Item: Manley Chinook Phono stage with 4 NOS Amperex 7308 tubes
Location: Vic
Price: $2100
Item Condition: Excellent
Reason for selling: Changed system configuration
Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only
Extra Info:
Bought this from Tubularbells just over a month ago: http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php/topic/100086-sold-manley-chinook-phono-amp-with-4-nos-ampex-7308-tubes/?hl=chinook.
It sang beautifully with my Lyra Delos (on both the Well tempered Classic and the LP12 through a two way SUT) feeding through a Naim Uniti 2. The sound was organic and detailed. I found the build of the unit very impressive and well thought out. One of the few phono stage that does not go pop when you switch it off (I think it goes into mute mode when you power it up and when you turn it off). The only issue is switching the gain which is done by removing the covers although it is not a difficult job (was trying to decide whether to use internal amplification or external SUT - the SUT works slightly better in my system). This is quite well known and lots of reviews on there Net. The bonus are the NOS Amperex 7308 tubes which are quite expensive in their own right (about $200-300) and gives a tight sweet tone to the unit.
So why am I selling it?
I have since swapped out the Naim for a Jadis tube amp, and the combination of a tube phono stage and a tube amp produces too much colour for my taste. It actually sound quite good but Jadis is quite a coloured amp and it took me some getting use to (in contrast to my other tube amp, the Audio Space which is more neutral). So I ended up auditioning quite a few phono stages and this unfortunately has to go.
Happy to demo for those interested.
Pictures: (note the unit uses 4 6922 tubes - I wrapped 2 before I decided to photograph them)
