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Review of Dartzeel NHB-108 Amplifier

Dartzeel is a relatively new entry to the high-end game. Despite being reviewed by John Marks in a recent issue of Stereophile, the company's only current product offering, the NHB-108 stereo amplifier, hasn't gotten a lot of press on these shores. Hopefully this "review" will do its part in rectifying that.
As many of you probably already know, Switzerland-based Dartzeel is the brainchild of one Herve Deletraz. Herve is a wonderful guy who's dedicated to the very best customer service. As essentially a one-man operation, I'm sure his time is limited, but he's always responded to my e-mails in an extremely courteous, timely manner.

On to the amp. I'm not one for technical details, so I'll leave them to those of you who want to visit Dartzeel's website. Basically, the 108 is a "purist" stereo amp rated at a relatively modest 100 wpc. Its smallish dimensions belie its weight, which measures around 65-70 pounds.

Internally, the amp is incredibly well laid out (if tightly packed), with an attention to detail that one should expect--but doesn't always receive--from components in this price range.

Outside, it's purely love-hate. (Refer to the website for pictures). Either you get it or you don't. Personally, I've grown used to its appearance over time, but it's taken a while to become acclimated. If WAF factor is any sort of issue, practice up on your compliments. Then again, I may be overstating the case. While it's not Liv Tyler, it's not Janet Reno, either. Time reveals its inner beauty.

Performance-wise it's a much more straightforward issue. In my experience the 108 is the most balanced, natural-sounding amp I've ever heard. It has a way with timbre that's downright spooky--up there with the very best tube units one cares to mention. The sound is just "right"--every note is reproduced with a tonal correctness and warmth that is as close to the real thing as I've heard in an amp. Because of it's sheer naturalness, it can take a while to overcome the initial impression that it is somehow soft or rolled off. That is most emphatically not the case! Dynamics are crisp and fast, and the frequency extremes are right where they need to be--not overstated or highlighted at all, just perfectly natural and realistic.

The only potential weakness of the 108 is its power rating. It flows a nice amount of juice for 100 watts, but one could theoretically run into problems with particuarly current-hungry or inefficient speakers. Part of the amp's midrange purity, I believe, is attributable to the use of the bare minimum of bipolars in the output stage. That, of course, comes at the price of power, but in this case the tradeoff is more than worth it. Just take some care in speaker matching--as you should, anyway--and you'll be rewarded with a sound that balances the very best of solid state with a midrange that will make some question whether they even need to fuss with tubes.

Despite its novel physical appearance, the need for careful speaker matching, and the fact that the US dollar has been taking a Tyson-like beating lately, the Dartzeel is a serious contender in the super-amp category. Yes, there are amps out there that do this or that "better" than the 108, but I've yet to hear one that strikes a better balance between the various areas of performance. It's a stunning piece of engineering and a landmark amplifier.

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Product Weakness: Appearance is strictly take-it-or-leave-it. Power rating requires some attention to speaker load. Cost.
Product Strengths: Naturalness, midrange magic of the highest order, speed, dynamics

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Dartzeel NHB-108
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): EMM Labs DCC2
Sources (CDP/Turntable): EMM Labs CDSD
Speakers: Von Schweikert VR-4 Jr.
Cables/Interconnects: Jena Labs Pathfinder
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Rock, blues, country, some classical
Room Size (LxWxH): 24 x 20 x 7
Room Comments/Treatments: Echo Buster, ASC
Time Period/Length of Audition: 3 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Shunyata Hydra-8
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
hooper

Showing 14 responses by howie

howie
230 posts
 
Cinematic Systems, wouldn't the five witnesses be sitting outside of the sweetspot? Or is your sweetspot that wide?
howie
230 posts
 
speakerdude, why wouldn't I assume that five listeners were auditioning/comparing cables simultaneously? I'm guessing that you think my assumptions are wrong? I simply posed a question to Cinematic System in regards to something that was unclear to me. I did not exactly question Cinematic system's point or validity of his comparison. You either didn't read his post and or my post clearly or failed to understand my post. But I am willing to concede that I perhaps read his post too literally.

