DarTZeel NHB-108 Is this the best amp ever?

Rich, you're not the only one. But why go back, when the company is closed down?

Brian

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?

Howie: Tenor is restructuring and moving to a new location. They will be servicing (if needed) and selling amplifiers by January 15th.

Your points are well taken though.

Rmaurin (Rich): How ya doing :) Almost all of those who have heard the Hybrids, outside of Bill Parish's house, have felt they outperformed the OTL's. I do have one customer who loves the OTL's and prefers them to the Hybrids. He is the only one of my customers that feels that way.

Given the right speaker, the Tenor OTL's are clearly one of the finest sounding amps I have ever heard. I personally prefer the Hybrids slightly better. They may have a little better clarity than the OTL's, but ultimately they are almost identical other than the way the Hybrids easily outperform them in the bottom end control on most speakers.

Rich: Come to Vegas!!!

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.

Regarding A/B'ing the Tenor OTL's and hybrids, I did that in my home over a 2 week period when I had both amps.Contrary to what I've heard others say, and I'm not sure how many of them actually had both in the same system or heard them in different systems which isn't a fair comparison, I felt the 300's were superior. The midrange magic that some feel the OTL's had over the 300's is simply not the case in reality. The authority and significantly better botton end of the 300's balances the 300 across the spectrum, so the although the midrange magic is still there, it merely doesn't stand out as much as it does with the OTL's, relatively speaking. In my system, the DarTzeel is even better, same midrange magic that comes out of an even blacker background with virtually no noise floor, excellent extension at the frequency extremes, and a palpability that I'd not previously heard in a solid state amp, and very few tube amps. It competently heandles all the audiophile requirements, but more importantly is easily forgotten once the music starts and stands aside for the music which, to me, is its greatest attribute.The Tenors are some of the finest amps out there, and I could easily have lived with them for a long time. But the DarTzeel is magic.