# New Portable Amp By DECWARE



## ZephyrSapphire

http://www.decware.com/newsite/zenhead.htm

 Anyone wanna give it a try?
 I'm broke this month since I'm getting some Etys. Lol.


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## mrarroyo

Not here, but I have sent them an email!


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## MONVMENTVM

Looks really nice. I like their description, even if there also is this standard marketing in it, but it is nice that they after all focus on the quality rather than on the bells and whistles. 

 I won't get it though... After all I am happy with my D2's sound and I need the money to buy a GS-1000 and then a tube amp 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## Jaw007

Looks nice but pricey.


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## Raphael

Not just pricey, but the description looks like terrible marketing to me. It's full of grammatical errors, and they really overused the word 'audiophile'. On top of which, this seems to be marketed at 'audiophiles' who have no experience in the portable industry.

 "look no flashlight, run over it with your car" seems like a bad attempt at marketing their product against its competition. If the latter is true, then we will indeed have a very nicely built amp. But one that can withstand 2,000+kg of force from a car... that I don't believe, but it may very well be possible.

 I wouldn't mind the watch though


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

I ordered my Decware Zenhead today for $295 plus shipping. I've been searching a long time for a portable amp that can adequately power my Beyer DT880/250's and my Total Airhead doesn't seem to be cutting it. I know that the Beyers have more available sound to them that the Airhead isn't revealing. My last purchase was the Shure SE350s and I am hearing a lot more detail in my music now using my Shures with my Black Dragon line out dock from my Nano to the Total Airhead. I was actually impressed with the write-up on the Zenhead on the company website and the designer Steve Deckhert seems to have designed this amp for my needs in mind. I wanted a portable amp that has a warm, liquid, tubey sound to pair with my Beyer DT880's without a DAC or other bells and whistles (charging circuit, bass boost, etc.) that would muddy the sound. But, I did want cross-feed. I listen to my Nano/Black Dragon/Shure/Airhead setup at work in my cubicle and I find the sound fatiguing after 3 to 4 hours. I am hoping that the cross-feed circuit of the Zenhead will eliminate the sonic fatigue I feel. 

 After scanning some of his articles on his website, I was also pleased to see that Steve Deckhert seems to view Beyer DT880's as a reference headphone for purposes of tuning the sonic signature of his amps so I am very optimistic. I haven't owned or for that matter listened to any other headphone amplifiers so my only reference for comparison purposes will be my Total Airhead. 

 Other amps considered that may be purchased in the future:
 1) iBasso D2 Boa. ( I am curious to see what a DAC/AMP combo sounds like)
 2) Meier Audio Corda 2Move ( again the DAC/AMP curiosity)
 3) Headroom Micro Amp with Astrodyne Power Supply (The micro amp seems like a solid amp but $500 plus shipping was a little more than I wanted to pay. I am certain it is worth the money but feel I should go to a meet and hear different desktop amps before investing more than $500 for a desktop amplifier.)
 4) Woo Audio 6
 5) A Meier Audio DAC/AMP combo. 

 I have also been in the market for a standalone DAC to connect to my laptop but nothing has jumped out at me yet in the sub $300 price point. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it!


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## Skylab

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Fort_Worth_Keith* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I wanted a portable amp that has a warm, liquid, tubey sound to pair with my Beyer DT880's without a DAC or other bells and whistles (charging circuit, bass boost, etc.) that would muddy the sound._

 

Well, based on my experience with the ZenHead, you should be very happy with it, based on what you said above. It's a very nice sounding amp.


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Skylab* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Well, based on my experience with the ZenHead, you should be very happy with it, based on what you said above. It's a very nice sounding amp._

 

Thank you Skylab for the hard work you put into your reviews. If not for your reviews, I would have never even heard of DECWARE and the Zenhead. 

 I hope you do a comprehensive comparative review of desktop amplifiers similiar to the one you put together for portable amplifiers. 

 Thanks again!


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## yashicaman

Fort Worth Keith,

 I just received my Zen Head and am putting it through its paces. So far I'm impressed. I use AKG 271s, Sennheiser 595, Grado 325i as my primary headphones. I am interested in your impression of this amp and, of course, once I've had a decent listen, I'll share mine. BTW, the crossfeed is excellent. Better than the Total Bithead (my other portable amp). I went with the Total Bithead for my computer. I choose the Zen Head for something better with my Mp3 player. 

 I've got a Zen amplifier in my office stereo kit (it was in my home reference music system, but I switched to powered Quad 12L speakers as my old AR M1's really were too inefficient for the Zen amp except for near field listening--which is how my office system is set up). 

 I'm a big Decware fan and recommend their amps and someday, I'll spring for a pair of speakers. One can't beat the service and Steve Deckert is terrific to deal with. 

 I hope you like your Zen Head. 

 Cheers,

 Allan


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## recephasan

Deckert seems to be addictive, I have a friend who repeats everything the guy says to me, believing every word of it. I'm not saying it's not true, it probably is, but it is akin to some people here in this forum being offended when people question practices of some popular vendors.

 My friend does love the tube amps, and so do I, though. So don't get me wrong, Decware makes very good sounding gear.

 Having said that, another amp, nothing special with it, will probably attract customers he already sold and talked to interested in headphone gear.

 I wish someone came up with an amp better than the D1, meaning better parts and less clutter in signal path, that we can do opamp rolling with...


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## Skylab

I thought his CSP-2 tube headphone amp was very, very good. Not better than my Singlepower amps, but very good nonetheless. I ended up buying the review sample he had sent me.


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

Yashicaman,

 Sarah called me from Decware today and said that my Zenhead will be shipping out today. I agree with you that the customer service is excellent. I will post my impressions and pictures of the Zenhead as soon as it arrives. I am always curious to see how products ship and the quality of the packaging when I read reviews of portable amplifiers. I think I will listen to the Zenhead for a minimum of two weeks before posting my review. I will probably do some A/B comparisons (Airhead vs. Zenhead) with my Shure 310's and my Beyer DT 880's as well. 

 I really do need to make it to a meet soon. I am also interested in listening to the following pieces of equipment in addition to the other amps and DACs I listed in my previous post:

 1) KICAS Caliente
 2) Decware CSP-2
 3) KECES 131 DAC 
 4) Decware CD Player
 5) RSA SR-71a 

 I look forward to reading your impressions of the Zenhead. I am a bit envious because you evidently have some superb equipment to use as reference points in your evaluation of the Zenhead! 

 Yashicaman it's funny you mentioned Decware's speakers in your post. I auditioned JM Lab Chorus and Proac speakers six years ago when I lived in Portland, Oregon. I listened to two hifi setups that really really impressed me: 1) a Naim amp and CD player with Proac tower speakers; and 2) Arcam amp and CD player with JM Lab Chorus tower speakers. I know these are not the be all and end all in sound systems but I was very very impressed with these two setups. These two systems have been my reference point for the sound I am hoping to eventually have in my headphone sound system. Sorry to wander off on a tangent but I was impressed by the relatively low prices of the Decware speaker line in comparison to the Proacs and JM Lab speakers I listened to years ago. They seem to be equivalent in quality and I am thinking that perhaps the dramatic difference in price might be attributable to the fact that with Decware you are purchasing directly from the manufacturer as opposed to having to purchase from a dealer. I wonder how much the Proac's have gone up in price since the dollar's decline versus the Pound and Euro?

 Anyway, I know that the Zenhead is probably not the last piece of equipment I will purchase on my sonic odyssey but I know that it is one step closer to my final destination. I like the idea however of working my way up the sound quality food chain over the next couple of years. 

 I don't know why Headroom doesn't have a product like the Zenhead in their lineup. I guess they are afraid of cannibalizing sales of their new Micro Amp line. I still think there is room in their lineup for a portable amp above the Airhead/Bithead and below the Micro amp line however. If they would have had a product equivalent to the Zenhead in their line-up I would have purchased it months ago. 

 Recephasan,

 Ha! You may be right and I may be a little susceptible to effective marketing but after reading all of the positive reviews of Decware amps in Head-fi and other forums, I can't help but think the Zenhead will sound very good and will be a keeper in my audio equipment collection. One poster on another forum referred to Steve Deckhert as being “persnickity.” The poster meant it in good fun but I think it speaks to the attention to detail Steve puts into his products. I am guessing that he also has too much pride (and business savvy) to put out a mediocre sounding product as his first offering in the portable audio market. 

 I was very impressed with the life-time warranty for the Zenhead as well as the input gain switch on the Zenhead. I am not into “tweaking” the audio equipment I purchase and would rather buy a piece of equipment from an audio designer that is basically the best product they can create at a particular price point. But, to each his own! I enjoy reading posts about opamp rolling and other modifications to portable amps. If you ever get a chance to listen to a Zenhead I would really like to hear your opinion! It sounds as if you have heard a wide variety of portable amps and I would be curious to know if you think the Zenhead is a solid value purchase or if there are better purchases to be had at the $295 price point.


