Dared MC7P ...filling in the blanks
polkfarmboy
Posts: 5,703
Well just thought I was post my findings on this sweet budget tube preamp. I have only had this in my system for a day but I bought it used with unknown upgraded tubes ( will email seller) so its already been burned in.
In my review I will list the components from the start of the chain to the then and it is as follows below. The black widow turntable and audioblock solid state pre with the phono section will be arriving Wednesday so I will update the page but may need some shuguang treasures for the last 2 tubes on the right of the Dared mc7p as that is where the phono sections located so I can do a comparison
My laptop with j river software with music from HD tracks and flac cd's linked by a wireworld platinum starlight 1 meter usb cable.The Ps audio perfectwave dac with MK2 board and bridge linked to the dared by a pair of lovely wireworld platinum eclipse. The Dared to a pair of Primaluna prologue 6 via another pair of wireworld platinum eclipse then out to the Martin Logan Vista with a pair of wireworld gold eclipse speaker cables. All 4 components being fed power with wireworld electra power cables. I have also used my 5 channel Anthem mca series 2 amp in place of the mono blocks in testing the start of yesterday.
Well back to the Dared, as soon as I hooked this up and powered it on and heard that first note I knew there was something I have never heard before from anything else with the electrostats and that was the upper frequency's coming through my speakers like never before.
The high notes on the dared is exactly what I want with the transparent nature my Vista's as they are capable of achieving so much. I feel its only now from tube equipment that I have experienced this. Before when I had just the primaluna's hooked up to the perfect wave dac I never got that top end that I craved and knew my speakers were capable of but the great bass and mids made up for that, a trade off for the tech as I thought something has to give. Now. I have everything I desire from tube and solid state all rolled in to the one glorious soundstage.
The bass from the primalunas really goes through the floor and always missed that as the Vista are notorious for the woofers not getting the 'right' kind of current to push them while maintaning a balanced sound. Now I have this great pounding full juicy bottom end thats really rounded out with a great fleshy midrange and highs that go on forever and decay into infinity.
The tone from jeff buckleys voice now just haunts my room when I close my eyes as you can just hear the spacious studio he has recorded in and catch every whimper from his voice as he breathes to take the next note with the very highest resolution of sound.
I like this song 'No Other' by Gene Clark and always listen to it with a new piece of gear to evaluate the spectrum. There is some wood percussion on it and its always not quite there to me with the airy hollow tapping in the right part of the sounstage, I have heard this percussion shift with usb cords so its a good reference for me. Well any time CI hear that hollow tapping done right something else is always off in the song, like its too bright and thats why I hear it more prominently or the bass and mids are more anemic. Well with the dared the soundstage is all in the right place and the song remains warm and full bodied but man I hear that dense hollow wood being tapped to the point I can imagine exactly where it is in the stage and how big it must bee
I did try the Dared with the Anthem and have never heard my amp sound that good as the mids bass never seemed good enough for 2 channel listening. I like strong midrange I hear with the Anthem now and think I will switch to the dared/anthem combo for when I listen to electronic music from the likes of Justice, Vitalic and Daft punk etc.... The bass for that kind of music maybe too much for the other residents in the building if I use the Dared /Prima Luna combo.
All in I am very excited about going through all my music and I now feel like the price I paid for the cables to hook all this up is now justified for what I have gotten in return. I did have to go get some mono price cables out to do a shootout with the wireworld gold eclipse as they cost about 8000 times the price. I had my wife listen to pieces of music doing a blind test lol, it was really funny because she actually liked the mono price cables 4 times out of 5 but I think she was just saying anything to get back to facebook snooping.
