Reviews by Shasari

Shasari

New Head-Fier
Pros: Sound quality, tube rolling possibilities
Cons: Stock supplied tubes are poor quality. Bright blue power LED
I have owned the Darkvoice 336SE for a while now, and consider myself a discerning listener/audiophile. My listening setup consists of two KRK RP-5 studio reference monitors, and a KRK RP-10S, and for private listening I use a pair of Sennheiser HD 650 cans.
 
I purchased the Darkvoice 336SE through Amazon, and it arrived from the seller in perfect condition. I had better tubes on the way, but I decided to try the stock tubes. Well, they weren't bad (as bad can be) but they weren't very good either. I replaced them with a NOS RCA 6AS7G and a new Electro-Harmonix 6SN7. Initially I had a loud hum from the 6SN7, but did the tube burn-in that was suggested in other threads and that took care of the hum in about 40 hours. Keeping the 6AS7G out of the loop while doing the burn-in of the other tube allowed the amp to run cool.
 
I listen to a variety of music genres, from Mozart to Meatlof, Rolling Stones to Rachmaninoff, Hawaiian Slack Key to Nickelback, EDM (electronic dance music) to ... you get the point by now, I'm sure. I draw the line at Rap / Hip Hop - sorry, just personal preference. I have also played guitar, transverse flute and piano.
 
So when I say this is a very good amp, and not just for it's price point, there's something there to back up my statements.
 
I find this amp to be very pleasing to listen to, at any volume level. I haven't had to go much further than 1/4 throttle with the volume POT as it's got more than enough power to drive my cans, and provide good input to my KRK system. The lows are deep and rich, the midrange is spot on, rich and detailed. The highs are spectacular without being in-your-face bright. Very well balanced sound. I would suggest that anyone doubtful of the quality of this Chinese amp really give it a try with your favorite listening setup and good tubes before writing it off. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised, as I did.
Chris J
Chris J
Very nice review.
I have used a La Figaro 336C for several years. Apparently they are both based off the same design.
I agree with your comment on the stock tubes, I find NOS tubes sound better than the stock tubes.
Shasari
Shasari
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. Agreed on the NOS, or even some of the new tubes, such as the 6SN7EH Gold I have, from Electro-Harmonix. Thought it was going to be a problem, until the hum worked itself out.
donato
donato
I also bought one of these (in the January drop on Massdrop).  I'm surprised there aren't more reviews on this unit here on headfi.  I initially wrote off this unit because I also built a Bottlehead Crack which I thought sounded better.  But the stock tubes kinda suck on the DV and I wasn't into tube rolling before, but it makes such a big difference.  I'm also using with my HD650 like you and it's a nice combo.

Shasari

New Head-Fier
Pros: Very good sound, and takes a range of different tubes
Cons: Only 1 set of inputs
I have had this amp now for about 6 months, and I very much enjoy the sound. I didn't even bother with the stock tubes, they got tossed in favor of a matched pair of GE 5654's, and I have a matched pair of Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV tubes held in reserve. I tried them, but they were brighter than the GE's, so I went back to the GE's. I didn't dislike the Voshkod tubes, but I wanted something a bit warmer. I use them with a pair of Sennheiser HD-650 phones. Setting the jumpers for the correct impedance was simple enough.
 
It has an excellent sound stage using the GE 5654 tubes, and did with the Voshkod as well, just the Russian tubes were a bit too bright for my listening taste. Very good sound overall from the lows, through the mids and up into the highs. Heard things in various classical pieces I'd not heard before - my favorite recording is a 1959 recording of Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov's Sheherazade, Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic and released by Sony records.
 
All in all a fine little amp. I have a DarkVoice 336SE that stays home, and the LittleDot+ goes with me on trips. Worth the money and great sounding for a amp in the <$150.00 USD category.
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Which headphones are you using?
I know its Grado but which model?
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