Zen Phono 3 Audiophile MM/MC Turntable Pre-Amplifier

Simple installation, small footprint. compatible with my McIntosh MX-122 that is great for home theater and even two channel listening but the MX-122 phono stage is a poor afterthought. The iFi Phone 3 is unobtrusive, and intuitive to set up and use if you're an experienced audio head. It's important to know your cartridge type (MM or MC) and the brand name/model. I'm not a huge vinyl aficionado but I have a lot of vinyl going back to the late 60's and probably have about 500 LPs but I knew they didn't sound right pushed through the MX-122 phono stage. Setup is simple but my wiring from the turntable to my audio rack was already in place. I simply had to connect the two-turntable RCA plugs to "input" on the iFi Phone 3 and then use a separate Tributaries RCA cable from the iFi output to my MX-122. The ground wire from the turntable to the iFi is mandatory to avoid hum and ground loops so don't forget to connect it. My MX-122 has a dedicate phono ground to I joined two ground cables from the turntable and iFi phono 3 to the MX-122 ground and that worked great because the MX-122 is fully grounded. It's easy to dump insane $$ on separates and phono stages are no exception. Balancing my vinyl use with common sense, $265 plus the low-end sound from the MX-122 phono stage made the iFi Phono 3 a necessity, not an extravagance for me. The audio improvement from the onboard MX-122 phono stage to the iFi Phono 3 was surprisingly dramatic. The separation, soundstage, clarity, depth was all better. The iFi Phono 3 brought new and old vinyl to life. IFi gear in general is surprisingly well built, and I've owned a starter iFi headphone amp in the past. For $265 with tax, this was a big improvement for my vinyl collection that I will likely use more often now it doesn't sound like the turntable is underwater. Cheers!

I have to admit, it is worth every penny. I have a better than average stereo system and this just made it a little better. I can actually hear the difference in sound quality. I guess the stereo gurus are right.

Just now, I finished auditioning this Zen 3 carefully, alongside a new FOSI X5 and my home-built EAR834 clone. Definitely give it time to break in: I found that the Zen began to "open up" incredibly well after about 10 hours of playing time, pulling far ahead of its startup conditions, and beyond what I anticipated and expected. The Zen won my auditions by a significant margin. For the sound experience and level of enjoyment it gives me, I love the thing. It accurately recaptures the many fine distinctions that make up LP playback of instruments and vocals, which altogether form a realistic and satisfying recreation of the dense information in an LP. I've found that too many phonostages alter the sound, and filter out essential musical information and character, to the point of sounding comical, dull, or just sad in comparison. In visual comparison, they're 20/40 vision. Meanwhile, the Zen Phono 3 sounds "alive" and does an amazing job of preserving the essential artistic information embedded in your vinyl's grooves. It can handle wild, complex passages as well as quiet, simple ones. It is full bodied, and on my bass-shy 300B system, its been the best phonostage I've found at projecting a full and rich audio spectrum. A musician's full artistry gets faithfully recovered and portrayed; I've discovered new musical surprises from everything I've thrown at it. Full fledged enjoyment and engagement. 20/20 vision. Air and shimmer. On the technical side, this runs on a wall-adapter 5VDC power source; luckily I have some cleaner 5VDC sources of my own, and it makes a lovely enhancement. My preference is a 12V lithium battery powering a 5VDC linear stepdown board: with it, backgrounds get blacker, tonal registers grows richer, and voices gain finer nuance. Alternatively, you can get a finished 5VDC linear power supply from many vendors these days. In addition, Zen includes a set of RCA cables that do a great job, offering excellent fullrange rich sound. The Zen notably pairs exceptionally well electronically with my MM cartridge and tube preamp. I appreciate its inherently quiet noise floor and, if needed, its user-selectable smart rumble filter. So at ~$239, this phonostage succeeds into very nice musical territory. I kept pulling out my old LP favorites to re-experience them anew in the realm of Zen's higher fidelity. There are better phonostages for more $$$, but this Zen comfortably puts you in the 95%+ range. Update August 24, 2026: Yes! Highly involving, envelopes you in soundscapes and musical colors, eight miles high.

