Very clear, articulate, fast, wide soundstage and communicates the EMOTION of the music to the listener extremely well. Definitely a 10 PM to 2 AM amp when the kids are sound asleep.

Limited headroom but it is expected due to its design.

Using SE84Bs in monobloc configuration. Replaced the stock strapping cables with TaraLabs and noticed significant improvement in size of images within the soundstage.

I abandoned tubed amps about 6 months ago because of financial constraints and the unpredictable fate of electricity in California. At the same time two pairs of nice sounding 300B replacement tubes will set you back about the price of a ZEN amp. I migrated to the solid state territory and boy was I wrong.

The ZEN is affordable, sounds extremely musical, and is able to put many solid state and tubed amps to shame regardless of price.

I played one of Art Blakey's CD and the recording studio was before your eyes with back walls of the studio clearly defined in the soundstage. You can hear sound reflect back from the rear walls. Houston Person's saxophone in "In a Sentimental Mood" was incredibly clear and full and imaged like Diana Krall's voice - large and warm. My 70's collections also fared extremely well. The song Jessica in Bloodrock 3 CD exhibited the seamless propulsive beat. On James Gang's greatest hits one can distinctly hear Joe Walsh's dubbed melodic guitar solos in spades.

The ZEN amp can go loud as long as it is a Chant, or an acoustic recording without heavy bass. Some of Holly Cole's CDs with strong acoustic bass simply drains the power out of this little beauties. I need that SLAM.If the ZEN could only push 7 single ended triode watts per side or 14 watts per monoblock while maintaining all its attributes including its price, this would be THE perfect amp.Okay,.... let's dream on.

Using: MSB Link DAC
Anthem Pre-1 with AURICAPS(you just have to hear these caps)
Oval 9s biwire
Goertz Silver ICs
Paradigm Eclipse Bipolars wired internally with Oval 12s
Bohemia 6-pack
Homemade drooling towel.

Who is the Bozo who rated this amp less than 4 stars?

Similar Products Used:

Manley 300B monoblocks, Golden Tube SE40, Audio Research D-400, Parasound 1500, B&K, AMC CVT 2100.

1) Imaging
2) Clarity
3)Speed
4) Quality
5) Cost

Must have efficient speakers! Will play at lower levels
on less efficient speakers

