Greetings Les, The Decware cd player is no longer available. It was a modification of a TEAC model that has been discontinued and became unavailable for Decware. . . .
The biggest Decware news since this thread was last active is the development and launch of the "25th Anniversary Zen Amp." This amplifier is available in a single-chassis stereo version or a dual mono block stereo version. The major differences between these new amplifiers and the previous version (the SE84UFO) is that the power supply is greatly expanded with high quality capacitors and bypassing with high quality capacitors, and that voltage regulation tubes were added to filter and condition both the input and the output tubes. These modifications have transformed the sound of the amp (in my opinion). There is a sense of power and a seductive clarity without harshness or glare that is an improvement. And there is a stronger and move vivid "soundstage." The Decware "community" has been somewhat energized by the amps; there have already been a number built and shipped and all owners have been reporting positive experiences. The CSP3 preamplifier/headphone amplifier has also been revised and released with similar modifications as a "25th Anniversary" edition. Similar improvements have been reported. I myself have a pair of the SE84UFO3 25th Anniversary Monoblocks and a 25th Anniversary CSP3 preamplifier. I have never heard better sound, anywhere. (I've been using Decware preamplifiers, amplifiers and speakers for over twenty years, and I have heard other systems, but none have pulled me away from Decware products). Here is the product page for the Decware 25th Anniversary Zen Amplifier: DECWARE / ZEN TRIODE ANNIVERSARY AMP model SE84UFO25
Up soon will be an upsized version of the DNA single driver high efficiency DNA speakers called, not surprisingly the DNA2. And Decware will soon introduce a line conditioning unit. I'll update this thread when product pages are created.
Steve Deckert just launched the web product page for the DNA2 speakers. He wrote on the Decware forum: The new DNA2 Horn Speakers are now available! I don't have the site linked to the page yet, but the page is done! DECWARE Reference Full Range Horn model DNA2 There will be a coupon for these speakers sent out on Good Friday. Anyone purchasing prior to then will automatically be given the same discount. Thanks, Steve
Decware is introducing a line conditioning unit or two. Steve Deckert wrote: The Line Conditioner is in development, however two models are now available and next to go on the web site. The product offers 6 hospital grade receptacles, each with its own switch. This alone would make anyone's system sound better who plugs their stuff into lots of different places. The way the ground is handled between components determines to some degree the blackness of the backgrounds and liquidity in the midrange. Nearly all hum problems that people have are tied to the ground scheme of the system as a whole. Different power cords have different resistance on the ground wire and lugs, different outlets, different contact pressures, and God knows how many houses have the neutral and grounds wired where there is current on the ground wire that should be carried by the neutral. Just having a single high quality high-mass star-ground between all your components makes a real difference and even in a house that was miss-wired, there would be no hum. So that said, the unit will be available as an ultra-high quality power distribution box, each outlet individually switched, the AC inlet filtered to 60dB at 10 to the 8th power Hz with an industrial medical grade IEC inlet ready for your favorite power cord. The price on that will be on the web site soon. The next model will be the same thing but with a 10 AMP TOROIDAL isolation transformer creating a fully balanced and de-coupled supply to all the outlets. The filtering takes place before the transformer with a secondary shorted by a single beeswax cap. The result is tremendous noise rejection. Grain-free music without hum or noise or maintenance. Good sound doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. My experience is that consumer grade power filters, surge protectors, power strips and non-hospital grade outlets in the average home are the scourge of high fidelity. Anyway, the second model, the full line conditioner will sell for $895 at least for awhile. We're laying out the web page for it now.
