iFi ZEN Phono 3 Balanced MM/MC Phono Preamp – Smart Low-Frequency Filt

iFi ZEN Phono 3 Balanced MM/MC Phono Preamp – Smart Low-Frequency Filter, Vinyl Phono Stage

$376.02

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iFi ZEN Phono 3 – Ultra-Low Noise MM/MC Phono Preamplifier

Turn On. Tranquillity.
In a world full of noise, welcome to ZEN.

The ZEN Phono 3 is a high-performance phono stage designed for vinyl lovers who value purity, precision, and flexibility. Drawing on trickle-down technology from iFi’s prestigious heritage with AMR, it amplifies the delicate signal from your cartridge with extreme accuracy and vanishingly low noise, reconnecting you with the timeless magic of analogue sound.

Designed for True Vinyl Enthusiasts

There’s nothing quite like placing a record on the turntable, hearing the soft crackle, and letting the music unfold. The ZEN Phono 3 is the essential link that brings those subtle grooves to life, making them compatible with headphones, amplifiers, receivers, and speakers — all while preserving the soul of vinyl.

With intelligent filtering, balanced output, and highly adjustable loading, it lets you rediscover old favourites and fine-tune your system to perfection.

Key Features

MM & MC Support with wide 36–72dB gain range
Independent gain and loading adjustment
Ultra-low noise floor: –151dBV
Highly accurate RIAA equalisation (±0.15dB, 20Hz–20kHz)
Balanced output for reduced noise and crosstalk
Intelligent subsonic (warp) filter
High-tech 1.2MHz clean power supply
Solid metal chassis with premium internal components

Your Cartridge. Your Rules.

The ZEN Phono 3 offers four gain levels and four input impedance settings, adjustable independently via the new loading control. This flexibility ensures optimal compatibility with a wide range of MM and MC cartridges, allowing you to dial in the sound exactly to your taste — now and as your vinyl system evolves.

Exacting RIAA Equalisation

During vinyl mastering, records are cut with inverse RIAA equalisation, which must be precisely corrected during playback.

The ZEN Phono 3 achieves this using multiple TDK C0G capacitors in parallel, delivering exceptional stability and extremely low distortion. The result is RIAA accuracy comparable to far more expensive phono stages, revealing your records with clarity, balance, and realism.

Shockingly Silent Performance

Equivalent Input Noise: –151dBV
Dedicated, isolated clean power supply section
Balanced circuit topology for superior noise rejection

This design keeps the noise floor whisper-quiet, allowing only the music to be amplified. For ultimate performance, the ZEN Phono 3 pairs perfectly with the optional iFi iPower2, featuring Active Noise Cancellation II to further suppress EMI and RFI interference.

Intelligent Subsonic Filter

Developed in-house since the original iPhono, iFi’s subsonic filter removes record warp and low-frequency rumble without affecting bass weight or timing. You get tighter low-end performance and cleaner sound, even from well-loved or imperfect records.

Premium Internal Components

Custom iFi OV Series op-amps (ultra-low noise, 0.0001% distortion)
TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors for minimal distortion
Texas Instruments low-noise ICs with excellent bandwidth and rejection
Murata low-ESR, high-Q capacitors for superior noise suppression

Balanced by Design

The fully balanced circuit architecture — rarely seen at this price point — reduces interference, noise, and crosstalk compared to traditional single-ended designs. The result is a cleaner, more transparent, and more immersive analogue listening experience.

Rediscover Vinyl, the ZEN Way

The ZEN Phono 3 is a future-proof, noise-free upgrade that grows with your system and lets your records shine as they were meant to be heard — calm, detailed, and beautifully analogue.

Turn on, Tranquillity.

In a world full of noise, welcome to ZEN.

Futuristic Features. Nostalgic Feeling.