Wow!!! What a journey for an audio enthusiast's first venture into tube power. I was at a high end audio store in Minneapolis (Audio Perfection) listening to all kinds of speakers searching for a "perfect sound." Of course, what sounds perfect to my ears, may sound daunting to another.
I have a pair of Klipsch KG 5.5's. They are a large floor standing horn loaded speaker made by Klipsch of Hope, Arkansas. They are about six years old, sold for $1,000 new and I believe them to be one of best Klipsch ever made. What I like about these speakers beside their beautiful medium oak finish is their open, lively, and powerful sound. Hooked up to my ES Sony Reciever they provide loud in your face dynamics, while giving the sweet spot listener a run for their money. I use them as my fronts in a Klipsch Home Theatre surround sound system. I also use these speakers for two channel audio.
What I don't like about the Klipsch's is their harsh sounding highs and un-natural "blare." For movie viewing I could care less, the Klipsch's are wonderful. But for music, hours per day of listening, my ears were getting "sore" and sometimes I was turning up the reciever volume too much to acheive better clarity. Headache, hear I come!
Back to the high end store. Another customer asked what speakers I had at home and what I was "listening" for. When I told him of my dislikes with the Klipssh, he wrote down a website for me. He said this little, but amazing amp will absolutely take care of your problem; and so it did.
The Decware.com site has been updated since the last time I've visited. Decware is constantly coming up with new and better products. After talking with Steve Deckert on the phone several times, I was convinced this was it! I ordered my SE84C over the telephone from the lovely manager DeVon Pierson. When the package arrived, I was completely amazed by the weight and looks.
A heavy, but small amp. I personally like the shiny silver look, with the uncovered tubes on top. Once you put in the tubes and plug in the cord, hook up the speaker wires, and turn on the unit, poof, magic happens! The tubes began to glow and get hot, and after several minutes of warm up, you are ready for a truly new musical expierence. I connected the unit directly to the line output on my Sony ES cd player using a M-series Monster interconnect. This is the best way to use the ZEN; hooking up to the pre-amp out of my reciever provided very distasteful, results due to the poor pre-amp quality of my reciever. The ZEN has a (ground shunt?) pot on it, and can be used to control volume levels.
At 3.5W per channel, I was extremely skeptical, but providing my electronics background, I knew it was possible.
At first I didn't care for the sound. I thought it to be very lacking in punch and dynamics. Then as the tubes get warmer and you get some decent amount of playing time on them, the tubes work their magic and the sound becomes pure joy!
Sitting in the sweet spot of my Klipsch KG 5.5's for most of my listening, this is what I noted of the ZEN. Unreal and unbelievable imaging and clarity! I mean that in the postive way. I was astonished that the soundstage was deeper, wider (even beyond my speakers), and more realistic than I've ever heard in any speaker setup. The only thing that comes close that I've listen to, without side by side comparison, is the Revel F30's or Magnepans. The speed of this little baby is simply mind-blowing! I kept looking at my cd player to confirm that it wasn't playing any faster than normal. I could have sworn the amp was literally pulling out the music faster from my cd player. Hence, it was not. What I imagine was happening is that the short signal path and simple but elegant wiring of the ZEN was acheiving new hieghts in my listening expierence. It took me awhile to get used to this, but once I did, I did not want to listen to anything else. The ZEN smoothes out the rough/harsh sound of the horns and provides you with a warm open sound that is extremely pleasing.
I popped in one album and then another. At first I was extremely critical and a negative biased listener. Then after several hours of listening, I relaxed and enjoyed. I found I could not turn the unit off. Not even to go to bed. I'd rather stay up and listen than sleep! I dug out some Cd's I had not listened to in awhile and some of them I simple thought were bad recordings. Man, this amp can bring new life to those albums. I was up til four in the morn' reliving the joys of these recordings. The ZEN truly sings!
Bass isn't overbearing, nor very loud, but it is much more accurate than most amps. It also goes much lower on this amp. I could hear details of drums, timpani's and organs with style I had never heard before.
Unfortunately, I had to send the amp back because I couldn't find a way to properly and conveniently integrate it with my home theatre system. Some day I'd like to get one or two ZEN's (or possibly the new integrated) and hook them directly up to a high-end cd player. Then get another pair of high efficiency speakers to match the amps; audio nirvana will be within my reach!!
Keep up the good work Decware!!!

Similar Products Used:

None, First Tube Amp

If properly constructed, this product offers excellent performance. The overall topology provides an opportunity for peerless performance.

Low noise, analog circuit layout technique is an art best acquired through experience. Noise mitigation techniques are difficult to describe in writing.

This product offers potentially outstanding performance. I am an electrical engineer with a background in low noise circuit layout and noise mitigation techniques. While I believe that the web-based instructions are excellent, I did not follow the instructions implicitly. Rather, I employed my background and experience throughout the layout to achieve a freeform implmentation that conformed to a "best practice" as I know it. The result is most pleasing. I'm using Zen with a pair of modified JBL L200T loudspeakers. I've substituted a pair of JBL 2206 drivers for the orginal 12" drivers to increase efficiency. In a side by side comparisons with a pair of Bolender-Grabener RD-75's powered by Marantz M500's, I prefer the Zen driven JBL's. Both systems utilize four 12" Shiva subwoofers in Sonotubes tuned to 15Hz driven by a JBL 100W auto amplifer via a Rane 23B active crossover with a Linkwitz-Rily 24db/oct response. I am so impressed with the results that I have designed and am constructing a new speaker system utilizing two JBL 2006 drivers per side togther with the Keele BiRadial horn from the JBL 200T's in the D'Appolito configuration. IMHO, Zen coupled with a state of the art horn designs is capable of the best performance extant even when compared to cutting edge alternatives. The kit offers a great value if you are competent with low noise layout techiques. Highly recommended.

liquid mids and highs, really sharp bass, pleasant to the ears

none.. you can't beat it for twice the price..

