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Manley Laboratories 350 Watt Amplifier
1 Reviews
rating  5 of 5
MSRP 
Description: The Manley Reference 350 watt monoblocks were built at the old VTL factory back before the Manley-VTL split-up that took place in 1993. They were at the time Manley's second-to-largest models in the Designer's Reference Series. They were 8-output tube designs. The 350's were usually ultra-linear configured (although some units were fitted with triode-tetrode switching) and used either GE 6550A's before 1990 or KT90's after 1990. The Input tube was always the 12AT7A or 6201. Some early models used the 12BH7A for driver tube although most of the actual production models used 6350 driver tubes. Those two tube types have the grids and cathodes swapped on the pinout so make a big note that the 6350 and the 12BH7A are NOT interchangeable without reworking the circuit board! Manley 350's had a sheet-metal chassis and stainless-steel covers. Cool features of these amplifiers included the adjustable "slope" and "feedback" controls that allow the user to select different feedback capacitive and resistive values respectively. Also handy were the front panel mounted bias readout tipjacks and tube readout selector even though one still had to address the top deck of the amplifier to make the actual bias adjustments. Many of the later Manley 350's had MIT-Multicaps. And some of them even had TRIODE / TETRODE switches.


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Rating
Reviewed by:
loonyj
(AudioPhile)

Review Date
February 9, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.80 of 5, 5 votes

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Price Paid:  $3599.00 from Used from a private

Summary:
NOTE: This is the Manley Reference 350 Monoblocks with a mere 390 watts/ch.

This is used with Maggie 3.6's and the amp just picks the speakers up by the scruff of the neck and shakes them. Really that powerful. Any one that own Magnepan's knows that this is no easy task.

After the Threshold/Pass experience on the speakers the Manley was amazing. 400 watts of tube power is nothing to sneeze at. It make transistor watts look pretty darn small. The Pass X350 is no slouch in that department but the Manley clearly handled the bass better.

Surprise, this is not a soft squeeze sounding amp, this is a real machine, no roll off in the uppers and did I mention the bass!!!

An amazingly powerful and agile amplifier with no real short comings. However save those pennies for re-tubes and get some one to help you lift them.

PS send them home before you fire them up or you'll never get them to leave!

Still surprised! In a nice way!

Strengths:
Power, speed, slam, control, bass and highs

Weaknesses:
Size and re-tube cost, 16 KT90's the finest but also one of the rarest and most expensive. Weight, size, heat, yeah I know ------

Similar Products Used:
Threshold, Pass Labs, B&K, Muse 160 II, Cary and others.


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