In the past year I have become a big fan of gear produced by Manley Labs, out of Chino, CA. I have reviewed the Neo-Classic 300B Preamplifier, the MAHI® EL84-based monoblocks, and the Snapper® 6CA7-based monoblock amplifiers. Each component was off the charts impressive in sound quality, build detail, value, and overall user experience. Prior to first hand experience, I had only heard about Manley's reputation of building great components, excellent customer service and support, and overall buyer satisfaction. It all turned out to be true. I also have become a big believer in Manley's no-nonsense, light hearted attitude, evident in their manuals and on their website.I now have the opportunity to evaluate the Neo-Classic SE/PP 300B tubed monoblock amplifiers, rated at 11W per channel in Single Ended mode and 24W per channel in Push-Pull mode. It has been a ...

Manley Labs, out of Chino, CA, is one of my favorite high-end audio companies. I had the pleasure of reviewing the wonderful 300B Preamplifier, and the very cool MAHI® monoblock power amplifiers. To say I greatly enjoyed my time with both those products would be an understatement. Manley's world view is that hifi should be fun at all costs, not some super-serious hobby where hours can be spent debating the choice of AC power cords. The Manley world view also declares that Tubes Rule. I agree with that, and I will add that tubes are one way to make hifi fun. It is clearly more interactive to fiddle with valves, as they are called in Europe.Needless to say I was very excited at the prospect of reviewing additional Manley products. Well, imagine my joy at being assigned the mighty SNAPPER® ...

Monarchy Audio is a San Francisco, California-based concern founded in 1979 by C.C. Poon, an audio enthusiast with a technical bent who began his business selling amplifier kits from Japan. By the 1990s, the company had shifted focus and began manufacturing its own audio gear, including DACs and amplifiers, all under a banner of “High End at Low Cost.” in 1995, Monarchy introduced the SE-100 mono block amplifier, a Class A model whose design remained in production unchanged for nearly 15 years. In late 2009, an updated version of the SE-100 was released under the moniker SE-100 Delux Mark 2.Features & SetupMeasuring 11 inches wide, 13 inches deep and just 4 inches high, the Mark 2s are relatively tidy in dimension yet still tip the scales at 21 pounds. The construction is tank-like and these amps can pump 100 watts ...

The first time I got to hear a piece of Manley Labs tube gear was when I reviewed their superb Neo Classic 300B Preamplifier a few months ago. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. Albert Schippits, Manley Labs National Sales Manager, was also sure I would also be interested in reviewing their MAHI® mono block tube amplifiers.Just to recap, Manley Labs, in Chino, CA, has been making pro audio and audiophile gear for several decades, and their leader, EveAnna Manley, has a distinct world view and a lot of common sense, in my opinion. First, she feels that the high end hobby should be fun, and that hifi components should be fun to use and listen to. I could not agree more. Secondly, she believes common sense and minimalism should rule the design. Simple, reliable design, with ...

As World War II was just ending, Frank McIntosh was starting up an audio company that would emerge as the benchmark audio manufacturer setting the bar for high-end audio components over the next 70 years. The performance level of Frank’s audio components was at such a high standard, even from its initial start-up, that television stations all over America sought out his mono tube power amplifier called the 50W-1 to be fully integrated into their television production facilities starting in 1949. The technology that powers that amp, the Unity Coupled Circuit, is still being used today. The McIntosh line of high-end audio components only achieved further greatness when they started branching out into the consumer field in 1967 when their engineers designed their first solid-state product, the C24 preamplifier, which the early audiophiles of the 1960’s cleaned out their bank ...