IFi Zen Air Phono

Again, unless I was going back and forth, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but I do think this is a good phono preamp, and if you'v...

It may not be the best, but it's definitely a good value proposition. It's definitely a good value.

Straight away the sound was like a relief, much more relaxed, sibilance controlled and still detailed with width/depth. The noise from the Mani was still an issue, i was thinking the issue may be with dirty power or cabling issues or something but wanted to test the theory. So I based on reviews I bought an Ifi Zen Phono and yeah, noise went away. I think the sound is compatible to the Mani in terms of tonality, depth etc but jeez, that lower noise floor makes a massive difference (for me anyway).

Phono Box DC. Pass on the Project with the logo on top. Pass on Fluance PA10 since the Art DJ Pre II is supposedly just as good for lower cost or you can get a better iFi Zen Air Phono or U-Turn Pluto 2 or Emotiva XPS-1 for the same cost as the Fluance.

The phono preamp in the AT-LP3 is fine to start with for the basic Edifier speakers. A $20 one may not be any better especially for the basic Edifier speakers that will be the sound quailty bottleneck for the turntable. If you later upgrade to better speakers then consider an upgrade to a $65 Art DJ Pre II or better $99 iFi Zen Air Phono.