Steve Deckert
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If the 1st watt sucks why continue?
Posts: 6539
East Peoria IL
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CONT:
Customer:
what about zen amps?
June:
If “Zen amps” means the tiny single-ended triodes in the SE84UFO family, they’re fantastic for the space, texture, and guitar/vocal realism in your Etta/BB/Muddy/Clapton picks — the most holographic, reach‑in presentation we make at moderate, late‑night levels. Compared to the 300B, they’ll have a gentler low‑bass grip, so Deep Purple/T. Rex will feel a bit lighter but still very coherent and fast.
How you’d choose within the Zen family comes down to how much of that “last word” holography you want versus body. If you lean to maximum image depth and inner detail for your blues and classic rock at sane volumes, a Zen Triode is the right lane.
Want to go this direction? If you confirm you’re leaning Zen over 300B, I’ll outline a simple setup approach and a tube‑rolling path to add a little extra bite for the rock nights without losing the Zen magic.
Customer:
tell me wich decware amp i should buy
June:
Given your artists and “moderate level” listening on Tannoy Ardens, I’d pick the SEWE300B “Sarah” 300B amplifier. It keeps the intimate, holographic feel for Etta/BB/Muddy/Janis while giving a bit more shove and bass weight for T. Rex and Deep Purple than the smaller Zen amps.
If you want me to, I can lay out a simple first‑week setup on the Sarah — HI vs LO outputs, voicing switch starting points, and a safe tube set you can try once you’ve lived with it a bit.
Customer:
yes
June:
Great — here’s a simple first‑week setup for the SEWE300B “Sarah” with your mix in mind, then an easy tube-rolling path you can try later.
Day 1 setup (leave it here for a week):
- Speaker outputs: Start on HI. Play Etta James “At Last” at your normal level — you want a locked center vocal and sweet cymbals. If the bass feels a little soft on T. Rex/Deep Purple later, try LO; if LO tightens the bass without hardening cymbals, keep LO. Otherwise stay on HI.
- Positioning and gain: Keep the Sarah’s volume at roughly noon and set your source/preamp to taste. That keeps noise low and dynamics lively.
- Listen a week before rolling any tubes — let your ears “seat” to the amp.
After a week — quick compare:
- Spin Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” and Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water.” Flip HI/LO again. Keep the setting that adds a touch more kick bounce without blurring bass lines.
Simple, safe tube-rolling path (optional, after you know the baseline):
- Rectifier: Swap the stock rectifier for a 5U4 or 5U4G to subtly shift feel; 5AR4 will have a softer start and can feel a bit snappier. Each brand flavors attack and space slightly.
- Small-signal tubes: Make one change at a time and live with it a few evenings. Use the “vocal lock + cymbal sweetness” test track (Etta/Janis) and a “groove + bite” track (Clapton/T. Rex) to decide.
If you’d like, tell me which specific 300B and small-signal tubes your Sarah will ship with, and I’ll tailor exact swap suggestions and what you should expect to hear track-by-track.
Customer:
i dont know
June:
All good — we can keep it simple. If you want one Decware amp that fits your artists and moderate listening on Tannoy Ardens without fuss, choose the SEWE300B “Sarah.” It gives you that intimate, holographic midrange plus better drive and bass weight for your rock picks than the smaller Zen amps.
Do you want me to note anything about your room size or whether you use a preamp, or are you happy to just go with the Sarah as-is?
Customer:
i have Zen Triode Phono, pioneer exclusive p10 wit hana unami red cartridge, pair of tannoy ardens and pair of technics sb-e 100
June:
Thanks — with your Zen Triode Phono, Hana Umami Red on the Pioneer Exclusive P10, and Tannoy Ardens/Technics SB‑E100, I’d choose the SEWE300B “Sarah” 300B amplifier.
Why this pick for your system:
- Your MM phono front end is very resolving; the Sarah’s 300B tone preserves that midrange magic while adding the bass weight and swing your Ardens and SB‑E100 can reveal.
- At moderate levels, it stays intimate and holographic for vocals and guitar, but has more shove than the small Zen amps when you switch to rock.
Quick hookup notes to start strong:
- Use the Ardens first; they’ll show you the Sarah’s imaging and tone immediately. Try the HI output taps first, then compare LO — keep the one that gives the tighter bass in your room.
- Run your phono chain into your preamp (if you use one) or straight into the Sarah if you’re source‑direct; set the Sarah’s dual volumes around noon and trim balance by ear.
