Wanted: Dared I30 amplifier or 'similar'

[dahdit]

I'd like to dip my toe in the waters of valves and one of these looks like a good start. What I mean by 'similar' is a valve amp preferably with a USB connection and DAC on board because I listen mostly to music from a computer. The only alternative I've seen to the Dared sharing this feature is the MkII Fatman but another option would be to use a Behringer UCA202 with a more conventional valve integrated amp. Thanks in anticipation.

[Gazjam]

I'd like to dip my toe in the waters of valves and one of these looks like a good start. What I mean by 'similar' is a valve amp preferably with a USB connection and DAC on board because I listen mostly to music from a computer. The only alternative I've seen to the Dared sharing this feature is the MkII Fatman but another option would be to use a Behringer UCA202 with a more conventional valve integrated amp. Thanks in anticipation.

The Dared is a fantastic amp, very good dac in it as well.
Just be aware though that it doesnt have a large power output being a single ended amp and to get the best from it you really need quite efficient speakers.
In my system it was lacking punch and bass depth with my 89db speakers..

[dahdit]

Hi Gary, that's a good point mate. I've got some Frugal Horns now and that's what's set me on this quest. At the moment they're connected to a USB Topping TP30 t-amp which runs them fine at about 10wpc and I haven't been past the 10 o'clock position - although the Caiman through my old Cambridge Audio A1 drives them a lot 'fuller' (bass depth I suppose). The USB amp connection (and maybe the Behringer) is more for convenience, I have the Caiman if someone suggests or has a valve amp without - I'm kicking myself a bit for letting that Yaqin go recently.

[chelsea]

The puresound A10 is very good but has no usb.

[daytona600]

I-30 is 30wpc push pull design out of stock at present '@ £ 500
you can get one on your local tax avoider , see below for double the price , watch shipping as these are very heavy + import taxes

http://www.amazon.com/Dared-I30-Tube-Integrated-amplifier/dp/B002CCSPGK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373037882&sr=8-1&keywords=dared+i30

Have the MP-2A3c & VP-300B & VP-16 integrated in stock but these do not have a built in dac , all these drive my 100db horns with ease

Avoid the Fatman amps , these are built by Dared to fatmans very low cost spec with much lower spec components , build & sound quality + they actually cost more due to vast mark-ups

[Spectral Morn]

I-30 is 30wpc push pull design out of stock at present '@ £ 500
you can get one on your local tax avoider , see below for double the price , watch shipping as these are very heavy + import taxes

http://www.amazon.com/Dared-I30-Tube-Integrated-amplifier/dp/B002CCSPGK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373037882&sr=8-1&keywords=dared+i30

Have the MP-2A3c & VP-300B & VP-16 integrated in stock but these do not have a built in dac , all these drive my 100db horns with ease

Avoid the Fatman amps , these are built by Dared to fatmans very low cost spec with much lower spec components , build & sound quality + they actually cost more due to vast mark-ups

I think Fatman and Fatman's distributor might take serious issue with that comment.

[Canetoad]

The Dared is a fantastic amp, very good dac in it as well.
Just be aware though that it doesnt have a large power output being a single ended amp and to get the best from it you really need quite efficient speakers.
In my system it was lacking punch and bass depth with my 89db speakers..

Hi Gaz,

I haven't found this at all. I bought Brian's i30 and have no problems driving a set of Ditton 44s and AR28s. Seems to have plenty of drive to me. The only down side to it so far is the USB internal DAC doesn't work with a Squeezebox Touch. I thought something had happened to it in transit from Brian's place because it would only play the right channel. Took it to Ali's and it worked fine using his laptop. Seems to be a driver issue.

[dahdit]

It's obviously unusable for your purposes :) How much do you want for it!

Cheers fellas, all good to hear, I'm starting to learn a bit from those pointers.

Are 330b valves rare and very expensive or alternatively do they tend to last a long time? :)

[Ali Tait]

300b you mean? Not rare, lots of modern production. Pricey? Not so much these days methinks, lots of good'un s around for not too much dosh. Sound quality is of course subjective, and dependent on the circuit. As for longevity, again depends how they are used, a friend has some very rare 300A's, which are around 70 years old and sound fabulous.

[dahdit]

Cool, thank you, I had a quick check on ebay (300b tube and valve) and couldn't find anything remotely affordable. I'll search a bit more, any pointers? I love the thought of 70 year old kit still going strong, that's really made me smile :)

[Ali Tait]

I guess it depends what you mean by affordable?

[dahdit]

Fair point Ali. The cheapest I saw was £105 for a pair from hong kong, everything else was much more than that. I can afford that (and all of the others) so please forgive my poor choice of words, price of the valves in the context of price of the amp, in more context, less than £500 for the amp (appreciating that the valves seem to be the soul of the amp in these set ups).

