Preamp for manley snappers

Why not a VTL 5.5 then?

Why not something from Manley?

Myself and another local Manley owner both are using BAT preamps with ours. (VK42SE & 51SE) I would like to hear the Manley 300B preamp to compare someday.

Member Face has a good point, why not go for a Manley pre? They're seems to be great synergy within the line, so I read!
I owned a pair of Snappers a few years back and drove them with a Bat VK3i, Audible illusions, and a Joule LA100 Mk3.
The Joule was my favorite out of this group.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for your replies. I will be auditioning a vtl 5.5 tonight and hope it goes near the sound of the 6.5 as the price is within reach. More suggestions are welcome!

How about a Manley Shrimp? Spend the extra money on more music !!

Will the shrimp be as good as the vtl 6.5? As of now im looking at a preamp that would sound as nice as the vtl 6.5 but at the 4000 price level.

I always felt that the Snappers sounded better, more open, through the XLR inputs!
The plus with the VTL 5.5 is the fact that it has XLR outputs.
Definitely worth a try.
Good luck with your audition, and post your opinions when you get a chance.

Its almost midnight here in this part of the world and i am now auditioning a vtl 5.5 and a hovland hp 100. The vtl lent to me had telefunken 12ax7 nos tubes and the hovland on stock tubes.Both preamps are excellent but the hovlands imaging is more pin point and you can picture the accurate separation of instruments. The vtl had a more wider sound stage but the richness of the sound makes it difficult to pinpoint instrument placements. A friend who was with me when we compared both preamps mentioned that the hovalnd had a more elegant sound. If only the hovland had a remote control, my search would have been over.

Csr827,
Why not look for a used Hovland HP 200? they have a remote and have balanced outputs. I like the XLR outputs better with my BAT preamp/Snapper combo than the SE ones.

I have a system consisting of Snapper driving Tannoy. I searched for a preamp and all my longings ended with a Leben RS-28CX. It is a fantastic synergistic match. I compared it up against the Steelhead and Leben have more magic with Snappers. I see that you want a remote and only a line stage. You will not get this with Leben. There are rumours of Leben comming these days with a new down scaled preamp for half the dollar. Anyway, I urge you to check out Leben. It is one of those fantastic matches with Snapper.

The Manley 300B preamp is wonderful. It is virtually the only product I've heard that conveys the emotion of the music. The device is scary quiet, but once the music begins, the sheer accuracy, warmth and vibrancy leaves every other preamp I've heard for dead.

I'm going to save my shekels to buy the Neoclassic 300B monoblocks and then, I think, my hi fi journey might be nearing its final destination.

Jumbo Shrimp and Snappers are an excellent pairing. On day three of this recent upgrade.

Snappers and First Sound ?

I had my Snappers hooked up to a CJ CT-5. Worked very well
together and its in your price range too. The Manley 300B
would also be near the top of my list. I never got to hear one
in my system but if it sounds even half as good as it looks
you'll have a winner.

Thanks a lot .