D5 Pro - amazing clone of DartZeel NHB-108 amplifier. Endgame amp? 

That's not fair, you should get another one for the children!

Given that power consumption it will cost it's purchase price in annual electricity consumption with only modest usage (at least in the UK). The orphanage can kiss your donations goodbye but if the winter is harsh, you can invite them round to warm themselves beside your new amp. Honestly, it looks great. Enjoy.

No problem, please share back! :)

@ilanspiro1645 --- Well ......how does it sound ?

It sounds great :) Very clean and detailed without being too dry. Base is quite quick and agile with good weight and slam. Mids are absolutely glorious and the highs are very well extended with lots of details. I'm using it with my musical paradise preamplifier (heavily modded) , it's a great match in my opinion as one might think.... usually it's a very good combo, i mean for solid state amp with a tube pramp. 😊

@@mcroeser interesting comments re ‘veiled’ esp in comp with a vintage 2252B as I assume you mean.

@@JingoLoBa57 yes, it is not even close. The clone is now broken in. Personally I would not buy it again nor recommend it at all. Sorry, I had such high hopes based on this video.

Thanks! Enjoy it, its great amp! :)

There are no signs, though there surely are tracking cookies :D

@@k4syx Ha Ha! True.

Can you do a test on the musical paradise pre amp. It seems to be an end game pre.

It's a great preamp, especially when considering all it's upgradable options

FM255 clone is complete trash!My old NAD wipes the floor with it!

The Musical Paradise pre amp and D5 power amp are a good match. The pre amp is very musical and good value for money.

It is great, don't worry. I have the feeling that the prices will go up ;)

I've added it to my bucket list - I was also wondering if other clones could be better.

Exactly, that would probably be Frank you're talking about.

i saw that video too and i talked with Dartzeel.

@@AnalogDude_ What did they say?

@@Cenkolino Well, i wanted to know how many how many capacitance was used since they are so enormous, because i was building a class AB amp. It took the guy 16 years to invent this circuit and now people are cloning it. The real thing has 24 carat gold bars over the capacitors. even the glass plate was engineered so it doesn't harm the electronics inside (vibrate, etc).

​@@AnalogDude_ Please be realistic in the world of audio...if it was retail/MSRP $50,000.00 and dealer price $23,000.00 and you hope that $500.00 end user price could compete or let say 90% performances to the real one, are you dreaming ? $50,000.00 price was over than 10 years ago and $500.00 price is in the year 2024 !!!😊

Thanks! I've sold R26 and stayed with X26PRO. R26 was cool but electrostats exposed that's loosing some fine detail when compared to X26PRO. I guess I'm delta sigma guy :) A DartZeel - ten klon - zamiata ceną i jakością. Super że jesteś zadowolony!

Yes I was thinking about replacing them with something better in future anyway, something like solid silver in teflon. Could be shielded also. But at the moment I don't feel the urgent need if you know what I mean. It sounds so great!

@@k4syx Sorry, I confused the input cables with the LED wires....🤭

Thank you!

Speakers are tempting and I was thinking about them, but the shipping costs are crazy! Also, I think speakers are more delicate and I'm kinda afraid they'd get here broken. But I've read some very good opinions on both fake and some local brands speakers.

I think in time you may outgrow your Audiolab, D5Pro will be a good base for new system :)

Honestly there's little chance for that now as I'm earning exactly 0 USD here :) I'm reviewing the stuff I've bought while chasing my rabbits at the moment. But, maybe, in future? We'll see.

How's the top end and detail with these? What are you driving with them?

Yes that's what I was wondering too - if the build is ok. I wasn't really expecting to see it that good! There is a version with XLR and pre built in, but the shop told me that this one has best SQ due to simplest circuit. Maybe I will also look at some point at other offers for 1:1 clone (3x more expensive) with XLRs as this one is already a good indication that others may be even better

@@k4syxI saw a 1:1 clone and it was only 50% more expensive. It was around $750.

@@ccdccd8615 that's cheap! Any chance for link?

This is also beautiful dual mono setup, though no tone controls as this is pure power amp. You can still get it as it's really cheap and compare them - let the best one stay, sell the other one :)

I'm happy that you're happy :) No you don't need to change anything - it's solid state and just accepts bigger load and works with it :)

Logans are also hard to drive. I have ZA3 lined up for review, I don't see it as being contender for D5 Pro, but I am very curious about it. No serious listening session yet (no time yet) but I love engineering on this small amp - I'll cover that in my review!

