iFi Audio Zen Air Phono – Reduce Hiss & Noise on Vinyl Playback - Affordable Hi-Res Phono Stage Pre-amp for MM/MC Turntable, Phonograph Vinyl, Record Player, RIAA HiFi Preamplifier – Subsonic Filter

I was using the built-in preamp in my turntable and I thought it sounded fine. I didn’t realize how much I was missing. I unboxed it and put Rush-2112 on and it sounded like the musicians were in front of me. The clarity and detail is amazing. I also picked up the Ifi linear power supply to go along with it to reduce noise. Some complaints are that it comes with a short USB cable, which is another reason why I got the linear power supply, and recommend it to buyers. Also, there are no gain or load adjustment options so you’re stuck with what it offers. It still sounds great to me and is perfect for beginners, but for someone who wants to adjust settings, I would look elsewhere. This is by far the best preamp in the budget category.

This is my first Phono Pre Amp. Is greatly improves sound, dynamic range and sound stage. Absolutely no noise, very good quality. Unique looks and great value at this price point.

Just got my ifi air phono hooked up, I have a yamaha as501 I'm not to happy with the phono stage,Well as of now my records sound better, more detailed in sound, for 99$ I don't think it can be beat! As far as powering it up I just hooked the short cord that was provided to a battery power pack, works fine. I gave 4 stars just because they should have included a power cord , With that being said I'm pretty happy with everything else.

So I'm doing the dip my toes into vinyl thing- got an At-LP60x starter deck and looking to take it to the next step. This gives a lot more oomph than the built in preamp. I upgraded the stylus with the upgrade that LP Gear sells and it's been really interesting to hear the difference between the stock stylus and the elliptical needle of the upgrade on this external preamp. It really magnifies the good and the bad. A certain hollow tinny sound could hide behind the muddled soundstage of the built in preamp. On the Zen Air the old needle almost sounded worse because the bad elements came through clearer. But with the new needle and preamp it's much more clear and louder to boot. My clean and well-mixed records sound an order of magnitude better. I don't have a lot to compare this to but it gives me a nice, clear, crisp, louder sound and I think if I got a nicer turntable down the road I could still use this and be satisfied given my little A-B test results with cheap equipment. I feel this was a good choice compared to a cheaper standalone preamp that I wouldn't want to use with an expensive turntable. Good in, good out. There are links to a wall wart power supply in other reviews that I recommend, I think it contributes to a little more power from the unit.

I have both the Ifi Zen and Zen Air phono preamps to do a sound comparison. Looking at photos of the circuit boards they looked identical (except for the different inputs), so I was surprised to learn they have their own unique sonic signature. To my ear the Zen air is warmer, louder, a bit livelier, while the Zen Phono was a bit cooler and brighter. You can really notice on solo piano recordings (Dr. John for example). The thick midrange of the piano just jumped out of the speakers on the Zen Air, but was more restrained on the Zen Phono. Ultimately to my ear the Zen Air seemed a better compliment to my record collection. A note about power supplies: The Zen Phono Air only comes with a short USB power cord that you have to plug into a 5 volt wall wart. I found an alternative (link below) that was quieter and made the preamp sound better. A bit more punchy and more bass. Surprised. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B88EP1I?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Works well.

Who knows if the unit is any good? The power cord is maybe 6 inches long….not long enough to connect to a USB wall plug. I guess if you plug it in at the wall plug, but then you can’t get the unit close enough to connect to your Turntable and amplifier. If the engineering of the power plug is this bad, how bad is the engineering of the entire unit?

so I have a few different turntables and likewise I've had a few different preamps as well over the last five or six years. I've owned the mani as well as the Pluto and various models from project as well as rega. so I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to the sound quality of these products, and this one is right up there with the best at its price. to my ears it actually has a more natural lifelike relaxing sound then the mani and cheaper too. The thing that I couldn't stand is after having two of them, one is a replacement, between three different turntables and two different HiFi systems I could not eliminate the hum that was present through this preamp. And trust me I'm seasoned at this, and I know what to do and how to do it when you have hum through a turntable. and none of those steps and none of those things could resolve it. for whatever reason this baby just loves to hum but as long as you're not listening above 70 decibels it was actually tolerable and you can focus on the music which as I already said was fantastic.