HUEI

Phono stage

Based on 30 years of amplifier-building expertise, Huei offers MM/MC compatibility and integrates turntables to our amplifiers.

DESCRIPTION

Entirely conceived, engineered and manufactured in Great Britain, Huei has been carefully designed to provide turntables with the same high standards of amplification that Chord Electronics has become known for over the past 30 years.

Benefitting from both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil functionality, Huei offers compatibility with a huge range of cartridges thanks to comprehensive gain and impedance-matching options; Huei’s high- and low-gain switching settings are easily accessible via 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, eight-stage switchable gain and a switchable rumble filter, Huei’s design offers comprehensive compatibility.

Precision-machined from solid aircraft-grade aluminium billet, 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 on-board rumble filter.

Huei is a stylish, practical and high-performance solution for integrating turntables into Chord Electronics’ (and other) systems and features both unbalanced (RCA) and balanced outputs (XLR) with RCA inputs. A high-quality 12V external power supply is also supplied.

FEATURES

Supported cartridges:

Moving magnet and moving coil

Inputs:

1x Stereo unbalanced RCA input

Outputs:

1x Stereo unbalanced RCA output

1x Stereo balanced XLR output

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

REVIEW & AWARDS

Chord Electronics Huei

"It’s hard not to be captivated. If knowledge is power, the Huei is a small, colourful information tank" - Hi-Fi+

Chord Huei review

"The Huei is well built, compact and decently equipped. It may not top the class for sonic ability, but it is a solid performer that delivers enough in the way of insight and composure to be taken seriously." -  What Hi-Fi?

Chord Electronics Huei MM/MC Phono Preamplifier Review

"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. The only caveat is that it's not in the business of flattering poor recordings, pressings or systems – you'll have to look elsewhere for that. But 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

Huei Display

"Huei is a neat little phono stage with some interesting features. It is purposed for moving coil (MC) cartridges where it provides more gain and loading options than most, moving magnet (MM) types being a side issue. With superb build and finish, plus a large sound stage and excellent clarity, it is definitely worth hearing" -  Hi-Fi World

Huei Phono Amplifier from Chord

"I wasn’t impressed with the Huei’s interface because a phono amplifier needs an immediate and precise set up. The current system is too wishy washy and I docked the Huei a Rating point because of it. That said, set up will, more than likely, be a one-off experience. A rare event. That is, most users will input the settings and quite possible never touch them ever again so I didn’t want to be too hard on the unit.

As such, I was very happy with the Huei, overall. The smooth nature of the mids and the low noise output from the single-ended connections was only further enhanced through the balanced ports. If you can, listen to the Huei though the balanced outputs for the best performance but both are recommended. 

Well made and solid to use, the Chord Huei phono amplifier is a smooth operator. " - The Audiophileman

Chord Electronics Huei MM / MC Phono Stage

"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

CHORD ELECTRONICS HUEI

"Nie przypuszczałem, że ta w moim odczuciu, zabawka dla analogowego narybku wypadnie aż tak ciekawie. Owszem w zderzeniu z wyższej klasy produktami dało się wychwycić pewne kompromisy. Ale nawet najbardziej sroga ocena nie ma prawa ferować wyroku innego niż świetna zabawa w pokazanie najważniejszych aspektów w muzyce. Jakich? Radość z odbioru jej rytmu, solidne podkręconej energii i pozwalającą chłonąć ją pełną piersią spójność. Nie znalazłem płyty, która położyłaby ten phonostage na łopatki. Ba nawet wyartykułowane przeze mnie uśrednienia w muzyce stawiającej na najdrobniejsze niuanse nie były żadnym problemem. Wystarczyło nieco się skupić, aby znaleźć interesujące mnie artefakty. A należy dodać, że osobiście na co dzień obcuję z kilkukrotnie droższym przedwzmacniaczem gramofonowym, co ze startu powodowało moje drążenie tematu o coś, co nie było celem samym w sobie tej konstrukcji. Dlatego też świadomie przykładając odpowiedni szablon od początku do końca testu pławiłem się w świetnie oddanych założeniach artystów z każdego, powtarzam, każdego nurtu muzycznego" - Jacek Pazio 

Chord Electronics Huei

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Chord Huei. Whether the aesthetics appeal to you is of course entirely down to taste, but I have come to really like the look of this little guy on my system rack. It has been designed to work with a wide variety of cartridges and certainly with my Gold Note Machiavelli it gave me everything I love about the sound, with nothing added and nothing taken away. The warmth, the pace, rhythm and timing are all present and correct." -  Chris Kelly

Chord Huei Phono Stage

"I had the opportunity to put the Chord Huei up against a well considered phono stage at over twice the price and it was not embarrassed." -  Mr Underhill

SPECIFICATIONS