That's sad to hear. Their website is still up though.
Have you heard darTZeel Amplifiers
I’ve been interested in a darTZeel NHB-108 amplifier since hearing about them a few days ago. Has anyone heard a darTZeel amplifiers and what is your impression? I was intrigued because their NHB-468 has a very high slew rate of 200v/µs, which is the highest I’ve ever seen. The NHB-108 model 2 is rated at 88v/µs. I have always been impressed with amps that have a high slew rate because they sound transparent to me and reproduce transients other amps seem to miss. I have had many amplifiers including a modified Sony TA-8650 which has a high slew rate, that will go in my estate if it lives that long. I like the sound of Bryston amplifiers a lot too. I realize the price is high for darTZeel even used, but I’m looking for something because I would like more clarity in the midrange especially. I don’t want to even consider tubes unless they have an auto-bias feature. Thanks in advance.
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I’ve not heard a genuine NHB108 however I have heard the 250WPC KR Audio Black Widdow NHB108 clone. My Absolute Audio Labs SIT-A15 power amp is ahead though only when paired with its matching ASL-1Z preamp. The NHB108 copy sounds better with a larger variety of preamps and has the sonic attributes written about in various reviews of the genuine NHB108 which is frankly absolutely magical.
That said my Absolute Audio Labs gear is the perfect match for lovers of high efficiency full range drivers. These fall apart driven by the 250WPC NHB108 copy yet are magical when paired with the 15WPC Tokin VFET circlotron amp. The NHB108 copy on the other hand seems to perform magically with multi driver speakers and I’ve not noted any limitations when it comes to bass. In fact it’s the best sounding bass I’ve heard.
That said, for me I love full range drivers so have some 1.75m behemoths being built for a new pair of 103.3db sensitive Lii Song Platinum-10 drivers I’ve sourced. Massive cabs needed to get a fairly flat response to 30Hz. ;)
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@fiesta75 i currently have the dartzeel nhb108 - model 1. the model 2 is apparently quite an improvement. I have had aesthetix atlas, first watt sit 3, cary audio sli-80 amps in my audio setup. I’d say that with the Dartzeel you get a very organic/natural mid range and a 3D soundstage that tubes give, but the clarity and bass control of solid state. It makes music sound like live music. I love the Dartzeel. If you are going to spend that kind of money even for a used unit, I highly recommend (if you are in the US) to each out to Jonathan Tinn (Chambers Audio/Blue light Audio) - he is the US distributor for Dartzeel. Great guy to deal with. He does get used units time to time, and he will make sure it’s in great working condition (he sent mine back to dartzeel to have it looked over before selling it to me) - in fact i believe he has a used model 2 at this time. Good luck in your search. |
Yes I have heard one of the Chinese versions.A Weiliang with the big blue Sprague power supply caps.There are cheaper versions and other than the speaker protection circuit they appear to be pretty close to the real thing. I can't say how close they sound to the real thing because I have not heard the real thing.Regardless of that however I believe they sound extremely good in their own right.That might be because they sound like the real thing or not.I will say that they are not an idiot proof sort of SS amp like say a Krell .They seem to sound and behave more like a triode valve amp so are more speaker and preamp fussy but have a triode sort of sweetness and refinement.I also suspect they are much better with 8 ohm speakers than 4 ohm.They also vastly improve and sound far more dynamic and vivid with a good active preamp so not something you can use with a passive preamp or digital volume control.They sound really good driving vintage Tannoys which normally do not sound good with SS amps.To me that indicates they are quite different to most SS amps electrically and this would appear to tie in with the measured performance of the real thing which features no global negative feedback, relatively high output impedance/lowish damping factor and relatively high distortion especially into 4 ohm loads for a SS amplifier.So a bit more like a valve amp-or rather half way between a typical valve amp and a SS one. I |
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iirc @mikelavigne has dartzeel amplification |
Could I ask if anyone has experience with the older Model One NHB-108? I am considering one but have never bought such an old amplifier. I am told the price is reasonable but still very nervous. The model One was built in 2008 with the SCNP upgrade done in 2010. Since then there are no records of any company authorized service.
Any thoughts appreciated. |
You could buy on of the Chinese copies to see if you like the sound.I am sure the real thing will sound better but some of the copies are going to be close enough to get an idea of the sound and how it will drive your speakers.As I understand it they are going to be much more speaker fussy than most SS amps-because they operate more like a tube amp. |
I own many of the darTZeel products & I currently have listed a 108 with all upgrades. Of course I am bias towards their products but with that being said the they make some of the best sounding equipment in the world.... Customer support is outstanding & I love the way they do their upgrades for their line. Instead of coming out with new models every other day they offer a path to upgrading current models, I for one love this option. I highly recommend auditioning a listen, you will not be disappointed. Good Luck. |
Yes I would buy the Dartzeel all over again in a heartbeat. To me the Dartzeel is the whole package. Only real amplifier history I have is with the old Yamaha VFET amps, B-1 & B-2 and I'm moving on from those. You can contact the founder of Dartzeel, Hervé Delétraz at rehve@dartzeel.com. Give him the SN of a unit and he'll check if it's authentic. Jonathan Tinn is a US distributor. Below is his info: Jonathan Tinn Blue Light Audio 4160 SW Greenleaf Drive Portland, Oregon 97221 Tel: (503) 868-0500email is info@bluelightaudio.com |
Thanks for the link to the article from Mike Lavigne, lots of good stuff from everyone! That was a good thought from jetter, hadn’t thought about that aspect considering the difficulty to replicate. HAVE had surprises from Ebay before. Guess if I’m going to invest $13k +, maybe I should buy from a reputable site like AG, but that one is $30k list. So without the latest upgrades, would you buy the Dartzeel again, elrod? Have you heard anything else that you think would come close? Bryston, 60v/µs. Kind of hoping Mike L would chime in, don’t want to bother him with a PM. |
I have an early Dartzeel, doesn't even have the SCNP network upgrade. My pockets aren't deep enough to buy a new one so I bought it used for around 9K. Have it mated up with my VTL 7.5III pre-amp (bought used also) and it sounds fabulous. Of course its somewhat system dependent, but strings, percussion, all sound absolutely wonderful. Decay on strings and piano is top notch - never get tired of listening to it. Some reviewers say the base can use a little bit more control, but I have no real sense of it. I have no regrets |
Mike Lavingne's system is amazing, as is his room. I've read the PF piece he wrote about building the room. This must be a million dollar room and system, I'd bet. https://positive-feedback.com/Issue16/lavigneroom.htm |
Thanks for all of your feedback. Have all, or a few of you actually heard a darTZeel amplifier? What was your impression of the sound? Are the string instruments detail as good as the specs suggest? Particularly the attack, pluck of the string. Harp, Banjo, Piano, Tambourine, Cymbal crash? I'm looking at buying a used one, a few for sale, Audiogon, US Audio Mart and Ebay. This quest started after replacing all of the op-amps in my analog crossover and CD player with ones that have a spec of 3000v/µs. I was surprised that I could hear the difference... |
I’ve been interested in a darTZeel NHB-108 amplifier….. If you’re serious why not reach out to darTZeel dealer? Anyone looking to spend $53K on an amplifier should be considering a dealer demo or possibly in-home audition. As @big_greg pointed out, a whole system evaluation is must to take full advantage of amp like NHB-108. |
Take a look at @mikelavigne Virtual System. He would be the right member to give you informations |
