OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 Zen Triode Amplifier Model SE84C+ 2 watt stereo or 6 watt mono SET amplifier MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRODUCT CAN BE FOUND ON www.decware.com DECWARE tm High Fidelity Engineering Co.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 5U4/5AR4 POWER TRANSFORMER EL84/SV83 SPEAKER JACKS EL84/SV83 6N1P/6922/6DJ8 VOLUME BIAS SWITCH INPUT SELECTOR FIGURE 1 Zen Triode Amplifier Model SE84C+ 2 watt stereo or 6 watt mono SET amplifier MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRODUCT CAN BE FOUND ON www.decware.com DECWARE tm High Fidelity Engineering Co.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 CHANNEL A RIGHT INPUT CHANNEL B RIGHT INPUT POWER SWITCH CHANNEL A LEFT INPUT CHANNEL B RIGHT INPUT IEC CONNECTOR WITH HIDDEN 3 AMP FUSE FIGURE 2 Zen Triode Amplifier Model SE84C+ 2 watt stereo or 6 watt mono SET amplifier MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRODUCT CAN BE FOUND ON www.decware.com DECWARE tm High Fidelity Engineering Co.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 START UP After unpacking your Zen amp refer to figure 1 to install the supplied tubes. ABOUT THE TUBES Your amp is configured as a single ended triode with a single output tube per channel. The output tubes can be your favorite EL84/6BQ5 or SV83/6P15P. The amplifier has been designed with a common cathode bias circuit so that the two output tubes remain matched during operation even if you use unmatched output tubes.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 START UP CONTINUED Now that you have the tubes installed and know what each one is for, hook your speakers and source up to the amplifier and turn it on. Be sure to have the volume control all the way down. After the tubes slowly light up and begin to work (about 20 seconds) you can slowly start to raise the volume. If you hear distortion it means the amp is still warming up. 60 seconds is the official warm up period before music will play without distortion.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 START UP CONTINUED CLIPPING The first thing everyone is going to do when setting up a Zen amp with a given set of speakers is find out what the max volume is going to be and if that volume is enough. Because the clipping characteristics of this amplifier are so polite it can be hard to hear exactly when the amp is beginning to run out of power (clip) so here is a secret way to tell: Turn off the lights and look into the output tubes.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 START UP CONTINUED OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS and IMPEDANCE The Zen amp uses proprietary transformers. It’s output transformers are wound on grain oriented silicon steel & nickel cores. They are the results of years of R&D and are one of the substantial secrets behind the success of this amplifier. A couple things are different when compared to most other tube amps.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 START UP CONTINUED BREAK IN During the first few hours or days with your amplifier you will no doubt wonder about break-in, if for no other reason than hearing about it constantly every time you read about amplifiers. If you’re new to tube gear the amp will sound so good right out of the box that you will have a hard time worrying about break-in, so don’t.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 START UP CONTINUED WEAK LINKS CONTINUED Make sure you pull your speakers well out into the room set up in a triangle with the listening chair. In this arrangement you will be able to hear the music go holographic with outrageous depth and width and amuse yourself with how well your speakers disappear. Statistically most owners of Zen amps have never heard the real potential and inner magic the amp is capable of.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 MAINTENANCE CONTINUED Products like Caig DeOxit, ProGOld and other contact cleaners/enhancers can also be used as part of a regular maintenance program. Basically whenever you unhook your amplifier, you should clean the jacks. If you never unhook your amplifier, you should unhook it at least every 6 months and clean all the jacks. The amplifier is self biasing so there is no maintenance or adjustments to make after you install new tubes.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 SERVICE AND REPAIR Your amp is covered parts and labor for the lifetime of the original owner. Should it ever need repair or you just want it checked contact us or fill out the RA form on our web site and send it to us. We’ll call you after it has arrived and let you know what we’ve found and determine the precise cause to prevent it from happening again. Less the 0.5% of Zen amps sold have required service since the amp was launched in 1996.
OWNERS MANUAL MANUAL NO. 01 REV. DATE: 2/2008 We have developed affordable speakers based on this ideal that range in efficiency from 94 to 99 dB with 1 watt and have no crossovers. These type of speakers will demonstrate real dynamics and can give a real education in microdynamics often buried in higher power systems.