Steve Deckert wrote the following about present and upcoming "25th Anniversary Modifications" to the components in the Decware line: PART 1 Anniversary Mods - what are they? You will be hearing about or have already heard that there are Anniversary Mods available for certain things, but other than a discussion in the forum, no information is on the site yet. These mods are no longer in development. As time allows we will be adding the options to the shopping cart so they can be purchased on new tube gear. Mods are now available for existing amplifiers. The reason these mods came to pass is simply that the performance of the new 25th Anniversary Zen Triode amplifier has shadowed virtually everything we make. It’s actually really that good. So good, in fact, that after hearing it for any length of time, everything else sounds mediocre. Think about that, …mediocre. Decware gear sounding mediocre? Our Zen Mystery Amp (ZMA) as reviewed by Tone Audio magazine was said to sound better than Wavac and Shindo, both considered part of the holy grail of tube gear. Think about that too…. an amazing accomplishment, yet as good as Wavac amplifiers sound, or Shindo amplifiers sound, or the even better ZMA amplifier sounds, all sound “mediocre” by comparison to our anniversary amp. To bring things closer together sonically, the technologies used in the anniversary amp are now available on most everything else as an option. So far we have shipped around 40 of the new 25th Anniversary Zen Triode amplifiers, and many have found themselves a home amongst lots of great Decware gear… which brings up an interesting situation; Today an owner of the 25th Anniversary Zen Triode amplifier called me and wanted to upgrade his speakers to get more detail, imaging and scale… He was running the new anniversary amplifier paired with a ZP3 phono stage, a ZSTAGE and a ZROCK2. These items are not in the same league as the new amplifier in their stock form and since the weakest link in the chain always determines the sound quality, these items would have to be modified to keep up. Anniversary mods to be clear, are mods that use the same technology developed in 25th Anniversary Zen Triode amp. Specifically they were 1) VOLTAGE REGULATION TUBES Getting the entire circuit including output stage driven off our series wired Voltage Regulator tubes, and 2) POWER SUPPLY BYPASS CAPS Speeding up the power supply and matching it’s signature to that of the signal-path coupling caps. There are only a few products that can be updated with both. Most can only use #2 . 1) VOLTAGE REGULATION TUBES -- The Voltage Regulator tube mod improves the quality of the high-voltage DC power feeding the tubes resulting in even less grain. It is similar to having a power re-generator (that cost more than the amplifier itself) but better. You can hear what this might sound like by listening to your stereo at 2:30 A.M. The 25th Anniversary Zen Triode amp, the ZP3 phono stage and the SE84UFO3’s are the only products that get the entire circuit driven off the voltage regulator tubes. We have also found a way to do it on the CSP3 and the ZROCK2 and will be making it available on 2019 models of the ZBOX and ZSTAGE. 2) POWER SUPPLY BYPASS CAPS -- This mod entails bypassing all the electrolytic filter caps in the power supply with the correct values of film or foil capacitors designed to match the signature of the coupling capacitors in the signal path. In most cases, these are cryo-treated beeswax caps from Jupiter because that is what our amplifiers use in the signal path. In older amplifiers that used polyurethane caps, we use the same type for the bypass. SO, to get the guy with an Anniversary amp who drives it with non-anniversary gear up to par, we have to speed up all the non-anniversary gear in the signal path which means doing #2 to those components. PART II Anniversary Mods are about speed and resolution of which Decware amps already have quite a bit. Decware amps are all built right to the point of diminishing returns' bone stock. If you are looking at your first Decware amplifier or Preamp and are on a budget we recommend sticking with the standard configurations. Since most of our products come standard with cryo-treated beeswax caps, it means that doing the power-supply bypass cap mod is going to be expensive, since we will use the same fancy caps. The difference you would hear is similar to what you would hear by making a substantial upgrade in interconnects and speaker wire. I bring that up because you might have someone buying say an SE84UFO 2 watt amplifier, and he is using mediocre interconnects, or speaker cables, or perhaps even a mediocre source. Clearly if the mod on his amplifier costs $420. he might be lucky to hear any improvement at all whereas if he updated his cables, the amplifier could literally sound almost twice as good. Glass Resistors Due to the rarity of these, we just have certain values on hand and can therefor only offer them on certain products. Over time, we may be able to find more and offer them on additional products. A list of Anniversary Mods now available for both existing and new tube gear: A Forums - ANNIVERSARY MODS for DECWARE gear
I just put my trusty CSP2 preamp back into the chain, ahead of my McIntosh MC2105 amp. This amp loves tube pre's, and I've been wanting to get a clean Mac, but they are just out of my price range right now. The CSP2 never fails to impress me. Clean sound, responsive to tube rolling, and very easy to fine tune. It's does a good job of adding that small amount of tube flavor to the Mac's already warm presentation. To this day there isn't really much written about Decware stuff in general, and the CSP pre's specifically. They fly under the radar, but for some reason you never seem to see them for sale much in the secondary markets. I think that says a lot.
Very interesting. I wonder if this would be a cost effective upgrade for the ZBOX and ZSTAGE, however.
Eric, my experience with the 25th Anniversary mods to my SE84UFO3 mono blocks and my CSP3 preamp lead me to believe that the mods will be a significant improvement, and very musical--and not terribly expensive. I have ordered a second ZROCK2 with the 25th Anniversary mods and except that will be a further boost in musicality for my system.
