2. amps-preamps
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Dartzeel 108

Hello,

Right now i’m feeling the urge to upgrade my system again. Currently I have a Mark Levinson 390s directly link to GamuT D200 driving JM lab micro utopia (be). My listening room is moderately small (about 20 m2).
I do like the system, it’s very fast, punchy, with a huge sound stage. But something is missing, it’s not refined. Reading the reviews, I think I’ll have everything that gamut delivers plus a sweet refined sound.

Have anyone tried the combo jmlab micro utopia be with dartzeel ? (neither the less I’ll listen to this combo second of feb).

I have to confess that I have some kind of fetish for amps, that is , is always the first audio gear that I upgrade.

Moving to DartZeel will be the first step of my upgrade, then speakers to finish with source. So, as I’m waiting to have budget to move everything up, I’ll have to live possibly with dartzeel micro utopia and 390s.

Thanks in advance,
Rodrigo Carvalho
vaipe
bkonig
127 posts
 
Vaipe,
Just wanted to say that I agree with Mike's accessment of the dartzeel amplifier. In addition to it's absolute world class refinement, purity, transparency and resolution, it also floats grainless 3D images in an open spacious layered soundstage. It sounds like music.

Good luck,
Disclosure - Dartzeel dealer
mmike84
309 posts
 
Vaipe-

I owned a 390s. Eventually I found a Wadia I liked better that also had volume control. Then I finally took the plunge and bought an Ayre K-1xe preamp to compliment my Ayre amp. Wow was I blown away by the sonic improvement. To this day it was the single biggest improvement I ever made. Everything got clearer and more defined. The soundstage widened more than I thought possible, and the dimensionality went from what I thought was 3-D to what really is 3-D (AKA more refined). I've since come to believe the preamp is the single most important component after speakers.

The Dartzeel is an excellent amp but you're still missing a very important ingredient. Adding a better amp is an inferior upgrade choice IMHO.

Heck don't take my word for it. Seek out a good deal on a used preamp and try it. If you decide I'm full of it resell it and upgrade your amp.
nutella
223 posts
 
I just sold my speakers to a guy who had the micro utopias. He had the same issue as you. He decided to change speakers because the micros were not giving him what he wanted.
The speakers were Verity Parsifal Encores.
Just some more food for thought.
rello
311 posts
 
Have you considered tube electronics? I too have Micro BEs and using BAT 32se and vk-75se. This set-up gives me everything (SS control with tube depth and texture). Certainly other tube gear can do this as well.
bvdiman
491 posts
 
Have tried using Elgar Plus straight to amp for past 5yrs with various combinations of amps and speakers. Although most times I do get excellent sound, I always felt something essential missing from the whole musical picture. So here I am now a believer, with pre-amp being the building block as well the costliest component in my set-up.

You have made great choices of amp and speakers, however, to unleash their fullest potential I do think you need to allocate budget on a good pre too. Or maybe as Mmike84 above suggests, even consider getting them first! In your case, inserting a darTZeel NHB-18NS (pre) in current set-up and do the amp upgrade later when budget permits. Fetish aside.. =)) imo, this to be the better path taken.
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