An email sent to Mark by a potential customer...

I read your review of the Zen amp on the Decware website and I was wondering if you could give me a little more input . Are you still pleased with the purchase? What were you using for amplification prior to the Zen?

The reference to ac hum is a concern of mine, are you still getting it, is it a problem? I have fairly efficent spkrs 92bd@1watt, a NAD 314 intergrated amp and your basic Sony 5 cd changer, do you think I will be able to do justice to the amp? Any feedback would be appreciated.

His response:

I'm still very pleased with the purchase. I'm grateful to Steve for allowing me to enter the hallowed halls of SE amplification with such a low priced piece of hardware.

You won't listen to your old amp the same way again, solid state's lack of life won't satisfy again. I was using a professional grade Yamaha 40 watt studio mosfet amp which never really suffered in comparisons to other pricier solid state amps. I almost went non-SE tube a few years ago but I'm glad I didn't (Golden Tube products).

With efficient speakers the SE triode magic cannot be duplicated. SE triodism really does bring you closer to the music---natural, detailed, 3-D sound.

Yes, the hum REALLY bothered me when I first hooked up the amp. I thought something was wrong and thought about sending it back. Then I visited a local SE triode dealer. There I heard expensive equipment with worse hums, buzzing and clicks! Patrons didn't blink an eye, like this hum was a sure sign that things were really right! Apparently the is the nature of the zero feedback triode beast. It doesn't bother me in the least now, in fact guests listening to my system don't notice it. All they notice is the captivating sound.

EDITOR: As Mark points out, SET tend to be noisy, however the SE84 was generally less noisy than most. The new SE84A is almost STONE QUIET making it ideal for 100dB speakers.

The Zen amp breathes magic into solid state electronics. I did become aware that the Zen amp was better than my anciliary equipment when I upgraded interconnects (to MIT 330's). So, there may be no end. The world of SE triodism, a thoroughly enjoyable money pit.

Advice: after hooking the amp up, let it warm up 15 minutes, and, if your wife is anywhere in the house, the very first thing you should play is a slow paced solo female singer that she likes. Your justification will be self evident!

-Mark Wilson