RRP:$659.00 at Amazon.com

The Dared Dv-6c tube amp is an interesting addition to the Dared range and will prove popular with those looking for a reasonably priced home theatre amplifier. The major difference between this amp and most of the other amps reviewed on this site is that the Dared Dv-6c supports 5.1 channel surround sound, so will work great when connected up with your home theatre system. The class-A hybrid design offers the promise of bringing tube-y goodness to proceeding, so with that in mind let us have a closer look at the amp itself.

Appearance-wise, the Dared Dv-6c scores quite highly by all accounts. The amp is house in a black chassis with the tubes to the front and the transistors to the rear contained in red and black housing. The tubes are covered with a plastic cover which displays the tubes well while protecting the user from the heat they tend to generate. The front panel has two silver controls which allow you to control the volume, source and number and balance between the connected speakers. The fact that you can adjust the number of speakers attached means you can set the amp up as a 5.1/5.0 surround sound system, or a 2.1/2.0 stereo system. Overall, the build quality of the whole unit is reassuringly solid. The unit also comes supplied with a small remote control which is simple and well designed

When it comes to the audio performance, the 6×65w power output gives the amp plenty of power for both home theatre and stereo use. The tubes add the right amount of warmth and naturalness to the audio tracks of the movies we tried it out on. The sound was detailed and exact and the amp definitely added to the whole movie experience. Actor’s voices were enhanced with the tubes delivering an extra layer of authenticity, almost bringing the movie characters into the room with the viewer.

As part of a stereo system, the Dared Dv-6c performs quite well to boot. The soundstage was quite expansive and allowed the music to express itself. Vocals again stood out and string instruments especially stood out with the timbre just right. The amp also performed well at higher volume levels with the integrated setup allowing for a kicking bass, well rounded mids and a sparkling high end. Don’t get me wrong, the amp cannot compete with serious high-end equipment, but all-in-all, the performance was very good for an amp priced under $700. One slight issue is that the speaker binding posts, while functional, do not display the quality of some of the other two channel amps we have seen and are not capable of supporting banana plugs. This might put some serious audiophiles off but for most should not be a major issue.

The major advantage of this amp is its inherent flexibility. It can form the centre of a home theatre system or act as an amp for a stereo system. This, when twinned with the good audio performance and competitive price means that for many, the Dared Dv-6c tube hybrid integrated amp will be the perfect fit.

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