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## yashicaman

Recephasan,

 Steve Deckert knows how to market. Good thkng or he'd be out of business. He also knows how to make excellent stereo gear. Buying direct is a savings and the customer service is superb. Sometimes when I read so many positive reviews, I think of a concept called groupthink. If many people say that they like something, then others may agree (even if they aren't sure they like that something) just go do along with the group (and not make waves). When I see a whole bunch of laudatory reviews, I wonder if I'm being set up; however, I've read reviews in other places than the Decware website (such as Skylab's very thourough and thoughtful review of the Zen Head) which did influence my decision to get a Zen amp and to finally spring for a Zen Head. I also knew that I could audition Decware gear and send it back for a modest restocking fee if I didn't like it. That is important to me as I'm a rather critical listener.

 Regarding the Zen amp, I really should have bought two to use as monoblocks. 

 Fort Worth Keith,

 We'll have lots to compare. It would be terrific to get to a meet. Someday I hope to make it to one as well. I think that the journey is exciting as one moves up from good to better gear. Right now, I think that the Zen Head will be my last HP amp, but in a few years, I may be tempted to try something else. Okay, I will be tempted to try something else and I will and then I'll say that I'm done, but I won't be really. So on it goes. 

 Headroom did make quite a few portable headphone amps. When I purchased my Total Bithead, I did consider a higher model in the portable lineup, but these models were really, really big, used D cells or car batteries or windmills and I was into easy portability. Back then (about 6 years ago), it would have cost me around 400 bucks for a D cell driven Headroom. 

 A small portable model just above the Bithead and just below the Micro line would be attractive; however, I would have sprung for the Zen Head anyway given my experiences with my Zen amp (and knowing that I could return it within 30 days if it didn't meet my sonic needs).

 Looking forward to your review.

 Cheers!


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

Unbelievable! My new "ZyCable HiEnd IPOD Dock Cable" arrived from Head Direct. 

Head-Direct.com

 What a huge jump in Sound Quality compared to my Moon Audio Black Dragon Line Out Dock. I bought this Line Out Dock to replace my Moon Audio Black Dragon Line Out Dock in my Nano Total Airhead setup and I should have bought this Line Out Dock a year ago. My DT880/250's finally sound like they are suppose to. The bottom has filled out nicely. In fairness to Moon Audio, the owner did tell me the Blue Dragon (copper) would be a better fit with the Nano and Total Airhead than the Black Dragon (all silver cable) I insisted upon. Also the plug/connector that snaps into the Nano is much better on the Zy LOD than the Moon Audio Connector (it never would lock fully onto the Nano!). If you want a high quality silver/copper cable for $49 and don't want to pay competitor's prices, this is a great choice in my humble opinion. Fort_Worth_Keith


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## Pecker

this statement is bugging me: _ Something I could plug a real set of phones into and get small listening devices like IPOD's and ZUNE's to sound good over long periods of time.

_
Using with the zune is double amping and kills his audiophile idea...


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

Is it possible to attach a line out dock to a Zune? I have never scrutinized one up closely. 

 My Zenhead is arriving next Monday according to UPS and I am looking forward to trying it out with my new Line Out Dock from Head Direct. 

 Now if only I could find a small battery operated DAC to connect to my laptop and Zenhead... The only inexpensive standalone DAC I have seen is the Go Vibe on Uncle Wilson's site. I don't know if it's any good or not though.


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## Pecker

Nope.

 it has line out but requires a current to activate it.

 So portable line out isn't achievable


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

Pecker,

 How do you like your Keces DA-151? Its seems like a solid DAC for the price.


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## Pecker

I love it!

 I have only had the fubar III to compare to though.

 However it kills the Fubar even though they share the same chip!

 However the circuitry is completely different which results in the brilliant difference.

 For the money I don't think you can go far wrong.


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## recephasan

yashicaman, Fort_Worth_Keith,

 I appreciate the replies. As I mentioned, I do like his gear as I have listened to several of his products over the years. I am curious about the portable, though!


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## Podtweaker

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Pecker* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_this statement is bugging me:  Something I could plug a real set of phones into and get small listening devices like IPOD's and ZUNE's to sound good over long periods of time.


Using with the zune is double amping and kills his audiophile idea...


_

 

While this may be double amping & it may break the rule of putting less circuitry in the signal path, you may be making the incorrect assumption that doing such doesn't improve the sound quality of the Zune. The short answer is it does ,even if you are using quality IEMs. I also use UM2s w/ my Zune & I purchased a portable amp(Total Airhead) so that I could try using some headphones w/ my Zune. Curiousity got the better of me & I decided to try using the UM2s amped. Amped the UM2s sound a little bit fuller & also cleaner in the upper frequencies. In comparison the raw Zune/UM2s combo has a slight "ambient fuzziness" that disappears once the amp is inserted into the mix. I think the amp may be buffering some noise being generated from the Zune, but I could be way off base here as I'm not an EE. Yes , being able to use a line out connection is the best way to connect an amp , but I think you will find a lot of non-Ipod users on this site who amp their rigs. Having been long winded(yet again) I look foward to hearing everyones impressions on this amp as I'm afflicted w/ the dreaded disease "Upgradeittus", Thanks.


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## yashicaman

recephasan,

 I'll post a review in a couple weeks. So far, I really like the Zenhead, but I really need to listen critically and analyse what I'm hearing.

 The Zenhead is rather big compared to the competition and that may be a drawback to some. Still it is pretty portable.

 Cheers!


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## trickywombat

Got my Zenhead. Burning it in right now, but thought I should leave a short impression for the sake of those who are sitting on the fence and wonder if this amp is worth considering.

 Decware readily answered my questions on the phone and by email, entertained shipping requests and deadlines and kept their promise. My credit card was not charged until the item was shipped, and 2-day UPS tracking # was promptly provided by customer service.

 Package arrived well-packed and in as-new condition. 9V battery pre-installed in battery compartment. I like user-replaceable batteries in an amp.

 Build Quality: Hefty metal case with 2 plastic trim pieces. Lettering is engraved as well as painted. Picture on manufacturer website accurately depicts the amp. Jacks, switch and volume control feel solid. Toggle switches inside are a nice touch. I like the 3.5mm jack - they click and grab on tight to any 3.5mm plug (tried generic, Switchcraft and Neutrik).

 Included items: Amp, Battery, Mini-Mini IC, pouch.

 This is the biggest portable amp I have tried. Not-quite Lisa III-sized, but bigger than my iQube or iBasso D1. Not including the volume knob and power switch, it is the size of a Nintendo DS Lite (closed). But since it is Nintendo DS Lite-sized, it should be easy to find a storage case for it. It is heavier than a DS Lite, but the case looks like it could stop a 5.56x45mm round.

 Amp is still burning in, but tried it initially with 
 iPod Classic -> ALO Cryo Silver X -> Zen Head -> Denon D1001
 Gain: Normal, Crossfeed: On, Input Impedance: Set to 10K

 It has detail and transparency, a great soundstage yet is laid back and very relaxing. Bass is deep, vocals are sweet. Right now, the most remarkable thing about this amp is the soundstage - wide and immersive - probably due to the well-implemented crossfeed. I like the Zen Head crossfeed better than the Corda 2Move's.

 I like the way the amp portrays vocal music (Patricia Barber, Holly Cole, Lisa Ekdahl, Peter Cincotti) - there's a certain presence. U2 and rock tracks have a Grado-like presentation - slightly aggressive and sparkly. The soundstage makes Lounge/Ambient/House/Chill sound good - on a few tracks I was tricked into looking to the side or behind me.

 I'm not good at describing amps, but right now this is really worth a try if you're sitting on the fence and if you can live with the size of the amp. I'll see how it develops with burn-in, but for now it looks like my goal of getting an amp that is warmer than my iQube with crossfeed has been met, and without sacrificing too much in terms of detail and transparency. The crossfeed of this amp is quite addictive.

 yashicaman should be coming up with his review soon, and I'll let the amp burn-in some more before listening critically.


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## Podtweaker

As this has been mentioned a few times already; Is the ultimate size of these amps really a deal breaker for some of you ? I think we may be placing too much importance on "ergonomics" when we can get the level of quality from amps of this size. I'm not a big fan of "rechargeable" anything, it's unecessary sq robbing curcuitry as far as I'm concerned.


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## RIDE

Great initial review tricky! 

 Looking forward to getting mine and reading udates from you as well as the impressions of yashicaman.

 RIDE


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## dookiex

The ultimate size of amps is a really big deciding factor. Especially if it's the size of a Nintendo DS Lite, there's a reason why my portable Nintendo DS Lite is mostly left at home.

 In addition, on the subject of double amping. I never bothered to get a LOD for my iPhone thus my Tomahawk is being fed with the signal coming from the headphone out of the iPhone. From doing a/b tests with the volume being equal on both amp and direct from the headphone out, there's a very noticeable difference in sound quality. The Tomahawk widens the soundstage noticeably and gives a very commanding bass response.


