Audio & Headphones · Head-to-head
Schiit Audio Schiit Mani 2 vs iFi Audio iFi ZEN Phono 3
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Phono Preamps: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Mani 2 gives you moving magnet, moving iron and moving coil support with four gain settings and, unusually, adjustable load capacitance, at a price where rivals hand you one fixed option. Step up to the ZEN Phono 3 only if a low-output moving coil cartridge is in your present or your plans, because that is where its much higher gain ceiling earns the difference.
Schiit Audio Schiit Mani 2
Buy itFour gain settings, four resistive loads and four capacitance settings, at a price where rivals give you a single fixed option.
- Handles moving magnet, moving iron and moving coil, with gain settings of 33, 42, 48 and 60dB
- Adjustable load capacitance for MM cartridges, a genuinely rare feature at this price and one that changes treble balance audibly
- Four resistive loading options down to the low values low-output moving coil cartridges want
- Two-slope low-frequency filter for warped records and turntable rumble
- Settings are on small switches rather than front-panel controls, so changing loading means reaching around the unit
- Unbalanced output; no balanced option listed
- Top gain setting is generous but not limitless, so the very quietest exotic moving coil cartridges will push it
iFi Audio iFi ZEN Phono 3
Buy itThe one to buy if moving coil is in your plans, thanks to a much higher gain ceiling and selectable MC loading.
- Four gain settings (36, 48, 60 and 72dB), enough headroom for genuinely low-output moving coil cartridges
- The two highest MC gain settings each offer a choice of three resistive loads
- MC loading at 100, 400 and 1000 ohms covers most published cartridge recommendations; MM and MC High get 47k ohms with a 100 or 200pF choice
- Subsonic filter targets warp-rate energy rather than blanket-rolling the bass, and adds no group delay
- Costs meaningfully more than the Mani 2 for an advantage that only shows up at the moving coil end
- Balanced output uses a connector many integrated amplifiers do not have
- Curved chassis does not stack with rectangular components and divides opinion
Side by side
| Schiit Audio Schiit Mani 2 | iFi Audio iFi ZEN Phono 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Almost anyone stepping up from a built-in phono stage, and especially moving magnet owners who want to dial in load capacitance properly. | Owners of low-output moving coil cartridges, and anyone building toward one who does not want to buy a phono stage twice. |
| Price tier | $ · mid-range | $ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Schiit Audio Schiit Mani 2 - Four gain settings, four resistive loads and four capacitance settings, at a price where rivals give you a single fixed option. Choose the iFi Audio iFi ZEN Phono 3 instead if owners of low-output moving coil cartridges, and anyone building toward one who does not want to buy a phono stage twice.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Phono Preamps: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).