Decware SE83C+ ZEN

OK, I have a sweet spot for Decware, and this amplifier is a great example of why. At $900 or so with a lifetime warranty, in my opinion this is the lowest full production entry to true no-holds-barred hifi tube audio that exists today. This is a very, very good sounding amplifier and can hold its own with anything that I have had in my room.

I was fortunate enough to have this amp and the Mini Torii at the same time, and they sat side by side for weeks while I compared the two. A tough job that somebody had to do! On my 15 inch Audio Nirvana alnico drivers, the little SE84C+ was just a bit better and I couldn’t seem to shut it off. The Mini Torii was a closer call for me on the ceramic version of the big AN drivers, which I had at the same time also in a side by side comparison. But the little ZEN just stood out on the alnico drivers. The ZEN amp stayed and the Mini Torii was sold. That says a lot, as the Mini Torii is a superb amplifier.

This is the amp I currently recommend to everyone, those new to the hobby or with years of experience. Tube audio can be a finicky business, with a lot of variables and a lot of ambiguity. This little ZEN amp cuts through all of that and just delivers supreme sound at realistic prices and with no BS.

The Decware ZEN SE83C+ with a Full music 274B rectifier tube and a blue tip "hospital grade" Amperex 6DJ8.

Here is the Decware SE83C+ with Bendix 6094 supertubes on EL-84 adapeters. Strangely regular EL-84 tubes don't sound good to me in this amp, but the Bendix tubes sound quite good, if a bit lean.