@@k4syxLooking forward to the review. I couldn't stand it though and went ahead and ordered one.🤣 I do see now there is another version available with XLR and a slightly larger case for better heat dissipation but it would wind up costing almost $400 more as that seller charges way more for shipping than FunKenya. Was able to score a $50 coupon. $581 shipped for this one. Cant wait!

Same story. I was like that for two years and then Frank's video tipped the scales ;)

Hi! Before I bought my D5PRO I asked the seller for the advice on the sound quality, I was also wondering which clone will be the best. The recommendation was to get D5 but to make sure I will choose D5 Pro variant. I specifically asked about XLR version but Kevin from Funkenya pointed me towards D5 Pro, though XLR version is more expensive and would mean more margin for him. As for the impedance, as I wrote in one of another comments here, my Ascents drop to as low as 1.2 Ohm and the amp passes this test with flying colors retaining all openess and transparency in the treble. So - don't worry :) BTW quality AVRs handle 2Ohms with no problems - like my CA 751Rv2.

@@k4syx thank you very much for the answer! BTW I was thinking my Arcam 850 IS a quality amp, but I am proved wrong when operating my Sonics... ;-)

Well, more than plans actually as the review is ready, uploaded and scheduled for release!

@@k4syx Looking forward

I felt that itching for two years, it was time to scratch that place ;) I went for D5 Pro. Price difference is neglible and it really is better build.

Yes it's the Pro version, most of the sellers have it in offer but you have to choose it as an option (default is D5 with lower price). I think the producer is one company and there are just many shops selling these. There are versions with XLRs but they are 3 times more expensive and they are looking like real DartZeel

@@k4syx I couldn't find a D5 that offered XLR, so I ordered the D5 Pro from FunKenya HiFi Store who seems to be a good seller. I also ordered their "Accuphase C245 Preamplifier Fully Balanced Audiophile HIFI Preamplifier Remote Control High end Home Sound Amplifier 1:1 Clone" which appears to be actually manufactured by BRZHiFi who are pretty well known for producing good quality HiFi gear. Now the waiting game begins :)

Hi I have purchased the D9 addition it comes with both XLR and RCA

@@tatherton124 yes, I'm wondering how it compares to D5PRO. Shop that I got my D5PRO was recommending it over D9 for pure sound quality.

@@leeandrewclarke thanks for sharing, I love your review!

Hi! It warms up quickly, like in 10 minutes max. During initial burn in mine stayed on for 3 weeks in a row, so I guess you'll be fine (except for horrendous electricity bill and heat in the house)

@@k4syx Great. Thanks for replying so quickly.

Thank you! None at all actually: with electrostats I can hear the detail loss coming from placing pre between DAC and power amp. I've tried using pre a couple of times over the years, but I've always came back to simple DAC and power amp set.

@@k4syx that's interesting, but actually as per a rule of the thumb they say in the audiophile world less elements in the chain the better. How do you choose which seller to pick up from Ali? E.G the amp that you've featured is available in several shops with some minor differences in price.

@demart28 combination of the cheapest one with the biggest amount of positive feedback. A lot of guys from Germany had already bought this amp after Franks video

@@k4syx I'm in between the one above and the clone of FM Acoustics FM300A do you have any thoughts on the latter, Thanks?

Sorry, no :( I'd love to someday, if there will be funds, explore more of these clone amps - but we'll see about that in future. Right now I need to slow down, my wallet's gonna have a heart attack soon;)

Do you believer there was a 24 carats gold bar (over the capacitors )? What is the functions ? And gold is not a good conductor. Special glass material ? And still from silica materials? Wake up bro...That is a marketing jargon.

@@didioentoro7575 read products website.

Interesting, probably different batch of slow start circuits. I envy you a little because round means toroidal and that would be quieter and better than block one that I have ;)

It's class AB, Pro has slow start, more capacitance and additional pairs of transistors for more power.

Unfortunately I don't know input impedance value. As for preamp, depends on your sound signature preference. Hard to tell. I'm usually dropping pre because I can hear with my electrostats slight detail loss vs going straight from the dac. But YMMV. There are many people asking for pre reviews so I may have one in future

And that's actually a great idea, thank you! I am burning in one amp at then moment so making video on that will be fast and easy, and if it helps - win win situation:)

What are the impedance range that this amp can handle do you know? I can’t seem to find the info lol. Thanks!

