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Decware: a worthwhile option?

On the surface, Decware seems like an amazing company: American made products, lifetime warranty, dedicated fan base—albeit one that doesn’t seem to leave the Decware forums—and beautiful looking gear.

Upon slightly closer inspection, people seem to buy into or have to buy into the Decware ecosystem. Amp doesn’t output enough? Buy our $600 booster. Or our gain stage, EQ stage, Bass restoration stage. Phono stage. How about a preamp? Spend, spend, Etc., etc. 

So are Decware amps in the 2W-6W range actually useable in the real world with speakers of, say, 94dB-96dB efficiency and above? Or do you have to buy all kinds of extra gear from them to actually get up and running and boost your input voltages high enough to get the amp to really sing?
larshepping
jmolsberg's avatar
jmolsberg
467 posts
 
I think they are great sounding amps. Steve is a salesman at the end of the day, and they are buying it. Give him a call
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=72S0lmpju1s
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
I've been looking at their line and don't see it that way at all. All low power amps are going to be useable in the real world with speakers 94dB and up- and the higher the better. I have been saying for a long time that 92dB is the lowest sensitivity I would ever considered for any speaker, and this is regardless of the amp. Obviously this is even more important with single-watt amps, and Decware is no exception. 

Seems to me all they are doing is making quality gear for advanced audiophiles. People willing to put a little more effort and planning into it than your typical buy the name brand box types that make up the vast majority of audiophiles. 

Now if they made anything that is incompatible with anything else then you would have a point. But all they are doing is what everyone else is doing. I had for 16 years an ARC phono stage that had about the same gain as the ZP3, and being an experienced knowledgeable audiophile even then knew it would be best with a medium output cartridge, or else I might need a SUT. I'm real happy with my Herron, but if I were to try something else the ZP3 is one of only two that make my list.   

To be honest, I find your "spend spend spend" criticism somewhere between aggravating and misplaced. Near as I can tell these are all very high value products. Tremendous sound quality for the money. Maybe it is just that they are intended for a customer with more experience? If so I'm sure there are plenty around happy to help you learn.
melvinjames
416 posts
 
So are Decware amps in the 2W-6W range actually useable in the real world with speakers of, say, 94dB-96dB efficiency and above?
Yes. Omega and Decware are a common pairing among those in this camp. I use an SE84UFO with Omega's entry level Super 3i Monitors (94.5 dB) and a DeepHemp 8 Subwoofer (high-level connection). Sounds sublime. Plenty of volume and dynamics with or without a preamp/gain stage/etc. in the mix. As long as your source puts out at least 2 volts, which the SE84UFO requires to achieve full power, you don't need another gain stage. My DAC, no problem. My turntable with on-board phono amp, not so much. I use a preamp with the turntable.
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