I am a committed Decware user for six or seven years now, starting with the Torii MKII. For the past couple years I have run a pair of the 6-watt Zen monoblocks, driving my ZOB speakers. It is hard to describe the music this system presented. I was thoroughly convinced that my experience could not be improved at any cost. Until this morning.

Yesterday evening my new Torii-Jr was delivered. I pulled the Zen amps and substituted the Torii Jr into the system. It was about midnight, and I was unwilling to deal with an irate wife storming from our bed to the living room and delivering yet another lecture about the music volume. So I just turned the system on and quietly played about 30 seconds of music. Everything lit up as it was supposed to and the music played as it was supposed to. I followed wifey to bed.

This morning, to great surprise, I cranked your system up. I was awed that your Torii-Jr actually improved upon what I had believed was perfection. The difference was not jaw dropping. Your Zens are too good for the difference to be so profound. But there was sparkle to the detail that was not there earlier. From downstairs, my wife spoke of a new “brightness”. I listened for the first time to the air moving over the reed and forced out the bell of Dexter Gordon’s tenor sax, revealing the instrument’s true timbre. Cymbals sang like spun brass and didn’t sound like rain. The instruments were more certainly in their space on the stage which was both wider and deeper. I’ll be damned. Again, my jaw did not drop, but I sure am smiling a lot. Quite an experience.

This was a very helpful thread as I have been wrestling with: -
ZEN TRIODE MONOBLOCKS vs TORII JR.

When delivered well, extended top frequencies are VERY important to me, so I'm interested to read that the TORII JR. offers a bit more sparkle up top.

Can I ask if other members would agree with this assertion please?
(Or perhaps some feel that it was new tubes or more power that delivered the added sparkle...)

Secondly, I am hoping that someone can confirm what maximum Gain factor (in dB if possible please...) is possible on the TORII JR. when the Gain Control (attenuator) is set at maximum.
(This would be handy data for all of the DECWARE amps on offer, to be honest...)

Lastly, I'd like to commend Steve on a truly excellent website.  Probably the best I have seen.  I particularly love the fact that he has set tube 'dashboards' on the TORII MK. IV page, explaining how he hears the different tubes in the MK. IV circuit.  If these same sonic results also apply to the same tubes when inserted in other DECWARE circuits - where tube-rolling is an option - it would be great to have this as a separate section for easy navigation.

All in all, I am very impressed and hope that someone can answer my questions.  Appreciated.


-SONDEKNZ

I bet that "sparkle" is a UFO transformer thing.

I went from the Fisher 400 to a SE84UFO in my weight room (25' by 31') I also have Cornwalls.

Yes. The Zen has the 25th mods and the source is tidal through a Node2. Very minimal setup but the music has more detail without any harshness. I also have several absorption panels to tame the room.
 The fisher was good for super high levels but not so much for normal listening. Even so, the little Zen can light those Cornwalls up enough to float anyone's boat.