PS Audio Stellar Phono -vs- Manley Labs Chinook

Have a Manley Chinook and Manley Stingray integrated. The Chinook MM section is excellent. (The Stingray is beyond reproach.) The Chinook MC section is not quite as steller. With MC cartridges I use a stepup to boost the SQ.
My EAR 825 is ever so slightly better in the MC mode. The EAR uses an internal stepup. So maybe my systems just sound better with stepups for MC cartridges.
Haven’t heard the PS Audio Stellar, but have had other PS Audio amps and dacs and never liked any of them.

Stingray has a built-in phono section?  I thought it was essentially a linestage with a lot of high level inputs, in case your phono stage does not provide same.

Dear @drummer808 : The choice is easy because tubes are not for cartridges, especially LOMC ones.

In the other side PS looks really fine and comes with a in-home trial promotion so you can lost almost anything with.

https://www.psaudio.com/products/stellar-phono-preamplifier/#tab-description

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

@lewm 

Stingray has a built-in phono section?

I think he's saying he uses the Chinook with the Stingray.  I don't think he was implying in any way the Stingray has a phono section, only that he prefers the MM section on the Chinook over its MC section.

Correct. The Stingray has no phono section. The Chinook is a complete phono preamp with MC and MM sections. I only use the MM section. With low output cartridges, I think the sound quality is better using an outboard step-up transformer feeding the high output (MM) section of the Chinook.