Review: iFi Audio ZEN Phono

Firstly I would like to thank Karina at iFi for sending this loan unit for review.

Gear Used: Project Debut Carbon (Delrin upgraded bearing / sub-platter) > Zen Phono > Feliks Audio Espressivo MKII > Keces S300 > B&W 606

Tech Specs:
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-phono/

Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:

The Zen Phono is one of the newest products from iFi’s budget oriented Zen range, and I would suspect comes in a similar box as the rest. A simple white box with a product picture on the front and info on the back, it looks really clean like the rest of iFi’s range and doesn’t make the Zen range feel budget at all. Opening the box you will find everything neatly held in place inside, and well packaged to avoid damage during shipping.

The Zen Phono is a solid feeling product, the metal chassis is very well made and the inputs/outputs are all of excellent quality. The buttons on the front don’t feel cheap and there is good weight to it overall. I really like the shape and design of the Zen range and it looks neat once installed in a system.

Accessory wise you get the power supply and a set of RCA cables, that’s about all you need for this kind of product so nothing is missing.

Features

The Zen Phono is a MM/MC phono pre-amplifier, it has your normal RCA inputs with grounding post and it has fixed level RCA and 4.4mm balanced outputs. On the back you have the gain switch for different cartridges, and on the front you have a power button and a subsonic filter button. The subsonic filter is something not many phono pre-amps in this range have, so it is a great feature, along with having balanced outputs too. There are lights on the front that tell you the unit is on, which gain setting and also if the subsonic filter is active. It’s a no-frills, functional phono pre-amp, which I appreciate.

Sound

The Zen phono slotted neatly into my system, replacing my basic Project Phono Box for the duration of the loan period. The main job of a phono pre-amp is to amplify the phono signal as per the RIAA EQ curve, in as clean and neutral way as possible in my opinion. The Zen phono nails it in that respect, vinyl playback in my system is immensely enjoyable with the Zen phono effortlessly amplifying everything evenly with a clean background. It is controlled and measured yet perfectly balanced, allowing you to enjoy the music as it was intended. I tend to allow downstream products to colour the sound, personal preference, so having a linear and clean phono pre-amp is just the trick for people of the same inclination.

For me, I love the tactile experience of listening to vinyl, taking a record out and putting it on makes me sit back and listen to an album. Having a good phono pre-amp helps get the best out of that experience, sitting back and appreciating the music is what it is all about at the end of the day. The Zen phono does that, it does what a good phono pre-amp should, and all for a very reasonable price. Yes you can spend more, and get more features to help finely tune the system, but for most people the Zen Phono really is all the pre-amp you need.

The stereo imaging is pinpoint accurate, the presentation is clean with a spacious soundstage and great instrument separation. It really does just disappear in the system, and the subsonic filter helps remove unwanted rumble without negatively affecting the overall bass response.

Conclusion

Products that simply do what they are supposed to, without any downfalls or flaws, are the hardest to review. They are also the best products to recommend though, and the Zen Phono gets my recommendation if you are in the market for a sub £200 phono pre-amp. It has such a clean, effortless and spacious sound yet just gets out of the way of the music entirely. For that reason, it is a brilliant product, yet another hit from iFi Audio.

Sound Perfection Rating: 10/10 (stellar performance for a reasonable cost)