Soulution 700 vs darTZeel NHB-458

[KeithR]

put me in the Dart camp as well.

to be totally honest, I've never heard a Soulution setup that sounded good, but I have not heard them on Rockports (mostly Magicos). They kinda remind me of Halcro back in the day. In fact- Halcro, Soulution, and Spectral to me are one camp of sound. I'd just save money and buy Spectral if that was the sound I was after as it's the best value if you don't go crazy on MIT cables- although they are significantly increasing prices as well.

 

[caesar]

Roysen,

First, best of luck to you with your health issues. I hope that they go away fast and you can enjoy life and your system to the fullest.

As far as "seeking synergy", I find that talking to speaker and amp manufacturers is a crap shoot. Part of the conversation is technical explanation, another part is taste, and a great part is marketing / sales pitch job. I hate to say it, especially in a vulgar way, but many people you talk to in this hobby are "full of hsit".

The bottom line is you have got to try it in your system. Since you are set on your speakers, get them going with some amp that you enjoy, and then get the amplifier contenders into your system. At that $100- 150K price point, any reputable dealer or regional sales rep should be able to get a pair into your system. Even if it costs you a bit of money for shipping / logistics, I think it's the only way to find out if it will meet your goals and let you achieve your dreams.

Good Luck!

 

[Audiocrack]

In the past I was working on three different systems based on Magico Q7, Tidal Audio La Assoluta and Rockport Technologies Arrakis 2. Then my financial situation changed when I got diagnosed with cancer and had to stop working. Now my plans are scaled down to one system. The Arrakis was always my first choice but I got an offer I could not refuse on the Magico Q7 when I still had the old plans. However my room is leaking bass heavily, so I need to place the Q7 way out in the room corners to get good bass. The early reflections in this positions destroys imaging and sine the room is our living room we are not prepared to do the acoustical treatment to correct this. So the Q7 are sold. What I need is a speaker with an active crossover for the bass section in order to adjust the bass output. I could have added a pair of subwoofers to the Magico Q7 but I prefer the Rockport sound.

I really hope you will recover completely Roy and will be able to enjoy your hifi system at full. Never heard the Arrakis - I believe they cannot be combined succesfully with my Kondo amps - but I am sure they are marvelous speakers. If I understood Lloyd (who has very good ears) correctly he was very impressed with the Arrakis. Good luck to you and all the best!

 

[LL21]

In the past I was working on three different systems based on Magico Q7, Tidal Audio La Assoluta and Rockport Technologies Arrakis 2. Then my financial situation changed when I got diagnosed with cancer and had to stop working. Now my plans are scaled down to one system. The Arrakis was always my first choice but I got an offer I could not refuse on the Magico Q7 when I still had the old plans. However my room is leaking bass heavily, so I need to place the Q7 way out in the room corners to get good bass. The early reflections in this positions destroys imaging and sine the room is our living room we are not prepared to do the acoustical treatment to correct this. So the Q7 are sold. What I need is a speaker with an active crossover for the bass section in order to adjust the bass output. I could have added a pair of subwoofers to the Magico Q7 but I prefer the Rockport sound.

Hi Roysen. I think many of us wish you well first and foremost. We'd like to see Roysen continue to charge ahead into the fray of high end audio as fearlessly as ever. Your adventures are the stuff of legend...I still cannot imagine how you managed to get your Krell Master Reference Amps in (and out again!). If I could ever have gotten them...they would have stayed for sure...

In any event, you know my views on the Arrakis and how highly I prize that speaker above all...only the Genesis 1.1s are there in that stratosphere in my opinion, and they are simply too gargantuan for me in size (and frankly price) today.

I have only heard the Altairs2 with Constellation and DCS Vivaldi and MIT, and the Arrakis with (essentially) Tara, VTL Siegfrieds and Clearaudio Statement or other digital (cannot remember). Different system and rooms...but having now heard Rockports on 3 occassions...I feel I have a good handle on Rockport speakers.

