iFi audio iPhono3 Black Label - The Official Thread
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iFi audio
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Just for the record
iFi’s new iPhono3 Black Label phono stage is the perfect fix for vinyl addicts, ensuring every record is heard just as the artist intended
Southport, England – As music lovers across the land return to the tactile virtues of vinyl, so the demand for high-quality turntables has increased. This has raised the need for high-performance phono stages to make the most of the wonderfully natural and engaging sound of which vinyl records are capable.
By necessity, every turntable has to be partnered with a phono stage to amplify the low-level output from the phono cartridge to ‘line level’. Some integrated amps and preamps have phono stages built in, but these vary in quality and are never as good as a well-designed offboard phono stage placed in the signal chain between the turntable and a line-level input on the amp. For serious turntable users, a separate phono stage is a must.
Several years in development and incorporating technology derived from the £12,000 PH-77 phono preamplifier from sister-company AMR, iFi’s new flagship phono stage – the iPhono3 Black Label – has been painstakingly designed to satisfy the most discerning vinyl enthusiast. User-configurable to match any MC or MM cartridge and all manner of LPs, it delivers performance and versatility that place it in a league of its own in the circa £1,000 category, competing with devices at much more rarefied prices.
Key features
Cable connections are at opposite ends of the slim line chassis – MM/MC inputs at one end, power in and audio out at the other.
The direct approach
Unlike a typical phono stage, the iPhono3 Black Label’s circuit is direct-coupled – that is to say, there is no coupling capacitor from cartridge to output. It achieves this without requiring a conventional DC servo – iFi calls this design Direct Drive Servoless, incorporating the company’s proprietary DC Infinity circuit that boosts DC gain to a level approaching infinity.
Once the feedback loop is closed, the DC gain cancels all offset voltages to deliver a direct-coupled output with 0V DC offset. The key to the DC Infinity circuit is that it only changes the gain below approximately 0.01Hz, while leaving the AC behaviour of the circuit at higher frequencies unchanged, injecting neither noise nor distortion into the audio signal. This contributes greatly to the iPhono3 Black Label’s audible clarity, accuracy and transparency.
Let the music flow
In the world of high-end audio, some folk advocate solid-state signal amplification while others swear by the sound of valves (or ‘tubes’ for those from the other side of the pond). Both have their inherent advantages – among them, solid-state circuits typically offer lower distortion and high durability, while valves offer natural tonality and fluid, grain-free sound.
At the iPhono3 Black Label’s heart lies iFi’s third generation TubeState engine, the result of four decades of research into valve and transistor technology by the company’s Technical Director, Thorsten Loesch. TubeState is a solid-state circuit design created to capture the key attributes that make valve circuits so sonically appealing whilst maintaining ultra-low distortion.
Specialised JFET op-amps combine with a Class A buffer circuit featuring hand-matched PNP bibolar transistors; the buffer circuit minimises the loading of the amplifier circuit and biases the output stage into single-ended Class A. High input impedance approaches the ‘zero loading’ a valve grid provides, while excellent drive ability allows the iPhono3 Black Label to drive 1V into 600 Ohm loads with THD (total harmonic distortion) of 0.005%, dominated by low order harmonics. When driving less-demanding loads, THD reduces even further with no high order components whatsoever.
The TubeState engine delivers a sound of exceptional poise – crystalline clarity without a hint of edginess; free-breathing dynamics; engaging pace and timing; and a soundstage brimming with texture and fine detail. From the moment the needle hits the record, everything sounds crisp and clear, yet no single element within the musical whole is over-emphasised – you hear the music, cohesive and in its entirety, as it was intended to be heard.
Sonic tailoring to suit you, sir
Many phono stages offer nothing in the way of adjustment to tailor performance to suit a specific system or record, save perhaps switching between MM and MC cartridge types. Some supply settings to match the electrical characteristics of individual cartridges. But very few offer the sheer range of adjustment provided by the iPhono3 Black Label, enabling a vinyl enthusiast to tailor the performance to precisely match his/her phono cartridge and record collection.
A series of DIP switches on the underside of the unit enable gain and load to be set – essential to wring the very best performance from a high-performance cartridge. Gain can be adjusted between 36dB and 72dB, alongside a wide variety of load values – eight for MC cartridges and a further five for MM cartridges. Spending a little time to set up the ideal combination to match the cartridge on your turntable delivers great sonic reward – iFi has created an online ‘cartridge calculator’ to assist with this.
The iPhono3 Black Label is not only great at pairing perfectly with your cartridge; you can also tailor the sound to match specific records in your collection, thanks to a variety of precisely engineered EQ curves.