I bought the SE84CS after reading the reviews, and shortly after hearing an Audio Electronic Supply amp.

Currently I'm in the tinkering stage with it, as I have it hooked up to my studio rig which consists of a 12 channel Mackie mixing board and I'm firing a set of highly modified Cerwin Vega E-715 speakers (each one of them has an extra 15" speaker tacked onto the bottom of them, making them into two 15" cabs), which are rated about 102db.

Last night, I brought it in the house and hooked it up my Klipsch KLF-30's.

Efficiency being the key here, this amp rocks and has no probably driving the Klipsch's, or the CV's to healthy volumes- louder than what I would normally listen to music at, and even louder than what I would normally listen to music after drinking 3-4 Corona's..

Tell you what folks.. here's the key: Buy one. Get a nice efficient set of Klipsch's. Pull them out away from the wall, and do yourself a favor and save the money that you would waste on surround sound rigs. Or take that money and buy two of them (you can bridge them).

With this amp, you won't need surround sound.

Frightening what the presence is with this little amplifier. Your gonna love it, and it's the best $695 that you ever spent. Or buy the $495 SE84 version.. same power, same liquid sound, just less pretty in looks.

Similar Products Used:

first tube amp..

has anyone heard this amp? it's only avalible by mail order.[www.decware.com] its a 5 watt single ended class a amp hand built for 500 bucks. they offer a 30 day money back deal, but i'd like to hear from someone who's heard it .thanks for any help.

For my fourtieth birthday, my wife gave me a Zen Model SE-84a amp designed and manufactored/hand built by Steve Deckert of Decware in Peoria, Illinois. This is a small, elegant, valve amplifier that kicks out 5 glorious watts a channel in class A. The build quality is fantastic and the Zen amp looks divine. My Zen came with the optional cage to prevent my dog, friends, relatives, and myself from licking the tubes. As the Zen lives on top of my rack, I have decided to not use the cage, except for when I transport the Zen to other locales, some exotic, some not. The Zen is small enough to fit into a backpack and is perfect to take 'round to stereo dealers to audition speakers and the like. By the way, I'm proud to mention that I have not succombed to my desire to lick my glowing fire bottles. Enough bragging about my will power and inner resolve and back to the review.
The Zen amp has a complement of 4 valves--a Philips 5Y3GT, a Svetlana 6N1P, and two Svetlana SV-83s. One can cheerfully substitute a 12AU7 or a 12AT7 or a 12AX7 for the Svetlana 6N1P. As well, if one doesn't mind losing a little more than 1/2 of the amp's power, one can substitute EL-84s for the SV-83s. I tried that and was a bit relieved that the Zen still performed well in my stereo kit. Why do you ask? Because the Svetlana SV-83s are made by only one company and the only audio application in which these tubes are used happens to be in the Zen. I was a tad bit nervous when I discovered the uniqueness of the SV-83s; however, should they vanish from the face of the earth, I can happily get by with EL-84s. Remind me to buy a few more pairs of SV-83s just in case they go the way of the dodo. Note: the SV-83s are pentode tubes run in triode mode. Hence, the Zen amp is a pseudo-triode and not a true SET according to some purists. My take on this is that if I like the sound, I don't care whether it is SET, pentode, pseudo-triode, solid state, push-pull, or whatever. As far as I'm concerned the Zen is a SET amp. By the way, the original Zen, Model SE-84, was able to be run in triode or pentode mode. The current models, a and b, have a switch to change the bias. In the forward position, it expands the dynamics and gives the sound more bite. In the backward position, the sound is more mellow, but much more three dimensional with a more impressive soundstage and better microdynamics. Do not switch the bias when the amp is running. The resounding snap is hell on ears and potentially damaging to speakers.

