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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
mikelavigne
2,157 posts
 
i must disagree with my friend Hooper (and particularly Cinematic Systems). i currently have the Kharma Midi Exquisites in my room and am listening with a single DarTZeel NHB-108. my room is pretty large (21' x 29' x 11') and at first i did feel that the Dart did not have quite enough 'grunt' to really rock in my room......but as it has broken in it has continued to get it's legs, open up, and gain grip. in the last week the bass dynamics have really kicked in and there doesn't seem to be any lack of dynamics.

my context of dynamic amps include a few heavyweights, Levinson #33, Halcro DM58 and numerous others.

the Midi Exqusites don't plumb the depths of deep bass below 30hz in my room (but that is a speaker/room issue).....but there is no straining or any dynamic limitations i can perceive.......i have pushed this combo pretty hard but have yet to hear any hardness or clipping.

the Dart seems to be an excellent real world amp and is plenty of amp for the Midi Exquisites.
cinematic_systems
282 posts
 
Hello Mike,

So the Dart is equal to the Halcro and Levinson on the Midi Exquisites dynamically? How about the Tenors?

Why does your room suck out the frequencies below 30hz? You should be getting into room gain areas there. Did they over-damp your room at those frequencies?

Jafox---in Hooper's expansion to your request he made some statements that Howie and I thought were surprising. You see this still has a great deal to do with how the Dartzeel sounds in the end. And as you can see Mike Lavigne disagrees with Hooper and myself. And since Mike has Midi Exquisites he would know, although the lack of bass is something I suspected would be a problem do to the modest power ratings on the Dartzeel still.

Your CAT amplifiers are like the Levinson 100 watt No. 20 mono's. 100 watt amplifiers that can weld. According to Dartzeel this amplifier does not possess a power supply capable of extraordinary current, rated at a paltry 160 watts it is not a high current amplifier which is how it likely gets its unique sound.

The fact that one speaker sounds "lifeless" and suddenly another one comes to life has a lot to do with the amplifiers in my experience. The amplifier is the motor in the speaker amp circuit system.

Despite my reserving my "system" to my budget bedroom DIY system, my ATC/Meridian system gives little if anything away on performance to any of these systems listed. So I am interested in the performance of these components. I am also completely shocked at how the Tenors and Kharmas have not been able to withstand the onslaught of VonSchweikert? and Dartzeel? It is an option of mine to become a VSR dealer, so I am very interested in this thread in many facets. VR4 HSE more dynamic than a Kharma MIDI Exquisite, better suited to judge the amplifiers he was comparing? Ouchie, on the Kharma's? or the Dartzeel and Tenor? Bad amps?, bad speakers?

How good can the Kharma's and Tenor's be in the first place if they can just be replaced universally one after another despite the presence of persoanl taste or subjectivity?
gladstone
296 posts
 
I'd be surprised--no, astonished--if Mike meant that the Dartzeel has the sonic slam overall of the big amps. I think what he means is that on the Kharmas, the little Dartzeel packs enough current to make it come alive, though I myself think two would be better.
But high power doesn't necessarily mean an amp is superior--some believe, correctly or not, that it's about getting the first watt right, etc. etc. That seems to be the camp that the Dartzeel falls into. Once again, it's all about taste and predilection.
Though about the quality of Mike's room I believe there can be no dispute.
hooper OP
396 posts
 
Wow! A lot has gone on since I last posted. First off, when I said that the Midi Exquisites were lifeless, the implication was that I meant IN MY ROOM and IN MY EXPERIENCE. Everyone has different experiences. I listen to primarily rock, and IMHO a Kharma isn't meant for that kind of music. It took me many thousands of dollars to find that out. It can handle it--on certain recordings very well--but I don't think it was designed or voiced with that type of music in mind. I shouldn't have used the term "lifeless," as it's not totally accurate. The speaker has very good dynamics in general--but not when compared to the VR-9. Mike L. will discover that for himself when he gets his 9s sometime soon. By the way, these comments refer to the Midi when driven by the Tenor 300s, a pretty muscular amp. Despite the horsepower, I didn't feel I was getting really visceral dynamics. It was too polite, in my estimation--and that just wouldn't work for the type of music I listen to. The DarTZeel really didn't fare any better, and that's when I fully realized that the problem wasn't the amps or the room, but the speaker. The Von Schweikerts have addressed every shortcoming of the Kharma, and then some. I want to reiterate: This is MY experience in MY room, and it's MY opinion. Kharma makes great, beautiful speakers, but they weren't the right match for me. I found something that worked better. Period. And the DarTZeel is a natural match for the higher-end VRs, since those speakers have very high efficiency (the VR-9 is 96dB). Believe me, I've pushed my combo hard, on some demanding material, and the Darts barely break a sweat now. The DarTZeels and VR-9s sound like they were made to work together. I didn't get that same feeling of synergy with the Kharmas. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, I guess.
jtinn
1,124 posts
 
Cinematic_Systems: Mike's room does not "suck out" frequencies below 30Hz. His room has too much volume for the speakers to properly pressurize at those frequencies.

I have tried CAT JL-1 LE's on the Kharma Midi's as well as other high current, high power tube and solid-state amplifiers. In all cases the Midi-Exquisites, while doing a good job micro-dynamically do not excel in the area of macro-dynamics. They are a speaker designed for a small to medium-small room, and are not meant to play the way you describe. There is no speaker in the Kharma line that can compare in that area to the Von Schweikert speakers. This is the main reason I have switched to the VSA line. They do everything well.

I also believe you might be exaggerating when you say you were playing the Midi's "with absolute clarity and impressive drive at 110dB". The type of music you speak of, by nature, is dynamically compressed and the temptation is to keep playing it louder until you feel like there is more dynamics which, of course, there is not.

Since I have heard most of the ATC's as well as Meridian equipment, I would say that either you have a pretty bad ear or you sell those products, which you have not disclosed. The system you speak of has none of the transparency, soundstaging, clarity or tonality that the Kharma speakers are famous for. The ATC's do indeed better the Kharma's in macro-dynamics. Since you have never heard the Von Schweikert VR9SE's, you are not in a position to judge.

You anwered your own question. Those who have owned the Kharma/Tenor combination and now own the Von Schweikert/darTZeel combo, through their "subjectivity" and "personal taste", came to the conclusion that the latter bettered their previous system. It has nothing to do with how good the Kharma/Tenor combination is "in the first place". It is certainly one of the finest combinations I have ever heard and outside of the VSA/darTZeel combo, I have not heard better. This is also not to say that the combination of the VSA and Tenor amplifiers or the Kharma and darTZeel amplifier is not outstanding.
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