Review: Schiit Mani phono pre AND Swagman Labs Linear Power Supply (LPS)


After reading and seeing several online reviews I decided that I would satisfy my curiosity and picked up a Mani about 6 weeks ago.  Considering the price of admission (a mere $129) it was a pain-free gamble on my part.

Overview:

The Mani is a tiny metal box that's apparently made in the USA and only sold direct through Schiit.  It has 2 loading options and three gain options that should handle most MM/MC cartridges.  

The loading and gain settings are switchable underneath the chassis.  Loading and Gain options are pretty limited but still better than many entry level phono stages under $500.  Loading is 47/47K only while maximum gain is only 59db so for very low output MC cartridges, this might not be the best option.

Connections are RCA only, plus power input and a grounding post.

The unit ships with a 16VAC (yes AC) wall-wart switching power supply.  Somewhat of an odd voltage but I'll get to that later as I discuss the Linear Power Supply that replaced it.

Design

Fit and finish are generally OK, but it's definitely not going to win any beauty contests.  Particularly in high/higher-end audio racks, I would imagine that most owners would opt to tuck this away and out of sight as it has all the aesthetic charm as the first generation Apple TV -  minus the great design of the original Apple TV (if you know what I mean).  

Unfortunately, placement may be an issue for many as the Mani - particularly at higher gain settings - serves dual-purpose as a phono stage and radio tuner depending on where it's located (below).

Setup and issues

My initial issue w/ the Mani was that of significant hum (60Hz) even when properly grounded and also that slight differences in placement, even within a few inches, had a significant impact.  Also (as noted above) the Mani has the uncanny ability to tune in radio stations with ease.

I had read of a handful of other owners that experienced the same but had hoped for better.  My system otherwise is, and has always been completely silent so I  found this to be completely unacceptable. 

After trying several placement options to no real avail, different circuits, grounded/ ungrounded, etc. I tried a different set of cables.  I had initially connected it up w/ "high-end" interconnects but when I swapped these for cheap shielded RCAs from MonoPrice, all the noise and interference issues all but went away.

Issue 2- I relayed the above to Schiit customer support looking for advice but the CSR there only responded back with basically "yeah, those MonoPrice cables are surprising good..."  Gee thanks for the help....

Listening (with packaged power supply)

So with the initial noise issues out of the way and having burned in the Mani for a couple of days, I went about doing some more serious listening.

What other reviewer have said is very true.  The dynamics and transients are great, the bass is very articulated and controlled and there is no perceptible graininess or obvious rolloff.  I've used other sub-$500 dedicated phono stages as well as internal preamps and everything that I hear through the Mani is better to my ears.  Much more enjoyable to listen to.

Fuller sound, better dynamic range, more natural vocals and instruments, etc.  I have several recordings that have been with me for years and with the Mani I was picking up on details that had previously been shrouded.  In the best analog masters I did several A/B comparisons to lossless versions of the same recordings digitally and generally preferred the Mani in most cases, although it was often hard to tell the difference.

One thing that I observed with the Mani, however is that the presentation of the soundstage from track to track, even from the same master, can vary wildly.  In some tracks the soundstage is very deep/wide and balanced, where there are some tracks where the soundstage seems unnaturally emphasized.  Specifically, there are some recordings where the vocals will be immediately in your face, and others where the singer is at the end of a long hall (I'm exaggerating in both cases).  

This is something that I hadn't experienced with other phono stages previously or with digital files of the same recordings.  Not that it sounds "bad" per se, but it is still something that I'm getting used to.

Linear Power Supply

Given the odd voltage requirements of the Mani (16V AC), I was only able to find one company that is currently making an "off the shelf" LPS for the Mani. This is Swagman Labs based in Hong Kong.  Needless to say, once you've paid for the LPS and shipping charges to the US, the Mani and the new power supply are comparably priced.  

**I would like to note that even though the unit was ordered in late December, it arrived in the US, including customs in under a week.

The Swagman unit out-classes the Mani in terms of build quality and design.  While it has a more industrial look to it than the Mani, it doesn't look out of place in an audio rack.  It connects to the Mani via a dedicated 1 meter  cable with a metal threaded DIN connector on one end and standard connection to the Mani on the other -Very well made cable.