Some brief background: in 1954, a few years after the birth of the LP format, the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) promulgated the use of a specific equalisation curve to standardise the sound and playing time of LP records. While RIAA equalisation was widely adopted in America, different EQ curves were still being applied by record labels in other countries two decades later. By the late 1970s most European labels had adopted RIAA equalization and by the 1980s it had become the global standard, with just a handful of Asian and Eastern European labels sticking to other EQ curves until the end of the decade.
A toggle switch at one end of the iPhono3 Black Label allows the user to select between three EQ curves: RIAA, Columbia and Decca. It can generally be assumed that records produced from 1980 onwards were made with RIAA equalisation applied, which means they should sound best with the RIAA setting engaged. But pre-1980 recordings may have been made using different equalisation and may sound better with the Columbia or Decca EQ curve engaged.
This applies not only to records released by those specific labels. For example, many of Deutsche Grammophon’s classical records released before 1980 can sound dry and flat – this is because they were produced using the Decca EQ curve and very few phono stages provide this option, but with the correct EQ applied they sound superb. As a general rule, if an LP sounds thin and edgy with the RIAA EQ, try the Decca EQ curve; if it sounds overly bright with overblown bass, try the Columbia setting.
But that’s not all! Further DIP switches on the underside allow the RIAA EQ setting to be further tuned to taste. Users can choose the standard RIAA curve – applied with +/- 0.2dB accuracy – or an enhanced version called ‘eRIAA’ offering extended high-frequency response. Alternatively, if the user has problems with warped records, which can cause a large signal output in the subsonic region, the IEC setting takes the standard RIAA curve and applies a subsonic filter to tackle the issue. Finally, the eRIAA+IEC setting applies the subsonic filter to the enhanced RIAA curve.
A series of DIP switches on the underside of the iPhono3 Black Label enable the user to optimise performance – an exceptional level of control for the true vinyl enthusiast.
The iPhono3 Black Label comes with the 15V version of iFi’s new iPower X ultra-low-noise AC/DC power supply (£99 when purchased separately). This delivers an exceptionally low noise floor and contributes significantly to the phono stage’s class-leading performance.
The ideal phono stage for passionate vinylphiles looking to unlock the true sound of their LP collections, the iFi iPhono3 Black Label is available from selected retailers from tomorrow at an RRP of £999 (€1099, $999).
iFi’s new iPhono3 Black Label phono stage is the perfect fix for vinyl addicts, ensuring every record is heard just as the artist intended
Southport, England – As music lovers across the land return to the tactile virtues of vinyl, so the demand for high-quality turntables has increased. This has raised the need for high-performance phono stages to make the most of the wonderfully natural and engaging sound of which vinyl records are capable.
By necessity, every turntable has to be partnered with a phono stage to amplify the low-level output from the phono cartridge to ‘line level’. Some integrated amps and preamps have phono stages built in, but these vary in quality and are never as good as a well-designed offboard phono stage placed in the signal chain between the turntable and a line-level input on the amp. For serious turntable users, a separate phono stage is a must.
Several years in development and incorporating technology derived from the £12,000 PH-77 phono preamplifier from sister-company AMR, iFi’s new flagship phono stage – the iPhono3 Black Label – has been painstakingly designed to satisfy the most discerning vinyl enthusiast. User-configurable to match any MC or MM cartridge and all manner of LPs, it delivers performance and versatility that place it in a league of its own in the circa £1,000 category, competing with devices at much more rarefied prices.
Key features
- Driven by iFi’s Class A TubeState engine and Direct Drive Servoless design
- Wide range of settings – gain, load and EQ curves – to precisely suit the connected phono cartridge and the LP being played
- Ultra-low distortion and class-leading dynamic range
- Super-low noise floor – one of the ‘quietest’ phono stages at any price, lets you hear every detail
- High gain of 72dB on par with high-end phono stages at twice the price
Cable connections are at opposite ends of the slim line chassis – MM/MC inputs at one end, power in and audio out at the other.
The direct approach
Unlike a typical phono stage, the iPhono3 Black Label’s circuit is direct-coupled – that is to say, there is no coupling capacitor from cartridge to output. It achieves this without requiring a conventional DC servo – iFi calls this design Direct Drive Servoless, incorporating the company’s proprietary DC Infinity circuit that boosts DC gain to a level approaching infinity.
Once the feedback loop is closed, the DC gain cancels all offset voltages to deliver a direct-coupled output with 0V DC offset. The key to the DC Infinity circuit is that it only changes the gain below approximately 0.01Hz, while leaving the AC behaviour of the circuit at higher frequencies unchanged, injecting neither noise nor distortion into the audio signal. This contributes greatly to the iPhono3 Black Label’s audible clarity, accuracy and transparency.
