Just took delivery of the Red Wine Audio 30.2 and-

The 30.3? Wow that will render the 30.2 obsolete-- I mean like it wont even WORK anymore when the new one comes out! Isnt that how it goes?

Judging from the limited responses... Guess there's not a heck of a lot of knowledge about Red Wine Audio products here on audiogon yet. Well-- they are definitely worth checking out in my estimation. Superb value for money and no-- they dont make new models every 2 months. I think the 30.2 is only the first update in a few years or so-- but word has it it is certainly mo' betta.

If you mean

does it ROCK BABEEEE...

well we listened to some John Mayer Continuum and Michael (or is it Elliot) Yamin at high volume at my girlfriend's request (I'm more of a fat guys-wearing-helmets-and-screaming-about-love-and-death guy myself)... and it positively stomped all of the amps in terms of effortlessness at pounding/keeping the beat etc. True too for bass weight.

It is no weenie--- that is fo' shizza.

Now I havent gone 'In da Club' wid fiddy cent yet.... but I'll let you know. I'll bet the RWA can hammer it out though.
Go Shorty-- is yo birfday
We gonna pardee like is yo birfday
We gonna sip Bacardi like is yo' birfday...

It should be interesting to see if the Manley Stingray can free ma soul/get lost in ma rock n roll..... or maybe it'll just take tea, have crumpets and a cigar and O Sole Mio around the place.

Big Luv for ya,
Big D

Well-- I may not be able to comment on the full capability of the shindo gear as I am not bi-wiring the LV's with the Auditorium 23 speaker cables or using a Shindo interconnect, both of which are apparently highly recommended (almost mandated in fact) by those in the know for optimal Shindo set-up.
I will say in my current set-up, the Shindo gear and the Lavardin are rather enjoyable to listen to. The Lavardin is to me, slightly less pacey than the Shindo gear, and in the current set-up, slightly warmer. There is less separation between the musicians as well. It is about on a par with the Shindo gear bass-wise.
The Red Wine Amp seems to be punchier/more dynamic than either set-up (though the Shindo may have the edge pace-wise-- like Naim gear) and there is no denying that "little chip" or whatever is in the thing hits like a freight train with low taught bass.
I feel the RWA amp is more dynamic than the Lavardin piece and perhaps more so than the Shindo gear, though again the Shindo gear may not be optimally set-up. Like the lavardin, it does not seem at this point to plumb the depths as the RWA does bass-wise. And again, the RWA may not be quite as toe-tapping as the Shindo stuff. (But Shindo is green like Naim-- so that's to be expected, right? ;)
Please note-- my listening experience with the RWA is quite preliminary as Vinnie recommends 100 hours of break- in and at this point, there are like 6 hours on it total!! I still have not had a chance to listen further-- so I really wasnt going for an in-depth review-- just wanted to express my Shock and Awe that it was holding its own with the other stuff in-house in many ways from the moment I turned it on.
It perhaps is a mite 'papery' tonally right now but again-- no break in!!! In other words-- this thing has potential with a capital 'P.'
I am due to receive the manley Stingray tonight and that's a comparison I'm anxiously awaiting!!

Were they talking about the Red Wine Audio 30.2 you mean? It aint exactly struggling in that department! Never heard the first version though. I would call the Shindo gear slightly pacier though at this point. As for 'better'-- well, I'm witholding judgement till I have a few more hours on the RWA amp.
What's important to know is as yet-- no particular amp KILLS the other and they vary widely in price... so that's something, eh?

The Manley Stingray hath arrived.

Let the games........ begin.

FWIW, based on some of the private emails I've received along with what I've read on-line, I conclude that I may not have been trumpeting the virtues of the original Sig 30 quite so loudly.
The 30.2 seems by all acounts a much more refined and just all-around better amp.

Okay-- I'll come clean-- limited time at work though-- so this is briefer than I want it to be for now! I love the manley and the RWA-- but the Manley is slightly more forward with slightly less soundstage depth. Essentially it is a matter of perspective--

With my friend's Living Voice speakers (definitely not forward speakers but certainly not laid back sleepers---) I feel the Stingray is a touch too in my face. Just a touch...

HOWEVER-- conversely, with certain digital components, the RWA can err (for me and not necessarily you) slightly on the warm/friendly side.

This gets much more interesting though as my friend recently brought over an MHDT Paradisea + DAC which I connected to my long-time fave CD player-- the Lector CDP 0.6T mk. 2 via a standard Audio Art RCA interconnect (not a dedicated digital cable).

This DAC (not completely broken in) is slightly 'edgier' or more forward in perspective and with the manley it is just a bit too much-- but with the RWA it is nigh on perfect! I have only listened to it for an hour, so I cant say if I prefer it overall to the lector alone-- it may (and I mean MAY) have slightly more grain and maybe a smaller stage-- but it is definitely a bit more upfront and 'snappier' in perspective.

With the RWA this makes for a perfect balance with the LV speakers. Singers are RIGHT THERE in the room present and breathy and all that jazz.
Now-- those speaks are gonna have to go back to my friend streetdaddy (here on the 'gon) shortly-- so I'll have to find my own speakers and the fun is gonna start all over again!!

Essentially I am right now optimizing my sound for someone else's system!! Not smart, huh??
For example-- the reason I believe Bob Neill probably loves the Reynaud/Manley synergy is that the manley seems a touch in-yer-face and the Reynauds may be a touch warm and 'human.' Together they probably equal 'perfect'! So I could keep the Manley and buy Reynauds... but I'm sure i'd miss the little RWA, which is so engaging musically (Johnny Cash's 'Whem The Man Comes Around' is riveting via the RWA/lector combo-- you cant just listen to one track! It's one of those amps that makes people remain quiet until a track is over to tell you how good things sound... you know how it is! They dont wanna disturb Johnny while he's performing...

