[guest61169]

Love it.  EL84 SET with 274B rectifier and 12AX driver?  What are you using for a pre-amp?  This amp would be a real match for Omegas.

6N1P (6922) input dual triode, a pair of 7189 (high power EL84's) in the output and a 274B (5U4) rectifier tube.  For preamp I use a Benchmark DAC-1 at the moment.   A real preamp (with more gain, balance control, remote?) would actually be better.   The Inspire sounds great and runs dead quiet.  Right now I am between speaker decisions and about to try out some powered studio monitors so the Inspire will rest for a bit until everything finalized.  Always admired Omega speakers and would like to get a pair in the future once I get what I am working on sorted out.   Never hurts to have more than one toy to play with.   

[Canada Rob]

There's still the Super Zen at $895 though!

Yes beowulf, good point.  I guess if I would have given it further thought before posting, Decware was wise to add the meters and up the price of the Select because, if for no other reason, the price of the Super Zen was starting to crowd it.  After owning two generations of the Select, I always felt they were under priced anyway.

[scottd132]

I am getting fantastic results from my recent purchase of a Trafomatic Aries Single Ended Pentode amp driving my Omega Super 3S. The tubes are Tung Sol EL34 driven by a single Psvane 12ax7 MkII. Not quite as open and airy as my last 300B monos but much more accurate and detailed on the top. Great soundstage with a dynamic presentation. A good amount of mid Bass and control. Obvious limitations for the combination are in the lower registors for which I will have Louis build me a sub. Trafomatic transformers are custom wound and this amp was built to my needs with a winding for headphones and a balance control added. Stunning to look, has a remote volume control for my lazy side and truly detailed and balanced sound. I do not have enough hours on either the amp or the speakers to truly say they are broken in so I expect even better results in the future.

I am relocating due to a job change so once settled I will add the sub.

Scott
 

[milford3]

Scott, that is one good looking amp.  I see it's made in Serbia.

[guillaume bougard]

gentlemen

I have spent a big part of the day going through this forum to check out which amps seem to be most popular with Omega speakers. I've narrowed down the list to products that are not super duper expensive (the Decware MK4 being the exception) and that seem to have power, volume and good reviews

here is the short list (manufacturer/model/price in US$)

Decware                           SE 34 I.4           1,295
Decware                           MINI TORII   1,795
Decware                           TORII MK4           3,499
Ideal Innovation                   Elite80           1,199
Audio Boutique                   Artist                   1,995

which ones do you guys think would work best with Omega 7XRS and play Dub, Roots Reggae from the 70's and Disco and Funk from 75-84? With the occasional Clash Bob Dylan Springsteen Stones.

Has anyone done shootouts with those?

And how would those compete with the Audio Zones solid states which seem to receive unanimous praise?

[subframe]

Scott, how are you enjoying the Aries after a few months?

[beowulf]

Scott, that is one good looking amp.  I see it's made in Serbia.

+1 That Aries is beautiful ... I really dig the all white look.  Their other amps are great looking too though.

gentlemen

I have spent a big part of the day going through this forum to check out which amps seem to be most popular with Omega speakers. I've narrowed down the list to products that are not super duper expensive (the Decware MK4 being the exception) and that seem to have power, volume and good reviews

here is the short list (manufacturer/model/price in US$)

Decware                           SE 34 I.4           1,295
Decware                           MINI TORII   1,795
Decware                           TORII MK4           3,499
Ideal Innovation                   Elite80           1,199
Audio Boutique                   Artist                   1,995

which ones do you guys think would work best with Omega 7XRS and play Dub, Roots Reggae from the 70's and Disco and Funk from 75-84? With the occasional Clash Bob Dylan Springsteen Stones.

Has anyone done shootouts with those?

And how would those compete with the Audio Zones solid states which seem to receive unanimous praise?

Those are all great bang for the buck ... the choices would come down to SET vs Push/Pull, what tubes you prefer and of course price.

From many years on the Decware forums here is a few things that I noticed about Decware amps.

1. Even though the Rachel is 6 watts and Super Zen is 2 watts, there is not a big difference in volume between them.
2. The sound of the Mini Torii is close to the big Torii, but of course it does not have the power.
3. Based just on sound ~ most people prefer the Super Zen to the Rachel.  In fact based just on sound again~ most people will say that the 2 watt Super Zen is very special and probably his best amp.
4. The Mini Torii is a tube roller's dream amp and you can literally get lost in rolling tubes with that amp for years.
5. The Taboo is also similar to the Mini Torii in sound, but has lucid mode (which is a cool feature that works with headphones and speakers) and also is about 6 watts, but it needs to be used with a preamp to get the most volume out of it.

