Portland Sheriff
Well-Known Member
On the MP7B and MP8B, is the mono switch a standard fold down type switch or is it a cart-switching function for those switching between a mono cart and a stereo cart?
The Darlington Labs thread (New 2024 models!)
- Thread starter MattHasIdeas
- Start date
From Darlington Labs F.A.Q.
How is your mono switch configured electrically?
Our mono switch places the positive inputs from the cartridge in direct parallel (this parallel junction is accomplished in series with a 1 ohm resistor intended to damp any possible parasitic effects in the input leads). No additional circuitry is added. When not in use I.e., ’normal stereo”, there are no additional circuit elements including switches are in the signal path.It is the equivalent of wiring a stereo cartridge to mono right at the headshell.
Ours is completely silent in its sonic operation and can be switched while listening to a record, without muting your system or worrying about transient “pops” like some of our competitors.
Portland Sheriff
Well-Known Member
Thank you. I meant to edit my post to say I’d emailed with Keith and confirmed the fold-down.
Darlington MP8B ordered. Looking forward to hearing the difference between it and my Elac Alchemy PPA-2, which I really like and is more expensive.
Are the power supply and the included mono and jack upgrades the main difference between the MP7B and the MP8B?
Portland Sheriff
Well-Known Member
I’m not completely certain of the answer. I went with MP8B for general flexibility and I wanted the core upgrades anyway (power, jacks and switch). I hesitate to send anyone to Steve Hoffman Forums, but that’s where the most anal retentive “audiophiles” reside, and Keith is very responsive there.
This is from a post on SHF where someone is quoting an email from Keith: “MP8B – Includes all features from MP7B and steps up to a 70V rails with Dual Mono power supply regulation, and also upgrades certain critical resistors to precision thin-film resistors.”
And also from Keith a page or two later on SHF: “MP8B has 70VDC full dual-mono power supply regulation and a number of enhanced quality passive parts over the MP7B which has one shared 68V power supply regulation circuit powering both channels. Note that the MP8B includes a Mono switch and Upgraded jacks as the base model. Compare MP7B with the Mono switch and Upgraded Jacks options from the base model which lacks them to determine exact cost differential for your needs. User adjustment feature set is the same. Slightly better distortion, overload and max out specs on the MP8B.“
I’m sure there’s more on SHF if you continue through that thread.
Lastly, Keith’s answer to an inquiry on the Darlington FAQ page:
This is from a post on SHF where someone is quoting an email from Keith: “MP8B – Includes all features from MP7B and steps up to a 70V rails with Dual Mono power supply regulation, and also upgrades certain critical resistors to precision thin-film resistors.”
And also from Keith a page or two later on SHF: “MP8B has 70VDC full dual-mono power supply regulation and a number of enhanced quality passive parts over the MP7B which has one shared 68V power supply regulation circuit powering both channels. Note that the MP8B includes a Mono switch and Upgraded jacks as the base model. Compare MP7B with the Mono switch and Upgraded Jacks options from the base model which lacks them to determine exact cost differential for your needs. User adjustment feature set is the same. Slightly better distortion, overload and max out specs on the MP8B.“
I’m sure there’s more on SHF if you continue through that thread.
Lastly, Keith’s answer to an inquiry on the Darlington FAQ page:
Thanks for this response. I am thinking about switching out my MP7B for an MP8B. I've only had the MP7B for about 2 weeks and it's excellent. I 'm thinking I'll just go all in on the MP8B and be done with phono preamps for a while. That said, I'm very happy where I am at now. It's only money.
Reporting in after a few weeks of using the MP7B.
TL/DR: I like it it a lot. It's a marked improvement over my previous Project Phono Box S2 w/ Power Box S3 Phono. I recommend!
Lower noise floor, improved dynamics, bigger soundstage, all good. The improvements to records played on the Ultradeck were nice. I was really surprised by the improvement in sound to my Project DC Evo w/ Moonstone. So much so it had me questioning the wisdom of my Ultradeck. After a few days of enjoying the Evo and MP7B I switched back to the Ultradeck and no longer questioned the purchase.
One thing to point out is that I get a lot of hum using the stock Ultradeck phono cable with and without the ground wire connected. Using a Blue Jean LC-1 from the Ultradeck to the MP7B with ground connected on both end and I get no hum.
I was thinking about trading up for the MP8B, but I think I'm going to sit tight for a while and enjoy what I have. After about 6 months of turning over my system I feel like everything is dialed in nicely and the music sounds fantastic.
TL/DR: I like it it a lot. It's a marked improvement over my previous Project Phono Box S2 w/ Power Box S3 Phono. I recommend!
Lower noise floor, improved dynamics, bigger soundstage, all good. The improvements to records played on the Ultradeck were nice. I was really surprised by the improvement in sound to my Project DC Evo w/ Moonstone. So much so it had me questioning the wisdom of my Ultradeck. After a few days of enjoying the Evo and MP7B I switched back to the Ultradeck and no longer questioned the purchase.
