Belles DMM Preamplifier

One of the more interesting preamplifiers I've had in my main system. I had it for years and kept it around, even hauling it to another province. I've only had a handful of active preamplifiers and I've always liked the Belles DMM that I had. I only stopped using it when in my current step up there was not enough steps in the volume potentiometer. It goes from soft to too loud in a single step. Had to use the "mute" function which was a 20dB attenuation to make it work.

It was a nice basic preamplifier with all the basic features one needed. It has a phono input, tone controls, bypass switch, 2x tape input and 2x auxiliary input (thought one is "tuner"). It also came with a moving coil phono input in their DMC model.

This one is unique because it is labeled as a DMC but, does not have the internal switch for a moving coil. It is a DMM that has a DMC faceplate. Why? Absolutely no idea.

But, it was a very nice sounding unit. Class A, if that means something to you. Also doesn't have a power switch, you just plug it in and keep it on to keep it stabilized before use.

This one also had the main outputs jacks replaced with better ones.

It was a very nice sounding preamplifier, it was pretty clear and dynamic without adding too much color to the amplifier I was using. I've compared the DMM with my passive preamp. The DMM does add a little bit to the overall dynamics, especially in the bass over the passive but, I couldn't hear additional "warm" or color over the passive. That's pretty good in my books

Outside the volume pot, I had no qualms about it. I also liked the compact format. Vinylengine has a downloadable brochure on the DMM and DMC, well worth the read if you can access it.

Specification via VinylEngine:

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 0.002%
Input sensitivity: 1.25mV (MM)
Signal to noise ratio: 85dB (MM)
Output: 9V (Pre out Max)
Dimensions: 19 x 2.25 x 7.5 inches
Weight: 7lbs

Old pictures:

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