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To Boldly Go! DECWARE Sarah 300B Integrated Amp
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ส.ค. 2024
- Decware's latest, the Zen Sarah 300B integrated amp! Beyond my expectations. Sold direct worldwide, www.decwarepro...
Patreon: / audiophiliac
Twitter: @AudiophiliacMan
Instagram: / steve.guttenberg
Congratulations to the owner of the audio system of the day. Beautiful pictures of a beautiful room.
As an old amateur radio operator this amp appeals to me very much❤
Same! Ahhh the old days with the old rigs.
Still planning to get a hallicrafters. And now a 300b.
What you do Steve more than any other reviewer is tell us how your products make you feel. And that's what its all about.
No, it should be all about how good they sound and how accurate amps sound.
@@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 Then why not go to some other channel😊?
@@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 Well you know, the New York Times never offers a free read of any article. The archive Radio Shack catalog site and Steve's You Tube are free to view, but we have to pay to read the online Freemans catalog archive and at that, I reckon Steve should be moving his archive onto the Patreon video hosting, because uh ... we know for a fact that you know 'nice guys' like Miguel Barrio are huge followers of used bargain market high end Audio and uh ... people who're in a position to pay should be subject to market forces. Just saying. Money has to go around and come around and Steve you know, is behaving like Tesla with his intellectual property, he's making it all freely available.
Thanks for this review Steve. Your descriptions of this 300B powered amp echo my own experiences of this tube.
A few years back I built my son a pair of Bottlehead 300B Paramount kits. I dropped them into my own system and he had to pry them out of my hands a full year later. Regarding tube-rolling: we found the Chinese tubes were good when new but faded after about 1500 hours, some failing, some going noisy. If you listen to a lot of music every day this isn't much more than a year. Russian tubes (if you can still get them) last about twice as long as the Chinese ones and sound a little better. We haven't stretched the budget to genuine Western Electric tubes (yet) but I'd love to hear a pair.
Dangerous! I bet the waitlist for this amp just grew 1000% 😅
Right? Like that waitlist needed any help lol
@@backrack01 yeah, I've been on it for months and still estimate over a year until I get my gear! Hopefully Steve (Deckert) decides to ramp up production at least a bit before the wait grows even more.
Not really. The waitlist barely moved. You either want it or you don’t. There are other pretty good 300B amps out from other master builders.
@labalo5 can you give any example?
@@W4YN0TAric Audio Super 300B and Coincident Frankenstein Mk4 are both mind blowing, highly life-like 300B amps for great prices. A little bit more money than the Decware with stock tubes, but about the same price when Decware has top tubes.
Theres also Coincident Frankenstein Stereo for 2500 which is also a stagerring, high realism amp and an unusually powerful and wide bandwith 300b amp.
Thanks Gary, I wish I had a super power that let me mentally compare products two years apart! But I don't, I can just say that I am way more excited about the sound of Sarah than the Elekit.
I'm privileged to have a Zen2 Decware amp. It took a year to get it ...but it was well worth the wait and a piece of gear that can be handed down generation to generation, not to mention that it sounds great. I am pleased and joyous that we live in a time were tube amps (and Decware) are around. I have a set of Decware mini-radial speakers too, what a great combination. Keep up the great work Steve. :)
Don't take this hard- but as a passionate audiophile, I don't expect anyone in the generation of my family after me to be interested in my gear; and unless you or anyone else has a son or daughter or niece or nephew or grandchild whom you KNOW is not only an audiophile, but ALSO shares your particular taste in gear, I wouldn't bet on your gear being of interest to them. Seriously- it pains me to say this- but the bulk of us won't find that our descendants share our taste in gear, or music gear at all.
@@maxhirsch7035 part of the reason is there is so much snake oil and amps like these are overpriced for what they are. All SS amps sound better and don't have to cost so much either. Kids are all confused being told this and that DAC, amp, preamp and so on sound different when they don't.
@@maxhirsch7035 yes. they're gonna look at all this stuff and wonder why we were junk hoarders.
@@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 "All SS amps sound better and don't have to cost so much either. "
Prove it. How exactly do all solid state amps sound better as a matter of fact, not opinion?