I hope this helps somewhat with your decision and impressions ...

[Canada Rob]

These posts are really good posts and similar to my findings.

Scott:
I have always loved the look of the Aries, but never had the privilege of hearing one.  Having octal based output tubes, can you roll to 6550, 6L6, 6n3ce, any of the KTs, etc. with the Aries?  The Artist is able to take all of these tubes without re-biasing, and the sound difference between the tubes is quite profound.  When I ran the Artist with Electro Harmonix EL34 the sound had the least openness, detail, and sense of space, but was the warmest.  The Tung Sol 6550 was very detailed, but cooler, the Russian (don't know the brand) 6n3ce had everything - warmth, detail, and space.  A 6L6 would likely be close to the 6n3ce in sound.
Changing the driver tube can impact the sound too.

Guillaume:
Good research.  Add the Decware SE84 in any guise, any vintage.  It should have no problem driving your speakers.  It will drive the 94.5dB RS5 based speakers no problem, so it should drive the 95dB RS7 no problem.

Beowulf:
Interesting about the Super Zen vs the Rachel.  One thing to keep in mind is the output voltage of the source - it can effect the output volume of the amplifier.  My main source has 2 Volt output.  Within the next couple of weeks, I hope to try my 93dB  Super Alnico Monitors with My Super Zen Select. 
I hope it will be a "Super" time. 

[guillaume bougard]

Rob:

I'm confused by the SE84. If I use two of those as monoblocks, the pair becomes a 2x6w amplifiying unit, right?

Now the real question:

since you distribute the Ideal Innovation and you are very familiar with the Decware line, which unit would you recommend for which use?

The price of the Ideal Innovation makes it so attractive. What is it sacrificing vs the Decwares?

Single ended vs push-pull?

Sh*t, so many questions!!!!

[Canada Rob]

Rob:

I'm confused by the SE84. If I use two of those as monoblocks, the pair becomes a 2x6w amplifiying unit, right?

Now the real question:

since you distribute the Ideal Innovation and you are very familiar with the Decware line, which unit would you recommend for which use?

The price of the Ideal Innovation makes it so attractive. What is it sacrificing vs the Decwares?

Single ended vs push-pull?

Sh*t, so many questions!!!!

SE84 SET: Ethereal, 3D, liquid, does wonders with a digital front end, and with the right speaker can produce a rich and deep bottom end (due to a SETs low damping factor).  Love the Decware and Artist with the RS5, and they will be a great mate with the RS7.

Elite 80 PP: Punchy and dynamic with excellent detail, tight defined bass, but not quite as liquid or 3D as the SE84 and Artist.  Loves the Hoyt-Bedfords, and would work well with the Alnicos. 

The Elite 80 also works really well with the RS5, but I prefer the Decware or Artist with the RS5, but really, at that point I think it boils down to my taste.  All three are killer amps, and you wouldn't go wrong with any of them for your RS7.

Try one Decware first, not two.  If you don't listen at party volumes a single one should be plenty.  The downside with two (about double the power of one) is now it becomes a parallel SET with 2 tubes per output, and you will lose some of that SET magic.  My favourite type of SET is: one tube per output, pure class A, zero negative feedback, non-ultralinear.  The Decware and Artist check all these boxes.

One important item with Flea powered SETs is the output voltage of your source, it should be 2 volts or more.
 

[beowulf]

FWIW ... one more thing I have read in regards to the Decware Super Zen is that 1 amp sounds better than 2 amps ... that is by using them as mono blocks you lose some of the SET magic.  Decware used to make "real" Zen Select mono blocks, but they are no longer listed on their page ... I did find an old link to them (http://www.decware.com/newsite/monos.htm), but I doubt you can purchase them any longer.

[guillaume bougard]

thanks a lot Rob

at less than 900 bucks, it's crazy tempting to order the SE84 and see how it does

The description mentions the following:

The SuperZen can be configured for "normal" speakers between 2 and 8 ohms OR for "high impedance" speakers between 8 and 16 ohms from within the Shopping Cart.  Since either option will drive an 8 ohm speaker, you will no doubt wonder what the differences might be...  Most hi-fi speakers rated at 8 ohms work best with the "normal" configuration.  The time to choose "high impedance" for an 8 ohm speaker is when the speaker lacks a crossover network, and is high efficiency.  For example, an 8 inch full range driver with no crossover (or minimal crossover components) will generally sound smoother and have more bass with the high impedance setting.  If your speakers are 8 ohm (or higher) and sound lean, select the high impedance outputs

Would you recommend the normal or the high impedance setting when ordering it (to pair with 7XRS or with the 3 desktop)?

