compare. Don't let the DJ in the name fool you its great!
Funny thing, I am running the Schiit Mani with the Ortofon MC-3 Turbo MC cartridge on my main system and haven't had a reason to change it. It just sounds great!
Thanks for the very informative review. IMO changing phono cartridges is like rolling tubes, once you start down the rabbit hole you could go crazy before you find your way out.
I haven't the hands on experience to say what is and what isn't better than the Schiff Mani. Is it just a great value or would it make the people who buy the real expensive stuff shake their head in regret? That may be asking too much. If I bought the expensive stuff and the Mani would come within 20% I would shake my head with regret. I do know one thing, without actually living with both the Schitt and the expensive stuff, not one of us can hazard an intelligent guess just how far apart they would be. If I was in the market for an inexpensive phono stage the Schitt might be at the top of my audition list. Many expensive preamps with phono stages have very large seperate high current power supplies to isolate it from the delicate preamp circuitry, with an umbilical cord that goes from power supply to the preamp. There are even mono preamps with a seperate isolated high current power supply for each channel. 4 boxes total. Even your occasional vintage receivers and integrated amps with dual mono power supplies were a cut above the competition, and the difference was audible, even to guys who couldn't usually hear differences. As far as phono cartridges, I can speak with experience on those. Just because a cartridge sounds great to you; don't make the inference that it's right up there or close to the best. Phono cartridges are one thing people don't usually argue about, as far as that they get better as the price goes up. But not better because of the price tag. If you had a $1,000 moving coil phono cartridge, you would still be nowhere near the best for sound quality. I've used a $1,200 moving coil cartridge from 1993, and I wonder if it's far enough away from the best to toy around with the idea of upgrading. There are many exotic phono cartridges out there. At least 50 that are well over $1,000. Are they worth it? They must be. Plenty of intelligent people buy them and keep buying them. I never heard of one that went back to the cheap stuff. They like what they hear at that level. Are those prices ridiculous? For material cost; yes. For engineering precision and sound; no. At least on the better examples.
I've used the Mani with an M91 (with an aftermarket nude elliptical stylus) and it sounded great. I'd bet it'd be an improvement to what you're using now.
Randy for years I keep switching out my bookshelf speakers 🔊, so one day I thought 💭 why not run both pairs and wow !!! But the key 🔑 is to have a powerful amplifier which I listen 👂 at low levels, game changer mate!!!😜👍🇦🇺
Any thoughts on modern separate phono preamps like the mani vs vintage internal phono stages from what was then considered mid or hifi equipment? My 1987 carver preamp has MM and MC inputs and I’ve been wondering if it’s a case of: a) this technology has come a long way, buy something like the mani, or b) they don’t make them like they used to, stay with what I have.
I'm fairly new to vinyl but I can tell you my experience with the ifi zen. First I started with Klipsch the sixes and Fluance Rt85 that surprised me on how great such a simple setup could sound! But all the reviews of The Sixes said the built-in phono preamp was horrible so I purchased a 1978 Yamaha CR-2020 reciever and some fairly inexpensive Technics floor speakers to try the built-in preamp of a vintage reciever. It also sounded pretty damn nice,bass from the speakers was less deep and a little boom on some recordings if set to high and the highs sounded really good which could be the tweeter differences of both pair of speakers. So I got an ifi zen phono. On the vintage reciever and old speakers I couldn't tell much difference and what little there was I can't really explain it was to nominal to mention. Between the zen and the built-in phono of the Klipsch...the highs were interesting and detailed,somewhere between typical Klipsch sound and crystalline and sparkling. But with the zen the bass didn't reach near as low and kind of just in the background. Sorry for such a long message but wasn't sure how else to give a clear explanation of the differences and gear.
Tough call. I used to have a Carver preamp and remembered enjoying it a lot. Can't remember the model.....it eventually blew-up and I stupidly tossed it. Currently, I use a late 80s/early 90's Sony integrated POS for the amplifier power to push a pair of Klipsch RP500M's. The phono pre in the Sony is pretty harsh compared to the Mani. So, I bypass the the internal phono pre by using the tape loop. Coming from the Mani I have a Schiit SYS (passive switch) that leads to the Sony tape loop and to a dedicated headphone amp. Works nicely.
What about pairing it with a Grado Gold 3, hamnat tested mine yet but from what I have read it's warm with good bortom end, should pair good with the Mani?
@@jackedkerouac4414 It gets people to pay attention to the brand name. Also you may notice, reviewers love making jokes with the name, which gets the brand even more attention through repetition.
@@agentm83 Good stuff. A few years ago I racked my brain trying to think of the perfect name for my business, thought of one, and launched it. It failed miserably lol. Schiit as a brand name goes against the grain of every other audio product out there (plus their logo sucks imo). Now I'm thinking it's good to stand out and take a risk... if the quality of your products speak for itself
A phono stage or preamp with a phono stage is a big determining factor of how refined your sound is going to be. The lesser ones are edgy, small sounding, grainy and lacking in instrument size and tone color. Sometimes they'll be great in one way, or a few ways, but just not cut it in other ways. Once I ordered a preamp that was only available factory direct. It was direct sounding with great clarity & transparency, but was too far behind in all other ways to consider keeping it. Preamps are mainly about the subtler qualities of sound. Power amps are more about bottom end clout and overall dynamics. They can lack in the above refinement ways too. I once foolishly bought a power amp based on a review that proclaimed it as "king of the solid state mountain." Despite having good bass, my budget $299 power amp at the time was much more colorful and nicer to listen to. It wouldn't have even been king of the budget amps, yet alone "king of the solid state mountain." Preamps of today often omit the phono section and just give you a line stage. Now that analog lp's are coming back, will we start seeing more preamps with phono stages? Will they be good phono stages or just an afterthought for what the company feels is just a passing fad? Do current preamps in general which have phono stages; are those phono stages as serious as those preamps before digital, when the high quality sound medium of choice was the LP? It varies I'm sure.