[electric beach]

It would be rude not to point you to this Steve...

http://hifipig.com/electricbeach-frugel3-loudspeaker/

You're only across the stream from me, come and have a listen for yourself.

[dahdit]

Cheers Steve, I am indeed just over the water. I'm very much at the experimental stage with mine so a listen of some Real McCoys would be great.

I've got some Chinese drivers that appear to be 'Guide Sound' units - I'd heard that the Fostex 4 inchers weren't that good and I couldn't source any MA drivers in this country. They look the part with a copper whizzer cone (probably there for cosmetic reasons) and sound great to me. I bought some drivers for Wharfedale modus cube surround speakers the other day for a tenner so I'm looking forward to seeing what the cabinets do for those.

Your speakers are stunning and that's probably the best designed website I've seen. Your pricing is very good; I've said elsewhere that mine cost about £200 to make with el cheepo drivers and are plywod boxes at the moment ;) I've been spelling them Frugal in searches so that's why I've missed you! That's a great review mate and the pairing with a valve amp is just what I'm after.

[electric beach]

Just give me a call or drop me a mail when you'd like to come Steve. I promise you'll hear a sound quality you didn't imagine possible from the Frugels ;) :eek:

[Ali Tait]

Colin Topps should be able to help you with driver purchase.

[Canetoad]

It's obviously unusable for your purposes :) How much do you want for it!

I think I'll be keeping it for a while yet. :)

[electric beach]

Colin Topps should be able to help you with driver purchase.

Oh, is Colin the UK agent for Mark Audio now? That will be useful. Currently I get mine from the official European distributor in Germany:

http://www.lautsprechershop.de/

2 days delivery! To be honest it takes longer than that for every other component that I buy in the UK!

[Ali Tait]

Not that I know of, but he may be able to source them at better prices, you'll need to ask.

[dahdit]

Cheers Steve, I'll see if I can dig my passport out :) sounds great, I'll PM you.

Ali, cheers bud, I think I'm ok for drivers (until I hear Steve's MA's by the sounds of it). I need an amp, what shall I do?

[Ali Tait]

The Dared is a fantastic amp, very good dac in it as well.
Just be aware though that it doesnt have a large power output being a single ended amp and to get the best from it you really need quite efficient speakers.
In my system it was lacking punch and bass depth with my 89db speakers..

Are there different versions of this amp? I thought it was an EL34 PP with about 60w output?

[dahdit]

Anyone have a valve amp for sale? :)

[Ali Tait]

May have, not used it in while, I'll need to look it out and check it over. Let you know tomorrow. It's a Dared MP-2a3c. Bought it new and it's had very little use. Only a max of 8w though, so you'll need sensitive speakers. It's a good sounding amp.

[electric beach]

I need an amp, what shall I do?

Steve, I posted the link for the amp part :doh: :lol:

When I started developing my project I tried many of the chip amps (Amptastic, Topping, Bantam, etc) using a valve preamp. While the transparency and musicality were entertaining, they just don't have what it takes to get what's possible from the Frugels. I tried several powerful pure valve amps, including my hot-rodded Yaqin MC100B and although they showed the scale, authority and drama, they appeared veiled and slow in comparison. I remained convinced that the digital/valve combination was the path to a solution. Of course a pure valve amp can be wonderful, the Emille used in the review was sublime at £6.5k plus some quite special replacement valves, but I wanted to keep to a frugal budget.

The Dared DV-6C is a Class D power stage at 35w per channel mated with a Triode valve preamp.
Forget the multichannel application, it's an excellent 2 channel performer. It's absolutely silent, transparent and lightning fast, yet refined and musical. It has the authority, top to bottom extension, control and scale that highlight the speakers' attributes. You can experiment with different tubes for about £30 to tailor the presentation to your preference and it has the cutest remote control :D

Hear what's possible in my system, then you can take one back with you to try with your drivers, no obligation.

[daytona600]

the I30 does not use 300b valves £ 40 each to replace , uses smaller 6L6G valves cheap as chips to replace new or bit more for NOS new old stock
my bigger dared T300PP monos use 16 x 300b a pair and are only £ 800 to replace

[dahdit]

Cheers fellas, sorry I've been offline for a bit. All advice gratefully received.

Sorry Steve, I'd assumed the DV-6C was mainly part of a home cinema offering (notwithstanding the review), and in all honesty I was fixated on your Frugels! It sounds like you're a lot further along the path that me, I'll be in touch. Thanks also for the steer (and to Ali) regarding the drivers. If my cheep Chinese jobs don't turn out to be the bargain of the century then that's an easy upgrade path.

Thanks Scott, there's a lot to think about and seeing your Naim combo for sale hasn't helped me focus on the task at hand! I dreamed about one of those as a teenager.