REVIEW: Decware Super Zen Triode Amp, lifetime warranty, great sound, US made, $995
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- The Decware Super Zen Triode pumps out 2.3 watts -- per channel -- and the sound blew me away!
More info here, www.decware.co...
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This manufacturer makes a wide range of amps with a similar design but with different prices and power output. I would find their $2500 20-watt per channel amp a much more appealing option.
I have both the Decware Zen reviewed here and the 20wpc Torii Jr. The little Zen is a better amp in my opinion. Though you've got to have appropriate speakers for 2wpc.
@@alexrisch4774 wow that is really interesting because I was thinking about getting one of the larger models. How is the Zen better?
Better resolution in a word. More music less kit.
@@markbourcier1980 Hey Mark.. Check out glowinthedarkaudio.com Kevin, who's site it is has done extensive comparative listening ... He really likes the SE84UFO and considers it one of the best amps in production.
I wonder how the Torii monos , 60watt, performs.
Thank you for directing me towards this rabbit hole Steve. I ordered my basic 'old school' amplifier yesterday. Sarah emailed me & among other things enlightened me that the current wait is ~3 1/2 yrs. Holy Moly! Nonetheless, I do have a pair of Klipsch RP-600M II's waiting with bated breath.
Eric! Well I can say is, wow! Thanks for watching.
Hi, I'm from Australia and I have had Steve's Zen TorII Mono amp driving Wilson Audio Sophia series 2 speakers. What can I say; they were incredible straight out of the box, and they still are.
As a DJ i had 500 and 1000 watt amps. Loud is not better! I have a 75 watt Luxman 309 now and i use it at a quarter of that i think, ....best i ever had. Dj days are over and these days i sit back and listen to all the tunes i collected over 40 years. Thanks Steve...always love your insights.
Once again, you nailed it. Very accurate and appropriate review in all respects. If you want the ultimate budget audiophile experience, in my opinion, try building your own open-baffle speakers and combine it with the little Decware amps. Late night easy listening bliss. For most of my stuff, I am working with speakers that really need more potency due partly to the crossover and the low sensitivity (Amphion Two18), but I love the whole Decware thing. Also, Steve Deckard is the real deal and a total gentleman to boot!
This was the one I have been waiting for and you did not disappoint. I have heard nothing but great things about Decware. In fact, I called Steve Deckert a few weeks ago and had an interesting conversation with him. When I was telling him of my previous experiences with my gear how I always ended up turning everything up louder and louder because I wanted to hear more detail, he told me that a lot of people do that and they don't usually need/want to hear it louder so much as they want to hear the detail.
Indeed...
I feel lucky I Found Decware about 7 years ago. Saved me $1,000s. Good group of people on the forums as well. Decfest in October is a great time if you can ever make it there. That's how I came to buy my first Decware amp. At one time, I had 4. Now down to two: the 25th anniversary Zen and the Rachael. I run them with sensitive open baffle speakers and I'm transported each time. Thanks for giving Steve Deckert some exposure Steve. He deserves it.
Pishaw, what do you know. ;) Glad to call you and all my Decware audiophile folks friends. What a great amp and a great group of people.
Tom, I’m thinking of getting either the original 2 watt Zen vs the 6 watt Rachael. What is your opinion on the difference. I do most of my listening
I have a vintage ten watt tube that blows my mind every time I listen .
S...I told ya. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I've used this amp with stuff like the Spendor 3/1 playing Zep and it's fine for me. I'm 61, so not looking to shake the walls. Having written this, even when I was a kid, I never felt the need to listen at ear-bleed levels.
would my Spendor A6R, 88db eff, requiring 25 watts min, still work with the Decware Zen 2.3 watt/ch nonetheless suffice? I never "rock out". I play mostly classical CDs at low levels.
I would love to hear about a review on the Decware Phono Stage. If anyone has one of these that would be great to read your opinion.
With the right speakers, 2-3w SET is magic.
I run my zkit2 with Klipsch RP 600m. I also built his zstage as a simple pre amp. I enjoy this combination every day. I have run a wide variety of speakers through this amp. Amazing what you can drive if you forget about numbers. Steve puts his designs “out there” which is great for the DIY community. I did not expect the quality of sound with a home brew. Great review, great product.
hi Bob im thinking of pairing this amp with the rp600's for medium listening levels, would you recommend?
