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Welcome to Decware

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The ZROCK2

a purist SET tilt control

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MODEL  ZROCK2

Our most impressive black box.

This is a class A single-ended triode device that adds incredible liquidity, tone and weight to your music.  It is adjustable with only a single knob and features a bypass switch so you can hear what it does.

It can be used to roll of the highs without any of the penalties of passive crossover parts, or the highs can be left untouched.

It can be used to lift the bass and midrange or set perfectly flat.  Even set flat it's magical midrange liquidity is impossible to ignore.  It improves imaging and maintains focus.

This is not your average EQ but rather a very skillfully designed masterpiece for the serious audiophile.

The ZROCK2 is simple to use, can not be set wrong like digital correction, and will expand your music library to include much of the classic rock that was molested when it got remastered for CD.  The ZROCK2 can remaster these recordings back to their former glory on the fly.

Many speaker systems / room combinations that sound lean can be fixed with a ZROCK2.  In fact there are also quite a few systems that require a sub that can sound better without a sub by instead using a ZROCK2.

SIMPLE TO USE

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There is one pair of RCA inputs and one pair of RCA outputs.  

The switch selects between to EQs, one that rolls the highs and one that doesn't.

There is no power switch.  It is left on 24/7 because it uses lower voltages to keep the tube from getting hot.

Just plug it into the wall and hook it into your signal path.  Usually between DAC and preamp but sometimes between preamp and amplifier.

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The knob is a variable mute control from zero to half way up. (unity gain)

About where it is set in the picture is where the magic starts to happen.

The center switch is used to bypass the ZROCK2 so you can hear your system without it on command.

The tube, a 12AU7, is inserted through the front and can be easily changed without opening up the unit.

Decware amplifiers, including this ZROCK2, are all point-to-point wired without circuit boards and are laid out in such a way that the part leads themselves create the circuit.

This creates minimal wire and minimal solder nodes.  Also there are no solid state parts in this unit. Not even an LED to potentially poison the signature.  The power supply is a brute force design meaning it is sized larger than required so that even at full power output there is zero sag. The unit comes with options as well, such as boutique copper foil caps, anniversary mods and cold cathode vacuum diode to clean the power before it hits the tube.

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Steve Deckert / DECWARE

OPTIONS

Signal Caps - comes standard with audiophile film caps but can be upgraded to boutique copper foil signal caps.  Improves resolution, tone and imaging.

 

Anniversary Mods - type 1 bypasses the power supply with audiophile film caps while type 2 uses boutique copper foil caps.  Improves resolution.

VR Tube Mod - a cold cathode tube diode used to filter all power used by the audio tube.  Improves liquidity.

Options can be selected from within the shopping cart. 

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Ebony is no longer available!

Knob types: ebony, gold, black chicken head, cream chicken head, walnut

SPECIFICATIONS

Weight - 7 lbs. ea.

Dimensions - 2.5" H x 6" W x 11.0" D

Circuit type - Single ended Class A Triode

Input voltage - 0 ~ 15 volts max

Input Impedance - 47 K Ohms

Will Drive Preamps or amplifiers with input impedances of 24K ~ 100K

Noise / Hum  -80dB / -62dB

Response  5 Hz ~ 90 kHz

Feedback - ZERO negative feedback used

Rectification - UN4007

Signal tube - 12AU7 / 5963

Biasing  - cathode biased

Resistors - precision WW/MF by DALE, VISHAY

Signal Cap  - Film or Copper Foil

AC cord - Removable power cord

Consumption - 13.5 watts at the outlet

Warranty - Lifetime to original owner

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.

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 audio forum!

 

OPERATION MANUAL

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Manual is in a .pdf format

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

"A few more comments about my 26 day old ZR2……

Having used tube gear from Audio Research, Balanced Audio Technology, Cary Audio (4 power amps and 2 preamps), Decware (2 power amps, 1 preamp, and now the ZR2), New York Audio Labs, Vacuum Tube Logic, Eastern Electric, Aranov Audio, and maybe a few others that are not coming to mind, I think I can honestly say that the ZROCK2 is the most positively impactful of all. My current Cary 300SEI is, by a big margin, my favorite amp of all time, but the ZR2 makes it, and the rest of the system, sound even better. Prior to receiving the ZROCK2 I was 99% sure that I would be putting it up for sale within a few days, but it has turned out to be, as they say, a game changer. If I have my way, the ZR2 will always be smack dab in the middle of my system.

A couple of ZR2 performance areas that have impressed me the most are these………

1. Low bass and mid bass resolution has greatly improved. The 8 woofers in my PAP Quintets are being driven by a LFD NCSE, which is an incredible amplifier, especially when it comes to reproducing bass frequencies, but the ZR2 has increased bass resolution even more. Bass instruments sound more real than ever. I really don’t see how this is possible, but it definitely is the case!

2. Mid and high frequency performance has greatly improved with the ZR2 in the system. The most surprising part of this high frequency improvement is the way cymbals and other higher pitched percussion instruments now sound. They sound big, full, and real. In every system I’ve ever had—and most of them across the past two decades have been rather nice—cymbals and other higher pitched instruments have always sounded more or less thin. That is no longer true. Cymbals now sound the way Zildjian, Sabian, and all the rest of the cymbal makers want their secret alloys to sound when struck. How a bass booster accomplishes this, I have no idea, but it does. The ZR2 is a true champion of mid and high frequency reproduction!

Not sure that I will post additional thoughts about my ZROCK2……we’ll see. One thing is without doubt as I close; the ZROCK2 is a fantastic piece of audio gear! It remains baffling to me how the lowest priced piece of gear in my system has raised the overall sound quality to the degree it has. For $1,350, the ZR2, with all available standard modifications and upgrades, is a steal! I highly recommend ordering one today!"

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1667951847/40#40

TRY ONE AT HOME FOR 30 DAYS!

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Return IT if not satisfied with 10% RESTOCK FEE!

ZROCKS are hand-built to order.  There are presently lots of orders on our real time build sheet. A 10% deposit secures your place on the list with today's date and timestamp.  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.   

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