• Please note that Audiokarma will be offline briefly for updates early on Monday morning, September 28th.

Darlington Labs MP-7 vs Graham Slee Accession for MM

Genov

Genov

Super Member
I am about to pull the trigger on one of these.

The Slee is a bit more expensive, and, I'm sure better, but I'm wondering how close the Darlington is in performance? In other words, is the Darlington a better buy, considering it is 400-500 cheaper than the Slee? Or is the extra cash worth it for the Slee?

This will be used with a Soundsmith Aida - MI
 
Register to hide this ad
Genov said:
I am about to pull the trigger on one of these.

The Slee is a bit more expensive, and, I'm sure better, but I'm wondering how close the Darlington is in performance? In other words, is the Darlington a better buy, considering it is 400-500 cheaper than the Slee? Or is the extra cash worth it for the Slee?

This will be used with a Soundsmith Aida - MI
Click to expand...
Yes I would be interested in that comparison. Some of the GS models have the early 78 sound curves and I have an MM-6
 
They are completely different designs with completely different design philosophies. Which one you prefer will likely come down to personal preference.

G.S. has a worldwide loaner program. You pay shipping both ways and get to try the product for 2 weeks minimum. You can borrow more than one model or anything G.S. makes. Loaner units are not for sale. If you do not like it, no harm, no foul. Sign up at the G.S. forum.

https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/members-services_forum40.html

Not sure about Darlington's trial policy, you'd have to contact them through their website.
 
patient_ot said:
They are completely different designs with completely different design philosophies. Which one you prefer will likely come down to personal preference.

G.S. has a worldwide loaner program. You pay shipping both ways and get to try the product for 2 weeks minimum. You can borrow more than one model or anything G.S. makes. Loaner units are not for sale. If you do not like it, no harm, no foul. Sign up at the G.S. forum.

https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/members-services_forum40.html

Not sure about Darlington's trial policy, you'd have to contact them through their website.
Click to expand...
That sounds really good . The price difference is quite large though compared to the MP-7.
 
Morgan D said:
That sounds really good . The price difference is quite large though compared to the MP-7.
Click to expand...

Look at the prices on the G.S. site, subtract 20%, and convert GBP to USD. Both companies offer models that are less expensive than their top models in each range.
 
The MP-7, with the options I want, is $627

The GS Accession, with the options I want, is $1215

These are from each companies website, including shipping.

I am also looking for used models, but have not found one that fit the bill, as of yet.

With this large a difference in price, given the reviews on the MP-7, I am leaning heavily in that direction.
 
Which options ? This should be a good one for me because I have a similar TT. I Have an SL1210mk2 with the KAB damper. What cartridge?
 
Morgan D said:
Which options ? This should be a good one for me because I have a similar TT. I Have an SL1210mk2 with the KAB damper. What cartridge?
Click to expand...

MP-7 : upgraded jacks and A-stock

GS : upgraded power

I also have the damper (and full KAB mods), and using a Soundsmith Aida MKll cart. I first tried a Soundsmith Carmen MKll instead of the Goldring 1042 and the KAB Ortofon cart with Sty 40 that i had been using, and liked the Soundsmith so much, that I decided to get the best one in their line that I could afford (used of course:cool:)
 
Genov said:
GS : upgraded power
Click to expand...

Bear in mind the power supply can be upgraded later. The PSU-1 is good enough to start with. The PSU Enigma I have not heard. You can borrow both and see what sounds better to you. When I got my Reflex I actually started with the wall wart and got the PSU-1 later. Accession is sold with the PSU-1 as standard.
 
The loaner program is great assuming they have the model you’re interested in available at the time - I know the Accession is a popular model. The shipping cost may be prohibitive in some ways and I suppose does carry some risk.

Regardless I would suggest the Darlington. It is rare in this hobby that I find one piece of gear worth more than twice the price of another (above a certain price point of course, I don’t mean $50 vs $100 for example). Darlington provides excellent customer service with the owner even posting here and on other forums. The measurement-based reviews of the GS units have not been great - not intended to be a comment on “measurements versus sound,” just that it is another piece of information and helps me at least start to evaluate how the unit performs the basics.

There are also lots of other models in this price range so keep an open mind about other options.
 
Genov said:
MP-7 : upgraded jacks and A-stock

GS : upgraded power

Genov said:
MP-7 : upgraded jacks and A-stock

GS : upgraded power

I also have the damper (and full KAB mods), and using a Soundsmith Aida MKll cart. I first tried a Soundsmith Carmen MKll instead of the Goldring 1042 and the KAB Ortofon cart with Sty 40 that i had been using, and liked the Soundsmith so much, that I decided to get the best one in their line that I could afford (used of course:cool:)
Click to expand...

I also have the damper (and full KAB mods), and using a Soundsmith Aida MKll cart. I first tried a Soundsmith Carmen MKll instead of the Goldring 1042 and the KAB Ortofon cart with Sty 40 that i had been using, and liked the Soundsmith so much, that I decided to get the best one in their line that I could afford (used of course:cool:)
Click to expand...
Sorry you already mentioned the soundsmith. I was looking at the smm-3 with the adapter.
 
t4t3r said:
The loaner program is great assuming they have the model you’re interested in available at the time - I know the Accession is a popular model. The shipping cost may be prohibitive in some ways and I suppose does carry some risk.
Click to expand...

U.S. loaner items ship from the U.S. via UPS Ground. Not that expensive. Sometimes there is a waiting list for loaners, depends on the time and when the request is made.
 
t4t3r said:
The measurement-based reviews of the GS units have not been great - not intended to be a comment on “measurements versus sound,” just that it is another piece of information and helps me at least start to evaluate how the unit performs the basics.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about one review I know of, that set of measurements was garbage. They couldn't even measure the gain properly and were off by 3dB which is miles in the world of audio measurements. Main reason for this was failure to set the audio analyzer up correctly and lift the input resistor. That's straight from G.S. which uses AP test gear to get their factory specs.

Anyway, just sharing info, I'm not going to get into a detailed debate over it. If anyone has questions about the measurements of any piece of gear from any brand, they should start by contacting the manufacturer of said gear and ask how factory specs were measured.

In general, one thing to keep in mind is that vinyl is far from a perfect format and there is much more noise (often not audible to everyone) from both the record and the cartridge than most folks realize.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom