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Welcome to Decware
MODEL TORIIJRv2
20 WATTS x 2
Made by hand in the USA and sold wholesale to the public with a
L i f e t i m e W a r r a n t y !
A stargate that lets you step inside the music.
REVISION II
The TORII JRv2 is a very successful attempt to capture the sound and performance of our popular Zen TORII MK5 amplifier in a smaller package.
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Thanks to our new UFO output transformer design it became possible to bring Decware's most popular amplifier (the Zen TORII ) to you in a smaller and more obtainable package without sacrificing sound quality or performance. In fact when you hear it we're sure you'll join the already huge number of TORII JR owner's who say this is somewhat of an understatement.
This amplifier is an example of what happens when you build a tube amp in the United States with US parts and labor and put a lifetime warranty on it.
The JR is using the same legendary circuit used in the TORII MK1 ~ MK4 but stripped of all non-essential features. As the first in the TORII line to employ our Ultra Fidelity Outputs you can expect a bandwidth to within 1/2 dB from 25Hz ~ 25kHz. The 3dB frequency response is 10Hz~70kHz with 6dB out past 100kHz.
It has been my goal since taking Decware online in 1996 to make an amplifier that sounds this good available to the sincere but broke audiophiles of the world, and while we offer several amplifiers the TORII JR the only one that gives you this combination of power and sound for such a low price.
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Steve Deckert - DECWARE / High Fidelity Engineering
INCREDIBLE TRANSPARENCY
Zen TORII JR Stereo Amplifier - One channel shown
You are looking at the entire audio circuit of a Zen TORII Junior amplifier. This is a big part of the reason the amplifier sounds so good. There is nothing to get in the way of the music. A direct-coupled input stage driving a capacitor-coupled output stage.
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If you're new to Decware tube amps, the channel shown above has 16 parts and 1 tube. In contrast, todays solid state audio gear uses transistors to replace tubes. Problem is, you need a lot of them. Usually you can replace an input tube with one or two Op Amps shown below. Inside each of these chips are up to 27 transistors and 12 additional parts.
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AVAILABLE IN
DIFFERENT STYLES AND WOODS.
FEATURES
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Dual-Volume controls eliminate the need to run matched quads of output tubes.
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Dual-Volume controls eliminate the need to run matched input tubes.
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Purist Design is hand built point-to-point with no circuit boards and zero solid state parts.
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5U4 Tube Rectifier with OA3 tube-regulated power supplies for each channel.
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Rare harmonics that sound and feel like an SET amplifier.
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No global negative feedback used.
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Designed for simple and affordable EL34 output tubes.
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Compatible with KT77, 6L6, 5881, 6550, KT66, KT88, 7027, EL34 or 807 with adapter.
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Dual RCA inputs with silver switching so you can have two sources.
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Boutique internals including Foil capacitors and F&T electrolytics.
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Cathode Biasing eliminates the possibility of melting tubes from bias runaway.
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Cathode Biasing requires no adjustments with the tubes listed above.
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What sets this amplifier apart?
"The two biggest things other than no circuit boards or solid state parts, would be this:
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1) Tube Regulation - shown left.
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2) Even Order Harmonics - discussed below.
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Both are rare in the vast majority of push-pull amplifiers, tube and solid state alike.
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This beautiful tube is a variant of the OA3 regulator tube. It is a VR90 which drops the voltage to the input stage by around 15 volts. This can be just enough to tickle your exotic N.O.S. 6922 or 7DJ8 inputs tubes into a new level of nirvana. There are actually three of these tubes you can work with that will give you three different sounds.
Even order vs. Odd order harmonics is basically a discussion comparing the sound of SET amps to Push-Pull designs. Push-Pull designs, both tube and solid state have odd-order distortion whereas the SET (Single-Ended-Triode) amp designs have even-order distortion.
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Even-order distortion is found in nature. It actually can make things sound better rather than worse. Odd-order distortion is like hitting the wrong notes on a piano, and is never enjoyable in any amount.
We designed the Zen TORII to have Even Order Harmonics by manipulating the operating points in the SET input stage and direct-coupled phase inverter. These harmonics are passed by the the output stage that has been designed so that the input stage clips first. This has a pleasant benefit of increasing output tube life and keeping the sound from getting hard or overly forward and dry.
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ZEN TORII PUSH-PULL
ZEN TRIODE SET
Shown above are the harmonics of both the TORII and our SET amplifier side by side.
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A typical push-pull amplifier's distortion graph looks like this:
Unlike the Decware's, the 1K tone doesn't generate an even harmonic at 2K, instead it is at 3K, 5K, 7K (A,B,C)
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Despite the insane resolution of the TORII design, it manages to keep from getting clinical. The whole design was about the sound, not power. That said, the amp can drive nearly a dead short, and many have reported a death grip on the bass, so the lower power of 20 watts does actually sound like it has some nuts behind it.
