EMM DCC2 vs Hi End Preamps

I think you might be surprised by the clarity of the Messenger, but that's another story. I'll be eager to hear your impressions of the Dartzeel--the battery power supply is a great feature.

Well, I add my bit to the experience base. I prefer the DCC2 through a CAT Ultimate. It adds presence and texture without any coloration. As I am still satisfied with its phono stage, keeping the CAT is a "no-brainer" for me.

I guess what this all means is that each person has his own preference and, thus, his own opinion. Unlike Gladstone, I'm not a "tube" guy, and found the clarity and resolution of the DCC2 a real revelation. I never found it edgy or fatiguing, just eminently revealing. As I said above, one person's "body" is another person's coloration. Just personal preference. Also,I agree with Mike L. After having heard the DarTZeel preamp at CES, I suspect that it will do the tube "thing" as well or better than the best tubes, without the colorations I hear in most tube gear. Just have to wait and see, I guess.

Hooper--must respectfully dissent again. The clarity and resolution of DCC2 is very good, but I found that I got more of it with the Messenger. But I did not like what other tube preamps did to signal, including CAT Ultimate, which I found harsh and unrelenting.

Gladstone:

I respect your defense of the Messenger. Never having heard it, I certainly can't, and won't, comment on it. I have heard other tubed units on par (from what I've been told) with the Messenger, though, and IMO the DCC2 delivered more of what I liked than they did. I'd like to hear the Messenger one day, though.