ifi iPhono 3 "Black Label" Anyone?
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Hello Audiofun and all in this thread!
I enjoyed reading this thread discussing the various IFI preamps and supplies. Just a bit of background on my first- I'm a 65 yr old geezer who never, ever considered a phono preamp(ok, maybe once when using my HANA EH cartridge for gain). I still have many of old vinyl from my 20's, and always used my receivers phono connection to play. The kids have been out of the house for awhile now, and my receiver is a Yamaha RX-A1030, my table is a VPI Scout 1.1 with a Ortofon 2M Black cartridge. My musical tastes are all over the place, from Classic Rock to Classical and Jazz. I also have a substantial amount of audiophile pressings as well as a number of reissues from over the last few years. While I never had an issue with the sound from my table/cartridge- I was stuck with either a MM or an MC High output which I was never happy adding more volume. The thought of adding the IFI Iphono 3 really makes me wonder considering all the praise it has received above. However- I also see talk of the IFI ZEN Phono and then having added the IPower X supply to it. The ZEN Phono is $200 and the IPower X is another hundred. I also see that the IPhono 3 is on sale for $800, and that includes the IPower X(??). What could I possibly expect making a leap from a receiver phono preamp to one either of these I've listed?
Thank You Chris |
@reidcc In your case, having owned both, properly broken-in, I would strongly recommend the Zen Phono with iPower X power supply. You have an excellent cartridge which, I suspect, you have no idea how good it can sound. The above mentioned combo will be a game changer for you. I made the same recommendation recently to an old college roommate from 5o years ago and he was delighted. No need to spend the extra money on the iPhono3 unless you need the added features which, I believe, you don't. |
@vinylvalet Thank You! I actually did order a Preamp in February, but it wasn't an IFI. I did a bunch of reading on Darlington Labs, and bought a MM-6, and it should ship tomorrow. One of my main drivers was some LP noise "hiding" or "softening" and the Darlington hopefully won't make the ticks and pops as obtuse as they can be with the 2M Black. I can't wait to get it and start he burn-in!!! Chris |
