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Single Ended Valve amp scratch ...

The lifetime warranty on Decware is impressive - do you know how that works in the UK though as I can't seem to find any dealers? Not knocking it, just wondering.
 
There are a lot of terrible sounding SETs and SE s out there.And a few really good sounding ones.
You also need to be aware that the quoted power outputs are far from being accurate .Well maybe at 10% distortion.A 300B SET for example is more like 4 or 5 watts not 9 watts.
The other consideration is that they have high output impedance so will not reproduce a flat frequency response into typical speakers.
 
jtgofish said:
There are a lot of terrible sounding SETs and SE s out there.And a few really good sounding ones.
You also need to be aware that the quoted power outputs are far from being accurate .Well maybe at 10% distortion.A 300B SET for example is more like 4 or 5 watts not 9 watts.
The other consideration is that they have high output impedance so will not reproduce a flat frequency response into typical speakers.
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That's all very true plus they shouldn't be used into typical speakers! The latter point is very important.
 
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jtgofish said:
A 300B SET for example is more like 4 or 5 watts not 9 watts.
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My Border Patrol 300B SET is 8w . . . . . unless you think Gary Dews was a bit optimistic in his wattage but I doubt it? Anyway it drives my Spendor 100 and 200 speakers very nicely.
 
Fretbuzz said:
The lifetime warranty on Decware is impressive - do you know how that works in the UK though as I can't seem to find any dealers? Not knocking it, just wondering.
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I had a Zen UFO for a while. Buying a Decware basically means importing it yourself, i.e. you buy it from their website, it is shipped from the USA and slowly wings its way to you. Mine spent two or three weeks stuck with the Bottom Inspectors at Heathrow, I had a lot of hassle getting it released as at that point it had gone off the books of the first courier but hadn’t quite made it to Royal Mail or whoever did the final leg. I never had any cause to use the warranty, but my guess would be that Decware would give advice and send parts for you to do any service yourself. They really are as simple as an amp can possibly be with just a handful of high quality components and point to point wiring, so anyone who can solder neatly and understand simple advice could fix one. Really nothing to fear, this is very serviceable hi-fi.
 
Yes the typical speakers aspect is important.Especially given that most modern speakers are 4 ohm rather than 8 or 16 ohm and single ended amplifiers are more likely to produce a flat[ish] frequency response with speakers that have higher minimum impedance.That type of speaker is available but it is the exception rather than the rule.
There was an interesting discussion recently on DIY hi fi regarding the topic do tubes really have a sound.Some people believe that the sound they associated with SETs and other valve amps is really more to do with the electrical characteristics of these amps rather than the fact that they use valves.I am not so sure but I have heard and own SS amps that behave electrically more like valve amps[high output impedance and current drive] and they do tend sound more like a valve amp than a SS one.
 
Fourlegs said:
My Border Patrol 300B SET is 8w . . . . . unless you think Gary Dews was a bit optimistic in his wattage but I doubt it? Anyway it drives my Spendor 100 and 200 speakers very nicely.
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The S10/SE300B is 9 Watts and can push up to around 13 Watts for very brief transients.

Gary doesn't need to be optimistic as his power supplies and transformers are very very well designed.
 
He doesn't have LV speakers, think charliechan assumed he did.
 
topoxforddoc said:
If you are thinking of going down single ended valve amp route, listen to the TRON Atlantic integrated 300B. Sounds excellent, would work very well with your LVs, is made and supported in the UK, and you could offset the cost by selling your preamp.
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£7K for a Tron - as opposed to around £1k (estimating import charges thanks Fourlegs) with a Decware - I think that's knocked the Tron out of the picture! But at least this is a UK recommendation albeit not a cost effective one in the least.
 
How is anyone supposed to know what is too expensive if you still haven't said what your budget is?

All I'm seeing so far is you looking for affirmation on the decware so just buy it.
 
Tony L said:
I had a Zen UFO for a while. Buying a Decware basically means importing it yourself, i.e. you buy it from their website, it is shipped from the USA and slowly wings its way to you. Mine spent two or three weeks stuck with the Bottom Inspectors at Heathrow, I had a lot of hassle getting it released as at that point it had gone off the books of the first courier but hadn’t quite made it to Royal Mail or whoever did the final leg. I never had any cause to use the warranty, but my guess would be that Decware would give advice and send parts for you to do any service yourself. They really are as simple as an amp can possibly be with just a handful of high quality components and point to point wiring, so anyone who can solder neatly and understand simple advice could fix one. Really nothing to fear, this is very serviceable hi-fi.
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Makes sense
 
thebiglebowski said:
How is anyone supposed to know what is too expensive if you still haven't said what your budget is?

All I'm seeing so far is you looking for affirmation on the decware so just buy it.
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I alluded to what price bracket I wanted with my first and opening post "Any affordable choices (similar to Decware prices) here in the UK?"

I'm not looking for affirmation on the Decware - I'm pretty sure Decware are just the ticket - but as I said in the opening statement, I'm looking for similar quality SE amps here in the UK.

If Decware are the 'only' cadidate at those sort of prices but delivering the sonic goods, then well done Decware I guess because the UK can't challenge you SE sound for pound (dollar)!
 
thebiglebowski said:
OK so a mid range decware (they range from $1000 - $5500) is around $2,500 add on import costs and you are looking at around £2,500

In that case I'd snap up the Border Patrol SE300B that is on ebay at the moment, for £2.5k you won't find better.
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Well the UFO recommended to me by Steve is 900 dollars for 2 Watts, or buy two of them for 6 Watts. Yes that Border Patrol SE300B looks like a good deal but, I certainly wouldn't be confident with the phrase "you won't find better" - Decware could be its equal or even better. Isn't Border Patrol yet another US brand?
 
If you're near the south of England/ midlands a trip to Deco in Aylesbury will give you some good insights.

I think valves are in some ways the return of flat earth but Peter is a passionate advocate and has a good range of kit in the store including many mentioned above - Audion, PureSound, AudioNote + Croft. He's good on speaker matching, too.

Kevin
 
beammeup said:
Well the UFO recommended to me by Steve is 900 dollars for 2 Watts, or buy two of them for 6 Watts. Yes that Border Patrol SE300B looks like a good deal but, I certainly wouldn't be confident with the phrase "you won't find better" - Decware could be its equal or even better. Isn't Border Patrol yet another US brand?
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It was British but Gary moved to the US years ago. That BP amp will be IMHO better than anything decware make.

I'm getting fed up with this now, you ask for advice and then say you are not confident in what is given.

I'm giving up on this pointless thread, bye (and hope you enjoy the decware you will inevitably end up buying)
 
Let your ears decide I personally like set amps i also like PP and solid state amps for that matter. A good amp is a good amp and its all about synergy. If you have LV speakers the 300b Border Patrol i used to use sounded v nice if not the most detailed it had lovely timbre ane was agile with pretty good bass. You get that sweet top end too which is really addictive. I believe 8 watts min is what your after depending upon how loud you like to play. 211 and 845 SET amps will probably cost too much but can sound exceptional, I currently use an 845 SET amp with my avantgarde horns and the combo is fantastic. I also have some solid state amps in other systems used with Raidho speakers and they sound great too and have their own strengths.
The Decware amps are supposed to be very sweet sounding and they are something id like to try at some point. Not sure they will work with LVs though.
 
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