Is the Mani better than the Denon PMA-600NE phono pre-out?...if it is I'll spend the money and if it isn't you'll save me money...the Denon is way better than my AT 120X's and wanted to know if the Schitt is way better than the really good Denon...thank you in advance....
I had one for maybe 10 days before it let the smoke out, returning it to schiit for a refund/replacement from Canada costs about the same as buying a new one. their customer service dept. is a bit Schiit tbh!
The freebie Pro-Ject phono box just gave up on me (I may have been f$%!ing with it) this means I'm in the market for a new phone stage. Working on the theory that one listens to the worst piece of equipment one has, I have my replacement narrowed down to a Schiit Mani and a Rega Fono mini A2D. This review actually has me leaning towards the Rega. I'm running a Rega P2(new rb220 version)/Goldring E3 through a Cambridge AXA 35 I to Dali Oberon 1s on this secondary setup*. Anyone have any guesses or experience with a similar setup and either preamp? *the Rega Brio from the big brother living room set-up has a phono stage that is immensely better than the AXA or the old Pro-Ject box.
Hello, thanks for the review. I sure would be interested in knowing if the NAD PP-2e is a decent phono preamp? It sells for approx $200. Also NAD makes a PP-4 that also has a USB output for anyone looking to digitize their vinyl collection. I’m looking to pair up my Technics SL1200MK2 with a phono preamp that will do the turntable all the justice it deserves. My cartridge is a MM design Shure M44-7
Schiit Mani www.schiit.com/products/mani
---------------Nagaoka MP110 Cartridge amzn.to/2XzUiML
============Ifi Zen Phono amzn.to/39w4LLK
-----------Fluance RT 83 amzn.to/3ArEGJM
Amazon Music and Disney Plus Free Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9
Time for Mani 1 vs Mani 2 vs ifi Zen Phono on MM and MC separate as my understanding is that Mani does the MM better and ifi Zen Phono is the king for MC and has balanced out.
Just got a mani 2, had a Edwards audio apprentice which was very good for the money but this mani 2 is on another level. Crisp, clear, good bass. Listening to all my vinyl again
Did you look up the suggested gain modes from Schiit? I've never heard of anyone using the Decca mode, my Red sounds spectacular with the "Standard MM Mode"
Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = L (Decca Mode)
Gain: 30dB
THD: 90dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 9mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB
Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = H (Standard MM Mode)
Gain: 42dB
THD: 82dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 2.3mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB
Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = L (Low Output MM/High Output MC Mode)
Gain: 48dB
THD: 80dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 1.3mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB
Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = H (MC Mode)
Gain: 59dB
THD: 70dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 0.3mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB
Input Impedance: Selectable 47 ohms (typical for MC cartridges) or 47k ohms (typical for MM cartridges)
RIAA Accuracy: +/- 0.2dB, 20-20kHz
Output Impedance: 75 ohms
Topology: Fully passive RIAA network with ADA4897 and AD8066 gain stages, thin-film resistors, and film capacitors throughout
Power Supply: “wall wart” style 16VAC transformer, regulated +/- 5V rails
Power Consumption: 4W
Thanks for the review! I've had a Mani for a couple of years now so this was more of a bolstering of confidence in my purchase. I can't say I disagree with anything you had to say. I'm running it with the Ortofon 2m Blue on a Fluance RT85 and it is indeed very neutral. Given that the bass is better defined and more plentiful with the Blue, I've thought that the synergy with the Mani is excellent. Is this the "ultimate" phono preamp? No. Does it get you 95% of the way there for very little money? You bet your Yoda coffee mug it does!
I’m running the Mani with a 2M blue also on my RT81. It’s a great combo.
Same here on a RT84. I can't imagine replacing the Mani.. it sounds great.
I have the same- Fluance RT84, 2M Blue, and Mani. Best sounding setup I’ve ever had - beats Thorens TD 160 with Stanton 681 and Rega Planar 3 with Elys. Really great sound.
I bought the mani last year along with a brand new "fluance RT-84" with the ortiphon 2M blue , and it is fantastic!
I've had the schiit mani for almost a year.
i combined it with nagaoka mp-200 on my technics 1210GR, Kef LS-50 speakers and Onkyo A-9110 amplifier setup.
it's definitely a sound I can enjoy for a lifetime, Just worth every penny.
a great pleasure to get the sound you so desire.
really good work from the schiit!