Once connecting it up to the Mani, I did several A/B tests between the included wall wart on the Swagman LPS and the results, while not "earth shattering", are definitely a HUGE step up when you consider that it always tends to be that last 5% margin that you're seeking that makes the difference between an OK product and one that you love.

All noise (and I mean all noise) is completely gone now and the bass and treble extension are much better and smoother.  More importantly, however, is that it has been able to accentuate what I already liked about the Mani while resolving most of what I didn't like about the Mani.  

It enhanced what the Mani already did well while addressing its shortcomings in the process.

In my listening it has also transformed the soundstage realism - with the added extension and dynamics that the LPS has added, there are no longer any unrealistic "gaps" in the soundstage that were occasionally present before.

Conclusion

Overall I'm very pleased with the sound of the Mani, particularly when paired with the Swagman LPS.  I think that I would be hard-pressed to find anything for around $300 that would compete as well as this combination.  At the end of the day, I believe that the Mani and LPS combo represent terrific value for performance and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, particularly for the price.

Will this be my last or final phono stage?  Not by a long shot but I feel confident that I would have to get into the $1,500-$2,000+ territory to get me to jump to another level (Avid Pulsus, for example).

Pros:

  • Great value for money - Handily beats anything else I've heard under $500
  • Pairs well and benefits greatly from a linear power supply
  • Great dynamics, bass punch, articulation and natural voicing
  • Neutral sounding without adding any graininess, coloration or obvious rolloff
  • Involving soundstage (with caveats noted above)
  • Dead silent when set up properly (particularly w/ the LPS)

Cons:

  • Should have shipped w/ a better PSU to begin with, or at least offered as an option by Schiit
  • Noise and cable matching require far more attention than should be necessary (regardless of price)
  • Minimal gain and loading options may be an issue for some cartridges
  • Strange voltage requirement limits LPS options for the time-being
  • Looks about as cheap as it is - Not really "shelf-worthy"

As tested:

Pro-Ject 6 Perspex SB table
Sumiko Blue Point Special Evo III HOMC 

Would love to hear the thoughts of other owners.

Greg

gregkohanmim
Well written review, Greg. Thanks. Have a couple of pieces of Schiit myself, though not the Mani. I personally like the Schiit design aesthetic...but different strokes, as they say.  Schiit seems to make smart choices about where to save $ while delivering an unexpectedly high level of critical audio performance at a very attractive price.  Your comments to the contrary, I'd still attribute some of the negatives you report to those choices.  I do think your suggestion about an improved power supply as an option is a good one, though depending on where sourced, it might end up being more expensive than the Mani itself.  

Curious what other phono pre you were using before the Mani.
I'm assuming your initial higher end ICs were unshielded?  

Ah, yes...Schiit's CSR/tech support.  The ever loquacious "Nick", no doubt.  Truly, a man of few words.

Spent a good bit of time exploring linear power supply options for an Aries Mini. Was reluctant to spend what Auralic wanted for theirs or for an SBooster, Teddy Pardo etc. Would have done something like the Swagman but didn't want to have the complication of an overseas source if something went wrong with it.  Ended up getting an iFi iPower from Music Direct.  Still switching but well-filtered and quiet.  A bit of discussion about it on Computer Audiophile.

Expecting a Freya preamp in the next week or so.  Hope it's as successful doing its job as your Mani.

Nice find on the Swagman Labs PSU. I checked out their website and they have many models for different components. Build quality looks better than Teradak, also from Hong Kong.

 @ghosthouse, I was considering the iFi and saw many good reviews. I know it’s a quiet PSU, but I wonder if it spits out noise back into the mains.

Hello lowrider - think I came across some discussion of that risk.  Lemme see if I can find it.  
Ghosthouse - Thanks a lot for your comments.

I seriously wasn't hoping to be overly critical - Seriously for the $$ what the Mani is able to deliver is nothing short of amazing - I sincerely just wanted to provide objective and balanced feedback.  Going into this I was totally aware of where Schiit spends their $$ and actually am a fan of their business model (no dealer network, no markups, no huge marketing budget, etc.) and can't imagine a better pre for similar money.

