I got my Darkvoice three days ago, and I'm in love. It's everything I imagined and more. Smooth, silent, spacious, engaging, and, ultimately, musical. And that's with the stock tubes. Yes, I know that I can get even better sound out of it with some better tubes, but if you're thinking about buying this and are concerned by others' comments that the tubes are awful, don't listen to them. The DV sounds amazing with the stock tubes. It's just that it could sound even better with better tubes. But if you don't want to or can't spend the money on new tubes, the stock tubes will do just fine for you. This amp is a screaming bargain and one of the most satisfying pieces of kit I've owned (and that includes over the years amps from Acoustic Research, Manley, Quicksilver, Cary, and more--elevated company, indeed).
CherringtonHey There,
What a nice and refreshing review to read! Appreciate the comments as I'm on the fence to buy this or spend big bucks and pop for a Woo Audio WA2. This sounds like a great introduction into a first tube amp purchase. Rocking the new Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro and should scale great with an OTL amp. Running through the Beyerdynamic A20 SS amp now. Have heard good things about this Chinese build. Thanks