Let the music flow
In the world of high-end audio, some folk advocate solid-state signal amplification while others swear by the sound of valves (or ‘tubes’ for those from the other side of the pond). Both have their inherent advantages – among them, solid-state circuits typically offer lower distortion and high durability, while valves offer natural tonality and fluid, grain-free sound.
At the iPhono3 Black Label’s heart lies iFi’s third generation TubeState engine, the result of four decades of research into valve and transistor technology by the company’s Technical Director, Thorsten Loesch. TubeState is a solid-state circuit design created to capture the key attributes that make valve circuits so sonically appealing whilst maintaining ultra-low distortion.
Specialised JFET op-amps combine with a Class A buffer circuit featuring hand-matched PNP bibolar transistors; the buffer circuit minimises the loading of the amplifier circuit and biases the output stage into single-ended Class A. High input impedance approaches the ‘zero loading’ a valve grid provides, while excellent drive ability allows the iPhono3 Black Label to drive 1V into 600 Ohm loads with THD (total harmonic distortion) of 0.005%, dominated by low order harmonics. When driving less-demanding loads, THD reduces even further with no high order components whatsoever.
The TubeState engine delivers a sound of exceptional poise – crystalline clarity without a hint of edginess; free-breathing dynamics; engaging pace and timing; and a soundstage brimming with texture and fine detail. From the moment the needle hits the record, everything sounds crisp and clear, yet no single element within the musical whole is over-emphasised – you hear the music, cohesive and in its entirety, as it was intended to be heard.
Sonic tailoring to suit you, sir
Many phono stages offer nothing in the way of adjustment to tailor performance to suit a specific system or record, save perhaps switching between MM and MC cartridge types. Some supply settings to match the electrical characteristics of individual cartridges. But very few offer the sheer range of adjustment provided by the iPhono3 Black Label, enabling a vinyl enthusiast to tailor the performance to precisely match his/her phono cartridge and record collection.
A series of DIP switches on the underside of the unit enable gain and load to be set – essential to wring the very best performance from a high-performance cartridge. Gain can be adjusted between 36dB and 72dB, alongside a wide variety of load values – eight for MC cartridges and a further five for MM cartridges. Spending a little time to set up the ideal combination to match the cartridge on your turntable delivers great sonic reward – iFi has created an online ‘cartridge calculator’ to assist with this.
The iPhono3 Black Label is not only great at pairing perfectly with your cartridge; you can also tailor the sound to match specific records in your collection, thanks to a variety of precisely engineered EQ curves.
Some brief background: in 1954, a few years after the birth of the LP format, the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) promulgated the use of a specific equalisation curve to standardise the sound and playing time of LP records. While RIAA equalisation was widely adopted in America, different EQ curves were still being applied by record labels in other countries two decades later. By the late 1970s most European labels had adopted RIAA equalization and by the 1980s it had become the global standard, with just a handful of Asian and Eastern European labels sticking to other EQ curves until the end of the decade.
A toggle switch at one end of the iPhono3 Black Label allows the user to select between three EQ curves: RIAA, Columbia and Decca. It can generally be assumed that records produced from 1980 onwards were made with RIAA equalisation applied, which means they should sound best with the RIAA setting engaged. But pre-1980 recordings may have been made using different equalisation and may sound better with the Columbia or Decca EQ curve engaged.
This applies not only to records released by those specific labels. For example, many of Deutsche Grammophon’s classical records released before 1980 can sound dry and flat – this is because they were produced using the Decca EQ curve and very few phono stages provide this option, but with the correct EQ applied they sound superb. As a general rule, if an LP sounds thin and edgy with the RIAA EQ, try the Decca EQ curve; if it sounds overly bright with overblown bass, try the Columbia setting.
But that’s not all! Further DIP switches on the underside allow the RIAA EQ setting to be further tuned to taste. Users can choose the standard RIAA curve – applied with +/- 0.2dB accuracy – or an enhanced version called ‘eRIAA’ offering extended high-frequency response. Alternatively, if the user has problems with warped records, which can cause a large signal output in the subsonic region, the IEC setting takes the standard RIAA curve and applies a subsonic filter to tackle the issue. Finally, the eRIAA+IEC setting applies the subsonic filter to the enhanced RIAA curve.
A series of DIP switches on the underside of the iPhono3 Black Label enable the user to optimise performance – an exceptional level of control for the true vinyl enthusiast.
