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Audio Forums >> Frequently Asked Questions >> SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
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Message started by drford on 10/29/20 at 18:43:46

Title: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by drford on 10/29/20 at 18:43:46

Hello all,

I have been lurking here for a while learning, and I've finally taken the plunge into the Open Baffle world - two lovely Walnut Betsy F15's arrived last night and have been pretty much playing ever since. Next on the shopping list is a Decware amp to go with them (they're being driven by an old Marantz SS amp right now and sound great, FWIW - longer post coming on a different thread for that).

The question is, which Decware amp should I buy?

I know this question has been asked a few times, but I had originally fallen in love with the look of the Rachael, but the more I read on the forum (and I have read a LOT of threads around this), I suspect the SE84UFO might be the preferred solution for pure audio quality. However, looking at the pictures, my wife likes the look of the Rachael and, as Randy would put it, the "Wife Acceptance Factor" is pretty important. I think she looks the wood base, so maybe the SE84UFO2 is a nice compromise?

From my side, I like the massive tube rolling opportunity with Rachael and the small amount of extra power - though the UFO mods may make this more of a moot point - 2W on the F15's is plenty, right? So many folks here just rave about the Zen amp too...

I haven't been able to listen to these amps so am buying blind, but know they are all very high quality. Thoughts?

Richard

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by Lon on 10/29/20 at 19:28:27

Welcome Richard!

I think a choice may depend ultimately on the size of your room and your frequency of "playing things really loud." With those speakers unless your room is cavernous either the Zen or the Rachel could I think be suitable.

My take on a previous version of the Rachel (or two) I owned is that they are just a bit more forgiving than the Zen. I was much LESS of an audiophile when I had that amplfication, less hung up on cables, and power, and isolation. I grooved along with the music. The Zen amps can make you a bigger audiophile faster. Their extra dollop of clarity takes good recordings up another level. You always feel as if there's a hidden reservoir of fidelity within though, and you can be tempted to jump right down rabbit holes if you know what I mean. . . .

They are great great amps. To be really certain of your answer to the question "which amp"? --I think a call in to Steve is in order if you can pry him away from Tiny Radial development. He could really ask the right questions and guide you along.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by DPC on 10/29/20 at 22:57:14

Welcome Richard,

I bought my SE34 over seven years ago. I is my forth Decware amp.. I can't imagine ever giving it up.

Lon' advise on calling Steve to git your best advise on which amp would be best for you is spot on.

After about eighteen years experience with Decware I can honestly say that Steve Deckert has never sold a product that did not please me!

Good luck,

Dennos

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by ArtMan on 10/30/20 at 01:55:33

I have the F15's and a SE84UFO and it can cleanly play louder than I would ever want to listen to them. They make a wonderful combination. Every time I have upgraded other facets of my system, I can easily hear the changes with this combination. Unless you have a large listening space, 2 watts is sufficient to drive your speakers to 100 db.

This combination sounds alive and allows one to clearly hear the music at much lower volume levels than most systems. This amp/speaker combination is one of the great values in hi-fi.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by drford on 10/30/20 at 13:21:00

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I have figured out there's no such thing as a bad choice when it comes to these amps :) just good or best for a particular purpose.

As my speakers slowly burn in, I'm hearing new things in the sound, and it's just making me keener to buy.

The room isn't cavernous by any means. It's not acoustically very good either, being an odd shape. I've uploaded a wireframe for fun - as you can see it's a bit messy acoustically, and rearranging it would be good, but I really want to stay married ;) Ceilings are 8'. My gut tells me from a power perspective, any of the amps would work.

Any comments appreciated. Oh, and aside from cold calling and trying to pull Steve away from his work, what's the best way to get hold of him?

Richard

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by GroovySauce on 10/30/20 at 13:37:55

I say go with your gut. When I was looking at my first Decware amp I was torn between the Torii MKIV 25th and the UFO25th. My first decision was the Torii, after reading about the UFO25th and how people were gushing over it I started to doubt my decision. I ended up going with the Torii and I'm happy I did.

I've now spent time with the Torii MKIV, ZMA and UFO25th. My favorite is still the Torii. It might be unfair because I haven't had the Torii in the same room or system as the UFO25th and ZMA.

Based on my experience with three different Decware amps, if you and your wife like the Rachael go with that.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by Archie on 10/30/20 at 18:42:32

Just call. Either he will be available or he will call back. I've had both. He's fun to talk to.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by Tommy Freefall on 10/30/20 at 20:14:56

drford, I’ve never owned the SE84UFO, however I have both the Torii MkIV and a Rachael.
IIRC, I read somewhere on this forum that the Rachael is slightly smoother than the SE84UFO.
However if that is a critical issue in your decision, you should get confirmation.
Regardless, one handy feature of both the Rachael and the SE84UFO2 is the meters.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by Rivieraranch on 10/31/20 at 21:10:33

The Rachel is more laid back. There is no comparison between the SE84UFO with the input bias switch turned up. The SE84UFO is more lively.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by drford on 12/11/20 at 20:52:44

Thank you all for your help - indeed, and email exchange with Steve was what was required. His suggestion was that there was no bad choice, but I may appreciate the warmth of the Rachael as the Betsys I have are very revealing.

So... my name is on the looooooong list now, and I peek every few days as it creeps up :)

Thanks again, and in 20-something weeks, I'll let you know how it worked out.

Richard

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by Lon on 12/11/20 at 21:33:09

CONGRATS!

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by s3steve on 12/15/20 at 14:13:29

Drford, so you went with the Rachel! I love mine, it was mt first foray into Decware amplification. I bought it on the used market. It drives 16 ohm Altec Lansing 605B's. I suspect they are a little harder to drive then the F-15's.

The Rachel and a set of the F-15's may be my upstairs living room setup.
The big Altecs in the big 620 cabinets have a Zero WAF reading. It's a definite NO F__KEN WAY!

Looking forward to your review. Very interested on your thoughts the SE34I.5 / F-15 combo.

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by drford on 12/17/20 at 15:23:17

Thanks all! Yes, s3steve, I'll post a review based on my observations, but I think it's going to be a while (as I watch the amp slowly creep up the wait list).

Richard

Title: Re: SE84UFO vs. Rachael vs. ?
Post by hdrider on 12/19/20 at 15:37:18

drford - Congrats on the decision, we LOVE our Rachael and all our Decware gear. Forget about the wait, forget you even order something and one day you will get a surprise email from Sarah saying it's in packing and she's going to charge your card. Very happy for you and you'll find a vast musical improvement over your Marantz set up (had a Marantz 2500 recv for a while), keep us posted and Happy Listening. Chris