There's something in the air - a super affordable phono stage that makes your vinyl sound purer than ever.
Ships in USA
30 Day Returns
Free 1 or 2 Day
Authorized Retailer
Enjoy a purer listening experience with the ZEN Air Phono, our super affordable phono stage. A phono stage, also called a phono pre-amp, provides the connection between the record cartridge/pickup (stylus) and the amplifier. Turntable cartridges output a very small signal. This signal needs amplifying up to several hundred times the original size before it is loud enough for your amplifier. A phono stage increases the signal level from millivolts to volts. When vinyl was the standard for audio recording, the phono stage was built-in to receivers and amps, allowing direct connection of a turntable. These days most receivers and amps do not contain a phono stage so a separate unit is needed. It is a necessity for any turntable without a phono stage already built in. It will also upgrade a basic built-in phono stage in a turntable or amplifier system.
Listening to music on vinyl is good for the soul. It sounds purer than listening to a track via your phone or computer. Make this experience purer still by reducing hiss, noise and rumble on your records with the ZEN Air Phono.
There are two kinds of turntable cartridge – Moving Magnet and Moving Coil – and the ZEN Air Phono works with both of them. The MM setting is for cartridges with an output voltage of 2mV and higher. The MC setting for outputs less than 2mV. You use the gain switch on the rear to change this setting. It also has a precise RIAA equalisation setting to satisfy the most demanding vinyl lover.
As we all know, records can become warped with age. With the ZEN Air Phono any warp on your records will be driven away by our ‘subsonic filter’. Normal subsonic filters remove ‘rumble’ AND bass and cause phase issues. Our unique AI phono sub-sonic filter removes ‘rumble’ only.
Power Supply Requirement
DC 5V/1.0A (centre +ve)
Frequency Response
20Hz -20kHz (±0.15dB)
Channel Separation
75dB (1kHz all modes)
Max Output Voltage
RMS6.5V RMS 600Ω(1% THD & N)
Input Impedance
MM 47k / MC 1k
Output Impedance
100Ω
Gain
MM 40dB / MC 64dB
SNR
MM (40dB ±1dB): 86dB (A-weighted) re 1V / MC (64dB ±1dB): 82dB (A-weighted) re 1V
Total Harmonic Distortion
MC: -80dB / 0.01% re 1V; MM: -90dB / 0.005% re 1V
Power Consumption
1.8W
Dimensions / Weight
158 x 117 x 35 mm / 320g
Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 6 reviews.
Review topics: [].
"Great product at a great price! Item was packaged well. When I had a question, customer service was very helpful and clear. Shipping was a bit delayed as I paid for 2 day shipping for an in-stock item and it took 5 days to get to me. Overall satisfied with the final product."
"I just got back into listening and collecting my favorite records. I had a really cheap Pyle pre-amp. And I could not eliminate the buzzing/crackling no matter how many grounds or where I grounded it. I heard a lot of buzz about how good and affordable this pre-amp was so I bit the bullet. I was not let down, it lives up to the hype! Very nice sound and zero, I mean zero crackling or buzzing! I'm very happy with it. Even though the case is kind of "cheap" it still feels like a quality product. Rest assured you won't be disappointed..Now to just upgrade my turntable to match the quality of this pre-amp :)"
"This pre-amp is exactly what I was looking for. Setup was easy, and it works great, and sounds great. As a person new to the world of turntables and analog sound, I enjoyed that HeadAmp has a nicely curated selection, which made it very easy to find what I was looking for - a well-reviewed, entry-level pre-amp for my turntable. Additionally, shipping was fast and efficient, and the price was very competitive."
"Using with a vintage Yamaha YP-84 and a WiiM amp for a quaint bedroom setup. So far working perfect for this budget set up. No obvious hum, noise, or distortion. Didn’t appreciate much difference with the use of the subsonic filter. Overall a great little device!"
"Great offering from iFi for an inexpensive yet quality pre-amp for turntable setup. I currently use it with my Monoprice equipped with an AT-VM95E Cartridge, and it works wonders. Lots of details and slightly lower bakcgroun noise as compared to the internal phono stage. I have not extensively tested the subsonic filter feature, did not hear any significant differences, howver I have done so on fairly new vinyls, so might need to be done on older records for robust assessment. All in all great buy, and great service from HeadAmp too! Thanks."
"This is a great preamp for the money! Dusted off my old Yamaha Turntable installed a new cartridge along with this preamp and I am thrilled how good it sounds! Using it with a Peachtree iDecco and Monitor Audio Rx 2s, my old record collection sounds better than I ever remember. Item arrived quickly an well packed. Thanks"