If you’d like, tell me which speakers you plan to use most (Ardens or SB‑E100), and I’ll suggest which output taps to start on and a simple first listening checklist for dialing it in.
Customer:
most ardens
June:
Got it — mostly Ardens. Here’s a clean start that dials them in fast with your Zen Triode Phono front end.
- Output taps: Start on HI, then try LO on the same track. Keep the tap that gives the tighter kick drum and most solid center vocal. With Ardens, either can win depending on room gain — trust your ears.
- Gain staging: Set the amp’s volume controls around noon, then use your preamp (or source level) to set listening level. This keeps noise low and dynamics lively from the ZP3 chain.
- Quick check playlist:
- Center/lock: Etta James “At Last” — listen for a rock‑solid center and open cymbals.
- Bass articulation: T. Rex “Get It On” — pick the tap with the springiest, most separated bass notes.
- Texture/dynamics: Clapton Unplugged — strums should start crisp, decay naturally without glare.
If any hum shows up when you switch over to vinyl, the fastest fix is usually a tube swap in the chain — the most common cause is a noisy or aging tube. Want a one‑minute path to isolate that if it comes up?
Customer:
so i need sarah 300b ?
June:
Based on your phono front end and mostly using the Ardens at moderate levels, yes — the SEWE300B “Sarah” is the right Decware amp for you. It’ll keep the holographic mids you want and give better drive and bass weight for your rock than the smaller Zen amps.
If you’d like, I can note the exact HI/LO tap and voicing‑switch starting points for the Ardens so you’re dialed in on day one.
Customer:
do i need Zen Torii Amplifier ?
June:
You don’t need a Torii for your use case. With your phono front end and mostly‑Ardens listening at moderate levels, the Sarah 300B will get you the tone, imaging, and enough shove you’re after. The Torii MK5 adds more raw power and tube rolling flexibility, but it isn’t required for what you described.
If you’re torn, tell me how loud you actually listen (roughly where your volume ends up on a typical evening), and I’ll sanity‑check whether the extra headroom of the Torii MK5 would bring you anything you’d notice.
Customer:
i have pair of quad II amps
June:
Thanks for the context — with a pair of Quad II in the house and mostly listening to the Ardens at moderate levels, you still don’t need to move to a Torii. The Sarah 300B will give you a different presentation than the Quads: more holographic midrange “in the room” feel and a juicy tone, while keeping enough drive for your Ardens at the levels you described.
If you want to keep the Quads for when you crave that classic push‑pull snap and add the Sarah for the 300B glow, that’s a complementary pairing many enjoy. Want me to sketch how you could A/B them cleanly from your phono chain?
Customer:
yes
June:
Great — here’s a simple, clean A/B from your phono chain to both the Quad II pair and the Sarah 300B so you can switch amps without re-cabling speakers.
- Source path
- Turntable -> Zen Triode Phono -> line stage (if you use one). If you run phono straight, that’s fine too.
- Feed both amps
- Use a high-quality 1-in/2-out RCA switch box or passive line switcher after your phono/pre. One output goes to the Quad II, the other to the Sarah. Only select one output at a time on the switcher to keep the inactive amp fully isolated.
- Speaker side
- Use a proper amplifier/speaker switcher that hard-isolates the outputs (purpose-built for tube amps) so only one amp is connected to the Ardens at a time. Never tie two amps to the speakers simultaneously.
- Power-up habit
- Power down the currently playing amp, flip both the input switcher and the speaker switcher to the other amp, then power up the other amp. This keeps tube outputs and transformers happy.
- Level matching
- Set the Sarah’s volumes around noon. Match perceived loudness to the Quads with a steady vocal track before judging tone/stage.
If you’d like specific switcher models that are safe for tube amps, say the connection length you have to work with and I’ll suggest a couple that fit.
Customer:
quad or sarah are beter ?
June:
Between your Quad II pair and the Sarah 300B, it comes down to the presentation you prefer more than “better.”
- Where the Quads win: snappier transient attack and a bit more punch from their push‑pull topology. If you like a taut, classic British feel on rock, that’s their sweet spot.
- Where the Sarah 300B wins: a more holographic, “in-the-room” midrange with richer tone color and image depth. With Ardens at moderate levels, it will have plenty of drive and can be voiced via rectifier/VR tubes to lean cleaner or lusher.
If you’re split, I’d run the A/B you set up and level‑match on a steady vocal track. If you want, I can suggest a quick VR/voicing combo on the Sarah that tends to wow on Ardens for first listen, then you can decide by ear.
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