SpectralDMC-10 deltausedSPECTRAL DMC-10 Fully Recapped & Professionally Upgraded (+ Transparent interconnects)This is a completely professionally upgraded Spectral DMC-10 delta preamplifier. I am the second owner of this preamp. The preamp was professionally upgraded by a true expert on the Spectral circui...1750.00

SPECTRAL DMC-10 Fully Recapped & Professionally Upgraded (+ Transparent interconnects)

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Condition
7/10
Payment methods
Ships fromPhoenix, AZ, 85028
Ships toUnited States
Package dimensionsunspecified
Shipping carriersUSPS, UPS or FedEx
Shipping costFree
Original accessoriesManual
AverageResearch Pricing

This is a completely professionally upgraded Spectral DMC-10 delta preamplifier. I am the second owner of this preamp. The preamp was professionally upgraded by a true expert on the Spectral circuit, and also comes with the original Transparent Audio interconnects for connecting this to a power amp. 

Each stage of the circuit was taken to the max in terms of capacitance and overall configuration by a real expert who works with many products by Spectral and Threshold.

The Spectral is known for unbelievable speed and a DC-to-light bandwidth. It was designed by Keith Johnson and Demian Martin, two of the greatest audio engineers of all time. The lavish circuit board in these units is a testament to their cost is no object construction and design. The DMC-10 is a true instrumentation-grade component, with a bandwidth that is flat from DC all the way to the gigaherz range. It is so fast, and settles so quickly, that the amount of unforced detail within and between notes is really something special to behold.

I have had the Spectral professionally upgraded by a true expert on the Spectral circuit. The upgrades done were:

(1) The rail supply has been increased from 4000uF to 15000uF per rail in the pre-regulator stage, and the diodes were upgraded to super-high quality soft-recovery types.

(2) The regulator and post-regulator caps were increased from 150uF to 1000uF.

(3) The caps in the regulator reference filters were upgraded, and were also upsized to 220uF each, which is now the perfect amount of capacitance for the reference filters.

(4) The caps in the dc sensing circuits and in the tape buffer were all upgraded, and were also upsized to 330uF each (which is about the max capacitance usable in this stage of the circuit.

(5) All caps in and after the regulators were bypassed by either 0.47uF or 0.33uF film caps. 

All of this work was professionally done about 3-1/2 years ago, so the huge new PS caps are likely JUST broken in by now! (I am a big believer in slow, gentle capacitor break-in time.)

I doubt that there is a DMC-10 on the planet that has been upgraded to this level !

In addition to its superlative linestage, you are in for a real treat if you are an analog fan. This Spectral preamp contains one of the greatest phono stages ever constructed. It has fully variable phono stage gain, so that it can handle high output moving magnet cartridges with absolute dynamic accuracy and not a hint of overloading, while at the same time it can be optimized to handle low-output moving coils without the need of any step-up transformers. From what I understand, the variable gain actually controls the inherent gain of the circuit directly (rather than just being a simple attenuator). The resolution and dynamics that you get with this phono stage are STARTLING to say the least.

In addition to user-selectable loading options, this circuit also has a precision socket in each channel for custom loading resistors and/or capacitors. This is an AMAZINGLY useful option! Think that your Denon 103 sounds good using the 100-ohm rocker switch? Try placing an 80 ohm custom resistor into the precision socket and hear that Denon really open up! Think that your V15-V / SAS sounds good but kind of bright at 47K?  Try placing a 60K resistor and 400pF capacitor into the precision socket and hear what a JICO SAS V15-V can really do !

Appearance-wise, the top cover has a few very narrow scratches that can really only be clearly seen by shining a spotlight directly onto the top cover to highlight them, but as you can see from the other pictures, they are fairly minor and are easily touched up, since the top cover is black coated aluminum. They are not easily visible from a normal distance away. I did not retouch them in any way. There is one gentle barely visible scratch at the upper left of the front panel (again, I had to really zoom in to make it visible - you have to look close to see it), and it is not easily visible from any normal distance away. There is one small scratch just to the right of one of the LED's, in the black area, and this is easily touched up by the next owner if desired. (I left them alone.) The LED's in the preamp function perfectly. The separate DMS-10 power supply functions beautifully. There are a couple of scratches to the black paint on the top of the power supply unit (not easily visible without a closeup, and fairly easily touched up if desired). The LED's in the preamp itself work perfectly. The lamp in the power supply unit does not light up (which is almost always the case with these units), but the unit functions beautifully. None of the cosmetic issues are serious, and are easily remedied by the new owner. (I elected to leave them completely as-is.) Overall, I would rate the exterior as a 6 out of 10, and the circuitry as a 10/10 due to the recent professional recapping and upgrades (and of course, due to that incredibly beautiful Spectral circuit board, which according many audiophiles has never been equaled !)


I am selling this due to some family medical issues. I unfortunately must sell my entire high-end system, and I will be posting more pieces in the days to come. I will literally cry when I pack this unit up to send to the next owner. I have had the privilege of enjoying this unique instrumentation-grade preamplifier for many years, and it is now professionally upgraded and will last for many more decades to come. It is a dramatically beautiful statement piece from the true golden age of audio, designed by two of the greatest audio engineers of all time, and additionally it has been completely upgraded and future-proofed.  

I doubt that you can find a better full-function preamplifier in today's market for under $10,000 (and this unit even has one of the all-time great phono stages included.)

I am also including the original set of Transparent interconnects, which are the one of the main types of interconnect for this preamp, as recommended by Spectral.

I will ship at my expense in the continental United States, and I will split shipping with the buyer for other locations. 

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Return Policy

Return Window

Item can be returned within 3 days of receipt.

General Terms

Items must be returned in their original condition, with all included packing materials and no signs of use. Buyer assumes responsibility for all shipping return costs unless the item was not received as described.

Refunds

Buyer will receive a full refund in the original payment method less any shipping charges.

Special Conditions

The cartridge is guaranteed to be functional (good suspension, good stylus, both channels functioning), and to appear as pictured. Since this is a delicate item, I cannot accept returns for any other reasons other than not being as described.