Ortofon Red + Schiit Mani - settings?

Hello everyone.

I was wondering if anyone else is using and Ortofon Red with a Schiit Mani? I was previously using a cheap Behringer phono-pre (it got me by)-- the Schiit sounds way better with more body in the mids and lows -- but I find that it is more sibilant than the Behringer.

If anyone else is using this combo I would be interested to know what your gain settings on the Schiit are.

Cheers

 

I just got a Mani today. It replaces a decidedly low budget Rolls VP29 that served it's purpose in my basement setup for about 2 years. When I first set it up (Mani) I almost cried - low output and virtually unusable. I mucked with the Gain settings a bit and started getting horrific distortion. Then I found the gain settings on the Schiit website and now all is right in the world (for your Ortofon Red, you want Standard MM Mode.) I posted the settings below for reference.

The difference between the Mani and the Rolls Vp29 is like night and day. The Mani is so much better it's not even funny - you could blindfold someone and tell them a new, higher quality turntable was just swapped. I planned on doing a quickie a/b comparison and then go run some errands, but instead I ended up listening to albums sides for the next 2 hours!

However, with the additional clarity comes the ability to hear some of the shortcomings elsewhere. And like you, I now hear some sibilance in places that before - I never noticed. The Mani is not adding sibilance, it's simply lifting the veil.

Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = L (Decca Mode)
Gain: 30dB
THD: <0.005%, A-weighted, at 1V RMS
SNR: >90dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 9mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB

Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = H (Standard MM Mode)
Gain: 42dB
THD: <0.008%, A-weighted, at 1V RMS
SNR: >82dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 2.3mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB

Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = L (Low Output MM/High Output MC Mode)
Gain: 48dB
THD: <0.01%, A-weighted, at 1V RMS
SNR: >80dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 1.3mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB

Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = H (MC Mode)
Gain: 59dB
THD: <0.03%, A-weighted, at 1V RMS
SNR: >70dB, A-weighted, inputs shorted
Crosstalk: -75dB, 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 0.3mV for 300mV output
Overload Margin: >20dB

 

I would use standard MM mode = 42db of gain.

Re: sibilance, that's a problem inherent to the 2M Red and has NOTHING to do with the phono pre.

The super cheap $25 phono preamps are like throwing a blanket over your speakers. I know because I used one a few years ago. You probably just didn't notice the sibilance that was there all along using that.

 

I'm using the 2M Red with the Mani and strangely needed to go with the 48db setting instead of 42db when I hooked them up to a very warm headphone amp (Micromega MyZic). I've now got Audioengine A5+ speakers and have kept that 48db setting and am very happy with it so far, but still haven't tested the 42 db setting with them yet. I know this flies in the face of the advice about Mani settings, but I've seen that some people have gone up to the 48db when using the 2M Red and Mani. Not sure this would help the OP because of concerns with sibilance, but I boosted the Mani settings originally because I lacked punch and depth from my headphone amp. It seemed like the mids were lacking and the boost helped a lot.

 

Nothing wrong with playing with the gain setting a little bit, but depending on your system, too much gain could result in clipping and distortion. The output of the 2M Red is 5.5MV. The 42db of gain should be plenty with a cart with that output. Right now I have carts with 4MV and 6MV respectively, 42db of gain is plenty for both carts.

 

Yep, it really should be enough, but it strangely wasn't with that MyZic headphone amp. 42db was plenty enough for the Schiit Magni 2Uber headphone amp I used before that, but I couldn't get any bass from that setup and it sure was sibilant on the highs. I really need to drop the Mani down to 42db now that I have my A5+ speakers to compare the settings with them.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

I'm going with the lowest gain setting on the Mani for my 2M Red. Gain 1 = L, Gain 2 = L (Decca Mode)
Gain: 30dB. During loud passages the 42 db setting was overdriving the line input on my next stage (Sound Devices USB Pre2)

 

Try the low gain setting and see if you like it. I preferred it with my 2m Red and Blue. The cart has enough output that 30dB of gain is plenty.

 

Well now I'm back to the 42db gain setting. I switched over to the Dangerous Source headphone amp and it wanted more gain from the Mani. Seems clean. That is one sweet headphone amp. Now I'm really hearing what the Mani / 2M Red combo can do.

 

Thank you for helping me to finally enjoy my Mani after having it for a few days. I assumed they'd have the best default settings for most MM setups at 42dB, but mine were set to the Decca mode as are many Mani I'm guessing. It was sounding muffled and details were hard to hear on most records. I was becoming convinced my stylus was dying or something. Check your settings and read the manual folks. I bet this is how some people are not happy and posting bad reviews on Amazon.

 

Thanks Everyone, I just bought the Schiit Mani and have the Ortofon 2M Red, so this is of great to me.

 

Question Please (sort of new to this), when I went to the Schiit Mani to set the Gain 1 to L and Gain 2 to H, I noted that there are two toggle switches next to each Gain setting, do we set both setting switches on Gain 1 to 'L', and then both Gain switches on Gain 2 to 'H'?

 

Slow response to this, but yes

I love my Mani too, I've been going back and forth between the Decca Mode and MM mode with an AT95e. That said, I can hear a little (tiny) bit of sibilance regardless of gain, especially when using headphones. But so small it could be my ears being oversensitive to the price point of my cart.

 

What about the two load settings? 47K or 47? Sorry I don't know the difference between MC and MM. Or maybe I'm just showing my ignorance even more with my question.

 

Assuming you have a MM cartridge, 47k. If you had an MC cartridge (they're more expensive and exotic), you'd probably know the difference between them. If you tell us what brand/model cartridge you have, it will be more obvious.

 

47K is what you want.