This is exactly the same thing I was going to do in a few weeks but on a lower end table (Technics SL-210 - since I acquired it and am just getting back into vinyl)....that being said I'd obviously be purchasing the new MANI-2 and was fearful it might not match up with the MP-200 as well as I have heard it does with the lower end Nagaoka's like the MP-110. I was glad to see your post hear as a vote of confidence for the match to the MP-200. Now if I can just find a reputable vendor to get the MP-200 from at a reasonable price - Amazon has it in the $400 range at time of this post but only form 2 unknown vendors and Amazon has been known to allow sales of gray market and fake copies to sell with not a concern in the world but their bottom line :(
The Mani was my first phono preamp. It was great for the price. Passed it on to my father-in-law when he got a new turntable. I purchased a Parks Puffin (ask Ron to send you his) and it’s been amazing in my system. I even use it with my DAC (you can use your Ares II)…. And yes! The Nagaoka MP series is a match made in heaven.
I have had the MP110/Schiit Mani combo on my Music Hall MMF 1.5 turntable for awhile now and am very pleased with them. The rest of my system includes a Bellari PP532, Schiit Schiit Modi 3 DAC, Cambridge Audio CXC CD transporn Schiit Loki mini + , Crown D-75 Amp and JBL 4406 Studio Monitors. I really enjoy your videos and your handle/mission statement. They have not only helped me to pick out great gear, but have helped to keep me sane during the pandemic. Thank you!
A warm, thick, and leathery review! Upthumb for you, CAM, though I haven't gotten far enough into vinyl to figure out why I need something else into the signal path from my turntable to my integrated.
Sure does look pretty, if you're into silvery boxes. Just in terms of enjoying different sound signatures...I think I'll buy a bunch of used records for now :)
I've used the Schiit Mani coupled with the Loki Mini+ for a couple of years now and I couldn't br happier. Currently, I'm running an ATLP7 turntable with an Ortofon Bronze. It's a stunning combination, very detailed, crisp highs, tight lows and a broad soundstage with a lot of seperation. The Loki is useful in taming down the highs a bit on some recordings and bringing up the low mids in others, but oftentimes, I just leave it off. A great review. I love your channel. 🙂
very nice review. I got the Mani a few months back and pair it with the Ortofon 2M Blue and a Pro-Ject Carbon Debut table. I love it!
Which amp and speakers are you running?
@@sepsism138 my amp is the Carver M500t power amp, 250 wpc, the speakers are Triangle Bro3. Years back I paired the Carver with Cerwin Vega cabinets with 15inch woofers. I got older and decided to tone it down a bit :-)
@@nelsono4315 Nice! Thanks for the info.
I’ve had my Mani for a few years and have been totally happy with its performance. Great little pre amp.
Glad you gave your feedback on the O-Blue paired with the Zen. Thanks
I've got the Schiit Mani & the Nagaoka MP 110! Perfect combination!
I'm very happy with my Mani, I even bought a dedicated power supply for it. It has grown with my cartridge upgrades all the way up to MP-200 Nagaoka and the Audio Technica AT-VMN750SH. My speakers are Dynaudio and they are a tiny bit euphonic, while my PS Audio Sprout 100 amp is full of power but has a tad bright presentation. The sum of all the parts is a very lively, neutral system that offers a lot of excitement when needed, and still enough refinement to work on anything from Morphine, Iggy Pop, and Linton Kwesi Johnson to Mahler, Coltrane, and Stravinsky. I'm really happy and the Schiit is perfect in this setup. I can't believe it's 130 bucks.
Project Debut Carbon (Sumiko Rainier Cartridge) > Schitt Mani, sounds pretty nice. 'Clean' is a very good description.
I actually have a rpm 1 carbon with sumiko Rainier. Really good sounding cart, I am actually going to replacing my xiv pickering. On my pl707 with a sumiko...
I also use the Mani with a Nagaoka MP110 but on an entry level Thorens turntable. I think they are fantastic. The improvement was remarkable.
What does an entry level thorens set a person back? 🤔
The Schiit mani is a killer preamp for the 💰! I love Schiit audio.
Would you choose the Cambridge Audion AXA25 with a Schiit Mani or just the Cambridge Audio AXA35 that has a built-in phono preamp? I mostly listen to Metallica type of music. I currently have a 1970s silver-era Pioneer SX-780. What do you think?
Also, does the Schiit Mani move around too easily? It looks dinky.
Sounds like a great option for only $130! Thank You "Bang For Your Buck Audio Man"! 👍
Been rocking the Mani and the Nagaoka MP110 for the last month and I love the combo
Had a mani, liked it. Upgraded to a Lounge Audio lcr mkiii, even happier. Great video as usual. Keep up the great work Randy. 👍
I am giving this a thumbs up for the effortless and accurate pronunciation of Nagaoka. It doesn't seem like a hard name to pronounce, but wow do a lot of people seem to stumble on it.
He is truthful man I own the mani and the Ortofon Blue to bright sounding and forward
Just got one of these and your review sealed it for me. Turntable is a Technics 1500c, cartridge is the AT VM95ML. I can't believe what I was missing. The phono stage has opened up like a blooming flower.... it was like I was driving in a tunnel and now I've come out of the other side. Wow. Bang for the buck at $150...
The Mani sounds great but it has some well documented issues with RF interference. I had one for a few months that perfectly tuned in a local radio station that you could hear at high volumes. Of course, not everyone experiences this issue, but it's something to be aware of.
Unfortunately the Mani for me had a lot of background noise and interference with radio frequencies but it sounded great when it wasn't picking up radio stations and static from the 1950s.
