I will get into the Telos later, but start with my story on having had good luck with WA quantum stickers in several applications. I had tried one years ago on a fuse on a recommendation from Chris VenHaus of VHAudio V-Cap fame. $8 with an order for other stuff, I figured not much to lose. I liked what it did, clarifying the sound in ways I agreed with...bringing out more fine detail and space. Noticeable enough to get another next order.

Then I sort of forgot about it until years later when I was following a few threads on doing modifications on the Gustard x20pro DAC. Several of the movers and shakers on the threads had tried them on chips and caps, and really liked what they heard. The main guy suggesting them was getting the best sound cutting them up and spreading them around.

After a few of the more innovative mod contributors, some a little skeptical at first, tried and liked them....I decided to get two cap stickers to cut up, and one that was said to be good for chips....more cost than the original fuse chip, but still not much money to lose if they did not work as I imagined they would.

Though I knew a little about what they might do, a fuse is small, as is the fuse sticker, and I was surprised how much the cut up pieces spread around by-sound could do. I had finished most all the mods, so just put the DAC in with no lid to make experimenting easy. Full size, I found the WAs were over stated and dense to me, too much of their own sound. But spread around on different parts and sized correctly for each job, (to a point) the cumulative effect was more and more of that nice contribution to fine detail and space, without any of the bad. To suit my tastes transparently, I needed to make them quite small on the DAC chips, a bit bigger on the larger electro caps, and smaller on smaller caps. Finishing up, I was really glad to have the refinement, contributing to bringing up a really good DAC to a pretty great one.

While doing these modifications, I found the Telos chips, and was lucky to be able to split a box of the smaller round ones with someone. Coincidentally, another guy asked me to test the stickers he was developing. Still refining the DAC sound with the WAs, good timing for experimenting.

What I found: the Telos stickers were too dense and a little dark for me, not supporting fine detail so well in balance; the WA were prone to being a little light/lean, but really good at very fine detail, the right place and size very nice for clarifying; the test stickers were in between. I ended up using a few test stickers in the DAC, and scattered around the system; a lot of WA cut up pieces in the DAC; and no Telos. They just didn't suit my tastes, whether in the DAC, on cable ends, over power supply or electronic inputs on my computer, or wherever.

Interestingly, having blown my fave audiophile fuse with a bad NOS rectifier, I thought I would play with mixing the dark/dense Telos, with the lighter/fine detailed WA sticker and see what it would do on a glass slow blow fuse (heavier structure inside, so thinking less prone to vibration). After several experiments, it worked, 1/2 a Telos and 1/2 a WA fuse chip taped on a glass fuse brought out the best of each sticker, each supporting the other, while also sounding better than a few audiophile fuses I had tried, and approaching a favorite. A good answer in case I forgot again to pull the high dollar fuse before testing suspect rectifiers, that stickered fuse is still in the Torii. And if it blows, having taped on the stickers, I can just move them to another slow blow glass fuse.

Long story short, I like the Telos in this fuse application, but would not personally buy them again. They may be good in different setups and different needs and tastes, but not for me. I would definitely use the WA again, working well in my DAC, on a fuse, and on a few caps in amps and speakers...In fact, thanks for the reminder. I think I will pick up another WA cap sticker next time I order from someone who has them, cut them up, and try them more seriously in my amps.

Actually, cut up, they become less expensive, spreading one sticker over many places.

These things are quite good to me, but not being blatant, it might be easier and funner to evaluate them after your new system has settled, and after you have settled into to it!

What I find is that with careful tuning, using relatively subtle things, if heading in the right direction and without compromise, the cumulative effects can become much more than the individual ones added together. The pointer being that it helps me to be pretty sure I am heading in a good direction, with good balance and transparency, and with good quality adjustments. On the other hand, something could appear good at first, and perhaps not be as good in the long run.