The sound of the Zen is spectacular, especially given its reasonable price (I got mine for my birthday ;-}. Unless you get one as a gift, it'll cost you about $550 for the latest manifestation, the Model SE-84b. I believe that the b model has an improved power supply. I've considered the upgrade, but have decided to wait until the f or g model. To part with the Zen for a month is a daunting prospect--I'd have to slum it with solid state!! Somewhere in the basement lives a long-in-the-tooth JVC receiver. Shudder.

How does the Zen sound? It is a fast amp with a lively sound sort of in between solid state and valve amplification. What I am trying to convey is that the Zen does not suffer from the euponic bloat of valve amps like the venerable Dynaco ST70 or the valve amps made today by AMC. Yes, the Zen has the liquid desireable midrange that has made valve amplication so desirable for many hi-fi enthusiasts, but it does not have the attenuated highs of some valve gear and it does not sound slow. Microdynamics and sound staging are to die for. Bass? It's present, but I'd recommend a powered subwoofer. I use a AMC Ace-Bass B1-20 (200 watts, 8 inch downward firing driver, 3 knobs to twiddle for tailoring the sound) which goes down to 30 hz with authority. The B1-20 is a fast, musical subwoofer, not one that is one notey (I mean one in which all bass sounds the same--i.e., try to listen to a Bose passive subwoofer as found in wretched Acoustimas series). The Zen excells with a 3 dimensional soundstage with fast transients and lifelike vocals and a superb overall musical presentation. The Zen conveys a realistic musical presence and soundscape. With the Zen, I have rediscovered my music collection--a vast smattering of opera, folk, rock, jazz, pop, world beat, and avant-garde classical music.

For those interested, my stereo kit is comprised of a hodge-podge of various classic components. With the Zen as the engine or heart of my system, I run it into a Carver C4000 preamp (the brains of the system). Components include, a Revox A77 reel-to-reel taperecorder, a Luxman K-15 cassette deck, Rotel RT 950BX tuner, Thorens TD 145 MkII turntable with high output MC cartridge by Ortofon, and a Philips LHH1000 CD transport and separate DAC (a rebadged Marantz CD 12 LE). Speaker wire is Barracuda by Custom House Cable (perhaps the best wire for the price--around 10 bucks a foot, termination extra). Interconnects are entry level Vampire Wire. Aside from the AMC B1-20 powered subwoofer, my main speakers are a pair of the budget audiophile AR M1s. Imaging as good as the much more expensive Harbeth PL-3s, fine midrange, highs a bit fatiguing and tizzy on poorly recorded material, bass acceptable for a bookshelf speaker. Soundstage is perfect for chamber opera, small jazz band, a solitary singer playing a dulcimer or guitar. For full blown operatic or orchestral works, the speakers offer an acceptable, mind you, shrunken soundstage.

Given the low power output of the Zen, efficient speakers are desirable. The AR M1's have an efficiency rating of 88 db. They are okay in my stereo setup and do their job well; however, I think that my world would be a better place if I switched to Lowthers or a honking big pair of Klipschorns. Someday this might happen.

Overall, I am pleased with the performance of the Zen amp, Model SE-84a. There are better amps out there, but you'd have to pay a lot more. In the sub-1000 dollar class, the Zen amp is hard to beat. This is a highly musical amp and its sound is simply satisfying. Go to www.decware.com to check it out.
Hats off to Steve Deckert and his Zen amp!

The Little Amp that can
a review of the DECware Zen Triode amplifier

I got into this hobby about two years ago, when I decided to purchase these awesome Snell C/V speakers. These speakers opened a whole new acoustic dimension to me. Since then I have slowly improved each part in my system, making small, but noticeable improvements in each an every one of them.