@@rockmusicvideoreviewer896 all SS do not sound better. I have quite a few tube amps and SS amps. In general, I prefer the tube sound, especially in multi-amp systems for midranges and tweeters. The SS amps do what they do best for power and damping driving the woofers and subs.
I'm a 2 year newbie to tube amps & I love the "Tube Sound". My biggest concern was the heat generated by the tubes. I purchased a Muffin fan to cool the amps. Big difference! I think this will extend the life of the tubes dramaticaly.
should be a long waiting list to get this beauty... I like that he warranties his amps for life
There's no doubt in my mind that if this amp had a full array of headphone outputs (fully tubed) it would raise some serious hell in the headphone amp market.
We are waiting for your Part 2 review!
I’m on the waitlist for about a year now and I’m just about halfway there. My buddy has an amp and it sounds great. I couldn’t wait any longer so I purchased an Aric Audio Custom 300b PSET, also a preamp. If you want hand made, point to point wiring and a remote, check out Aric’s gear. His gear is awesome and he’s great to work with. Toolshed also makes hand made gear that is top notch. When my number comes up, I will try a Decware headphone amp.
I'm in the same boat! I think I counted 668, or 1/3 down page 4. Started far down page 7, now there's 11 pages!
It is very reassuring to me, in knowing that you have listened to so many fine amplifiers over the years. That you, without any hesitation, are able to say a product is the best you have ever heard. It proves to me that you are not governed by manufacturer loyalty. That is what I like most about your review style. You just call it like you see it.
Thank you so much, I didn't say the best amplifier, I said the best 300B amplifier I've heard.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Well, the best tubalishish amplifier you have ever heard.
Oh my! Thank you for introducing me to Laurie Anderson. How in the world have I overlooked this artist?!
So glad I placed the order before this review came out :)
hi, did you receive it?
@@rodrigocordova3896 No yet no
I very very truly appreciate you, your passion, and your intelligence. I also appreciate that you do an exciting review on everything regardless of cost.
Thank you so much!
I'm a huge fan of tube amps. Class A of course being the best for the harmonics that are added to the sound that actually distort the original sound information adding a warm rich tone to the music. Yes, tube amps add content to the signals, but it's a very pleasant sounding content. 300B class A amps are among the best as doing this. AB not quite as nice, but they provide more power than class A does. When matched with very efficient speakers you can't hardly beat the rich sound.
One of the things that often gets overlooked in tube amp designs is voltage regulation. Lack of voltage regulation does introduce signal distortion that is 'NOT DESIRABE', and the especially at the lower frequencies where there is more power draw against the power supply circuit. The better tube amps will include good voltage regulation.
Love Steve’s enthusiasm!
Yeah, he seemed a little bit more happy than normal with this amp. I wish I had the money to buy all the things he loves. And roll them to say.
I have the Decware ZEN 2 Mono Amps; 60 watts per channel.
They are unreal.
Just ordered one. Now the wait begins.
and?
@@rodrigocordova3896 still waiting
WOW, what an amp, and I'd love to hear it. "However for me", no matter how good it is, I need remote control for those often times when I'm listening to music while laying down/ relaxing on my sofa, and don't want to get up if I need to change the volume YMMV
A properly sized rubber band placed over the volume knobs while they are equal will allow you to adjust both volume knobs in parallel.
Nice ... full automation
I use a vintage Carver C-4000 inputting my turntable into a primaluna integrated, mainly for tone, balance, and other features on the preamp that I like. Plug it into Aux 1 on the integrated. I also have a pro-ject tube phono-stage, for if I want to go flat-- tubes only.
It is important to match the capacity into the 300b tube up to its maximum capacity, we do this via multiple pre-amp stages to most perfectly match the input to the tube (or set of tubes) to be driven. I am a fan of the 300b having a Music Angel and Yaquin 300b and I use JJ gold in them and have replaced the rectifier in the Yaqin with a solid state device (it is worth the time and cost for that improvement) The solid state rectifier reduces the overall load on the power supply, that gives me more presence in the mids and the bass does not fall off. It is like having an extra watt to each channel. I would like to see a selectable gate voltage in the preamp tubes to be able to drive them and add a little more of that natural sweet tube distortion we like for jazz selections.
