Does anyone know if a bridged amp configuration, in order to increase the power significantly (say, in the Super Zen or the Rachael, etc), can be done at no sonic cost? I was wondering, the magic of a Super Zen at 6 watts per channel @ 8 Ohms would be a good bang for the buck at around USD 2,000. It would be better sounding than the other amps and it would still kick 6 watts RMS.

If so, how does one feed the single DAC input to it? Would Y IC adapters be a sonically acceptable solution? 6 Watts is 50% more power than the Mini Torii's 4 Watts and being a Triode configuration with a much leaner topology should be sonically better, unless the bridging taxes that magic somehow. Just thinking ...

It`s worth it for me as my speakers need a wake up call that one Rachael wont give them. Two and we`re cookin`. No trade in. One amp per speaker. No smearing as there is the floating bridge in the circuits that allow for bridging.
That said, Steve offers more power entry-point amps now...and in the future. And I think the prices reflect the power, at least they did when I decided how much power I required.

That does sound like a very positive comment. I just read that too, but it didn't click with me as I typically don't bridge anything but sub-woofer amps. LOL

I had seen that statement in the past, too. But, there's always the doubt it may not be feasible in practice to really keep 100% of the transparency on ...  I may be wrong, that is why I'm asking ...

Ultralinear sounds promising but still down the road some. Thanks for the feedback.

True. . . but those were not of the new design.

With the 2 output option on the CSP you theoretically get balanced clean inputs to the monos if you think a `Y` connector might degrade the signal by the minutest.
The power jump gives the sense of heightened attributes across the board. You think the stage is wider, deeper, more bass grip etc.
It`s not just about dialing back the volumes to the 1 amp levels, but when you do there is something more than 1 amp. This isn`t wishful thinking.....you`re paying double the money so you`d want the whole to be more than the sum of two parts.
This always makes me think of the little Zen amp and how much it`s revered, and then my theory counts for nothing.

I question whether the loss of transparency (especially with the UFO transformer topology Steve mentions) is that noticeable. Personally the ultimate transparency is often counter-productive to most natural sound in my systems, so I would fret less than others perhaps. But I would be willing to believe Steve's most recent statement, why not.

Adding a Decware preamp has had more benefit than deficit in my systems even though at times I thought it did not. At those times further system improvements showed using the preamp to be the preferred method. I just think that sometimes we "believe" in audio diminishments in much larger sizes than they actually may be to the ear and brain. (And I'm certain the same is true of audio improvements).

You may be right, Lon. But, I don't think the fame and evident following the Super Zen has had over the years (as well as people's willingness to put up with a lot less power than they would like) is something barely noticeable. Just my opinion.

I'm not questioning Steve's statement, except I believe this is a business, and in the end, there may be many people incapable of noticing the difference (that may well include me and my old ears). So, why not offer a pretty similar level of sound with much more power ... It is a valid offering. But, as LR put it, there's no free lunch and something has to give.

Well, I look at it this way. You either fall in love with your amp or your speakers. If you fall in love with a flea power amp you build your system around it and you get very efficient speakers. Then you don't need the extra power. A lot of what attracts people to the Zen amps is the bang for the buck. You can get a killer system around that (now) 1000 dollar amazing amp. Not a big investment. That is a big draw, that low cost, that is why many of us first came here to play.

TWO of those amps cost you 2000 dollars. And two sets of cables if you are like many of us and go that route. And rack space and footers etc. Steve has the Mini-Torii and the Rachel at cheaper than that price points for those who want or need that more power and/or a bit less of an analytical sound perhaps. And the new Monoblocks (if they are in production) will have even more power in SET sound, at a steeper price point. So the way that Steve has the line structured makes sense to me. If you really want all the Super Zen qualities AND more power go for a pair of two Super Zens. I doubt that I MYSELF would notice a lot of transparency loss and if I did lose a little the power and headroom and ease of sound from doubling the amps would probably put me way over on the plus side.

I myself as much as I loved the Decware amps I had before them fell in love with the Radial speakers, the ERR and HR-1. In some of the spaces I had my system I needed more than six watts to get the headroom and ease of sound I wanted, so these little amps were not possible for me--that's why there's the Toriis, the new Monos, the ZMA, the flagship Monos. . . a whole other line to follow to energize those speakers.

The line up makes sense to me, and IF the new UFO topology does allow the transparency when doubling to mono that Steve claims then even those chasing for the ultimate in detail (a path I found I couldn't go down with my source material) can enjoy wider speaker choices and/or headroom and ease of sound. The comments about losing some transparency with mono operation do not include experience with the new amps. The new amps are very impressive. Two sources, hot rod transformers, damned good looking too. Nice shot in the arm to the line up and if the mono operation is as advertised possibly the best 2000-2500 amp set up for Decware type listeners.

Just the way it seems to me. I can see some differing viewpoints, and IF I were in the market I'd have tough choices to make, and that leap of faith in any direction is a tough one to initiate.

seikosha wrote on 06/16/15 at 14:13:27:

I sit here corrected then as I thought this was a new comment for the new revision.

I do remember people getting advice from Steve to buy two Zens and bridge them.

Quote:


Well said FB! I think you cut to the point more succinctly than I could.

Interesting points, again. I submit a request, to those with the possibility, to experiment with the bridging, especially with the Super Zen/UFO, as this would provide an unequivocal solution to high level sound at affordable prices and more comfortable power levels.

Whether during the next Decfest or anytime before that, this test would be enlightening.

BTW, I would try the Bridged configuration without a preamp ...  Just adjusting the volume individually per channel. This makes it mandatory to use a Y splitter for the input IC's, but should be the best option when trying to preserve the original transparency in the system.

Thanks!