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Manley Steelhead Owners-- Line Stage Input Good Enough to Use as Preamp?

Hey Manley Steelhead owners/previous owners/or those with experience with it....

I find it attractive that the Steelhead has 1 single ended line stage input (e.g., you can plug your DAC/CD player in) and use the Steelhead as a main preamp.  Does anyone have experience with using the line stage input for your digital source? 

It would be wonderful to have just one preamp for vinyl and my single DAC source.  Do folks use the Steelhead as a standalone preamp for both sources--vinyl and digital?  If the single ended preamp section sounds great it would allow me to sell my preamp and further justify the price of the unit.  

As an aside, Manley, as a company, is awesome.  I could get motivated to save and sell to fund the purchase (at some point) based on my prior history with EveAnna and her techs, which give me confidence that I'll always be taken care of and can get service for a long time to come.

128x128jbhiller
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller OP
1,440 posts
 
Hi Lewm!  I could stand less gain on my line stage.  

Does it sound good?  Are you using it with a digital source? 

Thanks much.
lewm
13,301 posts
 
I have a Sony CDP running into the linestage. I rarely listen to digital, but I have used it on the odd occasion.  I didn't want to get into it, and I still don't, but I made an easy mod to my output stage that improves sound but does not please Manley.  Since my Steelhead was acquired second-hand and is out of warranty, I took the risk. Contact me privately if interested, but this is a tweak; the Steelhead sounds fine right out of the box.
wrm57
1,061 posts
 
When I owned a Steelhead, some 6 or 7 years ago, I always preferred it as a phonostage into a separate linestage. I used it with a Mac C2300, Bent Audio Tap-X AVC, VAC Phi Beta.
rooze's avatar
rooze
640 posts
 
It works great as a linestage in my setup. 
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