Had loads of probs with the mani . Sounded great apart from intermitent interference and noisy soundstage issues on 2 Sep units and that was after months of trying to get one in the UK. For the same money I got the music fidelity v90-lps which sounded just as good without any of the drawbacks. Since then iv bought the rega brio amp which has an amazing on-board phono so sold the music fidelity on ebay. I was sorry to see it go and would def recommend it.
I had a similar problem, the background static is horrible, garbage
@@Sheisintomalakasdino The pre-amp in my 80s Onkyo is still Perfect and better sounding than Most $250 preamps. I should just upgrade the capacitors and enjoy.
We'll c.
Love your content. Curious, of all the stuff you have tested, would you be willing to do a Cheapaudiman, all star system. Your favorite of each piece, speakers, amp,, CD player, phono, phono stage, headphone, iem, tv sound system, etc, episode?
Ive got the mani and MP-150 - sounds fantastic
i've owned by schiit mani and ifi zen phono... both great products for the money and can't go wrong with either! The real winner of a product is that Schiit freya a great piece of kit there.
I bought a Mani for my daughter last year and WOW! On an old Realistic Shure cartridge, almost amazing! A fantastic pairing! Well worth it! Been dying to try that Nagaoka cart.
Ppl say blue can be a bit boring. But I have one and I like it. Project 1.2 turntable are that on. Had a project phono amp for many years,but then I borrowed a micromega for about 200€ and I couldn’t turn back. Just like you changed from throwing gravel as soundstage to stampede ? The soundstage. Or wiping your dirty window so you can see everything clearer. Edges got so much sharper and the background got black. So. A good phono preamp is a must,but to change my I think I must go up in price a big step. Or change it for tubes. If I want a big difference. Ty 4 the video
Great video! Thanks Randy!
I have thousands of hours experience with the nagaoka plus mani. It is satisfying. The nag 200 is waaay better though and easily worth the upgrade qhen you're ready.
I own one, it works flawlessly.
Nice one as always. Any chance of testing some of the cheaper phono preamps on Amazon? Like Fosi Audio and the like? Cheers
Randy, thanks for the video. I added the Schiit Lokius equalizer and Sys to connect my Denon DCD-2560 and Philips 212 with the Statton 680ee to my Marantz 2250B. The Lokius I connected to the Marantz aux. The Denon is fine but the Philips sound has very low volume. I think I need to add a Phono pre-amp to the system ? Any suggestions on my problem. Of course when I used the Marantz phono section with the Philips the volume is fine. Thanks Dave
I just bought a fancy walnut Orbit turntable that came with the 2M red. I'd owned the cartridge in the past on a Pro-Ject Debut III turntable about 10 years ago and thought it sounded a bit shrill or hot, if you will back then. I was just using the phono stage of a Marantz receiver from the 70s. The turntable I just moved outta my system is a Pioneer PL-516 with the Nagaoka MP110. Honestly, I think both of these sound VERY similar through the Schiit Mani. I am happy with the preamp handling probably a wide range of stuff that cheap-o's like you and me are going to throw at it. It's good Schiit. I had to put multiple layers of tape and a color gel over the LED on the preamp. I hate how bright the white LED is. I have the same exact complaint of the Schiit Modi DAC I have sitting here at my computer. I just put a black sticker over that LED because it's on 100% of the time and I don't care to ever see it.
I just managed to pick up a nearly unused Emotiva USP-1. THE PHONO STAGE ALLOWS FOR MOVING magnet. Or moving coil cartridges. I'm pretty impressed with the phono stage sound. Do you think there is an appreciable difference in adding an outboard phono stage?
Yes. The emotiva is good but coming from the TA1 to the mani was pretty significant
@@cheapaudioman thanks for your answer..I'm using the ortofon 2m red(wish I had blue...lol) and a Stanton 680, and a pickering v-15... pretty much spans the range...I may try a mani...
I run the Mani with the rt82 and om10 cartridge. I really like the sound. Some say the om10 can be too brassy,. I guess with the Mani that's not a problem.
I run the exact same combo, works great.
Which settings have you got the mani on? I'm thinking of getting one!
@@Bad_P0tato I'm using the first gen. Default settings.
Some yrs ago. I used the phono input on a denon receiver. And when i got the mani it was liking taking off a veil. So much more detail came thru and more pronounced bass.
I uses a Rega 3 with Exact and Mani works totally great through a yamaha natural sound. Great Pre Amp
My experience. I have a Schiit Mani ( my very first phono),upgraded with a Swagman PSU SE edition (meaning Nuvotem Talema transformer, Polypropylene capacitors, Dale resistors, Furutech IEC socket, EMI filter, Silver plated copper internal wiring etc.
) and it was originally on my Technics SL1500C (modded with isone footers, Kab damping and Kab clamper) it was absolutely brilliant not merely for "taming" the 2m Red , but for driving also the Naga Mp110.
Still i've moved to IFI zen improved with the iPowerX with its 9v wallwart, and- honestly- the Mani has been ditched, for in the meantime i also have added to my pick up line-up an AudioTechnica Atvm95ML and a VM750Sh. Ifi has a darker blackground and more depth, not to mention that works (my impression) better with the 2M blue (yes i swapped the stylus).
