Our true passion for music reproduction, which we have nurtured for 30 years, led us on a long quest to design audio machines that can convey the emotions at the heart of a musical performance.
We are very proud to introduce the long-awaited result through our darTZeel product line.
Most consumer products today—even some very expensive audio components—are designed primarily from the standpoints of manufacturing efficiency and cost savings.
We beg to differ.
At darTZeel, the only question we want to answer is: Does it make the music feel real?
Our passion drove us to spend 16 years researching and developing every possible aspect of a new audio circuit, embodied in a completely new amplification approach.
You can be assured that for us to spend 16 years on one design, “measured performance” alone was not our only goal.
Our products, before anything, are designed and realized from a purely humanistic point of view. For us, music is not only a means for communicating and listening. Far more than this, for us music is a powerful means of soul expression—even of spiritual development.
Emotions that music generates are to be carefully taken in account in the design process. Technology is only then applied to enhance the emotions, even transcend them, without altering them.
Once that goal is reached, we then can concentrate on the "electrical performance" aspect. That’s why we have a test bench.
Listen first, measure later.
Never the other way around.
That is the way we design our products.
Very often, people reason and come to conclusions by analogy. This is because our human nature is greatly guided by intuition. We also tend to extrapolate unknowns from things in our daily life, or we try to draw parallels with already-known things.
This typically human behavior greatly enhances our communication capabilities.
Every music lover, being at least something of an audiophile too, will have already compared one or two audio systems with a real musical instrument, especially when the reproduced sound comes very soon after the real event. Musical timbres are also compared to colours, tastes, and flavors, exactly like good wines are. In both cases, however, excellence is rarely due to chance…
Do you know how one creates a musical instrument, exactly?
Let us take as an example the double bass, truly a masterpiece of the luthier’s work. Everything in this instrument reminds one of fine art and elegance.
Clues to technical matters are not obvious, so fascinating is the instrument’s beauty. Yet, the instrument maker is in addition to being a skilled woodworker and perhaps even a musician, a pure technician.
The huge pull the strings apply to the neck requires failsafe engineering know-how.
Materials not only need to resist to that formidable traction, they also have to last, for quite a long time indeed.
Different species of wood are utilized in the construction process. The neck, the fingerboard, and the resonating body, each has its own characteristics, being mechanical resistance, density, and typical timbre.
What will ultimately make the difference between an ordinary instrument and a true masterpiece, is the maker’s technique. We mean that the technique is used to serve the music, and not the other way around. Everybody knows that the instrument maker will always make the right choices in choosing the woods and marrying them together for the best balance between the technical constraints and musical aims.
When a professional musician buys an instrument, he or she will probably choose it first for its sound, then for its build quality. The quality of the construction, though, is of almost the same importance as the sound itself. A well-made instrument will last virtually forever, and the high price paid at first will be many times rewarded by the pleasure of the happy owner.
In audio electronics, it is usually rather difficult to show that an aesthetic requirement led directly to a particular technical choice. It is hard enough even to demonstrate that one particular technical option has some valid role in obtaining better sound reproduction.
Complicating matters even more, most audio manufacturers use terms that can be misunderstood, or simply not understood at all, by the non-technician audiophile/music lover. Perhaps even several of those terms are not really helpful, and are only destined to confuse the customer. Thus, such components appear to be more mysterious than they really are, especially when those mysterious "secrets" are well preserved.
The true secret is the one which we can show without false modesty, and without particularly pointing at it, so well is it blended into the whole.
As said above, every musical instrument, while certainly made through some secrets transmitted from generation to generation, at the end, these secrets perfectly and smoothly blend together in what we usually call know-how.
This know-how can always be admired, but never copied by non-initiated people. The instrument maker will be the only one able to reproduce identical instruments.
Our products are manufactured in such a way that we can show absolutely every detail, from the machined aluminum case, to the last touch of finish even applied to inner parts, as well as the electric schematics of every module. There is nothing to hide at darTZeel.
The true secret, if any, lies in the result which is brought about by the interaction of the whole. Taken separately, even though giving its utmost performance, no single module can reach its full potential.
Features:
No compromise « all in one » music machine
darTZeel is proud to introduce the new CTH-8550 full featured integrated amplifier. This new product combines in one casing most of the good things musical lovers found in our flagship NHB series.