The iPhono3 Black Label comes with the 15V version of iFi’s new iPower X ultra-low-noise AC/DC power supply (£99 when purchased separately). This delivers an exceptionally low noise floor and contributes significantly to the phono stage’s class-leading performance.
The ideal phono stage for passionate vinylphiles looking to unlock the true sound of their LP collections, the iFi iPhono3 Black Label is available from selected retailers from tomorrow at an RRP of £999 (€1099, $999).
I would love to try one. My only issue with the design is the inputs and outputs on opposite ends. It makes placement in a stereo rack difficult when all your cables are in the back. I know of a few people that have issues with designs such as this.
iFi audio
New member
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- Aug 30, 2018
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- #6
iFi audio iPhono3 Black Label - Tech Notes
Beauty and Beast
iPhono3 Black Label over other phono stages
Computer matched pair complementary planar high gain bi-polar input transistors means 6dB lower output noise. The planar transistor is constructed by an etching and diffusion technique in which the junction is never exposed during processing, and the junctions reach the surface on one plane; characterized by very low leakage current, high gain and very low noise. These transistors being matched pairs, is labour intensive and expensive.
The iPhono3 Black Label is packed with the latest generation of surface-mounted components. By eliminating multiple joins between parts and lead-out and reducing the size, parasitic behaviour across the board has been drastically reduced over classic leaded parts.
The iPhono3 Black Label features for the first time, audiophile-grade Nichicon capacitor, providing lower ESR, faster speed, and deeper bass. Complemented with the new hand-matched bi-polar transistors, it lowers noise and distortion even further.
It uses Panasonic OSCON totaling 14,800uF. This gives very-low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), excellent noise reduction capability and frequency characteristics.
It is packed throughout with TKD Japan made C0G type capacitors. Capacitors owning the C0G specification have lower thermal drift and distortion than Polystyrene capacitors. The iPhono3 Black Label uses them for the actual equalisation AND power supply bypass capacitors.
ELNA Japan made Silmic Capacitors are used for the power supplies. These use special silk fibre paper for the isolating barrier resulting in decreased odd-order distortion and reduced micro-phonics/mechanical resonance.
Vishay MELF type thin film resistors, these resistors show dramatically decreased noise and distortion compared to the standard surface-mounted resistors. Previously, just like C0G specification capacitors, they were reserved for the most critical positions.
Design highlights
EQ curves. Even the same LPs may not have the same equalization
Because as LPs even from different pressing plants can have a different equalization curve.
Descending from the AMR PH-77, the iPhono3 Black Label has impressive DNA. One of the key aspects is the ability to precisely ‘correct’ the recording with the intended equalization curve. There are 6 curves on the iPhono3 Black Label that are trickle-down technology from the PH-77 which had a total of 22 EQ curves!
Not all LPs have been equalised using the same RIAA equalisation, additional equalisation curves are needed. At the introduction of the Long Play record (LP) in 1948, most record companies implemented their own particular equalisation curves and continued to experiment with equalisation in order to extract the best performance from the new medium. This led to a baffling array of different and incompatible equalisation curves being applied worldwide.
In the mid-1950s, as all its members agreed to adopt the RCA Orthophonic equalisation curve, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) promulgated this curve as a common standard that became known as the ‘RIAA equalisation’. However, as this was essentially an American standard, it had little impact outside of the USA. The RIAA equalisation only became a truly international standard by the mid to late 1970s when European recording labels slowly and finally began to adopt the RIAA equalisation. It was even later when some Asian recording labels joined the bandwagon and adopted the RIAA standard. Right up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many Eastern European recording labels (including Russian recording labels) were still, using their own CCIR equalisation.
To further complicate matters, even after officially agreeing to implement the RIAA equalisation curve, many recording labels continued to use their proprietary equalisation, even well into the 1970’s. Columbia is one such prominent example in the USA, and Decca/Telefunken/Teldec in Europe is another.
The choice is there for the customer to choose ‘by ear’. Or alternatively, simply leave it on RIAA permanently too.
A most delicious irony is that the actually quite excellent and ground breaking sound quality of early Decca and Deutsche Gramophone digitally mastered LPs tends to be considered as “strident” and “digital” by many audiophiles, which is of course true when replayed using an RIAA equalisation stage, as the mastering EQ used was Decca FFSS which boosts the high frequencies around 2db more than RIAA.
The reason for the objectionable sound quality of these LPs is not the digital mastering at all, but the equalisation. In fact, since the early 1970s practically ALL LPs were cut with the aid of a so-called cutting computer to maximise playtime, which involved passing the analogue signal to be cut onto the LP through a Digital Delay system with 16-Bit/48KHz A2D and D2A convertors. Hence, virtually ALL commercial LPs since the early 1970’s are in fact “Digitally Mastered”, not just those that explicitly employed digital recording and production systems and hence stated this on the Label.