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THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS CAN BE SELECTED FROM WITHIN THE SHOPPING CART.
Hardwood Base
Knobs
From left to right is: Ebony, Gold, Black chickenhead, Cream chickenhead, Rosewood
LEVEL 2 Anniversary Mods
This amplifier comes standard with Level 1 Anniversary mods which are film caps in the power supply that maximize performance and detail. Level 2 Anniversary Mods simply upgrade the Level 1 film caps to foil caps that match the signal caps. This gives the power supply a more compatible signature with the signal caps and pushes the fidelity a small notch higher.
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XLR Balanced Inputs
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If you want to run balanced into this amp, simply purchase our ZBIT transformer and place it near the amplifier.
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VOLTAGES
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The amp has a CE rated world voltage compatible power transformer. You can select your countries voltage from within the shopping cart.
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THE TUBES
The TORII JRv2 comes with a hand-selected tube compliment that has been tested in the actual amplifier, not only are they gain matched, but the harmonics are also matched - something that can only be achieved when tested in the actual amplifier using a real-time FFT scope.
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The input tubes, 6N5P-EV are Russian N.O.S. Military Stock. (NOTE: also compatible with 6922) The output tubes are new production EL34. The 5U4 Rectifiers are also new production. The OA3 are N.O.S. Russian Military.
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These are all some of the least expensive, but best sounding tubes available today and it gives us great pleasure to have an amplifier that makes these tubes sound like the exotic little jewels they really are!
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TUBE ROLLING
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If you're feeling adventurous and have the wallet for it, virtually every tube in this amplifier can be replaced with boutique and New Old Stock (NOS) tubes that have the potential to elevate things even higher. If you want the very best obtainable we can fix you up with some very special cryo-treated tubes made specifically for this amplifier by Cryotone.
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The input stage can be rolled with the popular 6922, 6DJ8, 7DJ8, or the Russian 6N6P or the lower gain 6N5P. The input tube is the gain stage that makes the biggest difference in the sound of the amplifier.
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Output tubes can also be rolled. There are no adjustments, no biasing... just plug and play. Output tubes must be used in matched pairs. Output tubes that are not matched can cause an audible hum on efficient speakers.
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Below are listed some of the output tubes from the EL34/6CA7 family that are also compatible in this amplifier.
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Compatible with KT77, 6L6, 5881, 6550, KT66, KT88, 7027, EL34 and 807 with adapter.
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Each of these output tubes sound different, thus changing them is like getting a different amplifier. We find the KT77 to have a classic British well-controlled sound. 6L6 and 5881 have a more tubey / romantic sound. 6550 tend to be fast and super clean. KT66 is a favorite in this amplifier, everything just down the middle. 7027, NOS are the fastest and most transparent tubes. 807 is for midrange lovers. Overall the best performance and most neutral sound comes from EL34. The amplifier ships with EL34.
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These different tubes do not change the power of this amplifier, so the only reason to tube roll is to change the sound not the power output.
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RECTIFIERS
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We choose tube rectification in this amplifier because of its profound effect on the sound signature which gives the owner the power to control the signature of his or her amplifier on a foundational level with different brand 5U4G rectifiers which are the most common and easy to find. This amp was designed and ships with a 5U4G rectifier.
New production rectifier tubes typically last between 500 and 5000 hours while the rest of your tubes will almost always last 5000 hours. Rectifier tubes can fail from voltage surges, loose power cords, bad contacts in power strips or wall outlets so it is wise to always carry a spare.
SPECIFICATIONS
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INPUT TUBE CHOICES: 6N5P, 6N6P, 6922, 6N23P, 6DJ8, 7DJ8
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OUTPUT TUBE CHOICES: EL34 6CA7 KT77 KT66 5881 6L6 7027 350B
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INPUTS: 2 RCA TYPE INPUT JACKS FOR EACH CHANNEL
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INPUT SELECTOR SWITCH: SILVER
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OUTPUTS: 1 PAIR HEAVY GOLD 3 WAY BINDING POSTS PER CHANNEL
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OUTPUT STAGE TOPOLOGY: GND-CATHODE TRANSFORMER RK
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RLOAD PLATE TO PLATE: 6600 OHMS
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ULTRA-LINEAR OUTPUTS
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HI / LO SPEAKER IMPEDANCE SWITCH
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IDLE CURRENT: 40 MILS PER OUTPUT TUBE
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INPUT IMPEDANCE: 100 K OHMS
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INPUT SENSITIVITY: ADJUSTABLE to 2.0 VOLTS
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POWER INTO 4 or 8 OHMS: 20 WATTS RMS PER CHANNEL
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OPERATION: CLASS A1
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INPUT STAGE REGULATION: OA3/VR75
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RECTIFICATION: 5U4
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INPUT STAGE: ONE 6N5P, 6N6P or 6922 PER CHANNEL
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OUTPUT STAGE: MATCHED PAIRS EL34 PER CHANNEL
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SIZE: 17-1/4 " WIDE x 13-3/4 " DEEP x 7-3/4 " HIGH (figured base)
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SIZE: 16-1/2 " WIDE x 13 " DEEP X 7-3/4 " HIGH (contemporary base)
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NET WEIGHT: 31 lbs.