I guess because I daily haunt the Decware forums and am an administrator of the Decware web pages I see these preamps change hands a bit more often, but you are right, you don't usually see them for sale on ebay or audiogon etc. At one time because I wanted to use three sources I had two CSP2+ preamps in my system and one in a second system! I've since sold one, am using one in my second system, and have one under my bed that I will probably put up for sale. One reason that they don't change hands too often is that Steve has been able to offer upgrades for them: capacitor upgrades, and he can even apply the very effective and sound quality boosting 25th Anniversary mods to them.
Decware has just released their balanced power conditioner. Here is the product page: The Decware Zen Line Conditioner model ZLC
My CSP has been in and out of different systems over the years, and I've thought about sending it back for an upgrade. But at the moment it's doing just great as is, in tandem with the 2105 . Additionally, I'm using the tape outs of my Mac C24 pre for 2 additional phono's and tuner.
Definitely they sound great as they are. I've gone down the full audiophile rabbit hole but I don't recommend that for everyone! That said, the modded CSP that I have has really kicked up the dimensional aspects of my system and I love it . . . You can always upgrade later if you decide that it is a way to go. These 25th Anniversary mods have been ear-opening for me and they are injecting new blood into the Decware line and bringing in new customers. Clearly a good move on Steve Deckert's part.
This looks awesome! I have never been able to squash the buzz coming out of any and all outlets in my listening area (not a ground loop...just noise). I'm in a house built in the 1840s and running a dedicated line is...problematic, and I didn't want to waste my money on cheap line conditioners. Based on the description, this might fit the bill and its not insanely expensive.
I agree, this could be a great fit in your system. I confess I ordered one; I have a PS Audio P10 but have been running my amps and preamp into PS Audio Soloist SE outlets and I think I'll use this new ZLC for all my analog components and the P10 for all my digital musical and video components. Should work out really well. . . I'll be selling some of my excess gear to pay for it.
Black Friday sale at Decware online (www.decware.com) now extended through tomorrow. Save 10% on your entire on-line purchase! Use this code: BLACKFRIDAY2 Valid ONLY from midnight on 11/22/18 to midnight on 11/24/18 Offer applies to online purchases only.
I'm very much considering buying the line conditioner, but I'm wondering if it'd be a no no to plug a power strip into one of the outlets to take care of my low power devices. With dual subs and two power supplies on my transport (one a wall wart) I won't have enough outlets. Waiting to hear back from them, but don't want to miss out on the sale. What do you think, @Lonson?
I figure it'll be fine. I went ahead and ordered, since I wanted one anyway. God, I feel like a madman spending $800 on a line conditioner, lol. I'm very curious to hear how much, if any, difference I will hear. I can absolutely tell the difference between plugging my DAC into an outlet running to an ancient screw in fuse box and the more modern circuit breaker, so I know it's sensitive to incoming AC. I hope this also clears up the (light) buzz coming out of my amp. **EDIT** Steve emailed me back and said I'll be alright running a power strip on it. Yeehaw!
Just pulled the trigger on the Decware MODEL SE34I.5. Been researching integrated tube amps for a couple of months and just in the last week decided on the MODEL SE34I.5. Thank you Lonson for the code that made it even sweeter.
I would have an electrician wire you up a power distribution box. This would just be a square standard junction box with a three prong AC cord coming out of the box and two double AC outlets in the junction box itself. This way, you are using regular electrical grade components and there will not be any of that crap that is in outlet strips. This would be very straight forward and would give you three more additional outlet's net. There would be nothing else to present any additional problems for you. As an alternative, Steve could maybe build you one with three or four dual AC outlets into one of his wood cases and it could plug in and daisy chain on to his conditioner box?
I have three Decware products. A Torii Jr., a Mini Torii and a ZP3 phone pre. All are excellent sounding. Right now, for over the past month or two, I have sidelined my Line Magnetic 845 powered 22-Watt 518iA SET amp, in favor of the 3.9-Watt Decware Mini Torii. I am listening to it right now. How sweet it is!
I'm thinkin about just using one or two of these. Cheap, simple. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GSH6SSQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.1n-BbRRQHK4J
I think you'll be fine for now. Then think of another ZLC or a regenerator for the other components. (I have a P10 that I plan on continuing to use with my digital components, and put all my analog components on the ZLC on the way.