But still problem is that we are discussing about phono preamp that lay in the "cheap" category....meaning they do a TERRIFIC job for the money, but even if you tweak them just like i did for "squeezing" the best out of them, unfortunately they tend to make all the cartridges sound utterly nice, but still you as listener cannot fully get all the differences between them (and yes i am just talking about MM pick-ups)...I always used good connections AudioQuest red river plus Saturn grounding entering the Phono amp and Chord CVlearway out to my amplifier and the Mani was also provided ( Yes someone has reported about RFI noise) with a shielded IEC cable, but now i am a happy camper with IFI Phono 3 .
The Zen ( and yes the Mani when i am using the Naga110 or the 2M red) are actually used for "feeding" my second system, hence the AudioTechnica LP7...
Mani is a nice tool for starters, but still i like a little more (in its category) the Zen.
This is my opinion...and now on my main system are arriving MC cartridges too Hana ML and AudioTechnica AT OC9XML), with both Mani and Zen i was not sure about purchasing, but with Phono 3 it's a total different story...
Would the Mani be an improvement over the U-Turn built-in phono preamp with a Grado Green cartridge?
My daily driver is a Pioneer PL117D with an Audio-Technica AT-VMN95ML - using the ART Pro Audio DJ PRE II Phono Preamplifier ( 12 volt PSU) connected to a DBX 3BX Series II, the Behringer Ultragraph Pro FBQ3102 and my Pioneer VSX 933 - strictly for playing my vinyl collection - Ive wondered about swapping or upgrading but i cant imagine finding something comparable producing a noticeable difference.
I had a Schiit Mani before I purchased my PS Audio Stellar Phono ($129 -vs- $2499). Let’s just say the little Mani didn’t embarrass itself. One of the absolute best values in home audio ever!
Good video I know you seem to favor ortofon but I'm currently using an AT-VM95 cat with my Mani and they also pair up very well in my opinion thanks.
Read the manual, lol, in the box list, mani, wall wart and cheap plastic bag! Got a good laugh out of the plastic bag being listed! Someone at Schiit has a sense of humor!
Just ordered my first Schiit Modi and Magni Heresy to add to my desktop PC. I hope it was not a foolish move. If these units perform as many folks say they do I will save up for a Loki to add to the "Schiit Stack". Is this just money and time poured down the rabbit hole??
@@burner8959 I'm glad that you are very happy with your Schiit products. I've seen plenty of good reviews before I made the hard decision to make this purchase. Like most things, this is a want not a need purchase. Audio expenditure foolishness. Thanks so much for your reply.
I have this combo next to my bed fore vening lsitening and it is awesome. You will be happy with it I think.
@@christopherhachet8204 Oh what a pleasure that must be. Thanks.
@@burner8959 I'm with you on saving where you can. I'm a B stock man also. Have a great day!
Rega, NAD and a few other companies make phono pre-amps with a USB output. Have you tried any of them?
I have a B&K CS-117 preamp with phono input. Running a Audio Technica TT and I have 3 different carts on their own headshell (Shure V15 type IV / Nagaoka MP-150 / Audio Technica AT15Sa) that I swap to depending on what I'm listening to . I don't know how B&K's internal phono amp would stack up to the Mani but for less that $200 I'm wondering if I would know the difference in sound quality.
Good stuff as usual, just trust Me Ventura Highway, America for a listen in the future, you’re just going to have to trust me🍻
I was wondering how you think it compares to your realistic recievers' internal phono stage? Love the channel BTW!
I tested the Schiit Mani 2 to see what the hype was all about but I got very disappointed. Is the Schiit Mani 2 good enough for someone to quit Digital music and go to Analog? In my opinion the answer is NO! When listening to music through the Schiit Mani 2 I found myself yearning to my digital setup (Denafrips AresII using TIDAL). On the other hand, in general I prefer listening to Analog through my Pro-ject Tube Box S preamp than to my digital setup! This means that the problem is with the Schiit Mani 2! When compared with the Pro-ject Tube box S ($500) I noticed the following differences:
1) Loss of resolution and detail
2) Loss of air
3) Loss of the natural texture of instruments and vocals
4) Significant reduction in imaging
5) Less punchiness
So the question is who is the Mani 2 for? In my opinion I don't know. In an age where digital music is widely available and almost free, the Mani 2 is for people who just want to play with records and don't so much care about sound. The Schiit Mani 2 isn't enough reason for someone to switch to Analog. There are many phono preamps out there which make the switch reasonable but are more expensive. What you get is what you pay for !
Looking at the mani now but I'm not crazy about the shipping fee. Planning on buying fluance 85 thought I could get by with the fluance phono amp for $99 but reviews shot that down. Any verdict. Or insight?
Looking to get a second, which would be my primary, stereo system. Would the Schiit Mani pair well with the Vista Audio Spark? Haven’t decided on speakers yet, but I am 98% sure I want the Vista (option 2 is Cambridge AXA25) as I like the retro styling/simplicity/minimalism of knobs and toggle switches.
Anyway, I have said a lot after asking my question, so back to that. Schiit Mani + Vista Audio Spark, a good idea? What about the Cam ridge AXA25 + Mani?
Just got one today. Any thoughts on break-in period?
I have a Mani. It tricked down to my home theater RT81+2M blue turntable. It’s a fantastic preamp for the money. It’s way better than the RT81’s internal preamp.
I had ordered a RT85 with 2M blue. I have a old Pickering xsv 3000. What is best, Mani or Ifi zen?
Hey can you review the Mackie mr624? Its slightly old at this point, but boy do I stil find them gorgeous. It'll probably be the first pair of speakers I buy. Wanted to know your thoughts on it.
