Chord Symphonic MC

Phono stage

Relative price

typical

Among the 44 phono stages in the catalogue, this one is typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

MC-only flagship in Chord's Choral range — direct stablemate to DAVE DAC/preamp and Étude/Ultima power amplifiers. HF switch-mode PSU is Chord signature.

Designed primarily for use with Chord CPA-2500/3000/5000/8000 preamps; rumble filter off bypasses IEC roll-off for that specific pairing.

Aluminium machined casework matches Choral range aesthetic; balanced and unbalanced inputs both available — suits balanced-wired tonearms (e.g. SME).

Competition record

Assessed against 10 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 55 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

quietness at rest ×41
low-level clarity ×21
tonal body ×7
depth of bass ×6

Who it comes up against

Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC

14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gives up most on depth of bass.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

Naim NVC TT MM/MC

14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic

Against the Intimate brief, the Naim NVC TT MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up low-level clarity under the Intimate weighting.

Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl

8 lost · Anchored, Characterful, PRaT, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

Rega Aura Reference MC

7 lost · BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference

Against the Intimate brief, the Rega Aura Reference MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII

3 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Colibri, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Colibri gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.

Whest Audio 60Se Pro

2 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio 60Se Pro keeps the slot decisively.

With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

Cyrus Classic PHONO

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Cyrus Classic PHONO keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

Whest Audio TITAN Pro II

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio TITAN Pro II keeps the slot decisively.

With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Goldring Eroica HX MC gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

Michell Apollo + Muse PSU

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU keeps the slot decisively.

With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Chord Symphonic MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

What the reviewers said

How it scores

Clarity

Electrical noise floor 76 from listening evidence
Spatial resolution 82 from listening evidence

Voice

Presence & articulation 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

Micro-dynamic resolution 77 from listening evidence

Specifications

mm capable	False
mc capable	True
mc gain db	40/80
mc load resistance options ohm	4.7/33/100
rumble filter	True
output level mv	10000
output impedance ohm	520
balanced output	True
dimensions mm	333.5/59/142
psu external	True
notes