This pre amp has changed my whole outlook on things ... I have been using many preamps, over the years, NAD, Denon; Onkyo built ins; Little Bear T-8, Pro-Ject MM and the original Mani to name a few. None have been outrageously priced, or too extravagant, I just want good sound at a reasonable price. The original Mani was actually giving me the most satisfaction of the ones I had tried. And was the most recent in my system.... Lately I was thinking of getting a new moving coil cartridge because my current cartridge the Ortofon 2M Bronze being good and having it for years now, still leaves room for improvement...So I thought maybe the New Mani would be a better fit for a new moving coil cartridge like the Hana SL or Sumiko Songbird etc... As the original Mani while good with Moving Magnets falls short with low output Moving coils, or so it's said according to reviews....So anyway, still using the Ortofon 2M Bronze after purchase, I hooked this Mani 2 up to my system and... bam...The Ortofon 2M Bronze opened up like I had never heard it before. Remember how the 2M Bronze is supposed to be analytical and dry? Not any more this thing turned the 2M Bronze into a musical flying instrument. Greater detail that surpasses the good detail I was so fond of before. In addition, more bass, more bounce, cleaner highs and a more focused soundstage where you can focus and pick out individual instruments better, everything sounds more real, like you're listing to a violin instead of a recording of a violin, vocals also sound more real ....Advanced high points adjustable capacitance, subsonic filter. Getting the capacitance right for your Moving Magnet Cartridge is critical to get the most out of it...Some need 100 Pf some need 300 Pf to sound their best. I've set 147 Pf (on the Mani) for the 2m Bronze with Mogami 2964 cables (19.8 pf a foot) so I'm getting about 240 pf total including turntable wiring... Subsonic filter...Do you like to play it loud or do you use a subwoofer? If that is the case, you need this feature. I use it and I think it makes things sound better...Moving Coil adjustments? They are needed. Why pay the price if you're not going to get the sonic benefits from your Moving Coil? Either way get this pre amp...

I got this to go with my Fluance RT-85 and could not be happier. It's one of the best in the $100-$150 price range, if not the best. Schiit make some good stuff and they're a U.S. based company (office in CA and assembled in TX). I own a few Schitt products and have yet to be disappointed. I ALMOST got the Fluance pre-amp for less $$ (to match the turntable), but the Schiit will handle additional cartridge types: MM, MC, and MI. So I've got my bases covered if I ever go further down this "rabbit hole" of audiophile-grade equipment. Amazon asked me to "Rate The Volume Control" so I only gave THAT part 1-star (no volume control...but it's not SUPPOSED to have volume control).
I also considred the iFi Zen...another great choice for the $100 to $150 range. But I went with the Schiit since I like the look a little better (plus, I get to say "Schiit" and not get into trouble).

For me, this was the first Schiit product I owned. I have an entry level Onkyo NR-595 AVR that has a built in phono preamp, but I had to turn the volume to 70 to get moderate volume, whereas with digital music, 45 was good for average listening. On top of the volume issue, the AVR had issues with bass and the mids just didn't sound full and lifelike. It was dull and closed in, is the best way I know how to describe it.
The Schiit Mani 2 is a remarkably powerful preamp. I plugged it up and had to turn down the input gain on the Left and Right in order for it to cooperate with my AVR. I then proceeded to listen to albums at normal listening levels at the 35-45 volume setting; this is a lot less taxing on the AVR amp and simply sounds better. And when it comes to sound, whereas this AVR phono was dull and closed, this was wide open sound stage and vivid mids and highs with the bass working so much better. I'm very happy with the purchase, although I did buy direct from Schiit. I've already got a Schiit Asgard 3 w/ DAC for headphone listening and I've ordered a Modicus E DAC. I'll be getting a Freya + in February, so the AVR is going away. Schiit, you've got my full support.

This pre-amp has a ton of adjustment options, which was needed to make my DENON DL-110 cartridge come to live, as God intended, so to speak. This high-output MC item sort of falls through the cracks and my previous NAD phono stage just couldn't do. Wish I bought this years ago. Excellent sound stage, and very very quiet on its own ... I wish the Amazon price was the same as on the company website, which I found out later is substantially better (only beef with this purchase).

I paired my Pioneer DJ PLX-1000 with this Schiit Mani 2. Then connected a powered Yamaha sound bar and bam!! Incredible performance and sound. Very happy and simple to hook up. Don't need all the other stuff like receiver, etc.