Thanks Randy, I was personally interested in the bit about the 110. Have the Mani and 2M Red, honestly wasn’t thrilled with the sound, after all the praises I heard on YT?? Maybe this (the 110) is a way to get a little closer to what I want without spending a ton.
I have the Mani paired with the 2M blue and it’s great. Luckily the 2M red and 2M blue stylus’s are interchangeable with the same cartridge. So upgrading to the Blue is another option for you when your red needs replacing.
@@quikspecv4d true, it will pair better with blue but the sound signature will still be relatively close to the red because that’s ortofon sound signature at that price point, but definitely the blue is better than the red.
Awesome, I bought the Schiit Mani, plus an AC16V power supply, better than the one that came in the box.
I have had Mani for a few years and I'm currently using it with Rega P3 and Nagaoka MP200. This is a really good combination, albeit with a pretty bright sound. I'm using it with Rega Elex-R, so maybe I must try also Rega's buid in phono amp. Previously I used Mani with Pro-Ject Debut 3 and Nagaoka MP110, which combination sounded much softer. I used to have Ortofon OM5 and OM5e and they sounded much worse than Nagaokas. Now I have also Rega P2 with Goldring GR1012. Does anyone have experience if Ifi Zen phono would fit better with these?
I just ordered the saga plus and Loki, thinking about getting a dac from them
Can’t beat the Modi 3+ for $99.
I run my Sony CD player thorugh one, sounds great.
Hey "cheapaudioman" :) I like your videos and i need your help or opinion but is off this video topic! I have old technics su a800 amp(55wat per channel i think) and i want to buy Polk signature s20e speaker that you reviewed..will it work together(i listen rock and heavy metal) or you have some other suggestions for speakers this price range and this amp!? thanx if you have time to reply, cheers and all the best for your channel from Croatia :)
Randy, please help me understand the vinyl revival. I've enjoyed records, reel-to-reel, 8-track, cassette, CDs and the various digital files. I love the new electron microscopic view of music my dac, amp and planars can achieve. What is the appeal of going backwards to vinyl?
I’m not sure. I grew up on the tail end of records. Cassettes were king then cd’s. Probably the novelty and nostalgia. Novelty for the younger crowd and nostalgia for the older. I like to tinker so I enjoy it. Fidelity has gotten much better. Something nice about the process of putting a record on. More user experience than fidelity probably. Different carts are also fun. I don’t know “why” per se but I do know that if you walk to the electronics department in Walmart or target there are about 3-4 different turn tables to choose from and a rack of records. It’s interesting. Personally I enjoy listening to vinyl and when I get a chance to relax it’s generally with a turntable.
@@cheapaudioman Going back to vinyl is not going backwards, except as far as convenience and ticks and pops and a few other things like inner groove distortion (which you get sometimes). Cd's, which sound better than streaming if you have the right CD player, have missing frequencies because of filtering, dither etc. Any time you have missing frequencies used for digital filtering, you are not getting perfectly accurate harmonics. Cd's do sound a bit artificial compared to great analog or reel tape playback. There is also more resolution, transparency, detail, air and space, but to what degree more, depends on what equipment you are using or comparing. Analog doesn't make digital sound as bad in comparison, as it did 20 years ago. The gap has closed from a canyon to a large pothole. My favorite phono cartridge of all time is a Sumiko moving coil cartridge circa 1993. It will beat the pants off $200 cartridges of today. Some of Ortofons own current upper end moving coil cartridges would make the moving magnet Blue model sound very uneventful. In other words "You ain't heard nothin' yet."
Depends on the music... My favorite album is folk singer by Muddy Waters. I owner original pressing vinyl a recent pressing (200 grain) and both a flac file (remaster) and a wav rip from cd. I've also heard a friend's r2r version of this as well. Far and away the R2R is the best version followed by original vinyl pressing followed by wav rip from my cd. The new pressing and flac versions I got are far behind. I can't extrapolate how much of the change in sound is related to the media format and how much is related to the mastering. All of my impressions were made using the same amp -> speaker setup but would be changed by Phono/Dac. R2R was just perfection for this music format but costs $450 for a NOS version of it where the vinyl album can be had for $10 so that is what makes financial sense for me.
If you haven’t already checked it out, I highly recommend the Hagerman Labs Bugle phono preamp. $180 and it blew every other phono stage I’d heard up to that point out of the water.
I'm beyond impressed with Schitt audio. I'm buying a Modi dac for my high end Denon 80's CD player(all DAC chips where mediocre back then) & maybe à Mani for my turntable Asap. I have a really good MM pre-amp in my 80s Onkyo amp and might be better off if I just upgrade the components in my pre-amp.
The Nagaoka MP110 is practically a legend at this point. The overall experience is world class awesome sauce for the working man whom isn't full of sh*t. It's warm analog heaven.
The mid range overall is to good to be true but the high end is seriously lacking on the MP110. The low end is also weak, especially if you love tight, deep bass.
If one is crazy about details and High frequencies, you can get a better cart and styli for the $$$$. I really wanna try a MP-110 cart with an MP-200 stylus.
Paired this with the RT 85. Love the sound but i have the hiss 😕. Unfortunately I don't have the ability to separate the mani from my other components so im picking up interference. If you have a compact setup, consider how the mani is plugged up because it is very, very prone to electrical interference.
