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Opinions about Daniel Hertz

Have anyone heard Daniel Hertz’s Maria intergrated amps with Eva or Amber speakers? Stephen Huff gave them one of the best reviews ever but is it all marketing and hype? Mark Levinson claims to solve the problems of digital reproduction with his master class software which can turn any digital recording into original master tape quality.  
 

But ML had a questionable past such as rebranding Chinese products as his own and marking up the price. Others said he can’t design anything but hires good talent while he works on marketing. His series of business ventures and contentious business relationships would give one pause, but I only care about the sound. What do others think? Did he in fact made a revolutionary breakthrough in digital playback. Or is it all hype? Bottom line is how do his systems sound?

eylai777

Showing 3 responses by yyzsantabarbara

yyzsantabarbara
5,022 posts
 

I asked Daniel Hertz and the US dealer if the Maria was similar to the PeachTree GAN1 but they did not go into much detail on that. Other than the A2D conversion for analog sources on the Maria what makes the Maria different from the GAN1. I know there are some differences but there are also similarities. These 2 amps are unique.

Since my modded GAN1 is so good, and I did not get a good understanding of how the Maria is different from the GAN1, I lost interest. I needed more power out of the GAN1 so it is now used as a headphone amp (amazing). My 2-channel speakers need more power than the GAN1 delivers.

The Maria can also use a remote control.

 

yyzsantabarbara
5,022 posts
 

First Impressions on Daniel Hertz Maria 350 Integrated Amplifier and Eva Speakers (youtube.com)

yyzsantabarbara
5,022 posts
 

The review I linked to was a bit confusing to me. I am under the impression that the Maria amp is a Class D amp (maybe GAN) with the digital conversion done in a chip. The chip does more than a standard DAC chip

I am thinking the Maria is something like this,

What makes the GaN 1 so special?

First and foremost is the GaN-FET amplifier module. It has several inherent advantages in a power amplifier that even the best MOS-FET designs simply cannot achieve. A GaN-FET power stage provides a precise high-power reproduction of the Class-D PWM signal with extremely high linearity. This linearity eliminates the need for ANY feedback, ultimately allowing for the best possible audio quality providing clean, clear middle and high frequencies and a tight, solid reproduction of low frequencies. GaN-FETs track the complex audio waveforms so much more accurately than MOS-FETs resulting in significantly more transparent and natural sound. The difference is something even a casual listener can hear and appreciate. The GaN 1 is also designed so that it does NOT even require a digital-to-analog-converter (DAC). The digital audio signal at the input directs the amplifier outputs to drive the speakers. Although DACs have continued to improve over the years, there is no DAC better than NO DAC! This concept is not a new one as similar devices often referred to as "Power DACs" made quite a splash in our industry years ago, but this time around, using the concept with GaN-FETs raises the bar to an entirely new level.

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