Manley's film-star Stingray II brings a grin to HiFi+

Jason Kennedy reviews Manley Labs' integrated tube amp, the Stingray II—whose striking good looks landed it an appearance in Thomas Vinterberg's much-vaunted recent award-winning film, Another Round…

Enjoy some tidbits below—or rush out and buy issue 196 (Jul21) of HiFi+ for the full review—then when you're back, check out our product page here for more info and technical spec...

“on style terms alone the Stingray is a distinctive piece of kit even before the glass starts to glow”

“Whatever you play through there is a fluidity to the sound that makes it extremely compelling, the Stingray II makes a lot of amplifiers sound mechanical, as if they are having to go through more processes to deliver the music”

“Timbre, the specific tonal character of each voice and instrument, is superbly rendered here and this brings out the feeling in every performance rather well”

“This Manley is not about power… it’s about musical engagement and in this respect it has a lot to offer, making a good case for the EL84 pentodes in its output stage and a better case for kicking back and enjoying the vibe”

“makes the harmonised saxophones sound glorious, their tonal radiance in full effect with none of the glare that many amps add to the mix”

“Sticking on this technology’s natural partner, vinyl, was an absolute blast and anything to do with a groove made it very hard to sit still and impossible not to grin”

“…for music lovers looking for an effortless way to enjoy their tunes”

“…the Stingray II is not an amplifier to sit in front of and stroke your beard but one for moving your body, or at least clicking your fingers (man).”

“What more can you ask of a piece of audio electronics than to enhance the joy of music in the home? I know that music is a serious affair for many but we’re in it for the emotional connection and this funky amp is rather good at that”