As for customer service - I think it was indeed Nick.  I had to chuckle a little bit when I received his mail and it was signed "Schiit customer service"  :)

Totally agree that the cost of the of LPS can be greater than the Mani itself (It was $122 plus $25 shipping from HK) but in this case, I can sincerely say that it makes enough of an improvement that the Mani + LPS probably could go toe to toe with just about anything out there for up to $500.

Congratulations on the new Freya - Looks like an interesting product and pretty cool that you have both SS and Tube options in one unit - Should be a tweaker's delight.

To answer your specific question:  In addition to the Mani (in the budget price range), I have tried a Pro-Ject Phono Box DS, NAD PP4, and briefly the integrated MM in my preamp.  Of these options, the Mani destroys them all IMHO.

As for the PSU's - I haven't had mine long enough to offer any thoughts on reliability, but it is built extremely well and does exactly what I wanted it to do.  I personally wouldn't hesitate to work w/ Swagman again although I have no doubt that the iFi will be reliable.

Thanks again for your responses guys.

One final note - I have yet to try the Mani/LPS with anything but the cartridge that's setup on my table right now - I have a few others, but just haven't gotten around to trying them out yet - The one that I suspect will surprise me the most is an Ortofon 2M Black - I would imagine that would match the Mano quite well.  I'll report back here as soon as I get to it.

Take care

Greg

Ghosthouse - I forgot to mention - Yes, the cables in question consisted of braided OFC conductors w/ Silver plated termination.  The MP cables on there now are actually shielded "video" cables, which BTW solved most of the Mani's noise issues even prior to adding the LPS.

Sorry I forgot to mention it in my last post.

Greg

Greg - I repeat, you did a great job on that review.  I was mainly taking issue with your noise regardless of price "Con" bullet.  But really, you gotta call it as you see it and buyers need to know what they are getting (or not) for their money.  If the HiFi mags called things out as clearly, we'd be better off.  Good on you.

$145 shipped for that LPS, while doubling $ spent, is NOT that bad a price considering what "name" LPSs are going for.   

Hope your music continues to sound great with the Mani.  Bet you are looking forward to getting that Ortofon Black going.

An interesting design feature of the Mani is the 30dB gain setting for the 5mV output Decca/London cartridges.
Ghosthouse - Thanks again for your thoughtful reply.

Have been listening since my last post and...

As a life-long engineer, I don't believe in burn-in BUT do believe that on other levels we do adapt to changes in sound - and as of right now, in a great way.

After listening to the Mani/LPS for the last few hours, I actually find it amazing and here's why:

It presents all of the detail available and let's you "dig" into the grooves and hear what you want to and at the same time- forces you to "hear"

Interesting piece of gear.  Love it for that alone.


Interesting review, Greg.

I have a Schiit Modi2 Multibit DAC, and I have been wondering if a better power supply would help it. The reason I haven't done anything in this regard is because of the 16VAC input. What SwagmanLab power supply did you use, and what was the DC voltage output?

Your response will be greatly appreciated.
Wdincleve - the Unit I bought actually put out AC power and I discovered Swagman through an eBay listing  - To the best of my knowledge these guys can put together just about any configuration that you might need.

As fas an LPS for your Multibit - I'm hesitant to think that it would have the same ultimate benefit as in an analog setup but would be a fun experiment to try that's fairly low cost and low risk.

And I know that I mentioned above already, but it really is a very nicely made unit and and I've had no issues with it (unlike the Mani, which is another story altogether for a different thread).

Greg
I have a Schitt Modi Multibit, which also runs on 16VAC. However, it’s P.S. is listed as

"Modi 2 Uber and Modi Multibit: Included 16VAC wall-wart with 100% linear power supply".

Whereas the power supply for the Mani is just listed as " ’wall wart’ style 16VAC transformer, regulated +/- 5V rails"

Assuming the Modi P.S. has as much or more amperage, could that be a less expensive way to upgrade to a " Linear Power Supply"

EDIT: Never mind, Modi Power Supply is only 500mA.....

P.S. I only noticed 15 and 18 VAC LPS' on their web page, did you use 15 or have a custom one built?
I had that piece of Schiit, while my tubed phono stage was being repaired.

Not bad, for the money. I would have never thought and LPS would make much of an audible difference.

Perfect for pairing with a budget table/system.

tablejockey - The LPS makes a significant difference.

