Manley 300B = The Ultimate Headphone Amp???

[KR...]

This is the new version...

Manley 300B Preamplifier

5 selectable inputs
3 pairs of RCA outputs including TAPE direct sends
2 front panel headphone jacks
Optimized headphone impedance switching 30-400 ohms to 300-4000 ohms
Selecting HEADPHONE operation mutes LlNE outputs
Vacuum Tubes 2 x 300B, 2 x 6SL7GT, 2 x 5AR4. 2 x 0D3
Gain factory set at 18 dB at max Volume
Internal variable feedback 8 to 12dB ADJUSTABLE
Noise floor: typically -70 dB (1 Hz - 100 KHz)
S/N ratio: typically 105 dB (A WCT, 20 Hz - 20 KHz)
Frequency Response +- 1 dB: 5 Hz to 50 KHz
Distortion THD+N: -80 dB (.01 %) zero "crossover" distortion, mostly 2nd harmonic
Input Impedance: 100 Kohm: Precision stepped attenuator
Output Impedance (LINE STAGE): 100 ohms
Output Power (100 ohm Headphones): 1W (10 V RMS) (28 V P-P)
Output Power (600 ohm Headphones): 1W( 25 V RMS) (70 V P-P)
Power Consumption: 170 Watts (1.4 A @ 120VAC)
Dimensions: W=19". L=13". H=3 1/2"
Shipping weight: 28 Ibs.

Check out all the info on this sweet piece here :

http://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/300b99.html

Read a review here :

http://www.manleylabs.com/reviews/swoody.html

See ULTRA LUSTful pics here and prepare to drool!!! :

http://www.manleylabs.com/BIGPIXPAGES/300bprepic.html

 

[Sovkiller]

Very sweet piece and at extra sweet tag!!!!!

 

[KR...]

can a mod please change the spelling on the title?

Quote:

Very sweet piece and at extra sweet tag!!!!!

Well, you get what you pay for.

 

[Sovkiller]

Well, this is just another audio myth, in general most of the times I think that, you can get a lot more, with what you pay for....instead of that. 5000 plus for a pre amp, is simply ridiculous, whith this amount you can get a whole decent to very good, high end system....of course not the best, but a nice one....for example RKV with impedancer with the MDR-R10 new...Do you really think that this guy otperforms the RKV 4 times.........IMO not even one...

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sovkiller example RV with impedancer with the MDT-R10 new...Do you really think that this guy otperforms the RV 4 times.........IMO not even one...

Your opinion? You heard both? How did you come up with this opinion?

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

"Well, this is just another audio myth, in general most of the times I think that, you can get a lot more, with what you pay for"

Sovkiller you say this and then you go on to blab about the most expensive dynamic headphones being a better value?! I smell a troll..

edit: thanks for explaining yourself.

Biggie.

 

[TimSchirmer]

I do know for a fact that Manley puts a LOT of time and research into developing their products... and they have always made the best studio stuff...

 

[Sovkiller]

Sorry guys....maybe I misunderstood you, but what exactly "sweet" means??? Good looking pre-amp? Oh, if this is the case I agree with you, KR, that this is a very sweet pre-amp. nad for sure is good but the price is also VERY HIGH.
OTOH The R-10 is not only the more expensive dynamic headphone, is also considered, by the people who had heard it, just the BEST DYNAMIC headphone ever made, (is true that it is considered for a lot of people overpriced, including me). But if I mentioned it, was just as a matter of a high end and high quality sound headphone, and not because of the high price, sorry if I was not clear enough, I was just trying to figure out a nice combo, just to compare the prices of two things, the trolling was not my intention, though.
But this is true, most of the times you see a tag and then people saying that is good or bad, just because of the tag, this one is in fact a beautiful pre-amp, but this is just all what we could say about it, for now, I also doubth that any of us had heard it, (if this is not your case KR, I really apologize for that), to post about its sound quality, is a very expensive one, there are a lot of overpriced items in the market today and is simply true that you can find a lot of similar offers at very reasonable prices...That is what i mean not that this manley is not good, sorry .

These are the specs I found for the RKV not bad at all, and it cost 5 times less...

Class A, OTL
FR: 15Hz-100kHz
Output: 3W/ch (for 100-400 Ohm load)
THD: 0.002% (for 1W-200 Ohm load)even the THD is a lot less.....
Impedance?@32-2k Ohm
Damping Factor?F 3600

 

[Zanth]

I've heard the R10's...heck, I could be listening to them right now...but instead I went for my RS-1's. The R10's are good....some will say they are the best dynamic...some will say the HP-1's are...some will say HD600's are...


There are more than a few members here who have heard the R10's in quality surroundings with quality gear and just don't think they are all that.

Sweet though they are...they are not the best in my mind.


Now that amp....SWEET! but at $5000+ it better take down the Twinhead MKII and the EAR together....heh...that is Cary and Holmes-Powelll pricing....way too rich for my blood even if it is the best amp ever.

 

[erix]

Is it me or am I the only one that sees the subtle visual pun of a product made by a company called "Manley" (ryhmes with "manly") with such a tiny phalic-like volume knob.

Does that knob come in a ribbed version? You know, for her pleasure? (obligatory Wayne's World reference)

ok,
erix

 

[Sovkiller]

IIRC I could say better that there are just a few members of these selected members who have heard the R-10 in nice setups, that could say that it is not that good, I will let you know my opinion as sson as I hit the lotto and get it, but this is not the point anyway.....

But it was just an example of a nice combo, or isn't it? I could say CD3000 plus EarMax-pro, or RS-1 or HP1000 plus Melos, or whatever, it was just the first that cross my mind....but RS-1 vs R-10, HD600 vs R-10....

 

[dhwilkin]

Drool... man, just imagine the tube-rolling possibilities, w/ all those different kinds of tubes! The low-high impedence selection ability is very nice. Really expensive, for sure... do the parts inside come close to reflecting that price?

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally posted by dhwilkin Drool... man, just imagine the tube-rolling possibilities, w/ all those different kinds of tubes! The low-high impedence selection ability is very nice. Really expensive, for sure... do the parts inside come close to reflecting that price?

Manley is a very high end, and very repected company.

You can read the stereophile review of their monoblocks here :

http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?670

 

[kelly]

It's really a pet peev of mine when people try to compare things they haven't heard. And I and several other people disagree with the R10 being the best dynamic headphone and we've actually heard it.

Anyway, the Manley amp looks nice. The question is: who is going to be brave enough to try it?

 

[tone]

finally a headphone amp/pre-amp that uses 300b tubes. i want it! to bad its waayyy out of my price range.