Chord HUEI MM/MC Phono Stage

Chord HUEI MM/MC Phono Stage

A compact British-built phono stage for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, with extensive gain and MC impedance adjustment, switchable rumble filtering, memory and both RCA and balanced XLR outputs.

Chord's Huei is designed for turntable systems where cartridge matching matters. It supports both moving-magnet and moving-coil designs, but the important feature is how much control it gives the owner over gain and loading rather than simply providing two cartridge buttons.

The small Qutest-style aluminium chassis keeps the unit compact, while the illuminated front-panel controls provide direct access to cartridge type, gain, impedance and the rumble filter.

MM and MC Cartridge Matching

The value is in adjustment, especially with moving-coil cartridges.

Moving-magnet input impedance is fixed at the standard 47k ohms. For moving-coil cartridges, Huei offers user-selectable impedance from 100 to 3700 ohms across 12 steps.

That range gives an installer or enthusiast meaningful scope to match the phono stage to the cartridge manufacturer's recommendation and then fine-tune within sensible limits. Cartridge loading should be approached methodically rather than treated as a tone control.

Wide Gain Range

Useful for cartridges with very different output voltages.

Huei provides multiple gain settings for MM and MC operation. Through RCA, the MM gain range is 21-42dB and MC is 49-70dB. The balanced XLR outputs provide 6dB more voltage gain, reaching 48dB for MM and 76dB for MC.

The goal is to produce a healthy signal for the following preamplifier or integrated amplifier without adding unnecessary noise or overloading the next stage. More gain is not automatically better.

RCA Input, RCA and Balanced XLR Output

Easy to integrate into conventional or balanced systems.

The turntable connects through a single stereo RCA input. Output is available on both stereo RCA and balanced XLR connections, giving Huei flexibility in systems where the preamplifier or integrated amplifier offers balanced analogue inputs.

Balanced output can be particularly useful over longer analogue cable runs, but for a short connection into a well-designed unbalanced input, RCA remains perfectly valid.

Rumble Filter and Memory

Two small features that become useful in real vinyl systems.

The switchable rumble filter rolls off at 24dB per octave below 50Hz. It can help reduce very low-frequency energy caused by warped records, turntable/room feedback or other subsonic content that wastes amplifier and woofer excursion.

Microprocessor control allows Huei to remember its configuration, which is particularly convenient in a product with this many adjustable settings.

Key Features

• Moving-magnet and moving-coil compatibility
• 12-step moving-coil impedance adjustment from 100 to 3700 ohms
• Multiple gain settings for MM and MC cartridges
• RCA input
• RCA and balanced XLR outputs
• Switchable subsonic/rumble filter
• Setting memory
• Solid aircraft-grade aluminium chassis
• Designed, engineered and manufactured in Great Britain

Specifications

Detailed Technical Specifications

For those who like to drag out all the useful bits

Important Notes

• Use the cartridge manufacturer's output and loading recommendations as the starting point for Huei setup.
• Correct turntable grounding remains important even with a low-noise phono stage.
• The XLR outputs are most useful when the following component provides a genuine balanced input.

The Audio Experts Take

Huei is for the vinyl system where cartridge setup is part of the hobby. If you are running a straightforward moving-magnet cartridge and never expect to change it, there are simpler phono stages. Huei earns its keep when you want to move between MM and MC cartridges, dial in gain and loading properly, and keep that flexibility as the turntable evolves. The balanced XLR output is also useful in a system that genuinely supports balanced analogue connections, but it is not a reason to redesign the system around XLR. Start with the cartridge: its output and recommended load determine whether Huei's adjustment range is valuable to you. Then set grounding and gain carefully before judging anything else.