It's my understanding that the preamp is a completely dual mono design, but I see a rather large box-shaped component that is present in the power supply circuitry on the left side of this photo but not present on the right: Weird.
I'm sure this new preamp will sound awesome, but from an aesthetic standpoint -I definitely prefer my walnut based CSP2+
I have an SE84UFO from July, so it's one of the first with the new transformer. I'm quite pleased; the sound seems more robust than the previous version, which I heard in Steve's listening room. For what it's worth, I didn't get the copper caps or the stepped attenuator, so I can't speak to those. The amp's powering a pair of Omega Alnico monitors. Very musical. I think your La Scalas would be very happy.
Thanks for that. I'm still undecided about the caps as it seems a choice between two good quality types anyway, the stepped attenuator appeals as apparently it has more early range than the standard pot, i.e. gets louder a lot further round, which with the La Scalas' crazy efficiency is probably a bonus. Should help with channel balance too and I imagine is out of circuit completely if fully up which would be a bonus if I ever wanted to use it with a preamp upstream. I'll likely order one next month. My La Scalas have the after-market ALK Universal crossovers so are apparently a flat 8 Ohm impedance so should be a pretty much ideal match. The one I tried certainly went a lot louder than I'd ever want to listen. How is yours from a hum perspective? The one I tried had no issue but I've read a couple of comments saying some do. La Scalas can find the hum and hiss in anything!
Those Jupiter Copper Foil caps are the real deal! I do not own any Decware gear, but I really like the philosophy behind the design and apparent build quality.---Besides, he is an Acoustat fan!
attym, I do not own any Decware gear, but do have experience with the Jupiter Copper Foil capacitors. In my opinion and for my taste, the Copper Foils are one of the very best caps out there, and very affordable compared to other "top shelf" capacitors.
That may (although I'm not really sure) have something to do with the remote control that is being offered (a first for a Decware preamp as well). Yes, it's definitely a bit different from the front view, but the body of the preamp is the same looking finish as the top plates of the newer amps (black crinkle that I think Steve calls a "vintage typewriter finish"). IMO it should look pretty good and right at home next to any of the newer Decware amps. I think it would also be pretty cool if he could offer the front plate of the preamp in the same wood finishes he offers for the amp bases rather than the brushed aluminum. That said, IMO this is the nicest chassis design I've ever seen on a Decware product and I really dig the way the tubes are set into the "w" shaped top base allowing it to fit anywhere on an A/V rack, but still allow quick access to replace/roll tubes.
I have been considering this amp for a long time but am unsure it would work with my 87 db speakers. Eventually I will upgrade speakers but for now I just want an amp that sounds nice and full at low volumes since I live in a tiny apartment. I had my heart set on the Decware for months but am starting to now consider the Creek Evolution 50a and the Rega Elex. I now use a Rega Brio3 but it is seven years old and I want to upgrade.
It's dead quiet and that's listening near-field (less than 7 ft.) If the volume is set really low and the room is really small, it might work as a temporary solution, but I would wait until I could replace both together. Omega's smaller ferrite monitor, the 3i, is also a good match for the SE84UFO.
Yes, that is probably it. I noticed that the two circuit boards positioned around where the volume controls are situated are both wired into the box with twisted yellow and brown wires.
Yes I was considering the Omega 3i to go with the Decware if my speakers don't work out. I was wondering if you could describe the differences or have compared the Decware amp to similarly priced amps such as those I mentioned from Creek and Rega?
I own a Rega Brio-R and also own a Decware Taboo SEP MKII @ 6 watts and a Decware Zen Select SET @ 2 watts (non-UFO mod). I paired them all with my Omega 7's. IMO there is really no comparison sound wise between the Decware and Rega ... as both Decware amps easily outclass the Brio-R including bass reproduction, resolution, speed and are just more musical to my ears. Where the Brio-R shines compared to the Decware is on flexibility (with more inputs, remote control and a built-in phono stage) plus at more watts the Brio-R can drive a wider variety of less than efficient types of speakers. Don't think I'm knocking the Brio-R though ~ as I think its a great buy for an entry level plug & play setup. It can get the job done and sounds pretty good doing it. Just not at the level of fidelity compared to my Decware amps.
