Del monaco
Del Monaco
A more detailed review now that the Ifi has been running in a little more. As I said earlier, I prefer the Yamaha’s 803D internal phono stage to the CA TT’s on board stage and had settled for this lately.
The Ifi is an unassuming little device with a range of features. It’s also surprisingly hefty for its size ,meaning it’s not pulled about too much as the lighter ones. I’ve had and listened to a few budget phono amps over the last few years, including Graham Slee Gram Amp 2SE, a vintage Rotel equaliser and a couple of Cambridges. I also had an early NAD PP for a while.All had their strengths along with some compromises.
The Ifi differs in that is strong across the board. Its noise floor appears significantly lower which reveals more detail in the lower end.In combination with the new EN stylus, the mids are detailed but not too bright or forward which can be fatiguing. The highs are an improvement over the VM95E. They appear more confident with less distortion. The Ifi has great subtlety in its balance, revealing a delicate tracery of sounds which is especially effective in string quartets and quintets. It can also rise to the greater demands of a Mahler symphony maintaining composure during great crescendos or massed strings. The sub sonic feature is subtle which suggests it is fairly forensic around rumble. I’m a great lover of the Voice and the Ifi is very effective in this area, whether it’s Laine’s ethereal tones or Corelli’s enthusiastic, melodramatic magnificence. I’m looking forward to hearing Fischer-Dieskau in Schubert later.My overall conclusion is that I have a tighter, more disciplined and textured sound now. The crucial aspect is that despite this the sound does not fatigue or become distant which is an achievement at this budget.
So, all in all, a very pleasing and rewarding purchase. My focus is generally around the mid to high budget end of hifi and I have made a few purchases that belie their price tag, the Rotel 965BX, the A&R T21 tuner and the denon 800 cassette deck being three of these. These are retro components that have great longevity and continue to impress. The Ifi is a newer more modern addition but I conclude that it is another great budget vfm product that continues to enhance my listening pleasure for peanuts really. My FIL is so impressed with the results of my patient exploration that he is now considering selling on his high end set up for something like my own. I find that very satisfying. I may try an ML stylus at some point in the future but for now these small adjustments have added something special. I’m frequently amazed and grateful that this kind of quality can be had for relatively little money.
The Ifi is an unassuming little device with a range of features. It’s also surprisingly hefty for its size ,meaning it’s not pulled about too much as the lighter ones. I’ve had and listened to a few budget phono amps over the last few years, including Graham Slee Gram Amp 2SE, a vintage Rotel equaliser and a couple of Cambridges. I also had an early NAD PP for a while.All had their strengths along with some compromises.
The Ifi differs in that is strong across the board. Its noise floor appears significantly lower which reveals more detail in the lower end.In combination with the new EN stylus, the mids are detailed but not too bright or forward which can be fatiguing. The highs are an improvement over the VM95E. They appear more confident with less distortion. The Ifi has great subtlety in its balance, revealing a delicate tracery of sounds which is especially effective in string quartets and quintets. It can also rise to the greater demands of a Mahler symphony maintaining composure during great crescendos or massed strings. The sub sonic feature is subtle which suggests it is fairly forensic around rumble. I’m a great lover of the Voice and the Ifi is very effective in this area, whether it’s Laine’s ethereal tones or Corelli’s enthusiastic, melodramatic magnificence. I’m looking forward to hearing Fischer-Dieskau in Schubert later.My overall conclusion is that I have a tighter, more disciplined and textured sound now. The crucial aspect is that despite this the sound does not fatigue or become distant which is an achievement at this budget.
So, all in all, a very pleasing and rewarding purchase. My focus is generally around the mid to high budget end of hifi and I have made a few purchases that belie their price tag, the Rotel 965BX, the A&R T21 tuner and the denon 800 cassette deck being three of these. These are retro components that have great longevity and continue to impress. The Ifi is a newer more modern addition but I conclude that it is another great budget vfm product that continues to enhance my listening pleasure for peanuts really. My FIL is so impressed with the results of my patient exploration that he is now considering selling on his high end set up for something like my own. I find that very satisfying. I may try an ML stylus at some point in the future but for now these small adjustments have added something special. I’m frequently amazed and grateful that this kind of quality can be had for relatively little money.
