I was trying to decide between a MT and a SE34I.3. I ultimately decided to go with the MT because I didn't want to purchase a PreAmp right out the bat. I have a high output MC cart on my TT to an Audio Research PH-3 phono pr as my source.

While I just love the MT part of me thinks I should have went with the SE34I.3 instead. I am still within the window, any input is greatly appreciated.

They are connected to B&W bookshelves right now but will be connected to a crossover-less Mark Audio A12P towers that I am building currently.

I guess you really can't go wrong, as all the love for the Mini Torii here shows. I loved my SE34.2 Integrated, which I know is not the same as the new model, but I loved it and only wished it had been more powerful, I needed more power.

MINI TORII offers a greater ability to tweak and fine tune the sound; either swapping tubes or the treble circuit or the feedback control. You don't have any of that with the SE34.

It doesn't need most of that. The Integrated is zero negative feedback, which I've always loved. An SET as well. And a treble cut circuit can be added (a really good option to add, as is the stepped attenuator).

Can't really tell you, haven't heard the Mini Torii. It's the one Decware amp that has never really appealed to me.

I suppose if you are not a decware noobie then Mini Torii doesnt make sense. It does make sense for me as I was able to get my feet wet and explore without the large Torii pricetag.

Still very happy with my decision.

Thanks Lon, very insightful, I see many great years with this Decware amp and many others. This is a journey not a destination.

Thanks again!

-Ron

Fireblade, well stated. I for one will be purchasing a better DAC and building a pair of full range speakers before I spend a bunch of a PS Audio power plant.

Quote:


Time to google

QB-9 maybe?  Great reviews, a little out of my league right now.  

The most important element in your system will always be a good sounding pair of speakers in synergy with your amp.

Good luck with your project, sounds challenging but fun!

Well I just don't agree David. . . I think these regulation stages allow you to CHANGE the sound of the amp far more than they do any cleaning of the amp. Yes, you can turn that circuit off in earlier versions of the amp and it doesn't sound as good. . . but Steve wouldn't let the amp out sounding that way without the regulation stages, he would have altered the signature. Far more than a "cleansing" stage this is just another tailoring stage to the amp. . . one that I think (in the case of the Torii, which I am very familiar with) is not as essential as  you seem to think. I see these as an added expense for the benefit of twiddling the sound with tube rolling more than anything else. And a way to make Decware amps "different." A power regenerator, now THAT really makes a difference, to all components plugged in. Far more profound, imo. This is my experience with more than just one Decware amp with and without voltage regulation stages. Six amps in fact, four without.

Whatever.I know how stubborn we both are and it's not worth more time talking about. Glad you're happy, but the Integrated I had didn't have these stages, and DIDN'T NEED these stages to sound awesome.

Fireblade wrote on 01/29/13 at 10:38:58:


David, I do think that this is an evolution of the design that serves in part as a clever marketing move as well as a way to make the amps sound different, especially without a preamp (I love preamps) and a way to attract those who like to tinker and change the sound again and again. Better overall perhaps, that's subjective imo. It does make Decware amps stand out as different, an additional contribution to nice marketing. Again, I have Decware amps with and without these stages and thousands of hours of listening to them' that's what I'm basing my opinion on. Not web pages. I'm recounting my experience with Decware amps over more than a decade.

You say "bang for buck" is what you want, and you also say that you are seeking the ultimate sound from your system. If you really want to hear what your amp will do, one day investigate better power conditioning than these voltage regulators. Then you'll hear what the blackest of backgrounds is, etc.

Enough said. Again, choosing an MT or an SE34.2 . . . either is a great choice.

Ron, you better confirm this with Steve, but the M-T is supposed to have been designed to handle even the weakest inputs, like iPods and the like.  This is the reason why the M-T has the largest gain compared to all the other amps.

You can even replace (as I did for sound tuning purposes) the drivers from 12AU7 to 12AT7 or higher gain drivers, and still get great sound at  even higher gain.

I'm not familiarized with the specs of the phono-pre you ordered, but Steve will confirm this either way.

Lon,

I said 'bang for buck' but not ultimate sound!  I said 'the best sound (I can afford').  Not even you have the ultimate sound out of your system, I'm sure, nobody does.

The steep exponential curve of diminishing returns is a big barrier to get the ultimate sound. There are probably better audio components than Decware's out there, that are so expensive these are out of reach for 97% of enthusiasts, but that's hardly the point.

For the money spent in power aids at those levels, there are better bang-for-the-buck alternatives, like better sourcing and the like.  Money makes a difference if you know how to invest it.

I'm happy you feel you're done with your present systems, but your recipe (and mine) is not necessarily for everyone.  ;)

BTW, when Steve proposed the M-T to me, he used the voltage regulation/filtering stages as one of his main arguments in favor of it, saying he would not recommend an amp without this, unless one was able to invest in a power regeneration plant, ala PS Audio.  He never even mentioned the tube-rolling feature as a selling proposition.  

Enjoy it, Lon.  I know I'm enjoying my little amp and system more every day!