Dared MC-7P - thoughts

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
edited January 2013 in 2 Channel Audio
So after getting some suggestions on a tube pre (thread here), I think I might have narrowed down my choices to the Dared MC-7P.

I was hoping there might be a couple folks here with that item that could comment on it.

I am posting this also as I have another local friend that is also looking at possibly getting this pre so I figured you could help us both out :smile:.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Post edited by EndersShadow on
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Comments

  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    edited January 2013
    I think Neil (Nspindel) has one. Give him a shout!
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited January 2013
    Lol already did, was hoping for more input from others here....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    edited January 2013
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    Lol already did, was hoping for more input from others here....

    Lol. Ok then!

    For me, if it's an improvement on the SL2000A it has to be awesome. I really miss that little Pre. For the price of the Dared units, I don't think you can go wrong.

    If you can find one, the Cary SLP30 is supposed to be very nice also.
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited January 2013
    Are you handy enough to do some DIY work on it? If so, it's a great amp to do some upgrades to. Joe will be happy to send you the schematic for it after you buy it, and you can really bring it to another level if you upgrade the coupling caps. I used Auricaps. Sounds incredible.

    It is definitely an upgrade in sound quality over the SL2000a.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,642
    edited January 2013
    When you say handy enough---is it easy enough for a novice to upgrade the caps? I have upgraded caps in crossovers with no problem, however, never changed any out on an amp.
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited January 2013
    Definitely more complex than a crossover upgrade. Have a look at post 1026:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?26433-Show-me-your-****(embly)-and-let-me-get-in-your-guts-baby!/page35
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,642
    edited January 2013
    That is my one issue, I would be afraid of **** the amp up more than anything.
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited January 2013
    I did screw it up, actually. I had read in some other forum that popped up in a google search about how the holes in the board in several spots were smaller than the gauge of the leads for the new caps, and people had drilled out larger holes on the board. Well, maybe I used the wrong kind of bits, but this part of the project didn't go as well as I had hoped, and in a few spots I stripped the traces away, so there was no electrical connection to solder to. Fortunately, I have the schematic, so I was able to determine where to connect to in order to get the correct circuit, and all was well. But it definitely wasn't easy work. If I were doing this project again I'd be a lot more careful choosing caps based on the gauge of the connection I would need.

    It's also a bit painful to desolder the old caps. You need to detach the board from the chassis and lift it up, and there are a few things that need to be disconnected because they prevent you from lifting the board.

    One idea might be to talk to Dared and see if you can pay extra to have them do the film caps for you. They used to make the MC-7P with Auricaps and then moved to cheaper caps, not sure if they'll do it for you or not, but worth a shot.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,642
    edited January 2013
    I emailed Dared earlier this week to see if I could buy the preamp with Auricaps. I received a response back today stating the current caps are sonically probably as good as the Auricaps and there was no need to upgrade.
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited January 2013
    Definitely not what they told me. Who did you get the email from?
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,642
    edited January 2013
    Let me PM you the email. Not sure it would be appropriate to put the info out in a public forum.
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