While I'm taking a big chance here, I guess it's time I put in my two cents since I wrote the original review for positive-feedback. So if you all will permit me a few comments, I would like to offer an insight into the review process at our web site.
All of us at positive-feedback are pretty much unpaid. We do it for fun and to hear serious high end stuff we may not be able to otherwise afford.
We, (like other reviewers I suspect), for the most part try to keep positive and not outright insult manufacturers but tell the truth the way we heard it. After all what sounds not too great in my system, in my room, may sound great to someone else's ears in their system.
That being said, we report what we hear- the good and the bad. You can pretty much tell in any review whether the reviewer liked it or not if you read carefully. Check out positive-feedback and read a couple of reviews. For example in the current issue 17 Frank Madrid and I review the OML-1 speakers. He was fairly hard on them compared to his Pro-Ac. I liked them. I thought for $1000 they sounded pretty good, especially compared to other speakers I've reviewed.
You can also check out my past review of an Audio Note CD player or Equi-tech power conditioner, neither of which I liked.
I will also mention that the review process is a long affair. The reason you are not seeing any other reviews yet is because it can take up to 6 months or more between the time someone agrees to do the review, the equipment gets shipped, the reviewer listens for a month or more, he writes the review, it goes to the editor, gets edited, then approved then published when the next edition comes out. It’s a long turnaround!
When I was asked to do the DK VS-1 review my editor practically had to break my arm. I had to drive 100 miles to pick it up. The damned thing weighs almost 100 lbs, so loading it in my suv and lugging it up to my 2nd floor listening room was a chore. By the time I hefted it into my rack (after disconnecting all my other equipment) I was not exactly in the greatest mood.
Then I turned it on and knew it was going to be good. My review was not hype and my following comments are not hype; they are just my reactions, comments, and opinions. I have listened to the VS-1 every day since the review and my opinion is still the same- it’s killer. I recently took it to a friends house. His room is about 12 X 24, he has Atma-sphere MA-1 tube amps and huge Dunlavy SC4 speakers. We put the VS-1 in place of the Atma- spheres and compared. Even my friend commented the lows and mids were better, richer, warmer, and more detailed. The only area the VS-1 lacked in comparison was the very top end.
I love my DK VS-1. People ask me about reliability of the VS-1. They ask me about the company DK Design. Who knows? Heck Wadia comes and goes. Who knows if any company will be around tomorrow? All I can tell you is look inside the VS-1 and it’s damn well made. Unbelievably well made in fact, with brand name components throughout. I am betting that even if DK Design ceased to exist tomorrow anyone could repair this amp anyway. It’s just electronic components after all.
I have a feeling though DK Design will be around for a long time if they keep selling products this good. Again this is not hype, I don’t get paid for this. Just like any one of you guys, when I hear something great I like to tell my friends. Feel free to email me with any questions.
Ed Morawski
http://www.positve-feedback.com