The CTH-8550 features newly designed power output stages which include on board regulated power supplies for a very compact global layout. This new circuit brings outstanding transparency, speed, yet delicacy, giving a maximum listening pleasure.
With no less than nine inputs in total, the preamplifier section is dual-mono - one dedicated circuit per channel - with a minimal footprint which allows for very short signal paths.
No doubt that this newcomer is a true darTZeel machine.
Key features include:
* A newly designed fluorescent display for user-friendly operation.
* 7 standard inputs blended from a mix of Zeel, RCA and XLR sockets.
* 2 additional, optional Phono inputs (1 MC, 1 MM), easy to implement at any time (factory upgrade only, though).
* Full HT bypass function for all inputs.
* 1 darT preamp output for driving an external NHB-108 power amplifier.
* 1 RCA preamp output for driving any other optional power amplifier.
* 1 RCA REC output, with independent record source selection.
* A fully featured remote control, 100% darTZeel designed.
* A new kind of approach in mechanical housing design thanks to state of the art Laser cutting & welding technologies, ensuring unprecedented high rigidity and easier assembly and maintenance procedures.
Detailed Insights
Output power stage:
darTZeel designed a new circuit allowing cool running behaviour for less power consumption and more environmental friendly operation. Signal path has been carefully kept as simple as possible. The use of two paralleled output transistor pairs was chosen for hassle-free setup, whatever the kind of speaker used. The additional power gain provided by these two output pairs allowed us to reduce the number of silicon junctions in driver stages, thus keeping all speed and transparency we were looking for. There are now only three junctions in the power section, with an output power capability of 220 watts per channel under 8 Ohms, and a whopping 350 watts into 4 ohms!
Preamplification stage:
All regulated power supplies involved in the analog section are located on the audio circuits, ensuring best possible ripple rejection and low noise floor. Optional phono sections are implemented on same circuits for very short signal paths from the input RCA connectors. Source selection and loudness level are controlled through very high performance, dedicated circuits. All DC drift is now entirely compensated by digital means, allowing the compensation to be completely kept outside of the signal path, a world premiere in audio!
Power supply transformers:
Besides its unique, huge toroidal power transformer, the darTZeel CTH-8550 is a full dual-mono design. We chose to implement only one power transformer in order to minimize magnetic fields induced to low level signals, yet over sizing it enough to deliver all power needed under any demanding circumstance. A second, smaller transformer is in charge of the low level signal. So, the control panel allows for disabling the big power transformer in case of preamplifier usage only, bringing improved quietness and coolest operation.
Pleasure Control again:
The new Pleasure Control optical encoder, custom-made for darTZeel by Elma, offers extreme feelings and high precision. The volume control electronics involves high quality semiconductor devices for best reproduction accuracy.
New display control panel:
Extremely convenient and user friendly, the new display will allow you to fully operate your CTH-8550 in the most convenient way. Each parameter can be easily adjusted, such as source level, source name, default source balance, record source, illumination display, and so on...
Security and customization:
Each CTH-8550 is delivered with its own dedicated USB key which contains all customer information: Owner's name, Serial number, Firmware version and Voltage range settings. The provided USB key will also allow for eventually updating either CTH-8550's firmware or software in the future.
Casing:
Entirely designed with a dedicated 3D-CAD software, the new cabinet is made from high quality, 2mm thick, Swedish Grade Steel. Starting with a plain steel sheet, it is cut with a high precision Laser Beam, then all parts are laser-welded together, even hand welded in critical areas, then hand polished and finished before being painted in an industrial oven. The result is just breathtaking. Aluminium heat sinks are sandwiched inside the steel structure, allowing for optimal thermal dissipation and extremely high global rigidity. The front plate is CNC-machined from a plain, 15 mm thick, aluminium sheet, giving the darTZeel CTH-8550 its incomparable finishing.
Colours:
The darTZeel CTH-8550 is available either in darTZeel standard colour Gold & Burgandy (our demo model), or in full black dress.
Jeff Dorgay
Conclusion:
If you are ready to get off the merry-go-round and just enjoy music, and you'd like to be set free of component and cable matching, the darTZeel CTH-8550 integrated amplifier will take you th Nirvana. It offers a level of musicality that few amplifiers I've heard posess. Add your faviorite source or two, a great pair of speakers and call it a day. [review
link]
Features: 