just a thank you here Steve ... i have been watching for a month or two and have learned so much ... this tube amp piece catapulted me to yet another level ... i also like the music ( which it is all about of course ! ) discussion ... Cal Tjadar to Bob Marley to Laurie Andersen ... now that's range ... best to you
I built my own Zen SE84 amps using genuine Decware output transformers from Steve at Decware, this was a good option as I live in the UK. Also, I didn't have to join the waitlist! I am using a pair, bridged as monoblocks. After about 5 years of listening to them, I agree that Decware designs are superior to many others in my opinion and beat anything else that I have heard for transparency and musicality. I'd really like to hear the 300B amp, probably a step up from the already excellent Zens. Thank you Steve G for posting this.
Hi Steve. Great review! How would you compare this amp to the other Decware amps? Specifically the Decware UFO SE84 Zen 25 anniversary?
Wow! Could learn to build your own 300b amp at that wait time!
Well when you have a $2200 turntable with a 1-2k tone arm and $1000 cartridge, $4000 speakers, goodness knows the value of Steve's cables used through out the system and a $4500 tube amp I would certainly hope it sounds good and organic no matter what records your playing.
The chance of many of us ever having anything like Steve's system used for this review is not possible. But it is a dream set up for sure.
The $1,200 Decware Zen Triode amp is awfully good! Pair that with the Klipsch RP 600 M speakers and for under $2000 it's a dream system!
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac
Thank you Steve for the great reply. I have wanted to get into some tubes but really didn't want the schitt gear, I wanted tuby tube sounding gear and didnt know where to look.
I will be looking online for some Decware info and a few reviews
@@superdougie10 Check out the Decware SE34i.6. Six watts of single ended triode goodness. Just add a pair of vintage Klipsch Heritage speakers, a pair of Altec Valencias or if the funds are running short a pair Klipsch KG4 or KG5 speakers.
Even better and more fun could be Decware’s 6V6 SET amp. It has VR tubes and compatibility with 6V6, 6F6, 6K6, 807, and other 6L6 variants, even EL84/6BQ5 with adaptors.
I had Pre-Ordered in Jan 2023 and the wait list is still growing. Looking forward to Part 2 of this review.
Another option would be to use a external DAC that can be used as a preamp with volume control, like my Exogal Comet Plus DAC
This is what I’m talkin bout! Definitely one of the most beautiful products out there.
OMG - I always wondered what Steve (Decware Steve) would do if he ever decided to
harness the 300B. I think I just found out.
I've had a Decware SE34-I6 (around 6 watts using EL34 output tubes) for about a year now and I am loving it. I've never heard a 300B amp so I am not sure how they would compare. Maybe the Sarah would sound more tubey in comparison?
Great review, I am looking forward to part II.
This is the best 300B amp with a wooden base that I have ever heard!
Dear Mr.Steve , hello from Caribbean Florida,
I haven't seen one of your Videos since Stereophile ( JA2 ) banned me a year, or so ago, approx.
You seemed to have done well, with 233K Subs. ( probably the TOP GUN in Audiophile reviewing , at least in my book ! )
Your Living space seems rather well organized and your wardrobe seems fresher.
For some reason : My Desktop iMac decided to put this 300B review, of yours, in front of me on this Sunday Evening. -- Wow , again I'm impressed , you're still that same high Integrity guy I met back at RMAF 2011 !!
This 300B review reminds people that the Glass Tubes are the Singing Voices in Amplification , the better the Glass the better the singing.
I've never imagined a 5 year performance promise from any manufacturer of Audiophile gear ( maybe Magnapan being an exception ), so I'm feeling this time watching you is a darn good investment.
Should I encourage you to follow the Geese South ? , you would probably love living with amazing weather and outstanding quality of life that Florida pretty much guarantees. I've had to travel to NY,NY lately, the place seems cringeworthy . Oh well .
Congratulations on your success !
Tony Kazz
Thanks for the review, excellent
Still waiting for a follow-up on this amp...come on Big Steve I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on purchasing one and I'm still waiting for your continued impressions on this tube amp. Love & Respect always...👍
Yes Steve please post the follow-up. I have worked my way up to page one of the Decware list and am seriously considering upgrading to the Sarah but would like your full review before I decide!
