Review and Measurements of DarkVoice 336SE Headphone Amp

[SIY]

I'm still guessing heater circuit. But if we can determine what they did and didn't do, we can confirm that.

 

[A-Shah]

Are you sure the headphone amp is not wired in with L and R in counterphase ?
Voices should be smack in the middle between the ears, not outside of the head.

Mike Sanders is a well known audio engineer , this unit which I have is # 6 and it sat on his desk and is broken in ,I Know it is not L &R counter phase , I had another friend who came to listen to this HP amp with his set of headphones and thought this is the "end game " I have 3 other DACs, Gungnir , Mojo & Audeze Deckard , this 3D Bi aural effect only seems to happen with the PS audio DirectStream DAC and specially so on Hi-Rez tracks played on Qobuz

 

[MRC01]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the DarkVoice 336SE pre-amp and headphone amplifier. ...
So do I recommend the DarkVoice 336SE under any conditions and lose my objectivist license with it??? With high impedance headphones if you like what comes with tubes as far as maintenance, and can be blind to any safety issues here, sure, you can get the 336SE and I won't be there to hound you. Use it in other scenarios and you and I will have words!

Nice review. This reminds me of a headphone amp I owned a long time ago: the Wheatfield HA-2 by Pete Millet. It worked well with my 330 ohm HD-580s. It had the cleanest version that I ever heard of that magical tubulicious sound. I found that ultimately the euphonics didn't float my boat and opted for a more transparent solid state amp. But that classic SET sound when done well is so unique, that amp made me understand why some audiophiles like it so much.

 

[Dogen]

The DarkVoice 336SE is back up on Massdrop for $200 dollars. This is not the forum to suggest anyone buy such an idiosyncratic amplifier, but I very much enjoy mine,

 

[mickeyd123]

@amirm Amir, I have the Little Dot MkIII tube headphone amplifier
https://www.amazon.com/Little-MK-II...ocphy=9027637&hvtargid=pla-521901609107&psc=1

and also the monoprice 25 watt hybrid tube amp with bluetooth . Please let me know if you want to test either or both and I will ship them.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13194

 

[airofu]

@amirm Amir, I have the Little Dot MkIII tube headphone amplifier
https://www.amazon.com/Little-MK-II...ocphy=9027637&hvtargid=pla-521901609107&psc=1

and also the monoprice 25 watt hybrid tube amp with bluetooth . Please let me know if you want to test either or both and I will ship them.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13194

Be great to see some more tube amps tested especially the Little Dot range

 

[mickeyd123]

One thing everyone should realize, for some items you buy from Massdrop you only get a 30 day warranty and no manufacturer warranty. For others you get a full warranty. It is always worth checking the listing and asking customer service if you are in doubt.

 

[Hemi-Demon]

The DarkVoice 336SE is back up on Massdrop for $200 dollars. This is not the forum to suggest anyone buy such an idiosyncratic amplifier, but I very much enjoy mine,

Nice price, and Massdrop seems cool by me, if you don't mind the lack of warranty.

Since you have one, how do you wrap your head around you, the fact that you enjoy the amp, versus the measurements. Do you think us human (ok maybe some is the better statement), just prefer distortion and a little noise, for warmth. I am just trying to learn, and wondering if I need to spring for one of the better balanced tube amp. Thanks

 

[mickeyd123]

No, I don't have the darkvoice, I have the monoprice hybrid 25 watt and the little dot mk3. I like both though the monoprice has some weird buzzing once turned on that is audible without anything playing. Will RMA it for 2nd time... Massdrop I love them, have ordered loads of stuff from them, I just don't think they are as clear as they can be about warranty aspects. I have seen some pages where there is no warranty info, and then you look in the comments section and the manufacturer rep says , "yes it is warranteed". So it is just more confusing than it should be IMHO.

 

[amirm]

Be great to see some more tube amps tested especially the Little Dot range

Another tube amp test will be coming this week....

 

[Dogen]

Nice price, and Massdrop seems cool by me, if you don't mind the lack of warranty.

Since you have one, how do you wrap your head around you, the fact that you enjoy the amp, versus the measurements. Do you think us human (ok maybe some is the better statement), just prefer distortion and a little noise, for warmth. I am just trying to learn, and wondering if I need to spring for one of the better balanced tube amp. Thanks

The DarkVoice didn’t measure too terribly when used with a high-impedance headphone like mine (Sennheiser 6xx), but still, you could get better measurements with many solid-state amps. It’s possible I do like a little distortion. All I can say is, I enjoy music more through the DarkVoice. It has a presence and life I didn’t get with my inexpensive Topping D3. I’ve stayed up way too late many nights revisiting my music, especially jazz and more acoustic recordings.

I’ll also say I enjoy keeping the legacy tube technology alive, and trying out different tubes for their subtle sound differences. The DarkVoice is an ornery amp in many ways - it runs hot and many 6SN7s will cause a hum. But when everything comes together, the sound is, to me, just stunning with my headphones. Others will have different views and science is on their side.

 

[Hemi-Demon]

The DarkVoice didn’t measure too terribly when used with a high-impedance headphone like mine (Sennheiser 6xx), but still, you could get better measurements with many solid-state amps. It’s possible I do like a little distortion. All I can say is, I enjoy music more through the DarkVoice. It has a presence and life I didn’t get with my inexpensive Topping D3. I’ve stayed up way too late many nights revisiting my music, especially jazz and more acoustic recordings.

I’ll also say I enjoy keeping the legacy tube technology alive, and trying out different tubes for their subtle sound differences. The DarkVoice is an ornery amp in many ways - it runs hot and many 6SN7s will cause a hum. But when everything comes together, the sound is, to me, just stunning with my headphones. Others will have different views and science is on their side.

Nice response, I appreciate it.

 

[frogmeat69]

I have a Little Dot MkIII and with my Beyer T1 v2 and Sennheiser HD 650 I like it a lot, makes me feel like I am a kid again listening to records on my Dad's old Zenith console stereo. KISS Alive! sounded so good to me on that rig back then, lol.

 

[DuxServit]

MassDrop has the Le Figaro 339 this week, a "...A follow-up to the highly regarded DarkVoice 337..."

 

[zepplock]

MassDrop has the Le Figaro 339 this week, a "...A follow-up to the highly regarded DarkVoice 337..."

How's it OTL when it has 3 transformers? And 2 volume controls and 2 power sources? Is it a joke?

Also OTK2 tube? Lol. OTK in Russian means "department of technical control", basically that it passed QC.

 

[Bomba776]

Hi amirm, is there any decent tube amp you can recommend ?

 

[amirm]

Hi amirm, is there any decent tube amp you can recommend ?

In a word, no.

 

[bboris77]

In a word, no.

It would be great if you could measure the Lyr 3. I am very happy with mine and would be interested to see how it measures, especially with the new production Tung Sol tube.

 

[A-Shah]

No interest beyond the fact that I enjoy my QuickSilver Headphone amp very much , point to Point wiring just two tubes 1, capacitor and 1Transformer in each channel signal path mind you it is not cheap @ $995.00

 

[KR8NUX]

Essentially tubes are from a bygone era. I am pretty sure none of them would do well in measurements, unless its purely solid state and the tubes are just for show.