DarTZeel NHB-108 Is this the best amp ever?

Howie: No, Panorama never owned the darTZeel. I am sure he will in the future. :)

Hello Folks and happy holidays.

I heard this amplifier at it's USA introduction in 2002 at the NY Stereophile show.

I remember meeting the passionate designer of the amplifier and his significant other (both from Switzerland) and spending well over one hour being so captivated by it's sound and the associated equipment that was being used including a Goldmund Studietto turntable which is one of the best I've heard.

The owner also pointed out that he was using very basic speakers (brand I forget) as well as very cheap speaker wire. Clearly he was trying to demonstrate that his amplifier design was more important to the sound then the speaker wire provided. (I know this starts another "debate" but save that for another thread.) I was playing vinyl examples that he owned. Most were MFSL pressings of the highest quality.

In one word this amp is musical. Everything thrown at it yielded a picture that leaned towards harmonic richness but also precise and balanced. Far from the overt sterility of so many other solid state designs.

If I also remember correctly, he may have used an older Joule Electra tube preamp that obviously contributed in a big way to the harmonic presentation that I am reporting.

Be that as it may, this is one of the finest solid state amplifiers ever built. Both in sound and construction quality. The only others in it's league or better are Pass, Musical Fidelity, Threshold and Krell.

Be that as it may, this is one of the finest solid state amplifiers ever built. Both in sound and construction quality. The only others in it's league or better are Pass, Musical Fidelity, Threshold and Krell.

"The only others" - that's quite a limiting statement. If those are your comparison amps, there must be a number of other solid state amps that would be in the same league.

Regards,

Danhirsh: I appreciate your passion for what you heard, but to make a statement like you did is a bit misleading. I no it is very innocent on your part, but it is very difficult to walk into a room at a show and hear a system you have no familiarity with and walk away saying that amplifier is not as good as this amplifier.

If you were very familiar with the speakers and had heard them with Pass, Musical Fidelity, Threshold and Krell, your statment would be based on valuable experience.

Please understand I am not trying to harass you about this, because I know you mean well.

Whatever passion I have left I keep for... Oh what the hell. Ain't anyone entitled to an opinion anymore? So? You don't like it?
That's why their called opinions.

As to my first real thoughts on the Dartzeel.
Yes, it's an opinion!
Mine!
And I trust everyone won't agree with me.
Your opinion.
Good!

Here in Verberie,

The amp is marginally different sounding here in this house from the Tenor 300's in our other house. I can only make comparison based on speed in the bass, attack of horns and overall presentation of piano and orchestra. Actually, I haven't had a lot of time to just sit and listen alone. I have been able to listen to some cd's I know well and they are Jazz and Symphonies.

Given the distintly different environments, I'll have to await a side by side comparison in NY between the Tenors and the Dartzeels, but the similarity is remarkable. The openness is noticable as with the Tenors, the clarity of the detail and the separation of the detail is similar. The apparent diffence is the make up of inner detail shen listening to a string bass being plucked. With the NY room there are the beginning the mid note and the decay. All noticeable and distinct in good recordings. Here, there is bass bloat caused by what I presume is the stone and endless reverberation times which makes it difficult for me to get a handle on the detail.

I am not able to consider the diffences in the speakers which is huge and the efficiency which is greater than 10db. I am looking forward to a side by side with the Tenors in NY. There it's apples to apples.

The keynote for me is that this system is really good. But given the cost, It should be.

Richard Byrd, where are you?

Bill