Soundstage width, depth. Warm,detailed presentation, low cost, easy (inexpensive)to retube with NOS tubes

I have not found any yet, and doubt I will!

It looks like I will be the first person to put pen to paper here and write about this great little preamp. I purchased this new from Joe who sells Dared products on Audiogon. As a quick aside, Joe is very professional, and the preamp was delivered fast and arrived intact. At the time I was using a Cary 98 preamp that needed some repair work and I was having the coupling caps changed out. At the price of $400 (to include shipping!)I figured I really could not lose, so I ordered one to use while the Cary was being repaired. I figured once the Cary was back, I could either keep the Dared or sell it on Audiogon. The preamp arrived one day and I inserted it into my system, which includes a pair of Lumley 150 Signature tubed monoblock amps, and Tyler Acoustic mini monitors with the ScanSpeak tweeter and SEAS midwoofer. The front end is a Sony 555ES SACD player and vinyl is played via a Linn LP12 with Benz ACE and Ittok arm. The LP12 signal is fed to an Audio Experiences phono preamp. I'd also like to mention that the Dared comes with a remote (volume up and down) and a pair of input RCAs as well as a pair of outputs so subwoofer users rejoice. A small switch on the left side of the transformer allows the switching between input #1 or #2. Okay...down to the nuts and bolts of the little Dared. This preamp sounds great! It is very reminiscent of my Cary SLP50A, another great preamp but the Dared has a more detailed sound, without being "etchy" or too detailed. The Dared has AuriCaps as stock coupling caps, and I(IMHO) believe they are part of the reason for the clear presentation, and wonderful detail. The Dared is also tubed rectified, another "plus", as far as I can tell. Now, I have to admit that the music provided by the Dared got significantly better when the Chinese tubes were replaced with Phillips Miniwatts or RCA blackplates in place of the stock 12AT7s, and the rectifier was swapped out with an NOS Sylvania 5Y3. Things just got that much better! Vocals (Eva Cassidy and Nora Jones are nightly visitors) have a large, lifelike presentation, and the sidewalls in my listening room are the only boundaries to the soundstage. That being mentioned, the soundstage is also as deep as it is wide. Instrumentals are big, and have "weight". I seem to be able to listen to music for long periods without fatigue, and I am digging out more and more music all the time just as an excuse to spend more time with the Dared, and the great music I am getting. It is almost embarassing to tell people I spent "only" $400 for the preamp. I truly feel that this preamp can stand up to several preamps that could sell for 5X as much as the Dared. I wish I had a professional reviewer's vocabulary to describe just how much this diminutive preamp plays great music!I recently swapped out the stock power cord with a Cardas TwinLink cord. All told, the preamp in its current state, with the cord, costs a little over $500, a bargain if there ever was one in this "hobby/obsession". I have owned over 14 preamps, both sold state and tubed. The Dared is one of only one or two that I would consider to be a "keeper", and one or two that produces music that makes me want to keep listening to the music, and not the equipment. Thank you for your time in reading this. My only regret is my lack of ability to pen in this review the technical terms and specifications that many people look for. Even though I cannot do that, I can say that people should buy these preamps before others discover the bargain they are and the prices climb. If you love music, and enjoy a warm, detailed and involving presentation, then "dare" to buy a Dared. You will have no regrets...

Similar Products Used:

CJ PV10, Cary 50A & 98, Audible Illusions 2D & 3, ARC SP-6, SP-9, Mod Squad Deluxe Line Drive, etc.,etc...