Replay the same “bad digital sound” LPs using the correct equalisation and a most glorious and natural sound quality is revealed, which was always there, just hidden by a lack of tone controls or adjustable equalisation.
Sub-sonic filter
The iPhono3 Black Label’s sub-sonic filter is well designed and implemented. Why is it needed? A warped track or record will cause a large signal output in the subsonic region, typically well below 20Hz.
For example. A 33 1/3 RPM album with a single warped section can create a signal in the pickup at 0.55 Hz (33.3 RPM / 60 = 0.555 Hz). This is a signal that will cause significant cone movement, and is is very undesirable. By ‘nailing’ this issue at the root cause stage, the rest of the system will sonically benefit.
X-Powered
The iPhono3 Black Label demands the ultimate power supply. That means the newly launched iPower X. Just like the rest of the power supply range, it has an exceptional noise floor of <0.1uF which is lower than what the Audio Precision measures to.
iPower X by iFi audio | New Ultra-Low Noise AC/DC Power Supply with International Travel Adapters
Circuit highlights
DC coupled thanks to DC-Infinity
Direct Drive Servoless is an important element of the audiophile experience, which is not visible in measurements, but is quite audible. Unlike a standard phono stage design, the iPhono3 Black Label continues the special design tradition of being direct coupled (i.e. no coupling capacitor) from cartridge to output and it does so without requiring a conventional DC servo. Below is what a standard phono stage looks like:
In iPhono3 Black Label the unique ‘DC-infinity’ circuit boosts the circuits DC gain to approach infinity (it is approximately 1 trillion one million times one million; 1012).
Once the feedback loop is closed, this near infinite DC gain cancels all offset voltages to deliver a direct-coupled output with 0V DC offset. The key to the ‘DC-Infinity’ circuit is that it only changes the gain below approx. 0.01Hz, while leaving the AC behaviour of the circuit at higher frequencies unchanged, injecting neither noise nor distortion into the audio signal.
Any noise and distortion of the DC-Infinity circuit happens at the same signal level as the output signal and is by design, 100 times less than the noise and distortion of the actual amplifier circuit. Noise and distortion it effectively disappears.
Class A TubeState® Circuit
At AMR/iFi we have always loved the sound of tubes and have produced tube equipment under the AMR brand name in the ultra-high end arena. However, tubes run hot, take up a fair bit of space and cost a pretty penny. Solid-state can be designed as a small and affordable circuit, as well as running cool.
Wouldn't it be great if we could get ‘tube sound’ from solid-state gear? Okay, maybe not an exact replica of real tubes but as close as it can possibly get. Now most people would tell you that "Tube sound with solid state - that's just impossible". But it is possible and it really is worth it.
The TubeState® technology is the result of nearly four decades of research by our Chief Designer Thorsten Loesch on tube and transistor gear. He started his audio engineering journey by building his own kits at a young age. Thorsten continued exploration of the audiophile realm by repairing and refurbishing classic tube gear, HiFi tubes, guitar and bass amplifiers as well as pro-audio devices. His international fame was gained mostly through extensive publishing. Many years of personal experience were complemented by advanced research, development and testing at AMR/iFi putting into production acclaimed designs in both Tube and Solid-State circuitry, analogue as well as digital.
Many inexperienced audiophiles believe that the ‘tube sound from solid-state’ focuses on emulating the characteristic distortion of tube circuits, but we have long stressed that there is much more to just replicating the harmonic distortion of the tube sound in solid-state. Adding distortion only ‘mimics’ of one aspect of the ‘tube sound’. The extent to which the result of this operation reaches the result of a real tube circuitry experience varies widely, but in many cases the words ‘hilarious dummy sound’ come to mind. We would be one of the first to admit this. The key is not to add distortion, but to avoid certain types of distortion.
Once it is understood that specific distortions are endemic to solid-state circuitry and are pernicious with respect to subjective sound quality, we can eliminate these from solid-state circuitry, without adding on tube-like distortion and noise.
To enhance the audiophile experience, the iPhono3 Black Label employs a simple Class A buffer circuit. The Class A buffer minimises the loading of the amplifier circuit AND at the same time reliably biases the output stage of the integrated circuit amplifier into single-ended Class A (it normally operates in Class AB). Incidentally, all other stages in integrated circuit amplifiers operate in Class A. This is why biasing the output stage into single-ended Class A and adding the Class A Buffer is so effective to improving sound quality.
