[tagosaku]

Just arrived yesterday. I wanted to try a tube output CD player and ended up ordering one.
Out of the box with the GT12au7 it came with, it seemed more detailed/smooth/open than HD-25 (with clock/zap filter upgrade).
Also the gain control feature with is great.
One happy finding was, the tubes installed on the back side of the unit was not a concern. The tubes are between the power and IC so it's unlikely that something will hit and break them.
Can't remember this unit mentioned here, so thought it might be interesting for some.

DECWARE / Zen Triode tubed CD player

 

[Drag0n]

Meh, I was starting to like it until i saw the tube sticking out the back of the unit sideways. Im always worried about a melting filiment touching the plate or something and blowing it all.
Plus i just dont like it sticking out the back like that, which will creat heat in my shelf unit.
Looked nice otherwise anyway.
How does it sound?

 

[tagosaku]

Actually, the tubes do not get that warm. The power regulating tube is luke warm at best and the 12au7 does get warm, but nothing compared with tubes in other gear I have. You can safely hold the tube while playing.

I love the sound comparing with the other players I have. Also switching the stock GT 12au7 to NEC 12au7 made a huge difference. Will be fun to try other tubes.

 

[mrarroyo]

I find it interesting that the base unit the TASCAM CD-160MKII Pro Rackmount CD Player with MP3 Playback can be bought for $299 w/ free shipping. See: Buy TASCAM CD-160MKII Pro Rackmount CD Player with MP3 Playback | Studio CD Players | Musician's Friend

Then Decware modifies it into the Decware ZCD and raise its MSRP to $1,499. Do you feel the mods have added $1,200 worth of improvements?

 

[tagosaku]

If price is your main interest, I'd say it's not worth it. Heck, I think you can even say that the stock Toscam at $299 is way overpriced and a rip off compared with an Oppo you can get for $160 or so from Amazon. Oppo player will play DVD and SACD which Toscam does not and it will even come with free shipping.

I just wanted to try CD player with tube output and am happy with this unit. And the gain control helps a lot with otherwise microphonic tubes in my MPX. Plus rolling tube on source is fun - might be because it's new to me, but seems to have a bigger effect than changing driver in the MPX - though I might be dreaming about this one.

 

[efm2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tagosaku /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just arrived yesterday. I wanted to try a tube output CD player and ended up ordering one. Out of the box with the GT12au7 it came with, it seemed more detailed/smooth/open than HD-25 (with clock/zap filter upgrade). Also the gain control feature with is great. One happy finding was, the tubes installed on the back side of the unit was not a concern. The tubes are between the power and IC so it's unlikely that something will hit and break them. Can't remember this unit mentioned here, so thought it might be interesting for some. DECWARE / Zen Triode tubed CD player

Hi tagosaku,

I'm also interested in this CDP. For me, the tubes sticking out is a blessing as this makes tube rolling a breeze. What amp and headphone have you tried with it already? How do you describe the sound? Is it laid back or forward sounding?

Thanks.

 

[tagosaku]

I think you can get better information about the sound quality at Decware's forum.

The sounds will depend on the tube you use. My amp is SP MPX and I use K501 and HFI700 with it. Been running MPX with Raytheon WGT and two Hytron GT (the combo I had in when ZCD arrived).
Compared with CD-25, using stock GT 12au7, it felt more forward. NEC 12au7 not so, and TS 12au7 Black Glass makes it closer (less forward). Did not like Raytheon 12bh7 as it seemed too revealing.

Also not that this is an issue, you need to unplug power to change tubes because of the warm up feature.

 

[kboe]

Oh I drooled over this cd player for a long time but the Oppo looks interesting.
Kevin

 

[tagosaku]

I am using Oppo 980 with my speaker rig for watching DVD and like it a lot. I should try it with MPX one of these days.

Regarding Oppo, RAM has a mod package.
Oppo DV-980H, DV-981HD, DV-983H Modifications & Highly Modified Brand New Units: Reference Audio Mods

I used to own a Toshiba 3960 modded by them and loved it. Wonder if anyone has tried the modded Oppo unit.