The Darlington Labs thread (New 2024 models!)

We've never charged (yet) for any service on any product regardless of the product's age (with the oldest commercially-sold products now approaching 4 years old, and beta units of 7 years). This is true even in a few cases where the client damaged the unit in installation or unauthorized modification. These events have been very rare no matter the cause - being typically confined to a small number of failed power cubes and a few jack panels, usually where we could not duplicate the problem but we still proactively replaced or updated. Regarding the customer in question, we've attempted to make contact with him multiple times, yesterday and today, with no response thus far.
Hi Keith,

Been a busy week between work and preparing my house for family coming to visit for the holiday weekend. I saw that you responded yesterday, and I was planning to respond today once I got some time to do the troubleshooting steps you recommend. Please know, this was far from an attempt to publicly shame the product or your work. This wasn't a frustrated buyer who sends out a tweet or makes a Reddit post unfairly maligning a company. This is a fairly small group on here. Plus -- I wouldn't rule out some level of user error on my part. There are folks on these forums that are far more knowledgeable than me when it comes to gear and troubleshooting connection/component issues. There are also many on here that have a long history of using your products.

I understand that any kind of public sharing about anything negative with your product line is going to cause you a bit of trepidation, especially with being a small, independent business. There could very well be a simple explanation/fix for the issue I'm experiencing, and I want to reiterate that my intentions were not malicious. Appreciate your understanding, and we'll talk privately about addressing my particular issue.
 
Going strictly by my experience with Darlington Labs on several occasions, I can assure you, @MattHasIdeas, that your problem will be resolved well beyond your satisfaction. Dealing with Keith is one of those rare customer/vendor experiences that larger companies can only dream about.

I'm not defending Darlington Labs. Just allaying any fears you might have with regard to your equipment. You're in great hands. I know I'm treading into fanboi territory, so don't just take my word for it. Feel free to ask around.
 
I personally delivered a new MP7B unit to a UPS driver today for this client, sent via 2nd-Day Air. Carriers were closed yesterday for July 4th. I don't intend to spam this thread but thought it was worth closing the loop; we'll see how it turns out with the client.

You're a welcome voice here. Thanks for posting. I've had 0 issues with my, now 2 year old, MM-6. Appreciate you joining and hope you enjoy the rest of the forum beyond this thread.
 
Wanted to provide an update here to say that the replacement MP7B arrived, and it is working without issue. As Keith had stated on one of his earlier posts, Darlington Labs has experienced a very low percentage of device defects ("being typically confined to a small number of failed power cubes and a few jack panels"). There is no evidence to suggest that my experience is anything other than an isolated issue, essentially.

@krichard2496 went above and beyond - first recommending troubleshooting steps. He then, promptly and without question, sent out a replacement unit - personally delivering it to the UPS driver. This kind of customer service experience is a rarity and truly sets Darlington Labs apart from competitors in this space. Not to mention, you've got an incredible quality product for the price.

Thanks again, Keith. Really appreciate you.
 
Figured something like this would be on here! Just got my MM5A (eBay model) from Keith and wow is it great. I’m playing a LP120 with the preamp removed to the MM5A through a Yamaha A-S801. AT-VM540ML cart. The MM5A stomps the internal phono preamp that comes with the A-S801. It’s not horrible but has always been a little dark and not the best separation. Can’t imagine how good the MM5A is going to sound after it burns in a bit. Thanks @krichard2496!
 
Figured something like this would be on here! Just got my MM5A (eBay model) from Keith and wow is it great. I’m playing a LP120 with the preamp removed to the MM5A through a Yamaha A-S801. AT-VM540ML cart. The MM5A stomps the internal phono preamp that comes with the A-S801. It’s not horrible but has always been a little dark and not the best separation. Can’t imagine how good the MM5A is going to sound after it burns in a bit. Thanks @krichard2496!
A quality phono preamp is one of the best audio upgrades you can make. Enjoy!
 
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