Forums - do i need a preamp to run a zen?

Harlequin

Ex Member

do i need a preamp to run a zen?
01/23/06 at 20:45:21

hi,
i'm a new member but have been checking out steve's site since he first built the original zen. (back then he had cool pics of a lifesize horn he built in one of his rooms, can't seem to find those on the site now...)

now i'm ready to get a SE84CS and am wondering whether i am required to run a preamp as well (i'm aware of steve's offerings) or can i hook it up directly to the source?

thanks,
dave.

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MAC -SteveH Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #1 - 01/23/06 at 21:07:49 What is your source? BTW: Yes it will work without a preamp with most sources.
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Harlequin

Ex Member

Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen?
Reply #2 - 01/24/06 at 02:19:03

I'm using a Marantz CD6000OSE.

maybe i'm missing some sonic theory but what benefit would a preamp provide in a simple cd-->zen-->speakers system especially if the zen was designed to work without one?

also, can someone explain to me the difference between a cd player and a cd transport?

sorry for the noob questions. thanks.

dave.

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Jason_S Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #3 - 01/24/06 at 02:29:00 A CD player has the transport plus D/A Convertor. A Transport, or player being used as a transport feeds it's digital signal into a seperate D/A convertor (DAC). In the case of the Select / CSP combo, I think the CSP adds more dynamics and more of the 'Zen magic' J
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teepeeworks

Ex Member

Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen?
Reply #4 - 01/24/06 at 04:11:44

Harley,

You can read this paper to help address your preamp questions:

http://www.decware.com/paper50.htm

Concerning your question about a cd player vs. a transport?
A cd player is one unit. One box. It contains both the transport and the DAC.

Now you may not know what a transport or a DAC are:

- Transport: This is basically the mechanism that spins the cd and reads the information off the cd. Unfortunately the information read off the cd is in the wrong language so to speak. It must be "translated" into the correct language so the amp can understand it. Here is where the DAC comes in.

- DAC: The DAC is the translator. It takes the information read by the transport and converts into a form that can be used by an amplifier. Much like a person can be spoken Spanish, then translate that into English, the DAC takes the Spanish(digital) info. and converts it to English(analog)

Take care,

Corey

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Harlequin Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #5 - 01/24/06 at 14:33:39 thanks guys, that was very helpful.
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veryoldcat

Ex Member

Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen?
Reply #6 - 01/24/06 at 20:27:08

The select is a different animal with the CSP in front of it, in my system. Timbral naturalness, dynamics and "slam" are greatly improved. The upper register of a cd source is also far more tolerable, besides being much more natural.

Additionally, I find that with a preamp with gain, the volume pot on the select can be backed off to around 80% or so, where the select hits its most musical sweet spot, to my ear.

Every now and then I bypass the CSP as a reminder, and it's always the same answer.

If you were to hook up an SE84CS directly to a source, I'd recommend vinyl (course then you'd need a phono pre).

Karl

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« Last Edit: 01/24/06 at 20:29:08 by veryoldcat »

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teepeeworks Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #7 - 01/24/06 at 21:18:05 Karl, Have you thought abought replacing the Tracon .47 uf caps in your DEC685 to Jensen paper/oil like Dr. Sleep did? Those are the little dark green "chicklet" size caps coming off the board. Take care, Corey
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rmt Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #8 - 01/24/06 at 23:41:19 [quote author=teepeeworks link=1138052721/0#7 date=1138137485]replacing the Tracon .47 uf caps in your DEC685 to Jensen paper/oil like Dr. Sleep did? Those are the little dark green "chicklet" size caps coming off the board. [/quote] Do those caps run to the stock output or are they in the path of the modded output?
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teepeeworks

Ex Member

Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen?
Reply #9 - 01/25/06 at 00:00:32

RMT,

Those caps are what Steve uses to feed the tube stage.

Open your player up and look at the top board. You will see a mass of grey wires and one white wire going to a plug which fits onto the board. Here you will see 2 tiny wires soldered off the board traces, these wires are the leads of the green caps. The other end of the cap wires go to a red and white wires which go straight to the tube stage.

Basically Steve has "tapped into" the signal and "stole" it so to speak but doesn't interupt the signal going to the stock outputs in the process.
Kind of like sticking a tube into a gas tank and syphoning some gas out of the tank. The gas tank you are stealing out of is the DAC. Your mouth is the capacitor(green chicklet) which has the ability to suck the gas out and spit it into another hose directly into another engine(tube stage) The red and white wires are the hose you spit the gas into to feed the hot rod engine(tube)

Take care,

Corey

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veryoldcat

Ex Member

Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen?
Reply #10 - 01/25/06 at 03:07:30

[quote author=teepeeworks link=1138052721/0#7 date=1138137485]Karl,

Have you thought abought replacing the Tracon .47 uf caps in your DEC685 to Jensen paper/oil like Dr. Sleep did? Those are the little dark green "chicklet" size caps coming off the board.

Take care,

Corey [/quote]

I guess we're off topic here, but who isn't these days?

Yes, I've considered it. Dr Sleep's comments about the result intrigued me, even tho' I don't have the "mod bug" big time at the moment. Please report if you do...

Karl

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« Last Edit: 01/25/06 at 03:07:52 by veryoldcat »

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dr._sleep Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #11 - 01/28/06 at 20:20:50 Mouth-wateringly delicious Tri-gone dr_sleep
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rmt Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #12 - 01/28/06 at 22:39:26 [quote author=teepeeworks link=1138052721/0#9 date=1138147232]Open your player up and look at the top board. You will see a mass of grey wires [/quote] Thank you for the very good explanantion. However, if I open up my player that would be the first time I opened up anything that had electricity running through it.
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teepeeworks Ex Member	Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen? Reply #13 - 01/28/06 at 23:48:55 RMT, I just talked to the good Doc. via PM and he informed me of the exact value cap used to do this mod. I will proceed with this mod myself and document the entire process. Take care, Corey
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Rap

Ex Member

Re: do i need a preamp to run a zen?
Reply #14 - 01/29/06 at 00:41:29

[quote author=rmt link=1138052721/0#12 date=1138487966]

Thank you for the very good explanantion. However, if I open up my player that would be the first time I opened up anything that had electricity running through it. [/quote]

Hopefully it won´t be if you remeber to un-plug it from the mains :) oh and remeber to wait for the caps to drain Undecided

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