DarTZeel NHB-108 Is this the best amp ever?

Why don't you hear them yourself and do a review/comparison for all of us? :D

At that level, I think it comes down to personal preferences and system synergy.

Here's what Hooper wrote:

"Yes, there are amps out there that do this or that "better" than the 108."

Here's what Panorama wrote:

"As far as the DartZeel, I liked what I hear from the Tenor compared to the Dart I had in my room."

To me, the word "best" means that nothing can beat it. If another amp does just one thing better, I would see how one would prefer it over the Dart. From my limited experience, I don't think a solid state amp can ever do exactly what tube amps do best in, and vice versa.

I think from a marketing perspective, if Dartzeel ever comes out with the option of Silver or Black faceplates, it'll sell a lot more! Right now, I know what my girlfriend would say about the amp. :P (not that I'm a pushover or anything *cough*)

If the Dartzeel distributor ever drives up to Vancouver, perhaps he can bring one for me to audition :D

Anyways on with comments from people who actually know what they're talking about heh.

Well the Leather with Gold Fleck might pass for Unagi jerky. Tasty!

I've never seen the Dartzeel amp either but from the pictures, I don't necessarily mind the style or the colour. Just that looking at the design, it'll be so easy to offer a different colour faceplate changing what would be considered an "industrial" look. Unless Goldmember is behind all this...

Hey Jtinn. Didn't Panorama's comments come from owning the Dartzeel? And Hooper said he was looking to get out of tubes though. :D Regardless, I'll be interested in hearing more of your comments comparing the Tenor Hybrids with the Dartz with Kharma speakers. I would still venture to think that the sound coming from these two amps would be quite different in character though.

Multichannel setup with all VR9SE? That would be interesting. Must be a big room.

Brian, you must really enjoy your transformations into a troll whenever the subject of tenor amplifiers come up. But I'll take the bait. Many companies were and are on the verge of bankrupcy (some become known some don't; some gets rescued while some don't; some form new companies, while some successfully restructures). Why buy classic cars? Why buy Quad Speakers (hey they at one time went bankrupt!) What about Nissan and Mazda? They're doing pretty well now. Why buy discontinued gear? Trump said it best when he filed for bankruptcy, "It doesn't matter - it's a modern-day thing, a legal mechanism." A good product is a good product, no matter how old it is. Have you check out the number of wanted ads for Sonic Frontier products? Do you know why discontinued DVD players and CD transports are so frequently recommended? Warranty and service convenience has nothing to do with it. But since you're a dealer for competing and similar products, I can see why you would want to diss Tenor every chance you get. I'm sorry, I don't mean to attack you. But you seem to hate Tenor with a vegeance which I find highly unprofessional and uncalled for.

Rich. I think it's a matter of taste and personal preferences. I would be interested in a direct comparison in my room, although I don't think that will ever happen :D What is interesting to me, is that Kharma owners seem to prefer the Hybrids, and those who prefer the OTLs are either non-owners or compared them in system that are not their's. Another variable is that the OTLs might act more like traditional tube amps and be more "tweakable" in the form of vibration control. But which is better for long-term ownership? Do Kharma owners prefer the Hybrids because they immediately give them what the OTLs have lacked and therefore give the impression of being better in almost every way? Or are they really better in every way. Does it once again come down to associated gear and personal tastes?

My impression is that they each of these amps along with the Dartzeels (in keeping with the thread) do some things better than the other. What virtues do you value more?

Thankyou Jonathan for supplying us with this information. I have heard from other reliable sources as well, that they are indeed restructuring and everyone is just waiting for the announcement. Maybe Trump was right. It's more of a legal mechanism :P I like the way Tenor markets their amps though. You're suppose to choose the amps based on the sensitivity of your speakers. Believe that low power sounds better? Get the 15WP!

I think this thread will pick up after the show. Too bad I can't be there.