Thanks Steve - I always wanted to own a 300b amp but I like slam and strong bass Attack even at low volume '(2ch only) I bet the 300 does sound warm n sweet !
Yes, with the right combination of tubes (voltage regulator and input tube) Sarah can sound warm and sweet.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I wonder how Klispchhorns would sound with this 300b those speakers have slam with very little watts Maybe even Tekton double impact - Thanks Steve Appricate all your hardwork and dedication to us Audionuts 😃
I have an Elekit 300b amp driving a pair of Klipsch Fortes. I do occasionally like to crank it up and these 8 watts have no trouble at all making the room shake.
yo steve! just got the border patrol se i dac a few days ago based on your recommendation and it's amazing. on the decware ide swap the input tube to a vintage mullard for smoothness, general electric for clarity and crisp highs, brimar or rca for warmth .enjoy
The Viewer system of the day is sweet! San Diego represent!
Don Sachs and Lynn Olson are working on pair of push/pull 300b mono blocks that will be debuted at Pacific Audio Fest next month. Great discussion thread involving both Don and Lynn at Audiogon under "300b lovers" in the amp section. I haven't ever heard a 300b amp and it is probably too rich for my blood especially given the price of these tubes. Just for information. Hoping I didn't break any rules by posting this, just thought it was interesting.
BTW, a 2-10 perfect set from Tekton work well for me, your review was what set me on to them.
Sweet h3 named it after his daughter..how gracious..love it..
Not really related to the review, but I finally got to hear a pair of PureAudioProjects Duets. I heard what all the fuss is about and I have greatly underestimated how good OBs can sound. They were being powered by Musical Fidelity integrated amp (the model escapes me) and it was absolutely sublime.
E.A.R. V-12 Integrated amp is the best sounding Integrated amp...?
Just add some Stenheim Alumine 3 speakers.. Closest to a Live Concert😇
Can't wait to hear this in about 3yrs :p
How do you mean?
@@bigblueocean The waiting list is at least 2 years deep… I put my order in back in February ’22 and hope to have it next year at this time.
@@if6wuzz9 ah OK. Thanks. Got it now. There's no way I would wait that long.... I might be dead!
@@bigblueocean Time is of the essence on my end too my friend… ain’t quitting the fight yet!
Great review! Out of curiosity, how does the Sarah sound compared to the other Decware amps that you've listened to?
In the next episode covering this decware Sarah, I'd be most interested to hear your thoughts on how it compares to the UFO Zen Triode (most important), the Feliks Audio Arioso you tested a while back (comparable priced 300b amp) and the Elekit if possible (a DIY cheaper option)? We viewers dont ask for much 😅
Thanks for watching, the Feliks and Elekit Reviews were two years ago! Kinda makes comparisons rather difficult to say the least! All I can say is my emotional reaction to the Sarah is at a much higher level than those two amps. As for the Zen triode that's still here so yes I will do that comparison. Spoiler alert there's no comparison, Sarah is a vastly better sounding amplifier.
Absolutly,I have one Decware,here in Barcelona,its the BEST ampli that I nevera hear
Decware also offers what they call the ZSB which seems to be a switch of sorts allowing you to have 5 sources.
I would love to own a refurbished vintage Scott tube
preamp amp tuner -but the prices for tubes are way beyond my means. The ones you are referring to , well, also way beyond my means. I wish I could apprentice with an audio tech so I might repair affordable units and own one I could really be proud of.
A Scott integrated amp is a great way to get great sound at affordable price. You can learn to repair tube online. You can do it!
I hope that you get a chance to try the PSVane Cossor black glass tubes. Also, the Cossor brand also offers a blue tube version which, I'm sure, will provide a whole new idea of different.
This is tough for me to understand. Why would a company give out units for review when their waitlist is years long. It doesn’t make sense.
Because people are interested. Decware amps are magical and many of us have waited happily as Steve and crew build our orders.
Why do you think their waitlist is years? 😉
Steve i wanted to know if you will review the new Musical Fidelity NU-VISTA preamp and monoblocks?
I enjoy your reviews on your TH-cam channel.
I have a Decware CSP and Tabboo and they are top notch. Long wait to get them, but that is part of the reason experience.
