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
Also I remember reading somewhere someone had a Chinook noise problem because they had only placed the top cover on the unit and not screwed it back on.
tkr, Are you sure your problem was like that described by the OP? Because his problem does not at all sound as simple as a grounding problem really is. What he describes seems most likely due to a bad solder joint or a defective diode or transistor or op amp, somewhere.

Believe me, this was an earthing problem like I`ve never had before. There was popping, crackling, spiking.
I had a Manley repair contractor come home to me, after having sent the unit away for repair TWICE. Only then was the problem solved.
Phill55- Check the Herron website.  Keith’s current phonostage supports different cartridge
loading plugs.
this is for lps4eloise
i have a manley chinook phono stage,VPI turntable, and a sound smith mimc star cartridge. I've been having the same issues as you. its not a pop ,its more like a discharge sound. its horrible.feel like I'm going to damage my speakers. if i take a record off with the volume up it makes that discharge sound also. Is yours fixed . if so what was the solution. Everyone is playing the blame game.