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Manley Chinook - chronic issues

I’ve had this Chinook that I purchased from Upscale in September, it has no time on it. I have not enjoyed a single record at this point. I have been plagued by chronic static and popping issues. It is defiantly the Chinook as I have used other sources and a different preamp with no issues. There seems to be a constant crackle pop on all vinyl and now to add insult to injury the Chinook made 4 loud bangs back to back tonight and it really worried me so I shut down the system. These were not dirty vinyl click or pops but loud bangs.

I had narrowed down that one of the tubes on the output channel was bad, and it was replaced. Yet the issues continue and now have progressed with the loud bang. I also have a loud "fuzz" noise coming through the right channel. At this point I swapped the left input channel to the right and the "fuzz" noise flipped to the left channel. More bad tubes?

I can’t deal with this preamp anymore, what was suppose to be a get away has turned into nothing but constant stress.
Bad tubes? Bad board?


lps4eloise

Showing 2 responses by zkidd

zkidd
101 posts
 
Did you buy this new from Upscale? Even used I think they warranty the used stuff for perhaps 90 days? When did this start or did it start in September? If so, I hate to mention the obvious but that piece should have gone back as soon as those demons raised their ugly head.
I say no to tubes as I cannot believe you keep coming up with bad tubes every time you swap one out. Are all the soldered joints that hold the tube sockets to the board solid? It sounds to me that somewhere their is a bad or loose connection that is allowing some DC to run amok in the unit. Did you call Manley? The people there are pretty good about diagnosing the issues over the phone but it sounds to me that the Chinook is going to need a trip back to the factory for a good "once over". It is at times amazing how a small piece (resistor etc.) can go bad and make a mess of the whole unit. I once had a $1.25 resistor turn a whole preamp into a boat anchor. The same with a transformer that went south. If tube replacements did not cure the problem then the issues is probably beyond the skills of mere mortals and the manufacturer needs to eye-ball it.
riley804 called it. The Chinook needs a trip home, sorry to say but there is a lot that goes on in the Chinook and you do not want to be messing with it.
zkidd
101 posts
 
Good advice from phill55. No matter the piece, be it solid state or tubed, anything man makes, breaks. No exceptions. I have a neighbor who is a mechanical engineer and damn near a genius, and he calls any with some type of electrical engineering "black magic" and it scares the crap out of him! I do understand your frustration as I had a CJ preamp that died on me twice within six months, both times repaired by CJ to the tune of a lot of money. The second failure was within six months of CJ having done the first repair and they never even offered to help with the cost of the second repair, and they said they only warrantied their repairs for 90 days. Now that made me want to sell the piece, and I did, but that said, it was only after the second failure that I got frustrated. I think Manley is way above board on their business ethics and all so I am willing to bet that once the Chinook is back and running as it can you will be very pleased.
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