Thanks for the vote of confidence Colin; My fraction of a cent worth of opinion is this. Don't build until you find a way to hear the amp. These amps ain't cheap as kits and if you don't like it you bought it. The word on the DRD is it is very laid back. I can only guess but if it sounds like the amp described in VTV that the DRD is based on; then it has a very distinct sonic personality. Probably good for a CD only system. I personally am not a huge fan of the Bottlehead stuff. I find it hyper-detailed and fatiqueing; your mileage may vary. But considor this, why are bottleheads always searching for speakers that work well with those amps? I am not familiar with the other amp. There is no re-sale in DIY but; here's the rub. The Guinevere pre-amp is the most enjoyable pre I have ever been exposed to. Colin; you have it; offer up a listen. If Doug can come up with that good of a piece w/o half-trying, then I would trust any of his amp designs. The Merlin runs about 550/650$ to build. And those transformers can be used over and again for many types of amps. You can re-use or sell the tubes. So the real possible loss is about 350$. Absolute worst case scenario; the amp is not the best you have ever heard; it most certainly will be thoroughly listenable. As far as other kits go; I find them expensive for what you get and I would probably just buy a good used amp rather than get too involved in putting together someone elses favorite amp. Or try one of the good Japanese guys like Sun or Asano. They run about 1200$ for a kit but they use very good trans and exceptional parts quality. They also have excellent re-sale value. Thats all folks.
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