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Herron VTPH-2A or Manley Chinook mk II phonostage

Anyone have a direct comparison with these two phonostage’s  the Herron and Manley. I currently have a Soundsmith MCP2 MK II with a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC ⭐️
I also am looking to upgrade my tt, and lets say my head has been spinning. 5-8000 range

current system
primaluna hp premium integrated 
focal Sopra 2
rel s/5 sub
luxman sm-150 cd
marantz tt-151S ( the one Clear audio built)
cardas parasec interconnects 

some tt I have been considering
dr Feickert - woodpecker or Blackbird
vpi
Vertere 
EAT Forte S Fatismo

not a lover of the round look

also have a VPI Classic 3 gently used offered to me by a very reliable source for 3 k

any help is welcomed as I have become overwhelmed.
 
Thanks
peter 


128x128tastypeter
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,393 posts
 
The consensus here seems to be that the Herron is the best. 
lewm
12,429 posts
 
What “consensus”? How many Herron fans have also heard the Chinook in their home systems? Not many, I’d guess.In my opinion, these are two very fine phono stages, and you would have to audition them both and make your own choice. There is no clear evidence for a separation in their performance. Or you can decide based on the features (gain, number of inputs, tube complement, etc) that one offers versus the other.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
I owned a Chinook but ended up selling as I replaced it with the Musical Surrounding Nova 3 which in my system bested it quite handily.
However I think a lot of it was the ability to run 100k loading which opened up everything.

I gather the Herron has wide open loading option so that may actually have the edge but I have not tried one.

All you can Garner are opinions as you will ultimately need to try them in your system as what I get may well react totally different in your system .

Good luck diving deep into this rabbit hole!
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Herron, all the way.
Search all the comments, then call Keith Herron. That's what I did and got mine about a year ago. No desire to side by side. Not at all. Its a keeper.


testpilot
895 posts
 
Both highly respected brands.  It will all boil down to preference and budget. 
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