Recently I bought this little Zen Single Ended Tube amplifier - except for the above mentioned speakers it is the most significant improvement I have made to my system, and it has seriously changed my view of the way that I will approach (high-end ?) audio from now on. Here is the story:

Expectation
I wanted to outfit our study with a stereo system, and I thought I could do that by using a small tube amp, the one called ZEN that Steve Deckert at DECWARE builds, should come in handy. I had ordered it in mid November and it was supposed to be ready before the holidays, but that did not happen, and it was not so important, since I was fairly busy around that time of the year. It arrived in mid January, in a small box that the UPS guy had dropped off in front of our house, while I was still at work. Well, before installing it in the study I thought that I give it a test run in my stereo/HT room. I opened the box and in the midst of a lot of plastic chips and bubble wrap there it was my Zen Single Ended Tube amp, Number 111, hereafter referred to simply as No. 111.

Disappointment
I unhooked my trusty McCormack DNA 0.5 and swapped in No. 111 in it’s stead, inserted the tubes and fired it up. Well everything came alive ok, but before I could even turn on my Sonic Frontiers pre-amp, one of the output tubes became first very bright, and then very dark, while No. 111 emitted a sizzling noise into one of my Snell C/V speakers. When the pre-amp and the CD player came on, I had signal only on one channel - dang no test run that night. I sent off an e-mail to Steve, describing the problem, and he responded promptly the next day, that on Monday he would overnight a replacement tube. No questions asked, extra charge (cool - I thought he really stnds behind his product)

Redemption
As promised, the spare arrived on Tuesday, I inserted it, and the adventure began. Just on that previous Saturday I had bought a copy of Jimmy Scott’s latest CD, called "Holding back the years". It has been recorded very closely to the mike and generally is a very good recording that images wonderfully. Right from the start I felt that with No. 111 Jimmy was much closer. The midrange was so well extended I could clearly hear every time when Sammy took a breath or closed and opened his mouth. The information was undoubtedly there before, but No. 111 presented it in a different, much closer context. In went the next CD Jewel’s "Hands". This is another good recording, and an HDCD enhanced CD and it sounded great on my system before, but now again it was much closer. The same applied to Anne Sophie Mutter and Yo-yo Ma.

Sonic Frustration
So far I was driving the amp with my Sonic Frontiers Line 1 pre-amp. That way I was able to preset the Zen’s attenuator to about 80%, and open the volume control of my CAL CL-15 all the way, thus reducing any loss of information from the CAL’s digital volume control. This set-up also allowed me to adjust the volume in very fine increments (the Line 1 has 190 0.5dB steps). I always considered this pre-amp as one of the real keeper components, since it is very well engineered, and it does a great job in adding just a little tube glow to the SS amp I was using.

Just for kicks I decided to run the CAL directly into the Zen: holy cow - what a difference again. Now the artists were really all here. It was like just another very fine but important piece of information had been added. What was it though ? I switched forth and back a couple of times, desperately trying to hold on to the SF, but it was not possible. With the SF small nuances in voices and instruments, and in particular reverberation information was not as present as with the direct connection. I could not believe it. No. 111 had just "obsoleted" a $2500 pre-amp and a $1800 power-amp.

After listening again to the above albums, as well as to Eric Clapton and Neil Young’s "Unplugged" album I was completely taken. This amp would not go into the study, it would stay in my listening room.

Underestimations
My listening room is not very big (about 18x12.5x6.5), and it is currently filled with several items that do not really belong there (, but that ended up there because it is in the basement), resulting in a less than optimal acoustic environment.

My Snell speakers are rated at 90db@1W@1m, and I had not expected to get clean sound at higher volume levels from this "about 5W" (i.e. 6 or 7 dB) amp. Well guess what - I was wrong. While there is a point where the sound breaks of (right around 96dB I guess), it is so far away from my typical listening levels, which are not low either, that I should always have enough headroom.

