darTZeel LHC-208

[Etunes]

I will let you know how it sounds....I should be getting a demo in the coming several weeks.

Ever get a chance to hear this unit?

Updates have gone cold .

Thx

 

[asiufy]

Etunes,

It's shipping now, so more people should be able to report about it
I have a unit in the store, that we used at THE Show in Newport Beach. I tried it with a number of speakers, and it's surprisingly powerful, for such a compact unit. Same gorgeous darTZeel sound as ever! It handled the YGs (Carmel 2 and Hailey) beautifully! We also tried it with Evolution Acoustics MMthree, MicroTwo and the MMMicro One.
The DAC section is a joy, and the streamer is very solid and works all the time. Only drawback is that it lacks Wi-Fi, but that's just a $99 fix, with an Apple Airport Express! I like Auralic's Lightning DS app, and that's what I use on the iPad. We also have an Android tablet running BubbleUPNP, also rock solid.
I've also used the USB input for a while, and while it was good, the streamer had a slight edge in overall SQ. Maybe I just needed better USB cables or a souped-up computer (I just used my Mac with Audirvana).
Overall, a great piece, hard to beat at the price!

alexandre

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Ever get a chance to hear this unit?

Updates have gone cold .

Thx

I spent time in the last 2 Newport Shows listening to this unit for hours.

very impressed both by it's digital performance which reminds me of my Playback Designs MPS-5, and the sound of it's amplifier/preamp section which reminds me of my dart pre and big monos.

I think it's an amazing value.

 

[rbbert]

Isn't the Apple Airport Express limited to 16/48 PCM?

 

[Etunes]

Etunes,

It's shipping now, so more people should be able to report about it
I have a unit in the store, that we used at THE Show in Newport Beach. I tried it with a number of speakers, and it's surprisingly powerful, for such a compact unit. Same gorgeous darTZeel sound as ever! It handled the YGs (Carmel 2 and Hailey) beautifully! We also tried it with Evolution Acoustics MMthree, MicroTwo and the MMMicro One.
The DAC section is a joy, and the streamer is very solid and works all the time. Only drawback is that it lacks Wi-Fi, but that's just a $99 fix, with an Apple Airport Express! I like Auralic's Lightning DS app, and that's what I use on the iPad. We also have an Android tablet running BubbleUPNP, also rock solid.
I've also used the USB input for a while, and while it was good, the streamer had a slight edge in overall SQ. Maybe I just needed better USB cables or a souped-up computer (I just used my Mac with Audirvana).
Overall, a great piece, hard to beat at the price!

alexandre

Thx Alexandre and Mike for the updates.

I've been waiting to get my hands on this piece for some time. Glad it sounds great!! I was curious how he was going to manage files. Sounds like you can plug in your NAS via Ethernet and use a third party app Apple or Android platform and away you go. Wonder if the Lumin app would work ?

 

[asiufy]

Isn't the Apple Airport Express limited to 16/48 PCM?

Rob,

The idea is to use it as an extender for the wireless network, and provide an Ethernet link to the darTZeel. That way, I don't have to run a very long Ethernet cable from my router to the location where the darTZeel is. I'm NOT taking the audio signal out of it, which is Toslink, and yeah, limited to 16/48. Well, I could It's handy if you want to use Airplay, for instance...


alexandre

 

[asiufy]

Thx Alexandre and Mike for the updates.

I've been waiting to get my hands on this piece for some time. Glad it sounds great!! I was curious how he was going to manage files. Sounds like you can plug in your NAS via Ethernet and use a third party app Apple or Android platform and away you go. Wonder if the Lumin app would work ?

You're welcome
I did try the Lumin app, and it didn't work. I guess the app needs a real Lumin on the network, not just any streamer...

 

[cmalak]

Is MSRP of $13K still accurate?

 

[wisnon]

$14K, I am told and it did sound great in the feb all day session. The repeat in May didnt happen due to unforeseen circumstances…but may happen late July/August.

We used it with MM Micros and MM2.