Forums - SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage?

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SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage? (Read 2913 times)

---nt---

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SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage?
09/11/20 at 04:45:12

Hello! I recently learned about Decware and have been obsessing for a little while now. But I'm kinda stuck as to which direction would be the best for my needs. Hoping to get some advice, or at least some opinions.

What I have: An Onkyo HT receiver, running 2.1 speakers and video to my TV (via HDMI). My sources are a turntable and a PS4 (for movies, games)...oh, and Bluetooth pairing between my phone/Onkyo when I don't feel like putting on a record. Speakers are 90db, and sub is powered.

I'd like to add something to improve the turntable chain. I'm just not sure which of the the Decware Integrated Amp or Phono Stage would be the best option. I'm also a little unclear on how I'd add the SE34.I5 to my set-up. The ZP3 seems simple - just turntable > ZP3 > Onkyo. But would the SE34.I5 go between the Onkyo and the speakers? In which case it would also be needed when using the PS4?

Given the price of the two pieces of equipment I like the idea of the SE34.I5 better than the ZP3. I'm just not sure if it would delver the best results for what I'm looking for.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

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GroovySauce

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Re: SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage?
Reply #1 - 09/11/20 at 12:51:19

Welcome to the forums!

The ZP3 is a great phono stage! I highly recommend it. That said. I would suggest getting the SE34I.5 AKA Rachael with multiple RCA inputs and a pair of output RCA. You will get more use and experience what a well designed tube amplifier is about.

If you get 4 pairs of RCA inputs on the amp, you have a lot of different options for how you will use it.

You can run your PS4 directly into the Rachael. Run HDMI from PS4 to TV.

For streaming / Vinyl you can use the Onkyo until, you get the ZP3.

Later you can have a dedicated streamer DAC on one input, Vinyl on another input, PS4 on another input, and have a free input for something else.

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gsanger

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Re: SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage?
Reply #2 - 09/11/20 at 13:25:36

I’d agree with GroovySauce - the Rachael would be the bigger bang for the buck. Your Onlyo should have a stereo output, and you could just run that into the Rachael to start, too, essentially just using the Onkyo as a preamp. Then, as you upgrade things over time (like getting a phono preamp), you can plug them straight into the Rachael. That’s probably the easiest option to get started and see what a Decware amp can do for your setup.

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---nt---

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Re: SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage?
Reply #3 - 09/11/20 at 16:13:08

Awesome - thanks for the replies! They confirm my thoughts...and desires! I just wasn't sure about whether I could feed the Onkyo into the Rachel, but was hoping that would work. That's going to be the route I explore, and then, as mentioned, add a phono stage at some point to remove the Onkyo from the turntable chain.
Cheers!

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s3steve Senior Member Offline Posts: 55	Re: SE34I.5 Integrated Amp or ZP3 Phono Stage? Reply #4 - 09/23/20 at 16:42:28 If you're going for a new build on the SE34I.5 I would recommend getting at least 2 inputs. That way you can run the Rachel as an integrated amp. With 2 inputs you can run a phone pre in one and a CD player or DAC etc in the other.
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