Manley MOVING COIL User Manual

CHINOOK

O W N E R S M A N U A L

MOVING COIL & MOVING MAGNET

PHONOGRAPH PREAMPILFIER

Issue 1. Rev 1.0

January 2012

Designed & Manufactured

in the USA by

Manley Laboratories, Inc.

13880 Magnolia Avenue

Chino, California 91710, USA

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

[e-mail]

www.manley.com

MANLEY

LABORATORIES, INC.

CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

CONTENTS i

INTRODUCTION 1

UNPACKING 1

INSTALLATION PRECAUTIONS 2

FEATURES AND APPLICATIONS 3 - 5

1. Standby & Power Switching 3

2. MM & MC Gain Selection 3

3. Selectable Cartridge Loading 4

4. Load Switching 5

5. High Performance Front End 5

6. Accurate “4-corner” RIAA Equalization 5

OPERATIONAL NOTES 6 - 7

INTERNAL VIEW 8

TROUBLESHOOTING 9

MAINS VOLTAGE SELECTION 10

SPECIFICATIONS 11

MANLEY

LABORATORIES, INC.

Chinook Owners Manual i

INTRODUCTION

THANK YOU!...

...for choosing The MANLEY CHINOOK phonograph preamplifier. Please read this manual carefully as
it contains information which is essential to the proper operation and maximum enjoyment of this
fabulous instrument.

With the current resurgence of vinyl playback, MANLEY LABS could see the need for a new design. By
utilizing the same advanced technology as used in our critically-acclaimed flagship STEELHEAD
preamplifier, a new product was developed: the CHINOOK. State-of-the art performance now
available at a fraction of the cost.

Everything from the most exotic 180 gram audiophile pressing, to a 25 cent thrift-store classic will be
reproduced accurately and musically.

The MANLEY CHINOOK is designed to provide that rare combination of optimum sonic performance
coupled with the ability to use either moving magnet or moving coil cartridges.

As we say here at MANLEY LABS: Chino…...OK!

Unpack your Chinook Phono Preamplifier carefully and make sure that all supplied accessories are
present.

Examine all items for any possibility of shipping damage. All four tubes should be standing to
attention in their sockets. If the unit is damaged or fails to operate, notify the dealer who supplied
the unit, contact the shipper if the packing box shows excessive damage and finally contact us if you
are not happy with the response you receive.

Your CHINOOK was packed with extreme love and care. Each box includes the following components
and accessories:

1 x 6 foot Mains Cable IEC 3 to 3 pin connector suitable for your country
(that you will probably replace with an expensive audiophile cord anyway.)

1 x Owners Manual (that we hope you will keep reading.)

It is wise to retain the shipping materials for future use, as they are custom-formed for the
preamplifier and will greatly minimize the chance of shipping-related damage should you ever need
to put your precious Chinook in the careless hands of The Shipping People again.

MANLEY

LABORATORIES, INC.

Chinook Owners Manual 1

INSTALLATION PRECAUTIONS

a) Avoid locating the preamp where it will be exposed to direct sunlight, excessive
humidity, dust or moisture. Extreme environments may temporarily or permanently
degrade preamp performance.

b) Keep the preamp housing away from sources of strong magnetic field radiation, such
as large video display CRTs, large power lines or power/audio transformers in nearby
equipment. Keep in mind that the tiniest disturbance to sensitive signal cables will be
amplified many hundreds or thousands of times.

c) Locate the preamp away from heat-radiating sources, such as other large amps, or
space-heating equipment.

d) Make sure the preamp and power supply is switched off before making any system

connections.

e) Dissipate any static electric charge build-up on your body by touching the enclosure

before making or changing any system connections. The preamp electronics are fairly
robust as far as immunity to damage from static charge is concerned, but total immunity
cannot be had without unacceptable compromise of audio performance.

Be careful to feed only low-level phono cartridge signals to the preamp input connectors.
Sustained line-level signals above 15 volts peak may cause damage to sensitive MC input
stages even when the preamp is in the standby mode or when the power is off.

AC VOLTAGE SELECTION

Before powering your Chinook check that the Voltage corresponds to your local supply. This
is labeled on the serial badge. i.e if your supply is 120V the serial badge must state 120V AC.
If the marked voltage does not correspond do not power the unit and consult your dealer
immediately.

The Chinook can be factory ordered in a 120 or 240 Volt configuration. Consult your dealer
if you need to change the operating voltage, as this is not a user-modifiable feature.

MANLEY

LABORATORIES, INC.

Chinook Owners Manual 2