I would say that with laid back speakers (I dunno-- maybe spendors or something) the RWA could be a bit too warm. Similarly, with bright speakers (thiels; again-- to MY ear), the Manley might drive you out of the room.

Like Vinnie Rossi says-- it's all about synergy. He LOVES the RWA 30.2 with Devore 9's and to me, devore gibbon 8's (yes I have owned them so I have an opinion) were a touch forward and thinner/more 'neutral'/revealing than I'm used to. I'll just bet the very slightly warm nature of the RWA fancies the slightly cool nature of the Devores Big-Time.

The Manley amp is fast and fun and has great bass-- almost as much as the RWA. So is the RWA. The Manley has lots of inputs-- the RWA does not. The Manley is NOT remote controlled-- bummer.
Both are very engaging to listen to, though I think my temporary non-audiophile house guest Charles, my girlfriend and I all prefer the music-making of the RWA amp somewhat. Not to mention the convenience factor (small, light, no tubes etc).
It gets even MORE interesting though! When I connected the Shindo Aurieges pre to the RWA amp and used it strictly as an amplifier-- I got a slightly more forward and punchier sound-- what you might expect from going 'active' with a great pre like the Shindo-- very enjoyable!
Now, according to clandestine sources, a Shindo interconnect might give me an even better idea of what the combo is capable of-- but I aint got one. Alls I can tell ya is -- ees good! Best I've heard the Aurieges sound! Again-- no remote though (ancient Japanese custom?)
I do love the remote with the RWA-- awesome and small and cute. Again-- the volume steps might be juuuuust a wee bit coarse for perfection but that's often the case with stepped attnuators of any quality.
This is why I await with bated breath Vinnie's Isabella preamp- if it lends the already very punchy 30.2 and even punchier sound and has a continuously variable volume control-- well we might be in business!

Now-- assuming I stay with the RWA (leaning that way) when streetdaddy takes back his LV IBXR2 speakers-- what I'm gonna use is anybody's guess. I was gonna go Reynaud- but with the RWA-- that combo might be a touch warm. Again-- loved the Devore dynamics/definition/imaging etc-- but they were a touch forward and cooler than I like when I used to own them.

Love my old Totem ones-- though these arent at their best at lower levels like some other higher efficiency speakers. There's always the Acoustic Zen adagios and the Reference 3a Veena (new model with supertweeter like the the Grand Veena is coming out I think). OR-- I could drop BIG COIN for my own pair of LV IBXR2's-- a fabulously balanced transducer. But that's BIG COIN.
Sigh. This is why I didnt wanna like a lower powered amp-- despite its versatility-- I still say you got more choices with say, another fave of mine-- like the Unico standard or SE models (not in-house now for comparison). When you're playin' with a 160 watt 50 pound amp like the Unico SE you can buy whatever speakers you want-- except Scintillas!
Not to short change either the Manley or the Red Wine-- as I have not heard either with a "demanding" load.

In sum-- guess the fact that the stingray is for sale votes for the slightly more engaging nature (to ME in MY-- err... partyly someone else's) system. But I could certainly live with Messeur Manley and if i dont get my price-- may do just that for a while along with the RWA until the speaker choice has been made...

In response to Plinko's inquiry-- the battery power does not make the RWA totally silent-- but there isnt a lot of hss and hum at the speaker as compared for example with the Stingray-- whch has the typical ransformer hum of a tube amp. The Stingray is just a touch brighter and has a bit less depth.

Someone asked about 'different batteries' or something. The batteries in the RWA are in there to stay as far as i know and I sure as hell wouldnt want to monkey around in that thing!

As for the Devore possibility- buying a speaker brand again that I once re-sold owing to my reservations about the sound does give me pause-- but I am certainly open to the idea that there might not have been the best system synergy at the time and maybe the 30.2 will be to the Devore's liking...

BTW-- further experimenting tells me I may slightly prefer the Lector now overall to the MHDT DAC when I use the Signal Cable Magic Power Digital ref power cord I have along with placing the Lector on a neuance shelf. These additions brightened the sound a bit and thinned the midbass just a touch-- making I think, a more copascetic pairing with the RWA. Love to give the heralded Monarchy NM24 a go...Marty De Wulf in Bound For Sound seems to think it's 'Reimyo-good.'
In any case-- no matter the power cord or the isolation shelf or what-have-you-- the 30.2 is most definitely 'high end'-- whatever that means for you.
In other words-- even if you've got 20 grand in equipment to compare to the RWA-- you wont be laughing when you turn the thing on and press play on your source or drop the needle or whatever. You'll be wondering quite seriously why all your pricey gear didnt necessarily get you 17,500 dollars closer to the music!
The 30.2 may not be the best amp on the planet-- but it'll hang with anything i've heard in my 20 years or so of monkeying with this crap. If you dont fancy it-- it'll be down to taste-- not quality. Possibly different -- not worse, though-- than ANYTHING... and that says a lot for a 2500 dollar amp.

I just want to add that I have gotten slightly more preferable results tonally with my RWA since my original posting by using it with Stereovox and DH Labs Air Matrix IC's. The amp seems to sound a touch warm with my reference JPS SC 3's-- which usually get along well with most gear. The JPS wire is slightly more colorful and airy, but I think I prefer the DH and the Stereovox wire tonally with the RWA in my system.
Just a note for those who feel warmth can sometimes be too much of a nice thing for their taste.