Dared Dv-6c Tube Hybrid Integrated Amp

Great amp, but missing a cord, and dead remote. Sounds amazing once I got it up and running.... The Amp itself is built like a tank! With proper source is as audiophile as any I've used. I am going to try different tubes as suggested.

John (from the Netherlands)I purchased this 6 channel amp in 2013 via the French distributor which . It is not packed as audiophile equipment normally is packed. But no worry's, when you have installed it and hear its first sounds, you will forget the simple packaging. This little amp does far more than it promises! I've owned several stereo and multichannel amps like Sony ES, Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, Dussun (similar to Redrosemusic by Mark Levinson) and various others. And this hybrid valve-class-d amp does not let me long for all these amps I've had before. I'm not saying it's the best you can buy, but it's certainly the best you can buy for the money!My listening room is 3,5 by 4 mtr (11 by 13 ft). I listen stereo and MC, with cd, bluray, sacd and dvd-audio via an Oppo bd 103 (analog outputs). And the Dared amp does it all very, very well. Wether Cassandra Wilson on cd (via a Rega Saturn), Pink Floyd's specially mastered 'Dark side of the moon' on sacd MC or Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scotts on bluray (dts hd master), every time it's a little miracle to experience how this little audiophile wonder gets so much music from the discs. You have to hear it yourselves to believe it. I also listened to Leonard Cohen live on vinyl via a Thorens td 160/ortofon anniversary analog combo and that is also a very warm bath with the Dv-6c. And with movies on bluray (with my Optoma full-hd beamer) you get a big smile when music and effects fill your room. I like the simpel setup, no video circuits (That does the Oppo very well) and the exellent build quality. I hope to enjoy it for a long time and hope it won't fale. Very much recommended!

Purchased some time ago and wanted to let it run a while before reviewing. I can't say enough about this little amp. Does exactly what it should. I have had many home theater receivers and none of them compare in sound quality to this little guy. Of course you have to live without all the "bells and whistles" but running your video directly to the source has it's benefits too. Plus this amp looks really cool! I'm using it with my Oppo blu ray player via the multi channel analog outs. Wow, tremendous for both movies and music. If you are a music lover first, then this unit will certainly please you. For movies, it can play at higher volume than you might expect.One note for the subwoofer input...You can use the speaker wire connection to your powered sub as I am or you can use a seperate powered sub and bypass this. If you do, I'd suggest you use a sub with remote control feature so you can adjust it from your seat.Also, I'm using Direct TV analog L/R to the auxilary input for my tv watching too. This unit is capable of playing the Aux input via 5.1, 2.1, 5.0 or stereo as well. It's not DD or DTS but still sounds great and the little remote lets you control volume for all channels. You should also set it up via your blu ray player's options for speaker size/volume/distance etc as this is the best way to get it calibrated.Also, Dared customer service is excellent. They are very helpful if you have issues.The music; I find myself playing the Directv music channels often to get the 5.1 sound and it is truly awesome. No receiver I've owned comes close to the tube-like sound you get with this unit. The mids are smooth the bass is tight and highs are very clear without a hint of annoyance.Also, I'd suggest using speakers 89db sensitivity and up. Mine are 87db and this unit has no problem at all...Make sure you know the Ohms as well because tough loads may cause some problems...4 ohms and up should suffice.As a reference, I'm having no issues using my NSM Model 5 monitors, NSM 7c center and Pinnacle Subcompact 8 in sub...And these NSM's are known to be a little difficult to drive. But they sound great! If you love music, and like to hear clear dialogue for movies...and don't have a gargantuan room to fill...this amp is perfect!

I forget how this showed up on my radar way back when-but when I saw it, I said-ok, why not? I took the pre-outs from my Yamaha AV receiver and fed them into the DV-6C and hooked up my speakers to its output. The nice thing here is that each channel is separate, and the DV-6C's ability to control the output offers flexibility that your stock AV receiver can't do-I found it amusing to be able to mute the center channel while watching a football game. Now I know that there will be some debates about the fact that after doing decoding of PCM/DSD data into an analog stream and them shunting them into a tube for further amplification vs. solid state amplification will lead into the usual arguments of odd order/even order harmonic distortion and the the eventual subjective/objective throwdown that will occur, the reality is that you won't find anything on the market today that is so purpose-built and executes so well against its objectives. Since Dared chose to use the ubiquitous 12AX7's in its design, tube rollers should be in heaven (right now I am using three Mullard 12AX7's) and when I run in pure stereo mode into my Klipsch KLF30s I would need to spend an insane amount of money to get the quality of sound than what I get from my current set up today.The reason why I knocked a star off of it is because Dared took the cheap way out and used compression speaker connections (like you normally see when you hook up your AM/FM antenna) instead of a five-way binding post on the back-although they do try to make up for it by including 12 small tinned wires to banana jacks.All in all, this insanely well built, versatile, and small amp has a lot going for it. It really shines with high-efficiency speakers, but it has enough headroom that it can be pushed in peaks with some heavier loads. Its ability to switch to 2.0, 2.1, 5.0, and 5.1 is extremely rare, and very welcome, and it's construction is almost beyond reproach.Hi-Fi hybrids have always been a tough nut to crack. Dared's DV-6C just may have succeeded where others have failed.