Forums - Talk me off the ledge

Steve Deckert

Administrator

If the 1st watt
sucks why continue?

Posts: 6246

Talk me off the ledge
04/23/20 at 18:53:31

Quote:

HELP! I’ve been eyeing your amps for some time but the cost is prohibitive, especially when decked out. So, as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve recently been eying a Chinese made amp on Amazon. MUZISHARE X7 KT88. Please talk me off the ledge! Can you give me pros and cons of your amps over this dirt cheap Asian product. I know this is a sticky subject and understand if you don’t want to go there, but I have to ask. Thanks for your honest thoughts.

Hi Rob,

Sure - The sound quality of our amps is in a completely different league... they don't break... they come with a free lifetime warranty... there is an online support network aka our forums... and you can talk to the actual designer of your amplifier.

There are no cons... unless you're referring to the MUZISHARE in which case there are a few. A) It will cost you north of $300 to put real tubes in it, Noone knows where it was made, who designed, the address of the place you will send it for service, $1600 is a lot to throw away.

Buy an SE84UFO and a pair of Betsy Baffles so the game will shift from trying make my stereo sound better to trying to beat what I have.

Steve

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4krow

Seasoned Member

IMAGINE WHIRLLED
PEAS

Posts: 1607

Re: Talk me off the ledge
Reply #1 - 04/23/20 at 19:09:27

First of all, I am not a cheerleader for anyone, so what I say here is my experience only. I have owned a few Decware products in the past several years. I constantly experiment, so it is no surprise that I am currently using a mix of SS and tube.
Now, to get right to the point, one of the best decisions that I have made in audio more than once is to buy a used unit. I have bought directly from Steve for a couple of his tube products and saved a lot of money. just as importantly, there are no circuit boards in these products. This matters because if in fact tube amp were to use circuit board mounted tube sockets And Many Do, that is a deal breaker for me. Too much heat for the board, and then the socket fails when a tube is changed. Also, in my opinion, circuit boards are not the best way to transfer audio signals, at least in a good, better, best way. There are better ways to do this, and that is what point to point wiring is all about.
BTW, yes, I have seen and owned prettier internally wired amps in my time. In fact, one of them was a work of art. Back to the bottom line, I didn't totally appreciate the sound, period. i switched back to Decware (at a loss of money not spent wisely).
Yah, there is more to say, but I will leave it at that.

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Decware 34I.3 integrated amp/Forte' 3 bass amp/Velodyne SMS-1 bass mngmnt system/Decware ZOB speakers/Audio Nirvana 8" bass drivers/Xiang Seng DAC/ LR Audio Computer/Rega Apollo R CDP/Emotiva ERC3 CDP/BPT 3.0 power cond.

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Geno Seasoned Member Without music, life would be a mistake. Posts: 2000	Re: Talk me off the ledge Reply #2 - 04/23/20 at 21:18:27 Keep an eye on the classifieds on the Decware forum. Some good deals to be had.
Back to top	(2)SE84UFO(Balanced Monoblocs) OR Sansui AU-222 Crown sub amp Cambridge Audio CXN(ModWright) • ZBIT SL-1210MK5(KAB Mods) Soundsmith Aida MKll cart • Darlington Labs MP-7 Otari MX5050-Bll2 R2R ZLC Power Cond. Lii Audio PT-10/W-15 in open baffles IP Logged

MrDerrick Seasoned Member May The Source Be With You! Posts: 180	Re: Talk me off the ledge Reply #3 - 04/23/20 at 21:42:13 There's a pair of mono's for sale over at the Audio Circle Classifieds.
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piezoman

Ex Member

Re: Talk me off the ledge
Reply #4 - 04/23/20 at 22:01:58

Please do not support Chinese products!! GARBAGE. They try to copy, and they're not innovative.

They're inferior because they use inferior parts and repair / support is little to none. They try to copy designs from superior sources [United States, Europe, et al] and they cut corners. Quality assurance is suspect.

Some of their stuff LOOKS nice and thats where it ends.

As Steve says, you'd be throwing away money
.....for the exact reasons he stated.

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Archie Seasoned Member Posts: 2731	Re: Talk me off the ledge Reply #5 - 04/23/20 at 23:57:12 And 10% off until June 1st! COVID19 Bite the bullet, you won't regret it.
Back to top	ZLC Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart ZMC1 ZP3 (25th A Mods) ZR2 (25th A Mods) CSP3 (25th A mods) ZMA (25th A mods) Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s) Silver Cabling DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT. IP Logged

SteveB

Senior Member

It's a fine line
between hobby and
mental illness.

Posts: 55

Re: Talk me off the ledge
Reply #6 - 04/24/20 at 00:05:44

A Decware amp will cost you less money in the long run. It can be repaired if it breaks...and would possibly be covered by the warranty. It may be (if possible) upgraded to meet the specifications of a "newer" model.

For the same money you could get an SE84UFO with the "25th Anniversary Mods". Or without your choice. Add a pair of Betsy open baffles for $400 or $500 from Caintuck Audio and some good cables and enjoy audio bliss. Caintuck's Lii 15 baffles will give you more bass for around $750. All you need to do is add a good source.

The Chinese amps are just TOYS... destined for a dumpster someday.

I heard the Betsy baffles at Decfest 2018. They changed the way I look and think about speakers. Don't worry about the "low" wattage. I now live with amps that have single digit wattage ratings and I am loving every minute of it. Just remember that you don't have to buy it all at once.

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SOTA sapphire turntable with Soundsmith the Voice cartridge
Schiit Jotunheim with phono card
Schiit Gungnir Multibit
1959 Motorola EL84 tube amp
Decware imperials with Altec 811b horns and Alnico drivers
Raspberry pi / Volumio as a streamer

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piezoman Ex Member	Re: Talk me off the ledge Reply #7 - 04/29/20 at 15:31:19 Rob, are you off the ledge?
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Rich Evans

Verified Member

Posts: 36

Re: Talk me off the ledge
Reply #8 - 05/08/20 at 21:43:31

I bought my amp from him 15+ years ago. Never had a problem and never want to replace it except to upgrade to a better version of a Decware amp.
Save your money, buy the Decware amp (MORE POWER. PLAY IT LOUDER). Heck, even if you put it on a CC and pay interest, you are still going to get it cheaper than throwing away the money on equipment you will be disappointed with and will only replace again and again trying to capture the magic of music that these amps can provide.

Good audio equipment is an investment. This is a great investment in great audio.

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SE84b/c Obsolete Decware spkrs and some DIY DNA horns.

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piezoman Ex Member	Re: Talk me off the ledge Reply #9 - 05/13/20 at 20:26:55 Rob, are you off the ledge?
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