I would suggest the Rogue Ares as a comparable unit in that range. I auditioned both, and I ultimately chose the Ares. Both were excellent, and it was more a matter of taste and the tubes that happened to be in each unit than anything else. |
I would pop for the chinook. the last year I was trying out a number of phono stages in the 2k to 5k range. The chinook is really good with MC or MM.
takes a big jump if you rolll in some NOS valves for the 1st position.
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I've been super happy with my Chinook. I've also had Jolida JD9 and Musical Surroundings Phonomena Nova phono stages. The Chinook is in another class, much quieter than the JD9 and more detailed and dynamic than either the Jolida or Phonomena.
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Since you do have an opportunity on the Chinook, grab it.
I have spent some time with several popular tube units mentioned on Agon. The Chinookwill put your table/cart in a good light. As mentioned, you can also fine tune it by replacing just one of the 6DJ8's to personalize the sound. Power cord also, is another tweaky consideration.
2 other units that that are popular are the Herron and Allnic. They show up now and then on Agon.
I noticed, having spent time with these nice units, it becomes hair splitting, with one or the other offering subtle nuance. Subjective-all "good" For me it then becomes, what does the most expensive unit offer, and is it REALLY worth it?
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Yes , buddy of mine recommended Allnic ....I think I'll give the Chinook a whirl ....so you guys are suggesting upgrading the tubes? Please deliberate ...thanks |
Owned and enjoyed a Chinook so much that I traded it in for a Steelhead. I would say it honestly produces 85-90% the performance of the Steelhead, mainly in the area of microdynamics, likely due to differences in the power supplies. |
tommypenngotti-Just one slot is the "money tube" I don't recall which one, but you can contact Manley. 6DJ8. Listen to it stock for awhile, then decide if you want more excitement.
Out of the box, the Chinook is nice.
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Might try Upscale Audio for a Chinook. Bought the MKII version they offer. Tubes already upgraded and matched. Got a good deal from them. Replaced a Musical Surroundings Nova II. Very noticeable improvement in SQ. I was noticing a small amount of congestion in the upper mid range with the Nova. Not there with the Chinook. Also noticed much richer and full sound. |
I almost pulled the trigger of my spear gun on that fish this summer. I've always wanted a tube stage. I have an Acoustech PH1P now and it has a lot of detail. I wonder how the Chinook would contrast to it |
I have to go down to the USPS to pick up my Chinook Special addition Mark II, that I bought from Upscale Audio in California.
The owner of upscale, Kevin deal, really loves the Manley Chinook. So much so, that he worked out a deal with Manley to create a Special Edition that is only sold from Upscale Audio.
For research, Go to the Upscale Audio website and click on the Manley Chinook SE. It will take you to a page that will show you a video of Kevin talking excitedly about the Chinook.
Kevin’s SE version uses 4 Tungsram 7DJ8s, which he specifically selected for this phono after a lot of tube testing. The SE version also gets rid of the rack mount holes, and makes it a cleaner design.
Last week when I ordered the SE from Kevin, he had sold 3 that day. In fact, he had enough orders that the delivery of SEs from Manley was slightly backordered.
Im not a phono aficionado, but I study the helk out of this shilt. I didn’t want a lot of tubes in my phono stage because I already have tubes in my preamp and also my room usually heats up with tubes. And I don’t have AC.
So I chose the Chinook because it only has four tubes. True, the Allnic may sound just as good as the Manley, but the Allnic has 6 to 8 tubes. That’s a lot of heat and a lot of high cost for an NOS tubes. You can use lesser tubes, but IMO you’re cheating yourself if you do.
best
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Having owned several preamps two other tube types, I can say I'll most likely stay with my Chinook, The SE addition is not worth the extra mile in my opinion cause the stock EH tubes are the best I've tried, plus the Manly customer service is next to none prompt concise answers, the president of the company has always answered mine :) |
if you don't want to deal with tubes and are looking for something stone quiet, the Parasound 3 Jr is a bargain. if you want to tube roll Chinook, and buy from Kevin at Upscale |
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i'm looking at the Manley chinook . i have a bel canto phono one . it's very good . not sure how big the upgrade would be |
the other quick change you can do on the chinook is replace those crappy 0.47 uf wima caps with a film and foil. the imaging will really open up a ton. |
@johnss
Could you please elaborate a little more on replacing the caps? Like which ones and what is the proper replacement? |
@johnss
personally I have had problems in the past with gear that has had modifications ...whoever did the mod is suspect. I trust Manley's specs and their techs .. |
The Lyngdorf is absolutely awesome with the Tektons. Why looking for the change . Had several as amps and tubes with the regular DIs and the Lyngdorf was the best by far. Not the case with other speakers I tried it with. Great synergy. |
@mofojo
sold the Lyngdorf years back ....Manley snappers / Jumbo Shrimp , more my vibe...the drums were undeniably more punchy & low end more full with tubes... 🤷🏻♂️ |
Ohh damn didn’t notice this thread was 3 years old! Missed that…ha |
can't post any pics here, but they are on the low voltage side back where the op amps are located. The opamps are not in the signal path but are used for voltage regulation. if you contact me off line, can send a few photos for those interested. |
