We're gonna need a bit more feedback than that now...especially now that you've had it for a bit? How does it compare with what you previously had?
Just received notice than mine is in production, shipping expected towards the end of the first week of June. Keeping my fingers crossed....
MM6. Based on specs alone I can't justify the premium for the MP7. I suspect the MM line will expire when the brand takes off, with the MP prices representing the new standard going forward. The MM6 is an unbelievable bargain if the buzz surrounding these has any truth.
With shipping the way it is, it could take some time. It took 10 weeks for a needle to arrive from Phoenix after I ordered it last November. But, when the MM6 does finally get here, I will post my impressions.
Nice! Looking forward to your review, haven't seen much around yet, though I guess not surprising since I think they just started shipping recently
MP-7 Review After some 25 years of collecting records, I’ve only recently started taking my two channel system seriously (about a year ago). The only standalone phono preamp I’ve owned is the iFi Zen Phono and I’ve been fairly satisfied with it's. However, as one does when spending too much time on these forums, my eyes wandered and I became intrigued by the Darlington Labs phonos. The technical aspects of phono amps (pp-amp, discrete differential, loop feedback, etc.) are still way over my head, however the folks around here and other boards seem to be impressed with the thoughtfulness of the components and anybody who has actually heard the Darlington phonos only has positive things to say. So when the MP-7 was recently introduced, I decided to take the leap and see how much of an upgrade it might be from the iFi Zen. So in addition to my narrow experience with phono stages, I’m also somewhat limited (at this point) by the Nagaoka MP-110 cart and the Boston Acoustic A150s speaker. I’ve generally been content with each, but I hope to upgrade at some point in the future and want a phono that will keep up, despite what Michael Fremer seems to say about the iFi playing well along with up to six-figure components. iFi's "Cost Is An Object" Zen Phono MM/MC Phono Preamplifier The Sound: Background noise is virtually non-existent, which is comparable to the dead quiet iFi Zen. The Nagaoka does a great job of reducing surface noise, clicks and pops, even on my VG-graded records, but the Darlington helps reduce those even further. More than once while dropping the needle onto the lead-in groove I had to check again to make sure I had the correct source selected on my pre-amp after hearing absolute silence. Soundstage width with the Darlington is nearly identical to the iFi Zen, but there’s a very noticeable difference in the depth and hair more height from the Darlington. Mated with my Schiit amps, I’m getting solid imaging. I might just say the iFi Zen has a wider soundstage on some recordings, but it appeared to slightly smear some of the instrumentation in spreading it out (if that makes any sense?). The Darlington presents each instrument location in a much more specific focus on the soundstage. It’s sort of a cliche to mention the notes and instrumentation one hears for the first time in old familiar records, but the detail/resolution is where the MP-7 truly shines...straight out of the box. Paul Chambers’ walking bass on Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section stands out to me now on that recording. On Miles Davis’ Bags Groove, Kenny Clarke’s hi hat was somewhat buried through the Zen, but is crystal clear on the MP-7. Acoustic guitar strumming on Nada Surf’s Let Go is not buried in the mix even with the more rocking out moments. I previously attributed the Nagaoka warm and fuzzy “house sound” to the lack of detail and bass punch coming through on the iFi Zen. I’ve read some reports that the bass on the Darlington MM-5 is kinda warm and smoothed over too. So I feared that the Darlington would combine with the Nag to deliver a syrupy, gooey overload. However the synergy between the MP-7 and Nag delivers a bass that is tight/punchy. I also feared that my Boston Acoustics just weren’t up for the task when it came to delivering detail and bass heft, but the MP-7 shows that my old 1980’s speakers are still keepers. Even recordings that can be overly warm - Destroyer’s Kaputt or the any record by the Sea and Cake - come through so much more sharp and dynamic. Organ, guitars and cymbals shimmer. Not only do they stand out in the mix better, but the sustain on these instruments feels perfect. The distorted farfisa on Stereolab’s Mars Audiac Quintet can get too shrill at times, but listening on the MP-7, I didn’t find myself turning the volume down. Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music through the MP-7 presents an impeccable soundstage: brilliant depth from the strings, the horn section punctuates the melodies without being too shouty, and through the entire orchestration I can still make out the subtle snare brush accents. I haven’t experimented with playing mono records through the (upgraded) mono switch yet. Mostly because I spent most of last night realizing that I had the left signal and left ground wires connections mixed up on my cartridge. I got the tonearm used with the table and those wire clips aren’t color coded. The stereo signal sounded normal through them, but when I selected mono the signal completely cut out. This probably explains the issue I was having before trying the double y cable effort I made before at a mono setup. I was hesitant to give a detailed review given that I’ve only burned in the unit for 24 hours (plus the weekend Keith burned in the PCB before shipping), but I was too eager to share my initial thoughts. Also I don't want to give the impression that the iFi Zen is a slouch. I enjoy it very much (especially for the price), but the MP-7 is huge upgrade above. I want to also point out that Keith at Darlington has been incredibly informative and communicative, even with the short delay in getting these first batch of MP-7’s out the door. I definitely get the sense that he takes great pride the products he puts out.
Agree, that's very apparent. As he should, to differentiate yourself so well in a fairly crowded market is something to be proud of, and it's really all on the strength of the product, without any expensive advertisements or fancy cabinetry, just customers pleased with what they hear. You're pretty much just paying for sound quality.
Your PCB is on burn-in. >>I’ve read some reports that the bass on the Darlington MM-5 is kinda warm and smoothed over too. This is something that we're stil trying to figure out how to 'market'. The MM-5 and MM-6 both received power supply tech FROM the MP-7 in early April 2021. They are not "fully equal" to the MP-7, due to some tighter cost and labor constraints on those, but the bass has certainly been "tightened" and is more punchy on the 5 and the 6. A number of clients have upgraded to a higher model in our line-up, with our generous tradeup, but, I want to emphasize, that even our lower-end models are improved; and if cost is an issue, we can do field-updates on the earlier 5 and 6.
I'm waiting on a MP-7, trading up from my MM-6 that I bought back in January. I'm eager to get my hands on it and give it a try.
Yeah, I would of bought one to try months ago, but funding about four other projects now and the audio gear is on hold until I sell and thin the herd to fund any future audio purchases! (like four other phono stages for instance LOL). Resistance is futile. Get a used one, resell if you don't like it. Done.
We are thinking about a monthly drawing to send a small number of free units on "spec", meaning, like a loaner program. SBAF website did this with an early MM-5. Would there be interest in this, and if so, for which models?
