One of the first Zen MK3 products from iFi is the new Zen Phono 3 - a new look MM/MC Phono stage with a lower noise floor and flexibility for a variety of cartridges.
Zen Phono 3 boasts futuristic features unlike any other entry-level stage:
- 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
The ZEN Phono 3 supports four MM/MC gain selections from 36 to 72dB and four input impedance settings.
Mix and match gain and loading settings independently of each other with the all-new loading button, ensuring optimum compatibility with a wide range of cartridges and allowing you to get the sound ‘just right’.
At the vinyl mastering stage, records are pressed with an inverse RIAA equalisation curve applied. This needs to be undone on playback by the phono stage to reveal the magic of the music.
ZEN Phono 3’s RIAA EQ circuitry uses multiple TDK C0G capacitors in parallel. This is for best stability and the least distortion.
This allows for ZEN Phono 3’s RIAA playback equalisation curve to be within +/- 0.15dB tolerance from 20-20kHz, allowing you to hear your records more accurately than ever before.
Its RIAA accuracy is on-par with more costly phono stages that use hand-selected capacitors.
ZEN Phono 3 has a high-tech clean power supply built directly into it, isolated on its own “island” and away from the rest of the board.
The power supply’s isolation mitigates noise pollution of the analogue stage – ensuring that only the audio is amplified and allowing for the noise-floor to remain whisper quiet.
ZEN Phono 3’s Equivalent Input Noise measures at -151dBV, which is 20dBV quieter than some Stereophile Class A+ phonos. *
For optimal noise performance, ensure that you are providing the cleanest power to your Phono 3.
The iFi iPower2 is an ultra-quiet, ultra-clean audiophile-grade power supply, featuring Active Noise Cancellation II technology to cancel out all incoming EMI and RFI noise. You’ll never feel powerless against noise and graininess again.
In a world full of noise, welcome to ZEN.
