The Darling amplifier first appeared in the pages of the Sound Practices more than a decade ago. From there its designer, Bod Danielak showed a couple examples of the Darling at the first NY Noise in 1999. Ultimately, Bob built several examples of the Darling and I was fortunate enough to offer up one of my parallel builds to help jc morrison and Blackie Pagano pay for subsequent NY Noise in 2000.The thing that is so intriguing about the Darling, in addition to being a ton of fun to listen to, is that as Dave Slagle put it, the amp "errors by omission rather conviction” - that, and, it is largely insensitive to parts selection. Frankly, I know of few, if any of audio component that you can say this about. So, when I’m trying to transition a music lover to an ultra fi system or, in today’s terms, a headphone user, I often turn to the Darling. This ad is for one such single ended triode stereo amplifier. As shown, the amplifier uses Tiffany style input RCA jacks and gold plated 5-way binding posts. There is a stereo volume control front and center. All tube sockets are ceramic and all hardware is stainless steel. Resistors are carbon comp for a smooth natural sound and wire wound elsewhere. The coupling caps are Obbligato Gold Premium Film. The power supply caps are Nichicon Muse with select bypasses. The tube selection is JAN VT-137 1626 for the output and Sylvania 8532W for the input. 12V6 tubes may be used in place of the 1626 for additional power output of approximately 5 watts. The amplifier measures approximately 6 inches high with tubes by 6 inches wide by 12 inches deep. Perfect for a desktop or second system. Warranty is for lifetime with the exception of the vacuum tubes.
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