I do have 5 witnesses that sat right next to me and concurred about the obvious effect

If one reads the above quote, is one wrong to wonder whether five witnesses were sitting next to him and listening simultaneously or whether the five witnesses alternated one after another sitting next to him or whether the five witnesses were even there on the same day? That may still mean a two person sweetspot. Perhaps your command of the english language is better than mine and can tell me where the certainty of that comment lies.
howie
230 posts
 
Cinematic Systems, I believe that every component and every cable colours the sound at least a little bit. Everything has a "sonic signature". In my experience, the sweetspot makes a huge difference, particularly when hearing for transient attacks. When you're sitting outside the sweetspot, it's easy to perceive the sound as being smeared. That has been my experience. Anyhow, I think you should refrain from calling anyone a dim wit. It's just not warranted.
howie
230 posts
 
Hooper, didn't you hear the Kharmas at Frank P's house before you went ahead and bought the Midi-Exquisites sight unseen? And the Kharmas (at least the ones I've heard) are absolutely NOT lifeless and undynamic, but perhaps only to YOUR tastes and YOUR type of music (which is rock?). I listen mostly to jazz (mostly small group) and a bit of classical, and to me, it is the Kharma's reproduction of vocals and instrumental colours that brings life to the recorded music. To me, for most jazz and classical music, dynamics comes from the ability to play on time, the ability to play the accents, and more about the ability to play quiet rather than the ability to play loud. Ie. dynamics come more from the musician and the recording in many ways. I know there are many Kharma owners who listen rock music and I don't want to step on their toes, but I guess if that's the music that you mostly listen to, I can see why the Kharmas might not offer the best combination of sonic attributes here.

I agree with you that the Tenors are not built to withstand a direct hit from anything. No tube amps really are. My local Sonus Faber dealer had their Amati accidentally dented by someone with steel-toe boots. I didn't mean to be critical of your thoughts Hooper. I'm very happy that your recent changes has brought you further happiness. I can only wish I had the financial freedom to try more things out. But sharing a great, trustworthy dealer, if I had some money to play with, I too would have no worries.
howie
230 posts
 
I guess I'm someone who prefers to lean towards politically correctness. So when I see a strong statement that is so obviously subjective, I prefer to have it clarified. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with personal opinion.

But whenever I read something negative about an equipment's sound, I wonder what someone is judging things by. I do listen mostly to small group jazz ensembles in my medium sized room. So for something like a piano trio or jazz quartet, even though each instrument is pretty dynamic, even at realistic volumes, visceral dynamics and ultimate loudness almost never come into play. When musicians are listening to each other and playing well with each other, you'll be grooving and the impact of the music will naturally be there. Then there are music that are meant to be beautiful. You don't want anything to jump out at you or the beauty is ruined. A lot of music systems sound quite musical to me, only that they do things differently.

But even though I've never heard them, it's not hard to see why the VR9s are better at ultimate macrodynamics than the Kharma Midi-Exquisities. They sound to me like different speakers. So many tough choices in audio.
howie
230 posts
 
Great post JaFox. I'm struggling between warmth and neutrality myself. :D

Sirspeedy, that's why it is always recommended that one stay off the boards after their purchases. We all get the upgrade bugs.
howie
230 posts
 
Sirspeedy, I am in no position to comment on what is behind a reviewer's endless mentioning, but I do know that many audiophiles, including reviewers, can be excited and genuinely are in love with certain products. So I actually don't have too many problems with people who rave here about products they own or heard. We all have our individual biases and I find that learning them kind of puts me closer to these audiophile friends that I've never met but may one day meet.

