I have heard from a few reviewers that the dh-120 is the least desirable and worst sounding amp of the whole hafler lineup. A few have also commented that there is some detectable graininess or grunge.
Well, i have not heard the xl or transnova series, but i can say that this one that i have sounds as good or better than the dh-200s i have had. I hear very little grain which i am assuming would be a character heard in the mid and upper frequencies. I find the sound dynamic powerful and engaging aside from being very accurate, balanced, and musical.
This using redbook cd and a cheap passive preamp with a good player and klipsch fortes. So, i guess what gets me is that the babies of certain lines like nad, adcom, rotel among others have all been touted as having a sweeter and more musical sound so i was assuming the 120 may have been an exception. I am here to say i disagree. The 40 to 60 watt range in amps of old i have heard time and time again are the sweet spot for sound. Let us not forget about weaklings like the lowly nad 3020, advent 300, and the countless low powered sweeties from the pioneer sx line and marantz 22xx. So cheers to the great Mr Hafler for this economical entry. I agree that simple is always better and this amp would probably benefit from a bypass of the volume pots and the ambient revovery switching, but as it is, and granted this one is still near factory spec 30+ years later, it sounds as good as the adcom 535 always considered the best sounding of that lineup. Do yourself a favor and for 100 bucks grab one and try to imagine what modern piece of overhyped class d paperweight of an amp will not be in a landfill by 2045.