Sparkplug spark you will have plenty of volume. This is likely a much better amp than my home built version in terms of quality. 2 clean watts will drive an astounding array of speakers to reasonable levels. The klipsch will get plenty loud. They are amazing value and quality imo.
@@BobCvideos thanks
I recall when I was in a band back in the 60's... The band amps were left in my basement after rehearsal. I would hook up the speaker bottoms to my General Electric portable record player that had two side fold-out speakers. When playing straight to the guitar speakers I remember being quite impressed with what I heard. I remember listening to a Rolling Stones song and feeling the hall reverberations and deep bass. That portable record player probably put out "maybe" two watts. It all depends upon the speakers. I am sure that on the right kind of speakers this amp should sound very "satisfying." "Satisfying" is an elusive quality that can not be measured for.
As an amp builder, here's my 2 cents. A caveat is that I've never heard this particular amp, but I am familiar with amps of similar designs. First off, the build quality here is quite acceptable for the price were talking about. EL84 based circuits, single-ended or push-pull almost always sound great unless you get something really wrong with your amp. It's an inherently good sounding tube. To me, the obvious cost savings in this amp are the output transformers. They're tiny.
This amp is very reminiscent to me of the amps you often found in Magnavox console stereos of the 60s, which also have quite a following and an interesting sound. Those tended not to be triode connected and often put out 6-7 watts though.
So is 2.3 watts enough? Not for me. I own both efficient and inefficient speakers, and even with the efficient ones, say 93db or so, I want at least 20 watts. I've owned LaScalas and even with those 2.3 watts would leave me wanting more headroom and dynamic range, and not running the amp so near to its limit where distortion increases audibly. I think $995 is a great price for an EL-84 based amp, but I'd want to see it with bigger iron and I'd want it in push-pull.
Just remember that every 3db increase requires a doubling of power. an 80w amp is only going to be 15db louder than a 2.3 watt amp. But just having 20 watts instead of 2.3 gets you 9db more. The difference in output is much greater when you're comparing very low power levels.
For comparison, I just took ownership of a Dennis Had Inspire amp rated at 11wpc with KT88 tubes. Pushing my 98db efficient Tekton Moabs today in an audition for my wife, she asked me why I was playing it louder than usual. The thing fills the smallish (14.5x12') room quite fully. I am out around 3 o'clock on the volume dial when I have things loud, and I don't stay there for long, because I end up losing my ears fairly quickly, in the sense that they just don't function as well for as long with such potent output. This is to say, I have room to go on the dial, but I doubt I will ever use it for more than a few seconds...
Your preferences are totally valid. However, it is unfair to speak about the Decware amp without having heard it, regardless of how similar it may be to others you have heard. My understanding is that the transformer may be small but it's design is one of the things that makes the Decware amp unique and more powerful than one might expect.
those can also be set as mono blocks. It would be nice to see you do a review with that configuration
Ilove tube amp design with 0(zero) feedback...the sound is amazing.. 😌
My journey went from levinson 33H to Deckware 2.7 watt se84ufo3 mono. What a difference (for the better)
I lived in Peoria for 35 years, met my wife there. Decware are legendary in the area. Would love to own one some day.
grew up in rockford, I would love to own this also
Have owned Decware for a number of years, wired two of these Zens to run as mono-blocks. Used to have both 205A and 318B Almarro amps, but more than pleased with my Decware amps and no intention to replace.
Damn! I think this could be the amp I've been looking for. Many Thanks and Kind Regards👍😊
He's good salesman isn't he?
With cryo-treated Jupiter Beeswax film capacitors, you can't go wrong.
i love theses videos and i wish i could afford theses amps but thanks fore the videos
i built my amp in a mcmartin ma10 chassis out of scraps with 4 Electro-Harmonix tubes 2 6v6gt and 2 12ax7
i don't remember where i was going with this
I just love to watch your channel and reviews like this one. Very informative and always engaging. Keep up the good work!
Ive found that Valve amps make the music hug you with richness and solid state is more forceful, valve is such a pleasure to listen to "relaxed music" and solid state for fast heavy music (my personal feeling not everyone's experience)
Oh man! Ive been waiting for this review. I love my decware gear including this amp. Mine is paired with decwares csp3 preamp and a pair of coral flat 10s. Its hard to beat! I would recomend the review over at glow in the dark audio for tube suggestions. Thanks Steve! That is one hell of a shirt!