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## yashicaman

I've been listening to my Phililps GoGear hard drive 2 gb music player with the Decware Zen Head for the last three weeks or thereabouts. I do not use any of the EQ features on the Philips. My headphone of choice for this review is a pair of AKG 271s with velour ear pads. I find the AKG 271s to be an accurate studio monitorish (read: flat sounding) honest sounding set of cans. My Grado 325i performs well with the Zen Head, but given the Grado sonic signature, I choose to focus on the AKG's for this review (Grado 325i and the Zen Head is another review waiting to happen).

 Music choices include Issac Hayes', _Shaft_, Edgar Winter Group's, "Frankenstein," Flogging Molly's _Float_, Lalo Shifrin's _Jazz Meets the Symphony_, Maria Muldaur's _Midnight at the Oasis_, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," Elton John's _Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy_, Alanis Morrisette, "Uninvited," Sarah McLachlan, "Angel" and Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells, Pt. 1."

 The one thing that I first notice and which impresses me the most is the glorously rich soundstage--it's wide, it's deep, it's three dimensional. This is where the Zen Head excels! The crossfeed works well and I feel no need to ever turn it off (one can if one so desires by taking a trip into the interior of the Zen Head--there one can also change the input impedence, which I left at 10K--the standard setting). I find the crossfeed to be better than the Total Bithead (my only other headphone amp which I've had for a few years). I like how well the crossfeed circuitry works. Simply excellent.

 Bass is excellent--tight, controlled, and rich. Midrange and highs are very good. Vocalists come accross well and life-like. Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis" sparkles and comes across crystal clear and inviting. Lovely. Morrisette in "Uninvited" has great atmosphere and the vocals are ethreal. McLachlan's "Angel" brings out the goosebumps (but then this song is so well done, I'd get goosebumps even if I heard it over the 8 track in my now long gone 1977 Oldsmobile Delta 88) and the vocals come across rich and luscious. There is a bit of warmth reminiscent of tube amps (Decware is famous for its Zen SET amp--I have one), but not the over coloured euphonic golden velvety richness and bloom that I associate with AMC tube amps or even the venerable Dynaco ST70. If anything, the voice of the Zen Head reminds me a bit of my Zen SET Amp (again it's the soundstage and holographic imaging and the way voices sound).

 Switching to Lalo Shifrin's _Jazz Meets the Orchestra_, the opening cut, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is delightful. Here a jazz combo meets a full orchestra and the results are awe inspiring. I usually use this album when I go out to listen to stereo gear as it is well engineered and sounds excellent.
 Dynamics are good, soundstage is awesome. 

 George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord, " takes me back to my soul searching days. Elton John's "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy," sounds rich. Detail is great. Voices handled well. Again, superb soundstage. 

 Flogging Molly's _Float_, an Irish folk themed rock band, had good presence, was nicely balanced, and the strings sounded just right. The Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein," was nicely handled. Solid bass, wide soundstage. 

 Issac Haye's _Shaft_ is a revelation. Amazing engineering on the hybrid SACD version. Jaw dropping, goosebumping fantastic. Again, it's got a soundstage to die for and the overall presentation is stellar. The same for Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells, Pt. 1." 

 The Zen Head is a highly listenable amp. It is a bit tubelike, has an incrediable soundstage, is transparent, and does vocals right--male and female. Sarah McLachlan and Elton John will melt your heart. The Shaft soundtrack is amazing. I should dig out my cd of Holst's Planets and take the trip. I only wish that I had a cd copy of Iron Butterfly's "Ina Gadda da vida."

 It's hard to find fault with the Zen Head. One could criticize it for its tube-like sound as it does colour the music, albeit in a way that tube affectionados might relish. I didn't find this colouration to be too obtrusive and actually find it pleasing. One might be dismayed at the largeness of the Zen Head. It's about five inches long and about 3 inches wide. For me sound quality overrides size. If I wanted small, I'd have bought a pair of Yuin PK-2s and run them directly into my Philips and be done with it. Maybe I should borrow my wife's PK-2s, grab my Philips and go for a hike through the neighbourhood tonight...or better yet...grab my son, Zak's African thumb piano and make my own soundtrack as I trek through the neighbourhood...but I digress.

 My Zen Head is still burning in (I've only gone through one 9 volt battery--about 40 hours or so). I think I've logged in about 60 hours on it so far. I would expect that in another couple hundred hours, it'll sound even better or that I'll be so used to it, my ears will adjust. This is a headphone amp that I can happily live with.

 It is large, but it's robust. The sound is terrific. I'm glad that I purchased it.
 Eventually I'll get around to evaluating how well it works with my Grado 325i cans. Some say that the 325i's sound best with tubes, that they have a small soundstage but great immediacy. Hmmmm...maybe there will be a synergy between the Grado 325i and the Zen Head. I'll explore this in the coming weeks.

 Cheers!


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## trickywombat

Great review, yashicaman. Pretty much have the same experience with the Zen Head. Transparency-wise, it doesn't make me miss my iQube. The coloration of the Zen Head gives the bass some richness, and there is a lot of airiness to the vocals (which some may not like).

 But the most outstanding sonic characteristic of the Zen Head is the soundstage. It is wide and immersive.

 I've been using a Maha rechargeable 9V battery, and getting only around 12 hours with each charge.

 Size-wise, it is not a shirt-pocket amp like the Decware website claims, but for listening around the house, it is fine.

 I had to turn the crossfeed off because it seems to work on one channel only, so I'm waiting to hear from Steve what to do next.


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## RIDE

Great review yashicaman!

 With only 60 hours on it...I bet it only gets better from here. I am hoping mine will be here this coming week so I can begin to see what this sound is all about!

 Cheers,

 RIDE


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## yashicaman

Trickywombat,

 I've reread your fine review and noticed that we are pretty much on the same page. The soundstage is stellar. And it's not neutral, but good nonetheless. 

 Your comment on how rock sounds a bit Grado like, makes me want to listen to the Zen Head with my Grado 325i and 60 cans. I did choose the most neutral cans that I own for my review. It gets complicated with layers and layers of gear.

 Pity about the crossfeed. Given Steve's committment to service, he'll work as quickly as he can to fix things. 

 Something can be said for superb customer service. It's no small wonder that I'm considering someday getting a pair of Decware speakers. Maybe the next time I drive across the country, I'll stop in at his shop for a listen. Maybe bring something home (for the wife, of course--souvenir of my trip and to show her how much I missed her). 

 Cheers!


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## trickywombat

Yashicaman:

 I need to check with Steve regarding the crossfeed because I don't know how much of the psychoacoustics is psycho and how much is acoustics, and may need different test tracks to test it out.

 I'm currently using a new 9V instead, and it has passed the 12-hr mark.

 Per your suggestion, I'm right now I'm listening to In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (live version) and the instrument placement is very good. Ron Bushy's drum solo just came up, I can place the drums and audience clapping/screaming/singing in the wide soundstage.


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## Fort_Worth_Keith

Okay I finally got my modded ZH1 Zen Head back from Steve today. It sounds fantastic with my 2005 Beyer DT 880/250 ohm headphones. The unmodded Zen Head I had received couldn't properly drive my Beyers without distorting due to the high impedance cables according to Steve. Anyway, I ended up mailing my Beyer's and Zen Head back to Steve at Decware and he soldered bypass wires onto the output 100 ohm resistor(s) so I wouldn't have to change out my cables on my headphones. The sound really is incredible. Steve offered to ship me a ZH2 (the Zen Head with a Gain switch) but I wasn't interested because what originally interested me in the Zen Head was its clean, no gain switch, signal path. I thought Steve's soldering solution was great. I will post a picture of the soldered bypass wires later when I figure out how to post the picture... 

 Okay, here is my feeble attempt to describe the signature sound of my Zen Head ZH1. Remember those old Marantz and Akai receivers from the 70's and 80's? Remember how butter smooth and liquid the signature sound of those receivers were? Okay fix that liquid "sound" in your mind as a starting point as we move onto the bass and treble knobs of our imaginary receiver. Now imagine that the bass knob is slightly past 12 o'clock and the treble is at 12 (or zero) or slightly to the left of 12 (or zero). The overall sound is rich and bassy without being muddy and I don't get any blasts of sonic shrillness that hurt my eardrums like I usually do with my 2006 Total Airhead. My Airhead has plenty of high frequency detail, but the problem is that to hear the lower frequency detail I would find myself turning up the volume to a point that was fatiguing to me. My Zen Head doesn't have this problem. It's like I am listening to my uncle's high end Akai receiver and turntable from back in the day! Keep in mind that my source is Itunes and my laptop! My mp3 files have bit rates ranging from 128 kbs and up. IMHO the two big advantages to this amp is that the signature sound is enjoyable and non-fatiquing for HOURS of continuous listening and it also seems to smooth out mp3 files.

