Manley Reference 250W Monoblocks. Expertly Serviced, Unique!

Up for your consideration is one serviced pair of Manley Laboratories Reference 250 Monoblock amplifiers. These amps are just delightful, and this pair has a unique history.

The very cool thing about these products is the ability to switch from triode to tetrode mode, depending upon what you'd like the amps to do. In triode mode, you get that three-dimensional and lush sound at a maximum of about 100 watts. Tetrode mode is less sweet, but a little more revealing with better control and significantly more punch at 250 watts. And it's so easy to compare- switch the amps off, change modes and turn 'em back on. In both modes, emotion comes through very strongly, which is something I like a lot and not very many amps do well. They also feature a soft-start mode which keeps them ready to go without using a lot of energy. I think part of the reason they sound so good (aside from the 10 EL-34s!) is the fact that they are a true differential push-pull design. This, coupled with Manley's proprietary transformer design, makes for some serious music.

This pair of amplifiers is very special. What makes them unique is because they belonged to a unique person in the audio business. Gary Hawkins of Digital Ear started one of the very first CD-only retailers in the United States. I was Digital Ear's very first employee, way back when. "Didge," as we affectionately called the place, quickly grew into a widely renowned and respected purveyor of both middle range and very high-end audio and video products. Gary was well known in the audio community of users, manufacturers and magazines. Sadly, he has passed away and I have the unhappy honor of offering some of his favorite pieces to someone else who will love them as much as he did.

This pair has been serviced and aligned by me (a former Pacific Stereo service manager and factory technician for both Yamaha and JVC) under the guidance and tutelage of the very helpful folks over at Manley, and they are sounding and working great. Cosmetically, they are as good as they could be except for one pretty minor problem. In some places, the gold anodizing treatment is puckering off of the substrate. It's not egregious, but it is there. If it weren't for that, these could score 9 or 10 on the Audiogon scale. I'd rate these as a very high 8, but I have to stick to the scale.

I have the original boxes and owner's manual. Shipping weight is 73 pounds (or thereabouts) each. Local pickup for Southern and Central California is possible (and very much encouraged!!).

I know I don't have a lot of history here at AudiogoN, but I do have a twelve-year history at eBay with 100% positive feedback under the same name you see here (pacificstereo). You can see my profile there, please look me up! Also, I am a moderator at tapeheads.net and can provide references from local hifi retailers and vintage audio restorers. You can buy with complete confidence.

You may pay in a number of ways. I prefer Dwolla, cash, check, or MO. All prices/negotiations presume payment with cash, check or money order and already take into account a built-in 4% cash discount. You may also pay with a credit card, but the discount is not included and I have to collect CA sales tax if you live in CA and use a card to pay.

Thanks for taking a look. Larger versions of these photos can be seen at http://pacificstereo.net/manley. If you have any questions, or can't navigate to the photos, get in contact with me and I'll be delighted to help!