@@dtoe07toer29 it can handle my electrostats fine and these go as low as 1.2Ohms in the treble region. A feat not many amps can do!

it has been 4 days and I tried to burn in for about 70+ hrs, i notice that the sound is a bit harsh and more treble/brighter than normal... do you experience it when you first got it? how did the sound change from the day you got it til after the burn in proccess is done for you? I just want to know what to expect hehe the sound wuality is clean and clear tho, dead quiet too when music is not playing!

@@dtoe07toer29 yes it was like that, just leave it playing for some more time (in my case there was almost no changes after 250h so that would be your finish line). Little treble spike during burning in (at the beginning usually) is quite common.

Yes this will be ok to drive them with 150W per channel. It's also very clean without colorization, no artificial warmness or dryness. I think you'll like it because of dynamics and amount of detail it can reproduce.

It's not that hot actually. It was like 51C on radiator fins when running 24/7 which is okayish, definitely not something that will give you burns. But it's a big, solid case and it WAS 150W when idle :)

@@k4syx My comment was based on one of the few customer reviews posted on this clone where I found it. Even at $18,000 original cost, getting a clone for $500 would be a fantastic deal. And you would expect an amp with a Class A bias to run a little hot and draw a lot of current while idle.

Thank you!

This is AB, forgot to mention that. It's different because they've retraced PCB to diagram, than added DC servo and removed crowbar and XLR/BNC inputs. And then designed board with new size and placement of elements. So this clone is not 1:1 copy as it f.e. adds additional transistor pairs for greater output power. Some reviews of original DartZeel mention that it's weak point may be bass control. Not with this clone :)

Thank you. It certainly draws a lot of power while idling! As much as a class A! When you mentioned it was approximately $500, I assume it was shipped to you in the US? I live in Canada; in US dollars, the amp with shipping will be quite a bit more than that 😢

@@foblivio @foblivio I'm EU based but a few times a year Ali has sales with some coupons. Small ones like 1 to 5 USD are disappearing momentarily, but big ones like 100usd (valid from some minimum amount) are easy to get. Most people buy socks, pens and other strange, cheap stuff there so I always try to get something nice. Anyway, coupons got me shipping covered for free basically.

I've read some threads about it in a few different places. In general owners absolutely love it, including a guy who had his in repairs for like ten months (a line of unfortunate events) but would still repeat the process because of sound quality of the clone. Maybe in time I will bite the bullet and get one, if my channel will create some funds :)

I have the clone with pot and one without pot. Both sound superb, using it with a cloneFM225…. Sound is superb, can post pics if you want

@@jean-pierrescherer8250 yes please! Can you take photos of pot version: how's the pot connected? Just after inputs?

None - in my experience pre causes loss of some fine detail from DAC. Over the years I've tried different preamps but it always ended the same way and I was going back to DAC volume control.

I think the Musical Paradise pre amp is a good match

@@sebastianlunoe it's on my radar for the second half of the year - it's quite expensive

I ordered the Musical Paradise pre with the standard Hovland caps which suit my setup very well. I also tried the Vcap Odams but there are too trebly for my setup. Very satisfied with the MP-701 and D5 Pro combo.

@@sebastianlunoe that's the preamp that the shop recommended as great pairing. It's on my bucket list once my wallet recovers from recent stroke

There was a time about 5 years ago when I had an opportunity to buy some exotic fuses very cheaply (one of local audio shops went bankrupt and they were selling everything with like 90prc discount). I've found two things: 1. It works, but only in DAC and _only_ when listened through my custom Stax setup (it's even more transparent and resolving than my Martin Logan) - the effect is _miniscule_ though repeatable - and 2. Custom fuses do not always work as specced - may burn a little earlier (costly but safe) or a bit later (COSTLY and COSTLY and dangerous). So all in all - not worth the effort IMHO. Though if you have a company you trust, you have some money to burn because why not, and you don't have any other way to improve your system in a more significant way - then sure, why not. The only place I have "exotic" fuses nowadays are my two Gustard DACs and the fuses are made by Gustard too.

Yes I'm closely following D class evolution too.