And cables (priced reasonably, please!) are the ones to pick?

Thanks

[seikosha]

When you go to the order page for the SE84, you'll see that you get two options for transformers.  One is for 4 ohm speakers and the other is for 6 - 16 ohms.  I think that wording you see is left over from a previous version of the SE84.  I've got a Mini Torii and an SE84CKC and prefer the SE84 for most of my listening.  As Canada Rob says, you need to make sure you are getting 2 volts out of your source otherwise, you may need a preamp.

[Canada Rob]

thanks a lot Rob

at less than 900 bucks, it's crazy tempting to order the SE84 and see how it does

The description mentions the following:

The SuperZen can be configured for "normal" speakers between 2 and 8 ohms OR for "high impedance" speakers between 8 and 16 ohms from within the Shopping Cart.  Since either option will drive an 8 ohm speaker, you will no doubt wonder what the differences might be...  Most hi-fi speakers rated at 8 ohms work best with the "normal" configuration.  The time to choose "high impedance" for an 8 ohm speaker is when the speaker lacks a crossover network, and is high efficiency.  For example, an 8 inch full range driver with no crossover (or minimal crossover components) will generally sound smoother and have more bass with the high impedance setting.  If your speakers are 8 ohm (or higher) and sound lean, select the high impedance outputs

Would you recommend the normal or the high impedance setting when ordering it (to pair with 7XRS or with the 3 desktop)?

And cables (priced reasonably, please!) are the ones to pick?

Thanks

If memory serves me correctly, up until Steve came out with the Super Zen, his output transformer options were different (don't quite remember exactly).  All of Louis' speakers have a benign impedance curve, not dropping below 7 ohms and rising a bit above 8 ohms when they reach their resonant frequency.

Seikosha is right when he mentions the options Steve offers: 4 ohm or 6-16 ohm.  Frankly, it makes choosing rather difficult.  Louis is trying to reach Steve to see if he can lay this question to rest.  Stay tuned.

[happyrabbit]

Hi !

I have the 2A3 amp from this company.   Frank (from TRiode Labs) always spoke highly of the EL84 tube.

http://www.finaleaudio.com/f108/

If I was going to order a SET amp to replace my 2A3 :

http://electra-fidelity.squarespace.com/silver-45-se/

45 Cu Stereo Integrated Amplifier: $2,495.

Dwight

[Canada Rob]

If memory serves me correctly, up until Steve came out with the Super Zen, his output transformer options were different (don't quite remember exactly).  All of Louis' speakers have a benign impedance curve, not dropping below 7 ohms and rising a bit above 8 ohms when they reach their resonant frequency.

Seikosha is right when he mentions the options Steve offers: 4 ohm or 6-16 ohm.  Frankly, it makes choosing rather difficult.  Louis is trying to reach Steve to see if he can lay this question to rest.  Stay tuned.

Louis spoke to Steve yesterday and Steve explained the reason for the 4 ohm and 6-16 ohm options.  The 6-16 ohm option is geared towards speakers that have a tipped up midrange like Lowthers.  The 4 ohm option is for speakers with a flatter frequency response like Omegas.  So, these options are more about tuning your systems sound than about the impedance load the amp sees from the speakers.  If you order a Decware, let Steve know what speaker you will be running.  If you happen to have the 6-16 ohm option already and Omega speakers, fear not, it will still sound insanely good.  Steve also confirmed that 4 ohm Omega Outlaw speakers will be a perfect match for the SE84.

[vinagunner]

v

[FireGuy]

Have any of you tried Ayon, ie Spark, amp with Omega? (Yes, I know, it seems overkill to partner a $6400 amp with the Omegas?)

I would assume that would be a killer combo.  Ayon makes excellent amps from what I've read.  However, price IMO should never be your top parameter to evaluate gear.  So then, hypothetically take a pair of $50K Magico's and use with a $6400 tube amp?  Is that now underachieving? 

[RDavidson]

I also disagree. My amps are far more expensive than my speakers, but my speakers (including Omegas) are major overachievers for their prices.

[vinagunner]

v