I tried a few phono preamps in this price range (+\- $100) for my Fluance RT85 deck, including one from Fluance, and this one from Schiit outperformed them all without even touching the many controls that are discretely hidden on the bottom of the unit. This preamp sounds significantly superior to the Fluance preamp, certainly worth the approx. $100 premium. I have this paired with Schiit's micro-sized passive dual input volume control for an excellent minimalist setup.

I have put alot more money in my system before and received alot less performance. This little phono preamp performs well above its cost point. It even handled my MC cartridge with ease. The wallet says budget preamp. The ears say "˜NO WAY!"

I went almost full schiit mode and got this phono pre-amp as well as their Freya+ tube pre-amp and their Vidar 2 amp for my KEF Q350s and Fluance RT85 turntable. Really happy with the overall sound I'm getting from my LPs. Very clear, very detailed, great staging and depth. Of course it is the entire system and I cannot say that Mani 2 is the sole contributor to the quality of the sound, but it is a strong link in the overall chain of equipment and does its part well. I have it separated from other items as instructed by Schiit and it is sitting on its own, away from the amps to avoid any unnecessary interference.

My previous experience is coming from Yamaha's integrated amplifier A-S801 and its built in phono pre-amp. I however upgraded the entire stack at the same time, so I cannot comment on how Mani would have sounded on Yamaha vs. its own phono pre-amp. Overall jump in the sound quality was very, very noticeable after the upgrade. I enjoyed my Yamaha for about a year and listened to it almost every day and never felt that I was missing anything in the quality of the sound. However once switched over the Schiit stack, the difference was dramatic. Much more detailed, much more crisp. My wife noticed the change in sound immediately as well.

Overall very happy with this purchase and overall Schiit's quality of products.

I really love the aesthetics and sound and the ability to use my headphones or speakers with my PC or turntable.

I'm using the Mani with my Jotunheim

This thing is pretty loud, I had to use the low amp setting and keep the volume dial pretty low.

My Setup:

Turn Table -> Mani -> Jotunheim -> Speakers or Headphones
PC -> Jotunheim -> Speakers or Headphones

I just flip the input switch on the Jotunheim to change sources.

The Jotunheim is modular and supports a phono unit, but my modular slot has the DAC for my PC.

This works out better for me anyways, because I can keep the Mani off to the side and use longer cables under the desk for a better look.

This product is GREAT! I needed a phono preamp because the receiver I'm using now does not have one built in. I can't say enough how much better my LPs sound now compared to using my old receiver or a not so good phono preamp. I'm glad I bought this product!