I don't know the input resistance, sorry - I can measure input resistance for you when I get back from short vacation now. I'm using it directly with DAC - Gustard has good volume control built in. In my experience adding pre always results in some detail loss, but may warm up the sound. This one doesn't need this warming - it's great as it is

@@k4syx Thanj you. My dac has no volume control but my streamer has a remote control volume. I might try it.

Hi! Thank you! I've added the link to the shop I got mine from in the description of the video - secure shipping with dhl or ups. There are two versions, regular D5 and a better D5 Pro that I've reviewed here.

@@k4syx I only see a few w/115 voltage. Is 110v ok for us use? Thanks so much. You do a fantastic job. I'll be broke in no time!

@@randynielsen9894 Thanks and same here - my wallet is constantly in ICU :) You'll be fine with 110V, these (as all equipment) do have some +/- voltage margins.

Thank you! Link added to the description - it's not a fake so linking to good store is fine

Hi Rob! It's using standard RCA connector so any RCA signal cable will do. Power is via standard IEC connector like in 99prc of audio equipment, so you'll be fine. There are no cables in the box however, you need to buy somey locally if you don't have anything unused around the house.

@@k4syx That's great! I have a very revealing system: Primare CD32, Topping D90 DAC, exposure XI+XII preamp, Exposure stereo VIII power amp, KEF Reference Three-Two with Townshend supertweeters. All anaolgue sgnal cables are Audioquest Earth, Speaker cables are Kimber Crystal 24 (like 12TC) Kimber power cables, dedicated power outlet. The exposure power amp is underpowered for the KEF speakers and I think I need more power and control. Otherwise I am very happy with the sound. Putting my speaker cables on risers made a surprising difference: faster attack and freer in the extreme high frequencies. I was considering two Fosi V3 monoblocks in Class D with two 10A power supplies but I think the character of the D5Pro will better suit my system. The exposure rolls off slowly around 100kHz so I think it will be a good match. All the best, Rob in Switzerland PS. congratulations on your great English - I found your sound review very nuanced!

@@RobWhittlestone Thank you again! I think you'll be happy with D5PRO, especially in a such great system!

@@k4syx Thank you so much! I have just realized that my speakers are rated at 4 Ohms and suited for amplifiers up to 300 W per channel so this seems a perfect match. I am hoping for more power and control in the bass which my Exposure VIII is a bit lacking with these speakers. I am looking forward to the palpable mid and also the extended highs which the KEF Reference Three-Twos with the Townshend supertweeters can easily reproduce. I'm glad I discovered your great channel! 🙂

​​​@@k4syxHi! I bought it and it arrived 2 weeks ago! I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT! It is an IMPROVEMENT on my 38 year old Exposure VIII stereo power amplifier which I think produced about 70W into 4 Ohms. I was not happy with the bass from my KEF Reference Two Three speakers because I think they are quite demanding (the back panel label says use amplifiers up to 300W into 4 Ohms) and the Exposure was a little weak. Now I can play tracks with very deep bass and can hear notes in my room certainly to 30 Hz more or less flat. The transparency is good and the -3dB rolloff at 300kHz is higher than the Exposure which is felt in transients and better imaging as well as much better depth information which was missing in my old Exposure. Remember my Kimber Crystal 24 speaker cable with WBT connectors is on 17cm cable risers which liberated the extreme top end and improved the sounds stage and transients. Thank you very much for your excellent video and your impressions which convinced me (with Frank's Werkstatt) to commit my pension money to a new amplifier! All the best and many happy hours of listening, greetings to Poland from Rob in Switzerland

It doesn't, but you can order 120V version from the store

Ahhh of course, that's not a fake so linking is fine, I've added the link to the description. And yes that's one thing I forgot to mention: the case, toroidal transformer and caps alone are already worth more than price for complete build here in Europe! That's why I've asked them how's that even possible

No, it doesn't. Old school without any additional sensing circuits.

Until recently in one of my systems I had Audiolab M-PWR power amplifier. It wasn't TOTL, but there was nothing to compare anyway. This is different league, it's better than my balanced driven twin Cambridge Audio Azur 851W in mono mode.

Yes, I think so, but this one is pure power amp with only one set of single ended inputs, remember about that.

@@k4syx I can put multiple inpus on the external DAC and just use this as a pure Amp. That should do the trick. I hope I understood correctly what you are trying to say.

