iFi Audio ZEN Air Phono 2 Preamplifier

Vinyl, Revived.

The ZEN Air Phono 2 offers a drastically improved listening experience compared to the built-in phono stages of record players and amplifiers, offering an ultra-low noise floor for enhanced detail, and a precise RIAA EQ for authentic playback, as the artist and engineers intended.

Our in-house subsonic filter corrects for record warp without removing bass or adding audio artifacts, and adjustable MM and MC gain modes remove the worry of cartridge chouses and compatibility for newcomers.

Ahead Of The Curve.

Vinyl records are cut with Inverse RIAA Equalisation, requiring accurate conversion to ensure authentic playback. This conversion from grooves in your recording to the analogue signal feeding your system is a critical moment in the playback process, and a lack of precision can be devastating for the quality of your listening experience.

The ZEN Air Phono 2 adopts our incredibly accurate RIAA playback curve, within a remarkable +/-0.15dB tolerance. With this incredible level of accuracy, you can rely on the ZEN Phono 2 to deliver true, accurate music playback, that authentically represents the intent of the original artists and recording engineers.

Full Bass. No Rumble.

Older records can become prone to warping, which introduces low-frequency rumble during playback. While subsonic filters are not uncommon in phono stages, they are disliked by enthusiasts as they typically remove bass frequencies while filtering warp.

Since 2012, we have been solving this problem with our in-house intelligent subsonic filter. We understand how records are cut and replayed, and adjust how the filter treats information from the vertical record in comparison to lateral information. Only record warp is filtered, without attenuating low bass, and without adding group delay.

The result is an uncompromised listening experience, even on warped records, that retains the full depth of bass that was present in the original recording.

Everything Gained.

Turntable cartridges come in two distinct types – Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC). While the goal of both designs is to turn the analogue information on your records into an audio signal, the way they do this is quite different, and each required its own degree of amplification.

The ZEN Air Phono 2 is fully compatible with both types of cartridge. Simply switch the gain mode selector on the rear of the ZEN Air Phono 2 to the correct setting for your cartridge, and you’re ready to go.

Details, Revealed.

The noise floor of a typical phono stage is clearly audible in a setup of even modest quality. This is because their noise floor is in fact louder than the low-level textures and detail of the music on your record. The result is a fundamentally compromised representation of the original song.

The ZEN Air Phono 2 stands apart from such phono stages. Boasting a super-silent noise floor with an EIN (Equivalent Input Noise) of -151dBV, the ZEN Air Phono not only removes the audible noise floor found in many other phono stages but reveals greater details and subtlety in your favourite records.

The Beauty of Symmetry.

The Zen Air Phono 2’s circuitry boasts a symmetrical channel layout.

By designing the circuitry in this way, the ZEN Air Phono 2 offers similar benefits to balanced circuitry, such as lower noise, higher output, and improved channel separation. This type of circuitry design is extremely rare in phono stages at this price point.

The result for the listener is an audiophile-grade vinyl experience at an entry-level price point – performance without the price tag.