Own these in monoblock version (6wpc). Had them for over 10 years and bought them used. No issues whatsoever. Replaced all tubes recently but there was still life left in original tubes. Beautiful sounding amplifiers. Bias switch on my amp boosts low frequencies which is quite useful for low listening levels during the evenings. Using them with Cornwalls 4 and previously with Zu Omens. Good match for both speakers. 6wpc gets my Cornwalls into 95db territory with ease. Omens a little bit less so. They do respond to tube rolling so sound can be easily tailored to your listening taste/preferences. I would rate them 8.5-9.0 on scale 1-10. Are there better amps out there? Sure. But be prepared to pay more. In that price range there might be few out there but good luck finding those gems as those are probably hand build by other tube amp enthusiasts or boutique/underground brands. Chi-Fi is an alternative but there are obvious issues by going that route. Do yourself a favor and give Decware amps a listen. You might discover something special for relatively fair price and awesome customer service as well as top notch build quality.
Thanks for your input, I have a set of Heresy IVs and was wondering how they might pair. I don't listen at concert levels either but I feel like 5 to ten watts would be more adequate. Maybe I'm wrong!
I'm in awe of an amplifier design like this especially the point-to-point wiring. I get the sense of the designers "caring" to me.
I would rather get 75 watts for less than triple the price www.musicdirect.com/power-amp/Bob-Carver-275-Stereo-Tube-Amplifier more info www.bobcarvercorp.com/copy-of-crimson-raven
For up to 3 grand a pop they better!
One can use Bi-Amping to boost the performance of the system.
Low bass notes require more power and control. So use a solid state amp for bass driver and use the Decware for the mid and highs.
I use a pass labs F5 clone to power the 15 inch woofers and a small 6BQ5 amp to power a full range driver.
My system will keep evolving but I think that Bi-Amping is the way to go, for me.
Minimum components and NO negative feedback, says it all!
It is from Peoria IL, about an hour away from me! Very interesting. Mid 80's DB listening level is nothing to sneeze at, that is where you start to hear the full range of sound, less than that your ears can't hear the very low and very high frequencies.
I've tried a couple ChiFi amps from Amazon but returned them as the build quality was poor... like really noticeable! I never heard of Decware until I viewed this video. So after considerable thought and reviewing the Decware website, I just ordered one this morning :). The only downside is the lead time which looks to be about 3 months. They have a very detailed Amplifier Wait List spreadsheet which has customers from mid April to mid May currently being worked on. I'm cool with that. Hopefully this will meet my needs as I have a small room with a set of the RP-600m's and I don't need loud. Had enough of that attending rock concerts in the 70s!. Thank you Steve for bringing Decware to my attention! Bravo!
Yeah that build que is a thing of anxiety.
This amplifier really shakes my house! I can't believe it's only 2 watts!
what speakers is it powering?
do you run a cd player w/o a preamp into it?
@@sparkplugspark5987 Im using KLH Kendall floor standing speakers. They have 96db sensitivity.
@@rd264 I recommend cd transport going to DAC then preamp to this amp. Or turntable going to phono preamp then this amp.
I'm surprised that the previously recommended Zu Omen II DW's were not mentioned as a pairing as well.
I purchased my Zu's in April, 2019 and my SE84UFO in December. ..combined, they are a synergistic pairing that is pure magic.
I've replaced the stock 274B tube rectifier with initially an RCA 274B NOS from 1955 and more recently with a Majestic Globe 80 from the '20's! Micro-detailed, 3D Holographic, Acoustic Mass and Dynamic Nuance... this combination allows the signal to breath unlike any system I've owned or heard in a home audio setting... closest I've ever gotten to "true to life" sound in my home. The SE84UFO lends itself to tube rolling.
I think burn in is necessary and the stock tubes are fine but eventually you'll want to discover what the older tubes can do to improve performance.
Steve Deckert is one of the nicest guys you'd ever get to talk with in the audio industry and I'm glad to see he's getting some recognition for the SE84UFO and his other products. He along with others like Sean Casey at Zu, have taken technologies developed before WWII and demonstrated how not only viable but sonically superior they are if true to life sound is what you're after
Which el84 tubes have you tried that you prefer?
I had a pair of zu souls that were also a great match.
Did the 80 globe require an adaptor? What kind and where could i get one?