 Anyway, it's a keeper at this point. I would like to hear the new RSA Blackbird SR-71a but the price was announced at $450 plus shipping so I guess I will wait to hear one at a meet. I am hoping Steve comes out with a double 9V battery version of the Zen Head to go up against the RSA SR-71a. I paid $295 for my ZH1 and I feel its well worth it. 

 Anyway, Steve and Sarah at Decware were a pleasure to deal with and if you want an amp that has detail and plenty of bassy oomph, but isn't fatiguing that you can listen to for hours at a stretch, this a great choice in my opinion. 

 If you are planning on using your ZH1 Zenhead extensively with 2005 Beyer DT 880/250s, you may want to email Steve first asking him to do the mod before having him ship the ZH1 Zen Head to you. The other alternative is to get the ZH2 that has a gain switch.


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## skeptic

Glad to hear the modified Zen is giving you the sound you want.

 Unfortunately, the fact that it had to be modified casts a lot of doubt on the representations made on Decware's site. Decware claims:


> "It has a built in range from 10 to 600 ohms so it will drive most headphones without issue and you *don't* have to worry about what impedance they are or what impedance to set the headphone amp to for best results."


Clearly, if it struggles with a 250 ohm Beyer, you *do* have to worry about impedaance and synergy, just like with every other headamp. 300 ohm Senn's or 600 ohm Beyer Manufaktur's are also going to require mods, etc.

 The amp looks good and I'd like to hear it, but I can't say I care for the disingenuous sales pitch.


----------



## yashicaman

Fort Worth Keith,

 I'm glad you like your modded Zen Head. The cans that I use with mine range from 32 ohm (Grado 60 and 325i) to 55 ohms (AKG 271s which, it turns out, are more difficult to run that I would have thought). 

 Deware excells in service and making things right. 

 Cheers!


----------



## Podtweaker

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Fort Worth Keith,

 I'm glad you like your modded Zen Head. The cans that I use with mine range from 32 ohm (Grado 60 and 325i) to 55 ohms (AKG 271s which, it turns out, are more difficult to run that I would have thought). 

 Deware excells in service and making things right. 

 Cheers!_

 

By more difficult to run, did you mean you had to switch the gain to high for the AKG 271s ? I have a Zen Head on order & I currently am using a pair of Beyerdynamics DT 770/80 ohm pros . On one of the pages of the online owners manual Steve talks about how the headphone cable's capacitance may be at fault sometimes. Is the same cable used for all the Beyerdynamics HPs ? My DT770s are only about a month old so perhaps(hopefully) not the same cable used on Fort Worth Kieth's DT880/250s. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to contact Steve , but I really hate to be a nudge about something that may not even be a problem.


----------



## Fort_Worth_Keith

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Podtweaker* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_By more difficult to run, did you mean you had to switch the gain to high for the AKG 271s ? I have a Zen Head on order & I currently am using a pair of Beyerdynamics DT 770/80 ohm pros . On one of the pages of the online owners manual Steve talks about how the headphone cable's capacitance may be at fault sometimes. Is the same cable used for all the Beyerdynamics HPs ? My DT770s are only about a month old so perhaps(hopefully) not the same cable used on Fort Worth Kieth's DT880/250s. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to contact Steve , but I really hate to be a nudge about something that may not even be a problem._

 

Podtweaker,

 I think Steve told me that he has the same headphones that you do and the Zen Head should work fine with your headphones. I would just wait until your Zen Head arrives and then listen to it with your headphones. If you hear the same distortion that I heard, and trust me its very dramatic you can't help but notice it, just mail Steve your Zen Head back with your headphones if you want him to do the same mod that I had done. I really don't think you will have any problems with your Beyers though. I think any model of Beyers with the 80 ohm impendance(?) should be fine. I don't pretend however to be an expert on these matters... I don't know how the Zen Head will work with your AKG 271's. Headroom.com says that the AKG K 271 MK II
 headphones has an impedance of 55 ohm which should work fine with the un modded Zen Head but there is the question of the efficiency of the headphones, etc. The impedance and efficiency factors are basically witchcraft to me but if I had to guess or wager on whether both your headphones will work fine with the un modded Zen Head, I would guess both will work fine. Please post how the un-modded Zen Head works with your headphones! I would like to know. 

 Skeptic, 

 I hear what you are saying but I don't think Steve was being disengenuous (sp?). The Zen Head can drive my Beyers after he removed that 100 ohm resistor without utilizing a gain switch. Steve told me that he had lowered the impedance on his Beyer DT 880s prior to developing the Zen Head by replacing the cables. I think its an honest mistake on his part. 

 Yashicaman, 

 You did a great review on the Zen Head. I found myself unable to add little to what you had written. I am looking forward to hearing the changes in my Zen Head over the next several weeks. 

 Question, does anyone use the internal gain switch on the Zen Head? What is its purpose? Is there an additional gain switch on the ZH2 Zen Head? Or is the gain switch on the ZH1 disabled? 

 thanks everyone!


----------



## RIDE

Yeah guys...I called Steve myself before ordering my Zen Head when I read about the possible issues with certain headphones. He assured me that with this latest version of the Zen Head...that he had yet to find a problem with any that he had tested. He did mention that there may have been a few compatibility issues with the previous version...like the one FW Keith had.

 Obviously Steve stands behind his product...and is more than willing to do what it takes for anyone who may have an issue. Steve has been around for a long time...and I would not mistake what happened with FW Keith, with his misrepresenting the new Zen Head.

 I am totally bummed....I have my new Zen Head in my hands, but can't give it a listen. I had ordered it because I thought that my Diablo was experiencing a short in the headphone jack, not to mention I wanted to hear how different the sound signature might be with this tube-ish amp.

 It turns out that I have a problem with either the mini to mini, or my Portable V-Cap...and both are being looked at by ALO as we speak.

 So once I get everything back...I will be able to provide you all with my thoughts and impressions of the Zen Head. And perhaps a nice little side by side comparison to the Diablo.

 RIDE


----------



## Fort_Worth_Keith

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *RIDE* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Yeah guys...I called Steve myself before ordering my Zen Head when I read about the possible issues with certain headphones. He assured me that with this latest version of the Zen Head...that he had yet to find a problem with any that he had tested. He did mention that there may have been a few compatibility issues with the previous version...like the one FW Keith had.

 Obviously Steve stands behind his product...and is more than willing to do what it takes for anyone who may have an issue. Steve has been around for a long time...and I would not mistake what happened with FW Keith, with his misrepresenting the new Zen Head.

 I am totally bummed....I have my new Zen Head in my hands, but can't give it a listen. I had ordered it because I thought that my Diablo was experiencing a short in the headphone jack, not to mention I wanted to hear how different the sound signature might be with this tube-ish amp.

 It turns out that I have a problem with either the mini to mini, or my Portable V-Cap...and both are being looked at by ALO as we speak.

 So once I get everything back...I will be able to provide you all with my thoughts and impressions of the Zen Head. And perhaps a nice little side by side comparison to the Diablo.

 RIDE_

 

Ride,

 What version of the ZenHead do you have? What does it say on the circuit board? I have the "Rev. 4" ZH1 ZenHead. Did you end up ordering a ZH2? 

 Here are the pics of the modification Steve did and a shot of the battery.

 I am looking forward to reading what your impressions are of your ZenHead!


----------



## RIDE

Yo Keith....

 According to Steve, I have the latest version. I litterally got it last week...so its the current Zen Head (ZH2).

 RIDE


----------



## yashicaman

Podtweaker,

 The AKG 271s do need more gain that I thought a 55 ohm set of cans would need (the Sennheiser HD-595's at 50 ohms work effortlessly), but the Zen Head handles them (I do have to turn the volume control much more than the Sennheiser). I haven't gone inside to try the high gain switch. The sound that I am getting with the AKG 271s is quite good, I just was surprised that I had to turn the volume control up so much.

 Fort Worth Keith,

 Thanks for your kind words on my review. As you can tell, I really like my Zen Head. One of these days I'm going to try the internal gain switch and just for grins and giggles turn off the crossfeed. 

 Cheers!


----------



## HiFlight

I can only add my "+1" to the above comments! I am finding that I am listening to my ZH1 more than any other of my amps. 
 The amp sounds especially good when paired with my RS1s. Perhaps it is the superb crossfeed that makes this sound so good. I haven't yet tried it with the crossfeed off. 

 I have yet to find any of my phones that the Zen fails to drive to live levels effortlessly. 

 In comparison to my iQube, I find the Zen to be more satisfactory for long listening sessions...I listen more to the music than to the amp, whereas the iQube is more neutral, crisper, and an overall cooler sound, reminding me that I am listening to a high-quality amp. 

 That said, most halls are anything but neutral, and I find that my favorite genre, which is classical, sounds more realistic thru the Zen. 

 When listening to my DX-1000s with their huge soundstage, coupled with the superb crossfeed and wide soundstage of the Zen, it is very easy to forget you are listening to recordings rather than a live performance! This combination ROCKS!


