Ask and ye shall receive.
![Wink Wink](https://www.decware.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/wink.gif)
I somewhat apologize for the emotional outbursts over the past several days. The past ten days has been a whirlwind of realization. I had previously believed in the theory that drives the Decware sound, but contemplating the theory and experiencing the product are two different things. I did not expect to have such an extreme experience in my own home. I wasn't even looking for it. I don't REALLY need it at home. I spend most of my time with Steve, at Decware. Incidentally this means I have access to the entire line of Decware amplification, a massive array of tube compliments ( ..including various cryo-treated amps and tubes. Don really is kinda doing God's work over at Cryotone...). I don't really need the full immersive experience at home. My sources are not really all that great anyway... A 2.3 Watt zen amp from 1995 delivers it anyway! To be fair there ARE two of them, so I have a whopping 4 Watts per channel.
My writing is a bit choppy these days. It has been quite a while since I have really had much to say that could not be said with 1-3 emoji. Its getting a little better every day. My plan is to write a mostly on topic initial impressions post under the pics of the current setup in the Members Systems forum later today, if that is the kind of thing you are into. I even took notes on paper last nite and didn't just start typing directly to the forum. I hope it helps!
Big Audio.
I have been an Audio Enthusiast for a long time. My audio mentor said that jewels in the rough could be found in vintage gear and enlightened me to the idea that certain combos work better together. So, I have searched box piles at garage sales, bins at thrift stores, and estate sales occasionally to pick up what crumbs are left after the guys with excess cash swing through and snag what little comes up in my area for a long time. I have had vintage receivers from Yamaha, Pioneer, Kenwood, Toshiba, and NAD, to name a few. My speaker sets have ranged from Dahlquist, EPI, Yamaha, JBL, and Advent. With each new piece or pairing it was like turning the page in a very long book. Not at the end... but, getting there however slowly. Making adjustments in the room layout to find the tiny sweet spot I was looking for... and finally getting these small slivers of improvement... I was so proud of myself!
I remember reading Audiokarma posts many moons ago on gear and audio stuff where people were commenting, or arguing, on the awesomeness that their gear was giving them. Occasionally, out of the blue, one of the 'tube guys' from the tube forum would chime in with something along the lines of 'high power isn't what you are looking for, you need high current' or 'you should get higher sensitivity speakers' or other common phrases. Sounds great!- but, tube amps have never been in my price range, so, back to finding old stuff that might fit the bill. Also, more reading... come to find out there are high current solid state amps... nice. Maybe something like that will unlock another page of the book for me. I always knew that I wasn't "there" yet. I did not know what or where "there" was, but I knew that it existed. That being said, I have had the Dec-gear in the apartment for several months now. It's been nice. A direct (solid state) A/B comparison just between the vintage speakers/ Lii F12 revealed a nuance and delicacy in the Lii's that just was not the in the other speaker sets. As soon as the amps showed up, it was clear I was definitely thumbing through an entirely different book. Back to potion mixing, but with way better ingredients! I accidentally stumbled on a magic potion the other night that was/is quite potent.
It may have been the rabbit hole of the rotary sub-woofer that initially got the idea of open baffle speakers in front of me. I don't know now. It has been a very long time. The very few people that sang its praises were die hard fans though... that was to be noted. They all had so much to say... and then I found out that it wasn't even a new idea. I found this interesting... and then I forgot about it. Out of sight out of mind. I never thought I would be a 'tube snob' or an 'open baffle guy'. How could I? It is just another, older form, of amplification and reproduction. Solid state is newer, that MUST mean improvement. If you look at the numbers, or read the DECADES worth of ads and reviews and magazines and billboards and sales flyers and... and... and...
I didn't know I assumed the superiority of solid state electronics. I think it was just stated in a particular (shady) fashion for so long... Dimension!, The new best thing!, etc. However, I will say this now...
"Solid state superiority is a lie."
- Phill
(Decware, 2024)
... there is NO comparison.
I don't like being lied to.
It makes me mad.
Even if I were to be banished from the land of Decware tomorrow, I would still fight the good fight against the lies of big audio till the end of my days.
Here is the thing, I feel better after a session with my hifi. Seriously. Physical aches and pains lessened, I am sure due to less artifacts introduce by complicated arrays of swtching componentry being amplified throughout my abode, silently setting me on edge. In combination with my long term migraines it was awful. On day 10 of a migraine, with back and neck issues, I just want to try to relax. Music is supposed to help with that, it never has... till now. I get less ear ringing. ZERO listening fatigue. I can actually hear better and think quicker (seemingly).
It turns out (IMO) that all of the high frequency '5G' waves and micro/macro/xray/radio/wifi/radar electronic pollution really could be behind the more than marginal uptick in the health issues of human beings in the past several to many decades, if just introducing these slight issues in the audio range of 20hz- 20 kHz has this kind of effect on my immediate environment. Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but... I am sure a debate between one of our own and a representative from big audio would end up sounding like the recent Joe Rogan debate/ interview between Flint Dibble and Graham Hancock. A narrative hack blatantly dancing around answers to direct questions and changing the subject when backed into a corner.
Big audio is a lie.
Big power is a lie.
Multi-channel for surround sound effect is a lie.
2 Channel flea watt amplification with high efficiency, well tuned, drivers deliver this, and more. It is greater than the sum of it's parts. It is, as far as I am concerned, an unstoppable projectile aimed directly at the heart of big audio, and I love it. It is self validating. In 3 seconds the veil is dropped and the pure, naked, unashamed nature of the sound is just standing there. Right in your face. THAT is how true it is in my home. It will be, or is, in yours as well I'm sure.
If the first watt sucks, why continue? Truer words may n'er have been spoken!
FirstWattLife.