The New Super Zen is the result of another great Decware Mod to the famous model SE84C+ Zen Amp.  The SE84C+ as you'll remember came to pass as the result of the Hazen Grid Mod aka "Christmas Comes Early" Mod a few years back.  

Recently we've come up with a mod that when combined with the prior CCE mod is just icing on the cake!  We affectionately call this mod; "Christmas Keeps Coming" Mod.

This mod involves some very high grade 2 watt carbon composition resistors on both plates of the input stage and some special copper foil and beeswax caps that we found superior to VCAPS in this amplifier.  The transformation is astounding.  It frankly makes this little amplifier a real force to reckon with so to celebrate we have upgraded the chassis one last time to an extreme level of quality and are featuring a black textured powder coat finish that is beautiful, easy to clean, shows no finger prints, or scratches.  A finish that will look new 50 years from now when the amp is still kicking everything's ass.

(Whoops, started to get a little passionate about it there at the end... what can I say, it's my first born!)

BTW, Anyone ordering SE84C+ amplifiers or anyone with SE84C+ amplifiers already on order will be shipped the new Super Zens model SE84CKC

Wow Steve, the new Mono's and the SUPERZEN~!!

My calendar has been cleared. Zenfest 2005, 2008 and now 2012 is happening!  I look forward to hearing the new Mono's and I am sure you have an incredible demo planned. I plan on ordering the SUPERZEN at the Fest and/or inquire if these mods are even necessary to apply to a new Select (ZS) purchase from you?

Cheers, Stone of Tone (11+ years and counting of SE84CS joy with the SV83 Tubes)

Well, to heck with waiting to order the Super Zen @ Decfest. I ordered it today with 5ft Zen Styx speaker cable/Silver Banana's.

It will be fun comparing it to my SE84CS stock (no EX or CCE mods). I have a nice bevy of the original SV83 (6n15nM) that I enjoy most. In addition, I have another Audio Alchemy front end (Pro32 & 3.0 Dac) to run into the new SuperZen to my 2nd favorite pair of speakers that I love with these pentodes run in triode. I have not found better fidelity than Steve's SE84CS. I have spent the last 10 years periodically searching.......Steve's the King. Other designer's just need to deal with it.

Furthermore, putting the Zen Styx up against my reference Kimber Select 1030 & Select 3033 will be fun this fall and winter as the new SuperZen burns in with the Styx! (I should get Steve's Interconnect too).

Cheers, Stone of Tone
PS! I'm sure Jameskk agree's.....I look forward to Steve's posting of the SuperZen.......new chassis and all..... .

Stone, congrats! Let the waiting begin!

Here's hoping! You'll probably get a good idea from Steve at Decfest. (And maybe he'll surprise you!)

jameskk, yes I researched those Jupiter caps = very nice. Most important is Steve's integration of them and voicing of the Amp that creates the total magic/alchemy that he creates (ie-right down to the soldering choices we read).

Lon, you need to come to the FEST this year. I'm sure you saw this thread: https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1346474546

.....I am excited about getting down there again. It has been four years to long. I'm glad I can go in the year of the new Zen Mono's and the SuperZen! Steve's planned 8 pm demo's at dark of the new Mono's can't come soon enough.  Three weeks to go! Yes, I'll see in person where I am in the build que.    -Stone

Per Steve, if the world does end Dec 21st......I'm partying like a rock star the next 14 weeks!   .....no drinking and driving though....it is 10.9 miles to my Super 8 motel. I need to car pool!  ::)

With great Power...comes Great Responsibility.....

and *cough* Great Price...... *cough*

That is one BIG 1st WATT!  ;)

John,

I understand your points.

I'm still sad.

When I have my second Zen Stand in (soon) and my ZP3 (in a few months or so) I'll have the system I dreamed of. And I may even spend more time listening and less visiting here. That "completion," and the beginning of this new phase for Decware, feels a bit like the end of an era, and that's always a little sad.

Lon,  I understand your feelings, as this business was started for the "sincere but broke audiophiles" of the world and targeted at low power high efficiency designs because that's what sounds best.

It still is.


The Torii Mono's are the highest power amplifier I can ever see us building, because to go beyond is

A) unnecessary - if 60 watts won't do it...  and
B) requires paralleled output tubes that make transparency problematic.  

I would have had no interest in making these if they didn't sound as good as our other amplifiers.  Put another way, I'm as far away from selling out as a man can get.  

That said, there is no new direction of higher power amplifiers for Decware or the end of an era, just the inevitable evolution of the Zen TORII design into Monoblocks.

I just want to bring musical pleasure to more people.  The number of audiophiles who don't give Decware a second thought because of it's low power or low price are in fact the majority.  This amp is hopefully the bridge that will bring them over to the Decware sound.  It has enough power to work with their present speakers. Many, after getting familiar with Decware, will be willing to explore higher efficiency, simpler speaker designs. This would set the stage to be able to enjoy our fine stable of low power amplifiers as well.  

So you see, rather than  building bigger more expensive amplifiers as the next phase of Decware, I am  in fact using this one amplifier as a tool to draw more people into our current product line.  The new SuperZen confirms it.

Thank's for "coming out and saying it" because I'm sure many people were having the same thought!

Steve

Steve, I was feeling similar to Lon.  Glad to hear the Tori Monos are not just a cynical "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" move.  I hope you get the attention you want and make a killing.

Do you plan on changing your marketing approach to facilitate this?  Exhibiting at RMAF and such, glossy ads and glowing reviews in the rags?

Also, does the Super Zen surpass the Select Monos, and if so, how so?

Always remember, if a business isn't growing, it is dying.
It looks like Steve has the start of the problem that plagues Harley Davidson. How do you take care of a core market that is finite while still bringing in new customers that demand something new and exciting?
It looks to me like he has a pretty good plan, create some upmarket products while still updating his bread and butter products.
Steve seems like a pretty smart cookie.

Quote:


Ski bum,

I really don't plan to change anything.  Glossy ads and shows take time and cost money that I would rather put into R&D.  I'll be sending a pair to Tone Audio for review but that's the only plans I really have for marketing it.

As for the Super Zen I believe it does - due mainly to the CKC mods.  More open sounding, more detailed, and more organic.  The CKC mods can be applied to the Select Mono's at which point the added headroom and blacker backgrounds of the Mono's would then tilt the scale back the other way.

Steve

Headphone option on super zen possible? Considered?

That looks like wrinkly finish like a 1940's typewriter. What was wrong with the white box?

What is the brand of that rectifier shown in the picture?

Very nice Steve. I will not be able to make it to the Fest this year. However, I certainly do look forward to receiving the SuperZen CKC with Styx speaker wire!   Cheers, Stone

Quote:


The problem with the white box is simply that with five sides showing it's just too easy to scratch during production when compared to a flat white plate with only one side.  As a result we've had to reject one out of every three chassis.  My upstairs storage room is full of them now.

Quote:


The specs are the same as before except that the CKC is standard in all Super Zens's.  The SE84ZS aka "Select" is also updated with the CKC making it exactly the same amplifier but in an alternate looking chassis.

Since James K. is me, I'll be one of the first kids in my neighborhood to own a "super Zen," Steve. Thank you. I am delighted. Thank you, this is something that would only happen at Decware. My sincere appreciation once more