----------



## trickywombat

I would like to add my "+1" to the above comments, and to remind the audience who just joined us from Google or another search engine that HiFlight is referring to the Zen Head headphone amplifier, not the Creative Zen media player.


----------



## Podtweaker

FWK,Yman,RIDE, thanks for all your replies. Man, I can't wait to get this amp. Thanks again, I will definitely check back with input to this thread when I am able to speak from my experiences .


----------



## yashicaman

HiFlight,

 You nailed it. The Zen Head doesn't get in the way of the music. It lets the music be. (I've taken too many philosphy courses). Yes, there are lots of other headphone amps out there (which I've love to try out btw), but when it comes down to sheer enjoyment/musicality the Zen Head delivers.
 Excellent crossfeed and soundstage with very good overall sonics make the Zen Head a brilliant little (okay, kinda largish) headphone amp.

 The Zen Head deserves to be considered a serious choice for those desiring a really musical headphone amp. If my sister (I only have one) were an avid headphone user, I'd buy her one just because it is that good. Anyway, all she listens to is Neil Diamond. I'm not sure what sort of headphone and headphone amp combo would suit his musical style (and I just don't want to go there).

 Cheers!


----------



## Fort_Worth_Keith

The amp really does shine with classical music. I think Steve on the Decware site really does explain well in the owner's manual of the ZenHead the non-fatiguing sound signature he was after. 

http://www.decware.com/newsite/zenheadmanual.pdf


 I have been reading posts in Head Fi off and on for over two years and a common complaint I have heard again and again is that the 2005 Beyer DT 880's are "too bright" and "too sibilant". It struck me today that real problem has been that the Beyer's aren't "too bright" but that most portable amplifers are too fatiguing because too much high frequency material is brought to foreground of the soundstage as a consequence of decisions made by the designers of most portable amplifiers. 

 If you already own a pair of Beyer DT 880's, you really owe it too yourself to try them with a ZenHead. 

 Side note. If anyone is interested in listening to FM Radio during the day (I enjoy listening to NPR) here is a moderately priced Sony Portable FM Tuner that works well with the ZenHead. Sony SRF-M37V as a tiny source of FM. 

Amazon.com: Sony: Electronics SFR-M37V-Weather-Walkman-Presets/dp/B00008W7LS

 Here is what Dr. Xin has to say about the Sony SFR-M37V on his website. 

Pocket radio, the best gift for Dad!

 This portable FM Radio also sounds very very good with my Shure SE310 IEM's.


----------



## Podtweaker

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Fort_Worth_Keith* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_The amp really does shine with classical music. I think Steve on the Decware site really does explain well in the owner's manual of the ZenHead the non-fatiguing sound signature he was after. 

http://www.decware.com/newsite/zenheadmanual.pdf


 I have been reading posts in Head Fi off and on for over two years and a common complaint I have heard again and again is that the 2005 Beyer DT 880's are "too bright" and "too sibilant". It struck me today that real problem has been that the Beyer's aren't "too bright" but that most portable amplifers are too fatiguing because too much high frequency material is brought to foreground of the soundstage as a consequence of decisions made by the designers of most portable amplifiers. 

 If you already own a pair of Beyer DT 880's, you really owe it too yourself to try them with a ZenHead. 

 Side note. If anyone is interested in listening to FM Radio during the day (I enjoy listening to NPR) here is a moderately priced Sony Portable FM Tuner that works well with the ZenHead. Sony SRF-M37V as a tiny source of FM. 

Amazon.com: Sony: Electronics SFR-M37V-Weather-Walkman-Presets/dp/B00008W7LS

 Here is what Dr. Xin has to say about the Sony SFR-M37V on his website. 

Pocket radio, the best gift for Dad!

 This portable FM Radio also sounds very very good with my Shure SE310 IEM's._

 

You know what you may be on to something about the Beyers . The brightness that is sometimes prominent ( & eventually ear fatiguing ) in the upper registers is absolutely a signature of a lot of solid state amplification . I think in general most studio recordings of non-acoustic genres of music don't have much 'energy' in the higher frequencies . Many solid state amps are designed to compensate for this deficiency . Things are just fine & dandy until you throw some recordings at the amp that were recorded to be a representation of live acoustic sound of the music. That extra 'detail' that was designed into the amplifier now is translated into 'brightness' that creeps into the playback because of the, not needed,upper frequency boost. The Beyers are accurately portraying what has happened. Not to down someone elses product,but I do have to shorten my listening sessions a bit w/ my current portable amp because of a slight amount of ear fatigue. It sounds like the ZH sounds more like a good tubed circuit than a solid state one. Can't wait !


----------



## yashicaman

Last evening I spent some quality time with my Zen Head and my Grado 325i's. Nice synergy. Grado's have often been slammed for being really bright with ear wax melting highs, especially the 325i. Last evening they sounded really good together amping my Philips Ipod clone (music ranging from Ray Brown to Roxy Music to Queen to Flogging Molly to John Coltrane to Holst).
 I'll have to listen more with this combination, but I think that the Zen Head complements the Grado 325i sound very nicely. In the next week or so, I'll engage in some extensive listening and report back.

 Pity, I've not heard any Beyers. Someday....

 Cheers!


----------



## Podtweaker

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Last evening I spent some quality time with my Zen Head and my Grado 325i's. Nice synergy. Grado's have often been slammed for being really bright with ear wax melting highs, especially the 325i. Last evening they sounded really good together amping my Philips Ipod clone (music ranging from Ray Brown to Roxy Music to Queen to Flogging Molly to John Coltrane to Holst).
 I'll have to listen more with this combination, but I think that the Zen Head complements the Grado 325i sound very nicely. In the next week or so, I'll engage in some extensive listening and report back.

 Pity, I've not heard any Beyers. Someday....

 Cheers!_

 

Yashicaman, since you mentioned listening to some Holst , & if haven't already tried any yet, you owe it to yourself to try some recordings on the Lyrita label. This label is dedicated to recordings of 20th century Brit composers & most of the recordings are demonstration quality orchestral music w/ tons of natural soundstage. I've never been able to find much information on who the production teams were but I think Ken Wilkinson (of Decca fame) may have been involved. I prefer a lot of these recordings over much of the Living Stereo & Mecury recordings which sound dated in comparison. To be fair much of the Lyrita catalog was recorded a decade & half later, but good recordings are good recordings regardless of when they were recorded. The John Coltrane recordings on Prestige bear witness to that. To get back on subject Sarah at Decware e-mailed that my ZH was on the way. I can only hope that my reporting of my listening sessions will approach the descriptiveness of what you have been reporting. It should be very interesting & I hope I can add something of value on my part.


----------



## yashicaman

Potweaker,

 Telarc makes some find recordings as does Chesky. Mapleshade is also in the game for jazz. I'm very familiar with the Living Stereo series and even though dated am pretty fond of some of its offerings. Some have been redone as SACDs. I'm not sure that SACDs (not just Living Stereo) are all they they've been made out to be--I have about a dozen or so (probably more). I suspect part of my reticience to go whole hog SACD is that I have a world class cd player (musicality is high--Philips LHH1000 circa 1988--practically an antique and so amazing) and fairly good upstream components and speakers.

 It's a shame that I'm so wedded to the cd format--I'd love to get back to vinyl (and will at work as soon as I clear some major space--I'll may also add my reel-to-reel into the mix (maybe).

 I'll try a couple offerings off the Lynita label--you've piqued my curiousity.
 I wonder if there is any Schoenberg. Prestige did a good job with Coltrane and a fine job with Miles Davis. 

 I hope your Zen Head arrives soon.

 Cheers!


----------



## Podtweaker

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Potweaker,

 Telarc makes some find recordings as does Chesky. Mapleshade is also in the game for jazz. I'm very familiar with the Living Stereo series and even though dated am pretty fond of some of its offerings. Some have been redone as SACDs. I'm not sure that SACDs (not just Living Stereo) are all they they've been made out to be--I have about a dozen or so (probably more). I suspect part of my reticience to go whole hog SACD is that I have a world class cd player (musicality is high--Philips LHH1000 circa 1988--practically an antique and so amazing) and fairly good upstream components and speakers.

 It's a shame that I'm so wedded to the cd format--I'd love to get back to vinyl (and will at work as soon as I clear some major space--I'll may also add my reel-to-reel into the mix (mayb
 I'll try a couple offerings off the Lynita label--you've piqued my curiousity.
 I wonder if there is any Schoenberg. Prestige did a good job with Coltrane and a fine job with Miles Davis. 

 I hope your Zen Head arrives soon.

