Review on Enhance Your Vinyl Experience with the iFi Audio Zen Phono Preamp by Dean Pinheiro

An amazing preamp worth every penny! I came with a $20 PP999, as do a lot of people looking at this preamp. I started building my system with $40 Edifier speakers and PP999 early in the pandemic. This setup worked great for getting my feet wet, but then I bought Kanto Yu6 in-wall speakers and a Sub6 subwoofer. I connected the Kantos to a Technics 1200MK2 and an AT-VMN95ML pen. When I got Kantos I realized that PP999 was holding everything else in my setup back. Sound seems to have bled through the speakers. It still sounded very good now, but I could tell there was still a lot left unresolved. By pure coincidence I was shopping at Discogs one day and saw a blog post about preamps that brought me here. I've looked at Mani and other mid-range preamps, but I just felt like there was something that needed to be a step up. This preamp is exactly what I was looking for. Right out of the box I checked out some of the best sounding records and was blown away. Stereo separation is excellent, the soundstage is full and crisp, and the audio signal is clear and crisp. A very neutral signature that I love because my collection is mostly jazz. I agree with another reviewer who mentioned how well this cleans up low frequencies. My Sub6 is no longer messy and unlike the PP999 it can really perform to its full potential. All in all, if you're looking for that killer midrange or enthusiast preamp, this is the one for you. The price is phenomenal for performance, versatility and build quality. If you're trying to build a powerful audiophile system you probably need to up the price and get something more powerful, but for $149 you're listening to this thing and regret not buying it sooner, trust me. me.