@@tango_gru Yes exactly, that's what I meant :)

@@user-wp1ir3et2u 150W per channel in 8 ohms, according to the manufacturer info it's using MJL3281A/MJL1302A and 15032/15033 transistors

Yes this clone (D5Pro) has additional caps and transistor pairs compared to standard version (D5). Also, PCBs are optimized for this particular case.

@@k4syx I guess you missed my query. I noticed another dartzeel clone with lesser but bigger caps on Ali express that looks close to the original one. That one is around 1200 and has the external chassis look also similar to the original one as well as the internal circuit.

@@tango_gru yes there are a few of them, these more similar are more expensive, the most expensive are 1:1 (including chassis, XLR and BNC inputs). I have no experience with them though - cant tell you anything useful about sound quality.

These are better than class D. I'm following developments in class D because there's a lot of things going on, quite rapidly. But it's still not comparable in SQ to such beasts. Yes, class D will use less current (way less current) and it's great for the money, but soundwise this is better. I had no idea that there are multichannel clones, seems like good idea (vs stacking 3 D5PROs one on top of another :))

There is still a video of the V6i and V8i from 1 year ago from Christian Schwarzbeck that shows the insides of the amps. I guess you can still buy these. I paid 1200 euro for the V8i 10+ years ago but i see the V6i is 1500 euro nowadays so it has gone up in price wich is reasonable. Dussun D9 you can use as a stereo amp but you need a surround processor for the other channels. Correct me if i'm wrong it is to long ago.

I just saw a video of the D9 with Linn Espec speakers. I realise for a home theatre you only need a surround processor like an Emotiva or a receiver that has the outputs to do so and have a multichannel setup that rivals the best sound for compared to the best commercial home theatre receivers that are out today and do stereo better then these.

@@GentielioGaming that's good idea, getting three of them would give better quality for less money than f.e. my Azur 751Rv2

@@AswinLai we will see. I need to rebuild my budget :)

It was really good, that's why I went for burn-in. If something sounds bad right out of the box I'm either retuning it or selling, burn-in can refine things but never changes the overall signature much.

Thanks ;)

Yes I've seen them there and that got me wondering. I went for it anyway because cap replacement with these boards is very easy so in time when I will feel the itch I can get something better locally (maybe even a bit higher capacity) and have fun replacing them :)

I would take a close look at transistors tbh, wonder how many of industry favourites, no longer manufactured for decades, miraculously found their way there. Im not saying the Chinese cannot make proper stuff, they can and do, but knock off is usually just that, a knock off.

@@paulb4661 I think Frank in his vid mentions that he checked them and found to be real. These are not some unique Sankens which reminds me that I was going to write them down and post that in description here

@@k4syx With these caps on board, I wouldn't be surprised, if transistors were just as genuine. They may not try to pass for Sanyos you mention, but whoever's behind the enterprise, cannot possibly run the assembly at a loss.

@paulb4661 they don't - I've asked about this and they said that businesses that are producing electronic devices for export are subsidied by the state. Which is worrying in the long run for various reasons. But this price is impossible even just for a case with toroidal transformer of that quality, not mentioning pcbs, all other parts and labour. And Omrons there are original, WIMAs are real (I'm using them locally TME or Mouser sourced so I can compare). Without subsidies explaining this that's just impossible. When I was deciding on purchase the final argument for me was that even if every single electronic part there was fake, it would still be a good deal for me even if I would have to replace all of them ;) I'll check the transistor types and add that to the description when I'll get home around Friday

Thank you! Just leave it playing some music for 200-300h. I know, that's like 3 weeks. Turn the speakers so they will face reach other (close, it's ok if they touch each other) and connect one out of phase (red to black black to red) and second one in phase (red to red black to black). This way they'll play quieter with the same volume level. Or just leave them connected normally and playing with normal volume of your house is large enough :) You don't have to listen to them during that time. It's even better if you don't. Come back every 2-3 day to listen to some chosen song to you know and love and you'll hear the changes the burn in makes. They are small, but noticeable.

thank you! I hace newborn so I dont think I can leave it on for that long... is it the same if I just keep playing from time to time and will it be burnt in evebtually when the total hours add up? and you think this will last a long time? it's not made by big company so I would think quality control is not as good...