 Cheers!_

 

Lest we give people the wrong impression it's 'Pod' not 'Pot' on my username(I don't use that stuff anymore, I've become responsible for reasons that elude me now!) Even if you don't currently play SACDs you do know that the CD layer on the Hybrid SACDs are many times more carefully mastered than the original CDs . The BMG Living Stereo CD series is nowhere near as good as the layer on the Living Stereo hybrid SACDs. Funny that you should mention Phillips , my current CD player a ConsonanceCd 120 linear is based on a non-oversampling Phillips chip. It has a nice analog sounding output that I may be ejoying more than my Marantz SA8001 playing the SACD layer of the same Hybrids. Ripped to lossless this music sounds quite tasty even on my Zune 80(& now 120. Yeah, I'm broke but my music sounds good,(he says between sobs) )


----------



## yashicaman

Podtweaker,

 I was wonderin' why my Hybrid SACDs sounded better than my regulars on my Philips Cd player. Yes, the sound engineering is better. 

 My SACD player is a big old Sony ES something or other--DVD/SACD/CD--about 28 lbs (my Philips is a 2 box sysem weighing in at 60 lbs total). It doesn't sound as good as the Philips LHH1000 and there is about a 12 year age difference as the Philips is a 1988 model and the Sony is a 2002, I think).

 From this I can conclude that the heavier the equipment, the better it sounds. I am such a scientist!

 Amazing how good digital can sound (even if it has little or no soul).
 I've got to get back to vinyl (if only to digitalize it for my ipod clone).


----------



## Podtweaker

Hello all. Well I have my Zen Head. It was delivered at about 10:30 this morning by UPS as promised by the tracking info. Thanks UPS. I couldn't wait to try this amp out so I hooked up my Zune & Beyerdynamics DT770/80pro phones for a test run. I noticed that I had to turn the volume up a little more than I would have liked for a medium range of volume. Not by much, but a little & then remembered about the adjustable switches on the circuit board. So off I went to find a small philips head. As I was looking at the unit I had a small brain fart(not a large one, mind you because they are relative to the size of your mind) how did the volume contol knob come off. Luckily my brain caught up to my eyes before I proceeded & realized the entire front panel along w/ the circuit board can be removed from the case by sliding it foward after you'ved removed the screws holding things. To make sure that you have enough slack in the battery wires open up the battery compartment & move the battery so that the wires can move foward when the front panel & board are slid foward. I had remembered that Steve had mentioned about setting the input impedance switch to the 10k position for MP3 players & I also moved the gain switch to high, I left the crossfeed switch on. After closing everything back up & rehooking all connections I felt that the volume gain was in line with where I liked things. I set the Zune for shuffle ,took the phones off & went out for lunch. I've been listening for only a short while now so I'll only make some limited observations for now. One of the first things I've noticed is with this amp it is much easier to pick up the differences in recording quality w/ orchestral music. This is going to take some time to get a handle on the ideal volume for each label. Good labels have a certain "house sound" that the production teams try to achieve on a consistent basis. It's not often you can pick up the small nuances in the playback of digital recordings & probably not at all at MP3* bit rates , this is something more likely distiguished in good analog playback. Just one more little teaser for now , as I have to go to work soon. I'm not noticing the upper frequency glare that I was hearing w/ the other portable amp I was using & I don't know if you could really have called that glare. That's all for now kids, till next time. . .(* I don't use lossy, just a personal preference)


----------



## Louis249

Hello everyone. Finally, I've got the ZenHead yesterday! It used three days shipped to Hong Kong via USPS Express. It is very nice! And I am the people who always want to have try on the new things. So Zen Head must be what I want to get, especially here's reviews says that is awesome.

 What I listened the songs that extremely good, particular in live. Not just the soundstage are wide, also the female voices are sweet and close to me! But now its sound doesn't too impress me, maybe after running-in will be better than now. One things want to ask, I need to turn the volume to one clock to drive my Shure SE310, is it normal? Or the power out isn't enough? Owing to my C&C XO, it only turn on to eleven o'clock and it get loud.

 I do like Sarah's attitude, because I phoned to her and can't speak a good English but she didn't claim and still patient to listen to me. Also tell me what I want to get immediately.

 Decware's service are the best one that I'd never seen in other foreign companies.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Photos will be uploaded soon after I back to home.


----------



## Podtweaker

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Louis249* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Hello everyone. Finally, I've got the ZenHead yesterday! It used three days shipped to Hong Kong via USPS Express. It is very nice! And I am the people who always want to have try on the new things. So Zen Head must be what I want to get, especially here's reviews says that is awesome.

 What I listened the songs that extremely good, particular in live. Not just the soundstage are wide, also the female voices are sweet and close to me! But now its sound doesn't too impress me, maybe after running-in will be better than now. One things want to ask, I need to turn the volume to one clock to drive my Shure SE310, is it normal? Or the power out isn't enough? Owing to my C&C XO, it only turn on to eleven o'clock and it get loud.

 I do like Sarah's attitude, because I phoned to her and can't speak a good English but she didn't claim and still patient to listen to me. Also tell me what I want to get immediately.

 Decware's service are the best one that I'd never seen in other foreign companies.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Photos will be uploaded soon after I back to home.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 

I've had this occur to me a couple of times with new amps or pre-amps. On first listen the quality of the sound will get your attention with a couple of "wow" moments & then on the next listening session there aren't as many of those moments. What is happening is the passive components (the capacitors,etc) are 'aging'. The process of the capacitors being charged(when the amp is playing) & discharging(when off) hasn't stabilized to a consistent state yet. This is probably where the term 'Burn-in' comes from. About the 1 o'clock setting for your Shure 310s I would give it some time & if you still aren't happy with things you can try changing the impedence setting to 10k as I did. I would leave the gain switch on it's current setting though as IEMs shouldn't need a high gain setting. See my posting before your's on how to get to the switch should you decide to change it. Yeah, this is a nice little amp I think I'm going to love. Happy listening.


----------



## yashicaman

Louis249,

 Give it time to burn in. Headphone, speakers, amps, preamps, and some say wires all need time to burn in. I usually don't worry about burn in. It will happen with use, but there might be something said for accelerating the process. I should burn in my latest headphone buy (Yuin PK1). It sounds like these ear buds have potential, but they need some time playing to realize this potential. Enjoy the Zen Head.


----------



## HiFlight

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Louis249,
 ...................................snip........... .........................

 I should burn in my latest headphone buy (Yuin PK1). It sounds like these ear buds have potential, but they need some time playing to realize this potential. Enjoy the Zen Head._

 

I found that all of my Yuin earbuds take a looonnng time to reach their potential! My Sony F-1s took about 500 hours to develop, and I was one who initially didn't give much credence to "burn-in". I think earphones, and devices containing caps benefit from burn-in, but I personally can't hear any difference in opamps before or after burn-in. 

 Isn't is odd that almost everyone say burn-in improves the sound? It would seem to me that just the opposite could just as easily happen. Maybe it does and we just get used to the sound. After all, much of our listening experience is shaped by psychoacoustic factors with our brains trying to equate what we are hearing with what we have experienced during live performances.


----------



## yashicaman

HiFlight,

 I will be leaving my Yuin Pk1's running as much as possible to get the "burn in." I never thought that I'd be investing some of my cold hard cash in a pair of earbuds, but my wife's Pk2's are amazing. I almost went for a pair of 
 PK2's, but as I have a Zen Head, I decided to go for the gold. 

 Thanks for reassuring me that Yuin's take a long to burn in. I will be patient and relentless with burn in!

 Cheers!


----------



## HiFlight

FWIW, I much prefer the sound of the PK1 to that of the OK1. 
 The OK2 is very similar in sound to the PK1. 
 Ron



  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_HiFlight,

 I will be leaving my Yuin Pk1's running as much as possible to get the "burn in." I never thought that I'd be investing some of my cold hard cash in a pair of earbuds, but my wife's Pk2's are amazing. I almost went for a pair of 
 PK2's, but as I have a Zen Head, I decided to go for the gold. 

 Thanks for reassuring me that Yuin's take a long to burn in. I will be patient and relentless with burn in!

 Cheers!_


----------



## wuwhere

HiFlight,

 Since you have both P3 and ZH1, I'm curious how their SQ compares. TIA.


----------



## Louis249

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Podtweaker* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I've had this occur to me a couple of times with new amps or pre-amps. On first listen the quality of the sound will get your attention with a couple of "wow" moments & then on the next listening session there aren't as many of those moments. What is happening is the passive components (the capacitors,etc) are 'aging'. The process of the capacitors being charged(when the amp is playing) & discharging(when off) hasn't stabilized to a consistent state yet. This is probably where the term 'Burn-in' comes from. About the 1 o'clock setting for your Shure 310s I would give it some time & if you still aren't happy with things you can try changing the impedence setting to 10k as I did. I would leave the gain switch on it's current setting though as IEMs shouldn't need a high gain setting. See my posting before your's on how to get to the switch should you decide to change it. Yeah, this is a nice little amp I think I'm going to love. Happy listening._

 

Thanks for your reply. It gives me "wow" feeling since I used it for two days. It seems getting in a better and better sound, warm and more suit for my SE310. I really don't mind the volume setting now, but maybe I'll care it after I used sometime. Anyway, thanks your lovely advice. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Hearing Carla Bruni's new album, I am clear to know that the time is 19:37 now, her voice are extremely close to my head, such as sing in front of you. The bass not much compared with C&C XO. What makes me interseting is everytime I listen with Zen Head, it always urge me to feel sleepy, it's sound too comfortable and can't find anything too blame.

