DarTZeel NHB-108 Is this the best amp ever?

Interesting thread. Well, of course Lakefrontroad should open the box and plug it in. :)

Howie: Panorama heard a darTZeel setup incorrectly and still felt is was close to his reference Tenor amplifiers. When he heard it properly setup, he was singing a different tune. Hooper's comments, I think, were based on power. He felt if speakers needed more power than the darTZeel's provide, there might be a better solution. He replaced his Tenor Hybrid monoblocks with the darTZeel's and is completely satisfied and off the amplifier market. :)

When I brought in the darTZeel to audition, I had high expectations. Surprisingly, they were quickly surpassed when I heard it right out of the box. The level of clarity is unmatched while still retaining a musicality and harmonic truth that I will not sacrifice for anyting. If I had to describe myself, I would say I am a dedicated "tube guy". I can tell you that listening to the solid state darTZeel does not leave me wanting for anything. There are plenty of good amplifiers on the market, but only a few really special ones. This is in that very elite group. It is definitely my amplifier of choice in my system.

For those interested in hearing one, we will be showing 4 of them in a multi-channel setup in Las Vegas at the St. Tropez. The room will include the following:

Von Schweikert VR9SE
darTZeel NHB-108 Model One
Jena Labs Speaker Cables
Jena Labs Interconnects
Jena Labs Line Conditioning and Power Cords
EMM Labs Switchman 3
EMM Labs CDSD - SACD Transport
EMM Labs DAC6e
Silent Running Audio Isolation devices

I look forward to seeing some of you faceless AudiogoN members there!

I have seen your face.... in those movies. Maybe that was not the face they were showing :) BT, she was real cute.

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

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.

Lakefrontroad: Verberie? I thought you were in Rhuys . :)

Howie: Tenor is restructuring and moving to a new location. They will be servicing (if needed) and selling amplifiers by January 15th.

Your points are well taken though.

Rmaurin (Rich): How ya doing :) Almost all of those who have heard the Hybrids, outside of Bill Parish's house, have felt they outperformed the OTL's. I do have one customer who loves the OTL's and prefers them to the Hybrids. He is the only one of my customers that feels that way.

Given the right speaker, the Tenor OTL's are clearly one of the finest sounding amps I have ever heard. I personally prefer the Hybrids slightly better. They may have a little better clarity than the OTL's, but ultimately they are almost identical other than the way the Hybrids easily outperform them in the bottom end control on most speakers.

Rich: Come to Vegas!!!