@@tomy2988 Hey Tony.. I haven't swapped out EL84's yet. The stock are a specialty tube use I believe in TV and sound really good. The input tube is next .. will try to find a 6DJ8 NOS. THE guy who's done extensive research is Kevin at his own site: Glow in The Dark Audio. .. his info on many different single ended camps, tube swapping and speakers will save you a lot of time and expense(glowinthedarkaudio.com)
@@gregorypatton360 The full range drivers really work synergistically with single ended amplification. These designs were made for each other and perfected with the materials available back then. With the modern approach of Sean Casey .. modern materials, etc. they really are shown to be superior. The full range driver allows the sound to arrive at your ear naturally the way sound would when performed live. They do all things well .. spatial cues, dynamics, frequency range, timbre whereas acoustic suspension speakers will only do 1 or 2 things well plus cost far more to power and operate.
Thanks Steve for the review. I own this amp and love it. I am pairing it with a pair of Zu Omen DW, and the combination sounds superb. Can you recommend a pre-amp that would integrate well with this combo?
Don't mean to rain on the parade, but I think this amp might be good for desktop or very nearfield listening, but not for a normal size room. I ordered a 6.5 watt Decware Rachel & I paired it with several efficient speakers, including Klipsch Heresy III's & it was weak, even in my small 12x13 room. I love the look of Decware stuff, and USA made, but for the money I expected more.
Sounds like you are more interested in quantity than quality. My 6 watts is plenty loud for normal (non-party) listening.
You're absolutely right. I've tried the decware amps on many horn speakers of high impedence and very high sensitivity. They sound terrible compared to something like the asl tulip or a low powered pair of Quicksilvers. I have no idea of what people hear in these amps. I have heard a lot of 3 to 25 watt amps sound way better. I had a listening panel of 6 people and all picked the decware dead last while blindfolded.
There is neither quality or quanity in these amps. If you heard a properly designed low power tube amp you'd soon hear how deficient these amps are. I'm sure the designer is a very nice person but the gear is very flawed. btw forget klipsch. The whole heritage series is a difficult load. They all drop to 4 ohms between 100 and 300 ohms. This is the middle c on the piano. There's a lot of music there. The klipsch are very good but you need an amp stable into a 4 ohm load
I have been following Decware for about 20 years. I never dove in to purchase anything because I got hooked on HT 5.1 and haven't gone back. Though..... I have a new Theater room which I could also incorporate a great stereo listening area and an amp with the right speakers would be awesome.
Great video. I would like to have your advise on which model to chose among UFO, UFO2 and SE34I.6 I have a pair of speakers Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G rated 90.5 db. I know UFO and UFO2 are quite similar but for the meters and the look. Is that difference worth the 500 usd difference in price? Otherwise the SE34I.6 is 6w instead of 2.3w Would it work better with my speakers? Would you think the sound quality is similar amongst all these amps? Thanks a lot. How would you compare these amps to the Willsenton R8 and r800i?
Excellent value, service, quality for your money. Steve and his crew still run a family business w/quality and personal care backing every single product.
I wish I had a pair of Von Schweikert DB100 speakers; these super sensitive speakers would allow me to listen to cool amps like this tube amp. 100 dB sensitivity, and 2 watts of power would get it done.
Life is good with tubes! I have enjoyed my Zen Triode for the last 8 yrs.
As a boutique tube amp designer myself I am astounded by this product.
The shot of the internals shows a messy point to point with no cable dress whatsoever and ample quantities of hot glue used
The switches on the top are not labelled at all and are apparently haphazardly placed. Even the tag washer is still there - tag facing outward - instead of a flat washer.
Sloppy is the word I'd use.
The parts used are not special at all, the 6N1 preamp tube can be acquired for around $1 and the 6P14P around $10 (granted, they've used the -EV version)
I'd say there's maybe $150 of parts in this amplifier at the outside. The connectors, switches, sockets, internal wiring and internal components are Radio-Shack rather than audiophile grade.
@bert smith checkout English Acoustics (search Facebook) Adam works with those guys. They make really nice amplifiers, hand made in England. No hot glue, custom chassis including billet machine designs and just about every possible part that can be is made in the west, including the finest audio transformers from England.
I tell people all the time I doubt I use more than a watt very often.
I dont see how 2 watts would be sufficient except for all but the lowest listening volumes. Keep in mind that the average and instantaneous power are quite different, and this amp is comparable to what you get in your smartphone for driving the built-in speakers/headphones. While you may only use a few watts on "average", the instantaneous power can be much higher. I have a 18W RMS/channel amp that I built with a max of about 25-30W/channel and I would consider that to be the bare-minimum for acceptable loudspeaker power. 2W RMS might work but only with very large drivers that don't need much displacement, and present a minimum of dynamic impedance to make the most of the available voltage swing. It would, however, be very good for headphones, provided its quiet, but the hum/noise specs look so-so.