Idea...try the Sarah with the Zens and a pair of powered subs (e.g. Tekton 4-10s crossed over between 60-80 Hz. The Tektons are specified at ~100db/m and allow themselves to be driven from the high level input).
People need to realize that there are more than 2,000 people already on the Amp list. From February 2022 to February 2023 they cleared about 675 names off the list.
$1,500 for a set of new production tubes is ridiculous. They are old technology and the price is about 1,400 to much. $50 for a single tube is PLENTY
steve which is the tecnology of the ouput tranformer ( M6 laminated , double core c or japanese hight end ) . Do you know the time constant of the power supply driver ? for my experience , a good 300B should be AC supplied . and will make hum .... and music ...
Stunning looking amp!
Nice viewer system, though I thought the 'star' of the show was 'Nipper' the dog!
If you want a 300b today, for about six grand ampsandsound sells one.
I’m curious to know how long you let the 300B tubes warm up before listening?
My United States Live album boxed set is one of my most cherished possessions. That's so cool that you got to be there for the live performance! Did you go both days?
Just one day.
Better than my JBL Flip??? Very skeptical Mr G!
If you can remember (or actually had a chance to do direct comparisons), would you please remark on how the Sarah compares with the 25th anniversary edition Zen Triode SE84UFO25? Would love to hear your thoughts.
^ this. Same question!
The 25th anniversary amp was returned a long time ago! But I would say the 300B amplifier is a more robust, fuller sounding design! It is probably a bit less transparent than the 25th anniversary amplifier. Hope that helps.
There is nothing like tubes amazing
In your next video please address the long wait time. They are currently working on July 2021 orders and losing ground every month. Wait time for this amp will probably exceed 2 years.
and that's som bullsh** , they need to contract some help. This is stupid at this point...you won't see this for 5 years in the wild.
looks very nice the amp,nice shirt it reminds me of blues guitarist buddy guy
Think I might have some of those Western Electric tubes. My grandfather built his own radio kits back in the 20s and I got the old tubes, but I have no idea if they're any good. They're 100 years old so not holding out much hope.
If the vacuum is intact they will work fine. Of course you don't know how many hours of use they've already had. BTW, Western electric started making them in 1938, so the oldest they could be is 85 years old.
Might need to clean the pins. I have some tubes that are WW2 surplus that work just fine.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Okay, got it wrong, they're mostly RCA and Eveready, no WE.
Wow that's a primo viewer system dang
Hello Once again, Hmm
Are you aware of the waiting list for this outfit's offerings ?
Their published list shows orders from Aug 2021 being completed -- finally ! Phew. Isn't that 1 year, 8 months ?
This company seems to work from a Residential setting which probably isn't zoned for large scale manufacturing .
They seem to have a couple thousand Amps on-order and waiting to be built.
I haven't called them to discuss anything but I do feel comfortable trying to own one of their offerings.
I like these small outfits that aspire to building greatness .
Thanks for presenting this !
Tony in Florida
Do you think they will ever come a day when they make this exact amplifier without the preamp? That would be a win-win for me.
And very unlikely, there's a waiting list for about two years to buy the thing. Why change it?
All Decware amps are power amps. You can order them without the volume control and input switching. You simply place your order then call-in and delete the volume control and input stuff. Or you can just turn the volume knob all the way up and hook up your preamp of choice. The volume and switching are there so you don't have to have a preamp.
I think I saw something like that amp on an old Frankenstein move 😊
The Sarah costs upwards of 6000$ with all tubes. Money no object, I’d like the Western Electric 91E at 16000. Why not ?
No Hall & Oates "Sara" on the Sarah?
Just great. Would the Sarah be well matched with Devore speakers?
Does Decware have a gear that you can connect turntable, cd player, and headphone?
My estimate on the wait list for the "Sarah 300B," 20 months to 28 months.
😮
If that's indeed the best 300B amp you have ever heard then I strongly assume that you never heard any good SET mono power amps who can deliver high current for musical peeks and fast transients. It's a very nice piece of kit for the price though.
I appreciate the enthusiasm. I like to learn what I can from audiophiles when our interests overlap, but with this review, I am glad I don't need so much that I am seeking out tubes.
