I'd had on repeat vinyl play the Jamie Saft Quartet's Blue Dream (Rare Noise RNR095LP), preparing to write a review that unfortunately hasn't materialized yet but will. It's beautifully recorded, as is everything produced by this label, whether recorded on tape or computer. The music might remind you of the classic Coltrane quartet, but with Saft in place of McCoy Tyner, Nasheet Waits subbing for Elvin Jones, Brad Jones for Jimmy Giuffre, and Bill McHenry for the big C.
With the NHB-468s swapped in, cold out of the box, I listened again. Big sonic change! All for the better, building on the new amp's predecessor—which had, as I described in the original review, "high-frequency cleanness and transparency combined with as perfect a high-frequency transient response as I've heard from any amplifier, all emerging from velvety-black backdrops." Back then I described the 458s' transient attacks as "neither slightly soft nor a bit too fast or tight, the latter of which can produce a hard, wiry sound that never lets you forget that you're listening to electronics, not live music." The new amps produced a sound that was immediately more supple, more liquid, and noticeably more "wraparound" three-dimensional, without turning soft. (I've heard my share of soft-sounding solid-state bores.)
Via the 468s, instrumental attacks became more delicate and nuanced. The cymbals lost a bit of unwanted etch, the bass became less mechanical (not that it sounded overtly mechanical before), and the soundstage now pushed well beyond the speakers, wrapping around and forward, producing a noticeably more enveloping sound.
The presentation gained much and lost nothing. The sonic picture floated better in space, further removed from the speaker plane than it had been previously (which was reasonably freestanding to begin with). The attack didn't soften or lose its natural edge as it became more subtle. The entire picture became more involving and less "canned."
Saft's piano became less brittle, the saxophone rounder and better balanced between reed and horn. In addition to improved attack, there was now more generous sustain and decay and an overall sense of natural musical relaxation, though instrumental attacks and overall transient performance remained the best I've heard from a solid-state amplifier. No doubt, though, those who demand more tight-fisted control and bottom-end "slam" might look toward something from Boulder, for instance.
But let me circle back: To complete that record review after months of listening, I replayed Blue Dream and heard what I've just described, then reinstalled the 458s. The stage flattened, losing the "wraparound" quality, the bass became somewhat harder and more mechanical, the cymbals lost shimmer and took on some edge, the piano produced more attack and hardness and lost the sustain generosity and suppleness. Please remember this is all by degree. It still sounded really great! But not nearly as good as through the new amps.
This was before I installed the new, replacement 50 ohm cables installed—and that's another story: After months of listening to the 468s using the original interconnects between preamp and amp, I swapped them out for the new interconnects and, as Art Dudley would say, "Holy crap"!
One of the first records I played was an original promo copy of Little Feat's Sailin' Shoes (Warner Brothers BS 2600). I've been playing this one since 1972, and I have a pretty good idea of what it sounds like, or so I thought. True, much in the system has changed since I last played it—I can't remember when—but as soon as "Easy to Slip" began, I heard the studio space appear in front of me as never before. The placement of the background singers, the guitars, everything was uncannily natural—not only in space but as individual instruments with solidity and dimensionality. The music was also more rhythmically "on time" and well organized than I've ever before heard this record sound. The record had more dynamic "slam" and control, as well as an effervescent presentational delicacy than I've likewise never before heard from it. But how much was the rest of the system contributing to this?
I was more interested in hearing records I'd been playing with the 468s connected to the preamp using the old darTZeel cable, so I went back to those, including the test pressing of Bernard Haitink and the Berlin Philharmonic's forthcoming direct-to-disc release of the Bruckner Symphony No.7, referenced in this month's Analog Corner, which I've played dozens of times over the past month using only the older cables. So let's just say: If you own darTZeel electronics connected using the older 50 ohm cable, get the new.
When I reinstalled the 458s toward the end of the review period using the new 50 ohm cables, I again played the Little Feat record, and while the sonic package was well-wrapped, it couldn't compare to what I'd heard through the 468s, especially in terms of spaciousness and attack subtlety. Well-organized though they were, the images lay flat against the speakers, hung between them almost as if on a clothesline.
Through the 458s, the direct-to-disc Bruckner produced a flatter but still holographic picture, with the massed strings sounding enduringly graceful but less liquid and somewhat harder. The three-dimensional, front-to-back instrumental layering and exceptional timbral complexity captured in this recording (using vintage tube mike preamps and mixed live on a vintage tube mixing console), especially at the conclusion of the first movement (allegro moderato), were "in the house" but scaled back in intensity and transparency.
