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New Portable Amp By DECWARE
Feb 1, 2009 at 7:32 PM Post #106 of 124
I haven't tried the Zen Head with the GS 1000 but I've tried it with the RS-1 and RS-2's and have to say that they both sounded good through it. The Grados are known for there highs which for me I'm not a big fan of but when matched with this amp they were tamed a bit. I preferred the RS-2's smoother highs but preferred the RS-1's bass. Both have great bass through the amp which was tight and impact-full the RS-1 being more so.
 
Feb 4, 2009 at 4:10 AM Post #107 of 124
Just rec'd my Zen today!

First impression: BIG.

Aside from the size the amp appears to be solidly built despite being drab in comparison to my iBasso. Will report back about sound in the next few days once I've had a chance to listen to it. A nice touch is there's a 9 volt battery already installed. I'm looking forward to this amp.
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Feb 6, 2009 at 4:36 AM Post #108 of 124
A couple of days with the Zen now and I'm enjoying the sound already. But I'm still figuring out it's nuances and matching settings to my SE530/Zune until I get my full cans (AKG K701 or Denon AH-D2000).

I sent a question off to Decware but perhaps some experienced Zen user here will know. What is the Compatibility switch used for? It's the left most internal switch on the circuit board (rev 5).
 
Feb 8, 2009 at 6:02 PM Post #109 of 124
I believe your talking about the input impedance switch that is located behind the volume knob. From what I've read and have been told the switch should be set to the 10k position for portable audio sources that don't play loud enough such as DAPs and portable CDP's. The 32k position is used when a full size source is used. Thats as much as I know however I could be wrong. Anyone else care to chime in?

There is a down loadable instruction manual for the Zen Head at the Decware website. You might want to check it out.
 
Feb 8, 2009 at 8:14 PM Post #110 of 124
Oops! Forgot to check back on this thread since my last post.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdogg /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I believe your talking about the input impedance switch that is located behind the volume knob. ....


Nope. The manual on Decware's site is out of date. The Rev. 5 board has an additional switch to the left of the Crossfeed switch called 'Compatibility | A B". I did get a reply from Steve and he explained this switch is used for high capacitance headphone cables that may exhibit static or distortion. The switch can be toggled to defeat this symptom.

I've now got my amp set to 10k, Normal Gain (barely a difference b/w normal & high, imo), Crossfeed 'on', and default setting 'B' for Compatibilty. This amp is amazingly good. The bass is brought out a little more with the SE530s and the overall sound is pristine. There is a noticable difference from just listening in 'vanilla' mode of Zune + Shure only. Big difference as well in comparison to the iBasso.

I am extremely happy with the ZenHead even though it's decidely retro appearance could belong in one of the LOST hatches.
wink.gif
 
Feb 10, 2009 at 2:12 AM Post #112 of 124
I bought mine in December but unfortunately it was stolen last week from me at work
mad.gif
. I'm very upset about that. Anyway, mine did not have that "A/B" switch you speak of. My circuit board was, I believe, version 2 because the two 100 ohm resistors behind the headphone jack were removed.
 
Feb 10, 2009 at 2:20 AM Post #113 of 124
I love the bass of the Zen Head. When I listened to it lying down and completely relaxed I could feel the bass in my body which amazed the hell out of me. I never knew headphones could do that.
 
Feb 10, 2009 at 4:18 AM Post #115 of 124
I'm not much of a reviewer when it comes to audio hardware. I just know what I like and I like the Zen. I look forward to your review, whatever the outcome may be, when you get the amp, EFN.
 
Feb 11, 2009 at 1:57 AM Post #116 of 124
Yeah me too. I'd like to see if what I was hearing is in line with your expirience with the Zen Head.
 
Feb 17, 2013 at 8:10 AM Post #120 of 124
Hate to bring an old thread back up but have to. I have read all the post and this amp seems to be the most tube like amping transportable amp there is. Beside the capacitor distortion issues which I am sure have all gone by now considering the number of new amps which have came in the market is this amp still relevant? I love to try it for the sake of it but what is keeping me away is lack of charging feature. 

Cheers and apologies 
 
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