iFi has released a new Mc/MM phobo preamplifier: the iPhono 3 Black Label, for true vinyl enthusiasts.
The new iFi iPhono3 Black Label phono preamplifier has been a bit of a ‘thief in the night’ to the AMR (a sister company of iFi) PH-77 in terms of technology. Now the AMR is a very expensive piece of hardware and for that matter, the iPhono3 Black Label has a somewhat nicer price tag of £999.
The whole thing is Direct Drive Servoless, a proprietary term that indicates that there is no coupling capacitor between cartridge and output. The heart of the phono preamplifier is the TubeState engine. Here, iFi claims to have realized the main advantages of tubes in modern semiconductor (JFET) based hardware.
Three EQ curves
Through a series of dipswitches you can set the desired gain and load. iFi has an online calculator ready to calculate the most optimal settings for the cartridge you use. It’s also nice to have three EQ curves built in: Columbia, RIAA and Decca. In general it can be said that LP’s produced after 1980 comply with RIAA, while in the years before that – especially outside Europe – this is less certain. Now you have the choice and everything plays optimally. Finally, the aforementioned £999 including iFi’s new and supplied 15 Volt iPower X ultra-low-noise power supply is worth £99.