Returning to the 468s, the Little Feat record exuded a midband richness that was missing from the 458s; instruments were more well integrated within the mix, and I heard added depth and texture in the bottom end, as well as that wider, deeper "wraparound" stage—it was immediately obvious on the first listen. Singer Lowell George was more front and center, and on "A Apolitical Blues," where the late Mr. George sings almost off-mike and more "in the room," the sense of space was intensified and made even more convincing. All gains, no losses.
As for the Bruckner, the combination of 468s and the new cable delivered even greater depth of field, three-dimensionality, and spaciousness, while intensifying string tone and textures and—especially—adding weight to the big double basses, violas, and cellos, producing the "body rush" you hear live. This is a not-to-be-missed symphonic recording and you ought to have a listen—all the more so if you're lucky enough to hear it on these amps!
Conclusion
The darTZeel owners I've met seem to be a happy, enthusiastic group, satisfied with their purchases and with the sound produced by whichever darTZeel products they have. Count me among them. The new NHB-468 has made me even happier. This amp does what the NHB-458 does—just better. It's got power to spare and sounds as if it's just loafing, even on the most demanding material. I haven't seen the measurements and won't until I see the final proofs of the finished article, but I assume the distortion measurements will be good but bettered by some. I believe Delétraz is capable of reducing distortion to as low as is measurable, but he's going for something beyond measured perfection, and I think he's achieved his goal in terms of a unified, holistic, natural sonic picture.
Those who prefer in a solid-state amp greater bottom-end "grip" and iron-fisted control may want to consider a different amplifier. As I mentioned above, I think the CH Precision M1.1s produce more weight and punch on bottom, and Boulder's amps tend to have more overall speaker grip. However, in my system, the darTZeel "sound" is ideal for all musical genres: good grip on bottom, natural transient performance, plenty of air on top if it's in the recording, and never even a hint of etch, grain, or edge.
These are expensive, powerful amplifiers, handcrafted in Switzerland and as attractive to listen to as they are to look at. If you can afford them, you should have a listen. If you own 458s, you'll be happy with the upgrade. At the very least, try the new cables!
The presentation gained much and lost nothing. The sonic picture floated better in space, further removed from the speaker plane than it had been previously (which was reasonably freestanding to begin with). The attack didn't soften or lose its natural edge as it became more subtle. The entire picture became more involving and less "canned."
Saft's piano became less brittle, the saxophone rounder and better balanced between reed and horn. In addition to improved attack, there was now more generous sustain and decay and an overall sense of natural musical relaxation, though instrumental attacks and overall transient performance remained the best I've heard from a solid-state amplifier. No doubt, though, those who demand more tight-fisted control and bottom-end "slam" might look toward something from Boulder, for instance.
But let me circle back: To complete that record review after months of listening, I replayed Blue Dream and heard what I've just described, then reinstalled the 458s. The stage flattened, losing the "wraparound" quality, the bass became somewhat harder and more mechanical, the cymbals lost shimmer and took on some edge, the piano produced more attack and hardness and lost the sustain generosity and suppleness. Please remember this is all by degree. It still sounded really great! But not nearly as good as through the new amps.
Through the 458s, the direct-to-disc Bruckner produced a flatter but still holographic picture, with the massed strings sounding enduringly graceful but less liquid and somewhat harder. The three-dimensional, front-to-back instrumental layering and exceptional timbral complexity captured in this recording (using vintage tube mike preamps and mixed live on a vintage tube mixing console), especially at the conclusion of the first movement (allegro moderato), were "in the house" but scaled back in intensity and transparency.
Returning to the 468s, the Little Feat record exuded a midband richness that was missing from the 458s; instruments were more well integrated within the mix, and I heard added depth and texture in the bottom end, as well as that wider, deeper "wraparound" stage—it was immediately obvious on the first listen. Singer Lowell George was more front and center, and on "A Apolitical Blues," where the late Mr. George sings almost off-mike and more "in the room," the sense of space was intensified and made even more convincing. All gains, no losses.
The darTZeel owners I've met seem to be a happy, enthusiastic group, satisfied with their purchases and with the sound produced by whichever darTZeel products they have. Count me among them. The new NHB-468 has made me even happier. This amp does what the NHB-458 does—just better. It's got power to spare and sounds as if it's just loafing, even on the most demanding material. I haven't seen the measurements and won't until I see the final proofs of the finished article, but I assume the distortion measurements will be good but bettered by some. I believe Delétraz is capable of reducing distortion to as low as is measurable, but he's going for something beyond measured perfection, and I think he's achieved his goal in terms of a unified, holistic, natural sonic picture.
