Schiit's First Phono Preamp - The $129 "Mani"

You.Will.Be.Happy.

 

I'm not aware of any other phono preamp that has switchable gain and passive RIAA at or near this price point. It sounds great and is an absolute bargain.

That said, I've only had opportunity to compare it with a Bellari VP130; the Mani stands head and shoulders above. This is the entry level phono preamp to get, IMO. People also give high marks to the Lounge Audio, at about twice the price.

 

I've got the Lounge and the Copla step up amp and am very happy with them. I'll finally get to hear my home system next week after three months away, should be very refreshing to the ears!

For my "on location" system I wound up getting a U-Turn Orbit Plus with a built in Pluto phono stage and am extremely pleased. While everything sounded pretty good out of the box, with some break in and the addition of a Herbie's Way Excellent II mat and four Herbie's Tenderfeet for isolation, the sonics improved greatly. Finally tonight I swapped out the Ortofon OM5E stylus for a OM10, and WOW!, what an upgrade for only $36 via EBay. Now I'm hearing what this table and the Pluto can do and I couldn't be happier.

Michael Fremer did a direct comparison between the Mani and the Pluto along with file comparisons for readers to vote on, the articles are worth reading.

U-Turn Pluto Versus Schiit Mani: Which Sounds Better (level matched)? »

U-Turn Pluto Versus Schiit Mani: The Votes Are In! »

BTW, I'm a Schiit fan, owning both Modi Uber and Bitfrost Uber DACs.

 

I got one recently and it is fantastic for the money. It's taken my Ortofon Blue, AT440mlb, & Shure v15 III to new levels of enjoyment.

 

I sold my graham amp 2 se, I found nothing special with this preamp after years of using it, i figured ill get the schiit mani and spend the rest on records! I'll post back this week after receiving it!

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. Thinking of replacing my MF VlpsII with the Mani but am a bit worried it might be a sideways move. I'm really interested how a Denon DL110 and a Shure M97XE will sound with the Mani's different loading options.

 

About a year ago, I was seeking a nice budget phono preamp. My research kept bringing me back to the Mani.
Well, I ordered one and plugged it in when it arrived.
As soon as I turned on the amp and Mani, I was picking up a local college station through my speakers. No static, just clean crisp music.
It was awful. No matter what I tried, it persisted.
I exchanged it for a second unit which did the same thing. Keep in mind that the phono I replaced the Mani with was a cheap no name phono preamp. I had no RF issues with the cheap generic unit.

I ended up with a Lounge phono preamp and couldn't be happier.
The Mani is a bit too budget minded for my tastes.

 

It should be noted that this issue is environmental. I've never had RF interference with my Mani, in multiple houses and locations. YMMV

 

I don't have that problem with my Mani either. It's unbelievably quiet.

 

I'm sure it's not happening with everyone, but it should be noted.
A cheap generic phono pre didn't pick it up, and neither did the Lounge. They skipped something somewhere when designing the Mani.

 

No, it can't be concluded from your experience that there's a design flaw. My former Bellari VP130 picked up RF interference, but my Mani didn't, when placed in the same location. With RF issues, there are too many unknown variables.

 

I think it is absolutely fair to note that you had problems with yours. That sucks.

 

Yes, fair to note the issue. I don't dispute the experience he had. Unfair, though, to conclude that it was caused by Schiit's design flaw.

 

Agreed.

 

I'd still like to see what they could do with a phono preamp in a higher price range, something that would be good enough to mate with the Ragnarok amp.

 

I've had the Mani in three different cities, in three different states, with different system components and have never once had RFI issues.

 

I'm tempted by one of these, but I really like the USB feature on my Pro-ject Phono Box. Conundrum...I haz one.

 

How often do you use that feature? I have another phono pre with a USB out as well. Eventually I'd like to have two turntables hooked up but for now I just switch out the Mani for the other phono pre when I want to needledrop (not that often right now). Of course, there is always the possibility that you wont like the Mani more than your current unit and will just end up sending it back minus the restocking fee.

Just something to think about.

 

Not super often, but often enough where I want the feature available (and without having to purchase/hook up another piece of hardware to do it). I just really like the two Schiit headphone amps I own and am curious about their phono pre. Although at some point I'm also considering finding an integrate amp with a phono input to reduce the # of components, so this may be a moot issue.

 

My Mani has been dead quiet too. No problems at all.

 

I received it yesterday, after spending 2 hours with it, the sound is great I see why everyone praises it! I do have a small issue with radio interference but very little, only when I pick up the arm or touch my turntable. There's a very small hum from the left speaker but only if I put my ear 2 feet away. Is there any way of shielding the preamp? Any type of shielding paper that I can apply inside the unit?

 

Do you hear the RF interference with the Mani on but disconnected from the turntable?

 

Someone should contact Schiit about the radio interference. Maybe someone there has already seem this thread.

 

If I remember correctly, Vinyl Addict sent his first unit back for testing, but Schiit couldn't replicate the issue. Isn't that right, @Vinyl Addict?

 

I hear it weather the table is on or off...