Dma-300rs

[Mobiusman]

DMA 260 Comments

I have had a DMA 260 in my system for about 18 months now and must say that I love it, more with each change that I have made subsequently. While I do use MIT cables, I do use a BAT preamp instead of a Spectral because I prefer the combination of tubes and SS to pure SS with my ML's. For those of you who do not have the money or do not want to use a Spectral preamp, the 260 is a real steal as a used piece around $7500. Based on my listening to my friend Marty's DMA 400's I have no doubt that the Series 2 260 is a better amplifier than the 260. What I am not sure is if I would give up the tubes to go there. I passed on my #1 slot at Goodwin's for a DMA 300 because I was not willing to give up the tubes.

 

[ack]

Right, I've heard dealers must now attest to the customer using a Spectral preamp with the RS series amps, in order to get warranty?!?

 

[Mobiusman]

After a listening session at my friend Marty's now that he has upgraded his signal cables to better MIT's and was playing a variety of files through a Pure Music player, I now hear the biggest differential between his system and mine. I am wondering if the MIT change has allowed his 400's to strut their stuff compared to my 260, or if the Pure Music player is the major difference, or more likely both

Whatever the reason, I am now itching where I was recently comfortable. So I am considering an amp grade and wondering about cost benefit and preamp issues. I do not want to give up preamp tubes because I love the combo, so am I limited to a a DMA 260 s2 and if so how much benefit would I gain? Is the DMA 300 RS out of the question without a preamp change? For the time being the 400's are more than I want to spend. Or should I look to other brands?

 

[scouter]

I have been using Spectral's baby pre (the 15ss), and I don't miss tubes. This coming from a big tube lover in the past, having had ARC's tube preamps for over 10 years, and before that, a Melos preamp. I just leave the Spectral pre on all the time, now going on 5 years, and have enjoyed every minute of use.- in fact, may move up to the 30ss. Of course, there is that nice golden hue missing from those notes which the tubes so easily added. I can understand the addiction. Have you tried the 30ss in your system? If so, comparisons using it vrs your BAT?

 

[ack]

Is the DMA 300 RS out of the question without a preamp change? For the time being the 400's are more than I want to spend. Or should I look to other brands?

Call Goodwin's, but I believe you are SOL if you want a *new* RS amplifier not driven by their preamp [EDIT: and get warranty]; and finding a used RS will probably prove fruitless for a very long time. I haven't heard the 260S2; and you should also keep in mind the 30SS S2 was revamped in the past year or two - I re-bought a 2014 model, and yes, the improvement is significant, making me think technological advancements from the amps have made it to the preamp. There have to be other brands that match and/or surpass the RS sonics, but I have never had the need to go explore - exactly because the 400s (at least) sound so incredibly natural, continuous, jaw-droppingly clear and effortless, rendering true timbre, with proper relative image sizes and more importantly, proper relative instrument dynamics - this last attribute has me truly captivated. For 35 years now, I've thought the amplifiers are the most important component in a system, and this perception has not changed yet.

 

[scouter]

Call Goodwin's, but I believe you are SOL if you want a *new* RS amplifier not driven by their preamp [EDIT: and get warranty]; and finding a used RS will probably prove fruitless for a very long time. I haven't heard the 260S2; and you should also keep in mind the 30SS S2 was revamped in the past year or two - I re-bought a 2014 model, and yes, the improvement is significant, making me think technological advancements from the amps have made it to the preamp. There have to be other brands that match and/or surpass the RS sonics, but I have never had the need to go explore - exactly because the 400s (at least) sound so incredibly natural, continuous, jaw-droppingly clear and effortless, rendering true timbre, with proper relative image sizes and more importantly, proper relative instrument dynamics - this last attribute has me truly captivated. For 35 years now, I've thought the amplifiers are the most important component in a system, and this perception has not changed yet.

Can you elaborate on the changes you heard from the earlier 30ss pre to the latest? (I've been trying to figure out if that is the next move I need to make, instead of moving to the 300ss over the 260. (Can't do both and I'll be damn if I'm going to give the 260 away- I'll keep it for a secondary room stereo before I do that!) I don't need remote volume control BTW.
Thx
Barry

 

[ack]

Can you elaborate on the changes you heard from the earlier 30ss pre to the latest? (I've been trying to figure out if that is the next move I need to make, instead of moving to the 300ss over the 260. (Can't do both and I'll be damn if I'm going to give the 260 away- I'll keep it for a secondary room stereo before I do that!) I don't need remote volume control BTW.
Thx
Barry

The few timbre issues I reported in my system's thread right after the 400RS arrived appear to now be gone; and the soundstage is even wider (if that's possible), plus macro dynamics are clearly more powerful. If you had the two versions side by side you may not notice the timbre or 'stage improvement immediately, but having lived with the previous revision long enough made the comparison quite obvious, since I kinda knew what to look for. One thing to keep in mind is that the protection circuit in the 30 is in parallel, but on the 15 it's in series (a non-starter for me).

 

[scouter]

Not sure the consequence of this. What is the sonic benefit of being in parallel as opposed to in series? Also, have you heard about some new preamp coming out in 2015? Notice there are a few used 30ss showing up.

 

[ack]

In series can be detrimental to sound (eg see Pass amps with in-series input capacitors to prevent DC) and I think it is in the 15, and parallel can be unintrusive like in this case (eg opto- and thermo-coupled like the Spectral amps and am pretty sure the 30 preamps). And yes there is bound to be some sort of RS preamp at some point, but don't care to spend more money on this tight now. I'd rather see the phono first.

there a number of people I know who re-bought a new 30SS S2