#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE PORTABLE#
#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE PRO#
#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE PLUS#
#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE SERIES#

Vinyl cutting lathes incorporate a so-called ‘elliptical filter’ which means that low-level base on an LP is invariably mono and creates only horizontal movement of the stylus therefore any low-frequency vertical movement of the stylus as it tracks the LP can only be the result of record warp. “This propriety circuit intelligently filters out the unwanted subsonic output without affecting any deep bass on the recording-an undesirable side effect of some warp filters. I will let iFi Audio explain its unique design: There is a unique Subsonic Filter that you can engage from a button on the front panel. Realistically, these intelligent choices should work well with most cartridges. The fixed values are MM 47kOhms, MC High 47kOhms, MC Low 1kOhms, and MC V Low 110ohms. Each gain setting has a fixed loading value. One concession to cost is that there is no separate cartridge loading adjustment. Other notable highlights are that this unit features an RIAA accuracy of ☐.15dB and a noise floor of -151dBv!

#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE SERIES#

It uses high-quality parts like TKD COG ceramic capacitors, Panasonic ECPU capacitors, and custom OV Series Op Amps throughout with a focus on a low noise floor and low distortion. You normally don’t find this design in the more affordable audio products. Suffice it to say that this phono stage is a balanced symmetrical dual-mono design. I cannot remember the last time so much technical information was available on a component at ANY price, much less one that only costs $150. The amount of information I found when I researched this component surprised me. That’s affordable audio! I have a pair of RCA jacks that cost more than that! ZEN Phono Stage Details This team produced this affordable, fully balanced, and ultra-low noise phono stage that sells for a mere $150. I was even more intrigued when I learned that John Curl was a consultant on the design and worked with the iFi technical team headed by Thorsten Loesch.

However, iFi really piqued my interest when they released their latest offering to the vinyl community, the ZEN Phono stage.

#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE PRO#

Review: iFi Pro iCAN Headphone Amplifier.

In fact, their new DAC has gotten some favorable press recently, and you may have seen these reviews of other iFi products on our website recently: Since then, iFi has expanded and offers home audio components.

#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE PORTABLE#

iFi was originally conceived to deliver portable and desktop audio products intended to address the growing trend of computer-based audio. Born in England in 2012, iFi is the sister brand of Abbingdon Music Research (AMR) based in Southport, UK. IFi Audio is now on my list of companies with affordable audio products that sound good. If you are an audio lover, these high-value products enable you to assemble a particularly good-sounding system at a reasonable price. I’m referring to high-value products from companies like Elac, Schiit Audio, Orchard Audio, Dali, NAD, Rega.

#SUBSONIC FILTER PHONO STAGE PLUS#

I’ve been in the audio industry for 40 plus years, and I cannot remember another time when you could get so much sound for your audio dollar as you can right now. While I do understand that readers can feel this way, there is another trend of affordable audio that I have noticed over the last five years or so that I think counters this thinking. I can see why readers get the impression that you need to be a lottery winner to afford good sound. Admittedly, however, the trend in our industry of offering components for five and six figures has grown. By understanding fully how LPs are cut and replayed, it is possible to filter record warp strongly without at the same time attenuating low bass or adding group delay.The ever-increasing price of high-end audio equipment is a common complaint I get from readers time and time again, but there is such a thing as affordable audio. This is not artificial but real knowledge. So we designed a filter to take advantage of this. It’s last appearance was in the ZEN Phono and now the ZEN Air Phono.īasically, it means warped records play as normal with no bass loss.Īs there is only minimal vertical modulation remaining at very low frequencies with an an actual cut LP that is playable, we know that “vertical modulation” at low frequencies must be warp. Since the very first iPhono launched in 2012, we have used our own in-house ‘Subsonic Filter’.

Plus, it “time-steps” the bass in relation to the higher frequencies (where our hearing is most sensitive) so much so it can confuse the ear into believing the bass is playing out of tempo. Tom Evans who makes very nice phono stages made the following astute comment: A rumble filter simply adds to the bass cut making your already “cut” records sound bass light.

Subsonic filter phono stage