@@mysock351C comparing this amp to the output from a "smartphone" is crazy, this is class A not some cheap output stage, check out Audio Note, they've been making low power valve amps for years, I had a demo of one playing some "hard rock" at reasonable volume, only found out after that the amp used had an output of 5 wpch which sort of voids your 25-30 watts "minimum" recommendation.
@@markrowe8824 Yes but the peak power will be very much different if you listen at anything with reasonable volume or classical music with a very large dynamic range. I based my experience on my amp as the SMPS I designed provides a maximum of 3A on each +/- 20 volt rails for the amplifier stages. This equates to about 25 watts peak given the class B output and the capacitance available at the rails (~3000 uF since its a switcher). If one tries to go above that, the SMPS will basically cause a gap of silence in the audio until the demand falls. At high volume it is possible to trip the OC protection and get a short gap where a kick drum or other bass note should be. If you only listen at low volumes, fine. If you like modest volumes or music with a dynamic range I would not go much below 15-20 watts a channel unless you have some large, VERY SENSITIVE speakers. I just think people need to be realistic about what 2.5W RMS really means. I would not attempt to use anything with less than 15W a channel as a matter of course just to ensure there is enough dynamic headroom for the audio.
@@markrowe8824 I compared it to a smartphone amp because a) it has about the same power and b) the specs for this amp are WORSE than a typical solid state IC, even for a class D. Most are usually rated with about 1% THD at full power. This amp is rated at a rather poor 2.25% THD at only half its power output of 1 watt. This is entirely to be expected for a class A single-ended amplifier with an audio transformer. Don't believe me? Read the manual for it. Decware gives the specs there, and this doesn't even cover amplitude linearity vs. frequency. While it probably sounds fine, with specs like that calling this high fidelity is a bit like comparing a Stanley Steamer to a Porsche or a Ferrari. Its good for a tube amp, but people need to, again, have realistic expectations. It will neither outperform a typical linear solid state amplifier in linearity, THD, or power output. Just a fact of life, unfortunately. Its possible the specs could be a typo since there are other minor errors, but it seems in line with tube amps due to the non-linearity of active devices in general. Since semiconductors are cheap, they can use additional devices in cascode/emitter follower configurations as well as feedback to clean up the output to well below anything audible. Not an option with tubes since he is going for ultra-low parts count, and tubes are expensive and have limited lifespans so using a surplus of them could be more trouble than its worth.
@@markrowe8824 Link to the owners manual with specs: www.decware.com/newsite/SE84UFO-MANUAL.pdf
Hi Steve, how does the sound of the Decware compare to the Reisong Boyuu A-10 that you gave a very favorable review of? I bought the Reisong and love it, wondering if this is a step up in sound quality. Thanks! Great review as always!
He won't answer.
Has anyone actually used this amp with the 600M's? My concern is that although Klipch rates them at 96 db sensitivity, they actually measure out at 90 db.
Rockin that cool shirt dude!
Love your channel.....
I own large tall floor standing horns and I adore the clarity, ive heard instruments and voice backgrounds on my records and cd's that other speakers can not bring out of tje recordings.
There is an “ahhh-ness” to the Zen amp. It conveys an overall “rightness” and solidity to music. While a silicon amp may, indeed have “better” control of woofers, when I paired the Zen with the Triangle Gaia EZ, I was taken by the speed and accuracy of the music, including the bass. I’ve been tube rolling with my Zen amp (mine was built in 2018) and have gotten to a set of tubes that is close to perfection.
The one caveat I will state is that in my experience the rectifier that shipped with my amp had to be replaced. It was DOA, and the replacement Steve sent died quickly. Maybe Valve Art has a QC problem, I don’t know. But I’ve heard others make similar observations, so it’s something Steve may want to investigate.
And yes, rectifiers DO affect the sound.
Thanks for your great reply. My linestage an phono preamp's are PASS designed replacing an Audible Illusions Modulus 3B with but my amplifier is a vintage Audio Research VT100 Mk III that happen to pair very well together. As much as I love the PASS designs, there is something about the modulus preamp that smacks of a true musical experience.
