Anyone heard of DK design group?

The problem is that so much equipment is overhyped in reviews and elsewhere that when a really good piece of equipment comes along -- which is rare -- we have the problem of the little boy who cried "wolf." All the superlatives have been used up and excessively. This amp really is terrific and a steal, though.

However, that said, and now having spent some considerable time with the amp, let me make some additional comments that are more critical. I am using a Toshiba DVD/CD player (was Stereophile class A) that has been extensively modified and upgraded internally, the DK Design VS-1 MKII (with its own IC and Siemens CCa's) and a Sansui TU 9900 FM tuner that has been serious audiophile modified (gutted and rebuilt, with a Stealth PBS Gold IC and a Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth on it and with a roof top FM antenna), JPS Labs top of the line bi-wired speaker cables and Piega P-10 speakers well out from the walls, with now a single REL Storm subwoofer turned way down in frequency and amplitude. Good vinyl on the classical FM station (KBAQ pronouned KBACH) can transend my best CD's across the audio spectrum (except for the deep bass -- FM transmission and tuner limitations)

The DK VS-1 MKII sounds and is voiced like the very top-end Levinson gear and sounds very similar. It is a tad too smooth in the lower and mid treble, like Levinson's best stuff, but gets the macro dynamics right in that range, slighting ever so slightly the micro dynamics. Perhaps because I have been listening to tube amps too long, the upper bass is more lean and quick than I am used to, but I believe it is also more neutral or close to it. The amp has great dynamics throughout the listening range and surprisingly does not compress when you expect it to on cresendos. (I listen mostly to classical.) It is neutrally full-bodied in all segments of the audio range. Its upper treble excess smoothness makes bad CD's sound a bit better than they should. A Christmas present CD of ocean waves breaking on a beach is shocking real with excellent weight and all dynamics. Most music has excellent weight without having a slow ponderous upper bass and lower midrange. Piano and voice do very well with this amp, but for "tubers" might sound too neutral. My CCa's ocassionally "crackle" when I first turn on the amp, if it has not been used for 12 or more hours. Why, I don't know, but I don't like it. There is a hint of grain in the upper treble, but it is not noticeable unless you are sensitive to grain and are looking for it. Generally, the amp sounds very liquid. The included IC is also a "home run." Imaging and presence are terrific and the soundstage is highly dependent on source material. Generally, I would argue it is a tad shallow, especially compared to the Levinson 20.6's I sold, but that was their forte. It is not troubling shallow to me, but is on the boarder line and some might find it so. Height and width are fine. It is easier to get a deep soundstage with rolled treble than not. The amp's treble range is not rolled, even to my aging ears (but hearing is a brain function, or so I tell myself as I get older.) There is an ever so slight loss of treble harmonics which accompanies the excentuated smoothness in that range which I describe. I have heard it before in other top Levinson amps. There are faults to this amp, but only when you start comparing it to very, very expensive stuff or live music. The faults are easily lived with for me, and the amp is much better than most, but it is not perfect. The build quality has a China be very good quality to it that is definitely short of Germany' best and on par with America's mid high-end equipment. The amp also sounds really great from the next room. It has a real and high quality sound about it that even from other parts of the house makes you occassionally sit up and take note. For $3k it should be a run away best seller. I have no trouble living with it and will keep and store it for the years coming up that I plan to go sailing.

Kimballcorson,

You might have those CCa's tested. I've purchased three pairs that went bad quickly. Incredible tubes IMO, but hard to find good ones.

Great review, by the way.
All the best,
Howard

Thanks, Howard. I have a tube tester and tested these tubes when I first got them some time ago, but only for conductance. I need to do more and will dig the tester out as you recommend. Fortunately, I have a spare set of CCa's, but who knows, they might have a problem too. More generally, I notice that too many NOS tubes are microphonic. We really all should be more careful to thoroughly test the NOS tubes we buy instead of taking the sellers word for it.

While I'm taking a big chance here, I guess it's time I put in my two cents since I wrote the original review for positive-feedback. So if you all will permit me a few comments, I would like to offer an insight into the review process at our web site.

All of us at positive-feedback are pretty much unpaid. We do it for fun and to hear serious high end stuff we may not be able to otherwise afford.

We, (like other reviewers I suspect), for the most part try to keep positive and not outright insult manufacturers but tell the truth the way we heard it. After all what sounds not too great in my system, in my room, may sound great to someone else's ears in their system.

That being said, we report what we hear- the good and the bad. You can pretty much tell in any review whether the reviewer liked it or not if you read carefully. Check out positive-feedback and read a couple of reviews. For example in the current issue 17 Frank Madrid and I review the OML-1 speakers. He was fairly hard on them compared to his Pro-Ac. I liked them. I thought for $1000 they sounded pretty good, especially compared to other speakers I've reviewed.

You can also check out my past review of an Audio Note CD player or Equi-tech power conditioner, neither of which I liked.

I will also mention that the review process is a long affair. The reason you are not seeing any other reviews yet is because it can take up to 6 months or more between the time someone agrees to do the review, the equipment gets shipped, the reviewer listens for a month or more, he writes the review, it goes to the editor, gets edited, then approved then published when the next edition comes out. It’s a long turnaround!

When I was asked to do the DK VS-1 review my editor practically had to break my arm. I had to drive 100 miles to pick it up. The damned thing weighs almost 100 lbs, so loading it in my suv and lugging it up to my 2nd floor listening room was a chore. By the time I hefted it into my rack (after disconnecting all my other equipment) I was not exactly in the greatest mood.

Then I turned it on and knew it was going to be good. My review was not hype and my following comments are not hype; they are just my reactions, comments, and opinions. I have listened to the VS-1 every day since the review and my opinion is still the same- it’s killer. I recently took it to a friends house. His room is about 12 X 24, he has Atma-sphere MA-1 tube amps and huge Dunlavy SC4 speakers. We put the VS-1 in place of the Atma- spheres and compared. Even my friend commented the lows and mids were better, richer, warmer, and more detailed. The only area the VS-1 lacked in comparison was the very top end.

I love my DK VS-1. People ask me about reliability of the VS-1. They ask me about the company DK Design. Who knows? Heck Wadia comes and goes. Who knows if any company will be around tomorrow? All I can tell you is look inside the VS-1 and it’s damn well made. Unbelievably well made in fact, with brand name components throughout. I am betting that even if DK Design ceased to exist tomorrow anyone could repair this amp anyway. It’s just electronic components after all.

I have a feeling though DK Design will be around for a long time if they keep selling products this good. Again this is not hype, I don’t get paid for this. Just like any one of you guys, when I hear something great I like to tell my friends. Feel free to email me with any questions.
Ed Morawski
http://www.positve-feedback.com

Thanks Ed. I appreciate you're impressions of the VS-1. I'm leaving in the morning for CES and hoped to hear it there but don't know of anyone useing it there. I called a couple dealers and they didn't know either. Yes, I tried D-K also. No luck.
Let me know if you know anyone that's going to display it.
Thanks, Frank