 What a good mini amp as you said. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Enjoy your Zen Head too.


----------



## Louis249

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Louis249,

 Give it time to burn in. Headphone, speakers, amps, preamps, and some say wires all need time to burn in. I usually don't worry about burn in. It will happen with use, but there might be something said for accelerating the process. I should burn in my latest headphone buy (Yuin PK1). It sounds like these ear buds have potential, but they need some time playing to realize this potential. Enjoy the Zen Head._

 

Yashicaman, yes. I agree what you said, all the things need a long time to burn in. I can find lots of differences between today and two days ago with the same song. I trust that will be good after a time.

 Enjoy your Zen Head too.


----------



## Louis249

Here are the photos that I shot.




 Cowon A2 with Zen Head.





 My Shure SE310 close up.





 SE310 too.





 One more photo.





 The best cable that I never heard before by stevenkelby. As you can see, all the things are well joined together.





 The Canare F12 plug.





 Close up to Zen Head, as you can see, I need to turn the volume in this way to drive my SE310.





 My bag for carrying outside, if go to school, I put this pag into my backpack.





 Enough places for putting the awesome cable and A2, also the Zen Head.





 Close up to the green light, I wish I can change to the blue one, it must be awesome.





 Close up to the phones part.





 C&C XO and Zen Head together.


----------



## Podtweaker

I know I'm confusing threads at this point ,but with the preceeding photos I felt compelled to pass this on(I know, "Get on with it,already!) One of the easiest ways to bundle your DAP to your portable amp is to just use one of the sports armbands designed for the indiviual players. Slip the player into it's compartment close up the armband tight enough( you may have shorten the armband or re-route it some) to hold the player snug to the amp & bingo, bango, boingo you're done. If you use different players this arrangement is the easiest way to accomplish things because the armbands were specifically designed for the player you will be using it with. While this arrangement is, not be the most elegant way to bundle things it will work quite well without expending much brainpower which can now be used for more important things.( Like describing how the Zen Head sounds, which I plan on doing down the road a bit ). Happy listening.


----------



## HiFlight

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *wuwhere* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_HiFlight,

 Since you have both P3 and ZH1, I'm curious how their SQ compares. TIA._

 

This is perhaps premature, as I have only a few hours on my P3, and still have the same opamps that were installed by iBasso, but at this point, I prefer the sound of the ZH1 over the P3. Maybe because of the superb crossfeed. At any rate, the soundstage and imaging of the ZH-1 is better than that of the P3. 

 The P3 is an amp that will take lots of time to discover the optimum combinations of LR, buffer, and ground opamps. 

 It is the ultimate in customizable portable amps, no question about it.


----------



## HiFlight

I just began getting audible distortion on my ZH-1, so I removed the battery and measured the remaining voltage. It was 5.91 volts. I didn't keep track of the hours. 

 I replaced the alkaline with a Ultralife lithium cell. It was a tight fit but I was able to get the battery cover on without problems. 

 Distortion GONE!


----------



## HiFlight

Duplicate post removed.


----------



## wuwhere

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *HiFlight* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_This is perhaps premature, as I have only a few hours on my P3, and still have the same opamps that were installed by iBasso, but at this point, I prefer the sound of the ZH1 over the P3. Maybe because of the superb crossfeed. At any rate, the soundstage and imaging of the ZH-1 is better than that of the P3. 

 The P3 is an amp that will take lots of time to discover the optimum combinations of LR, buffer, and ground opamps. 

 It is the ultimate in customizable portable amps, no question about it._

 

Thanks HiFlight.

 I look forward to your future observations and experiences write ups of the P3.

 As a jazz listener, I highly value soundstaging and imaging, of which the ZH1 excels at. I am also attracted at the flexibility that the P3 offers. If the P3 can come close to the ZH1's soundstaging and imaging with the right opamp, it would be my choice.


----------



## Podtweaker

HiFlight, Thanks for the tip on the Ultralife battery . I've been leaving it on & playing music through it at medium volume to burn it in while I've been at work since about Monday aternoon when I got my Zen Head . Tonight when I got home from work I heard the audible distortion as soon as I put my headphones on. I don't have any new 9v batteries (That's not going to happen again, or at least I won't admit to it) lying around . I wasn't sure that Lithium 9s existed & I definitely prefer them so this is welcome info. The crossfeed is a very nice feature & tastefully implemented in this amp from what I've heard from it so far. I actually picked this amp over the RSA Hornet because of the omission of crossfeed in the Hornet. I much prefered the sound of my starter HeadRoom amp w/ the crossfeed on to it being off . At some point I may decide I like it off , but I like having the flexability to choose. I can't believe I didn't buy some spare 9volts as I knew I would be burning the ZH in. What a 'maroon' !


----------



## yashicaman

Louis249,

 Great photos, thanks. Just spent an hour listening to music for a class that I'm going to teach tomorrow and I used my AKG 271s headphones. They are really fine. Perhaps the smoothest, most accurate phones I've heard. Well worth having in one's arsenal. I like them for music and film (and I like that they are closed so I can take 'em anywhere and everywhere). They work well with the Zen Head, btw. 

 I also was amused to see in one of the dvd's that I was examining, the musicians were all wearing AKG headphones. How cool is that? I'm wearing AKG and the people on the dvd are wearing AKG. Maybe there is something to AKG. After much thought, my favourite cans are the AKG 271s and then Grado 325i's which is a very different animal. Now that I have favourites, it's time to buy another set of cans. Hmmmm....AKG 601? 701? I dunno. I'll wait a few months before I acquire something else.

 Cheers!


----------



## Podtweaker

Well tonight I've finally been able to spend some quality listening time w/ my Zen Head and anyone who thinks that they are going to get this quality of sound straight from their player by upgrading their headphones may be seriously deluding themselves. If you listen to classical music you need to hear this amp. Right now I'm listening to a re-issue of Hyperion release (on their Helios label) of Three English Ballet Suites . Firstly , the staging is simply wonderful. The different sections of English Northern Philharmonia stand in relief of each other as if there is an ongoing melodious dialogue amongst themselves. I guess if was trying to describe what soundstaging was to someone who hadn't been exposed to representative recordings I think it might just be easier to let them listen as I pointed out things to listen to. Before I forget, the lack of solid state hardness in the upper frequencies is very natural sounding. At this point describing more of what I'm hearing is becoming too much of a chore because these nice little tidbits of music are distracting me. I'll end by saying the amp has stayed totally out of the way of the playback of a very well recorded & fun recording. Can you tell I like this amp ?


----------



## HiFlight

Well spoken, Pod...well spoken. The Zen Head is a classical lovers dream!


----------



## Podtweaker

So HiFlight.., have you started thinking about an easy way to remove those tight fitting Ultralife batteries we're using . I didn't use common sense and wrap a piece of ribbon around it. Nevermind , it was'nt as difficult to remove as I would have believed it to be. It's always good to check things out though. While I'm here I'll add a few more observations that I didn't mention last night. One of the things I like about the ZHs presentation of sound is that played instruments have 'body' or 'weight' to their sound even if the music is being played softly. More often than not w/ most equipment this level of detail does'nt become evident until you start increasing the volume which then ends up obscuring inner detail when the orchestra plays at forte levels. Steve has done a real nice job w/ this amp & when I decide to get a pre-amp for my main audio system I may have to see what he has .


----------



## recephasan

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *yashicaman* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I also was amused to see in one of the dvd's that I was examining, the musicians were all wearing AKG headphones. How cool is that? 
 Cheers!_

 

I never heard them, so this is by no means about whether they're good or bad, but the main reason AKG is used in studios is their 600ohm impedance, which prevents overload on the hp outputs of the mixer boards.


----------



## Podtweaker

I may have been a little hasty in judging that I needed to switch the gain setting on my ZH to high in order to drive my Beyerdynamic DT770/PRO 80ohm hps sufficently enough. I kept forgetting to check the volume setting on my Zune. It appears that the sound is considerably more dynamic if the Zune volume is at maximum( I really wish someone would figure out a way to get a true line-out from these players & as I keep saying I don't see why someone hasn't figured out how to make the headphone out function as one. Isn't that how the original Imod worked?). I've since moved the gain switch back to its original setting. Another thing that I've considered is, could the increase in volume have anything to do w/ the change to the Ultralife lithium 9v ? The volume adjustment range(on the amp) appears to be a bit more flexable now. The tonality of this amp is wildly good . While listening to a live performance recording of David Wilcox(Live Songs & Stories) I can clearly detect the sweet treble of his James Olson guitar has the same tonal character of James Taylor's guitar (which in many instances is also an Olson* guitar) (* forgive me if I've misspelled the last name as the name is a Luthier's bread & butter). That's all for now. Good listening everyone. "No, Stephen" he says to himself "You are not upgrading your headphones". Well not yet anyway


----------



## kimura

tube?/? but looks good, any reviews??