And then there is the contentious issue of the bass. "Well ok tube amps and in particular these small ones will probably not produce good bass," I had expected. Wrong again - and don’t we love to be wrong when it’s to our advantage ? While on account of speakers and amp there was really no low bass audible, anything above 40Hz was just fine, and what may have been missing in the low bass was more than made up by the way the upper bass range is reproduced. In particular guitar, violin, and cello just sound awesomely alive and really like a wood instruments with strings, not like strings of metal attached to wood. I swear that Yo-yo Ma was hiding behind one of my speakers, and Eric Clapton was there also on another occasion.

Limitations
"Are you going to tell me that this $500 amp is better than anything else ?" Well not quite, there are a couple of things where other amps have the upper hand. The real discriminator, that will determine whether you can live with this amp may be how important these things are for you, which ultimately depends on what kind of music you prefer. This amp is accurate but to the extent of being a bit slow, and it seems to lose it just a bit, when the full frequency spectrum is being used, like in the case of big orchestras or life rock music performances. In all cases these limitations set on very slowly, and are not really upsetting. In fact some of them I might not have noticed at all, if I had not listened to some of the music titles dozens of times before.

For my taste of music (small ensembles, individual voices, Jazz) this amp sounds better in over 90% of the time. Definitely enough of a reason to keep it.

Also, regarding the above limitations, I am aware that though decent, the Snell Speakers are by far not as sensitive as some other alternatives that are available, and thus the issues I am raising here may well be addressed and overcome by using a 94 or 96 dB speaker.

Conclusions
If one digs into Steve Deckert’s Website (www.DECWARE.com) , one will find some papers that describe his approach when designing this amp. These papers are full of interesting ideas, and I found his thoughts about "the first watt" most compelling. Basically he thinks that with the introduction of SS circuitry, and in particular integrated chips, we have obtained enormous possibilities for power control, which allowed to design much stronger amps than previously possible. What got lost in this process though is the way that "the first watt" is being designed. This is where he sees his focus, since the "first watt" is really what everything else is based on.

Well I am a believer now, and I will probably get a second Zen (to monoblock and buy myself another 3dB), and in the longrun I may look into more sensitive speakers.

4.99 stars for sound and at least 20 stars for value. At 5 stars this amp is absolutely underrated.

Before I got my Zen amp I did intnesive research on sensitive speakers. The result was not very positive. There are good high sensitive speakers out there but usually very expensive. Many reasonably priced speakers are somewhat doubt in quality. So when you choose one please audition carefully. My speakers are nOrh 7.0 and sensitivity 87 dB/ 8 ohm. Then, you understand why I worried over my speakers. As soon as I got the Zen amp I hooked it to my speakers and cd player (yes, you do not need preamp) and guess what! It's singing! I really worried about clipping because some reviwers reported they had experienced clipping in high volume but nothing happen to my speakers at all. Now I understand why Mr. Barnes, the engineer of nOrh speaker, said that most speakers are over rated in their sensitivity. In other words, the sensitivity of nOrh is actual fact, no exaggerated rating. I truly love the sound of nOrh.
I'm still wating my cd player from Netherland and meanwhile I'm listening through a cheap yamaha multi player. As a poor forein student I had never owned a good system but auditioned a lot at dealers and friends houses so I know what is good sound and what is not. From my own experience I can tell you that amp is less enssential than source and speakers, and it is more obvious with cheap system.(Steve recommanded a good interconnet because Zen is sensitive and we know anything that is good is sensitive. I bought Silver Audio's bullet 4.0 as interconnet.) So I did not expect much from Zem amp when I hooked it up with my system. As I said, however, the music was totally different from my previous experience. I wonder how good the music will be once it is connected with new cd player! Bass is much tight and the metalic high sound is half gone. Female voice and string sound are visible. Jazz and classic lovers are blessed with Zen. (Since I do not listen hard rock, I can not comment on that.) No doubt, Steve has achieved a great success in the realm of music reproduction. To enjoy a good music, we do need mega $$$$$$ anymore, we do not need to be an audiophile or guru (of ?) either. Once you got Zen amp you do not need spend so much time for reading audio reviews or articles as I have done. Just find a reasonble cd player and a pair of speakers. Oh, do not foget having good CDs without them all of your luxury is useless. Cheers for Steve and Zen amp!

