[fuseboxx]

Listening to this chain right now:

PC >> iBasso D10 >> Dared MP-5 >> Beyer DT770-250

Sounds great. Very detailed, spacious, smooth and warm with noticeable amounts of reverb.

Some of my extreme metal music loses its edge and agressiveness though... especially with the Dared chained.

 

[donunus]

wow, you should have brought that dared sa meet natin

 

[fuseboxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow, you should have brought that dared sa meet natin

Oh, it's not mine

It's actually dogears' and was bought from another HeadPhiles member sometime after the meet. Hehe.

Anyway, now that I've tried it out considerably and I'm back to my default setup, here are some brief impressions:

It packs a great amount of power since I was able to drive by 250ohm DT770's with the knob only at 12 o'clock as opposed to the D10, which has to be turned to around 4 o'clock. I even played around with it more and put all the sliders of the foobar EQ down to -20dB, and still the Dared was able to provide ear-splitting volume with the knob at 4 o'clock.

The sound is just great. Aside from what I assume are common traits of tube amps (warm, smooth & dark), the thing that appealed to me about the Dared is that it sounds very open and spacious.

I kept on doing an A-B comparison of the pc>d10-dac>dared>dt770 vs pc>d10-combo>dt770 using The Dave Matthews Band's "Lover Lay Down" and I was very impressed with the Dared's clear and accurate imaging. You could instantly hear the difference from the first few seconds when the cymbals come in and pan from right to left.

I love how wide and deep I'm able to hear with this and my only possible issue is that with my setup, the sound might be too fat and thick for my taste - but I need some more time with it to listen to more music

Unfortunately, my one-day audition is over. Haha. Maybe another time.

 

[dogears]

^And you were 'just' listening to the Dared's stock tubes

 

[Bostonears]

If anyone is still looking for one of these amps, "Sonic Integrity" badged versions of the Dared MP5 are currently listed on Audiogon. The units have two sets of RCA inputs, but no DAC. Ad says they have the 6N1 tubes, which would make them the "non-US" version, even though they're being sold from the US. Seller is asking $220 for new, fully boxed kits with iPod dock and speakers. (These seems to be equivalent to the Fatman iTube ValveDock, just without the hideous Fatman graphics on the front.)

Ad listing is at AudiogoN ForSale: Dared MP5. The guy selling them on Audiogon apparently works for Sonic Integrity.

 

[frank2908]

i have a itube fatman( which i believe is a dared clone) and it sounded good with my sr125, the soundstage increased a lot and added more details. the sound is a lot more open and high sounds a lot better. but then for my akg k242 the sound doesnt change that much when unamped. there are a bit more detail and the mid is smoother , but it doesnt have the WOW effect with sr125. btw akg k701 has always been my target HP. i guess im going the right way ^^. hope it works better with k701 than my k242

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank2908 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have a itube fatman( which i believe is a dared clone) and it sounded good with my sr125, the soundstage increased a lot and added more details. the sound is a lot more open and high sounds a lot better. but then for my akg k242 the sound doesnt change that much when unamped. there are a bit more detail and the mid is smoother , but it doesnt have the WOW effect with sr125. btw akg k701 has always been my target HP. i guess im going the right way ^^. hope it works better with k701 than my k242

I have HCT same as fatman, they are NOT clones. I belive they came from same monther company either in China or South Korea.

I used mine with Audio Technica L3000 at Seattle meet, sound not too much off compare to AT A-3000 amp. Sounded great! For the price...... they are keeper.

 

[frank2908]

do u know the difference between fatman n dared? except from probably different tubes n the dac?

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank2908 /img/forum/go_quote.gif do u know the difference between fatman n dared? except from probably different tubes n the dac?

HCT-Fatman-Deared are the same every thing, and use same tubes, even the white gloves that came with amp are the same size!

 

[frank2908]

i plan to get k701 AND get a pair of mullard ecc82, but right now i can only afford 1, either upgrade tubes and use w k242 or change to k701 w stock tube, what do u guys think? im gonna get both anyway but for the waiting time, which option would sound better?

 

[Bostonears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seamaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif HCT-Fatman-Deared are the same every thing, and use same tubes, even the white gloves that came with amp are the same size!

Sort of. They are all built in the same factory, but there are versions that use different tubes, and there are versions with and without USB DAC. Then there are the ridiculous graphics on the Fatman units...

 

[shawn_low]

Reviving this thread as a local Aussie distributor is still bringing in the Fatman version of this. Anyone have a lead to cheap versions of the MP5? I want the DAC version.

Found one on ebay but it's US$300 plus shipping.

 

[AudioHi]

My HCT tube amp still going strong for almost 4 years now..
Not to mention how great the tube sound is.
It is definitely a keeper.

 

[terance]

hey everyone!
 
I just got my Dared MP-5 and am seriously loving it.
 
My only problem is that one of the tubes has gone bad (12AX7), so there is a bad hiss/crackle in whatever channel I insert the bad tube into.
 
I purchased it on Ebay so I a don't know if it is the American version of the other one.  (how can I tell?)
 
I am very interested in new tubes, mostly because I cannot stand this hiss and crackle coming from the amp.
 
Any help from you people is appreciated.
 
 
Glad to be listening to tubes again =)

 

[Bostonears]

 

 
My only problem is that one of the tubes has gone bad (12AX7), so there is a bad hiss/crackle in whatever channel I insert the bad tube into.
 
I purchased it on Ebay so I a don't know if it is the American version of the other one.  (how can I tell?)

 
If it uses 12AX7 tubes, it's the "American" version. The non-American version uses 6N1 (ECC85) tubes. But that doesn't really matter. You just need to get another set of tubes that are the same type as whatever came with the amp, in your case 12AX7.