I agree that Phillips 5R4GYS is a great rectifier.  That and 1953 RCA 5R4GYS are my favorite rectifiers they really open up the sound.

JD

Just have an earlier cd of that one. Cool session!

I could never convince anyone that I have any math skills but the new speaker idea sure sounds like a winner!

Dennis

2 Rachaels through my 89 db`s sounds more than adequate.
Waiting for a replacement EL34 and listening through 1 Rachael sounds v/good but miss the extra bass authority and great presence/room fill.
More efficient speakers should/would equal the same ? You know I think it`s possible. Interesting thought.
I dont drink anymore but those Greene King IPA`s were  

Greg12,

The number you should use to compare your speakers to the MG944s is 89dB (92dB is with ave room gain added).

89dB vs 93/94 dB ~ so all else being equal the 944s should be a little louder with 6 watts than the Paradigms with 12 ~ not all things are equal of course, the Paradigms have a 3rd order 2 way x-o and 2nd order low pass filter whereas the MG944s have a 1st order x-o, arguably this makes a difference also with fewer parts in the x-o being better for low power tube amps.

Lin

Just read your first post on this thread Greg. Very good of Steve to chat about volume levels, which are topical for recent weeks posts in the" How much power is enough" thread.
Bang on from Steve.

Greg you've made a great choice.  I as well wanted to be one and done in amp buying and I've had the Torii MKIII for just under a year.  It will blow you away and it keeps getting better and better.  A good amount of tubes to swap but not so many that it's overwhelming.  With great sources and interconnects you truly can't go wrong with this amp. The only negative is now I've also bought the CSP2+ and the ZP3 and numerous DECWARE interconnects because of the great quality and logical prices.

JD

SE34I.3 versus a Mini Torii?

It seems that a Mini Torii has a better chance of taming a bright high end (due to tube rolling and the treble adjustment).

But does the SE34I.3 some better (all things being equal)?

Also, will you save money on replacement tubes as the MINI Torii tubes are reported to last much longer.

Any comments?

Some serious fun ahead!

Hey PK sorry to rain or snow on your parade!!!! Racheals a Diva of the highest caliper....

Ok, that's it! I made an executive decision today, and bought Steve's original prototype of this amp. I wandered back and forth, looking at various Decware models, and while price determined one or two choices, I ended up with this amp. I shouldn't say 'ended up' as though it were settling for or something like that, but rather after talking with Steve for awhile, it was the best choice for me. I didn't want a lot of extras, so as it turns out, I got more in the performance arena than the option arena. So, if I remember correctly, it has one set of outputs, a volume control for each channel, just happens to have the Jensen capacitors installed, and will come with a set of 6N2P input tubes. The rest of the tubes are 'stock', and that is fine since I have a few of my own. I actually owned a 34i.1 a long time ago, and it kinda drove me nuts with all of the different ways it could be hooked up and then different switches for tube bias. Then there were switches for the transformers themselves, IIRC, and it was too much for my OCD! This is a much more straightforward amp for me and will undoubtedly be a great choice for my ZOB speakers. Presently I am using an Audio Nirvana integrated amp that is really good, BUT it is push pull 6V6 and as good as it is, I still prefer SET sound. The new amp may arrive next week, and that will give me a little time to break the news to my wife(tomm is VAlentines, so that might be a window). More to follow as soon as the amp arrives. Like some of you, I have an idea what to expect, but have never run the ZOB speakers on a Decware amp. This may be one of the last steps to Audio Nirvana.

Lon,

   Good to hear from you. Yah, it's kinda kool to have a 000 serial number amp. I used to own two SV83CS? mono amps., number 1 and 2. They were unforgettable, which brings me back to here. BTW, I meant to say that this new amp will have one set of INPUTS, well, I guess it does have one set of outputs too, heh heh. Still warming up the wife subliminally. It's a hurdle I tell ya.

I don't currently have either the zen or the ZMA.  I heard them at zenfest and really liked them both. To keep my comments brief I liked the clarity and soundstage of the zen and the richness of the ZMA.  

I get to hear them now because I get together with another decware afficianado and he has both. We haul gear over to each other's house and mix systems.  

Tomorrow I am going to be listening to the ZMA to see just how zen it is. Last time I heard it I listened mostly to how full and rich the notes were. It was remarkable.

Still for my situation and room Rachael is very very good.  I will own or build a little zen amp some day. It will either be a second system amp or my desktop amp.  ZMA if I win the lottery.

I still need to spend some time with the Torii mk III to see what the ZMA adds above that amp. MkIIIs are selling for a very good price these days.

Raymond...I'm intrigued.  I have been considering this amp for my HDT's, and would be interested if you're experience with this amp improved the sound of the HDT's.  I am currently running my pair with a pair of SE 84CSM monoblocks (2 WPC) and would like to hear your impressions of this combination.

Dan

Raymond...sorry for the late reply.  I also heard that Steve voiced this amp with the HDT's.  When I was at Decfest last year, I didn't hear this combo enough to form an opinion, although I value Steve's opinion very highly.

Given all that, are you using the amp with a pre-amp?  If so, which one?

Thanks for your input in advance

I've tried one with mine and felt there was something to "riding the gain" but didn't keep it hooked up.

I listen to a lot of playlists versus albums and don't want to adjust much when I am listening and to get the most out of it, I felt you had to.

Well, I have had the opportunity to listen enough to say, it's a keeper. Listened to Synergy Chords album last night, and I don't really like to use the word shocked too much, but I did find myself with mouth open hearing the music even more tantalizing than before. A list of other types of music keep me entertained during the latest storm siege. I did do some twiddling with the amp by adding some sound deadening material on the underside. I also prefer brass to black screws, and changed them all,  30 or something.

Sir, you are an observant one. Yes the brass weights were my first attempt on a metal lathe. Figured out quickly that it is harder than it looks. Anyway, when I bought this amp from Steve, we talked a bit about tubes, and this rectifier is the one he sent with the amp. Can't really compare, but suffice it to say, I have no thoughts about rolling just yet. I do have some EL 34 Rubys down stairs that call out to me. As far as rectifier tubes, time will tell. Here is a photo of the underside. I like the notes drawn on the underside.

This was the prototype that Steve used pre-production. There were a few upgrades such as the Jupiters, one pre-out, mono pots(which I switch to mono attenuators), and 4 inputs that are not hooked up(Steve is picky about the presence of too many connections, and wanted this amp to be as straightforward as possible. I agree). I added silver input jacks, few other niceties. You can see by the notes written on the chassis that this was the idea in the making. here is a cool shot of the Jupiter.

Well, I think that most all of tube equipment will benefit from damping, and Herbies' seems to have gone to great lengths to produce a quality product. I will most likely add some to the input tubes as well. I have used Sorbothane feet on the bottom of this unit, but will replace them with Tenderfeet in time. To a much smaller degree, I feel that damping the output trannys will keep it all clean. It's just that you have hundreds of feet of fine wire that could be affected by vibration. Just a thought.

Ray, I agree about most damping. I also am now using the cable dampers from Herbies. In the future, I will add the Tenderfeet. For now, I am using an ARMY of Sorbothane footers because their rating is not made for the weight.

Jameskk - Now that you have more hours on the Racheal, do you still feel the Racheal is a marked improvement over the Superzen?