Also, with subtler tools, often, if "it" is not there to begin with,  "it" can be harder to resolve. You may not get what the tool is intended to give as much if the qualities the tool is meant to bring out are not present to begin with. For example, fine detail and space. If your system/room is, for whatever reasons, masking very fine detail and space (a common problem) then using subtler tools to bring it out, depending on what is causing masking, and how intense it is, the tool may or may not work so well.

Not that I can imagine careful use of WA stickers could be bad in any revealing system, just that it might be better to work with them in a tuned/burnt in system to get the most from them.

So I would think letting your new system/room and you "burn in" and get to know one another using the many tools you already have to play with for now might be a good path. Learn your tube qualities, what happens with mixing and matching them, speaker placement, sound treatment placement, how these all change with with familiarity and burnin, etc. Then based on where you end up sound-wise, and where you might like to try and go, I (and/or others) could try and help with stickers or whatever. More intimate with your burnt in and tuned sound, better able to hear more, I suspect you would more easily "know," and more easily get wherever it is you want to go.

My guess anyway.

Will.... great post!!  I know we share the same appreciation for combating the harmful affects of cellular and WiFi poising and taking a proactive approach.  Using the quantum devices in my house and they have made a positive impact.  While I have not used the quantum stickers on any audio gear, I have on on the back of my cell phone.  

I will be ordering the SE84UFO25 later this year, and will definitely give your recommendations a try once the amp is burned in.  I guess in the meantime I can play around with my ZSTAGE to see if I notice any change.  Thanks..

Dom

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That’s interesting....Thanks for the recommendation.  I can remember like 7 years ago how my wife and I felt after installing the 3 stage Earthcalm whole home EMF system. The result of feeling less edgy and relaxation comes to mind.  I then went out and bought 2 of their their USB devices...one for my home router and one that I keep plugged into my car at work.  My work car is heavily equipped with WiFi, cellular, and a radar unit.   Talk about noticing a big difference with my work vehicle.  

When I redo my house next year, I think I will give the Blunshield a try.  My house will be bigger and I will need something that can cover a broader range.  

Yes I am super excited about getting the SE84UFO25.  Having been apart of this forum for over 5 years now, I will finally be able to share in the experience that others here rave about with the magic of the Decware amps.  I attended my first Decfest 2 years ago when Steve debuted the 25th Zen amp.  It was a transformational experience and I was sold on the sound.  I will then buy the ZBIT and finally get a chance to hear how the balanced outs of my new Bifrost Multibit Dac sound.  That’s part of the fun with this hobby....it’s the musical experience and the journey.

Dom

Brad...I will be using my Decware Err radial speakers.  While I sometimes question how the SE84UFO25 will handle the power requirements of the Err speakers, I  generally play music at lower volume levels as background music in my house. If it just doesn’t cut it, then I’ll have to make the decision on whether to buy more efficient speakers, or just buy another SE84UFO25 and run them bridged as monoblocks.  The problem is that I truly enjoy the radial sound, and the only upgrade is the HR-1 speakers. Tough decision because a pair of SE84UFO25 amps are basically the same cost of a ZMA.  

To rock out for family parties,  I can just hook up my SS Yamaha amp to my Err’s,  or play my Klipsch The Three Bluetooth speaker.  Definitely I will be sacrificing the magic of the ZEN amp, but it’s only for a few hours.

Dom

Brad....while I have not posted a direct question, I know guys here that have a similar set up and are completely satisfied.  Lon runs the monoblock SE84UFO25 with a preamp, ZROCK2, and his HR-1s and gets Phenomenal sound.  

For the time being I will use my Zstage as a preamp to give me some low level gain, so I do believe I will get really good sound with the SE84UFO25 and my Err’s.    When I hook up my Err’s to my SS amp, the radials come to life.  If my open floor plan space was on the smaller side I would not worry one bit but I need to cover close to a 300 sq. ft. space.  

As background music, I am probably ok, but anything louder than that I will definitely need either a more efficient speaker like the HR 1, or monoblock the SE84UFO25 to push 6 watts into my ERR’s which would be ideal.  

Dom