Mitsubishi DA - P30 pre amp worthy?

RemoWilliams

RemoWilliams

Addicted Member
Choosing a decent pre amp is rather challenging, so far I have entertained the following and the Mitsubishi just came up for sale locally for 115.00. Overall the DA P30 appears to be a solid performer. Those not marked as local would also incur shipping within Canada.


Denon PRA 1500 - 200.00
Yamaha CX 360 - 310.00
Aragon 24K - 500.00
Hafler DH 101 - 170.00 ( local )
Kenwood C2 - 200.00
Electrocompaniet ( no model # ) - 300.00
Panor / Dynaco Pas 4 - 500.00 ( local )
NAD C 160 - 200.00 ( local )
 
The Mitsubishi should be quite good. I believe it is the front end to the DA-10DC I had a few years ago. If I'm right, it is thinner than normal so the it would have fit and locked into the amp. This line of Mitsubishi is quite good, however beware of the glue they used. It is similar or the same as was used in Yamaha, Kenwood, Sony, etc or that era. I consider the Kenwood C2 and the NAD C 160 decent and I would buy one for my son, but not for myself. I have better already.

Edt: The Aragon is probably quite good, but I've never heard one so I can't say. One thing to also consider are the controls of the preamp. Some people like certain things and other don't. Like tone controls, and tone control bypass.
 
I actually purchased the Mitsubishi because of the tone controls and the flexibility offered, plus it has a phono section. Still thinking of getting the Dyanco Pas 4 as they are quite good and rather uncommon. Have to wait a few days and hopefully it will still be for sale.



Image of the actual one for sale:



00d0d_b47QDbA6fU5z_0CI0t2_1200x900.jpg
 
That series that followed the DA-P20 and DA-P10 preamp along with the DA-C20 tuner preamp and the DA-A10DC and DA-A15DC power amps were the last of the MELCO separates that were very good before they got out of audio in the US pretty much completely. The companion DA-A30 power amp is a nice piece if you can find one. It's a match to your DA-P30

The DA-R35 and DA-R25 early 80's receivers, and their older siblings the DA-R10 and DA-R20 were nice pieces. Nothing much but their CD players and VHS players were worth having after around 1983 IMO. At least as far as the MELCO stuff that came here. Diatone in Japan was still producing quality gear.

mitsubishi-da-a30-2252.jpg
 
Last edited:
Had it on all night for a morning listen with the BGW GTB amplifier and Kef 105.1s. Certainly different, low end is definitely present though the Kef are always good at that, perhaps somewhat a touch less refinement compared to the Acurus L 10 but need to do further listening over the next few days with music I know well. Glad I picked it up, not a bad price these days, especially with an uncommon piece such as this in a local market. Looking forward to trying out the Phono section as well since it is highly regarded.

By the way, anyone know if the speaker selector needs to be activated? Neither was on and when I initially tried to power up there seemed to be no indication of this until I selected speaker B when some lights for input and record buttons glowed. I did not have the amplifier on so could not say, are any other lights normally functioning?

Some images:



IMG_5657.jpg IMG_5658.jpg
 
Last edited:
Got it. So far the DA P30 seems to bring out some details in the music though leans towards a slightly brighter top end. Of course what one is listening to makes a difference, especially as with CDs there is that tendency with many recordings tending to accentuate the higher frequencies, at least that is what I have found.

Might have some high quality Y splitters made up so I can use another pair of RCAs connected to a sub. Nice feature with the Acurus having two pre outs.
 
MitsuMan said:
That series that followed the DA-P20 and DA-P10 preamp along with the DA-C20 tuner preamp and the DA-A10DC and DA-A15DC power amps were the last of the MELCO separates that were very good before they got out of audio in the US pretty much completely. The companion DA-A30 power amp is a nice piece if you can find one. It's a match to your DA-P30

The DA-R35 and DA-R25 early 80's receivers, and their older siblings the DA-R10 and DA-R20 were nice pieces. Nothing much but their CD players and VHS players were worth having after around 1983 IMO. At least as far as the MELCO stuff that came here. Diatone in Japan was still producing quality gear.

mitsubishi-da-a30-2252.jpg
Click to expand...

Great info! Do you know how or if the DA-10DC could couple with the DA-P30?

