2. amps-preamps
  3. 1209225492

mbl 6011d or arc ref 3 or dartzeel preamp?

hi,

I am looking for a balanced preamp for my system. I have narrowed it down to the dartzeel preamp, the mbl6011d or arc ref 3. The dartzeel preamp would mate best with the dartzeel amp that I have but am not positive I would keep the dartzeel amp. I am using emm labs dac and transport for digital and evolution acoustic speaker mm2 (with powered woofer). The speakers are definitely staying. the digital is stayin unless I cannot afford to keep everything.

If I changed my amplifier, I would likely stay with a solid state amplifier perhaps the mbl amplifier. I might consider a hybrid like the lamm 1.2

I have only seen scant reviews of the mbl 6011d and know a few people here love it but want to know has anyone compared it to the arc 3 or dartzeel?

thanks

mike

radioheadokplayer
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
One thing to consider is that the MBL is designed as single ended. In order to get balanced output, you have to purchase an additional "board". FWIW I have heard from a former employee of MBL that it sounds best single ended. That being said, I have owned the Ref3 and now own the MBL 5011 pre and prefer the 5011. I thought the 5011 did a better job of just presenting the music in a very realistic and satisfying manner. I am not sure what the engineers at MBL are doing but it seems they have a great grasp of how reproduced music should sound.
karmapolice's avatar
karmapolice
254 posts
 
Tboooe,

Thanks for your advising me that the mbl is single ended. while my dartzeel amplifier prefers single ended, my emm labs digital does not. Nevertheless, I have had far greater enjoyment with balanced into the dartzeel than single ended. Of course, the balanced was the great purist dominus ic but the nordost valhalla rca is no slouch either and the purist was far better in this particular system.

while i might sell the dartzeel amplifier, I rather doubt it because I think its pretty special (not that other amps are not also special)
raquel
841 posts
 
Neither the darTZeel amp nor darTZeel preamp are balanced -- the designer is strongly opposed to differential balanced circuits. Both the Version A and Version B darTZeel amps have XLR input connections, with the Version B XLR inputs using input transformers -- both versions of the amp are single-ended designs and merely feature XLR connections (as well as 50 Ohm BNC connections). The preamp likewise is single ended.

Just because something has XLR connections does not mean that it is truly differential balanced (most consumer gear with XLR connections is in fact NOT balanced). Again, darTZeel's designer thinks balanced circuits are a bad idea.
radioheadokplayer OP
181 posts
 
raquel....good point.....I am certainly using the bnc connection if I get the dartzeel preamp
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