the Stingray has beautiful tone and a vibrant sound
very nice |
What are you currently using? |
What are you currently using? Source: Denon DVD-5910 Speakers: 6-ohm Sonus Faber GP Home (small floor) Preamp: Jeff Rowland Capri Amp: Jeff Rowland model 102 Is the Stingray reliable? |
I bought one brand new (when it first came out) and in about a year I sent it back to have a selector switch replaced. They did it for free but I have heard others needed the same thing done.
I imagine it has been at least 6 years or so since that happened so maybe they have fixed it by now.
fwiw - It actually drove my Maggie 1.6 pretty well so it is a robust amp. |
I had the Stingray and a Mapleshade modified Scott vintage amp. The Scott sounded better in my system. It had better tone (both use EL84 tubes, which I love), and lacked a bit of tube glare that I could not ever totally get rid of with the Stingray regardless of tube rolling. I used both with Audio Physic Virgo speakers and Quad 2805. The Scott also seemed more powerful, even though I think the Stingray had a higher output power rating.
In terms of reliability, I think the Stingray would be the better bet. The Mapleshade Scott amps are a bit fragile and idiosyncratic with connections, etc. And the Stingray is much better looking and has better functionality.
Dave |
You have a really good preamp. If you are simply looking to make a change to hear tubes with your SFs, I would consider trying the Music Reference RM10MKII, which sound great, is extremely reliable, and uses the wonderful EL84 tube. It gives you 35 watts per channel, don't know if that is enought for your speakers - not sure. All for $1,995 new!. Occasionally they might come up used for $1,200 or so, but you don't see them up for sale that much. Oh, and they get 10,000 of power tube life to boot. Now, if you are looking for an integrated for some reason, that is another issue. I do think the Stingray is one of the better sounding units out there, but there are other options. |
I had the same experiance as Dave , I bought a Stingray to replace my Scott 222 based on reviews. I loved the Mapleshade Scott 222 but it was low powered and tended to run out of headroom with the speakers I was using at the time. That being said, that little amp was capable of some truly sublime listening experiances.
Once I removed the Scott and replaced it with the Stingray I was dismayed with the presentation , the bass was weak , I played several tracks that I knew should have more sonic impact but the amp omitted them.
But what was much worse was the way this amp narrowed the soundstage of my recordings.It was like I was getting about 70% of what was on the CD/record. The Stingray could see deeply into a very narrow portion of the music if that makes sense. It was like a beam of light that lit up a small portion of the night sky (good , but where was the rest of the sky!)
In the end I put it up on Audiogon and got my money back.
This was a disturbing learning experiance as I could only conclude that the "reviews" were worthless. I had verifiable sonic proof that a 40 year old amp with half the rated power of its competitor, blew away in no uncertain terms, a piece of equipment that was voted "Integrated Amp of the Year by Dick Olsher"!
Dominic |
Pubul57,
Yes, the JR Capri is good, very clean and detail, but I thought I'd wanted a little warmer, more musical. Someone once said "once you go tubes, you'd never go back" .... got me thinking.
I feel good having good compliment from someone. So, would the Manyley Stingray have what it takes to "stand" next to the JR Capri in sound quality? Also considering the integrated tube amp Panthos Classic One.
* Why integrate tube amp? getting involve with tube sounds w/o burning my pocket. |
What is the warranty provided?
They are unbelievably geeky looking. They have a high school AV Club down market aesthetics thing going. I know sound is 99 percent of the equation, but they've got to have a low WAF and even lower GFAF thing going. |
Mst,
I can't pin point down who you were asking, me or the others? Jeff Rowland or Manley? |
Do not underestimate what you have with your amp/preamp combo. The Pathos might be the better option of the two integrated amps you mentioned, but I don't think either will make you forget about the Rowland combo. Think VAC Avatar SE if your goal is replacement, or as Pubul57 mentioned, get a tube amp instead to try with the Capri. I used a Capri with VAC Auricle Musicblocs and the sound was very good (my VAC had balanced inputs, not all do). If you want to try a tubed preamp with the Rowland I might suggest the Atma-sphere MP-3, again to take advantage of the balanced connections. |
Was just asking the question rhetorically, given how many customer service complaints anecdotally have been raised through this colloquy. |
I owned it, and it was fantastic, especially with NOS EL84's, which of course were not cheap. Wonderful amp. Sold it because the the "search for better" monkey was riding my back. |
The Stingray is a very nice amplifier indeed.
In addition to having one of the champs of tone, the EL84, it is well built and should prove reliable. You're also dealing with one of the better companies in the business, normally represented by some of the better dealers in the business - and, no, that's not a coincidence. So, you'll be well supported. Don't discount the fact that the amp is made in the USA as one of the big reasons behind this.
I'm also partial to the aesthetic, but understand that's a matter of personal taste. My one caution is that the amp is definitely not the last word in power, so keep that in mind.
Regarding how newer amps compare to older ones, I'm also increasingly discovering as time passes how special those vintage tube amps truly are. |
I think that Clio9s recommendation of the VAC Avatar SE (EL34) is a good one. If you are looking for warm I'm not sure the RM10 would be recommedation; but I'm not sure that warm is what you are looking for (you may be). What tubes give me is bloom and a sense of space and instrument localization that I can't quite get with SS - and I think it is that quality that turns people into tube fans. I'm a bot confused by the mixed comments here on the Stingray, but I don't doubt that people heard what they heard, or experienced what they experienced, but I agree with Trelja's position on the Stingray. But if you can make the move to the VAC Avatar, I think that would be making the move, your current gear is pretty darn good as is. Just to throw another monkey wrench into this, Roger Modjeski only uses passive preamps with his amps and you could get the RM10 with one of his passives (under $200), but the preamp of yours should work awfully well with just about anything. If you truly want warmth, I would look for an older CJ amp with EL34 tubes, they are quintessentially "warm". Just noticed there is a nice looking SE up for sale today - $2,350 is the asking price. |
Along the lines of what Pubul57 laid out, I think you can't go wrong with an amplifier from Roger Modjeski, Manley, or VAC. Which particular model best suits you will be a matter of personal taste, and I encourage you to do a bit of auditioning, if possible.
See my previous comments on the Stingray - when you align yourself with companies such as these three, it's difficult to imagine coming out on the wrong side of the coin. |
