The Chord Electronics Huei: Consistency is Key
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Jun 18th 2024
The compact Chord Electronics Huei is a phono stage designed to operate with moving magnet and moving coil audio systems. While it can be a bit clunky in the ergonomics department, that can be overlooked once its power is put to the test. Let’s take a closer look at some of its highlights.
The Huei is on the compact size and falls into the mid-range price tier. It can handle moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. The looks are fairly familiar, and it sports an all black outer casing as it’s only color option. Nonetheless, it’s a Chord product so it’s going to look and feel high quality no matter what.
The entire backside of the Huei is taken up by its input and output options. There you’ll find analogue stereo RCA inputs and outputs, balanced XLRs, an earthing post, and main power supply right under the power switch. In typical Chord fashion, colors are used to indicate the controls and messages. The user interface may come off as tricky, but gets easier to understand the more it’s used.
In terms of performance, the shining takeaway is just how consistent it is. No matter what you throw at it, it maintains its overall attitude and character. It’s organized, coherent, and believable. It allows for space and pockets for every instrument in the arrangement to shine. The highs are crispy and the lows are extremely detailed.
Users won’t necessarily find the most exhilarating experience every time they switch on the Huei, but what they will find is an accurate and cohesive experience. That seems to be worth more than just being excited about the machine’s mere presence.