Home Tubes Asylum

Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Tubes Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Quasi-review: deHavilland Mercury Preamp

I'm a little new to AudioAsylum . . . sure, I've posted some . . . so I may not myself be qualified to post a review of the Mercury. Maybe the original poster will.

However, I also just got one, maybe a week ago. I ran it all last weekend playing various stuff (using the Neatest Way Not To Get Bored During Burn In: Apple AirTunes!). This weekend I'm actually going to start listening . . . but wow. It's great.

First off, there's NO microphony. I've read people mention that the SuperVerve can be a little sensitive . . . but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Merc. I don't personally know 6SN7s (Verve) to be all that microphonic, so maybe it's something else. Who knows.

Fit and finish: EXPERT. Wonderful build quality. From the spec sheet (on their website), the components I can't see are top-notch. What I can see, the case, knobs, and the connectors, are great. It feels like I've had something custom-built, rather than bought something off a shelf, if that makes sense.

Manuals, support: EXCELLENT. The manual is quite simple. I was looking forward to seeing a schematic of the Merc, but one's not included (secrects inside!). But that's not a big deal. The manual is short (good if you've got ADD . . . Look, a bird!), and Kara is very responsive via email. Not that I've had any questions.

Tube complement: a 5AW4 rectifier, type-85 triode (x2), 6AH4 cathode follower (x2). 5AW4 and 6AH4s are trivially easy to find, and CHEAP (expect $5-10/tube), and many people have stashes of type-85s, it would seem. Also about $5/tube. Kara included a pair of nice chrome-dome 6AH4s; I've also found some nice side-getters.

Inputs: 4 (single-ended)

Outputs: 2 (single-ended, electrically equivalent)

The sound: Open. Detailed, but not analytic. More liquid than my system sounds without it, perhaps because of the tube rectification. Stereo imaging is wonderful. You can hear everything. Bass is as good as my system can muster (modded Moth Cicada horns); someone with a system that's better on the low end might be able to comment better on that. Not only are voices wonderful, but the instruments are clear as well. Its resolution is wonderful.

Probably because this is a REAL piece of tube-equipment (meaning tube-rectified point-to-point) it actually DOES improve quite a bit with 30-45 minutes of warm up. That time may shorten as it ages, but for now, at first it's a little cold . . . for lack of a better word . . . and then it warms up and, well, gets warmer. Or smoother. Something.

Features and quirks: 30-second warmup delay for the tubes to start heating before the rectifier kicks in. Trim pots, one for each channel, to serve as "balance." I'm not sure where they sit in the sound path, but I keep them all the way open. I wonder if it really needs them, but wide open they shouldn't affect the sound too much (I guess!).

Ultra-high end preamp. I recommend it without reservation. I have the one without the remote (since I wanted the Goldpoint stepped attenuator, rather than a mechanized pot.)

Rest of the hodgepodge system: Berning Siegfried (811-10) amp, Ah! 4000 CDP (upsampled, Amperex 6DJ8s), Dynaco FM-3 tuner, vdH Ultimate interconnects, some Zu Cable Gede interconnects as well, and Zu Cable Wax speaker cables to modded Moth Cicada horns. van 's Evers Refernce 85 line conditioner, Zu Cable Birth power cords.

How's that for an amateur's first review?

Stuart
--
Stuart Hall
(sturob@swbell.net)

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Crux Audio  

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
You can not post to an archived thread.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]