Great amp for the money. Don't underestimate
it's sonic ability. There's no other amp that
sounds like the Zen amp.

Read on...

You need efficient speakers.

Look, just call Steve Deckert and buy one. You'll be thrilled.

You're reading this so I'm assuming you know that you are considering a really flea-powered amp putting out something like 1.8 watts a side. This is according to "measurements" and when it comes to measurements the devil truly is in the details. I prefer to think of the Zen's power in terms of real fleas, which have enormous jumping power for their size -- if humans had proportional leg strength we'd all be able to dunk from half-court from a standing start.

I got the Zen and hooked it up to a pair of NHT Super Zeros. These things are, I would guess, about average efficiency, something like 86 dB maybe. We had some great times. But it was just one of those things, i.e. the sound of one hand clipping. It is a sad thing when you're listening to Billie Holiday and it's sounding oh so forties and oh so cool and she reaches back to throw you a high hard one and suddenly her voice shatters and you're back in Kansas and out of metaphors...

I tried my daughter's Radio Shack LX4s ( I think) with the Linaeum tweeter. This was a speaker I can honestly say I despised. On my daughter's Yamaha receiver it sounded like a one-note boom box with a hot high end and a sour midrange.

I was shocked when I hooked it up to the Zen. It was now really pleasant, with some rather nice midbass. And it would play some stuff I was expecting to have trouble with without strain. The new Steely Dan, for instance, sounded really good at a pretty loud level. And that Linaeum tweeter really shone. But still, there was clipping in unexpected places.

I want to emphasize that clipping or no clipping I was quite happy with the Zen. I can live with limitations. The basic sound I was getting made my heart sing.

I read on the Web that the Norh speakers might be a good match, so I ordered the 5.1s. BTW the Norh website is really interesting. It took a month to get these, and it's a good speaker, but not efficient enough for the Zen.

Undaunted...

I was thinking maybe a pair of used Klipsch Heresys or something so I was trolling Audiogon when I noticed an ad for something called The Horn, a single full-range driver mounted in a (you guessed!) horn enclosure. I took a look at the website (http://www.thehornshoppe.com).

I called Ed Schilling, the proprietor, and ordered a pair (with the Fostex drivers, a $175 upgrade). 700 bucks plus shipping, and I had my fingers crossed.

Got 'em a week or so later, plopped 'em in the corners as recommended, and this was da bomb!

Oh boy does this combo do it, ever. Now I was getting an idea what this little Zen was capable of. Suddenly there's a stage on which one, or some, or lots of musicians strut their stuff. Bass? It's beautiful -- melodic and lively. No it won't palpate your innards with a 16 cycle pedal point but so what? It will play a double bass that really sounds like a double bass and that's more than good enough for me.

I'm not verbally gifted enough to describe the Zen's sonic character, but I am reminded of something I saw on the 47 Labs website. The designer says something to the effect that most amps present a very detailed outline of the musical note, but what's in the middle of the note gets lost. Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I think I know what he means and I think the Zen gets that middle right, big time. I was listening to some classical guitar the other night and so help me, it sounded like the guitar itself was alive.

One more audiophile-type comment and I'll let you go. It concerns dynamics. Once I got the Horns I realized how unbelievably dynamic the Zen sounds. As in.... you're playing something soft and suddenly there's a loud sound that just jolts you. I have a 200 watt SS system that will play lease-breaking loud but somehow it just doesn't do this dynamic trick. I was really puzzled. How can the Zen do this with so little power? I asked Steve Deckert and he sounded as though he's heard this one a few times before. He feels it's due to the harmonic integrity of the amp. I feel that it's some kind of voodoo.

So get one. Heck, get two if you want. This thing is wonderful, and crazy cheap for what you get. Do yourself a favor: call Mr. Deckert and talk to him.