A proud younger sibling of Manley’s revered STEELHEAD phono preamp, the CHINOOK is world-class vacuum tube phono stage demonstrating supreme linearity, the flexibility to accommodate any turntable set up and, perhaps most alluringly, an keenly affordable price.
ETA 1-2 WEEKS
- Tube phono stage based on STEELHEAD preamp design
- 6922 x 2 gain stage with 6922 x2 output stage
- Manley Teflon and gold plated RCA unbalanced jack inputs
- 3-way capacitor selector for moving magnet MM cartridges
- Selectable 5-position input impedance for MC cartridges
- Automatic mute timer
CHINOOK is developed for music lovers over switch tweakers, and features an elegant design, efficiently constructed by hand at Manley Labs’ main facility in California.
CHINOOK inherits some of the best parts of the STEELHEAD’s internal design. Each channel harnesses two triode sections of a 6922 tube for amplification, routed via hard-working RIAA equalisation networks to a second 6922 dual triode in what’s known as a 'White Follower' configuration. CHINOOK’s output circuitry provides super-low impedance hand-in-hand with powerful current-driving prowess.
Inline with Manley’s overall audiophile philosophy, time-proven components are employed throughout the CHINOOK’s design to deliver not only seductive sonics but also the reliability that audio professionals the world over rely on.
Thanks to CHINOOK’s comprehensive array of accessible user settings, dialing CHINOOK in for specific setups is made remarkable easy. 45 or 60dB internal gain can be selected for moving coil or moving magnet cartridges respectively, while the rear panel features DIP switches to adjust capacitance loading values and input resistance.
Up to 31 possible options are available between 26 and 800 Ohms - with a special setting for 47k Ohms - alongside 7 capacitive loading choices between 50 and 350 pF. These wide ranging flexibility furnishes turntable owners not only with the power to match any cartridge, but to fine tune its configuration to their personal listening preference.