Could you do a review on the dayton audio mk402x bookshelf speakers, im thinking about picking up a pair for my desk.
Can you stretch 30 dollars more for the mk442? What amp do you plan on using?
I was considering the mk442 but I would prefer the mk402 for the smaller size. I am not sure what amp to get yet. Any recommendations?
@@tylerverkest3995 if you want to stay in that price range check out the dta pro by Dayton (155) The topping mx3 is cool and feature rich for 150. A bit darker sound would come from the Cambridge axr85, but it lacks a dac and pushes the price to 400. It’s a true class ab w a big transformer though. Randy has a review on the aiyama A07 that would probably be a good fit but you’d need a preamp/dac for that. Loxjie has a nice full featured amp but I can’t remember the name. I’m running an aiyama tube a-5 with some different Dayton’s in my bedroom for low level listening. It’s only got about 15-20 wpc and only has one rca, and one bt input. No dac, no remote. For 250 the smsl d9 could work but again, no dac iirc. I have the dta pro and it’s decent but the dac pops once in a while. It sounds v shaped and recesses the mids on the speakers they are hooked up to but it controls the bass decently and doesn’t lack in highs. Not sparkly or bright, but very present. Fosi audio has some interesting amps too that sound decent for the price.
Edit: and you can always do an smsl or topping stack for the desktop that could add a headphone amp.
And now it's$189 + $12 shipping. Dang in black still $179. Plus shipping that's a big jump in 10 months are we paying for the move to texas?
I just got the Mani 2 (black) direct from Schiit for $149 plus shipping.
I would like to see a review of the ART DJpre ii, I came across it and think its a extremely good value but would like to know your thoughts as you have access to way more other products to compare. Don't let the DJ in the name fool you its great!
Hi, does schiit mani compare to uturn pluto 2 ? , Which of the two is more detail?
Funny thing, I am running the Schiit Mani with the Ortofon MC-3 Turbo MC cartridge on my main system and haven't had a reason to change it. It just sounds great!
When your a witching carts. Do you also re adjust the arm height to maintain the tracking angle for each cartridge.
Thanks for the very informative review. IMO changing phono cartridges is like rolling tubes, once you start down the rabbit hole you could go crazy before you find your way out.
I haven't the hands on experience to say what is and what isn't better than the Schiff Mani. Is it just a great value or would it make the people who buy the real expensive stuff shake their head in regret? That may be asking too much. If I bought the expensive stuff and the Mani would come within 20% I would shake my head with regret. I do know one thing, without actually living with both the Schitt and the expensive stuff, not one of us can hazard an intelligent guess just how far apart they would be. If I was in the market for an inexpensive phono stage the Schitt might be at the top of my audition list. Many expensive preamps with phono stages have very large seperate high current power supplies to isolate it from the delicate preamp circuitry, with an umbilical cord that goes from power supply to the preamp. There are even mono preamps with a seperate isolated high current power supply for each channel. 4 boxes total. Even your occasional vintage receivers and integrated amps with dual mono power supplies were a cut above the competition, and the difference was audible, even to guys who couldn't usually hear differences.
As far as phono cartridges, I can speak with experience on those. Just because a cartridge sounds great to you; don't make the inference that it's right up there or close to the best. Phono cartridges are one thing people don't usually argue about, as far as that they get better as the price goes up. But not better because of the price tag. If you had a $1,000 moving coil phono cartridge, you would still be nowhere near the best for sound quality. I've used a $1,200 moving coil cartridge from 1993, and I wonder if it's far enough away from the best to toy around with the idea of upgrading. There are many exotic phono cartridges out there. At least 50 that are well over $1,000. Are they worth it? They must be. Plenty of intelligent people buy them and keep buying them. I never heard of one that went back to the cheap stuff. They like what they hear at that level. Are those prices ridiculous? For material cost; yes. For engineering precision and sound; no. At least on the better examples.
Thanks for the video
I have the Zen with Ortifon Blue. Budda!
Zen also has subsonic filter. And let me tell you when you need a sub filter really wish you had one
Waiting patiently for the Nad c338 review 😁
What are your thoughts on pairing the mani with a shure m91ed. Currently just using the phono stage in a 1996 onkyo with vintage pioneer 901s.
I've used the Mani with an M91 (with an aftermarket nude elliptical stylus) and it sounded great. I'd bet it'd be an improvement to what you're using now.
Would it be possible to comment on the quality of the inbuilt phono stage of the Yamaha RX-V6A compared to the the Mani?
Randy for years I keep switching out my bookshelf speakers 🔊, so one day I thought 💭 why not run both pairs and wow !!! But the key 🔑 is to have a powerful amplifier which I listen 👂 at low levels, game changer mate!!!😜👍🇦🇺
Any thoughts on modern separate phono preamps like the mani vs vintage internal phono stages from what was then considered mid or hifi equipment? My 1987 carver preamp has MM and MC inputs and I’ve been wondering if it’s a case of: a) this technology has come a long way, buy something like the mani, or b) they don’t make them like they used to, stay with what I have.
