[hifimanrookie]

Am sorry to hear bout ur ordeal...i packed my 337 almost airtight so it would be safe while being sent to belgium..was hours work!

Nice pics by the way!

 

[Xenophon]

  I really want to get an HE-400 to try out with mine, now that they're on sale for $299..!!!
 
I think its the availability that scares people off on the DV/LF amps.   The companies just don't have a www presence here on HF, and you're forced to buy them from foreign (depending on where you are located) retailers.  Beneath all cosmetic beauty, the internal wiring, component and trace layout on these amps is unmatched for the $$$.  Theres just something I find appealing about an old-school, point-to-point component layout, where you can really see what everything is doing in the signal chain.
 
My amp was totally TRASHED by US customs who did a HORRENDOUS job re-packing the amp as it passed through US borders.  I don't have pictures, so you'll have to just trust me on this.  They just threw the amp back into the box without securing it in the foam shock packaging.  A corner of the amp chassis had punctured the corrugated outer box, the tube cage banana-plug pins had been sheared off and were lose rattling around inside the chassis, the tube cage was crushed into a trapezoid, and the large toggle on/off switches were busted off.  Luckily the TS 5998 and mesh-plate drivers had managed to stay in their individual cartons... which were also loosely bouncing around inside the box with the amp!!  Its a HEAVY amp, and if you can imagine the amount of impact-force needed to do this kind of damage.
 
I was able to replace the switches, re-paint the tube cage and touch up the chassis with DuPont / Sherwin Williams metallic gray automotive paint (fortunately DV used one of the standard colors!!).  I think it says something about the physical robustness of the circuit, components selected and the structural design of the chassis.  I don't think too many amps this big/heavy would survive what mine has gone through.  Anyhow... here's a pic.  After all I have been through with this amp, its not going anywhere... with the TS tubes it sounds great coupled with output transformers powering any of my low impedance cans.
 

 

 

Sorry to hear what happened to your amp, it's always a risk if you have to import stuff unfortunately.  I live in 2 places (am european but currently again in India for my job) and I don't import electronics but occasionally import stuff like books into India.  You wouldn't believe the state in which some of the heavier ones arrive after some bonehead at Mumbai customs pulls open the packaging for inspection, then just stuffs everything back haphazardly, slaps some tape over it and sends it on its way to Delhi where I live.  And with customs anywhere it's always a hassle to deal with the paperwork and extra costs.  Anyway, you did a very good job restoring your amp.  Hifimanrookie indeed shipped mine from the Netherlands to Belgium (barely a couple 100 km and no customs) in a box with packaging to withstand a bomb strike within 10 feet of it.  Took me 15 minutes to unpack  Last time I purchased tea in India and had it shipped to Belgium, customs cut holes into each and every 250 gram pack (undoubtably thinking I'd be so stupid as to purchase weed in India, pack it like fine Darjeeling and ship it out to Europe...), things were a mess when they arrived.
 
But I think you're right in that unknown gear=unloved gear.  Apparently a producer needs to pay up for ad space, then gets a coincidentally glowing review, people jump on the bandwagon and the snowball starts roiling down the hill.  Some of the stuff I've read on these forums regarding products I've listened to myself and that both I and a close friend who's also a classical music composer/conductor (with audio gear worth the equivalent of a house) have heard independently  and concluded was less than optimal ( to put things mildly ) simply beggars belief.  And I'd hate to pay a euro to every poster on Head-Fi who talks about stuff they haven't even heard much less own.
 
I like my 337 very much with the TS 5998 and the HE-6. They're sitting 6600 km away in my house in Belgium now, unfortunately, as I'm back in India (but enjoying my HE-500, different and far less clear/resolving than the 6 but still a world class headphone imho).
 
Quick tip for travelers:  at Brussels airport I purchased a pair of Parrot ZIK bluetooth noise cancelling cans and they actually sound pretty nice as far as SQ goes.  Love the interface (volume/track control by using your finger on the side of the headphone and an app that comes with pretty handy control/eq functions).  Can't compare them to my HifiMan cans but I've heard more expensive noise cancelling stuff from Senn that doesn't sound as good.

 

[Xenophon]

In case anybody would like to try this but is afraid to blow his 337 sky-high:  I can confirm that the 6528 power tubes work just fine.
 
The issue is the heater which draws 5A, about double what a regular 6080/6AS7 heater draws.  These are high gain tubes, graphite colums, still burning in at the moment have had them playing non-stop for the past 3 hours.  They do run hot but sound very nice, I'll post some impressions after burn-in.  Just to cover my behind:  It works fine with me and my 337 but of course I don't guarantee 100% that it'll do the same with yours.  As with any advice you get on a site such as this:  if it breaks you get to keep the pieces.  But it didn't break my 337.
 

 

[hifimanrookie]

In case anybody would like to try this but is afraid to blow his 337 sky-high:  I can confirm that the 6528 power tubes work just fine.

The issue is the heater which draws 5A, about double what a regular 6080/6AS7 heater draws.  These are high gain tubes, graphite colums, still burning in at the moment have had them playing non-stop for the past 3 hours.  They do run hot but sound very nice, I'll post some impressions after burn-in.  Just to cover my behind:  It works fine with me and my 337 but of course I don't guarantee 100% that it'll do the same with yours.  As with any advice you get on a site such as this:  if it breaks you get to keep the pieces.  But it didn't break my 337.

My friend..although i appreciate ur advice and try to help the other 337 owners..like i did in the past....pls dont forget urs is modded and one of the latter models ..its very much possible that those heavy tubes will not be right for the regular 337 or the older (weaker) models of the 337.... There are a couple of older reversions as u also know, with worse quality parts.

Just wanted to help out.....sorry for bugging in...u have all my respect my friend..u know that

 

[xmathx]

Karmer what the headphone amp on the right of the darkvoice with the clear top ? 

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I know this question has been asked before, but since the 337 has so many different versions, I am wondering how this compares to the La Figaro 339, which for some reason costs less than the Darkvoice 337. 
 
Any thoughts?

 

[gug42]

Hello Evryone,
 
 
My research about a full real tube amp, leads me to this one DarkVoice 337SE.
 
Good conception and good value for money ?  It's still the case ?
 
Well I ve got some headphone and like to tests somes others, is there ok with this amp ?
- First, HE-500 , is it ok for this planar with relatively low sensibility and low impedence ? <= seem ok from the precedent page. good
- Second, Beyer DT 1770 250Ohms, high sensibility
- Shure srh1540, 50ohms and 100 db sensibility
- fostex th-x00
 
 
Thank you in advance !
 
And any tube recommandation  plz  ? in order to define my budget
 
 
Regards,

 

[serman005]

Can anyone answer how the 337 does for HD600 or 650 (300 0hms)? Any difference between the 336 and 337? Thanks!

 

[alvin sawdust]

  Can anyone answer how the 337 does for HD600 or 650 (300 0hms)? Any difference between the 336 and 337? Thanks!

I had the 337 SE a few years back and paired it with HD650 to very good effect. Controlled the 650 very well especially in the bass department.
If I am not mistaken isn't the 337 basically two 336 in one chassis?