I hate the Kharma pricing. I thought long and hard before spending pretty much all my savings buying my pair of 3.2s. But here in Canada, unless I buy Canadian, there's another importor/distributor taking a cut on the Sonus Faber and Wilson speakers that I was looking at at that time. I wanted the Puppy 7s and Amati, but couldn't afford them. The Guarneri and sub combo cost almost as much as what I got the 3.2s for, which I was convinced to be even better than the 7s and Amati. At that time, Jtinn carried nothing better, and his experience and service, as well as his proximity to me, provided me with tremendous value. There's no one carrying the Dali Magalines locally anyways, and the Utopia Be's, like most other speakers, would cost me around 1.6X the US retail price if I was to buy locally. Like Mike said, I think a lot of products are pretty close, and being able to drive down and pick up something from a dealer I trust, is enough value added for me. I'm not so critical that I would find many equipment not enjoyable, so back to the Dartzeel, I would have no hesitation buying it.
howie
230 posts
 
Cinematic Systems, you forget that Mike also has the Tenor 300 hybrids and I think Mike has had guests bring over amps to audition as well. It's hard to believe that a different amp can help add that much extra bass. Nothing I've read/heard tells me that the Tenors and Dartzeels are chumps in the bass department.

Sirspeedy, I believe the dimensions are arrived at by Rives, perhaps you should take it up with him. Honestly, I too think it makes more sense to buy speakers that fit the room rather than the other way around. Mike had a chance to build the ideal room, making sacrifices to the room just so the rest of his equipment will work better seems rather silly considering the cost of the project. From the little I know about room acoustics, I believe that a smaller dimension would at least be in some ways a compromise. It's a lot easier to change your gear than to change your room.

Like many people here and on AA, I've followed Mike's journey for a little while now. He owned his old speakers and amps for more than 2 years I believe, and other stuff a lot longer. Is that considered a fast turnaround? You're right that considering the size of his investment, I really don't think he's the type to live long with compromises. If the VR9s doesn't do it for him, I don't think he'll stick with it for long. It's not like he needs industry accomodations or whatever, so I really do believe Mike is after better reproduction of his music.
howie
230 posts
 
Cinematic Systems, critical listening is NOT the easy part. Bill Evans once said "I do not agree that the layman's opinion is less of a valid judgement of music than that of the professional musician. In fact, I would often rely more on the judgement of the sensitive layman than that of a professional, since a professional, because of his constant involvement with the mechanics of music, must fight to preserve the naivete that the layman already possesses."

The better of a musician I have become, the more judgemental I am of musicians and of their music. I try to hear whether the musician does anything to make him/her special while others with no musical background are trying to "feel" whether the musician gives them that special feeling. Music is all about perception. You may hear a good player when others may simply hear a copycat. Putting science to music has always been wrong to me.
howie
230 posts
 
Whoa Cinematic_Systems, can you even read my post before you start barking? Where did I give you the impression that I was trying to "elevate" myself into the creative process? All I did was quote Bill Evans. I find his comments enlightening but I surely never claim to be enlightened nor do I believe that I am. And you misinterpreted the quote. The quote is meant to tell you that critical listening isn't an easy process because personal biases and emotions can get in the way. Because of this, Bill Evans himself may not have been a better judge of a jazz pianist's performance that either you or I.

For some, the creative process may end when the CD is caste, for others, the creative process end with the last note played or sung by the musicians. Many musicians simply have little control or influence over the music reproduction process. Any instrumental sound that goes through a mic already changes the sound. The sound engineer frequently changes the sound to better reflect for example, what he/she thinks a saxophone should sound like. A conductor is only one authority. Perhaps he rightfully should have full control over interpretation. But like many authors, there are many artists that will never tell you what his original intensions are. They want you to freely interpret his music and become involved.

It's easier to have an opinion than it is to be educated on the subject of music reproduction. But it is also easier to have an opinion on music reproduction or music than to be educated in music.