Tube-state does not mean to add a lot of synthetic harmonics, but to emulate core features of tube circuits in solid-state. The result is a sound that combines the best features of the tube sound (lack of grain, edginess and naturalness of sound) with the best of modern solid state (low distortion, low noise).
For the iPhono3 Black Label there is a third-generation upgraded circuit that has at the heart top-notch op-amps & hand-matched PNP bipolar transistor Class A Tube-state Buffer. By virtue of the J-FET component it has a very high input impedance approaching the ‘zero loading’ a tube grid provides ever more closely, while the increased drive ability allows the iPhono3 Black Label to drive 1V into 600 Ohm loads with 0.005% THD, (dominated by low order harmonics, just like it is the case with exceptional tube circuits. On top of lowering THD, these state-of-the-art op-amps will also provide faster transient and broaden the spectrum of the dynamic range.
Beauty and Beast
iPhono3 Black Label over other phono stages
- One of the quietest phono stages. Bar none.
- Ultra-low distortion. High gain of 72dB en par with flagship phono stages.
- Computer-matched high-gain bi-polar input transistors and more.
- Dynamic range improved by 5dB to 108dB. 36-72dB gain.
- 85dB A-weighted SNR is 3dB quieter (re 0.5mV/5mV per Stereophile standard).
- The increase in the power-supply voltage of the external iPower X ultra-low noise adapter for iPhono3 Black Label to 15V allowed for greater undistorted signal levels for LPs like the legendary (and often unplayable) Telarc 1812.
All-new hand-matched Burr-Brown Soundplus® J-FET type operational amplifier. The Burr Brown is complemented by Panasonic Japan-made ECPU Film Capacitors designed for audiophile applications with vanishingly low distortion of (<0.005%!), infusing the iPhono3 Black Label with dynamic range performance that is second-to-none.
Computer matched pair complementary planar high gain bi-polar input transistors means 6dB lower output noise. The planar transistor is constructed by an etching and diffusion technique in which the junction is never exposed during processing, and the junctions reach the surface on one plane; characterized by very low leakage current, high gain and very low noise. These transistors being matched pairs, is labour intensive and expensive.
The iPhono3 Black Label is packed with the latest generation of surface-mounted components. By eliminating multiple joins between parts and lead-out and reducing the size, parasitic behaviour across the board has been drastically reduced over classic leaded parts.
The iPhono3 Black Label features for the first time, audiophile-grade Nichicon capacitor, providing lower ESR, faster speed, and deeper bass. Complemented with the new hand-matched bi-polar transistors, it lowers noise and distortion even further.
It uses Panasonic OSCON totaling 14,800uF. This gives very-low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), excellent noise reduction capability and frequency characteristics.
It is packed throughout with TKD Japan made C0G type capacitors. Capacitors owning the C0G specification have lower thermal drift and distortion than Polystyrene capacitors. The iPhono3 Black Label uses them for the actual equalisation AND power supply bypass capacitors.
ELNA Japan made Silmic Capacitors are used for the power supplies. These use special silk fibre paper for the isolating barrier resulting in decreased odd-order distortion and reduced micro-phonics/mechanical resonance.
Vishay MELF type thin film resistors, these resistors show dramatically decreased noise and distortion compared to the standard surface-mounted resistors. Previously, just like C0G specification capacitors, they were reserved for the most critical positions.
Design highlights
EQ curves. Even the same LPs may not have the same equalization
Because as LPs even from different pressing plants can have a different equalization curve.
Descending from the AMR PH-77, the iPhono3 Black Label has impressive DNA. One of the key aspects is the ability to precisely ‘correct’ the recording with the intended equalization curve. There are 6 curves on the iPhono3 Black Label that are trickle-down technology from the PH-77 which had a total of 22 EQ curves!
Not all LPs have been equalised using the same RIAA equalisation, additional equalisation curves are needed. At the introduction of the Long Play record (LP) in 1948, most record companies implemented their own particular equalisation curves and continued to experiment with equalisation in order to extract the best performance from the new medium. This led to a baffling array of different and incompatible equalisation curves being applied worldwide.
In the mid-1950s, as all its members agreed to adopt the RCA Orthophonic equalisation curve, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) promulgated this curve as a common standard that became known as the ‘RIAA equalisation’. However, as this was essentially an American standard, it had little impact outside of the USA. The RIAA equalisation only became a truly international standard by the mid to late 1970s when European recording labels slowly and finally began to adopt the RIAA equalisation. It was even later when some Asian recording labels joined the bandwagon and adopted the RIAA standard. Right up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many Eastern European recording labels (including Russian recording labels) were still, using their own CCIR equalisation.
