Steve Deckert
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Quote:Hi Steve,
i wanted to let you know how much i am enjoying all the gear i have purchased from you in the last few months. It's tough to write a review of just one piece, even though i did not get them all at the same time. The whole system is just so much better than the individual parts, and i don't have any gear that is not Decware at the moment to compare.
i've been playing around in the high end audio world for awhile. i jumped into this crazy hobby back in the early 90s, and i remember being very curious about what Dennis Had was doing at Cary Audio. He was right down the road from me, so i saw his gear at one dealer in particular. Never had a chance to listen to it because it seemed no one had appropriate speakers to make a 2A3 amp or a 300B amp sound good. And that was the problem, i couldn't find speakers i could audition that were sensitive enough to make Dennis Had's stuff work. So, i went the more conventional route. i've owned Vandersteen and Meadowlark speakers, Cary, Audio Research, McCormack, Audio Electronic Supply, Zu, Transparent, Audioquest, Rotel, Adcom, VPI, and some PS Audio gear. When my son went off to college in 2010, i sold everything i had at the time, which was a Cary "slobber stack", 211AE monoblocks, SLP05 preamp, 306 CD player, Meadowlark speakers. That money went toward tuition and i took a break from the high end.
In the last two years, my younger son has discovered music. He began to lament the fact that he didn't have my old system around any more. He was stuck with earbuds. He also wanted to get some vinyl, and while i still had my turntable, we had nothing to hook it up to. So i decided it was time to reconstruct a good system.
That last system i had was wonderful, big, ballsy, realistic sound. But i didn't want to spend that kind of money again. i was convinced i didn't have to. i was also getting pretty tired of the the audiophile merry-go-round, never being satisfied enough, getting a little bit better sound and getting excited for a few months, but then getting restless again. Always looking for better speakers, better wire, better whatever, and never really getting anywhere i wanted to be. i decided now was the time to try high sensitivity speakers with low powered amps. That's what i had always found interesting, so now was the time to do it. i started looking for manufacturers that had the reputation for a great price to performance ratio. After i stumbled across the Decware website, i must have spent a month reading through the Decware forums, gathering as much info as i could. It all struck me as exactly what i was looking for.
i ordered the Monoliths, then the ZCD240, then the ZP3, and finally the Torii Jr. This system is fast, clean, musical, with agile, tuneful bass. The Monoliths sounded so smooth and easy on the ear, with detail and air i hadn't heard in my most expensive system. When the CD player was added, i couldn't believe how good internet radio sounded, not even mentioning what it did with Cds. i must admit, i can't listen to some of my discs now. This player will tell you very soon if the CD is crap or not, and i've got some pretty harsh sounding ones. The next thing that arrived was the ZP3. This is easily the best phono stage i have ever had. i know there are probably better ones out there, but not for anywhere near what this one costs. i was stunned by what it did with my vinyl. Again, there are some records that are recorded/mastered so poorly that i can't listen to them any more. But a good record sounds remarkable.
For me the Torii Jr. has left me slack jawed from the first time i listened to it. Your description when you made your "discovery" while building it is what i am hearing. Clarity and transparency i haven't had, but with a musicality that makes me sit back in my listening chair in wonder. Everything sounds wonderful, but the one thing i keep coming back to is just how good internet radio sounds through this system. i have been listening to Radio Paradise for many years, and it never sounded this good. Some days i just want someone to play some good music for me and now with this system, i get my wish with unbelievable sound.
i have been playing around with different input tubes and some VR150s. i have found that in my small room, i rarely play music louder than 85db, so i don't really need much power with those Monoliths. With the VR150s in the Torii Jr. i hear greater clarity without the sound becoming etched or clinical in any way. Quite amazing! With my older son back from college and my younger son deep into rap, jazz, and some 70s soul(!), the three of us often find ourselves up in the listening room, talking, debating, and just enjoying some great music. i will treasure that time with my boys for the rest of my life. Thank you for making that possible.
A side note. i had written you an email about my ZP3 having a channel imbalance. i tried everything to figure that one out. Changed tubes, interconnects, amps, put the old phono amp back in, played with different combinations of tubes. Couldn't figure it out. Then one day i took the 0a3 out of the ZP3 and put it in the Torii Jr. Played a cd, and there was the channel imbalance! Switched the 0a3 back, and everything was back to normal. So it must be the 0a3. Sent off an email to Sarah about the tube, she said i needed to call you. So, the night before i was going to call, i played around with everything one last time, just to be sure. Couldn't reproduce what i had before. i thought i was going a little crazy, i even had my son come in and listen. i sat there totally confused, put on a record, and about half way through, the image moved back to dead center. i swear. It has been fine ever since. i don't know what that was, maybe something had not settled in yet, but now everything sounds great.
Thanks again for such great gear. You have provided me and my boys something to share that is wonderful, and at times, even a bit life-changing!
David
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