When Lester Young goes on stage, he doesn't care what chord the song is in. He wants to know the lyrics. He's interpreting the sound, the sound reproduction engineers are interpreting his performance, and the listeners are interpreting Lester Young's performance. Ah but you can have a crappy record, transcribe his solos, and still analyze Lester Young's performance. It's not like any of us who has never heard him live knows what he truely sounds like anyways.
howie
230 posts
 
I still wouldn't put it that way. Musicians doesn't NEED anybody really. Many musicians didn't get to where they are because they wanted to have a record out. Hell, many of them actually don't care whether or not there's an audience. Music is played for their own enjoyment. It's not played for anyone else or nothing else. Of course, many artists do enjoy having an audience appreciate their music. So some may feel the need for an audience. It's great that their music becomes recorded so others can enjoy their performances. It's great that their performance doesn't become lost. I don't mean to be ignorant but to say musicians NEED people like you is pushing it IMO. That's not to say all musicians don't need record engineers, but most of them really don't. The musicians themselves can take a page from Greg Osby and bring their own recording equipment such as a minidisc player and record themselves. And it's great that we have a lot of Charlie Parker and Dizzy performances. Okay so someone has to develop the recording equipment, but as bad as some of their recordings are, their musicality is NOT obscured. Their creativity is NOT obscured. You will never know the intention of many artists even if they told you. And don't dispute the word of mouth. Many great artists are still legends without having recorded a single album. Their influence and music still lives in some people. So even if I have the most inaccurate equipment, it wouldn't even matter. It brings happiness to one person: me.
howie
230 posts
 
Cinematic Systems, do not twist everyone's statements out of context and use it to make broad sweeping statements about one's meaning. I can do the same and declare that your statement that seems to imply that jazz musicans don't know what they're doing, shows your lack of knowledge and ignorance. You used the label/term musicians broadly, while I almost clearly defined them. Explain to me, how a musician, who has no interest in putting out a record, NEEDs people like you? If you think I'm arrogant for saying that to musicians who simply enjoy playing music, people like you are irrelevant, than so be it.

In historiography, the "official scholar" and recorder of dynastic history is important because he has the power to "twist" history, not because he is "needed". Written history has made it easier for historians, but history has been passed along fine without being written down. Are recording engineers and such important? Yes to the recording process. Music has been played for many centuries without being "recorded". It's arrogant to think that people need you to record them in order to play music and be a musician.

There's a common belief that the best musician in the world, if there is one, is probably sitting at home practicing. It's certainly a lot merrier playing music with others, but again, you don't NEED anyone to play music.

If planet Earth is near extinction, you'll find people playing music and you'll find people who thinks music is important and inspiring. Good luck finding people who think your job is relevant.
howie
230 posts
 
Keithr, the 3.2s are rated to go down to 35hz. And in my room has output below that. I don't know where you got the impression that the speakers only go down to 50hz.

Howie; Musicians don't need me if they want to play with themselves. this is true and if they don't care how their music sounds in people's homes. Happy now I said it?
Musicians don't need you if they want to play by themselves or with others. They don't need you with or without an audience. If they care about their music in people's homes then they'll probably need someone who's better than you. LOL!

Jtinn: A pleasure to have surprised you. :D
howie
230 posts
 
Keithr, I would love to see some measurements too. But my own in-room measurements mimic the positive feedback reviewer's. There's some output below 30hz, but as the speakers are rated to go down to 35hz, it's only natural that that is about where the bass starts rolling off. Wayne Garcia in the recent issue of TAS claims that the speakers down go much below 40hz but "deliver the most solid, forceful, and well-defined 40hz I've encountered in my room."

So where did that extra 10hz go? Perhaps it's due to the positive feedback reviewer's room? The SET amps that he seemingly spent most of his time with? His tweaks that may have decoupled the speakers from the floor? Alas, it just happens so that he was reviewing the Ceramique sub as well, whose lowest crossover setting conveniently happens to be 50hz I believe. Nah, I enjoyed the review and he seems like he genuinely enjoys the speakers and that's all it matters. I do strongly believe that most people will "hear" something "appreciable" below 50hz in most rooms though.
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