Schiit released Mani in the resurgence on vinyl. It is the reference in Norse mythology presented for the moon, so Schii Mani has an underlying of round music, which partly means delivering the surrounding feel of your vinyl experience.
Careful research is indispensable, and you may have to make a lot of selection before you could discern the appropriate one hooked well up to your turntable.
In this Schiit Mani review, we’ve covered the details of the main features and benefits of this phono stage in the hope that you can have a quick hack for your purchase.
Specifications
With that being said, the Schiit Mani is simplified so that its size is small and can even be portable. The phono box is just 5 inches wide and 3.5 inches in depth.
Schiit has been proud to bring the technology of RIAA Accuracy: +/- 0.2dB, 20-20kHz to the Mani model. With this support, it’s ideal for playing a live recording album where you can hear the instrument separation, and the sounds seem more engaging to your ears as well.
As with the output impedance, it can reach 75 ohms, allowing the user to explore the sound in a wider range and recognize much of the instrument consonance.
Schiit Mani Review On Main Features
The next portion of our Shiit Mani will focus on the main features that make it a strong case for a great-sounding product.
Quick Glance Of Pros And Cons
Pros
- Modest design
- Deliver exquisite sound without distortion and noise background
- US high-quality product with warranty
Cons
- Hum and bunchy bass
Strong Chassis And Modern Looking Design
Schiit aims to pursue the metallic and simple outside case of analog music. Here we can combine a sense of contemporary structure and the memorial turntable core music inside. At a glimpse, the chassis is designed in silver color with a simple mindset that can bring the modern aesthetic feeling to your vinyl system.
Along with all essential functional main ports running through the box, there are four support bases at the bottom, which is low, and so you’re capable of putting Mani under your turntable if it has spacious under the area.
Logical Layout Of Ports
Since the phono box is very small, unobtrusive, you can put it anywhere near your turntable, place it beside or hide it underneath. It’s up to you.
Setting up the Mani phono preamp is not a fiddly job because of the easy-to-follow instruction manual and nothing complicated involved in the layout of the ports in the case.
All you need to do is connect the wires to the ports from the back of the phono box to where it states RCA Input, RCA Output, Ground, and Power Input ports.
You have to be cautious to recognize whether the wire is connected to the turntable to preamp or headphone amp. Be careful and take it slow to carry it because you don’t want your wires to be in the wrong place.
There may be a Power Switch to inform you on or off the phono box in front of the chassis where you can see a LED light as an indicator. You turn that Power Switch and the LED is on, then you can enjoy your music.
Made In USA
Schiit Mani is mostly manufactured in the US, which can surprise its users when maintaining an affordable price without sacrificing the high-end quality.
Since it is made in the US, the product emphasizes early on fidelity, making it a work of simplicity and effectiveness, promising you a well-balanced system without breaking the bank. Additionally, you have a standard warranty of 2 years and 15 days return for every customer, which brings assurance and smile to every customer and removes any doubt if they’ve confronted the low-quality product before.
Schiit has ensured everything from design and main high-quality components have assembled in Valencia, California, while just wall wart is imported from China.
MC And MM Versatility
We have to note that the Mani range phono preamp is very versatile when it comes out of the box with two levels of moving magnet and moving coil cartridges.
Whether you’re looking at low or high gain, four switchable gain modes are available for any cartridge. You can see three sections-Load, Gain 1, Gain 2-and 2 switches for each area when you flip Mani over.
Following is the suggested setting for your MM and MC cartridges:
- Gain 1 and Gain 2 both L: 30 dB
- With gain 1= L, Gain 2= H: 42 dB
- Gain 1= H, Gain 2= L: 48 dB
- Gain 1 and Gain 2 both H: 59 dB
The adjustment of 42 dB gets acquainted with most MM cartridges. In case you’re not sure whether your cartridge is MM or MC, you try 47 on 2 Load Switches and set it back to 47K if you hear nothing.
Check Latest PriceQuiet Passive RIAA
With passive RIAA IQ network topology, Schiit Mani has no poles in the feedback loop while contains ADA-4897 and AD-8066 gain stage.
The vinyl enthusiast would love the low-electrical noise and low-distortion of this Schitt range. Mani is well made with precision 2% film capacitors, 0.5% thin-film resistors, eliminating the excess ambient sound, and there will be less subjectively annoying noise as it brings a low-noise gain stage to the sound.
