Durmmer808
I owned the Chinook and enjoyed it for the season I had it. Using a Soundsmith MIMIC Star cartridge with the Manley had me smiling every time I listened to Rock, R&B, The Dead and Jazz! However, when it came time to listen to Classical at low volume I felt like all I could hear was the background floor noise tube presence. That drove me bonkers. With that being said...at the time my whole system was an all tube set-up from my pre-amp to my mono's. Question is: Do you mind the tube presence at low or high volumes? Also, what are you going to be listening to on the Manley. Everything you have read abut the Chinook is true....Silky smooth highs and all the air on top you can handle and tight bottom end.
As for the Stellar, it's built like a tank just like the Chinook. It retrieve the ALL the information from your vinyl like the Chinook. Both are packed with internal electrical hardware. In other words you are getting what you paid for. The BIG difference (TO ME) is Modern vs NOS.
The Stellar is 6ft under dead quiet. You have on the fly remote control.
The choice is up to you. You will not loose either way.
Tube Bliss vs Solid State (wishing for some tube hiss)...lol!
