Chord Huei MM / MC Phono Preamplifier

Unrivaled Clarity and Musicality

As Chord Electronics celebrates its 30th anniversary, the company is proudly launching the Huei phono preamp, offering MM/MC compatibility, integrating turntables to amplifiers with unrivalled clarity and musicality. Entirely conceived, engineered and manufactured in Great Britain, Huei has been carefully designed to provide turntables with the same high standards of amplification that for which Chord Electronics has become known for over the past 30 years.

Comprehensive Compatibility

Benefitting from its ability to excel with both moving magnet and moving coil phono cartridges, Huei offers wide compatibility with a huge range of cartridges, thanks to comprehensive gain and impedance-matching options. Huei’s high-gain and low-gain switching settings are easily accessible via the front-panel controls, introducing welcome flexibility.

Huei’s advanced design offers (for the first time in a Chord Electronics phono preamp) ultra-low-noise microprocessor control of its main features, including a convenient memory function. With multiple options for impedance-matching, seven-stage switchable gain and a switchable rumble filter, Huei’s design not only offers comprehensive compatibility, but you have the advantage of experimenting with different settings for the best sonic performance from your favorite cartridges.

The input impedance for moving coil phono cartridges is adjustable from 30Ω to 47kΩ in twelve selectable steps. Input impedance for moving magnet cartridges is fixed at 47kΩ. The gain setting for moving coil cartridges is selectable in eight steps between 48dB and 70dB, while the gain for moving magnet cartridges is selectable in eight steps between 25dB and 35dB.

Precision-Machined and Beautifully Appointed

Precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminum billet and beautifully appointed, Huei has a similar form factor to the company’s Qutest DAC and also offers a top-mounted viewing window into the illuminated electronics within. The design also shares the same polychromatic control spheres the company has become known for in its digital products. The illuminated front-panel spheres offer direct access to Huei’s gain and impedance settings, selection for MM/MC cartridges, and access to the defeatable on-board rumble filter.

Huei is a stylish, practical and high-performance solution for integrating turntables into Chord Electronics’ (and other) systems. For maximum flexibility and compatibility with high-end amplifiers, Huei features both balanced (RCA) and unbalanced outputs (XLR) with RCA inputs. A high-quality, low-noise 12-volt external power supply is included.

Product Features

High-performance phono preamp with wide range of adjustability
Supported cartridges: Moving magnet and moving coil
Wide compatibility with a huge range of cartridges (see Specs)
Comprehensive gain and impedance-matching options (see Specs)
Front panel adjustment controls
Polychromatic control spheres
Defeatable on-board rumble filter
Ultra-low-noise microprocessor control
Inputs: 1 x stereo unbalanced RCA input
Outputs: 1 x stereo unbalanced RCA output; 1 x stereo balanced XLR output
Conceived, engineered and manufactured in Great Britain
Precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminum billet
High-quality, low-noise 12-volt external power supply

Product Specs

Input Impedance, Moving Magnet: 47kΩ
Input Impedance, Moving Coil: 30Ω – 47kΩ, 12-step user selectable
Gain Range, Moving Magnet: 25dB – 35dB, 8-step user selectable
Gain Range, Moving Coil: 48dB – 70dB, 8-step user selectable
Input Noise: 1.1nV/Hz
Max Output Voltage RMS: 10v RMS
Equalization Response: RIAA Curve
Equalization Accuracy: +/- 0.1dB
Frequency Response: RIAA Curve = 12Hz to 25kHz
Rumble Filter: Rausch Slope -24dB per octave below 50Hz
Output Impedance: 520Ω (resistive)
Input Power Supply: 12v – 100v to 240v 50/60Hz PSU
Dimensions: 1.6" (H) x 6.3" (W), 2.8" (D)
Weight: 1.45 lbs.

Product Warranty

3 Years

Parts & Labor

Chord Electronics Warranty Information

Product Manual

	Chord Huei User Manual (PDF Format)

"...the Chord Huei phono preamp delivers so much performance from your favorite cartridge that you may swear off digital."

"...this is a phono stage that is powerful, clean, punchy, and quiet. And a detail monster to boot. The adjustability which allows users to set gain and impedance-matching control makes this a supremely future-proof phono preamp regardless of which cartridge you might put in front of it. That’s longevity right there; and a wave goodbye to perceived obsolescence."

"If that is what you’re looking for in vinyl playback, the Chord Huei is a good place to start. And, I think, a good place to stop. This just might be the last phono stage you’ll ever need or want."

- ecoustics.com, August 1, 2021

2022 Editors’ Choice Award - The Absolute Sound

"The Huei had an almost syrupy sweetness to its sound, with a smooth and pleasant midrange and low end..."

Drew Kalbach, The Absolute Sound, July 26, 2021

"The Huei’s appeal extends all the way from its rock-solid build and playfully colourful, sphere-based control and communication system to its impressive knack of extracting the best from a turntable/cartridge combo without being too painfully honest about the ropier aspects of a less-than-pristine recording."

- Hi-Fi Choice, March 11, 2021

"The Huei is all about the excitement, but without being either so brightly lit or so overly excitable and detailed that it leaves you cold."

- Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+, July 28, 2020

"Would I recommend this Chord Huei to an audiophile looking for a phono stage in this price range? You bet I would. I would also recommend it to an audiophile looking for a phono stage in a price range that is above the Huei's asking price. And not only would I bet that this analog-loving audiophile be happy with choosing this phono stage, they'd end up saving money. And this money could be used to buy more vinyl!"

- Tom Lyle, Enjoy the Music, January 2020

"Chord Electronics' Huei is a great new phono stage that's likely to cause as much discomfort to its price rivals as the company's iconic and affordable DACs have done over the past couple of years. On every metric I can think of, it seems too good for the money – it is built superbly, has a versatile feature set, a sophisticated and distinctive user interface and also sounds a blast."

"...if you like hearing your LP records as nature intended, then right now Bartlett's new baby is the best you can do on a reasonable budget."

- David Price, StereoNET Australia, November 28, 2019