Schiit Mani + Nagaoka MP-110 - Best Settings?

[K-Shaps]

Hi All,

I recently upgraded my setup (new preamp and cart) and wanted to ask what the best settings are that I should have this set with. Getting the cart today so maybe I'm jumping the gun here...but with just the Mani added in something is definitely weird...

My Setup
Denon DP-300F
Nagaoka MP-110 (Installing tonight! - currently have an Ortofon 2M Red)
Schiit Mani
Pioneer SX-750
Mission MS-50

I listened to about 15 LPs yesterday with the Mani hooked up with the 2M Red. No matter what, I can't get this to sound pleasing to me over speakers. Via headphones it sounds noticeably better to me, but via headphones or speakers the mids seem muffled. Is this a characteristic of the Mani or the 2M Red? I have been running the 2M Red for over a year now directly into my SX-750 with no external pre-amp (just using my TTs) and it sounded fine to me - could have been better hence this upgrade that I have read so much about. I thought introducing the Mani would bring improvements across the board. To me it feels like it didn't - the bass is punchier and the highs are crystal clear, but those mids sound ugly and held back.

Again maybe I'm jumping the gun and after adding in the Nagaoka MP-110 tonight will resolve all of this. Thoughts?

 

[CDinMB]

I hope you get the sound you want from your components. I bought a Mani as a cheap pre until I found what I wanted. I never got good sound from it. It hates the common ground of my Rega, works ok with the Thorens. My experience with Mani is getting rid of it in my system gave me the mid magic I had always read about. It pushed me to find a better pre sooner.

I hope your experience is better.

 

[K-Shaps]

Yeah I ditched the Mani too after a weekend full of testing. All hype to my ears. It does certain things really well, but as a whole it took the "oomph" out of my records. Love the MP-110 so that is staying.

 

[mcgjohn]

Have tried the mani on and off for a few months. Finally popped the hood to see what was inside. Parts can use a significant upgrade.

The Mani will sound good only after you do some parts upgrades to it. You can also do same on your Pioneer phono stage, and really make it sing.

would focus on the load resistor (use a vishay bulk foil for this) and any caps in the signal path....

best of luck

 

[Spektre]

I've just picked up a Mani myself and as you say, treble and bass are great. Initially it sounded pretty harsh and and shut in but has gradually began to open up a little, just one of those components that may take time to get into its stride, mines still improving. In terms of gain I've found the 48db to sound a little better than 30db.

 

[Cubicub]

I am a fan of the mani. Here are the settings I used on mine. I Also use a Nagaoka 110. Leave the mani on all the time, it will warm up the sound of the pre quicker. 10 hrs of break in.

 

[Stevie F]

I just purchased a Mani and a Nagaoka 110 as well. I'm lacking in highs. I'll try your settings, Cubicub, and see how that works. I'm using an old Technics SL-D2 TT, PS audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC Pre and a Rotel RB-980BX power amp through Monitor Audio Silver 300 speakers. I'll have to give my old albums a good cleaning as well. I've only got maybe an hour on the Mani. May need to break in a little more??

 

[P38Louis]

My Mani and Nagoma 200 must be fighting if all the gains are set low it takes about 50+ watts to drive a Kliscph 5.1 system to perfection my Yamaha 75W per channel doesn't over heat I have a fan system that is on top of the amp for more space and cooling. Setting the gains either all up (over driven distortion) or variations rases left too high or set the other way right too high. Any other recomendations other than going back to my Parasound that I like untill the Schit Mani came home. Nagoma 200 is so fantastic they made it purple.

 

[Nucities]

Just bought a similar combo to the OP. I am running a Ortofon Red 2M through the Schiit Mani...was really looking forward to it but after maybe 2-3 hours I was left really disappointed. Not only were the mids muffled but I was actuality getting a bit of what I heard as distortion in the treble at low-modest volume. In addition, every little pop in the rerecord seemed to have been amplified 3 fold...some background hiss as well. I have it set at standard MM 42db. I have read that dropping to what Schiit calls "Decca" setting (30db) can provide better results. Seems odd for MM but what the hell.

I have had that 2m Red running directly through my Sony STR 6060 and it sounded great. I had considered buying a Nagaoka 110 anyways so I may give that a try....could pair better?

I've heard many folks who swear by that Mani but so far totally unimpressed.

 

[skippy_ps]

Hmmm. I got Mani a few weeks ago and it works well with a Shure V15Vx, PLX-1000. Both load switches at 47k, of course and Gain 1 at L and Gain 2 at H for 42 db gain. Haven't tried other gain settings with MM.

Those Bluejeans cables are very low capacitance so maybe look into different cables from TT to phono pre.

Murray

 

[mcgjohn]

I just purchased a Mani and a Nagaoka 110 as well. I'm lacking in highs. I'll try your settings, Cubicub, and see how that works. I'm using an old Technics SL-D2 TT, PS audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC Pre and a Rotel RB-980BX power amp through Monitor Audio Silver 300 speakers. I'll have to give my old albums a good cleaning as well. I've only got maybe an hour on the Mani. May need to break in a little more??

if you are lacking highs, measure the capacitance of your phono lead and see what cap is loading the inputs down on the phono stage.

in some cases you can remove that phono pre cap.
but measure first before you do anything.

 

[lightcapture]

My 15 month old Mani w/ Ortofon 2m Blue sounds simply amazing to me. It surpasses cds from my bluray player w/ Schiit Modi3 DAC by a huge amount...not even close. The mids are as clear as the highs and the bass is tight and articulate. I hear nothing muffled in the midrange. I use the gain settings they recommended and didn't try any other.

(The rest of my system: TT is a Thorens TD203 w/ uni-pivot arm. I've used a variety of interconnects to amp and no loss of mid detail. My amp is a tube integrated amp.)

Just loving the sound in every regard.

 

[Poultrygeist]

FWIW I found the Mani to be a step up from the much more expensive Jolida JD9 tube phono preamp.

 

[PatrickTubes]

Have a Mani and have run an AT3600L, Grace F-8, Denon DL-103, Supex SD 900 Super through it.

Great transparency and detail, excellent bass; really gets the rapid slam on the drum solo from Steely Dan's Aja on the F-8, even the super cheap 3600 sounds good. Kinda feel it's killer at that price point with MM carts.

On MC, it got most of what I love about the Denon and Supex. Missing some detail and air, but the bass, the dynamics and mid-range are good, very enjoyable. Pretty certain that a really well-matched SUT will top it.

But nothing at that price point overall. I've read about folks with hum issues but it appears that they don't understand ground loops very well.

 

[Jeff Hooper]

I run a MP-110 into a Mani on an SL-1200 III. Settings are 47k (both), Gain 1 H, Gain 2 L. I'll try and switch the gains and see if I hear any difference, but have been pretty happy with it so far. For the price I think its a pretty solid preamp.

 

[PatrickTubes]

The Mani seems to match any MM cartridge you throw at it really well. I've been using it with a Shure SC35C; very dynamic, lively with lots of sparkle.

I'm gonna guess that the OP might have capacitance issues; that gives that classic gripe folks used to have about many Shure cartridges being dead sounding. I load my SC35C with 450 pF.

Using +42dB setting, 47K ohms

 

[CrazyEddie69]

I purchased one about 1 month ago. It sounds better on my Sansui AU-517 than the phono inputs for this integrated amplifier. I am using a Pioneer PLX-500 turntable. I did have to play with the settings (trial and error approach).

My vinyl actually sounds better than CD using the Mani.