In my review I will list the components from the start of the chain to the then and it is as follows below. The black widow turntable and audioblock solid state pre with the phono section will be arriving Wednesday so I will update the page but may need some shuguang treasures for the last 2 tubes on the right of the Dared mc7p as that is where the phono sections located so I can do a comparison
My laptop with j river software with music from HD tracks and flac cd's linked by a wireworld platinum starlight 1 meter usb cable.The Ps audio perfectwave dac with MK2 board and bridge linked to the dared by a pair of lovely wireworld platinum eclipse. The Dared to a pair of Primaluna prologue 6 via another pair of wireworld platinum eclipse then out to the Martin Logan Vista with a pair of wireworld gold eclipse speaker cables. All 4 components being fed power with wireworld electra power cables. I have also used my 5 channel Anthem mca series 2 amp in place of the mono blocks in testing the start of yesterday.
Well back to the Dared, as soon as I hooked this up and powered it on and heard that first note I knew there was something I have never heard before from anything else with the electrostats and that was the upper frequency's coming through my speakers like never before.
The high notes on the dared is exactly what I want with the transparent nature my Vista's as they are capable of achieving so much. I feel its only now from tube equipment that I have experienced this. Before when I had just the primaluna's hooked up to the perfect wave dac I never got that top end that I craved and knew my speakers were capable of but the great bass and mids made up for that, a trade off for the tech as I thought something has to give. Now. I have everything I desire from tube and solid state all rolled in to the one glorious soundstage.
The bass from the primalunas really goes through the floor and always missed that as the Vista are notorious for the woofers not getting the 'right' kind of current to push them while maintaning a balanced sound. Now I have this great pounding full juicy bottom end thats really rounded out with a great fleshy midrange and highs that go on forever and decay into infinity.
The tone from jeff buckleys voice now just haunts my room when I close my eyes as you can just hear the spacious studio he has recorded in and catch every whimper from his voice as he breathes to take the next note with the very highest resolution of sound.
I like this song 'No Other' by Gene Clark and always listen to it with a new piece of gear to evaluate the spectrum. There is some wood percussion on it and its always not quite there to me with the airy hollow tapping in the right part of the sounstage, I have heard this percussion shift with usb cords so its a good reference for me. Well any time CI hear that hollow tapping done right something else is always off in the song, like its too bright and thats why I hear it more prominently or the bass and mids are more anemic. Well with the dared the soundstage is all in the right place and the song remains warm and full bodied but man I hear that dense hollow wood being tapped to the point I can imagine exactly where it is in the stage and how big it must bee
I did try the Dared with the Anthem and have never heard my amp sound that good as the mids bass never seemed good enough for 2 channel listening. I like strong midrange I hear with the Anthem now and think I will switch to the dared/anthem combo for when I listen to electronic music from the likes of Justice, Vitalic and Daft punk etc.... The bass for that kind of music maybe too much for the other residents in the building if I use the Dared /Prima Luna combo.
All in I am very excited about going through all my music and I now feel like the price I paid for the cables to hook all this up is now justified for what I have gotten in return. I did have to go get some mono price cables out to do a shootout with the wireworld gold eclipse as they cost about 8000 times the price. I had my wife listen to pieces of music doing a blind test lol, it was really funny because she actually liked the mono price cables 4 times out of 5 but I think she was just saying anything to get back to facebook snooping.
Post edited by polkfarmboy on
Comments
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Glad you found a piece that works well for your setup.I love the 2000a.
Dan -
Finally...a pic of PFB in skinny jeans. I can die completely content in the knowledge that at least the skinny jeans were true.
"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Aren't "Farm boys" suppose to be wearing overalls ? With pig crap all over ? Just sayin'....
Glad you like it PFB, now go bale some hay for them horses. LOLHT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Aren't "Farm boys" suppose to be wearing overalls ? With pig crap all over ? Just sayin'....
Glad you like it PFB, now go bale some hay for them horses. LOL
Its about 3 month too late for that, but I did have fun bailing the road ditches with the odd 6 pack.
FYI, no one does pigs anymore when you work out the cost of feed to the return on them, you just about break even if your lucky -
Someone must be doing pigs, had some fantastic pork tacos yesterday.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's