@@dtoe07toer29 @dtoe07toer29 you'll be perfectly fine and safe, burning in just by listening will work as well but will take ages. Suppose you'd listen to it for 2h every day, that gives 60 hours per month, that gives 300h after 5 months. If you'd do that every other day than you have 10 months. You'll be fine but it will take ages :)

uhm... 5 months not too bad haha but damn I just realize the amp does not have a volume! so doesn't my DAC... you think any decently cheap volume module like the Schiit would not kill the quality?

@@dtoe07toer29 some kind of passive preamp or maybe your source has volume control? Like your streamer maybe or PC (which is source iny case)?

That would be only D class amps. Tube, class A, class AB, class XD (Cambridge Audio) - all run warm. I'd say class AB isnt that bad, compared to class A or tubes :)

​@@k4syxAny specific AB replica amp you deem worthy? Thanks for the reply.

@@HotSause look at the review of the DartZeel clone I've posted a few weeks ago. Highly recommended, amazing amp!

I've added the link in the description of the video

Funkenya - I've linked them in the description

@@k4syx they actually have three in their store. I'm trying to find a difference, but cant find one highlighted. One does say upgrades, didn't indicate what was upgraded.

@@kevinusta7534 look for the one that has D5 Pro as an option to choose. This is upgraded meaning + slow start, additional capacitance, additional pairs of transistors (more output power)

Dead silent black background.

Thanks. The hum more or less disappeared when I swapped my Nordost Blue Heaven flat signal cable for a true shielded VdH signal cable between the pre amp and the DartZeel power amp. It’s very fussy in this regard.

Thank you. My experience with class D is TPA 31/32 series and Infineon Merus chips. They are cool and can be described as a bit "dry" sounding. This one is better. Though I haven't heard hypex modules or TOTL implementations like Wadia stuff..

What car would you buy? : a Fiat 500 1.0 with Turbo and 200 HP or a BMW 6 Cilinder 2.5 and 200 HP eg

Thank you! It beats all D class amps I've heard so far, but these were usually TPA3255, 3252, MA12070 implementations. I'm yet to hear something from hypex for example. Having said that D class is great for the price. But this one even with such ridiculously low price is 4-5 times more expensive so it's not fair comparison.

@@mattmiller4978 Hi! So, that's a good question. After these tests, all preamps add some 3d to scene and some body to the sound (like this phrase that there is more meat on the bones). But there is slightest loss of detail that I can catch with my Martin Logans. But not with any other speakers I have home. So now we have question: what's better, what kind of sound do you prefer? And there is a factor of usability: if you need more inputs than you don't have really choice right?

@@k4syx Thanks. For me this means I can save for the pre and go for the amp. Single source steamer is all I need. I have an AVR and a bunch of class D amps. Excited to hear what a well designed class AB sounds like. Now which one! Can't wait for the 300a review!

Yes you can use digital volume control from streamer or DAC (when possible) and you'll be fine. I haven't heard this particular version: two transformers in theory should give 100% dual mono setup but final sound quality depends also o quality of other parts, PCB design etc. If that's DartZeel clone, then circuit should be fine, so just look for quality of parts used

I have the Ares. You do need preamp or dac with volume,othewise you risk your speakers.

@@aleksandarstojceski3139 yes you need something that will control the volume

Hi! Well you'll need something to control volume. If Ares doesn't do that, and your streamer does, you'll be fine as long as you'll always be sure it's not booting up with max volume. But you can try that before you'll purchase anything else. Two toroids for two channels sounds good, but I don't know which clone exactly you have on your mind :)

@@k4syx is this amp really 300w? Thr original was 100w i think.

I was too, but I went for it anyway as decided that I can replace them easily if I won't like the voicing of the amp and the price is insane (in EU that would be for case and toroidal transformer alone)

Hi! Thanks! The law says that for the value above 150Eur the customs and VAT are added in the delivery country. In my case this was very small fee like 20USD for the Musical Fidelity Clone and ~35 for DartZeel. But in Greece this can be totally different...

@@k4syx I guess you knew the cost before ordering the unit by contacting customs offices or they informed you when it arrived? Thanks in advance!

@@subcoded no, I did not, here the value is assessed by customs based on invoice attached or if the value there seems to be lower than real via "expert assessment". This means that it's not always easy to foresee the exact value.

