Forums - ZDAC-1 has been discontinued

Steve Deckert

Administrator

If the 1st watt
sucks why continue?

Posts: 2225

ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
08/31/11 at 02:40:37

Due to a particular part we got from Japan that has been backordered since the Earthquake, we can no longer make the ZDAC-1 with the same exact sound quality we have had until now. So we are choosing to discontinue the unit rather than compromise it's sound quality. We pulled the plug early so that we could honor the 1 year warranty and have enough units on hand to replace any warranty claims should their be any.

We will continue to manufacture the ZCD Player as our only digital source.

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Pale Rider Seasoned Member Posts: 1274	Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued Reply #1 - 08/31/11 at 15:56:31 Wow, sad news. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. Sounds like the responsible approach Steve. If anyone was looking for one, I think Lon was selling his.
Back to top	Decware: Ultra \| Torii MKIII [2] \| SE84ZS \| Taboo MkIII Sources: Synology 1812+ \| Baetis Revolution \| PWD DAC MKII \| Lumin Network Player \| Mytek 192 \| Oppo 105 DSP: DEQX Mate \| Emotiva Outputs: ERR [6] + Servo Subs \| LCD-2 & other cans IP Logged

Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. D*ck Posts: 5264	Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued Reply #2 - 08/31/11 at 16:12:26 Yes, mine is offered in the Classifieds. So far I'm only offering it to Decware forumites.
Back to top	« Last Edit: 08/31/11 at 16:15:28 by Lon » Decware:ERR,HR-1,Styx,ZP3,CSP2+(2),Torii Mk III PS Audio PWT and PWD Mk II,PowerBase (2), PPP,AC-12 pc Sony BPD-S5000ES Denon DCD-A100 Rega RP3+TTPSU,white belt and Exact2 Cryoset, VooDoo AudioICs Mapleshade Samson v2+v3 and 4"platforms Herbie's Audio Lab p IP Logged

Donnie

Seasoned Member

Why does it hurt
when I pee?

Posts: 585

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #3 - 09/01/11 at 00:16:06

I feel like I somehow made this happen. I just sent Steve a email asking if there was anything going on with my ZDAC. The next day I got word mine was fixed and then that they were getting out of the DAC business. I wasn't mad or anything. I guess that I am cursed. Stupid earthquakes and tsunamis!
I now challenge the Decware team to build a tube based DAC! That would be a sight to see and hear. I would pay up to $1822.78 for one.

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« Last Edit: 09/01/11 at 00:17:59 by Donnie »

Owner of the infamous RED TORII

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. D*ck Posts: 5264	Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued Reply #4 - 09/01/11 at 00:42:27 1822.78! What if it comes in at 1999? :) It is a shame that there will be no ZDAC-1s going forward. I had to spend more than three times as much to get a DAC that is clearly better. . . in most ways. A really fine device. I suspect that it won't be long before Steve will have designed a replacement. But I could be wrong.
Back to top	Decware:ERR,HR-1,Styx,ZP3,CSP2+(2),Torii Mk III PS Audio PWT and PWD Mk II,PowerBase (2), PPP,AC-12 pc Sony BPD-S5000ES Denon DCD-A100 Rega RP3+TTPSU,white belt and Exact2 Cryoset, VooDoo AudioICs Mapleshade Samson v2+v3 and 4"platforms Herbie's Audio Lab p IP Logged

seank

Verified Member

Posts: 33

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #5 - 09/01/11 at 04:21:57

*** Warning, the following is a waste of your time ***

Here are some web pages about the Decware ZDAC I found interesting.

I have no idea what is fact or fiction, and it doesn't matter to me. I will say I value Decware support and expertise, the same as I do with Apple support.

Good support is expensive to provide, and I prefer to pay extra for it.

That said, this is what started me searching the web:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl_sold.pl?dgtlconv&1316795628

See post # 24 in the following forum remarks:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/161845-list-dacs-under-450-a-3...

Post # 2906 in this link.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/137976-experience-diy-dac-291....

Search for Decware in the following post, or read the whole review.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/555151/review-lars-audio-dac1-mkii

I think just about any DAC circuit board you buy will be produced mainly by an Asian manufacturer, due to the complexity of the circuit boards and the fact that they have the expertise and capital investment in equipment already in place due to all the other consumer electronics they produce.

I don't bash Asian products or Asian workers. They are smart people and work hard for very low wages. They build to price points like everyone else, and some of it is junk because that is what sells here. They also produce little jewels like my MacBook Air.

