Manly Steelhead - any downside??

Downunder - I'd recommend Telefunken CCa's if you can find some. They have a certain sonic purity which is great for phono applications. Before the Telefunken's I had the early Siemens CCa's which are "highly regarded" and found them screechy. Side by side, the Telefunken CCa's rule.

Now.. the trick is to find a good replacement for the harsh sounding 7044's.

Not really. It's my reference, and has been for a few years now. There are a few other great ones worth auditioning like the BATVK 10SE, but the Manley's flexibility can't be beat. I use the stock tubes.

Mikey. It is yourself and other reviewers that enable guys like me outside the US to know what is available and what might take our fancy. I am looking forward to hearing the steelhead and if I like it to power up my old Linn.

Downunder, check with Vetterone when he gets home. He has been using the Steelhead for a while, and with some tube upgrades he is quite taken with it. Even more so than some well regarded and more expensive units.

FWIW I'm planning to sell my Klyne and Pass Labs in spring to get the Steelhead. Don't buy the one I want!

I just received the brand spanking new steelhead from the distributor and finished playing three LP's. New Order's latest LP "waiting for the sirens call", New Order "Brotherhood" and 1st Dire Straits album.

WOW! It sounds great straight from the box (well 30 minutes after switch on:). Sometimes when you plug something in it just sounds right - well the steelhead is one of those piece's of equipment.

The steelhead has great bass weight and drive, that unmistakeable tube bloom/meat on the bones(or whatever one wants to call it) in the upper bass,lower mid's and it actaually does PRAT, like the best naim equipment.
If it continues to get better over the next few days - it ain't going back!.
After many years and quite a few phono stages either owned or at home for demo's - namely Naim prefix, fm acoustics 122, cj prem 15, CAT internal phono, Aesthetix IO & rhea, ayre P5x,herron phono and finally the very nice Pass Xono. the steelhead just on 3 records has quite easily bested these nice phono stages buy making the records like good music. I guess sometimes money does buy a better sounding product.

thanks to all you goner's that gave me your insights to how it sounded in your systems from this thread.

back to listening to the steelhead and music!