Model

Snapper Tube Monobloc Amplifier

Brand

Manley Audio

These all-tube monoblock amps are in pristine condition, have all of the factory boxes and foam packaging -- the latter designed so the tubes can be shipped in place. The Snapper monoblocks feature a quartet of EL34 or 6CA7's in a fully differential circuit topology, including the input and driver stages. This Snapper can be driven fully balanced all the way through via the XLR inputs. If you have balanced outputs on your preamplifier, this amplifier is the first Manley design to really let you take advantage of your XLR's without additional balancing input circuitry or input transformers. Very cleverly, the unbalanced RCA's can alternatively be used in this special topology with equally impressive results. These amps are built to professional use standards and are gorgeous and engaging to look at as listen to. The Snapper will crank out 100 watts at 10 cycles all day long and a full 110 watts from about 15Hz all the way up to 40KHz. Don't let frequency response specs fool you when people give you amazing bandwidth measured at... oh, five puny watts. We're talking full power bandwidth here! Continuous duty. Real muscle. Specifications: 100 Watt ultra-linear EL-34 output stage is tolerant of a wider variety of output load conditions than pure pentode. Precise and balanced signal path from input to output. Circuit self-balances with either single-ended or balanced inputs. Switch-selectable RCA unbalanced inputs, or XLR balanced inputs. RCA jack input impedance about 330 kOhms, XLR 15 kOhms. Input Sensitivity RCA jack: 750 mV RMS for full output into 5 Ohms Input Sensitivity RCA jack: 71 mV RMS for 1 watt output into 8 Ohms Input Sensitivity XLR jack: 1.5 V RMS for full output into 5 Ohms Overall voltage gain RCA jack to Output: 31 dBu, or about 32 volts per volt. Signal to A-weighted noise ratio on Humberto's bench is about 110 dB. Damping Factor: 4.7 All-balanced amp topology keeps B+ voltage variations from degrading the performance of the input and driver stages. This technique can help make a push-pull amplifier very revealing of signal detail, in part by canceling power-supply-related perturbations and increasing signal-to-noise ratios. Extremely ample 180 Joule energy storage reservoir in the main B+ supply channel for explosive transient response and athletic musical stamina. Also reduces B+ fluctuations due to varying current demands of output stage. Wideband transformerless balanced input with bridged 15 kOhm input impedance. Balanced input sensitivity may be selected by changing one resistor to suit whatever operating level may be required. 0 dBu, +4, +8, etc. Amp actually puts out 110W @ 5 Ohm load @ 2 kHz @ onset of clipping, 117 VAC mains voltage, 3.5 amps mains current. 100 W spec: 15 Hz - 40 kHz into 5 Ohms Puts out 100W into an 8 Ohm load. These amplifiers are a fully balanced, differential design, so they do not rely on transformers to achieve balanced operation. Each mono amplifier uses a 12AX7 input tube, a 5687 (or 7044) driver and four EL-34B output tubes. This adds to the finesse and transient speed that the Snappers offer. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Manley Labs, they build a lot of gear that works daily in some of the world’s most notable recording and mastering studios. Peeling the onion back further, you’ll be surprised at how many of your favorite tracks have been touched by Manley pro gear over the years. This matters for two reasons. Ms. Manley knows what music is supposed to sound like, and Manley gear doesn’t break. It’s one thing to have your home system crap out in the middle of a weekend listening session, but when something fails in the middle of a recording session that’s probably going to win a Grammy, heads will roll. Sound, especially the sound generated by a playback system is a personal, intimate experience when assembled with care. You know the sound you’re looking for, and you might have to audition many different amplifiers until you find that sound. That sound that makes the tumblers in your cognitive center all snap into place and let you relax, forget about everything and settle in. If you’ve been on a somewhat long quest for that perfect tube amplifier, and can live with 100 Watts per channel, the Snappers can be your grail. Joe Walsh’s So What? has a big, fat, beefy sound with the Snappers in the system, playing through the Sonus faber Stradiveris. (sans REL six-pack) Every bit of classic rock I love, and have listened to for decades is mega-engaging through the Snappers, regardless of what speakers I use. The Snappers render music in a fast, lively, and engaging way, without getting too-tubey. The Snappers really rock. Again, thanks in part to the output transformers and equally because of their overbuilt power supplies. Manley says that while tube rectifiers are more romantic, “The solid-state rectifiers allow for bigger power supply caps and more energy