DATE: May 25, 1999 Review by Rich Conte

Dear Steve and Company of Decware,

It is my pleasure to send you a quick note and tell you how delighted I am with our relationship, over a year now, and the two ZEN SE84's, one an A version #22 and the other an upgrade KIT version #47 SE84A to B, (1) 10" Deathbox II Subwoofer and the ever prominent SE ZTPRE - PREAMP.

I just want to tell the folks out there that it is amazing after over what I think is almost 8 months of use on the AMPS and about 2 months continuous duty on the preamp and a few weeks on the subwoofer the equipment sounds fabulous. The upgrade from SE84A to B was a tough decision for me, as UPS would have probably broken the unit in transit to your shop, I opted for the kit upgrade version and DIY (do-it yourself).

The upgrade kit takes about 2 hours, yes, only 2 hours, not a large task, but requires some skill and patience...not for a beginner, but novice yes. First you must study the schematics and really know them, layout parts, plan to disassemble most of the amp (power supply and most socket leads)...then start at the output section and work toward the power supply and finish with the input section. The web cam inerd shots helped a whole lot...the layout is pristine. I did have one novice problem, I finished the amp after Midnight, 2 hours work and forgot a SCREEN lead off the SV83 tube on one channel, since I run these monoblock, I did not notice the lack of the right channel, nor the old lead that was grounding to the aluminum chassis...yes, I have two of the early brushed aluminum alloy amps...they are very cute indeed...The voltages were exactly 50Volts high on almost every power supply connection...bias current was very low and SCREEN and PLATE were very high... but I fixed that by correcting my mistake.

Now for service...I just want to say that since I've known DECWARE...Steve, Bendi and Devon have all been most helpful and sometimes take a deep breath when I call (I think ;-)), but faithfully return my calls and answer my calls when they can, emails as well, almost right away...now to the true technical support...I studied Steve's voltage chart, made my own, tried most of the remedies in his troubleshooting guide, then made my call...I was hesitant at first, since I am a novice (the student) and Steve the Master, but Steve was genuinely helpful and kind...he worked me through some scenarios, we talked of a plan and he gave me some options, I could find the problem and fix it or if I choose I could send the amp to him and he would...

Well last night in 10 minutes I found the lead that was grounding, fixed it and walla...the amp came alive...I simply forgot a lead off one tube socket pin, it was so hard to find, I ended up using a flashlight to find it....silly me...;-) So, moral of the story, buy from someone you know and trust, have faith in your ability to do something new and difficult and trust the ZEN...it is an uncommon product line...and a virtuous ideal worthy of contemplation.

To end, I have decided to retire my collection of amps, speakers, bass, bass guitar amps and use only the ZEN's with the speakers I have choosen as the best of breed: (2) Modified Klipsch Corner Horns (new oil in paper crossover network) (2) JBL M5 Monitors (2) JBL Control 5 Monitors (2) Klipsch KSB 3.1's (2) Tannoy M2's (not necessarily in this order) All work equally well with the ZEN approach and together with the Deathbox II sub, I even got to finish it myself in primer and latex paint to match my library....they form a most perfect circle, balance and clarity unmatched for the money.

The sound of the SE84B v. SE84A is amazing, the term I use is more punch and a bit brighter, more sustain and speed + a black background focus, like the music is coming from the room and instruments not a speaker and amp. The SE84A, while a great amp, is more midrange and less black, almost like a live club scene vs. a quiet orchestra on stage.... The Subwoofer is just amazing, that's about all I can say...it loads a room to the max with fine bass response...I settled on the Mesa Engineering Tigris AMP to drive it.

Cheers to Steve and thanks for the experience...the project took me to a higher level of thinking in terms of music, art and science... Feel free to highlight any portion and place on your web site in it's entirety as a reference and review for your entire product line.

Fondest Regards, Rich Conte Odessa, USA