Is all the hype warranted


I've been seeing alot of glowing reviews of Decware amps over the last couple days. Particularly their Zen Torii and ZMA amps.  Andrew Robinson, Steve Gutenburg, Harley Longrove and Jay are all gushing about Decware.  For those tube guys out there, is Decware that good? Is the hype warranted?

sandrodg73

I have an older Taboo which I love.  It's rated at 6wpc and I use it in my home office system paired with my Vienna Acoustics speakers, (90db).  I really love it, especially with the Lucid mode engaged.  That's how I always run it.  The stock tubes that it comes with are good, but I have a number of vintage Telefunken, Valvo, Siemens etc. tubes I have run in it which really brought it to life.  My current combo is a vintage Telefunken ECC83 and a set of vintage Valvo EL84's.  It sounds fantastic even though it can't get very loud due to only 6wpc, but that's OK with me.  

 

Give it 6 months and they’ll be a ton on the used market. All hype and marketing. I’m sure it sounds good but all these adhd guys in this hobby will soon tire of them. 
 

If you look at the amps date made the majority of them are older models that have been redesigned.  Current models sell at a premium price with several that have been  listed over original purchase price due to the wait time.  With the significant increase in Decware’s sales since 2021 I would expect more used amps on the market…New and old.  Audio addicts can’t help but buy the next better component.  
I enjoy my Decware Torii Jr v2 amp very much in my modest system. I feel they are very well priced for what they deliver.  Are there better amps absolutely but they will cost you considerably more. 

If you’re looking for a high quality, low production, hand made in the USA amp or preamp, consider Conrad Johnson. I’ve never compared the Decware to CJ but people tend to keep their CJ equipment. They also have a “cult like” following for good reason, they just sound right…