Forte I/Decware SE 84 C-S - Magic!

[erik2A3]

Dave: I missed your earlier post. Thanks for mentioning that. Those amps begsn life as the parallel feed Horus, and ended up as something completely different. I also remeber the first breath they took, through Klipschorns -- a piece for woodwinds by Telemann. My wife came in wide-eyed from another room amd asked if I was listening to the new a,mps I had been working on. I miss those things often. They were better, to me, than the Moondogs which, while the Moondogs are still great amps, simply did not have anywhere near the sense of air, ambience, and tonal depth as the parafeed design ( which has a very unusual output stage). The two things I retained from the Horus were the fabulous MQ grid chokes ( with current plans for two more pair of those) and 5687 driver, probably the bestfront end tube I've used, and one I think would be amazing with 300bs.

[sheltie dave]

Erik, they are still here, and they get the solid plurality of playing time on the KHorns in the main den downstairs. It is fun to see some folks' paradigms come crashing down when they hear your amps for the first time. They have a hard time grasping that a two or three watt amplifier can get them to Point A in happiness if they have the right speakers.

The only problem is having a group over with more than two people, because then they want to talk, rather than listen. After all, the only thing better than listening to music with friends is talking amongst friends!

The best thing about Michael buying the DecWare is it has gotten him to Point A within his budget, having a built in Alps attenuator so he can avoid getting a preamp, using common tubes that don't kill on pricing, and styling quite nicely, as well as providing him with a great looking and sounding mid-century aesthetic.

BTW everyone, another friend here in Collinsville across the river has a very similar DecWare ST84 he needs to sell at $300 plus shipping. Normally I don't shill, but Bob has GI cancer and needs to sell, sell, sell, so his wife doesn't, if you catch my drift. PM with any interest.

[sheltie dave]

Here is Michael's new to him Decware that he positively stole from me, let me tell you![] Sawweeet!

[sheltie dave]

...and Bob's that needs a new home..

[sheltie dave]

and Ski Bum, you never trespassed into the Snark zone. No worries at all with factual posts without attitude.[H]

[erik2A3]

Dave: I had forgotten the number of great pieces you have in your collection. I am so glad you have liked the amps and held on to them, and that others have found them good performers as well. To me they genuinely sounded more in keeping with what 25 watts might bring to the table with K-horns. I've got some very good single ended amplfiers, but there is something to be said, I think for parallel-feed outputs, which quite frankly is not the only character trait of the last stage. Erik

[erik2A3]

More importanly by far, I'm very sorry your friend is not well right now. I honestly have been interested in the very early decware amp -- is it still for sale? Erik

[sheltie dave]

Erik, I'll talk to Bob in the morning. He is feeling pretty good these days, but he is hearing footsteps and knows his days are distinctly numbered. When he came to the gathering, it was his first time out of the house in three months. He would be very happy to see his DecWare going to a good home. [}]

[erik2A3]

Sending a pm

[michaelhigh]

It's no surprise that you had such a "jaw dropping" experience! I frequently encounter the same thing when demonstrating varioius SEP or SET amps for people who are accustomed to solid state amplification. Now that you have experienced the difference, try a pair of mono SET amps if you have the opportunity. By eliminating the crosstalk inherent in any stereo unit sharing a common power supply between the 2 channels, you will take listening to the next dimension- i.e. a wider, higher, deeper sound stage. Then you will truly be at the point of no return!!! I'm sure that members of the high power crowd will differ with this point of view, but that's what makes being an audiophile so interesting.

Tube Fanatic, I would politely suggest you hold your horses, and advice, for someone who can afford said advice. Michael is experiencing the best he can within his means, and has experienced monoblocs at my house. There isn't worlds of difference if you can be satisfied with what you have. Tube amps also don't do too well with the higher side of things. They get the wider and deeper quite well, but please save the higher for a forum more susceptible to wafflemammer.

I look up from listening, and I see this! No problem, all, tube meant well and so did Dave. He has my best interests in mind, and was naturally being protective of his friend. I certainly appreciate his protective nature, and I definitely look forward to gaining that next level of experience! I'm inspired anew, to the point that I've taken out a Blogger account to share my awakenings and my better, more fun acquisitions and life experiences. http://mindseyemusic.blogspot.com is a haven of audio bliss, of all flavors, and everyone is welcome to share it with me, as it has been shared with me. I'm guessing wafflemammer might be synonymous with hyperbole, exaggerated adjectivations...

[erik2A3]

I really think tube fanatic was just sharing some enthusiasm. We've done that here for years, and every single bit of is subjective, YMMV, an opinion, etc.