ZMA being fixed.

My ZMA took a surge and you can read what happened below from Steve. It can happen...... .

Oh, I so wanted to put the backlit lights in the meter's!

But, with the insurance + shipping to Decware, the return freight and my PAC-S's are ready to ship and I have to pay for......I did not get the backlit's. Plus, I might need new KT66's.....but maybe not.... . Look forward to testing those puppies. I think my dual triode 6922's are fine.....from what I could assess at the time-I still ran her. I have some other expenses too, coming up. So, those that get the backlit meter's, don't rub it in.  :D

All good. I'll have my seasoned Zen Mystery Amp back in due time.

Thanks again Steve for your attention to this matter and giving me peace of mind.



Hi Larry,

Amp tested perfectly fine, however the meters did not.  Two of the meters had lost their calibration causing them to read faulty. Starting in Jan 1st 2017 all the meters in Decware amplifiers are being disassembled and fully rebuilt by Decware before being installed into the amps.  Part of the rebuild process includes tighter calibration and an upgraded resistor which can handle many times the current over a stock one.  This results in better sound, which is why we have incorporated it into all new Decware amplifiers that use meters.  

We will be making this meter upgrade available for any pre-existing Decware amplifiers in April or May of this year.  The price will be $100 + $25 per meter.

Also, optionally we can while quantities last, replace the meters with Decware Rebuilt Meters  that have lights.  These warm backlit meters can be installed for $100 + $50 per meter.

Please feel free to copy this information into the forum.  

I am rebuilding all 4 of your meters at no charge.  If you would rather have the lighted meters, it would be $200.

Thanks,

Steve

Good news Larr, and you got express attention and should have the amp back soon. Whew!

To funny Match. I can picture having a beer or two and staring at that meter with ya.  

For the ZMA:
When you get a new Quad....you get to see how good they really are matched from the vendor you choose.
During there life, you can bias and BALANCE them as they age/ware.....for optimal performance.....down to the last drop.
.....and you know when it's time to let them go too.
I would not be without them thar meter's.

....oh, yeah you can bias and balance the ZMA. No, you can't with the Rachael. So, yes I did wear out my initial Quad from Steve. Well, long in the tooth for me they were....maybe not other's.

, No, not sold at any moment! She/ZMA, is to harmonically awesome and true to tone and texture, to ever get rid of.

Can I Listen to a Rega Elex R or Bel Canto C7R DAC/Amplifer = yes. However, they are not my Zen Mystery Amplifier.

Yes, thanks Lon.....very pleased Steve opened her up right away...... .

I don't think the installed meters are necessary.  It would have been better if I could have a multimeter to test the amp.

The only component I have meters on is the Taboo Mk III I use as a headphone amp in my only other system. They are totally superfluous and I probably would like the amp better without them. . . .

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1365130519

The Meter's look threaded Archie. However, I can't tell, but the resistor's for each side, probably need to be silver soldered.

Lonely Raven, that's a nice tool to have.
I would have preferred a $25 tool over an expensive meter than does the same thing.

Just my 2 cents.

Stone,

I think you're right.  I'll try not to worry at this point.

I was looking over this same thread yesterday.  It's a trip down memory lane!    It all makes a lot more sense now though, 3 years down the road.

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1409130590/30

Replies #41 & #57:  These might be better pictures of the meter connections.  I only see threaded connections -- so far.

BTW, this whole thread will blow ZMA owner's minds!  

Quote:


Stone, I'm not seeing the resistors.  There is one inside the meter but that's not the one you're talking about, right?

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1365130519/75

I think the resistors are shown in Post #77.  This is the post in which Steve showed us he was human.  D'oh!

My ZMA has retuned and Back in the Saddle she is ~ and running beautifully.

Of course, I installed the quad of KT66's that were in at the time knowing from Steve I can tube test them. They (1, 2, 3 or all 4) did take the surge and had "run away" bias, pretty quickly and I shut it off and this time with the new, probably damn near bullet proof resistor's, in the meter's/no issues = No worries-confident it was only this quad of output tubes damaged when the resistor(s) blew in the meter(s), and the input or inverter tubes might still be good..... .

So, I had my old matched quad of KT66's/that came with the Amp. I replaced these at 22 months with approx., 2300 to 2400 hundred hours on them. So, even though a little long in the tooth for output tubes...they should have enough life in them to bias correctly and play until I get a new quad in..... .

Yes, they did bias perfectly and my input Ediswan's and my inverter Tungsram's (that were in at the time of the hit) are just fine too.....along with my NOS RCA 0A3's. The ZMA sounds great even with the old KT66's. The harmonic's/tone-texture, dimensionality and REAL is back baby! ...but, I do need to get a new quad.

Thank you Steve, Sarah, DeVon and the Decware crew for getting my ZMA back to me so quickly.

Also to note~Steve - special thanks on the backlit meter's! That was a nice surprise, the volume pot adjustment, plug in the back (near left input that was missing) and my three knobs are nicer too (volume and two balance). Plus, the plastic protection and your card with a new My Name and serial number tag....the original was a little smeared....nice touches~thanks.

And last but not least: The robustness and quality of the new meters/Western Electric are awesome. I like them to the eye/increments better too.

The Zen Mystery Amplifier is truly a masterpiece of Class A musicality.

Good news on the quick fix time on your ZMA.. Did you get a report on what had happened to it, and what was fried and needed fixing etc?
Thanks!

These new meter's are sweet..."all lit up"....thanks again Steve.

Back from vacation and found some time to enjoy my ZMA today (in between paying bills and back to work tomorrow)! She sounds better than ever, even with my old original quad of KT66's in right now.......(back-lit meter's ~ rock steady).

SS, Magnolia/Silo's was fun. Quite the complex they have there-worth the visit. It was chilly last Monday when I was there. I then headed straight for Mission Texas where it was 95 degree's and sat under a palm tree with my Cerveza's ...........