I'm not surprised that you hear more "solidity" with the tube amps because the natural resonances of the woofer are less damped therefore produce more output at those frequencies. The rise time of the musical attacks in the bass and mid bass region are not particularly fast so I wouldn't expect a difference in that respect either. But I am intrigued by your assertion that the rectifier makes a difference. In what respect(s) do you mean.?
Steve, You're the Best! Love your show man!
Steve- how would you compare this to the BoyuuRange A-50 MKIII 300B that you also really loved. Similar price points. Can you talk about some of the differences between the two?
I have the Decware ZP3 SET phone preamp for over 5 years now and it’s amazing . I have spoken to Steve Deckert, and he personally answers your queries
Love your reviews!!!!
This is a LONG comment - skip to the CODA if you want the takeaway ...
A further note after some listening this evening with some tube rolling ... I have rolled a few tubes in all positions up until now. I first replaced the rectifer out of necessity since it apparently had been damaged in shipping. DECware sent a replacement, but I found the tubestore.com branded 274B to be a bit better and more reliable. My current setup, until this evening had been a Rogers Canada 5U4GB rectifier, Rogers Gray Plate O Getter 6DJ8/ECC88 input tube, and Tubestore 7189 output tubes, which are higher output 6BQ5s. This combination has been really good, very satisfying. But to be honest, I was left a bit wanting - I wasn’t always totally involved when listening.
A few months ago I fell into a website rabbit hole called « Glow In The Dark Audio » which is an addictive site for SET afficionados and SET curious, written by Kevin Davis. Kevin is very firm on the benefit of Type 80 tubes as rectifiers. I was intrigued to the point that I even wrote Paul McGowan of PS Audio asking him whether a rectifier could perceptibly or even greatly influence the sound of tube amps, and if so, why. He replied immediately and said yes, they could and it was a topic of considerable discussion amongst audio engineers as to why. He gave me a high level explanation of the prevaling theory - I won’t post it here because, frankly I’ve lost the email.
So, (to make a long story even longer) I collected a few Type 80s and for the most part they sat waiting for an evening when I had the inclination to do some comparative listening. The first up was a Sylvania in ST enclosure. I think it’s a « Greenleaf » type and may be from as early as the 1940s. Would it make a difference.
I was listening in my stocking feet, but the first note blew them off. The socks, not my feet. THE DIFFERENCE WAS NOT SUBTLE. The Rogers 5U4GB had been a step up, albeit slight) from the 274B, but this Sylvania was beyond bellef. Finally the Zen had an iron grip on the woofers of the stacked double Large Advents that are temporarily in the system. Bass was fuller without losing any control. Vocals were more forward without at all being overbearing or obnoxious. All mids and high frequencies were better defined, more real. Transient speed and decay came into focus. Good and great recordings strutted their stuff, while lesser recordings were still listenable, but you knew they weren’t on par with the good stuff. And I’ve only been playing from iTunes on my Mac (both AIFF and lossless files) through an « ordinary » Teac UD-301 DAC, ancient by audiophile standards. Tomorrow I’ll finish aligning the cartridge in my hot-rodded Thorens TD-160 and listen to some good vinyl.
Currently I’ve rolled in an Arcturus Type 80 ST, and it has at least 90% of the benefits of the Sylvania - it’s hard to tell because I’m distracted writing this.
CODA:
1- Rectifiers make a difference. At least in tube/valve amps. I would imagine sand sludge would also benefit. (Nah, I’m not prejudiced!)
2 - Tube rolling is both fun and beneficial, at least in a GOOD CIRCUIT. The Zen is a GREAT circuit and proves that simple can be amazing.
3 - Tube rolling can be cheap and is FAR EASIER than anything you can do with a solid state amp. The Sylvania was a NOS (New Old Stock) tube that was part of a small lot of tubes that I purchased on eBay for all of $12.94!!! Check the prices of a single Sylvania 80 and you’ll conclude I’m a thief. Yes, you can spend a fortune on tubes, especially exotic NOS samples, especially those from 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 and 🇮🇹. But be diligent and careful, and you can find a pot of gold. Try that with transistors!
✌️
I rebuilt an old Harman/Kardon Citation 5.1 bridged to 300wpc . . . playing 5 driver speakers to 85dB@3m with the preamp at 75 (out of 99) . . . so, for $150 more I could have had a new tube 2.3 wpc amp? The Dahlquist DQ-10's are in the 86dB sensitivity range.
Beautiful review. Thanks Steve!
