JUST to clarify and for all you Paul Harvey fans out there - HERE is the REST of the story:
The following quotes are taken DIRECTLY from the DartZeel amplifier's Owner's Manual:
Page 8 of the NHB-108's Owner's Manual states:
"The darTZeel NHB-108 model one has been designed to deliver more than 90% of its magical sound at cold start. After 5 minutes you are very close to the best the machine can offer. The increasing quality you may hear as time goes by will be mostly the reflection of your growing musical pleasure."
Page 16 of the NHB-108's Owner's Manual states:
"...all machines are broken in for more than 4 weeks in continuous use..."
Soundstage would rather rely on the manufacturer's information as opposed to an owner, dealer, or distributor so if the manufacturer made the forgoing statements DIRECTLY in the Owner's Manual AND IF THEY BURNED IN THE UNIT FOR MORE THAN FOUR WEEKS ALREADY, why should Jeff doubt it.
I have also been informed that, notwithstanding the Owner's Manual's advice, Jeff played the amp continuously for FIVE weeks before writing his review.
Next, DID ANYONE ON THIS POST READ JEFF'S REVIEW? It never bashed the sound of the ampliifer at all!!! The review was positive on every sonic count and only calls the amp's value against its competition into question. In the reviewer's opinion it was simply overpriced! WHY? Because before JTinn became involved with DartZeel, that same amp sold for $12,000. Afterwards it was $18,000!!!!!! A 50% increase!! The Euro is only about 23% higher than the dollar. Also, have you seen ANY other audio product made in Europe increase in price that much due to the alleged Euro disparity during that same time period? I haven't but then again I may not know of all such products.
Gentleman, Jeff Fritz is an honest man who simply called it as he heard it. For that HE was crucified and defamed on this thread. Jeff is a big boy and can take care of himself, but why should such mis-information be allowed to go uncorrected on this forum?
It kills me how everyone seems to complain that too many reviews are too nice and not "honest enough." Jeff then: (1) is led to believe by the manufacturer and Owner's Manual that the amp is at 90% cold out of the box and close to the best the amp has within FIVE minutes (as well as it being broken in by DartZeel for FOUR continuous weeks); (2) plays the amp continuously for FIVE weeks NOT FIVE minutes as suggested by DARTZEEL (now totalling NINE weeks of burn-in); (3) praises the sonics but; (4) calls it like he hears it when the recently raised $18,000 price is considered particularly against competition in that price range. And what happens? You saw for yourselves.
NOW ask yourself. WHO has no credibility and WHO is biased?
Funny thing, I just wrote a not so positive review for Soundstage for the ELP Laser Turntable. The classy people at ELP simply agreed to disagree with me and filed a classy response in Soundstage.
NOW you know the REST OF THE STORY!!