To further complicate matters, even after officially agreeing to implement the RIAA equalisation curve, many recording labels continued to use their proprietary equalisation, even well into the 1970’s. Columbia is one such prominent example in the USA, and Decca/Telefunken/Teldec in Europe is another.
The choice is there for the customer to choose ‘by ear’. Or alternatively, simply leave it on RIAA permanently too.
A most delicious irony is that the actually quite excellent and ground breaking sound quality of early Decca and Deutsche Gramophone digitally mastered LPs tends to be considered as “strident” and “digital” by many audiophiles, which is of course true when replayed using an RIAA equalisation stage, as the mastering EQ used was Decca FFSS which boosts the high frequencies around 2db more than RIAA.
The reason for the objectionable sound quality of these LPs is not the digital mastering at all, but the equalisation. In fact, since the early 1970s practically ALL LPs were cut with the aid of a so-called cutting computer to maximise playtime, which involved passing the analogue signal to be cut onto the LP through a Digital Delay system with 16-Bit/48KHz A2D and D2A convertors. Hence, virtually ALL commercial LPs since the early 1970’s are in fact “Digitally Mastered”, not just those that explicitly employed digital recording and production systems and hence stated this on the Label.
Replay the same “bad digital sound” LPs using the correct equalisation and a most glorious and natural sound quality is revealed, which was always there, just hidden by a lack of tone controls or adjustable equalisation.
Sub-sonic filter
The iPhono3 Black Label’s sub-sonic filter is well designed and implemented. Why is it needed? A warped track or record will cause a large signal output in the subsonic region, typically well below 20Hz.
For example. A 33 1/3 RPM album with a single warped section can create a signal in the pickup at 0.55 Hz (33.3 RPM / 60 = 0.555 Hz). This is a signal that will cause significant cone movement, and is is very undesirable. By ‘nailing’ this issue at the root cause stage, the rest of the system will sonically benefit.
X-Powered
The iPhono3 Black Label demands the ultimate power supply. That means the newly launched iPower X. Just like the rest of the power supply range, it has an exceptional noise floor of <0.1uF which is lower than what the Audio Precision measures to.
iPower X by iFi audio | New Ultra-Low Noise AC/DC Power Supply with International Travel Adapters
Circuit highlights
DC coupled thanks to DC-Infinity
Direct Drive Servoless is an important element of the audiophile experience, which is not visible in measurements, but is quite audible. Unlike a standard phono stage design, the iPhono3 Black Label continues the special design tradition of being direct coupled (i.e. no coupling capacitor) from cartridge to output and it does so without requiring a conventional DC servo. Below is what a standard phono stage looks like:
In iPhono3 Black Label the unique ‘DC-infinity’ circuit boosts the circuits DC gain to approach infinity (it is approximately 1 trillion one million times one million; 1012).
Once the feedback loop is closed, this near infinite DC gain cancels all offset voltages to deliver a direct-coupled output with 0V DC offset. The key to the ‘DC-Infinity’ circuit is that it only changes the gain below approx. 0.01Hz, while leaving the AC behaviour of the circuit at higher frequencies unchanged, injecting neither noise nor distortion into the audio signal.
Any noise and distortion of the DC-Infinity circuit happens at the same signal level as the output signal and is by design, 100 times less than the noise and distortion of the actual amplifier circuit. Noise and distortion it effectively disappears.
Class A TubeState® Circuit
At AMR/iFi we have always loved the sound of tubes and have produced tube equipment under the AMR brand name in the ultra-high end arena. However, tubes run hot, take up a fair bit of space and cost a pretty penny. Solid-state can be designed as a small and affordable circuit, as well as running cool.
Wouldn't it be great if we could get ‘tube sound’ from solid-state gear? Okay, maybe not an exact replica of real tubes but as close as it can possibly get. Now most people would tell you that "Tube sound with solid state - that's just impossible". But it is possible and it really is worth it.
The TubeState® technology is the result of nearly four decades of research by our Chief Designer Thorsten Loesch on tube and transistor gear. He started his audio engineering journey by building his own kits at a young age. Thorsten continued exploration of the audiophile realm by repairing and refurbishing classic tube gear, HiFi tubes, guitar and bass amplifiers as well as pro-audio devices. His international fame was gained mostly through extensive publishing. Many years of personal experience were complemented by advanced research, development and testing at AMR/iFi putting into production acclaimed designs in both Tube and Solid-State circuitry, analogue as well as digital.