I do deeply regret we allowed so much of our manufacturing capacity and jobs to leave our country. A HUGE mistake.

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Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. D*ck

Posts: 5264

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #6 - 09/01/11 at 12:39:33

Steve's story is different, and I believe him. I've read these remarks as well. I think his IS different from the Gigawatt, I guess it may be a matter of stressing which is the chicken and which the egg, but from our standpoint researching the net that's hard to determine.

I agree, sending all those jobs overseas is a serious serious mistake.

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Decware:ERR,HR-1,Styx,ZP3,CSP2+(2),Torii Mk III
PS Audio PWT and PWD Mk II,PowerBase (2), PPP,AC-12 pc
Sony BPD-S5000ES
Denon DCD-A100
Rega RP3+TTPSU,white belt and Exact2
Cryoset, VooDoo AudioICs
Mapleshade Samson v2+v3 and 4"platforms
Herbie's Audio Lab p

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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #7 - 09/01/11 at 15:09:34

We didn't just let those jobs move overseas. We pushed them. And we continue o do so. We elected legislators who passed laws that created disincentives for capital investment here. Low wages are only a part of the mix. When I was studying economics, labor export was one of the topics we discussed, and while it is true that there is some capital investment that will always chase lower wages (we watched it here in regional siphoning, from North to South, then West, and then back to smaller towns in the Midwest, and we have watched it happen to the Latin Americans, Indians, and even the Chinese), there is plenty of capital investment that can be encouraged to generate R&D-type jobs and good wages at the same time. Wages driven by state-sanctioned collective bargaining, which are just another type of subsidy, come at the expense of capital investment. And when that capital investment also carries a heavy tax burden, well, the long-term otcome is just what we are seeing: nice stuff designed here but built elsewhere, or moderate to mediocre stuff designed and built elsewhere. But it doesn't have to be that way. Public policy can support both good capital investment and good labor policies. We have been caught up in a cultural war fomented by our own government and elected leaders of all stripes for decades. And we have let them do it to all of us.

Sorry for the diatribe. I remain thrilled with my U.S.-designed and crafted Decware system. Not counting tubes, its only expats are: the very nicely designed, built, and priced Oppo player, the very nice AppleTV, and the mediocre Motorola PVR (there is a sad story).

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Lon

Seasoned Member

"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. D*ck

Posts: 5264

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #8 - 09/01/11 at 15:30:44

I agree. We pushed them. Politicians we elected from both parties. It all somehow benefits the corporations, the oligarchy that we have ruling us.

Don't get me started.

I too am happy to have my mainly US made system, and my American made motorcycle; to be honest I probably would have bought a BMW cycle because I really don't want to have anything to do with the "Harley Lifestyle," but I had cash to buy new, and wanted to buy American, and Victory cycles just aren't that impressive to me, hate the styling.

Anyway, the loss of the ZDAC-1 is a crying shame. It was an excellent product, value for money off the hook.

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Decware:ERR,HR-1,Styx,ZP3,CSP2+(2),Torii Mk III
PS Audio PWT and PWD Mk II,PowerBase (2), PPP,AC-12 pc
Sony BPD-S5000ES
Denon DCD-A100
Rega RP3+TTPSU,white belt and Exact2
Cryoset, VooDoo AudioICs
Mapleshade Samson v2+v3 and 4"platforms
Herbie's Audio Lab p

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dla405j

Verified Member

Posts: 22

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #9 - 09/01/11 at 21:42:59

I'm the guy who bought the Gigawork / Lars Audio DAC 1 that Seanc mentions...also have the zdac too..... I've used both and they are good but the service, integrity, and professionalism of Decware is worth the extra cost..it's a first-rate quality product that sounds superb...too bad it's not available now. Im listening to it now as I type this and it has improved my digital playback by a significant amount. Decware products are the best at a reasonable price...Dla405j

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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued
Reply #10 - 09/02/11 at 15:01:47

Lon, agreed on all counts (including the motorcycle lifestyle/buy-American comment; lifestyle, no, but bike, maybe so, we're thinking about it). And the loss of the ZDAC is a shame. It was another entry point for the Decware business model, for those folks who are entering computer or file-based audio, or upgrading their digital front end.

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Chris K Seasoned Member My owner only hears to 16K WELL I can hear to 60K! Posts: 244	Re: ZDAC-1 has been discontinued Reply #11 - 09/02/11 at 16:45:59 All those circuit boards in the links are blue. Hey I got a red one!!! I bet mine's worth more. Rare.
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