Semi, i have only heard the Ayre amps at shows and dealers; never in my system. they are very good. i don't really feel i can comment on exactly how they compare to the dart without some sort of head to head.
i do have lots of experience with the darTZeel in my room on Kharmas, Von Schweikerts, and now the Evolution MM3's. my previous amps were the Tenor OTL and Tenor hybrids. the darTZeel were the first solid state amp i heard that did not sound anything like solid state; and seem to have a sense of that tube-like 'breath of life' that the Tenors had; but with the linearity of solid state. the darts also have a micro-dynamic life which is alive sounding. yes; they also do bass slam and exceptional bass articulation assuming your speakers are reasonable loads. one area where tube lovers are typically very sensitive is how tubes do the high frequencies. the dart is very sweet in the highs and yet has more extension. one thing that stood out to me was the extremely low noise floor of the dart.
if you read the white paper on the dart website you will get a better idea on Herve's approach to using no global negative feedback and the use of very few output devices. also; the dart has an ability to turn off DC offset for even more transparency. it is no accident the dart is such a natural sounding 'sweet' solid state amp.
i have lots of visitors to my room, many of which are tube lovers. most of these people comment on how 'non-solid state' that the darts sound. they don't miss tubes in my system.
there is no one perfect amp for everyone and every system context. i have heard many excellent solid state amps.
OTOH i prefer the darTZeel to any amp i have heard and there are no solid state amps that would be alternatives for me in my system. my next choices would be the new Tenor Hybrids, maybe the Lamm ML2.1's, or maybe the AN Kegon's......anyway, you get the idea.
regarding the dart pre; it's in the very top class of preamps and i love it. the phono stage is as good as i have heard. i love the way it works and it's flexibility. the proprietary 'zeel' internnects between the dart pre and amp are very inexpensive and are equal or better to the very best interconnects. battery power, as done by darTZeel, is ideal for a preamp.
overall; darTZeel fit and finish is as good as it gets.
good luck with your choice.
i do have lots of experience with the darTZeel in my room on Kharmas, Von Schweikerts, and now the Evolution MM3's. my previous amps were the Tenor OTL and Tenor hybrids. the darTZeel were the first solid state amp i heard that did not sound anything like solid state; and seem to have a sense of that tube-like 'breath of life' that the Tenors had; but with the linearity of solid state. the darts also have a micro-dynamic life which is alive sounding. yes; they also do bass slam and exceptional bass articulation assuming your speakers are reasonable loads. one area where tube lovers are typically very sensitive is how tubes do the high frequencies. the dart is very sweet in the highs and yet has more extension. one thing that stood out to me was the extremely low noise floor of the dart.
if you read the white paper on the dart website you will get a better idea on Herve's approach to using no global negative feedback and the use of very few output devices. also; the dart has an ability to turn off DC offset for even more transparency. it is no accident the dart is such a natural sounding 'sweet' solid state amp.
i have lots of visitors to my room, many of which are tube lovers. most of these people comment on how 'non-solid state' that the darts sound. they don't miss tubes in my system.
there is no one perfect amp for everyone and every system context. i have heard many excellent solid state amps.
OTOH i prefer the darTZeel to any amp i have heard and there are no solid state amps that would be alternatives for me in my system. my next choices would be the new Tenor Hybrids, maybe the Lamm ML2.1's, or maybe the AN Kegon's......anyway, you get the idea.
regarding the dart pre; it's in the very top class of preamps and i love it. the phono stage is as good as i have heard. i love the way it works and it's flexibility. the proprietary 'zeel' internnects between the dart pre and amp are very inexpensive and are equal or better to the very best interconnects. battery power, as done by darTZeel, is ideal for a preamp.
overall; darTZeel fit and finish is as good as it gets.
good luck with your choice.