One thing to point out is that I get a lot of hum using the stock Ultradeck phono cable with and without the ground wire connected. Using a Blue Jean LC-1 from the Ultradeck to the MP7B with ground connected on both end and I get no hum.
I was thinking about trading up for the MP8B, but I think I'm going to sit tight for a while and enjoy what I have. After about 6 months of turning over my system I feel like everything is dialed in nicely and the music sounds fantastic.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
Do they not make the MM-5 anymore? I don't see it on their website.
I think they discontinued it in favour of the 6, 7 and the new 8.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
Darn, that was a great preamp at it's price point.
TrainFan73
Frothy
I don’t see you defending the 1-4.
I’m guessing that they figured that the 6 was also pretty cheap in the grand scheme of hifi and that it was more worth their while making better and better sounding things up the line.
Portland Sheriff
Well-Known Member
My MP8B arrived last week and I plugged it in on Friday, with first listens on Saturday and Sunday. I’d read the complete SHF thread on it so knew from many owner reports and input from Keith not to worry about the initial sound bc Darlington preamps break in and start evolving quickly. Indeed, initially I wasn’t impressed (but didn’t worry!), and within a day it started to blossom.
Only a couple days in, I now see that my Elac PPA-2 that I really liked was adding coloration, particularly on the high end that made it sound shimmery (in a good way, not too much) and very revealing/detailed (also in a good way if you want detail, which I thought I did).
The MP8B makes clear that I don’t want coloration in a phono stage or too much detail on the high end. The MP8B is exceptionally natural sounding, with fantastic separation and soundstage. Bass and mids are more present at low volumes compared to the Elac, and bass is nicely defined and tight when it should be (this was also a good trait of the Elac).
In exchange for some high-end shimmer/detail w the Elac, the MP8B’s high end is more relaxed and, to me, authentic sounding and still very present. Moreover, I expect more to emerge in the next week or so and, with the MP8B, I always have the option of experimenting with the high frequency gain.
And the sound floor — the Elac was extremely quiet but not silent. The Darlington is as close to silent as I could imagine. I hear nothing unless I turn up the volume with my ear right next to the tweeter — literally next to the tweeter.
Lastly, as Keith explains on SHF and elsewhere, the no-feedback design with high headroom reduces the impact of surface noise. I was a little skeptical of this, but many owners corroborate this idea, and I can already tell the MP8B actually does reduce the impact. It doesn’t eliminate surface noise - a physical flaw is a physical flaw. As I understand the mechanics/engineering (and, admittedly, I have virtually no understanding of them), due to the design traits, noise doesn’t spike the frequency response as much as other phono preamps.
As mentioned above, my goal with the Darlington was to hear a different sound, not necessarily a better sound bc I liked the Elac. But it’s clear that I’m getting a sound that already is both very different and much more aligned with my current listening preferences on my current system. Very happy w this purchase for my own purposes, but also bc I get to support a small company that’s strongly focused on quality and customer service.
Only a couple days in, I now see that my Elac PPA-2 that I really liked was adding coloration, particularly on the high end that made it sound shimmery (in a good way, not too much) and very revealing/detailed (also in a good way if you want detail, which I thought I did).
The MP8B makes clear that I don’t want coloration in a phono stage or too much detail on the high end. The MP8B is exceptionally natural sounding, with fantastic separation and soundstage. Bass and mids are more present at low volumes compared to the Elac, and bass is nicely defined and tight when it should be (this was also a good trait of the Elac).
In exchange for some high-end shimmer/detail w the Elac, the MP8B’s high end is more relaxed and, to me, authentic sounding and still very present. Moreover, I expect more to emerge in the next week or so and, with the MP8B, I always have the option of experimenting with the high frequency gain.
And the sound floor — the Elac was extremely quiet but not silent. The Darlington is as close to silent as I could imagine. I hear nothing unless I turn up the volume with my ear right next to the tweeter — literally next to the tweeter.
Lastly, as Keith explains on SHF and elsewhere, the no-feedback design with high headroom reduces the impact of surface noise. I was a little skeptical of this, but many owners corroborate this idea, and I can already tell the MP8B actually does reduce the impact. It doesn’t eliminate surface noise - a physical flaw is a physical flaw. As I understand the mechanics/engineering (and, admittedly, I have virtually no understanding of them), due to the design traits, noise doesn’t spike the frequency response as much as other phono preamps.
As mentioned above, my goal with the Darlington was to hear a different sound, not necessarily a better sound bc I liked the Elac. But it’s clear that I’m getting a sound that already is both very different and much more aligned with my current listening preferences on my current system. Very happy w this purchase for my own purposes, but also bc I get to support a small company that’s strongly focused on quality and customer service.
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