-A friend of mine sent me his Dared MP15 to listen to and make suggestions for any "mods" I thought would be good.
-I hooked it up to my 1980 Klipsch LaScala speakers through a pair of Luminous Audio Synchestra Reference speaker cables. These are the best cables I have ever heard, period!
-He sent the amp with the original Chinese tubes the amp came with. KT88 x2, 12AU7 x2, and 12AX7 x2.
-I did not much care for the sound. Slow, weak, out of timing bass and lower midrange, and a very noticeable edge in the lower highs.
-Retubed the MP-15 with a pair of Vintage Tung Sol 6550's, a pair of Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plate, and Mullard 12AU7's.
-After the tube upgrade I again listened to this amp.
-I could not believe my ears- this amplifier is nothing short of fantastic now.
-It blows my beloved Marantz 8b totally out of the water in all areas.
-I got on the web, and at USAudioMart.com found a new, in a sealed box, Dared MP-15, and bought it on the spot, and am right now waiting for UPS to deliver it. (7/1/13)
-I love this amplifier!
-Now mind you that my speakers are 106 db sensitivity, and this dual 18 wpc amplifier is barely breathing at low to middle listening levels.
-As a second livelihood, I am a paid musician, and I tell you this amplifier is just the BOMB in my setup. The speed, harmonic texture, and bass extension are not to be believed/
-Looks like my 8b is going to do a lot of sitting now, of go into my office sound system.
-This makes me want to hear some of Dareds other amplifiers.
-Again, I love this amplifier!
-This past weekend, on my friends MP-15, I tried lots of 6550/12AX7?12AU7 tubes. The ones list above were my favorites by my ears.
-Looks very cool too!
-A 10+ in my book.
-WOW X 100!

Well built
Good internal/external parts
Open top end, warm and nice midrange if use with very sensitive speaker.

18 watts
Still average sound compare with another brand.

I bought this amp for test, so I will keep if I like or put it back on eBay if I don’t. I have change they own power cord to ZU BOK and used Kimber HERO interconnect. MP-15 sound was acceptable is relaxed and luxurious. It open top end, warm and nice midrange with ZU Druid. Soundstage was below than average and not produces the good mid/sub bass with my entire speaker. But this amp was well built with good quality parts and designed for little or no regular maintenance. I have tried this amp to drive four different speakers. For inefficient speaker (below than 89 db) will give hard time to this integrate amp. Sound will clip and blur on the top end. If very sensitive speaker and listen jazz or vocal this amp gives a good result. I still think jolida 202B sound more satisfies than MP-15.

Reference Speakers
NHT Classic Three
Usher S-520
Usher Be-718
ZU Druid
Matin Logan Sequel II/JL SUB

Similar Products Used:

Jolida 502B MOD
Jolida 707A
Primaluna Prolugue One
Audio Space AS-8i MK III
Conrad Johnson Premier 11/Audible Illusion modulus

Well built.
Good internal/external parts.
Open top end, warm and nice midrange if use with very sensitive speaker.

18 watts.
Still average sound compare with another brand.

I bought this amp for test, so I will keep if I like or put it back on eBay if I don’t. I don’t know what to say about this little integrate amp. Sound was acceptable is relaxed and luxurious. It open top end, warm and nice midrange. Soundstage was below than average and not produces the good mid/sub bass. But this amp was well built with good-up quality parts and designed for little or no regular maintenance. I have tried this amp to drive four different speakers. For inefficient speaker (below than 90 db) will give hard time to this integrate amp. Sound will clip and blur on the top end. If very sensitive speaker and listen jazz or vocal this amp gives a good result. I still think jolida 202B sound more satisfies than MP-15.

Reference Speakers
NHT Classic Three
Usher S-520
Usher Be-718
ZU Druid
Matin Logan Sequel II/JL SUB

Similar Products Used:

Jolida 502B MOD
Jolida 707A
Primaluna Prolugue One
Audio Space AS-8i MK III
Conrad Johnson Premier 11/Audible Illusion modulus Three

Sweet warm tone. It has more base then my other amps, more full but not as stiff. I needed to get some new cd's, it seems at its best with jazz, old dave brubeck. I'm listening to Sting, his voice sounds so clear. It uses kt-88's or kt-90's, that gives me lots of options, I hope to get some of the generex re-issues, gold lions.

Won't drive ineffecient speakers

I have an upgraded cayin ta=30 that I love, but I somehow had to have a single ended triode to hear the difference. The amp is single ended class A but actually uses the kt-88 as a pentode, the seller emailed me and explained that is the reason the amp has more power then most set amps. I;m really thrilled with it, it has a em80 tube which have two green bars , one from the bottom and one coming down from yje top; the manual says when the bars touch the amp is clipping. This amp clips in such a subtle way which is not harsh to the ear, so playing classic rock which is compressed you can get a lot of volume out of it, it just never gets harsh. I use it with klipsh heresies hich are 87db sensitive, The amp uses two kt-88's 2 12ax7's and two 12au7's.plus the em80, which makes a cool green glow. Its a simple looking amp, nice stainless steel chassis, on the inside its got silver wire, a gold plated pcb, and auracaps. Japanese transformers which I've been told are the best.

Customer Service

The seller answered all my questions. The warrenty is 90 days, for $150 he'll give a one year warrenty. My big worry is always that I'll accidentally lose a speaker connection and blow an output tranny, so I put heavy duty speaker posts on my spealkers and locking bananna plugs on the cables, you can't pull the out .

Similar Products Used:

Cayin ca-30