Chord Electronics
Chord Electronics Symphonic
Best flagship phono stage for discerning vinyl enthusiasts seeking ultimate precision.
The Chord Electronics Symphonic is a flagship Moving Coil phono stage designed to elevate your vinyl listening experience. It integrates seamlessly into any audio system, extracting exceptional performance from your analogue music collection. Utilizing advanced high-frequency power supply technology, the Symphonic offers extensive input impedance and gain options, along with balanced and unbalanced inputs, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of cartridges. Its externally selectable settings are clearly indicated by internal LEDs. A selectable rumble filter effectively removes unwanted low-frequency noise, preserving the purity of your audio.
$5590.00
Owner Satisfaction
4.7
/ 5
Category Rank
133
/ 466
#133 in Phono Preamps
Price vs Category Average
-19%
Below average
Input Noise
1.5
/ nV/Hz
Who it's for
- Audiophiles seeking absolute transparency and deep musical detail
- Vinyl enthusiasts using diverse or high-end cartridge collections
- Design-conscious listeners wanting a bold, industrial centerpiece
Who should skip it
- Budget-focused buyers looking for entry-level or mid-range gear
- Listeners without a fully optimized, high-resolution audio chain
- Casual users preferring a simple plug-and-play experience
Performance breakdown
Cartridge Compatibility
Extensive gain and impedance settings accommodate virtually any moving coil cartridge.
Signal Purity
Advanced power supply technology ensures an exceptionally clean, noise-free analogue signal.
Equalisation Precision
Remarkable RIAA accuracy delivers faithful reproduction of your vinyl collection.
Low-Frequency Control
The steep rumble filter effectively eliminates unwanted noise without sacrificing musicality.
System Integration
Balanced and unbalanced inputs provide flexible connectivity for high-end audio setups.
User Adjustability
External controls and LED indicators make fine-tuning settings intuitive and straightforward.
Key Specs
Input Noise
1.5nV/Hz
Max Output Voltage
10v RMS
Equalisation Range
12Hz to 25kHz
Equalisation Accuracy
+/- 0.1dB
Frequency Response
5Hz – 40kHz
Rumble Filter Slope
-24dB per octave below 50Hz
Output Drive
600Ω at 50% output
Input Power Supply
50v AC – 260v AC auto-adjust
Features
- Flagship MC phono stage from the Choral range
- Proprietary high-frequency power supply technology
- Infinite input impedance and gain options
- Balanced and unbalanced input options
- Externally selectable settings with LED indicators
- Selectable rumble filter
- Conforms to RIAA curve with optional IEC roll-off
What customers say
Customers consistently praise the Chord Electronics Symphonic for its exceptional sound quality, describing it as remarkably transparent and detailed. Users frequently highlight its ability to extract incredible nuance from vinyl, creating an immersive listening experience. The unit's distinctive design and robust build quality also receive high marks, reinforcing its premium appeal. While an investment, many consider its sonic performance a significant upgrade, justifying the cost for serious audiophiles seeking a top tier phono stage.
Know before you buy
The Symphonic is specifically engineered as a flagship Moving Coil (MC) phono stage. It is designed to extract the best performance from MC cartridges and is not intended for use with Moving Magnet (MM) designs.
You can easily configure the gain and impedance settings using the external controls located on the device. The current settings are clearly displayed via internal LED indicators, making it simple to match the preamp to your specific cartridge requirements.
The rumble filter is designed to remove unwanted low-frequency noise, such as mechanical vibrations or record warps, that can interfere with your playback. It operates with a slope of -24dB per octave below 50Hz to ensure your audio remains clean and precise.
Yes, the Symphonic features both balanced and unbalanced inputs, providing the flexibility to integrate it into a variety of high-end audio systems. This allows you to choose the connection method that best suits your existing setup.
Yes, the unit conforms to the standard RIAA curve with a high degree of accuracy. It also offers an optional IEC roll-off if you prefer to further refine the low-frequency response of your vinyl playback.
No, the Symphonic features an auto-adjusting power supply that accepts input voltages ranging from 50v AC to 260v AC. This makes it highly versatile and compatible with power standards worldwide without the need for external converters.
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$5590