Any comments on the deHavilland UltraVerve preamp?

Hi Mastro:
I used to have an UltraVerve & thought it was everything those reviews say. The only reason I got rid of mine was I went to equipment with all balanced inputs.

I now have a BAT VK-3IX which I think is a great preamp for the price (probably similar in price to the Ultraverve.) I couldn't compare them now as it's been @ 3 years since I've heard the UltraVerve.

I could be mistaken but I think DeHavilland has a 30 day return policy. I think highly of both companies for their product & customer service. I feel I'm staying with BAT for the long term.

I think both of these preamps offer a very good value. Good luck!

i auditioned the ultra verve , in preparation for a review. i returned the preamp without reviewing it.

if you favor a tube preamp that sounds more like solid state, you may prefer this preamp.

i replaced the tubes, but still noticed an unforgiving, overly focused,sound, bordering on an analytic presentation.

Mr. Tennis, why would you possibly return the preamp because it didn't suit your listening taste. That's what reviews are for; to tell us lemmings what you liked or disliked about a certain piece of equipment and why. By describing it for the rest of us who may not have an opportunity to listen to the selected piece of equipment, you could at least give us one person's interpretation of the scenery.

On the other hand, if you are afraid to write a negative piece due to the possibility of not getting future equipment to review, then that explains your decision to return the preamp without review. If that's the case, it's another sad example of the cancer in this industry.

>>01-26-09: Fiddler
Mr. Tennis, why would you possibly return the preamp because<<

A better question is, why would anybody read his reviews?

Yawn.

Thank you Dawgcatching and Classical1 for your thoughts. It sounds like the deHavilland UltraVerve will be really hard to beat for the money. It is good to know that the UltraVerve is competitive with the Audio Research LS26. Wow, that says a lot! I know that the AR LS26 is very good, but if the UltraVerve comes that close in sound, it is a steal at the price.

It is impossible to listen to all preamps in this price range so that is why I appreciate everyone's comments. I do not replace preamps often so I want to make sure I am not making a mistake. If anyone else has any comments on the deHavilland UltraVerve I would really love to hear them.

Thank you.

Mastro