Specifications

24 | Australian Hi-Fi
not only proved the truth of my surmise,
but that I had completely overlooked
a note on the ‘Specifications’ page
supplied by Manley that advised the
amplifier’s ‘actual’ output impedance
was 2.8Ω at 20Hz, 2.6Ω at 100Hz and 2Ω
at 1kHz. OK, OK, so I never was one for
reading the specifications… Mea culpa.
What this means is that you should
either choose your speakers to match the
Stingray, or make sure you audition the
Stingray with the same speakers you will
be using with them.
I’d also advise this ‘use the same
speakers’ approach because I didn’t
find the Stingray an overly powerful
amplifier. My usual amplifier delivers
just over 112 measured watts into my
loudspeakers and, although this is more
than enough almost all of the time, I find
myself from time to time wishing for a
little more power. So with this history
it wasn’t at all surprising that I found
myself wishing for a little more power
than the Stingray’s 50-watts per channel.
That said, you have to bear in mind that
I’m a real ‘Yes’ man in that: ‘Yes I have a
large room’; ‘Yes I have very inefficient
loudspeakers’; and ‘Yes I like to listen at
very high volume levels.’ For the most
part, when I was listening at what would
be considered ‘normal’ listening levels,
(which, truth be told, was almost all the
time!) the Stingray was cruising along,
with plenty of power in reserve, even
with my inefficient speakers. Connected
to speakers rated at close to 90dBSPL or
higher, in a typically-sized lounge room,
I don’t think the Stingray’s power output
will be an issue even if you listen at
earth-shatteringly loud levels.
And when I say ‘cruising’, you can
hear this is the case just by listening to
the quality of the midrange, which is
absolutely gorgeous. The detailing of the
sound is almost surreal in its accuracy, yet
unlike solid-state ‘accuracy’ is delivered
with a transparent musicality that seems
to connect directly with the instruments
creating the sound, rather than to them
via an electronic intermediary. This is
immediately noticeable with any musical
instrument—though for best effect you
should listen to a properly miked acoustic
instrument, be it guitar, violin, cello,
flute, whatever…—but most breathtaking
with human voices. Note here that I have
used the plural. Sure the Stingray sounds
great with one voice, but when you listen
to ‘voices’ as in vocal duos right up to
large choirs, the sound becomes nothing
short of ethereal—real ‘to die for’ tonality
that cuts to the underlying emotion of
the work, rather than simply highlighting
the raw notes.
This same ability to connect directly
with instruments is a characteristic of
the bass as well, though the Stingray’s
ability to ‘control’ very large bass drivers
means the bass will lose a little focus
when driving loudspeakers with 381mm
(15 inch) bass drivers, even if these
drivers are very efficient. Driving designs
that have 300mm (12 inch) diameter (or
smaller) drivers is no problem, even if
the design uses multiple bass drivers—as
in most floor-standers. When used with
bookshelf speakers, the Stingray has the
entirely admirable quality of making
them seem to have rather more bass
than usual, without that additional level
appearing ‘synthetic’.
The best, however, has yet to come.
So far, I’d been using the valves supplied
Readers interested in a full
technical appraisal of the
performance of the Manley
Laboratories Stingray
Integrated Amplifier should
continue on and read the
LABORATORY REPORT
published on the following
pages. All readers should
note that the results
mentioned in the report,
tabulated in performance
charts and/or displayed
using graphs and/or
photographs should be
construed as applying
only to the specific
sample tested.
LAB
REPORT
er er
Manley Laboratories Stingray Valve Integrated Amplifier
with the Stingray, on the basis that this is
the way ordinary consumers are going to
experience the amplifier. I then replaced
the output and input valves from my own
valve stash, using my precious Mullards
and Siemens, and re-biased. The sound
opened up, improving significantly on
all counts, but most dramatic of all was
the expansion in the stereo soundstage.
Previously, the width of the image was
more than acceptable, but the depth
a little shallow, as if the musicians
were clustered towards the front of the
performance space, rather than being
arrayed behind each other. Following my
valve substitution, the depth of the image
improved magnificently. To all intents
and purposes, it was as if I were listening
to a completely different—and clearly
superior—amplifier.
Conclusion
Manley’s Stingray is an object lesson for
all audiophiles intrigued by the many
subtleties inherent in the pursuit of the
Holy Grail of superior audio performance.
In the wrong hands, Manley’s Stingray
could easily be overlooked as ‘just another
fish’—notwithstanding its unusual appear-
ance! But for an audiophile ‘skilled in the
art’ who is prepared to choose speakers
sensitively—and I mean this in all senses
of the word—and invest energy in both
carefully selecting input and output valves
and in biasing them correctly, Manley’s
Stingray will be a rare delicacy that can be
enjoyed time and time again.
Chris Croft
ManleylabHFSep06.indd 24 22/01/2009 1:56:08 PM