I would have to hear if this system was as good at reproducing reggie as reported. From his almost giddy happiness with this most hair shirt of Hi Fi set up, could be more than the usual hearing being influenced by thought.. Not to say the guy doesn't know what he is doing, just a counter point.
This amplifier seems like a good deal for what you get even adding Western Electric tubes to the price. Much more affordable compared to the new Western Electric amplifier @ $15K. Would be interesting to compare the two.
Oh, for the days of Radio Shack's lifetime tube guarantee! But the WE 5-year warranty is probably long enough (if they're going to fail at all early, it would happen before then).
Regarding new 300B tubes: more expensive than the (resurrected) Western Electric are the Japanese Takatsuki tubes. Matched pair are $2500, a thousand dollars more than the WE. And Takatsuki limits production so there are no extras.
Should check out German Elrog 300b tubes. The mid priced ones are $2500. The most expensive ones are only available with an amplifier purchase.
Great stuff. My initial question was: Where are the output transformers? But when you showed the underside, the answer was clear.
Those transformers are designed by Steve Deckert. That's part of his not so secret sauce!
@@keplermission Please, get off people's back! Miguel is a nice guy, and yes, there are output-transformer-less amps, and no, you couldn't come up with an example of an OTL 300B DHT SET that'll drive anything more than a pair of headphones either, so let's leave it at that.
5:32 - No printed circuit boards? I can see 3. However, no big deal, especially for the smaller bits (guessing it's a ccs up front and center?)
If I listen to my 300B amp 2 or 3 times a day for 45 minutes each time, do you suggest that I leave the amp on during the day or turn it on on and off as needed?
I would leave it on.
Steve,do you have any recordings by Andy Narell like
'Slow Motion or
The Hammer'?
I consider him the best steel pan player in the world and with his side man these recordings are real System Testers.
If I was after a tube amp, this would be it.
I wonder if Steve can monoblock it?
Steve, I listen at 75DB (85DB peak) so why wouldn't this amp work with my 86DB efficiency speakers (Harbeth C7s)?
When a tube comes in a box inside a box you need to consider if you've gone nuts?
I just really wish the Decware amps had the speaker ports etc on the backside rather than the top. The way the wires sit on top, makes the setup look like an octopus once everything is plugged in. A mess. Would look so much neater with everything just placed at the back (imo).
I see your point, but there is a years long waiting list Of people for Decware electronics. Apparently, he finds exactly the right customers for his products. And it looks like you won't be one of his customers and that's fine.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Hi Steve. I'm based in the Netherlands, so unfortunately the import duties alone are prohibitively expensive - I really wanted to treat myself to a Zen Triode (despite the years long wait) but having watched a review by a Dutch chap, he said duties were around €650...half the cost of the amp, again! Because of that, Decware amps are few and far between in Europe so the second hand market is virtually none existent (on top of the fact most customers likely buy them for life). I can certainly live with the octopus aesthetic, I'm just particular about these things (product designer) and wish there was the option to pop the ports on the rear, which had no effect on topology inside. Anyways, indeed its not very likely I'll ever get my hands/eyes/ears on one, sadly. Cheers!
Nice gear. Not in my lifetime, but cool stuff
I could buy the amp plus tubes, and then...... The old stuff I got aint gonna cut it. But damn, it is nice to dream.
I just wish the wait wasn't so long for Decware items
As for the power tubes - if a tube lasts 40000 hours, doesn't mean it will sound great all that time! 😮
I don't understand the problem with the wait. People wait years for Rolexes, Porsches, yada, yada. If you want the very best, sometimes you have to wait. And more times than not, it's a privilege to do so. If you want fast and cheap, there's Chi-Fi!
Some of the Chinese amp ain't cheap and theyr massive and probably demolish the Decaware
Very true. And most buyers likely have a nice system already, so it's just one of the things involved in buying the amp. And at the end of the day, it's just a luxury product and nothing one needs to survive.And there are many other good 300B amps around.
Too bad it's a 2.5 year wait list once you order any Decware amp.
Steve please compare the Sarah to the decware ufo you have, on your next update.Thank you!!
Shirt looks like the cool Carolina HERRERA