Of course, David Manley had plenty to say, but as we spoke I didn't realize I was standing in one of his ManleyClan® Audio Traps. You…
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My reviews always begin in bizarre ways. Take David Manley...please! (Just kidding.) On the last day of Winter CES 1995, I found myself towing a tuckered-out JA to a few final rooms. (This was just after the January '95 David Manley/Dick Olsher tube-rolling brouhaha, footnote 1, regarding who should do what to whom, and with which particular tube.) So as we passed Manley's room, John Atkinson thought to stick his head in (the noose) and say hello.
Output tubes are 10 "Russian uprated 6550s" per side, with no further details of their origin to be found in the manual. "We strongly emphasize that only the Russian 6550s should be used in this amplifier...they have been thoroughly optimized around this tube. Use of unapproved tube types can and will void your warranty." You've been warmed...(tube joke). I reviewed with the tubes supplied, with nary a thought of replacing them. Really.
The input of each 440 consists of a single 12AT7 dual-triode, with the driver stage made up of a pair of 6414s (an American military version of the…
The 1 2 3 speaker cable, so named because it's configurable for single, bi-, or tri-wired setup, is multistrand, uncoated, oxygen-free copper as well. The wire has a polyethylene dielectric, and it's wrapped around a hollow polyethylene tube, then PVC-jacketed. They're unshielded because, according to Joe, "the signal is pretty strong at that point, and we find that even in 45' runs some of our customers use in New York City, there's no RFI." The cables are $320 for an 8' pair, and bi- and tri-wired sets cost the same, with no additional cost for termination. A Signature speaker cable will…
Well, they're fun, they sound great, but they ain't exactly neutral, see? They aren't particularly [sniff] refined, my good man. Especially in Tetrode mode, where the sound is a bit grainy and where they possess more power, slam, and headroom than should be legal. Let's put it this way: the customer for a pair of Jadis JA 200s is most emphatically not the same person who'll want these rock'em, sock'em, kick-yer-butt-into-next-Tuesday amps. But so what? Aren't we supposed to be enjoying ourselves? Isn't it about the music? Believe me, then: enjoying music through these things was a piece of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: All-tube monoblock power amplifier with class-AB1, push-pull output stage, user-adjustable bias. Output power: 540Wpc at 1.5% THD, 5 ohm load in Tetrode mode (25.3dBW); 168Wpc at 1.5% THD, 5 ohm load in Triode mode (20.2dBW). Power consumption: 1329W full power at 1.5% THD, 30W in Standby. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Load impedance: Factory-set for 5 ohms. RCA and XLR inputs.
Dimensions: 19" W by 13" D by 11" H. Weight: 82 lbs shipping.
Serial numbers of units tested: MANR440889/90.
Price: $10,000/pair. Approximate number of dealers:…
Sidebar 2: In the mix
The front-end was basically the same kit I'd listened to with the Symphonic Line Kraft 400s. Digits were handled by the Forsell Air Reference D/A converter and its companion Mk.II CD transport (air in the transport, none in the D/A, thank you, footnote 1). Digital datalinks were mostly Kimber AGDL, the new Illuminati Studio Dataflex, XLO, and the Marigo Apparition Reference (everything Cable-Jacketed), plus a Shakti Stone on the transport roof during play.
I also auditioned the 440s with an updated Jadis JS1 Symmetrical Converter driven by the elegant and…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
With any tube amplifier having varied setup capabilities, the decision must be made whether to present all possible measurement combinations or a selected cross-section. The latter is the only practical alternative. I did a complete set of measurements of the Manley 440 in the Triode configuration, unbalanced mode, at the standard (intermediate) feedback setting with a minimum response slope. Unless otherwise noted, the measurements below indicate those conditions.
Following its one-hour, 1/3-power preconditioning test, the Manley 440 was very hot to the…
A compact horn loudspeaker. Isn't that an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp, or military intelligence? From such venerable speakers as the half century-old Altec Voice of the Theater and the Klipschorn, as well as more modern examples like the Avantgarde Acoustic Trio, horns have always been big. The original Avantgarde Uno was the smallest speaker in Avantgarde's line, but it was still visually imposing, with a big horn midrange on top, a horn tweeter below that, and a powered sealed-box subwoofer at the bottom. (I reviewed the Uno 2.0 in Stereophile in August 2000, Vol.23 No.8, and the Uno 3.0…
The Uno Nanos, while they didn't quite succeed in matching this type of sound, came closer than any other speakers I've had in my listening room. There is no commercial recording of the Stratford fanfares; the nearest thing I have is the overture to Man of La Mancha, which begins with a trumpet fanfare. Played at the right level on the Nanos, it has much the same startling effect as the Stratford fanfares heard live. As I turned up the volume, the sound just got louder, without the compression of dynamics or distortion that you'd get at these levels with conventional speakers. I'm sure…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker with treble and midrange horns, integral powered sealed-box woofer. Drive-units: inverted-dome tweeter loaded with 5.1"-diameter (130mm) horn, dome midrange driver loaded with 19.7"-diameter (500mm) horn, two 10" (250mm) cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 300Hz, 3kHz. Frequency range: 300Hz–20kHz (midrange/treble), 18–300Hz (woofer). Sensitivity: >104dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Recommended power: >10W. Power handling: 50W. Subwoofer amplifier power: 250W.
Dimensions: (including subwoofer) 50" (…