Symphonic Phono Preamp by Chord Electronics

The Symphonic is Chord’s flagship MC phono stage, offering a range of advanced features. The high-performance Symphonic uses Chord’s latest high-frequency power supply technology to exploit vinyl’s full potential, along with many new key features, to bring the performance levels in line with the Choral range with the DAVE DAC/preamp.

The Symphonic offers an almost infinite number of input impedance and gain options as well as balanced and unbalanced input options to the cartridge, making it a highly flexible device for integrating high-quality turntables into Chord systems. The comprehensive settings options are all externally selectable, with selections signified internally with illuminating LEDs.

A rumble filter removes unwanted low-frequency rumble signals appearing on both channels. The Symphonic Phono stage conforms to the RIAA curve without the IEC roll-off when the Rumble filter is set to ‘off’ Preamps: CPA 2500, CPA 3000, CPA 5000, and CPA 8000. Preamps: CPA 2500, CPA 3000, CPA 5000, and CPA 8000.; this is commensurate with the high caliber of Chord amplification. The IEC curve response can be added by setting the Rumble filter to ‘on’. According to the wiring of the tonearm on the turntable used, the Symphonic can be operated in either an unbalanced or balanced mode.

Features:

• Supports Moving Coil Cartridges
• HF Switch Mode Power Supply
• Selectable Gain and Impedance
• Fully Balanced Circuitry
• Solid Aluminum Chassis
• Selectable Impedance: 4.7Ω, 33Ω, 100Ω
• Selectable Gain: 40dB – 80dB
• Inputs:
  • 1x Stereo Unbalanced RCA Pair
  • 1x Stereo Balanced XLR PAir
• Outputs:
  • 1x Stereo Unbalanced RCA Pair
  • 1x Stereo Balanced XLR Pair

Enjoythemusic
“the Chord Symphonic isn’t the best high-end phono stage I’ve ever had in my system. But it is certainly going to be tough to find one that is better than this Chord MC phono preamp anywhere near its price, given that the best phono preamp that I’ve ever heard in my system cost nearly five times as much as this one. Yet, there are so many traits that this phono preamp shares with the “best” its scary. Its greatest strength is its level of transparency, but it also possesses the talent of somehow realizing what is passing through it is music, and that it passes on this knowledge to the next component in my system. There is also the not so small matter of making instruments sound like “the real thing”. This last trait is of course a matter of interpretation, mostly because even with the most expensive high-end audio systems our quest for the holy grail continues in the area of not being able to tell the difference between a recording and reality.”

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0119/Chord_Electronics_Symphonic_MC_Phono_Preamplifier_Review.htm

• Input Noise: 1.5nV/Hz
• Max Output Voltage RMS: 10v RMS
• Equalization Range: 12Hz to 25kHz
• Equalization Response: RIAA Curve
• Equalization Accuracy: +/- 0.1dB
• Frequency Response: 5Hz – 40kHz
• Rumble Filter: Rausch Slope -24dB per octave below 50Hz
• Output Impedance: 520Ω (resistive)
• Output Drive: Can drive 600Ω at 50% output
• Input Power Supply: 50v AC – 260v AC – auto adjust 50Hz – 60Hz
• Dimensions: 333.5mm (W) x 59mm (H) x 142mm (D)
• Weight: 6kg

Symphonic-User-manual