In a world where modern technology is ever-evolving, simplicity and connection are what we crave most. Nothing demonstrates this quite like the familiar act of picking your favourite LP, hearing the soft crackle before it starts, and sharing a story or two with friends as you listen together.

If this is the type of connection you crave, then a well-designed phono stage is integral for your vinyl setup. It takes the subtle whispers of your cartridge and amplifies them hundreds of times, making your vinyl’s magic compatible with headphones, amps, receivers
and speakers. The ZEN Phono 3 opens the door to that analogue world with style and substance. With an intelligent warp filter and versatile loading options, you will be able to hear your over-loved LPs as new and fully experiment with your system setup.

Packed with trickle-down technology from our prestigious history with sister company AMR, the ZEN Phono 3 is a noise-free upgrade that will allow you to slip seamlessly back into the blissful world of vinyl.

Superior Specification.

Zen Phono 3 boasts futuristic features unlike any other entry-level stage:

MM/MC with 36-72dB gain range
Independent loading adjustment
Super-silent -151dBV noise floor
Precise RIAA with balanced output
Intelligent subsonic filter
High-tech 1.2MHz clean power supply

Your Cartridge.Your Rules.

The ZEN Phono 3 supports four MM/MC gain selections from 36 to 72dB and four input impedance settings.

Mix and match gain and loading settings independently of each other with the all-new loading button, ensuring optimum compatibility with a wide range of cartridges andallowing you to get the sound ‘just right’.

Exacting Equalisation.

At the vinyl mastering stage, records are pressed with an inverse RIAA equalisation curve applied. This needs to be undone on playback by the phono stage to reveal the magic of the music.

ZEN Phono 3’s RIAA EQ circuitry uses multiple TDK C0G capacitors in parallel. This is for best stability and the least distortion.

This allows for ZEN Phono 3’s RIAA playback equalisation curve to be within +/- 0.15dB tolerance from 20-20kHz, allowing you to hear your records more accurately than ever before.

Its RIAA accuracy is on-par with more costly phono stages that use hand-selected capacitors.

ShockinglySilent.

ZENPhono 3 has a high-tech clean power supply built directly into it, isolated onits own “island” and away from the rest of the board.

The power supply’s isolation mitigates noise pollution of the analogue stage –ensuring that only the audio is amplified and allowing for the noise-floor to remain whisper quiet.

ZEN Phono 3’s Equivalent Input Noise measures at -151dBV, which is 20dBV quieter than some Stereophile Class A+ phonos. *For optimal noise performance, ensure that you are providing the cleanest power to your Phono 3.

The iFi iPower2is an ultra-quiet, ultra-clean audiophile-grade power supply, featuring Active Noise Cancellation II technology to cancel out all incoming EMI and RFI noise. You’ll never feel powerless against noise and graininess again.

Since the very first iPhono launched in 2012, we have used our own in-house Subsonic Filter. As there is only minimal vertical modulation remaining at very low frequencies with an actual cut LP that is playable, we know that “vertical modulation” at low frequencies must be warp.

By understanding fully how LP’s are cut and replayed, it is possible to filter record warp strongly without at the same time attenuating low bass or adding group delay.

As with many other iFi audio products, we’ve incorporated a custom OV Series operational-amplifier. This top-notch component contributes to the extremely low noise, low distortion (0.0001%) and wide bandwidth.

TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.

Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.

They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.

Texas Instruments low-noise ICs offer great unity-gain bandwidth, very low noise and distortion, high output drive capability, Common-mode and Power Supply Rejection Ratios of over 100 dB, wide maximum-output-swing bandwidths and high slew rates.

With MM/MC, high/low and very low, the ZEN Phono is able to handle just about any cartridge. From 36dB all the way up to 72dB. So as your vinyl system grows over time, the ZEN Phono will always keep up.

Balanced circuit design. Just not seen at this price point it is a superior method to the traditional single-ended circuit approach. Balanced circuits reduce noise and crosstalk. Less Interference – clearer sound.

muRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.