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Years ago, when I taught high school choirs, I had many types of kids in my ensembles. Though none exclusively fit the overly stereotypical lineup of kids on Fox TV's Glee, I always managed to have a nice assortment of jocks, preps, goths, motorheads, geeks, wastoids, and dweebs. One of the things that always fascinated me was how the big, tough jocks would turn out to be the most sensitive, emotional singers. It was always a touching moment when an otherwise stoic football star or wrestler would get all misty while singing the final song of the year-end concert. It showed me that the…
During my time with the Stingray, I did a lot of switching between the triode and ultralinear modes. Knowing how little power the Stingray puts out in triode mode, and with my prior experience with Rogue Audio's M180 (see my review in the January 2010 issue), I thought ultralinear mode might be a better match with most of the speakers I had on hand. Not so. I ended up preferring the iTube in triode mode: it offered a seamless balance between the midrange and the treble regions, fleshed out the midrange, and widened and deepened the soundstage. Ultralinear mode, on the other hand, didn't seem…
I most enjoyed the Stingray iTube when I paired it with speakers whose output doesn't go down much below 45Hz—it was in the low bass where the Stingray lost some control. But if the speakers themselves couldn't reproduce that lowest octave, I found the problem of fat bass mostly nonexistent. I also found that, in terms of dynamics, the iTube ran out of steam sooner through full-range speakers. Mated with high-quality monitor speakers such as the Revel Gem and Klipsch Palladium P-17B, the Manley's bass was full and tuneful, and it better controlled large dynamic swings. If you need more bass…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed, stereo integrated amplifier with 3 single-ended inputs, certified iPod dock, S-video output from iPod, subwoofer output, return loop, tape out, ¼" headphone jack, IR/RF remote control. Tube complement (hand-matched): eight EL84, two 6416, two 12AT7. Maximum output power (1.5% THD at 1kHz): 32Wpc into 5 ohms (UL mode), 18Wpc into 5 ohms (Triode mode). Frequency response: 15Hz–58kHz, –1dB. Maximum gain: 35dB. Volume-control range: 102dB (1dB/step when turned slowly). Input sensitivity (UL full power): 210mV in = 32W out into 5 ohms at maximum…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Theta Miles CD player via S/PDIF output, Benchmark DAC1 D/A converter/preamplifier, Sony Vaio laptop running Sony Soundforge 9, M Audio Fast Track Ultra USB interface.
Power Amplifiers: Rogue Audio M180 monoblocks, Pass Labs Aleph 3 & XA 30.5.
Loudspeakers: Revel Performa F30 & Ultima Gem, Totem Acoustic Forest, Klipsch Palladium P-17B.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDXV coaxial. Interconnect: Sain Line Systems pure balanced. Speaker: Kimber BiFocal XL. AC: Sain Line Systems Reference.—Erick Lichte
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the measured behavior of Manley Labs' Stingray iTube using mainly Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.
I was at first confused by the fact that the iTube was on when all its lights were off, and in Standby when its front-panel blue light was on. Carefully reading the excellent manual sorted that out for me, and I began the testing by checking the bias of the eight EL84…
Sam Tellig wrote about the Stingray II in September 2010 (Vol.33 No.9):
Manley Labs' Stingray II integrated retails for $3000, vs $3400 for the Stingray iTube. The difference is the iPod dock. Ditch dock, save $400. In the Stingray II, a plate covers the hole where the dock would otherwise be . . . docked.
Erich Lichte first latched on to this, and beat me to the punch with his review of the Stingray iTube in the March 2010 Stereophile. Technically, however, I'm the first at Stereophile to review the Stingray II. Some of the "genius bar" gurus at my local Apple Store know all…
I asked about the output impedance. "Actual output impedance at 20Hz is 2.36 ohms. At 1kHz, it's 2 ohms. At 20kHz, 1.83 ohms. The output impedance is a little higher than it could be because we don't use a whole lot of global feedback."
And that fixed 5-ohm transformer tap? "We have always designed the transformers with a single secondary fixed setting. As the feedback includes the entire output transformer, everything is optimized around that one wind. Five ohms has been our standard forever. We can recalculate and provide 4 or 8 [ohms] or any other optimized impedance tranny on request…
In an industry whose newest products are often as discouragingly unaffordable as they are short of the sonic mark, the Naim Audio Uniti ($3795) stands out. In a single reasonably sized box, the Uniti combines the guts of Naim's Nait 5i integrated amplifier and CD5i CD player with various additional sources: an FM/DAB tuner, and interfaces for an iPod, a USB memory stick, an iRadio, and a UPnP-compatible connected computer or server—all for the price of a very good television set.
One could argue that, with the Uniti, this veteran audio manufacturer has set its sights on someone…
As it turned out, the Naim Uniti wasn't supplied with a user's manual per se, but rather with a curiously big booklet that provides, in a great many different languages, the most basic and presumably legally mandated information: Don't dispose of this product with the rest of the trash. Don't bring this product into the bathtub with you. Don't put to any foolish or evil use this product's laser light. A great amount of paper has been devoted to the unlikely, the unfathomable, and the impossible, though that's hardly Naim's fault.
The booklet does, however, contain one indispensable…