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Manley Laboratories 250 Neo-Classic monoblock power amplifier Measurements part 2

The distortion in either mode is heavily second-harmonic (fig.7, tetrode; fig.8, triode), and the increase at low frequencies and at higher currents seems to be due to an increase in the third harmonic (figs.9 and 10).

Fig.7 Manley 250 Neo-Classic, tetrode mode, 1kHz waveform at 16.3W into 4 ohms (top); distortion and noise waveform with fundamental notched out (bottom, not to scale).

Fig.8 Manley 250 Neo-Classic, triode mode, 1kHz waveform at 17W into 4 ohms (top); distortion and noise waveform with fundamental notched out (bottom, not to scale).

…

Recording of October 1996: <I>Portraits of Cuba</I>

PAQUITO D'RIVERA: Portraits of Cuba
Paquito D'Rivera, alto & soprano sax, clarinet; Lew Soloff, Bob Millikan, Diego Urcola, Gustavo Bergalli, trumpet, flugelhorn; Lawrence Feldman, alto sax, flute; Thomas Christensen, tenor sax, flute; Andres Boiarsky, tenor sax, clarinet, flute; Roger Rosenberg, baritone sax, bass clarinet, bassoon; John Clark, French horn; James Pugh, trombone; David Taylor, bass trombone; Allison Franzetti, Dario Eskenazi, Carlos Franzetti, piano; David Finck, bass; Mark Walker, drums; Pernell Saturnino, percussion; Carlos Franzetti, arr., conductor
Chesky…

Listening #14

Five years: My brain hurts a lot.—David Bowie

Cherry Valley has turned out to be the unofficial turkey-buzzard capital of upstate New York, and they especially like the hill I live on. They're circling overhead as I write this, probably because they detect the swollen carcass of my first CD player, a Magnavox, stinking up a corner of my toolshed and waiting for Saturday morning, when I intend to take it to the village dump. No sense pretending I'm ever going to use it again.

Its sliding tray full of memories includes lots of uninvolving Beethoven, uninvolving Wagner, uninvolving…

Classé CAM 350 monoblock power amplifier Page 3

The CAM 350 also did a superb job on smaller, subtler microdynamic shadings. Clark Terry has a way of bending notes just as they die out—or, in the last split second before he begins the next note, of oh so gently altering the pitch and shading the level through one or more subtle, wavering oscillations. With the Classé in the system, these delicate phrasings were vividly clear and never failed to catch my ear.

Such subtle microdynamic touches contributed significantly to the piano's realism as well. My listening notes remind me that, with the Classés, the piano notes "hang in space,…

Classé CAM 350 monoblock power amplifier Page 4

Perhaps my favorite examples of the Classé's midrange performance were Clark Terry's trumpet on One On One and Red Holloway's sax on Soular Energy. In both cases, the Classé uncovered what seemed to be new layers of texture among the overtones, making the sound more complex, its components more distinct. When the bell of Terry's trumpet would move around the mike, for example, it resulted in a kind of Doppler effect, a subtle change in the balance, and even in the location, of the individual overtones in the mix. It's tough to explain, but it was one of those subtle cues that makes the image…

Classé CAM 350 monoblock power amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Output power: 350W into 8 ohms (25.4dBW), 700W into 4 ohms (2.4dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz, ±0.1dB. S/N ratio: 135dBR. THD+N: 0.004%. Input sensitivity: 1.3V for full-rated output. Input impedance: 75k ohms. Output impedance: 0.017 ohm.
Dimensions: 12.75" (320mm) W by 12.25" (310mm) H by 18.25" (464mm) D. Weight: 76 lbs (34.6kg).
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 01B0049, 01B0050.
Price: $7000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 125. Warranty: 5 years.
Manufacturer: Classé Audio, 5070…

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