I recently met a good friend for dinner and we got to talk about all things audio. It was there that he pondered an earth-shaking scenario to me. He told me that he was considering selling off his vinyl collection and rig to go all digital. It took me a moment to get my jaw off the ground. Once it did he started to give me the reasons why. As my head swirled, I had completely forgotten that I was going to talk to him about something I had in for review. The ZEN Phono 3 created by iFi. The unit continues the visually distinctive line, encased in an all-metal enclosure it looks to my eyes pretty stylish.
Specifications
- MM/MC with 36-72dB gain range
- Independent loading adjustment
- Super-silent -151dBV noise floor
- Precise RIAA with balanced output
- Intelligent subsonic filter
- High-tech 1.2MHz clean power supply
For what iFi labels as an "entry" product I was surprised by the features on tap. My current cartridge is the Zu Audio modified Denon 103 on my modified Lenco turntable. According to iFi, the gain selection switch (four positions) has a range from 36 to 76 dB. I settled on level 3 (MC Low) for my review, and did not place my step-up transformer in the mix. iFi's supplied wall-wart was plugged directly into my power conditioner for the entirety of the review.
My friend began thinking about switching to full digital streaming after visiting his local audio store and discovering how convenient to cue music could now be. The luxury of sitting on your couch, creating your playlists, and never having to worry about physical media storage or it wearing out. His eyes had been opened to a new and less space consuming way to enjoy the music...
I started with Beethoven's "Sonata No. 5 in C Minor" performed by Wilhem Kempff and was impressed by the low surface noise. The body and tone of the piano was well fleshed out although bloated at times. The warmth of the piano was there with Kempff's interpretation of the piece clearly heard throughout. The dynamic range of the piece was captured quite well with a slight roll of on the top. The micro details of the piece were a bit lost (his touch on the keys for example), but overall the performance was well rendered by the phono amplifier.
I threw on the title track of Billie Holiday's Body and Soul, and was pleased with the rendition of her voice in tone and timbre. The recording was intimate in my listening room. The amplifier did an excellent job at reproducing the delicate nature of woodwind instruments as you could hear the control and subtly, their interpretation could be felt.
My next song, "Get Lost" came from indie artist The Fragments Get Lost Album. They have an inherent energy that was relayed by the phono amplifier, and I could not stop myself from moving to the music while listening to record. I played through several more albums, and each one was listenable and kept me in my chair. The iFi amp finds a middle ground with recordings, it was a bit sibilant on female voices, but remained controlled in the mids while having a bit of bloat in the high to mid bass region. The effect was not jarring and for most recordings it was enjoyable and engaging.
It came time for my friend to make the investment, and to decide whether to let go of his beloved LP collection. He had settled on his new digital front end, and we sat down for one more talk to discuss the pros and cons of the transition. It was in that moment that we got to talking how our friendship started. We were both at a local used record store, combing over shelves of records during the annual record day sale and bumped into each other in the narrow dust filled corridor. He was a DJ at the time, and I was in search of bargain classical records. Our friendship grew out of him wanting some interesting music to mix and sample while mine was finding anything labelled Deutsche Grammophon. We struck up a conversation and spent all morning finding records for each other. It was from this talk that we got in the intangible power of vinyl, in that through the years my friend was able to forge some real lifelong relationships simply by looking for music in this medium. Finding the next great record also was a gateway to finding more friends who share in the hunt. It dawned on him that if he were to let it go he would be leaving a community that helped him so much and made him feel a part of something bigger.
I was mostly pleased by this device, but decided maybe it would be served in other system. I moved it to my home theater set up that is comprised of a Denon AVR X3700H receiver and Elac Debut speakers. I have a Music Hall MM5 turntable with a Goldring 1012GX cartridge directly hooked up to the built in phono preamp of the receiver. I quickly made some setting changes, putting the amp into MM and fired it up. Although it's great that Denon still has this on their amps, I have always felt like it was missing something in the engagement factor. Enter the iFi, and this is where this unit really shines. It had an immediate impact on the sound and completely integrated well with the setup. I tried the previous pieces I used on my main rig and found that with the iFi it created more breath, width, extension, and liveliness that the built in amp in the receiver was unable to achieve. This would be an incredible upgrade for someone looking to step up in sound, and give them the opportunity to see how vinyl can create a space where you can listen to what the artist had intended.
In the end, how does the iFi and my friend's choice tie in? Simply that getting into vinyl and discovering how the music can be reproduced with it is only the beginning. Exploring the ways to get into the medium brings up many opportunities to interact with people that are passionate about music. Our hobby can sometimes be intrinsically personal, individualistic, and lonely, but when we branch out to see other enthusiasts, we discover how music can bring us socially together. This story has a happy ending as my friend decided to not give up his vinyl collection entirely, as he downsized it to his favorite recordings and purchased a cheaper digital front end to experiment with. If you are in the mood to bump into a total stranger that you could possibly be friends with, I would recommend this amp and get going to your nearest record store now.
Take care.
iFi Audio ZEN Phono 3
Retail: $250
iFi Audio