All I can say is that I really would want to hear them with Gryphon and Transparent, just the way Andy Payor has them in Maine...and somehow i do not think this is a co-marketing scheme. He has been consistently with Transparent (wired inside) and Gryphon (which does not even have US distributorship) for so many years, I cannot even remember when he did not use them...except perhaps CJ which he used to have featured on his website as well in his listening rooms. But even then, he had both CJ and Gryphon.

You may wish to speak with Ultimate in Portugal who carry both Rockport and Gryphon...as well as TAD, and more than a few other names.

 

[jtinn]

He uses Transparent because he worked for them for many years and still does work for them.

 

[LL21]

He uses Transparent because he worked for them for many years and still does work for them.

Thanks for that...good to know. I think I did hear that helped design the Opus cable network box external casings.

 

[asiufy]

This is something I can't agree to. I find both the Soulution 700 and 501 better than the darTZeel NHB-108. However the NHB-458 is a totally different beast.

If the Soulution bass sounded like cardboard there must have been some mismatch in the system.

I am most interested in a really fast amp with wide bandwidth for the Arrakis/Altair like Soulution, Spectral, Goldmund and Atma-Sphere. I am however also interested in amps that is normally matched with Rockport like Gryphon and VTL. Then there are the darTZeel and FM Acoustics amps which interest me in more general terms based on sound quality.

Roysen,

Sure, my opinion is just the manifestatin of a few days' of testing both amps in the same environment and setup. It was actually the local Soulution/Magico dealer, and I brought my darTZeel gear to see how they'd work with the Q7. Both setups were properly matched, and sounded good, each with their particular sound signature.

I see that KeithR is of the same opinion as me, but I do understand also people that either do not notice the "emptiness" of the Soulution amps, or simply are not bothered by it, mostly because of the music they listen to.

Really fast amp, with wide bandwidth seems to describe the darTZeel amps. But then, I haven't heard them with Rockport, but I'd love to, as I've always been impressed by their speakers.


alexandre

 

[microstrip]

This is something I can't agree to. I find both the Soulution 700 and 501 better than the darTZeel NHB-108. However the NHB-458 is a totally different beast.

If the Soulution bass sounded like cardboard there must have been some mismatch in the system.

I am most interested in a really fast amp with wide bandwidth for the Arrakis/Altair like Soulution, Spectral, Goldmund and Atma-Sphere. I am however also interested in amps that is normally matched with Rockport like Gryphon and VTL. Then there are the darTZeel and FM Acoustics amps which interest me in more general terms based on sound quality.

Although I have never listened to the Arrakis or Altair in proper places, I still say that the amplifier that impressed me mostly until now was the Audio Research REF750. Since it is a bargain - it costs around one third the price of the big DartZeels, you could afford to have spares units in case some tube goes wrong ... However considering that the Gryphons are made in your neighborhood I would also consider seriously the Mephistos with an Audio Research REF10 preamplifier - probably they would also love the Transparent Audio Opus MM2. Do you know what is the input impedance of the Arrakis crossover?


BTW, if you also like the Genesis 1.1, there is a pair currently being sold in Germany at a ridiculous low price. Unfortunately I do not have the space.

 

[south]

Dear Roysen,

It is good to know that you are back in the forum.
I will be following the answers to your querie with interest. I have never made a direct comparison betwen Dartzeel and Soulution, but I own the latter (710/720/ and heard the Darts on some occasions, although not in familiair circumstances.
The Dartzeel 108 is a lovely amp but, to my hears, slightly euphonic. There seems to be a house sound in the sense that everything tends to sound a little "beautified". But they are very easy to leave with, although idiosincratic.
The big 458 are a different beast, very poweful but, AFAICR , they are not as revealing and transparent as the Soulution. As for the latter's "house sound", what I find amazing is the way they reveal what is in the record. No two records sound the same and it becomes easy to identify the differences between the technical solutions that were used in the production, as well as the difference in the way music is played. I have never heard anything like that.
You may or may not like it, and I can understand that it is not for all tastes.
Make sure that you hear the new series, 701/711, which have the new power supply. They seem to be better than the originals, although I have no experience with them.
Since you are thinking about Rockport why don't you try Gryphon? They are sweeter than Soulution and it seems that Andy Payor voices its speakers with Gryphon.
Good luck with your pursuit and all the best.