The MANLEY POWER® Switch-Mode Power Supply is an innovative design developed specifically for Manley Labs, specifically for High Voltage vacuum tubes, and specifically for audio by the world expert team in this technology led by Bruno Putzeys. Proven reliable and sonically superior in Manley’s newest Pro Audio gear since 2014, this power supply provides 300 Volt DC rails to run the vacuum tubes, beefy 6 Volt lines to power them up, along with several other voltage rails for the phantom power and various solid-state control voltages. High Voltage = High Headroom, folks. You will not get near this sonic performance with in any 500-series design. Trust us. This is full-force audio excellence which starts with this superior power supply. All lines are importantly regulated, low impedance, efficient, and super-quiet in this low radiating high frequency design.
WHAT GEAR USES MANLEY POWER®?
* mid-2020 onwards
** late 2021 onwards
Click through the slideshow below for more pics of the new MANLEY POWER® switch-mode PSU for our Reference microphones.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ#1 – What are the sonic differences between the older linear power supplies and the new MANLEY POWER® SMPS?
Answer: In the listening tests from old linear PSU to the new MANLEY POWER SMPS, we have been able to pick them on blind A --> B comparisons every instance. What I personally heard was:
1. In the silence, like between tracks on an LP record, deeper, blacker blacks due to the noise floor being pushed even lower.
2. The middle stayed true.
3. No extra lower mid "bloat".
4. Bass region remains tight, punchy, and solid.
5. What I wasn't quite expecting was how the top end speed seemed to increase. Cymbals were crisp. Complete lack of HF "smear".
FAQ#2 – Can I trade up my old Manley Massive Passive / VOXBOX that has a linear power supply for one of the new MANLEY POWER® SMPS ones?
Answer: No sorry. We do not do trade ins. Please if you want a new unit, sell your linear supply unit on Reverb or eBay or to your best buddy and buy a new one with the MANLEY POWER SMPS!
FAQ#3 – Can I upgrade my old linear supply Massivo to the new one?
Answer: Sorry, no. There are too many changes to the new Manley Massive Passive units running from the MANLEY POWER SMPS and it is not worth it to basically only retain the side chassis extrusions and the band-cards! Everything else in the unit is brand new: the back panel and I/O cards, the faceplate, the main audio vacuum tube PCB, and of course, the new MANLEY POWER module and associated wire harnesses. It would be too much work and expense to unbuild and rebuild an older unit. Same goes for the VOXBOX as well.
FAQ#4 - What about the microphones? Can just buy a new MANLEY POWER® power supply and upgrade my older mic?
Answer: Sorry to report, but there are too many other changes between the linear PSU and the MANLEY POWER SMPS versions of the Manley Reference Tube Mics. It is not simply a matter of buying the other PSU. The whole guts of the mics are different, heaters run off 12v on the linear vs 6v on the SMPS, and some other circuit changes. The PCBs are different inside the mic, as is the cabling and XLR jack: 6-pin for the linear versions and 7-pin for the SMPS versions. (This particular cable change was done intentionally so customers won’t get mixed up if they have both older and newer mics in use at the studio.) We are not offering trade-ins or upgrades or mods of any linear-to-SMPS versions of anything as the mods are too extensive.
FAQ#5 – Why aren't they plug and play? I mean you use the same tube circuits, no?
Answer: Historically, the older linear power supplies in many of our line level devices made use of stock 12V 7812-type TO-3 package regulators for the vacuum tube heaters. Often times in so many Manley devices, the dual triode heaters were on a floating circuit operated in parallel-strings of internally-series-wired arrangements with one center-tapped Pin 9 to make a single ground connection. In the new MANLEY POWER switcher mod power supplies we have changed the heater rail to a more conventional single 6.3VDC rail referenced to ground. Thus the heater circuits in the units are all changed to parallel arrangements of 6.3VDC. So rewiring all heater strings and grounding arrangements in the audio circuits becomes a big job to cut up and modify. There are obviously brand new circuit boards for all units using the new MANLEY POWER SMPS.
On the High Voltage side of things, in the older linear supply units, you'll typically find several stages of traditional Pi filters using large value capacitors. These are not necessary with the new MANLEY POWER SMPS, and in fact, the new power supply will not operate driving such extreme high capacitance. Since there is no longer any 50 or 60Hz "hum" component in the new MANLEY POWER supplies, that low frequency Pi filtration is no longer necessary and thus the filtration and de-coupling on the B+ rails is all different.
Additionally, when laying out new circuit boards for the new versions of our legacy gear to use the new MANLEY POWER systems, we have taken the opportunity to improve the build layouts and build efficiency at every turn. So you'll see different wiring and new harnesses in the new units that are not compatible with the older systems.
So, no, the new MANLEY POWER systems are not plug-and-play with any of our old boards.
FAQ#6 – I kinda like the retro-feel of the power knob you used to use on the older Massive Passive and VOXBOX units. Why did you change that to the new RED LED pushbutton switch?
Answer: Oh yeah, this is another huge benefit to the new MANLEY POWER SMPS: you can turn it on with a little low power switch! You don't have to switch the AC MAINS anymore. You don't have to bring the mains to the faceplate (which can bring noise nearer to the audio circuits) and you don't have to use a knob and long shaft to switch the MAINS AC at the rear of any units anymore. All of these MAINS switching schemes were never optimal, and in fact, the knob-and-shaft switching system was prone to several ways of technical failure. Now that the MANLEY POWER SMPS has a low voltage remote turn on capability, this should become a 100% reliable and silent power-on system from now on. Big improvement!
FAQ#7 – Doesn't the new power supply just replace hum with hiss and hash?
Answer: Hell no! The MANLEY POWER switching power supply was designed from the onset specifically for vacuum tubes with the main focus on highest performance for audio. It's a very low radiating design using purpose-made transformers and inductors which were designed for low emissions. The shielding and grounding of the electronic components on the module has been carefully specified and executed. Intelligent filtration of the rails has been achieved with attention to lowest resultant noise in and out of the audio band. In many cases we don't even need an additional metal cage around the supply brick. We have done our homework on this, folks. We have lots of nifty scientific instruments in our design labs to ensure that the low and high frequency noise spectral performance is to be admired. And the FCC has double-checked our work certifying all of our products that use the new switching power supplies are not infecting anything in the outside world either.
FAQ#8 – So, with your new MANLEY POWER® power supplies, I can travel with my unit to another country?
Answer: That's right! The new MANLEY POWER power supplies are Universal Voltage devices. They can be run all over the world on voltages from 90 VAC to 254 VAC and at 50 Hz or 60Hz. Just like your little phone charger, they can plug in anywhere in the world! The PFC (Power Factor Correction) circuit on the MANLEY POWER module takes care of everything for you. All you need to do is to make sure you have the right IEC detachable power cord so that the plug matches the outlet in that country.
FAQ#9 – Is this a "green" design?
Answer: The bare switch mode part of the SMPS should have an efficiency of >85% however the linear post regulators will lower the global figure to about 75 – 80% The HV post regulator being the main contributor to this loss.
FAQ#10 – Obviously you guys saved a bunch of money on the new power supply. So how about lowering the price of my unit?
Answer: FAKE NEWS! Actually the cost of the older power transformers and associated large capacitors and the assembly labor ended up running just about the same as the new MANLEY POWER modules. This change was never done for cost reasons, and it isn't even any cheaper. It sure is BETTER in every way!