DATE: June 30, 1999 Comments by Clay Wright

Steve -

It's been over three months now since the Zen amp arrived on my doorstep, and I have to tell you it's been the best investment I've ever made in audio. Until I pay off my college loans and have a little more green to spare, my system will remain quite "budget". But thanks to your amp, I no longer have to impatiently lust over the sound that must be produced by the components photographed and reviewed in magazines like Stereophile and The Absolute Sound.

No, I feel the little Zen has given me a true taste of the high-end (and I didn't have to get a degree in law to afford it!) I'm using a 10 year-old TEAC player as a transport to feed a Musical Fidelity X-DAC plugged straight into the amp. Speakers are Infinity 2000.1's. Even my wife, who has always been skeptical of my audio adventures, noticed something different -- and something better -- about the sound of CDs after I started using the Zen.

Music that had seemed thin and bright through my Harman/Kardon AV unit sounds much deeper, much richer and way more detailed. I can certainly reach the amps limits -- but at volumes I do not habituate. I know this little amp isn't for everyone, but I think most people who look for an involving, intimate experience with their music will not be disappointed -- for me it has been WONDERFUL!!

Thanks for putting out a great product at a very reasonable price... I also have a question for you - so far I have only run my DAC into the SE84B, but I would like to try vinyl. I am considering the Music Hall MMF-2 ($299 from Audio Advisor). How do you recommend I set up a turntable such as that one and still get the 2V needed for the amp? Are there any phono stages you recommend for the Zen, and/or preamps (I see you have one out), etc.?

Again, many thanks. -- Clay Wright