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Welcome to Decware
The ZROCK3
a purist SET EQ
MODEL ZROCK3
Our most impressive black box.
This is a class A single-ended triode device that promotes liquidity, tone and weight to your music. It is adjustable with only a single knob and features a EQ switch so you can roll 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 ZROCK3 is simple to use. Everything you need to happen happens in a 1/4 turn of a single knob.
I will expand your music library to include much of the classic rock that was molested when it got remastered for CD. The ZROCK3 can remaster these recordings back to their former glory on the fly.
Many speaker systems / room combinations that sound lean can also be improved with a ZROCK3.
The ZROCK3 has eliminated the need for a subwoofer in many systems.
SIMPLE TO USE
There is one pair of RCA inputs and one pair of RCA outputs.
The switch selects between two 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.
The knob is the output level control. It allows you to adjust the ZROCK3 from below unity gain to 6dB above unity to work with any upstream component.
Rear View
Front View
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 select between two different EQ slopes.
The tube, a 12AU7, is inserted through the front and can be easily changed without opening up the unit.
Just plug it into the wall and hook it into your signal path. Usually between DAC and preamp but sometimes between preamp and amplifier.
The ZROCK3 features an upgraded toroidal power supply that is vibration free and there are some available options that we'll cover below.
OPTIONS
Signal Caps - comes standard with audiophile film caps but can be upgraded to foil caps. Improves resolution and dynamics.
Anniversary Mods - level 1 bypasses the power supply with audiophile film caps while level 2 uses foil caps. Further improves resolution and dynamics.
VR Tube Mod - a cold cathode vacuum tube diode used to filter all of the power used by the audio tube. Improves liquidity and removes grain by isolating the circuit from dirty power.
Knobs - you can select your choice of knob style for the front.
Knob types: ebony, gold, black chicken head, cream chicken head, walnut
Options can be selected from within the shopping cart.
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 ~ 200K
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 Foil
AC cord - Removable power cord
Consumption - 13.5 watts at the outlet
Warranty - Lifetime to original owner
SUPPORT
We sell our products wholesale direct and all support is in house. Support is not only a phone call or email away at any time, but when you purchase this unit you join a huge family of customers who also own one and enjoy supporting each other on our audio forum!
OPERATION MANUAL
Manual is in a .pdf format
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
"A few more comments about my 26 day old ZR……
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 ZR), 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 ZROCK is the most positively impactful of all. My current Cary 300SEI is, by a big margin, my favorite amp of all time, but the ZR makes it, and the rest of the system, sound even better. Prior to receiving the ZROCK 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 ZR will always be smack dab in the middle of my system.
A couple of ZR 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 ZR 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 ZR 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 ZR is a true champion of mid and high frequency reproduction!
Not sure that I will post additional thoughts about my ZROCK……we’ll see. One thing is without doubt as I close; the ZROCK 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 ZR, 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
ZROCK2 vs. ZROCK3
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The ZROCK2 had a bypass switch on the front that was eliminated in the ZROCK3 to shorten the signal path.
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The EQ switch that was on the rear of a ZROCK2 has been moved to the front of the ZROCK3.
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The ZROCK3 has a re-designed toroidal linear power supply that is vibration free.
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The ZROCK3 has a variable output level control on the back so that it can be used with amplifiers that don't have gain controls and just increase upstream compatibility in general.
ZROCKS are hand-built to order. The waiting time is less than our amplifiers, usually 6 months.