I'm fairly new to vinyl but I can tell you my experience with the ifi zen. First I started with Klipsch the sixes and Fluance Rt85 that surprised me on how great such a simple setup could sound! But all the reviews of The Sixes said the built-in phono preamp was horrible so I purchased a 1978 Yamaha CR-2020 reciever and some fairly inexpensive Technics floor speakers to try the built-in preamp of a vintage reciever. It also sounded pretty damn nice,bass from the speakers was less deep and a little boom on some recordings if set to high and the highs sounded really good which could be the tweeter differences of both pair of speakers. So I got an ifi zen phono. On the vintage reciever and old speakers I couldn't tell much difference and what little there was I can't really explain it was to nominal to mention. Between the zen and the built-in phono of the Klipsch...the highs were interesting and detailed,somewhere between typical Klipsch sound and crystalline and sparkling. But with the zen the bass didn't reach near as low and kind of just in the background. Sorry for such a long message but wasn't sure how else to give a clear explanation of the differences and gear.
Tough call. I used to have a Carver preamp and remembered enjoying it a lot. Can't remember the model.....it eventually blew-up and I stupidly tossed it. Currently, I use a late 80s/early 90's Sony integrated POS for the amplifier power to push a pair of Klipsch RP500M's.
The phono pre in the Sony is pretty harsh compared to the Mani. So, I bypass the the internal phono pre by using the tape loop. Coming from the Mani I have a Schiit SYS (passive switch) that leads to the Sony tape loop and to a dedicated headphone amp. Works nicely.
What about pairing it with a Grado Gold 3, hamnat tested mine yet but from what I have read it's warm with good bortom end, should pair good with the Mani?
i wonder if an MP200 would have led to a different result as it does have a cleaner and more precise sound all across the range.
I’m no audiophile but I absolutely love my Nagaoka mp110 with my system.
Can I hook this up to my Denon Integrated amp for improved sound quality?
any luck trying out a vista audio phono 2? It’s like dying and going to dip switch heaven!
Never in a million years would I think a brand called 'Schiit' would work. It proves the rules of marketing are meant to be broken
It's great marketing IMO. Good company too.
@@agentm83 How is it great marketing? Genuinely asking not a rhetorical question
@@jackedkerouac4414 It gets people to pay attention to the brand name. Also you may notice, reviewers love making jokes with the name, which gets the brand even more attention through repetition.
@@agentm83 Good stuff. A few years ago I racked my brain trying to think of the perfect name for my business, thought of one, and launched it. It failed miserably lol. Schiit as a brand name goes against the grain of every other audio product out there (plus their logo sucks imo). Now I'm thinking it's good to stand out and take a risk... if the quality of your products speak for itself
They have or had a product called the "Fulla" so they're a bunch of jokesters who happen to put out great products.
Let’s hear for the working stiff !
A phono stage or preamp with a phono stage is a big determining factor of how refined your sound is going to be. The lesser ones are edgy, small sounding, grainy and lacking in instrument size and tone color. Sometimes they'll be great in one way, or a few ways, but just not cut it in other ways. Once I ordered a preamp that was only available factory direct. It was direct sounding with great clarity & transparency, but was too far behind in all other ways to consider keeping it. Preamps are mainly about the subtler qualities of sound. Power amps are more about bottom end clout and overall dynamics. They can lack in the above refinement ways too. I once foolishly bought a power amp based on a review that proclaimed it as "king of the solid state mountain." Despite having good bass, my budget $299 power amp at the time was much more colorful and nicer to listen to. It wouldn't have even been king of the budget amps, yet alone "king of the solid state mountain."
Preamps of today often omit the phono section and just give you a line stage. Now that analog lp's are coming back, will we start seeing more preamps with phono stages? Will they be good phono stages or just an afterthought for what the company feels is just a passing fad? Do current preamps in general which have phono stages; are those phono stages as serious as those preamps before digital, when the high quality sound medium of choice was the LP? It varies I'm sure.
Is the Mani better than the Denon PMA-600NE phono pre-out?...if it is I'll spend the money and if it isn't you'll save me money...the Denon is way better than my AT 120X's and wanted to know if the Schitt is way better than the really good Denon...thank you in advance....
It’s better. The Denon is a very full amp as well so it would be a very good pairing depending on your cart
@@cheapaudioman thank you sir!!
I had one for maybe 10 days before it let the smoke out, returning it to schiit for a refund/replacement from Canada costs about the same as buying a new one. their customer service dept. is a bit Schiit tbh!
The freebie Pro-Ject phono box just gave up on me (I may have been f$%!ing with it) this means I'm in the market for a new phone stage. Working on the theory that one listens to the worst piece of equipment one has, I have my replacement narrowed down to a Schiit Mani and a Rega Fono mini A2D. This review actually has me leaning towards the Rega.
I'm running a Rega P2(new rb220 version)/Goldring E3 through a Cambridge AXA 35 I to Dali Oberon 1s on this secondary setup*.
Anyone have any guesses or experience with a similar setup and either preamp?
*the Rega Brio from the big brother living room set-up has a phono stage that is immensely better than the AXA or the old Pro-Ject box.
Schitt Skoll ???
Gonna try the cambridge audio alva duo
Hello, thanks for the review.
I sure would be interested in knowing if the NAD PP-2e is a decent phono preamp? It sells for approx $200. Also NAD makes a PP-4 that also has a USB output for anyone looking to digitize their vinyl collection. I’m looking to pair up my Technics SL1200MK2 with a phono preamp that will do the turntable all the justice it deserves. My cartridge is a MM design Shure M44-7
Why did the zen go from 150 to 190 in a matter of months and mani maintained the 129 price
You left the mani in decca mode?