John
When a brand’s Australian handling changes from one distributor to another it rarely makes new on these pages. However, when a change of distributor results in lower prices to the consumer, it does.
With Syntec morphing into the Australian arm of Sennheiser, Manley Labs found itself without a place to call home in a land down under.
Enter Cameron Pope of Krispy Audio – a one-man operation from Berowra Waters, NSW (thirty clicks north of Sydney). Pope has since been appointed as the new distributor for Eva Manley’s tube gear.
“This is yet another exciting step for Krispy Audio because not only do Manley components demonstrate outstanding performance, there is also great cultural fit.” says Pope.
“Eva Manley and her team treat their products very seriously, but they also have some fun along the way – check out their website. Manley’s customer service is also second to none.”
Pope doesn’t endure the overheads of the bigger players and passes on those savings to the customer.
Moreover, in order to keep costs to consumers as low as possible Pope is direct-selling Manley Labs products, no dealer network required. This translates to a lowering of RRPs across the board, even in the face of the recent ten-percent drop in the Australian dollar against the Greenback.
Let’s talk specifics: earlier this year, the Manley Stingray II integrated amplifier sold for an RRP of AU$7999 under Syntec (who had a retailer network to support). Krispy Audio’s direct-sell modus operandi translates to a new RRP of AU$5999, which is also much closer the Stateside sticker of US$5650.
The Mahi Mahi monoblocks used to sell for AU$6399, now they’re AU$4999/pair.
Chalk one up for the little guy.
Further information: Krispy Audio | Manley Labs