RemoWilliams said:
Got it. So far the DA P30 seems to bring out some details in the music though leans towards a slightly brighter top end. Of course what one is listening to makes a difference, especially as with CDs there is that tendency with many recordings tending to accentuate the higher frequencies, at least that is what I have found.

Might have some high quality Y splitters made up so I can use another pair of RCAs connected to a sub. Nice feature with the Acurus having two pre outs.
Click to expand...
Interesting you say that. I had a lot of trouble pairing my DA-10DC with speakers for a similar reason. Then I paired it with the preamp section of a Sansui 2000X and some Genesis Physics II speakers and they were an excellent match.
 
Some further thoughts - It appears the DA P30 is the better pre in my set up. One could argue about the simplicity of a line stage design over what Mitsubishi designed but the end result is it sounds very good. Those of us on budget constraints really have no choice anyway but I do think I could have done a lot worse for 115.00 Cdn. I still seem to be interested in the Dynaco Pas 4 tube pre amp, rather rare and very well regarded, high quality glass epoxy board etc. but not sure if I really need it.

The Acurus L 10 definitely is also a well regarded unit but still benefits from some upgrades, especially with the power supply. I wonder what someone knowledgeable could do with the DA P30. It would probably be a distant choice on face value but once one realizes how much effort went into it the end result is a very nice sounding piece. The fact that the power supply is more than adequate is a good start. There are many great pre amplifiers out there but sometimes I think companies such as Mitsubishi that do not get enough recognition produced some great products compared to the larger better known competitors.


At this point I am thinking of a DAC though the original MF V Dac that is in use is still a good performer apparently, I could purchase a Schiit Modius locally for under 300.00. I already have a Modi 3 and Bifrost 4490 and have no complaints about either but sometimes wonder if a fairly recent ( within a few years ) higher end used offering might allow better insight into the music. I noticed a Musical Paradise MP D1 for example with updated caps and Siemens tubes for 500.00 Cdn. which could be a contender. I should ask in the DAC sub forum I suppose. I thought finding a good pre amp was difficult....
 
Last edited:
MitsuMan said:
There are 2 separate switches, one for Speaker A and one for Speaker B. One or both of them have to be depressed for the outputs to be engaged. If you have the companion DA-A30 power amp, there was a cable that connects them electronically and then the 2 front panel switches are bypassed and you control A or B from the switch on the back of the power amp.

https://www.vintageshifi.com/repert...e.php?pdf=Mitsubishi-DA-P30-Owners-Manual.pdf
Click to expand...

Since you seem to know about Mitsubishi
I am able to get a M-A01 for decent price, is the M-P01 preamp and the M-A01 any good ?
 
We have the set of the DA series. The DA-A30 amp is a sweet sounding amp. Rated at 105wpc @ 8 ohms. If you find the amp look to see if they have the meters. They made a out board bar graph meter for the amp. It bolts up to the back of the amp or can be a stand alone unit.
 
PabloTincho said:
Since you seem to know about Mitsubishi
I am able to get a M-A01 for decent price, is the M-P01 preamp and the M-A01 any good ?
Click to expand...
For a micro unit yes it was very good. I kick myself for not picking up that entire series with tuner. It was a little ahead of its time but the same quality engineering that went in to the full size gear of that era found its way into the micro series as well. I’ll look at my old sales brochure to see if the specs are in there for it a will post up a bit later.
 
Is the M-A01 a Mosfet amp ?
Got the whole set, tuner, amp and preamp for $200, shipping included, waiting to arrive, I did not want it the cassette player
 
I was considering the Aragon,listed on Canuck Audio Mart. I read that the 18K was a newer model with better circuit design? Just bought an older MHDT Labs Paradisea NOS tube dac, seems to add that extra degree of " analog " sound that is quite pleasing. I missed out on a Technics SU 9070 pre that has garnered quite a following.
 
The Aragon is the pick. Don't concern yourself that the 18K is this or that. If you can afford the 24K it is miles better than the others.
 
Aragon would be better than the Technics. Honestly, do an AK search of Aragon 24K threads, not posts. A lot has been written about it. Also, don't hesitate if you like what is said. You might see it sell before you stop procrastinating.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom