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Welcome to Decware

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Articles

DECWARE owner Steve Deckert's

Ramblings about hi-fi.

Books on the Desk

by Steve Deckert

A good article to start with is this one:

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What is Sound

Steve brings you a bigger perspective on sound / music and what it is to him.

(this is in a .pdf format)

Below is a collection of original articles dating back to 1998.  Listed in descending order.

(NOTE: All current writings from Steve can be found in our support forums)

Audiophile Home Theater
How to have serious 2 channel & 5.1 at the same time

Zen Open Baffle Speaker Project 
Part V the Final Chapter.

 

Understanding "usable power" 
Smaller amps can have greater dynamics?

New Decware Single Ended amplifier 
Design notes of the Mini Torii SE.

I hate consumer grade digital logic! 
Another short bit of real life.

Open Baffle Speaker exploration PART IV 
The concept becomes a reality.

Open Baffle Speaker exploration PART III 
The reality becomes the concept.

Fidelity / a Game of the Weakest Link 
Do you know which link holds your system back the most?

Open Baffle Speaker exploration PART II
The concept becomes reality.

Open Baffle Speaker exploration PART I 
Another design concept in the Zen Zone

Design notes for the ZP3
The Zen Triode Phono Stage - Anniversary edition

2006 Decware ZenFest report 
Our annual event keeps getting better

Design notes for the NFX Loudspeaker
The Zen Triode Phono Stage - Anniversary edition

Design notes for the CSP2
Our new preamp / OTL headphone amp - Anniversary edition

New amplifier platform
Decware kicks it up a notch!

Decware Full Range Driver
Previously FE206EM / now the new DFR-8!

Good Sound / Bad Sound 
Why it happens and how to deal with hit.

Ideas for all tube home theater
It can be simpler then you think.

The Whole Deal with Power Cords 
Do they make a difference or not.

The TORII Mk II design notes
This documents the design of our best selling amplifier.

The TABOO design notes
This documents the design of our production model.

The TABOO of amplifier design
A glimpse into the early design process of our new amp.

Design notes on the ZBox
Motivations behind it and how it works

Design notes on the SE84CSP
An actual story about the final testing with a surprise ending

How to choose the right preamp
This should clear things up for you when you consider preamps

New SE34I design notes 
A comparison between the original SE34I and new SE34I.2

My Epiphanies
A snapshot into the design process

The EX mods 
How to know if you would benefit from them.

Where's the fuse?
How to find and change the fuse on a Decware amplifier.

Preamps - Do they help or hurt the sound 
Type A, type B and type C.

Understand High-Efficiency Full-Range Drivers 
Arm yourself with a little knowledge.

The Headphone Advantage 
If you don't have a great headphone setup read this.

The Real Magic Behind our Signatures 
The best sound I've achieved to date.

Principle of the Decware Phase Guide 
New technology used in our HDT speakers.

Designs in Wood 
Picture article about our speaker manufacturing.

Signature Zen Triode Monoblocks
Design notes on our original signature amp.

Troubleshooting Hum Problems 
Usually it's not the amp but something else.

Audiophile Review 
The quest for perfection - Radials with Zen Triodes.

 

Room Treatments Where do I start?
An introduction and overview of room treatments.

Lowther DX55
A diary of its full range implementation - invention of the GIZMO !

Our 1st review experience
Why you don't find our stuff in the big hi-end magazines.

Decware Corner Horn
This is a .pdf file of my first serious white paper.

Holographic Imaging
Using imaging as a benchmark for evaluating amplifiers.

Power of Suggestion 
Hilarious observation about tweaks for your stereo

Accuracy 
What is absolute accuracy in high fidelity land?

Optimal Listening Room dimensions 
You could be sitting in a potentially perfect room and not know it.

Output transformers
Think you'll improve our amps with "better" transformers?

Dynamic Range
Most people think dynamic range requires lots of power...

White Paper
White paper on the original Zen Triode Phono Stage.

White Paper
White paper on the original Radial Loudspeaker

Diary of a Phono Stage
Designer's log of the soon to be released Zen Triode Phono Stage.

Zen
Starting to show up everywhere - overdone "buzzword?"

The Paradox between Recording & Playback
An article about creating a home studio and becoming a musician

Needle or DAC, resolution and the signal's intent
Snapshot from our audio forum

The Potential of CD's vs. LP's
If you're one who's actively chasing the magic in audio, read this.

The Grand Illusion
A paper on high fidelity playback systems

What's Going On Up There
A response to ultrasonic frequency response in the new digital formats.

From A to C, a new Zen amp history
The Zen amp explained with an overview of past revisions.

Pentodes, Triodes & "Fake" triodes
Discover how dangerous assumptions can be.

How component speed effects musicality
Some insight on choosing musical components that sound good together.

How to setup a room without treatment
Another must read for anyone setting up a dedicated or semi-dedicated room.

How to design a speaker
A must read for someone who wants an exceptional sounding speaker.

Audiophiles in America
Poking fun at the weenies.

Zen Amp RMS power mystery unraveled
Another cry in the wilderness from the lonely Zen master.

SPL (Sound Pressure Levels)
Bet you didn't realize this was possible and happening all over today..

Something really cool
If you could see sound quality with your eyes.

The Magic Hour PART II
A continuation of one of the larger mysteries in audio.

My old listening room
Transition from a casual listening room to a more serious listening room.

Some thoughts about listening rooms
Find out what side of the fence your on.

Tubes vs. Transistors PART IIA lengthy continuation consisting of the second set of replies. Great Stuff.

Tubes vs. Transistors
Someone wrote me a great email... and the debate begins!

Direct vs. Reflected Energy
An understanding of how speakers image or don't image in your room.

The Nutcracker 
What is wrong with these people?

Audio Paradoxes
Why does the underdog ALWAYS sound better around here?

The magic hour
An examination of the mystery of the middle of the night bloom!

Are we all Crazy?
A personal cry for improvement from your worry webmaster!

Tweaks for your speakers
Find out why do it yourself speakers can sound so good

The Zen Amp - this is where it all began.

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You can understand much of what's here without reading a single word by simply listening to one of these.

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