Heads up!........ifi Phono 2

I am really interested in your assessment of both rarcam and iphono2 as it is two phono preamp I am considering.
Thanks
Jean-Michel

 

Read this thread and see if you're OK with buying a preamp with terrible reliability issues, first.

 

I've had the Arcam Rphono for several months now and am really pleased with it. I think the michael fremmer review of it makes some accurate points if you want to look it up (analog planet)............ The Iphono that broke on me produced a little better detail to my memory. However, if you ask allot of gain out of your pre-amp i really caution against the Iphono. When i ran the iphono with a MM the unit got warm, not hot.......when i switched carts to the Hana LOMC the iphono got really hot and after a couple of days quit working. I can't be sure of course, but i suspect it was the gain settings for the LOMC that did it in.

As for the rphono, the sound may not be quite as detailed, but it is really pleasing and non-fatiguing. Smooth sounding, warmish, makes for a great listen, especially for long sessions. I don't think its an end game pre-amp, but if you look at all it brings to the table in terms of settings it is a great product in my opinion.

 

Thank's for your detailed reply.
I think I will go ahead with the Arcam Rphono.
I have an old but very good Oracle Delphi MK2 turntable with am Saec 407/23 arm.
I intend to use it with a Denon DL 103 r which has an output of just .22mv.
I did read also a very good review of the rarcam in hifi+ but I am surprised there is so little review of this very good phono preamp.

Have you tried to power it with a different psu than the wallwart sold with it ?

It seems that this preamp is very good for the money and you have to spend a lot more to get something significantly better.
This is also why I did choose the denon cartridge.

I do want to listen again to my 500 lp's which I have not done in the past 15 years but I want the cost to be reasonable since I do not intend to significantly increase ml lp collection .

I have a very very good digital set up but it has been extremely difficult and expensive to get very good and musical results.

From my memory I had been able to get highly musical results with lp's with a lot less fuss than with the digital.

 

Sounds like most folks aren't aware of the many issues people have had with the iFi power supplies. They have been problematic since their debut. I bought two myself several years ago. Both had a high pitched whine (a common complaint) and I didn't find them to be all that great sonically. A step up from a cheap switcher, yes. They're only $50, and you get what you pay for. They are notoriously prone to failure and IMO is the likely culprit for the phono. I like iFi's main components and have not heard of any major issues associated with them - but the accessories like the power supplies and purifiers seem to get more complaints.

That said, I'm surprised more people don't immediately replace the stock iPhono with a linear power supply. A good linear PS never fails to improve sound quality over a switcher (except maybe a high end/optimized one). Especially with a low signal component like a phono pre. I bet the iPhono would sound even better with a good linear PS.

 

I'm pretty happy with my iPhono 1 now that I've solved a minor ground/hum issue . It does seem as though it would also benefit from a linear PSU. I would only try a 2 model as a refurb at a significant discount because it's just not worth the hassle to deal with a potential runaround. I'm sure it sounds amazing when it works but too many guys here have "taken one for the team". It will be interesting to see if there will be a "3"...maybe the magic number or not.

 

Count me among those with dead iPhono2's. Mine stopped working yesterday. Now, I just hear a "whoosh" when I turn the volume up and down on my amp. Of course, it stopped working literally two days after the one year mark from my purchase. I contacted iFi but they haven't gotten back to me yet. So, so frustrating.

 

And unfortunately so, so predictable.

 

Anyone can change the title to this thread?
"Heads Down!...ifi whatever" will do quite nicely, thank you ;-). Spend your money elsewhere, it's plain to see that ifi doesn't care for it's customers and we need to get the word out!

 

Pretty much. I wouldn't risk spending a cent on this company's products, personally. Reliability seems to be a huge issue.

 

Any other ifi products dying at this rate? Dacs, tube buffer etc?

 

Updating. iFi got back to me a few days later and offered to replace the board at no cost to me even though I was a couple days (literally days) out of warranty. I just had to pay for return shipping to their US repair center in Virginia. The whole process, from my sending the complaint to my getting back my iPhono 2, was about two weeks. So, really not bad. In the interim, though, I upgraded to a Soundsmith MCP2, which is a pretty marked improvement over the iPhono 2 (albeit at a little over twice the price). I plan to keep the iPhono 2 as a backup.

 

I've owned both editions of the iTube.
I passed the first one onto my brother who continues to use it without issue.
I currently use the iTube 2 daily as a permanent part of my set up, never had any dramas with the units or their power supplies. Great gear.

 

That's good to hear as I'm interested in the iTube2. But what could be the problem with the iPhono2 remains a mystery.

 

Well, iphono was on my list. Now deleted. All the settings was appealing since I plan on spinning lots of 78’s

 

Never had problems with the iTube 2. I was actually using it as a makeshift headphone amp for a spell—didn’t sound bad!

I also *cough* have one for sale if you’re interested...

 

Thanks, but I'll pass.

 

The MCP2 looks great and shows that adding a knob for adjustable load really isn't a big deal and doesn't have to break the bank. My only issue is no adjustable gain...but...62db is a very practical number so definitely looks promising.

As has been mentioned here and elsewhere you might want to just get a linear power supply for the repaired iPhono 2 because it seems as though their allegedly upgraded PSU might be what's killing these units.

 

Does it have a bypass/thru mode? Maybe when turned off it still passes the signal, but "non-tubed"? Need to know this for a potential configuration.

 

No, there isn't a bypass function, if it's powered on you have to pass through one of the tube settings. You can switch the speaker and x-bass features out, but you always have the tube in play. Powered off there's no sound.

Plenty of info here ....... iFi Micro iTube2 Vacuum Tube Buffer and Preamplifier

And here ...... iFi Audio Micro iTube2 Buffer

 

Thank you, just what I needed to know. One more thing though, how does it perform as a preamp? Worth considering with a hq selector switch and plugged into a power amp?

 

I can't properly judge the preamp as my amp's an integrated, but I briefly tried it and even though that combination is far from ideal, I liked what it did.
I'm currently contemplating a new amp myself, and deciding whether to use the iTube2 as a preamp with a solid state power amp or just go all tube .... time and finances will tell I guess.

 

My iFi iPhono that I've had for 3.5 years seems to have died. It continuously power cycles. A bit disappointing as this is definitely the most short lived hi fi component I've ever owned. Sigh...now to figure out what I'll replace it with. I'm leaning towards the Gold Note PH10 as a possibility.

 

I want to believe it's only the power supply...

 

Heads up, it's a piece of junk!