Spectral DMA 200....Who Knows this amp?

Colm, the DMA 200 was by no means an export model, but was manufactured in Sunnyvale in the late 80ties, also for the US marketof course. If I'm correct, it was the first truly wide bandwidth amp on the market. I still have two of them (those ARE export models running at 230 VAC) in my service and they have run faultlessly for at least the last 15 years. They are very well built and obviously highly reliable. They are typically Spectral in their transparency and delicacy, have good base, but are a bit grainy in the upper highs.(Harry Pearson once described the highs as "white", if I recall correctly.) I would never use them on good tweeters,there are also better 200 watters for the bottom end, but they provide fast and vivid midrange rendering and they do well on their dedicated Quad 63s in my setup. The drawback is, that they get quite hot and hence use fans, which though fairly silent, I find an annoyance. I keep them out of the listening area in the next room, with cabling running through the wall.

Actually Spectral's first amp was the Pure Class A DMA100,
then the DMA200. The DMA200 IMHO is their finest amp ever.
I've been using one since late 1980s on my Acoustat 2+2s,
it will handle them with absolutely no problem. With the DMA200 you do not need a Spectral preamp nor MIT cables, unlike their later models. The sound: the bass is stunningly accurate, the mids lucid, and the highs do not have a glaze to them unlike some other solidstate designs. It does not have a tube warmth, but it is not analytical as some think. MAybe the later models are somewhat analytical, but not this one. And a major consideration is service. Spectral knows their products and stands by them, no matter who owns how them or how old. Welcome to the Spectral family!!!

Thanks, Detlof....good to hear from YOU! My speakers are Hales T8's and this amp. may not suit. The fellow wants around $3k U.S. for it...the condition is (cosmetically) a 9.0. He told me about the fan. Sound like a very good amp. though, especially the Class "A' operation...and rather rare, I gather, if that matters for this unit. What was the original list $, Detlof? Thanks again for answering.
Colm

Colm, I find Shubermaniac's description pretty acurate and he's right, you don't necessarily need the entire Spectral setup. Accuracy, as S. says, is the word here.
The original list in the US was about $6500 and I've seen them offered here at A. for as low as 2k, if I recall correctly. I don't know the Hales, so unfortunately, I cannot comment on that. Cheers and happy listening,

I have got one since last week , and I am very happy with it..
The amp had a problem of breaking fuses on left channel too.
The problem was a dead driver transistor : VP0120N5
I had huge problem to find this part on Internet.. But I did it : I was obliged to buy 131 parts .. It seems to be the last stock on earth!!
If you are intersted , I can bring you a few...

Charles

Hi moirasc1
I have an old DMA 200 and am interested in buying from you for precaution a small quantity of the driver transistor vpo120n5.
I don t know how to contact you. May i have your email?
Thank you in advance