Forums - Value

Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1285

Value
09/04/11 at 17:13:08

I loves me some high end stuff as much as the next guy, but $1200 per tube pair? I am not suggesting that someone else might not perceive value in such tubes and associated equipment—and actually, the Sophia Electric products are hardly the most expensive products around—but I am appreciative of where the Decware team has pegged their value target. And I am especially grateful that Steve targets his designs to perform well with tube of modest ambition and price, whether NOS or current production. It's fun to roll tubes, and even to flirt with the expensive ones now and then, but it is remarkable how good the Decware amps sound with their stock tubes and reasonably priced alternatives. And even more amazing that, as you do try alternate and/or more expensive tubes, they continue to reveal even more.

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Lon

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Posts: 23599

Re: Value
Reply #1 - 09/04/11 at 17:19:23

Well, I always figured spending nights with a Royal Princess would be very expensive!

I agree, it's wonderful that I can roll five dollar rectifier tubes and 50 to 100 dollar quartets of output tubes in my Torii and find great sound. Or just use any tube that came with the amp or are about and get great sound. I wish more and more persons would discover the kind of audio joy and fiscal sense Decware can bring.

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Pale Rider

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Posts: 1285

Re: Value
Reply #2 - 09/04/11 at 17:42:02

Lon, there are some interesting parallels between the Sophia Electric and Decware stated design methods and goals, e.g., simplicity, point-to-point wiring, transformer criticality. But somehow, it seems to me, the SE folks miss the mark. I have never heard their product, so I cannot deny they may be wonderful, and both press and user reviews are quite complimentary (though some of the descriptions seem difficult to reconcile). Still, the more of this stuff, the merrier; widening the market makes more opportunity for our friends in East Peoria. I will say this. I have a friend who stopped by recently, who has a rather significant high end hi-fi system. His two mono blocks cost more than my entire rig, and his speakers double that up. He was duly impressed by my Decware setup. And subtly, but visibly, perturbed. Grin

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Lon

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"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23599

Re: Value
Reply #3 - 09/04/11 at 18:55:48

I like that he was perturbed!

I think that the 300B tube amp crowd are used to being charged a lot, and they seem to worship the early tubes produced, and so are open to a very expensive deluxe tube in a way that almost no other follower might be. I have some experience listening to a former boss's Cary 300B integrated and it's a very nice amp with the right speakers, more intimate and romantic sounding, very good for what he likes most to listen to, solo or small group classical music, very emotional sounding. He has heard an early version of my system and he spent a few hours going "what the fudge is happening here" it took him a while to come to grips with the sound. But he was very complimentary. He felt that the Decware system really had dynamics and a lack of congestion and he had been looking for that. But he's also very happy with his system.

There's room for all of us. And of course we're happy and we're not switching either.

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HR-1,ZBIT,ZROCK2,SEWE300B,CSP3-25mod; Rega RP3 all GrooveTracer mods;PSAudio:PST+DSD, DAC Mk II, P15,NPC,PowerBases,AC-12 pwr cbls, Reference spkrcbls; Mapleshade SamsonV3; VooDoo:Cremona+Amati interconnects, IsoPods; headphones: Sennheiser HD800S,ZMF Ori,Oppo PM1

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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1285

Re: Value
Reply #4 - 09/05/11 at 16:56:24

Quote:

I think that the 300B tube amp crowd are used to being charged a lot, and they seem to worship the early tubes produced, and so are open to a very expensive deluxe tube in a way that almost no other follower might be.

Agreed. When I see the Western Electric NOS prices, I am amazed. Tubes selling for more than my V-capped Taboo.

Quote:

There's room for all of us. And of course we're happy and we're not switching either.

Indeed.

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4krow

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PEAS

Posts: 1607

Re: Value
Reply #5 - 09/05/11 at 19:10:21

Value is not value at the price of failure. So many products have that low price appeal, and yes, I have tried a few of them only to be disappointed in the short run. Whether it is because of sound or reliability issues, in the end I have sold them all. Even some of them had a higher price afforded by thicker faceplates, or amazing design in terms of art. Again, they have been sold. The only equipment I will now consider will have point to point wiring THROUGHOUT. And of course quality of sound is paramount. Additionally, I want the option of different tubes that can be substituted. I would gladly own a torii amp if I could afford one(maybe if I hadn't wasted all that money on other crap).

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