Also - The term "budget" is obviously subjective, but I wouldn't consider my table or system either; but I do agree, that it WOULD be a great pairing for a budget system- you could certainly do worse.

Greg
 "The term "budget" is obviously subjective, but I wouldn't consider my table or system either;"

gregkohanmim- Yes, I'm just referring to the great price/performance. The term should be "value" 

Relative terms, I agree until one is ready to step up to a $1.5k+ phonostage, the Mani delivers. 


I've seen a few reviews now of folks who imply, or express, that they believe a design flaw in the Mani is creating EMI/RFI issues. I'm wondering what it is that leads people to that conclusion. As the OP here notes, well shielded cables reduced most of the noise. The Mani is merely amplifying the interference that the cables are picking up from the environment, it seems. I understand the temptation to think, "well, this didn't happen with my other phono stage(s)," and while that may be totally true, I don't see how it points to a design flaw with the Mani itself. 
Well, I've never actually taken the unit apart, but I've seen online photos of the Mani and there isn't any internal shielding.  

The original "high-end" cables that I tried with the Mani initially never created any problems with other phono stages or turntables.  If the noise was a simple question of background 60hz hum, that would have been one thing, but clearly the Mani is much more susceptible to radio interference than anything else I've ever  tried at any price.  You could literally hear radio stations as if the Mani was an FM tuner - not acceptable - so, yes, I would say design flaw.

Since I swapped to cheap-o MonoPrice cables and the Swagman Power supply, there's no noise whatsoever - perhaps the AC wall wart that comes with the Mani is the real culprit.

In any event, I haven't had any issues with the current setup and am surprised I've been so happy with it.  Ordinarily I would have upgraded by now and I have never felt the need.

Greg
Hi Greg,

I'm curious if you ever went back to your nicer ICs after swapping out the Schiit wall-wart for the Swagman LPS? I too wonder if their power supply was the noise culprit all along?

Also, did you ever get a chance to test your 2M Black with this stage? I'm considering either the 2M Black or the Quintet Black at this point... would love to hear more feedback from you!

Excellent initial review by the way... B-)

Thanks,

- justin
I can't find this magic "Swagman" PSU. How does one connect a DC supply to the AC power input? Just wondering!
I own a Mani and it is dead quiet, at least with my lowly MM cartridge.
Oh! By the way. The AC wall wart that comes with the Mani is nothing more than a step-down transformer which then plugs into the linear regulated power supply built in to the unit!
Has anyone tried the Mani & LPS with a low output moving coil cartridge if how did it sounded?
The mani has a linear power supply built-in. The wallwart is nothing more than an External Power Transformer. :-)
With the volume up all the way with no input, I can hear some slight power line buzz when set to lowest gain with my MM pickup and with my ear to the speakers. That might be improved by moving the mani away from my other stuff - but it is too slight to bother with. That volume setting would have the Police at my door anyway!
But, really folks; This thing costs only $129.00. and is excellent value for that price!

*My old Threshold FET 10 Hi & FET 10 PC cost $3500.00 in 1990, and I had to run the Phono on batteries in order to get a really clean [no more than slight ’hiss’] sound with my top - at the time - Linn LP12/Ekos/Arkiv/Cirkus/Trampolin.
Prior to that, I received radio signals from the towers in the Hollywood Hills above my apartment, and power supply hum too! With batteries, it was heavenly. :-)
In response to rkay5, I would not spend too much time listening to the Mani’s moving coil stage.

The Mani is a tremendous MM phono stage, but it is seriously impossible to make an excellent sounding MC stage for $129- it simply cannot be done.