I always love tube amplifier
Steve you got my attention. I am looking on getting a tube amp and I just cannot invest too much money. So I am looking for best bang for bucks. My list came down to Boyuu A12 (about $500) and Muzishare X5 (about $800). I would like to know how the $995 UFO compares to the other 2? Thank you!!
plateau of mirror from that era is my favorite
I’m currently enjoying Cluster & Eno that I somehow missed back in the day. I have a huge Eno collection… My favourites are Another Green World and Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.
the review itself was intriguing...the amp description you gave was very seductive.
I built a SEUL KT-88 with Plate to Plate FB and feel much the same way about it. I would guess between 5 and 8 WPC. It just seems to get out of the way and let the music speak for itself. I haven't yet built a PP amp (life got in the way) but I hope to some day as a comparison.
Maybe an in expensive tube-type integrated amp kit would be a hit. I used to wire Dyna-Kits for friends in the 60s. They were inexpensive but high in performance and many are still running.
I'd like to see reviews of either of the decware monos.
I build guitar amplifiers and I have shocked musicians by letting them blind test one of my 3.5w SE amps which will happily drive 4 x 12" speakers.
Let's be clear about one thing: Steve you have found your superhero outfit. This shirt is it!
Reminds me of QRP in ham radio with 5W transmitters with large antennas to boost the PEP. Id imagine a similar situation of needing to use large speakers is a must here with so little power.
QRP with a huge beam will get you many countries! Esp if you ard great at CW, which I am not. Hence the GS-35 tube based homebrew amp run into a 40 meter DOUBLE EXTENDED ZEPP! If the contact is in a gain lobe, you will nail him. If not, you will not even hear him. K9SRV
Steve, I’m very curious to hear what you think of the sample compared to some thing like say, Prima Luna 100? Prior to hearing about this Decware Zen, I was sold on your assessment of the Prima Luna 100. For reference I want to match A set of Klipsch Heresy loudspeakers to one of these amps. What is your recommendation and why?
@ about the 3 minute mark I just noticed these tubes come from Russia. That's not a bad thing, Russia picked up production of audio tubes a couple decades ago and now most of the best are from there. These are even from the Soviet era. Like many things do, tubes will never go bad from just sitting in a warehouse.
Amazing review once again about a very special product :)
unless you've experienced the phenomenon of clean effortless sound it's hard to imagine.
hi Steve - how well would the Decware Zen amp work with the JBL Studio L890 floor standing speakers, with 91db sensitivity? Very interested in this amp, as Peoria is only 3 hours away...
Steve, I just surfed over to the Zen website and took a look. How about a review of their DM945 ribbon monitors? They look interesting and appear to be extremely easy to drive. Might be perfect for use on a desktop with one of their amps.
Apparently the RP600's are not 96db rather 90, im not sure how true this is, but would this amp power the RP600s for medium listening in small living room?
Hi Steve can you please tell us about the diffusers leaning in your tv? What are they and where can you get them please?
Ray from down under 🇦🇺
The company is GIK Acoustics
Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac thanks Steve. Love your reviews and presentation style. We have a big following of HiFi in Aus. 2ch just keeps getting bigger.
Best wishes and thanks for the
Enlightenment
On another note, Stay safe in that crazy USA with CV19. We have the same surface area as North America, with a much lower population.
Our current infection count is less than 400.
facebook.com/events/s/2021-melbourne-home-entertainm/717344042354525/?ti=icl
Steve - I remember you tried this with a preamp that you thought really opened it up even more, but can’t remember what brand and model it was. I just ordered my Zen and was influenced by your review. I’d love to pair it with an appropriate preamp.
If the Cornwalls are rated for 102 at one watt. Seems that getting 91db before it distorted too much is low. Wouldn't that be 1/10 W or less?
You think this would pair well or even power a pair of Ohm Walsh 2000s ?
Thanks for this !
I am so intrigued by this amp. I have built a few, as the schematics are out there, and I am lusting after a production model. My question is HUM. In all variations (I have built), when my ear is near the cone I hear a slight hum. In near field, once heard, it cannot be unheard. Even with the hum, and my home-made amps (tube and ss rectification), they are giving me enough of an appetizer to take the plunge. Please tell me this near field hum is not present in a production unit. I use 96db speakers, Klipsch R-600m and get plenty of volume. Just an annoying faint hum, 1.2mv near field seems high?
Thanks Steve. Great stuff.
