Well now... 400$ Mark Levinson amp new...

Looks like a very well built clone of an early Levinson (Tom Colangelo). For a total of $600 this would be hard to beat! Made in China - so what! If it was done right I doubt that anybody could tell it sonically from the real thing!

Do I remember seeing recently a Chinese clone of a DarTZeel amp? THAT would be interesting! 

And dual-mono power supplies too!

They DO have a DarTZeel amp clone available for $520 + shipping! And in the original colors too! 

Looks like they did a pretty good job of copying the Mark Levinson logo. The similarities end just about there, of course. For example the ML-2 was a monoblock, while the supposed clone is a stereo amp. Each ML-2 monoblock weighed 65 pounds (130 pounds for a stereo pair); this stereo amp weighs 40 pounds. This stereo amp is also much smaller than a single ML-2 monoblock.

I suspect that a diminutive 1980s Carver M400t cube amp (the "t" version of the M400 having been designed to emulate the "transfer function" of the ML-2, i.e., the relation between its output and input) would come a good deal closer to emulating its sonics. I owned an M400t many years ago, and it sounded surprisingly good, at least with the easy to drive speakers I was using. Its predecessor model M400a, which was not "transfer function modified," sounded very poor though.

Regards,
-- Al

I'd like to have a Chinese DarTZeel and the original side by side so I could compare the innards! I doubt that the clone's parts quality is the same as the Swiss one's. Anyway these Chinese clone amps have NO real future value compared to the originals!

Save your money for a REAL DarTZeel! They are really beautiful looking amps!

It would almost be worth buying just to compare to the real thing.
Interesting but that is about it

Yeah I don't think so look at pic 4 of 5 it looks cartoon like. At least from my phone images. I think I will pass! Labs that is :-)
Mark

Do not get your hopes up.  Plenty of gear cloned does not mean anything.  Parts are not the same and I have seen a few clones that are made where the power supplies are just junk.

But it is your bucks not mine.

i can't address this particular clone, but from my experience with high-end headphones you should not underestimate the resourcefulness and genius of these chifi manufacturers--i've heard dirt-cheap knockoffs of expensive sennheiser, shure, etc. which are just as good as, and in some cases, better than the real thing.

Hey, the ML clone only measures 12" x 6" x 13"!  

So it is a ML mini me!

That’s good. Amps are too big and heavy... its 2018!

I cannot recall who and when, but someone here on the Gon said in an earler thread that he had bought, and was using, the Chinese DarTZeel amp, and it was the best he had ever had.

^^^ It would be interesting to hear from this person. 

The member who owns the Dartzeel clone goes by jaynewt. He replaced MBL 9008A amps with it and is driving a pair of MBL 101-D’s. Here is his system:
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5351

FYI I spoke with someone not long ago who had heard both the Dartzeel and the Douk Audio clone side by side and he said while the clone wasn’t as good it came surprisingly close.

My understanding is that they copied the original board design and the only changes made was to make the bandstand on end to make this layout in the small case.  As far as the Dartzeel, I looked very hard at these clones and almost pulled the trigger. Again, a basic amp design cop on the main output boards on this amp. The innards look very different than the original and I have seen 3 different boards on Dartzeel clones.

Sorry, band stand is circuit boards.... I'm out of town, auto correct on phone

Sooooo, heres the "elephant" in the room...

Do Intellectual Property Rights, Copy Rights, Trademarks and Patents mean nothing?

I gather none of you would have a problem with a Rolex clone? Or possibly a Heart Valve clone? Or, even a Hydraulic Pump clone for the flaps on a 747?

Just a thought

Isn’t phony clones no different then getting out of the shower and putting on dirty underwear?

@perkri, 

Good point.

Tom

I don't believe I'd trust any of these clones to be anything like the originals. I have trouble putting much trust in a place, capitalizing on cheep labor and renowned for junk tools and poison dog food. For my money, I'll opt. for the real deal - even if I'd have to pick it up used, from a trusted source...Jim

"Isn’t phony clones no different then getting out of the shower and putting on dirty underwear?"

Exactly my thought....WTF??!! Stay off drugs...

the transistors and traces dont know whose name is on the front panel

the transistors and traces don’t know whose name is on the front panel

That’s true, but if you want a clone closest to the level of component / construction it won’t be cheap!

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/Study-Copy-Dartzeel-NHB108-Deluxe-Version-power-amplifier-HIFI-NO-Neg...

The Douk Audio 108 clones actually sound quite good. I'm not sure which current clones are comparable. The high priced clones look remarkably similar inside, but I would not pay that much for a clone.