Decware and SET Low Power Tube Amps with Hi Efficency Speakers


Good morning folks,
In my never ending search for a new concept in music involving and primarily focused on "tube" sound I came across Decware.
So does anyone have either experience or an opinion on the products and especially the sound. Speakers I am considering among others but most likely to be Tekton Designs, Lores or possibly Pendragons.
Without digressing into a myriad of other conversations what does the forum think?

eag618
I'm using a Grommes PHI-26 in pentode mode (6 wpc) on a pair of PMC FB1i's.  The PMC's are rated at 90 db sensitivity with a pretty steady 8 ohm impedance. 
Wow, color me shocked.  I originally picked this unit up for headphones but it excels with these speakers.  Outside of ultimate loudness I prefer it to my Ultraverve 3 preamp/VTL MB125 combo.

Grinnell.  question for you.  When you insert a headphone jack into your Grommes will it mute the speaker output?  Mine doesn't.

Thanks, Frank
   














Decware has been around for many years and they have always played in the HE world.  I owned their Torii IV and later ZMA while I was becoming a tube guy.  I don't have efficient speakers so I needed their push pull models.

Zu, Tekton, and Klipsch are very common speaker partners for their gear.  I'd say Decware makes a very well built and attractive product, their pricing is very fair, and customer service is outstanding.  I'm no longer a customer, but I recommend them if SET amps and HE speakers are what you are looking for.  

JSM71 Thanks for speaking up, my interest is the sound, the volume available and the speakers are going to be Tekton Pendragons.

This is a great forum but the contributors here are easily taken off topic and distracted, I am less concerned with what's sitting on your audio cabinet than I am with answers to my questions, sorry folks but the question was SET amps from Decware and the sound, any experience you have and how does it pair with the Tektons, small room, near field listening.

I don't want to insult anyone, I want my topic to remain on put!
I have been an owner of Decware Amps since 2013...a Torii MK IV (25 WPC), a Taboo MK III (headphone amp) and a pair of Zen Signature Mono-blocks at 2.3 SET watts.  
For the Mono-blocks I use a pair of Zu Audio "Souls" rated at 99 dB at 8 ohms. To my ears this is a match made in Heaven.  I have not had the opportunity to listen to any of the new UFO transformers but I'm sure they are nice. I also used a pair of Omega  Alinco Speakers with the monoblocks ...I think they are rated 93 dB.  They weren't quite able to reach loud levels as the Zu's can.  I much prefer the Zu's but admit I own two pairs of Omega Speakers and they perform much better with the 25 WPC Torii. I would suggest going to the Decware site and reading some of the comments and reviews on the forum. There are specific sections for each piece of gear...both in production and discontinued.  It is a great resource.  Mark.
I am driving 91dB-efficient B&W DM630's with a Decware SE84UFO, which sounds like a dream.  With Tekton's, which are significantly more efficient than the B&W's, you should not have any volume or clipping issue even with 2 watts/ch., yet I have no experience regarding how well the Decwares pair with Tektons soundwise.

With a much more powerful amp of Decware (TORII mkII), I had similar results to larryi with ProAc D28's as well as Graham LS5/9s; dull and lifeless.  But the same amp rocked with my B&W's.  So, I prefer driving my ProAc's with a 50-watt push-pull Copland.

At the end of the day, I believe it is a matter of synergy between the amp and the speakers.  So, purely looking into the published specs do not tell much; they are rather a good starting point in what you are looking for.

To the best of my knowledge, Tekton has a very good return policy.  You might like to give them a shot and see it yourself if the pairing works fine or not, or to your liking...