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WARRANTY: LIFETIME TO ORIGINAL OWNER / 90 DAYS ON TUBES
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REMOVABLE POWER CORD
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FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 25Hz ~ 25kHz +/- 0.53dB
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FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 10 ~ 70kHz +/- 3dB
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TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION: 0.4%
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SPECIFICATIONS MEASURED WITH EL34 OUTPUT TUBES
DESIGN NOTES - TORII JR
by Steve Deckert
It's no secret the in the world of exotic tube amplification that S.E.T. amps rule in transparency and liquidity. We've all heard statements like... "female vocals to die for" or "insane imaging" when describing these jewels, but in the same breath you'll also hear things like "needs an easy to drive speaker" or "while the bass is good, it lacks the absolute control and dynamics of the bigger amps." So right away you're left with a compromise... performance vs. musicality and grace.
S.E.T. amplifiers are what motivated the design of the Zen TORII & TORII JR
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...because any time you have between 2 and 10 gloriously transparent watts the only thing that could be better is more. Designing a high power S.E.T. amplifier requires adding another gain stage (tube) or paralleled output tubes (or both). Either one causes a loss of transparency when compared to a single output tube per channel.
In the Torii design, even though you have two tubes per channel, they are not in parallel but rather transformer coupled in series so that only one tube is really in the signal path at any one time.
Having such a simple signal path gives the Zen TORII JR the same transparency as our SET amps where only 2 resistors and 1 capacitor are seen by the signal. And to complete the picture, just like a good SET amp, the TORII JR employs no negative feedback for slack-jaw imaging.
UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
How do you get an amplifier to sound like it does at 2:30 A.M. (when the power is cleanest) during the day and virtually every time you listen to it? Tube voltage regulation designed to filter instead of regulate.
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First of all, the vast majority of tube amplifiers for sale do not even have tube regulation. Not to mention the obvious... but just because an amplifier has tube regulation doesn't mean it's going to sound better. Tighter and more control, yes. Better? ...not often. The classic shunt regulation so often seen in tube amplifiers that do offer it, often poisons the transparency with injected noise that must be further filtered. The TORII doesn't need tube regulation to improve power supply performance. It features a dual mono filter design with oversize power transformer. It's a brute force approach that delivers over 300 ma. of current when barely half that is actually used by the circuit.
In this special amplifier the Voltage Regulation tubes are wired in series with the load. In that configuration they become a filtering device instead of a regulating device. The VR tubes place a measurable vacuum gap between the load and the power supply. This creates Ultra Clean Power because all of the the noise is filtered off. (Noise from pollution in your local power grid that includes the harmonics that ultimately end up at your wall outlet and in your amplifier.)
This poisons virtually everyone's power outlets but it is eliminated in the TORII JR. Noise and contamination in the power grid literally doesn't make the jump across this vacuum gap between the cathode and anode of the regulator tubes. Talk about black backgrounds, we could call it the grain eliminator or the liquidity insurance program, or just an unfair advantage over tube amps.
This ultra clean power is one of the reasons why we know that unless you own and use a power generator, like a power regenerator as an example, there is no way your present amplifier will sound as good as a TORII JR during the daytime hours.
You won't find tube regulation in the vast majority of power amplifiers, and probably none that use it in this critically important way.
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SET TRANSPARENCY EXPLAINED
The TORII design uses a simple push-pull circuit that employs only a single capacitor and gain stage to drive the output tubes, just like our popular 2 watt S.E.T. amps. Add to that the cleverly simple way it preserves the even order harmonic content and you have a push pull amplifier that is truly unique in the market...
It has no more parts in the signal path than our 2 watt SET amp and has the beauty of S.E.T. sound with the performance of push-pull. Speed and attack are taken to a new level here. In fact, the TORII JR makes most 200 watt solid state amps sound a little flat.
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It can be built without circuit boards for the best possible sound and highest reliability.
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SUPPORT
Since we don't have dealer's and we sell our amplifiers directly to the customer, our customers have a direct line to us. As a result, Decware support is legendary for over 20 years.
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Support is not only a phone call or email away at any time, but when you purchase this amplifier you join a huge family of customers who also own one and enjoy supporting each other on our support forums.
Owner's Manual is in a .pdf format
Amps are hand-built to order. There are presently lots of orders on our real time build sheet. A 10% non-refundable deposit secures your place on the list with today's date and time stamp. Balance is due when it's ready to ship. You will be sent a final invoice with the total price including actual shipping costs by our office during your wait.
Listen to one and find out what you've been missing!
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