7
INTRODUCTION
You now own one of the best SET amplifiers in
the world! Unlike the stereotypes associated
with single ended triode designs, the SE84ZS
has many unique features that set it apart from
the rest. It’s point-to-point construction, lack of
circuit boards, and signal path consisting of only
a single capacitor and two resistors means noth-
ing sold today is more transparent or honest. Of
course almost everything sold today claims to be
sonically transparent and absolutely accurate,
but when compared side by side to the Zen
Triode SE84ZS, it usually isn’t.
PERFORMANCE FEATURES
•
Power Output
The SE84ZS power output sits in the perfect spot on
the line of fidelity vs. power with respect to amplifier
design. It is rated at 2.3 watts into an 4 ohm resistive
load with no visible or audible distortion. What makes
it deceptive is its ability to drive complex speaker loads
down to almost a dead short with even more power.
For example, this amp has driven a pair of Klipsch
horns, a pair of JBL control 10’s and a pair of JBL studio
monitors, each between 6 and 8 ohm speakers - all at
the same time on each channel. The speakers were
wired in parallel. Besides the ability to remain stable at
these insane impedance's, the SE84ZS also sounds
good when doing it.
•
Output Transformer Design
You may have noticed that output transformers used in
single ended amplifiers are up to 3 times more expen-
sive then those used in push-pull applications. This is
in part due to the air gap that must be integrated into
the transformer. You can spend as much on a single
output transformer as you paid for this amplifier (
yes,
they exist
) , take it completely apart and find no
difference in quality between it and the transformers
used in your SE84ZS. We understood from the
beginning that output transformer design and quality
are what separate good sounding tube amps from
great sounding ones. The SE84ZS has transformers
that were custom designed specifically for it, and are
made by Decware in the USA.
•
Gold Plated Connectors and Sockets
Gold plated Input Jacks and Output Binding Posts
provide trouble free connections. Ceramic tube
sockets with gold plated contacts provide protection
from atmospheric contamination.
•
Non-Magnetic High Mass Chassis
The SE84ZS is built on a T6 Aluminum plate over
2mm thick for zero flex. This offers a noticeable
reduction in resonance when compared to a steel
chassis. To further eliminate resonance, the plate
is coupled to a solid hardwood base. The powder
coat finish is baked on and nearly impossible to
scratch without significant effort. The rust proof
Aluminum combined with this finish ensures the
amplifier will look pristine for many, many years to
come.
•
High Reliability - Low Maintenance
With an oversized power supply and the highest
grade of capacitors the SE84ZS has less then
0.5mv of sag in the high voltage supply when the
amp is at full power and clipping. This means the
power supply is never taxed and should therefor
last for many decades. In addition, the self-biasing
design besides sounding best offers easy tube
changes with no adjustments or re-biasing needed.
These are just some of the reasons why we can
offer a Lifetime Warranty with this product.
•
Tube rectification
This offers two distinct advantages over the more
common solid state rectification. First is reliability.
Solid state rectifiers when used at these high volt-
ages (600 volts) are susceptible to voltage spikes
and even static electricity. That means your ampli-
fier would need repair likely more then once during
it’s lifetime. Using a tube rectifier means that you
can easily change it yourself if ever there was a
problem. Tube rectification also sounds different
then solid state. And contrary to popular belief, the
tube rectification actually has far superior bass. It’s
tighter, more dimensional, and less artificial sound-
ing.