Schiit Mani Sound Performance
Looking at the Schiit Mani both outside and inside, it’s a solid choice that has high design competency and high performance.
Accuracy
The superb accuracy and vanishingly noise floor sets this phono preamplifier apart from the same price range due to the outstanding sound quality when it comes to the mani phono's sonic performance.
Warm Bass
Generally speaking of bass, we think that this phono box delivers music sounds balanced with a touch of warmth and deep sound stage and that natural sounds pleasing to the ears. It’s the balance of the final sonic sound that steals a lot of the headlines.
Balance
Over the years since its inception, this is still one of the phono preamp that caters to both moving magnet and moving coil cartridge. Low- noise phono box goes along with a side serving of industrial aesthetic and dynamics. This well made phono box with these features can not be found in other phono boxes at this price point out of the market.
Mani handles well with the distortion and maintains the balance of bass and crisp treble. The record is rhythmically expansive and improvised, which seems appropriate to diverse music lineups in years.
Check Latest PriceIs There Any Drawback Of Schiit Phono Box?
Despite Mani's bright side, on your research online, you may be attracted by mixed opinions. In most cases, users mentioned the undue sound during the activation process and listening to vinyl.
Loud pop and hum are acknowledged as the sources of complaint for some users of Mani. When you increase the volume, there will be punchier loud pops and somewhat hum sound.
If it’s a problem for you, make sure you turn on the Mani phono box and then turn on other components in the whole vinyl system to avoid the loud pop suddenly appearing.
We’d recommend you connect the turntable ground to Ground Input port from the back of Mani’s case to reduce the hum and get exquisite sound originating from your turntable.
Who Should Buy Schiit Mani?
Providing a versatile phono preamp with vinyl experience, Schiit Mani is budget-friendly, especially for those who have few first steps in the vinyl and want to find an affordable phono box accompanied by their turnable.
Schiit Mani is also a good try if you’re curious about vinyl low budget phono. Many users admit that it’s not always the case to find the perfect phono preamp initially; they may experience a wide range of models before finding the ideal one for their turntable that surprise them with the high performance beyond its price.
It is the precision that gives resonance to Mani. The 73 Ohm setting is especially proven to bring you into a lusty rendition of a particular instrumental song. It’s quite nicely textured and demonstrates the specific detail of each instrument.
The Mani routes record’s signal to the sophisticated circuitry inside the phono stage, giving a real dynamically clarity to the entire instrumental melodies.
Check Latest PriceFAQs
What kind of phono preamplifier is Mani?
It would help if you had a phono stage to transfer your audio signals from the phonograph (turntable) to the amplifier to receive the expansive final sound.
Mani is an external preamp that allows you to have full control over your system. It combines electronic circuits that release signal boost, converting a weak signal into a strong line signal. The signal needs to undergo such a preamp with a series of circuitries to turn into a stronger signal.
Unlike the internal preamp, Mani requires wires to connect every component to send the phono signal to the main amplifier and then to the speakers.
Which cartridge is used with Schiit Mani?
Schii Mani is a good accompaniment with both moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridge. So you don’t have to worry if you have to change your cartridge; you don’t have to change the phono preamp accordingly.
Some turntables have an inbuilt phono stage, while others require you to purchase an external phono preamp to control the vibration. This is why Shiit Mani gives its help in imitating the record sound and is immune to the electrical noise from the power transformer.
What can I do with Mani if I don’t know my cartridge is MM or MC?
Give it a try on the Load Switch section at the bottom of the Mani case. You can try the 47 and see if the weak signal becomes stronger, and if you recognize the sound is faded, switch to 47K.
Conclusion
Schiit Mani, since its premiere, was aimed at analog music while still keeping a flexible, inexpensive preamp in the market. Many beginners trust the brand for its Made-in-US quality, and this inexpensive phono preamp handles pretty much any music genre.
We can say that hardly any product can keep abreast of Schiit Mani. This phono preamp has gained special prominence due to its high performance that other products at the same price hardly deserve.
We hope that the Schiit Mani review has dispersed the mystery surrounding this budget-friendly phono preamp. You can opt for this phono box as an accompaniment to your turntable and harmony with other encompassing components in your vinyl system and enjoy your vinyl record performance with great gusto.