I’d consider the Mani’s MC stage as a stopgap only.
Received and running a new Mani for a week now. I have two tables, one of them dedicated for MM and MI carts: Technics SL1200GR. The second table is for MC; VPI Aries 2 with a Lyra Delos. Main phono stage is a Manley Steelhead RC that I’ve had for about 6 years. I wanted to try the Mani in the search of a dedicated phono stage for the Technics’ MMs and MIs. I have to say I am impressed enough by the Mani’s performance that I will keep it. It does not quite have the resolution, dynamic punch and overall smoothness of the Steelhead but it comes awfully close, and, in some ways, I prefer its sound for my non-MC cartridges, especially with a Nagaoka MP110. It does have a unique ability to discern the spatial aspects of instrument/vocal placement and provides a very natural sounding and coherent soundstage. Piano and solo voice are very good. All frequencies seem equally represented and I disagree with those who say it has no mids. The mids are fine and very sweet. Bass is extended and punchy (play any early album by The Jam) and the treble range provides sufficient air and ambience without over-doing it. Frankly, I am amazed and pleased that so much performance is packed into this high value, compact component. And, if you find the LED too bright, just use a color-of-your-choice Sharpie on it to tone it down a bit.
Post removed 
I have a Mani,with Swagman "Signature" upgrade power supply. Very high resolution set up. Also use Loki  in this set-up. N500 Nagoka cartridge, Thorens  Super TD -160, High Fidelity Cable Ultimate rca interconnects. modded Martin Logan Clarity speakers powered by Revamped Fisher X -1000 intregated 55 rums tube amp. Suits my tastes very well, thank you.
Picked up/was delivered a linear power supply for my Mani today, not a Swagman, but a similar unit (selected after much studying) as Swagman seems to be having shipping issues right now. So, I went a different direction. And there are many out there, all from Hong Kong/China it seems, all with varying builds, so did my research of both the unit I selected, and also the sellers feedback via AliExpress.


Well, It does make a difference. A nice difference. One thing that sold me on going this direction (vs getting new phono stage) was many said a linear powered supply with the Mani would help with the mids, and overall soundstage, and yes it does seem to. It also seems quieter overall. I’ve always had an issue with the noise from the Mani, but that may be as much to do with my Grado cart as well. I’ve fussed around with the lead wires and been able to quiet it down some. Anyway, when I first hooked it up, I had the Mani previously set for 48db of gain with the stock wal-wart and my Grado Red cart. I realized right away that the addition of the power supply increased the gain by a fair amount with its inclusion. So, after one side of an album, tried the ‘stock’42db setting, which I think reduces the noise a bit as well, and still provides the linear power supplies sonic benefits as mentioned.

For about $120 shipped, I would say a very nice addition to the Mani. I felt I may have been throwing my money away on this, but I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with the addition of a power supply to the Mani. Really, not sure why Schiit does not offer this as an option. 

I highly recommend anyone with a Mani trying this out. So far, I’m pretty pleased with the small additional investment in an already inexpensive but very good phono stage.
Hey bkeske, I was looking at Swagman Labs but to many issues with shipping has stopped me for now. What LPS did you go with?
@wturkey, Thanks for the link but I got the Swagman Labs LPS about 6weeks ago now. LOVE IT!!
Glad everyone is happy with their Swagman supply. However, I would like to point out that the Schiit Mani has a linear power supply  on their circuit board with a small external transformer.The Swagman is NOT a linear power supply. It is a toroidal transformer with some EMI protection.
@oldears  Thank you very much for the reminder about the Swagman Labs PS. I now think that we all know that it is not a LPS but a toroidal transformer, but it makes a differnce in the Mani.
I ordered one and it got here (Toronto Canada) in 6 days!  I will hook it up tomorrow and give you my thoughts. Is there much break in time?
Well I have found pretty much what the OP stated. It now digs deeper in the bass, the mids are more defined, the  highs are smoother, airier and more spacious. I have noticed that there is now more inner detail, a larger sound stage and everything seems more relaxed. Not slower by any means. I was just listening to an old Pointer Sisters record with the song “Wang Dang Doodle” and couldn’t stop from bouncing around in my seat! I don’t think that I will be upgrading for quite a while and even then not until I can scrape up well over $1k. The power supply (at least in my setup) responded quite well to power cable changes too, but then you’re probably getting into far too much money for the little Mani. I think that this combination sounds better than the phono section of my old NAIM 32.5 preamp! Do I think this is a good upgrade for the Mani? Oh hell yeah!
P.S the cartridge is an SAE 1000e (NOS) high output MC. 
Yes indeed, amazing how this addition really put the Mani in another league. And it’s pretty darn good without it.

Will eventually replace mine, but right now, no complaints.

And to add, I didn’t get the Swagman, per the reasons I previously stated, mine is an actual LPS, and after many hours has caused zero issues. Odd perhaps, given the power structure of the Mani, but true.