@@k4syx Oh! IC! I hope the "expert" is not an expert ta all 😂... i'll pull the trigger and i wish myself good luck 😶

@@kenwk2283 its very powerful, mine is 39-42C at the fins

Last night Ali started sale and you can use code for 50euro to lower the price (CDPU50 as I can see in my app). I wonder if they will raise the price when they'll see more orders.

None, my DAC has great volume control (Gustard X26 Pro)

None at all. That's ready to use device.

That's the same link, you're choosing the variant before placing order in your shopping cart.

@@k4syx My bad...

@@wonganglai370 no problem, cheers!

If the patents expired too, probably

Well its not a 1:1 clone down to every single bit (though you can get these as well). This is cloned and then repurposed a bit and yes, the original or 1:1 clone will sound better - surely! But this one is great for what it is and for the price is simply amazing. Having bought this one, I am tempted to get 1:1 replica - right down to shape of plates conducting cap terminals. But I need my wallet to recover as I got A LOT of stuff lately :)

@@k4syx How much are the 1:1 clone? Link?

@@k4syx How can you tell on Aliexpress which one is 1:1 clone of Dartzeel? I was going to buy some of those Fosi ZA monos or Aiyama, but how does class D compare to Dartzeel clone?

@@JRadian DartZeel clone will be better, but way more expensive especially if you're looking for 1:1 clone. You can recognize them because they are called replicas, they look like the DartZeel (along with red eyes etc), they have top cover made of glass and internals look exactly like DartZeel original - you can find photos of original to compare

@@k4syx I just saw your review of Musical Fidelity clone. I need very little power because I will be powering my 110dB horns from 1kHz and up only. Just need few awesome watts.

Me too. This however is a very focused build with two mono amps only. As a interesting fact: original, 50kUSD DartZeel also lacks 12v triggers :(

This one doesn't have XLRs. 1:1 clones have it, as well as BNCs, but these are different devices about 3 to 4 times more expensive fro from what I've seen.

Actually the maker of this amp does offer a version with xlr inputs which they call it the "Master" series but the internals are the same setup and housed in a slightly bigger case (450mm vs 430mm width). They seems to be only available in their Chinese Taobao site and is costing around usd100 more. They call it D9 .

Thank you for this info ​@@user-dapeng661!

go through other comments ... you will find the answer

None, my DAC has great volume control (Gustard X26 Pro)

And that's the one I cannot answer :) I'd have to have both of them side by side :)

That's a tricky one so let's answer the simple one first. Yes, cancel the order, get this one and thank me later. Now to the hard part. DartZeel or MF A1 clone. The proper answer for me is both. MF A1 won't be able to drive my electrostats (it's just 20W per channel), so DartZeel for these. But my Motion 35XTi are not so difficult load and although DartZeel is splendid, that little MF clone does wonders to mids, vocals that's like liquid gold. So for me, both of them. But if you have just one pair of speakers you can choose one that matches them better. What's your setup? What kind of speakers do you have?

@@k4syx thanks for the reply. i have a pair of jbl 250ti jubilee. i don't think they're too difficult to drive, 8 ohm nominal but in my experience they prefer more juice for the best bass control. so i guess the d5pro is the way to go then. i actually have the naim clone bought from the same aliexpress store, it is decent but not great. i think my other class d amp sound better (topping pa5) in every single way other than tonality.

@@nabildanial00 these beasts need almost as much juice as my Logans! Go for D5PRO, MF will be too weak to drive them with ease..

@@k4syx haha i inherit them from my grandad but i don't listen to them loud coz i live in an apartment. tbh they're way too big for my place but they sound wonderful even with puny amps like the topping. never had a chance to drive them with real amps, so d5pro it is then.

@@nabildanial00 beware, there's a chance that you'll hear them together and move them to your apartment as a result :D

Hi Ilan! That's a good idea, it would also be useful to have info on exact voltage in the area. Mine: 240V (237V measured)/50Hz and dead silent, no humming.

No hum here . ( I have the same amp )

​@@qwerty123860 Thanks

@@ilanspiro1645 No hum here if I turn my system on and off in the correct order.If not then I get a hum. Remember when turning on its source first, amp last. When shutting down its amp first.

Thanks for sharing. Actually I'm very aware with the order of turning on/off of my system. Unfortunately, my unit has a constant hum from the get go..makes me crazyyy :(

Yes it's like 150W idling and up to 170W when playing with my volume level - on highly efficient electrostats

@@k4syx thanks! That is substantial (at least for an amp that runs for hours and hours a day, not so much if it is only used more selectively.)

