D3i dual mono preamplifier

Naturally articulate

A preamplifier manages the critical task of preparing a delicate audio signal for power amplification. While this may not sound like the sexiest job in your hi-fi system, a surprising amount of your listening bliss rides on getting that task bang-on.

Remember the last time you heard your favourite music ‘unplugged’? That pure, organic live sound with absolutely nothing in the way. That’s what a really great preamp should sound like. Naturally clear and coherent. Articulate and eloquent. Lucid and fluent.

The D3i is a truly skillful communicator, deftly designed to prime the delicate audio signal for such greatness.

So when you pair it with a great quality power amp, you can expect to hear a whole world of sweet detail in your music and feel its vividly immediate presence.

And if vinyl is your thing (it’s certainly ours) the D3i is handily designed to take an add-on phono stage board.

The Gamut sound

Where power meets precision and timing is everything

Power and precision, while not quite opposites, are often thought of as ‘either/or’. If you have one in spades, chances are you’re a bit less endowed with the other. When it comes to audio amplification, this poses a dilemma. Time then, for a radical rethink.

The solution, while not easy, is deceptively simple (the best solutions usually are). It’s also what sets Gamut amplifiers apart.

While most power amps rely on a combination of multiple output transistors to achieve their amplification ‘oomph’, our power amps use one single output transistor per phase, hence two per channel. That’s it. No rows of multiple bipolar transistors. Stunningly minimal and an absolute winner performance-wise. Of course we’re not just talking about any transistor. These guys are massive – imposingly robust and immensely powerful (they can handle a peak current demand of 300 A and 100 A continuously). What’s more, the particular models we use are rare in hi-fi – you won’t find them in too many amps.

To feed such a power amp, you need a signal that’s up to the job – clean, clear, dynamic and fully able to handle the formidable speed and resolution it’s about to meet. The Gamut D3i preamplifier was developed to deliver that very signal. It features a balanced, low noise J-Fet design. Dual mono, of course. Even the volume control circuit is a custom-built low impedance design, created to lower noise levels an additional 20dB compared to conventional circuits.

All of which enables our amps to meet our famously exacting standards for uber-precise timing, stunning clarity and vivid dynamics. In other words, to deliver that signature Gamut sound.

But don’t just take our word for it. Come and have a listen. We think you’ll love what you hear.

Every little thing auditioned

Every component in a Gamut amplifier is of the highest quality and has been hand-selected following intensive listening tests – from the circuit boards, via the non-magnetic chassis, to the superlative XLR connectors. No expense is spared.

So when you buy a Gamut amp you’re not paying for our brand name or for a swanky office in the best part of town. You’re investing in what goes into your amp, pure and simple.

We think you’ll hear the difference. Why not come and have a listen and judge for yourself?

   Features & specifications

INPUTS
  • 1 x XLR balanced input
  • 4 x RCA unbalanced inputs
  • Home theatre input option for use with surround sound
  • All input connections gold-plated
OUTPUTS
  • 2 x XLR balanced outputs
  • 1 x RCA unbalanced output
  • 1 x RCA tape output
  • All output connections gold-plated
INPUT & OUTPUT IMPEDANCES
  • Input impedances: 20 kΩ unbalanced / 40 kΩ balanced
  • Output impedances: 75 Ω unbalanced / 150 Ω balanced
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
  • 5 – 100 kHz +/- 0.1 dB
TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION
  •  <0.0008% (2 Vrms)
SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO
  •  100 dB ‘A weighted’

POWER CONSUMPTION 

  • 20 W idle (min. consumption in ‘on’ mode)

IN-BUILT PERFORMANCE MONITORING

  • Every Gamut amplifier has an error-checking start-up sequence that goes through several condition checks, lasting a few seconds, before allowing full operation.
  • A complex protection circuitry can detect DC errors, high-level subsonic signals, long-term ultrasonic signals, high temperatures and low impedance loads.

MADE IN DENMARK

  • 100% designed and built in Denmark

SIZE & WEIGHT

  • Dimensions (mm): 112 (height) / 430 (width) / 440 (depth)
  • Dimensions (inches): 4.41 (height) / 16.93 (width) / 17.32 (depth)
  • Product weight: 11 kg
  • Shipping weight: 16 kg

WARRANTY

  • 5 years

Options

The D3i sports a sleek, minimalist Scandinavian design featuring black, non-magnetic steel bodywork with the option of either a black or a silver anodized aluminium front panel.

Black anodized aluminium

Silver anodized aluminium

Awards & reviews

“Sets a new standard for the fusion of rich, organic musicality with transparency and dynamics.”

 

Positive Feedback, June 2017
Read full review (of a complete
Gamut system including the D3i)

“This remarkably engaging system simply got out of the way and so effortlessly breathed life into any sources – LPs, optical media, PCM or DSD files – we happened to feed it.”

The Absolute Sound, March 2017
Read full review (of a complete
Gamut system including the D3i)

“A brilliant performer with excellent detail and superb transparency.”

What Hi-Fi Buyer’s Guide Best Buys, 2016

“Hugely impressive – and totally addictive.”

“Jaw-dropping grip…”

“Sacrificing nothing of the visceral thrill of ‘real’ music.”

Hi-Fi News, May 2015
Download the review

“Ranks among the best preamps I’ve had the privilege to experience… portrays music with an organic and natural ease that makes it easy to settle in for long listening sessions.”

Tone Audio, February 2015
Read full review

“Transparency and resolution are class leading and we find its fluidity quite addictive…”

“Detail resolution is superb; we can’t think of a rival that tells us more about the recording.”

What Hi-Fi, February 2015
Read full review

More to discover

All amplifiers in the Gamut range are designed to match both internally and externally so when it comes to complementarity, they really are ‘made for each other’.

.
Di150 LE

Dual mono integrated amplifier

.
D200i

Stereo power amplifier

.
M250i

Mono power amplifier