DNM Design
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DNM Design are a UK based high-end audio company, founded by Denis Morecroft. His interest in hi-fi started with improving the sound of his own NAIM amplifier, so he designed a better power supply unit (PSU) for the pre-amplifier. This was refined until in 1978 he produced the first DNM product, a PSU as a replacment for the NAIM NAPS. It was labelled DNM after the maker's initials. This was sold through a few UK dealers, such as Radford Hi-fi. Encouraged by positive reviews, DNM then produced its first amplifier, the DNM 1. This was a pre-amplifier designed with inputs for low-level moving coil pick-ups, tuners and tape players, with ouputs for tape recorders and power amplifiers. The design seperated the pre-amplifer into a control unit and seperate PSU, together these were sold as the DNM Series 1.
A revised case design and improved electronics led to the DNM Series 2. With this range the control unit had three DC power inputs, one for each stage of the amplifier (phono, line in and line out). There was a choice of two PSUs, a basic Primus unit which supplied a single positive and negative supply and was shared between the three stages, or a standard Series 2 PSU which had seperate supplies for the left and right hand halves of each stage. The user could then choose to have either one, two or three Series 2 PSUs depending on budget.
A major change for the DNM Series 3 pre-amplifer was a move to acylic plastic case rather than aluminium. This was aimed to reduce interference from very small currents induced in an alumimium case by currents in the pre-amplifer and PSU circuits, or from other hi-fi components. Shortly after the Series 3 came DNM's first power amplifier, the PA1.
