Don is amazing. The DS2 is the culmination of his on the job learning. He didn’t exactly design it, though he certainly has the ability to design. What else he knows is circuit perfection. After decades of working on Citation and Macintosh modifications, he found a preamp which he was able to modify into probably one of the world’s best, yet he sells at nearly a bargain basement price considering the fit, finish, sound, and the quality of the components used. If I didn’t already own one, I would certainly buy one now!
Don Sachs DS2 Preamp - too good to be true?
So I'm looking at trying out a tube preamp. Have always been SS but curious about tubes. Came across a lot of buzz on this forum and others for Don Sachs' custom DS2 line stage preamp, and it has really piqued my interest/curiosity.
I guess I'm wondering if the hype is too good to be true? A lot of people seem to favor this over commercial preamps that far exceed its price.
Has anyone tried it and been unhappy? I guess the 2 main thoughts in my head are:
1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
2. Why couldn't any given established audio company, with I'm sure deeper pockets and more resources than Don S has, put out an amp that performs as well or better at a comparable price?
The normal answer would be to demo/try it for yourself, but that seems basically impossible in this case as there is no dealer network, demo units, etc...