Many inexperienced audiophiles believe that the ‘tube sound from solid-state’ focuses on emulating the characteristic distortion of tube circuits, but we have long stressed that there is much more to just replicating the harmonic distortion of the tube sound in solid-state. Adding distortion only ‘mimics’ of one aspect of the ‘tube sound’. The extent to which the result of this operation reaches the result of a real tube circuitry experience varies widely, but in many cases the words ‘hilarious dummy sound’ come to mind. We would be one of the first to admit this. The key is not to add distortion, but to avoid certain types of distortion.
Once it is understood that specific distortions are endemic to solid-state circuitry and are pernicious with respect to subjective sound quality, we can eliminate these from solid-state circuitry, without adding on tube-like distortion and noise.
To enhance the audiophile experience, the iPhono3 Black Label employs a simple Class A buffer circuit. The Class A buffer minimises the loading of the amplifier circuit AND at the same time reliably biases the output stage of the integrated circuit amplifier into single-ended Class A (it normally operates in Class AB). Incidentally, all other stages in integrated circuit amplifiers operate in Class A. This is why biasing the output stage into single-ended Class A and adding the Class A Buffer is so effective to improving sound quality.
Tube-state does not mean to add a lot of synthetic harmonics, but to emulate core features of tube circuits in solid-state. The result is a sound that combines the best features of the tube sound (lack of grain, edginess and naturalness of sound) with the best of modern solid state (low distortion, low noise).
For the iPhono3 Black Label there is a third-generation upgraded circuit that has at the heart top-notch op-amps & hand-matched PNP bipolar transistor Class A Tube-state Buffer. By virtue of the J-FET component it has a very high input impedance approaching the ‘zero loading’ a tube grid provides ever more closely, while the increased drive ability allows the iPhono3 Black Label to drive 1V into 600 Ohm loads with 0.005% THD, (dominated by low order harmonics, just like it is the case with exceptional tube circuits. On top of lowering THD, these state-of-the-art op-amps will also provide faster transient and broaden the spectrum of the dynamic range.
iFi audio
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iPhono3 Black Label amplifies the signal, not the noise. The whisper-quiet noise floor is there for any home audio system to discern.
Learn more: micro iPhono3 BL by iFi audio | MM/MC Phono Stage and Pre-Amplifier
Learn more: micro iPhono3 BL by iFi audio | MM/MC Phono Stage and Pre-Amplifier
iFi audio
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Folks, at our page there's one handy tool which will help you with cartridge settings in your iPhono device.
For all details please go here:
iPhono Calculator | iFi audio
For all details please go here:
iPhono Calculator | iFi audio
iFi audio
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Folks, if you happen to be on Facebook, please take a look and join our iFiLounge group! For our shared love of music, you can find tracks for different moods, genres and more!
Log into Facebook | Facebook
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iFi audio
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Folks, since a phonostage was mentioned, just recently we launched a black little thing known as iPhono3, and there's an ongoing competition:
Who is up for the iPhono3 Black Label #NoiseFloorChallenge?
Have a chance to win a prestigious iFi audio PowerStation for taking part! Find out more and how to enter HERE!
Entries close 31st July!
Who is up for the iPhono3 Black Label #NoiseFloorChallenge?
Have a chance to win a prestigious iFi audio PowerStation for taking part! Find out more and how to enter HERE!
Entries close 31st July!
Since there is already a thread for the iPhono3, I figured I'd attach my question here. I just received my iPhono3 (my very first configurable phono stage) and am setting it up to work with my Ortofon 2M Blue MM cartridge. Based on the manufacturer's website, it states that the Blue has an output voltage of 5.5mV and the iPhono3 Calculator page suggested using a MM gain of +36 dB. When I do this, I am having to crank up my linestage pre-amp pretty far to get full volume -- it's about 10-12 volume clicks higher than other line level inputs (volume goes from 0 - 100). I worry that if I were to switch back and forth between the phono preamp and a line level input, I might have a dangerous volume discrepancy.
Would there be any downside to changing the MM gain from +36 dB to +48 dB in order to keep the volume level on my line stage a bit lower?
I pose this question not only for iFi, but also in general to any other phono stage users. Should I only use the very minimum amount of gain required or is it acceptable to bump up the gain so I can use a more reasonable volume level on my linestage pre-amp?
Would there be any downside to changing the MM gain from +36 dB to +48 dB in order to keep the volume level on my line stage a bit lower?
I pose this question not only for iFi, but also in general to any other phono stage users. Should I only use the very minimum amount of gain required or is it acceptable to bump up the gain so I can use a more reasonable volume level on my linestage pre-amp?