SPECTRAL 100/DMC 20 preamp comments....

To my ears, all the input above is right on the money. You will not tire of this gear. ( Have used, am still using the 200s, the 360s, the 50s switched for mono and the DMA 20 I and II and the DMA 30, all with MIT.)
Cheers,

The DMC30 looks like a cost-down, remote-enahced preamp to fit audiophiles' desire for remote control. The specification stop claiming the use of exotic materials such as Teflon boards and unique capacitors, like the DMC20. Anyone closely compared the 20 vs. 30?

BTW, how many different 30 are there? There was the DMC30, then DMC30SL, then a DMC30Reference.

I A/B'd the 20 and 30SL extensivley. The 30SL is a better preamp than the 20: more resolution, better soundstage, quieter. The 30SL is better than the 30, which I previously owned. The 30 was the single box version of the 20. The 30SL is the new, improved preamp. The 30S or reference, I believe, lacks the surround sound pass-through feature and one or two other items to reduce it's cost and price. Not sure what those other items are.

This is from Spectral's website on the 30SL: "The result of this endeavor is simply the finest preamplifier ever offered by Spectral Audio in our long twenty-five year history."

How it differs from the 20 and 30:

FURTHER REFINEMENTS

"The SHHA (Spectral High-speed Hybrid Amplifier) line section technology is only part of the unique advances incorporated in DMC-30SL. New power supply topology and precision shunt regulators for all sections offer superior isolation and remarkable 8dB improvement in signal-to-noise over the excellent DMC-30. Power supply transformer capacity also doubles to accommodate massive shielding arrays for improved line isolation and field containment. Cost-no-object component technologies such as hand-trimmed bulk metal resistors and custom polystyrene film caps occupy sensitive signal locations such as gain setting and feedback. Improvements are not limited to performance advances alone. User convenience benefits also as the DMC-30SL incorporates surround sound input programming for home theatre integration. "

Mythtrip- Though not often, I must reluctantly agree with Brulee about his previous comments on the Spectral system! The sound of the MIT CVT Terminator cables and the Spectral pre/amp was beyond anything I've heard before or since. I'm not saying that you are guaranteed that level of performance, just that it is possible under the right conditions. To get the best from a Spectral system requires a complete commitment toward their products and recommended anciliary components which include the best MIT cables available. Very expensive system, but certainly one of the finest regardless of price.
I've since become another tube worshipper, but the memory of that Spectral/MIT system keeps me searching for higher levels of illusion. Good luck.

Mythtrip,
The comments above on Spectral/MIT parallel my own high regard for this system. In addition, since you are probably buying used equipment, I'd like to add the following: if you buy the MIT a/c equipment, take note of the fact that MIT has recently redone their products. Their Z-3 a/c cord is light years ahead of the Z-2, in fact , with my Spectral system it is trouncing every other power cord I've compared it to, for purity, timbral naturalness, speed and resolution. (It's unfiltered and unshielded, and is used with other filtering units like the stabilizer, isolation transformers etc). If you buy the rest of the system used, be sure to check out the Z-3's, even if you find a good deal on Z-2's. The difference (with Spectal) is worth the splurge.