I spoke to someone t'other day, who asserted that Decware was the "American Audio Note". Now, I have yet to hear either brand (hence my appeal to the Forum), but have heard exceedingly glowing praise, from discerning audiophiles, for both firms. They seem to have a fair amount in common: tube-centric design philosophy, hi-eff speakers, tubed sources, etc. Admittedly, Dec's most expensive kit is probably only a fraction what AN charges for theirs. (Hence my interest.) What do you think?
I personally don't have first hand knowledge of Audio Note equipment. My impression from reading reviews back in the 'nineties when I used to read the audio press was that they were a bit more of a "traditional" tube sound than I have found to be the "Decware sound." But that was just from reading reviews of Audio Note and comparing to my then (and since) experience of Decware components (I started using Decware amps in '97 and have had Decware in my system ever since as source, preamps, amps and speakers).
I agree, both have similar philosophies in regards to tubes and higher efficiency speakers. Steve's most expensive item/s that he sells are his Zen Torii mono blocks @ $11,192.00 and I really don't see Decware (but of course just speculating) ever going into the upper realms of priced goods that AN approaches with speakers and amps costing $50k or more. However I have seen a few items over the last few years that are creeping up into more higher end pricing, such as the Zen Torii mono blocks, ZMA and now with the new preamp optioned out as well at a little over $4K. That said, I think his business model is aimed more towards blue collar guys/gals and staying within the realm of an average person's income and it works for him with backlogs of people waiting for Decware to build their amps. Even the lower costing amps made by Decware are treated in the same manner as his most expensive amps ~ with point to point silver wiring, high end caps, etc. Whereas with AN you need to move into the higher costing stuff to get point to point wiring as they use circuit boards up until a certain level (not knocking circuit boards, but the time it takes to build a p to p amp requires more attention to detail than screwing in a circuit board is where I'm coming from). As far as sound wise, I have heard a few AN demos and I will echo what Lon mentioned and that is AN has more of a traditional tube sound, perhaps a tad more romantic/darker than Decware which I feel Steve puts a lot of emphasis on extracting as much resolution and dynamics as possible from his circuit designs (but in a non-fatiguing way). But that's only from the short time I spent with the AN demos and I've never heard them more than a hour at a pop, so take that with a grain of salt ... plus I'm sure tube choices could help to get more of the sound you would want within either brands. It's good to have choices and I'm sure I would be happy to own components from either brand, though I feel Decware offers more products within my budget.
And thank goodness for that!! I just wish there was a showroom somewhere, to audition the Decware gear.
Yep. I've spoken with Steve and he really encouraged me to make it down there. Decware is just 2 1/2 hour drive from me. I really should go next time!
Has anyone tried or heard the Decware Silver Reference Interconnects? They look impressive and aren't outrageously expensive. Any thoughts?
I have both the Silver Reference Interconnects and the Zen Styx speaker cables. I think they are OK for the money, however I like my current cables from ZenWave Audio much better. IMO the Decware Silver Reference interconnects are much better than the Decware Zen Styx speaker cables. I have Omega RS7 speakers which are a single driver speaker and the Zen Styx give me a tizziness in the upper midband that did not jive with my speakers at all. I switched the Decware Zen Styx (mil-spec silver over copper) out with the ZenWave Audio Neotech UPOCC copper litz wire (OCC = Ohno Continuous Cast Copper) and the improvement was pretty dramatic. I still use a pair of Decware interconnects in the audio chain though. That said it depends on the speaker as I liked the Decware Zen Styx a lot with the Decware ERR's (which makes sense as they are both from Decware), but I prefer my Omega speakers to the ERR's and the Decware cables just didn't mesh with them.