I have the original Zen Phono that I purchased in 2022 and for the last three years it has given me solid performance and excellent fidelity. I saw that that the Zen Phono 3 was under $200, so I decided to give it a try-out. Wow! There is a difference! After playing a few of my favorite LPs through my Original Zen Phono, I swapped out the phono amps, correctly set the switches on the Zen Phono 3 and played the same LPs. The immediate difference was in the soundstage. It was much wider and three dimensional. The sonics were also clearer and more detailed. The Phono 1 was no slouch, I enjoyed many LPs hearing wonderful clarity and beautiful separation, but the Phono 3 just took it several notches higher. There was a lushness that gave my system a sound many times its cost. This was right when I connected the Phono 3 and started playing the music right away, no break-in! I can imagine after I play this baby for another 50-60 hours. This is a highly recommended upgrade if you own the original Zen Phono Preamp. For $200? It's a no-brainer.

I brought this to tame a high output MC cartridge and it did not disapointed. I hooked up the Ifi, set it to hi MC and it does tamed the Denon DL-110 a lot more and amplified it a bit louder without edgy sound than using the MM port. The low is rounder also. I am declaring a victory on this one and very happy with the result. Before the Ifi, I tweaked the VTA and also the compliance using the stock plate that came with it for a medium compliance tone arm and the result was good but incremental. The high had an hint of edgy but not as bad without the stock plate tweaking. With the iFi, I say I completed my tweak and tamed that cartridge. The iFi is indeed a pretty good phono pre and very easy to use instead of fiddling lots of dip switches to get the combo correct.

The iFi Audio Zen Phono 3 is the latest iteration of iFi's popular entry-level phono preamplifier, aiming to bring high-fidelity vinyl playback to a wider audience. Building upon the success of its predecessors, the Zen Phono 3 promises improved performance and features at an attractive price point. Does it deliver? Let's find out. Build and Features: The Zen Phono 3 retains the compact and sturdy design of the Zen series. The aluminum enclosure feels solid and well-built, giving a sense of quality that belies its price. The front panel is clean and straightforward, featuring a single power button and indicator LED. The rear panel houses the RCA inputs and outputs, a grounding post, and a gain switch offering settings for MM (Moving Magnet) and MC (Moving Coil) cartridges, including a dedicated setting for low-output MC cartridges. This versatility is a significant plus, allowing it to accommodate a wide range of turntables and cartridges. Sound Quality: This is where the Zen Phono 3 truly shines. Compared to previous versions, the 3rd generation offers a noticeable step up in sonic performance. The sound is clean, detailed, and dynamic, with a wider soundstage and improved clarity. Bass is tight and well-defined, midrange is smooth and natural, and treble is crisp without being harsh. The noise floor is impressively low, even with sensitive MC cartridges, allowing for greater detail retrieval and a more immersive listening experience. MM Performance: With MM cartridges, the Zen Phono 3 provides a lively and engaging sound. It brings out the best in classic MM designs, offering a balanced and enjoyable listening experience. MC Performance: The dedicated MC settings, especially the low-output option, are a standout feature. The Zen Phono 3 handles the delicate signals from MC cartridges with impressive finesse, delivering a detailed and nuanced presentation. Pros: Excellent sound quality for the price. Versatile MM and MC compatibility, including low-output MC support. Solid build quality. Low noise floor. Compact and attractive design. Cons: No adjustable loading options for fine-tuning MC cartridge performance (though the provided loading generally works well). External power supply (though it's a small and unobtrusive unit).

Not a very good photo preamp sounds digital to me. If you have a cart that doesn't give out much trouble maybe this is the preamp for you. Sent it back still waiting on my return. It's been 3 weeks already????

I run mine between an Audio Technica AT-LP5x and Denon PNA-600NE. The design esthetic is not my style, but it is hidden in my system. The 4 gain options on the back panel and several load options on the front panel make it a versatile component. I future-proofed my move from MM to MC when I bought this a while ago and I just made the switch this week. I’m really happy I didn’t need to buy a new preamp along with the cartridge. Now that I’ve seen it perform with MM (Ortofon 2M Bronze, Nagaoka MP-200, AT-VM610MONO) and MC (Sumiko Blue Point no. 3), I have to say it really cut loose with the Sumiko. It’s pushing a lot of power for that low output cartridge and it fills the entire room exactly like I’d hoped. Definitely worth it.

Fantastic phono pre-amp. Great clarity and no audible hiss.

El equipo llegó en buen estado y hasta ahora funciona muy bien, estoy satisfecho con mi compra.

Un muy buen pre amp, compacto, con muy buena calidad y muy bajo ruido. le hace justicia a su reputación.

A nice sounding phono stage. In my opinion sounds better than the phono stage included in my integrated amp. It also offers more versatility allowing the use of MC cartridges. Including the subsonic filter is nice. I do wish the included power supply had a longer cord. It made it difficult to integrate into my system.

Excelente producto y el envío llegó en el tiempo indicado