@@sebastian_harnisch yes, the burn in process will make a dent on my electricity bill ;) However at the moment I'm burning in tube amp that uses 200W minimum, having 2x40W output max.

Nope. Just regular plain stereo ;)

Store link is in the video description :)

@@k4syx I dont like Aliexpress, I already looked online and there's a lot of them on there. Had a bad experience with a bad product and got zero support from Ali to get a refund and never got a refund and got stuck with a broken product. Another time the item was never delivered and I did not get a refund even after telling the seller and ali the product has not arrived and even tracking showed the product has not arrived. They just kept saying keep waiting even 2 months after the product was supposed to be delivered. Only fortunate thing is they were both "cheap" products price wise.

With flying colors. My Ascents I drop to 1.2Ohm in treble region and because of that are a difficult load. But this baby handles that without a sweat

@@k4syx Great news , Thanks :)

This and FM255. Both on my radar :)

@@k4syx there is a review on RU-vid about fm300a. It is reviewers' end game. Everybody's end game is different

Yes that's AB

Everyone asks about that :) None, as I've learned over the years that every single pre I was using, regardless of price range, was cutting some fine detail from DAC output (and you can hear that with electrostats) so I've settled with volume regulated by DAC.

@@k4syx Thank you for the reply. Great review. I never believed in cloned products until I watched your video. Thank you for exploring the clones. I am planning to buy one.

No, I'm recording these with my phone (believe it or not) so the sound especially after YT compression would be crapfest. Trust me I've tried :) Maybe I'll buy some good microphone at some point in time, I was thinking about using it with REW to asses some stuff I've built.

It was ok, as long as Im staying away from caps or pcb. But yes I should give any ideas about that :)

Actually, none. I've found over the years that every pre was cutting some fine detail from my tunes. Yes, it's convenient to have remote and more inputs, but I could hear loss in SQ.

@k4syx my lumin u1 mini had volume control and goes to my dac so I'm assuming I could use my streamer as a preamp amp what do you think? Also I'm considering on buying the dartzeel amplifier you reviewed but after looking I noticed they have other dartzeel amplifiers do you think the more expensive ones would be even better in performance, considering your experience on buying through Ali express items?

​@@shannonwilliams6623yes that will work just fine. More expensive versions can be better, which one you're talking about?

@@k4syx I'm curious about the D5 Pro preamp/power amplifier (integrated amp) that the vendor offers. Just a little more money, but a little less power too. I don't need the power, but the added flexibility would be good if the sound is at the same level. Also, do you recommend the fake AQ Silver Cloud PC for this use, with or without the DBS?

@@andrewstaub2132 Silver Cloud is a great choice here. I was also wondering about version with pre built in, making this effectively integrated amp, but I've decided to get and evaluate one that is pure power amp to be able to compare it with my current power amps. So I don't have anything useful on the SQ of that version with pre :(

I've asked the same question. They've told me that all businesses that are working on electronic devices are getting government funding as this builds the knowledge expertise. In the long run, EU and US may loose technical advantages if we won't do something similar. But that's another subject, for another video..

That's excellent question I hope to answer one day! FM300A is on my bucket list!

Yes XLR is not very popular. It somewhat complicates the signal path circuit. If your DAC has only XLRs that's no problem because you can use RCA adapters that use just + and zero signals giving you regular line out. Conversion this way is simple, you just take 2 of 3 signal lines. The other way around, from single ended to XLR - that's difficult. Just get 2 XLR to RCA adapters, these are cheap and you'll be perfectly fine!

@@k4syx there is a D9 version with XLR input which is based on the D5 pro

@@Littlesloths yes look at my other answer to your second comment :)

No, sorry. Maybe in some point in time if my budget will allow some "test only" purchases.

@@k4syx i heard from the german youtuber is very good amp

@@MasterofPlay7 would that be Frank that also reviewed this D5Pro?

@@k4syx the iam mad guy

@MasterofPlay7 ah, ok & thx will watch that one!

Yes in a way its simpler, I would prefer it to have XLRs as all my gear is balanced. I was asking the shop about D9 that has XLRs but they said that for pure SQ D5Pro is better (though cheaper).

Yes, it's not a 1:1 copy