What about reviewing some bottlehead kit? I love my Stereomour II
Steve, have you seen the latest Dayton Audio HTA100BT tube amp? The price point says, “too good to be true”. I would love to see you try this one out. I know you have used their stuff for budget builds in the past. Maybe this would be a way to dip ones toes into Tube Amps with out having to spend Macintosh money.
Would be interesting to see Decware or Guttenberg demo a dual amp setup for a biamping with a Decware amp driving a complimentary subwoofer, in a single setup.
A lot of people say the same things like Steve in this video when listening to triode sound in general. Triode is known for being the most musical/enjoyful/lively sound.
Some don't like it because of this and that. Triode is for me the very best out there. It just like anything else, has it's up and down sides. I get people that don't like it because it can't drive their speakers. Or that is is not the most correct/informational sound.
It may well be that SET for the lower midrange on up and PP on the bass might be the ticket.
I find bliss with even less wattage (less than 1 w)
I'm 10mths late lol, question on the two switch's 2-6ohms and 8-16ohms, so considering the the Kef's jump between all of them ohms how can these LS50 be efficient as they use the full ohms range,So my question is what did you have the switches set at,?
I believe you that it can bring the power and volume, but I still don't understand how? How does this power compare to my 100w Rogue?
So if I decide to use this as just an amp.. does decware sell preamps to go with?
Hello Steve, thanks for the interesting review, I have Cornwall IVs that need quiet amps to not hum, is the Decware Super Zen Triode quiet with Cornwall? Thank you
I have the Super Zen Triode with a pair of 100db single driver speakers. No discernable hum even with your ear at the speaker. I love this amp.
What if I used this as a preamp to a bigger amp? Would I lose quality?
Man, killer shirt! Plus a cool review.
steve i have the triangle comete bookself speakers ,cost 800$ how much the power amp and cables should cost for the optimal sound?
I currently own the drop THX 789 and I'm looking for a DAC. Any DAC that you will recommend?
Good for vintage La Scalas?
Is it possible to do a review on this amp and DM945 as well as similar sensitive speakers?
what would you say about pairing this amp with the Klipsch RP-600M's?
So Steve, Make this easy for me. I have some Omega speakers with dual 4.5" drivers that don't require much. No crossover. Schiit Aegir or Decware ZEN? What I have been trying with them is not bringing out the best, I think Class A is the way to go.
Well not exactly. Its single ended which is a subclass of class A! Most class A are push pull, and aren't even class A at full boogie.
dragonfly fab, I was more referring to the quasi Class A Schiit Aegir. Really leaning that way.
Steve has had both and raves about both and I am at my end looking for a good match for these speakers.
Decware amps are a good match with Omegas. Decware even sells Omegas just check the speaker section on their website.
6N2 12AX7 Plate is 159VDC?
Thank
You
Steve! : D
I have heard the Zen amps both in Peoria at one of Steve Deckert's Decfests, and at a friend's house in northern Kentucky. They are, indeed, special. Wish I could afford one. Maybe someday. In the meantime, I'm trying to get over the shock of Steve's blinding shirt!!!!
Blinding?
It's great!
Steve, by any chance have you listened to the Musical Paradise MP-301? I am so interested in the Decware amp, but this is what I'm running, be nice to know if I was 50% or 80% there!
I have a few modded 301 amps, and the extra headroom and power of the bigger output tubes makes the amp usable with many more speakers, but you still get the tube magic. The 301 is an amazing value. I have owned and enjoyed the Decware, before the UFO output transformers, and the 301 is still here.
Great lesson on amp power.
I wonder what it sounds like with a solid-state Bridge rectifier? you can buy them in tubes what is a straight replacement plug-in does he sell them you should try one sometimes Steve that'll give more gravitas to the bass and tighter. See if you can get a schottky diode Bridge rectifier I'm sure Nelson pass will be able to sort you out
You can get this amp as a kit with a solid state rectifier. Check out the DIY section
Audiophiliac-fan advice request: I've got Zu Omen II DWs and looking to upgrade amp to either a Decware SZT 2.3 or Rogue Sphinx V2. Advice? Suggestions? Very different amps of course, but hopefully you smart folks have some experience with these amps and those speakers. Thanks for your help!
It’s not complicated at all, the rogue will play a lot louder, and have tighter, better controlled bass. In every other way the Zen will sound more like real music
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Greatly appreciated, Steve! Thanks for the advice and the great reviews over the years.