----------



## Podtweaker

It's been pretty quite on this thread this week. I have been purposely standing back in regards to this thread as I don't want to appear that I'm trying to dominate the conversation w/ the countless superlatives I've been throwing towards this amp. One thing I have noticed though is the sound is much more relaxed now & its getting to the point were even if I don't recognize the chamber piece or concerto I can pick out the recording label pretty consistently from the "house sound" that the different recording labels normally have. I have two recordings that are definitely not up to par w/ most of my other recordings whose flaws are even more evident as they should be. Oh, one other thing ,which I will mention before I get long winded as I normally do. I decided that my initial change of settings (10k imped & high gain) work better for me. With these settings I'm able to keep my Zunes (more than one) at half volume with no decrease in dynamics & have a very large adjustable range of volume w/ the Zen Head. I know a few other posters received their Zen Heads about the same time mine came. It's your turn fellas, don't make us come knock on your door asking why you haven't checked back in. Good listening & goodnight !(One other thing I should mention As detailed as this amp is it is much easier to detect where the violins are placed in the orchestras as opposed to the violists because you can hear the violinists breatheing . Why you ask? because as we all know violas & violins are actually the same size they just appear to be different due to the fact violinists have larger heads)


----------



## ZenTriode

Skeptic writes:

_Clearly, if it struggles with a 250 ohm Beyer, you do have to worry about impedance and synergy, just like with every other headamp. 300 ohm Senn's or 600 ohm Beyer Manufacturer's are also going to require mods, etc._

 Actually the issue described with some phones is the cable capacitance, not the impedance. The ZH1 has no issues with high impedance phones, in fact I've been using one at my bench to drive one of my tube amps (100K input impedance) with an IPOD Touch making it possible to listen to Pandora, and internet radio without getting constantly distracted by it's sonic faults. The ZenHead uses a 100 ohm resistor in series with the output jack (with a 10K shunt to ground) that generally improves the sound (at least to me) with most phones but makes it a bit more sensitive to cable capacitance. So if you have a set of phones that gives you static or pre-mature distortion and it's not a function of the internal switch settings on the ZH1 or low battery then you have a cable capacitance issue. I didn't expect this to be a problem having testing it with a wide variety of great headphones, but what I've noticed is that many audiophiles have upgraded cables to after market types of which some are rather high capacitance. I am looking into a possible rev 5 board for the ZH-1 that would include one more switch to bypass the 100ohm resistor. Most phones would work in either setting but the signature of the phones would change slightly from one setting to the other - might be another nice tweak.






 Fort_Worth_Keith wrote:

_Steve told me that he had lowered the impedance on his Beyer DT 880s prior to developing the Zen Head by replacing the cables. I think its an honest mistake on his part. _

 Actually, I said I had lowered the capacitance. When I got my 880's the cable didn't impress me compared to my 770 PROs so I cut it off after a few days and replaced it. Then when I got your headphones in the shop with the stock cable I found out it had some capacitance that irritated the ZH-1, hence the jumper wire installation. 





 PodTweaker writes:

_Why you ask? because as we all know violas & violins are actually the same size they just appear to be different due to the fact violinists have larger heads)
_
 Sorry, but I just couldn't stop laughing 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			






 Final note:

 I have updated the owner's manual on the web site. To prevent confusion, the ZH2 was a prototype that was an attempt to best the ZH1. It has never actually gone into production and none have ever been shipped. With the evolution of the ZH1 there is no possibility that ZH2's will ever go into production. (_Often when I feel a design is ready to sell last minute self doubt always moves me to see If I can make something better, hence the ZH2. This either restores my confidence or creates a better product._)

 BTW, I feel after reading some of the reviews in this thread that "they get it" with regards to how I voiced the ZenHead and it's gratifying to see other people appreciate the subtleties of a design. Thank you!


----------



## Podtweaker

Is that you Steve ?, if it is thanks for checking in. One question while you're here . I have my 770/Pro 80s about 3 months & my Zen Head about 3 weeks & the 770s have never sounded better, but they still appear just a touch "dry" (& I do mean just a touch) in their presentation of upper octave material. Does that character change a bit as the phones age a bit more. Overall, I would have to say I really love the way this combo places clear solid images in the recording depending upon how well the production team did their jobs. I can't remember how many years ago there was a book written by Laura Dearborn titled 'Good Sound' were she discusses what constitutes a 'representative recording' as opposed to other methodologies of recording. I find it pretty fantastic that I have a portable setup that allows me a look into these efforts! Now if we could only get you designer guys to make us a real player to use as a source... Thank you !


----------



## ZenTriode

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Podtweaker* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Is that you Steve ?, if it is thanks for checking in. One question while you're here . I have my 770/Pro 80s about 3 months & my Zen Head about 3 weeks & the 770s have never sounded better, but they still appear just a touch "dry" (& I do mean just a touch) in their presentation of upper octave material. Does that character change a bit as the phones age a bit more._

 

3 months isn't a terribly long time... broken in yes, seasoned no. My guess is that you'll see more change in the Zenhead in the coming months than you will in the headphones.

 Steve


----------



## Podtweaker

That is pretty much what I thought, & I was really nit-picking a bit about the 770s . Last night I was listening to some things & I had to ask myself if the 770s weren't doing somethings as well as my AKG 701s. I haven't tried my 701s because I've mis-placed my 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor that came w/ them. I remember looking at the adaptor when I got the phones a few years back & saying to myself "Boy, that kinds of silly idea!" having never heard any source components that I thought would warrant using quality headphones with. What's that saying about you live & learn ? Well, I'm learning, & enjoying things immensely in the process.


----------



## yashicaman

Podtweaker,

 I'm sitting at my computer listening to Pink Floyd on my Philips Ipod clone with Zen Head on and a lovely pair of AKG 701's as my can de jure. I wonder how much sound stage a chap can take before he passes out from sheer delight. I'm reveling in a sonorous soundscape of immense proportions. I am pleased. Anyway, it's certainly worth a whirl. 

 I'm listening to Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother...now I've switched to Varese's "Ionization." Very terrific this. On to "Ameriques." Oh this Varese fellow is quite good. Almost as good as Zappa. Or John Cage. Or Messiean. Or even Heitor Villa Lobos. Or better yet Elvis. 

 So far so good with the 701's and the Zen Head via Philips. You might want to find an adaptor. This should not be missed. Even your polka albums will take on a new lease on life. Hey, even my polka albums sound good now.

 Still, the best I've heard from the Zen Head and Philips is when I put on my Grado 325i's. There is magic here. Nice synergy. And I need synergy as I've decided that I'm a pirate metal fan (at least for a couple weeks before I get back to serious country music).

 Cheers!


----------



## Podtweaker

Yashicaman, I did find the adaptor & the 701s did indeed sound wonderfull but(& I hope what I'm about to relay is not viewed as a "one upmanship" story) I went out yesterday & auditioned (& ended up getting) a pair of phones I like a bit better, the Denon AH-D5000s. I had remembered that I had given them a short listen when I went to audition my AKG 701s I liked them but I didn't really do much of comparison as I didn't really want to spend that much (about $700 at that time) so I got the 701s with absolutely no regrets. I don't know what posessed to go back & re-audition the D5000s(actually it was the store demo price, which is still more than what I paid for the 701s but I can't help myself!) My impression of them is that they retain the openness of the 701s but along w/ that level of transparency they have warmth to them that slightly eludes the open back designs. I will continue to go back & forth w/ them for a while to see if my impressions about the level of transparency remains the same. Quite obviously different recordings may sound better on one pair or the other due to different recording techniques or to be more honest better engineering & production of the various labels. I'm sorry to have bored some of you w/ this discussion about cans on the portable amp forum. To get back on track the dealer I went was pretty blown away by my Zen Head amp I took w/ me to audition things. It seems a couple of his customers are head-fiers & we talked a little about all the talk about the RSA amps. His comment was that he thought this amp was at least the equal of the RSA pieces he'd heard & he might like this amp a little bit more!


----------



## yashicaman

Podtweaker,

 Headphones and amps go together like mashed potatoes and gravy (or, for that matter, peanut butter and jelly). Oh yes, I must add the music player and the music itself. Anyway, when I get a chance, I will auditon the Denon AH-D5000's. There is a giant list of headphones and headphone amps that I'd love to audition. Should try to get to a meet.

 Cheers!


----------



## Podtweaker

To everyone out there who has this amp if want to hear some magic you absolutely have to hear your Zen Head ZH1 w/ a pair of Denon AH-D5000s. In an earlier post I described the tone of the James Olson acoustic guitar that David Wilcox is playing in a live recording. I don't know how many of you may be aware of the sound characteristics of different size acoustic guitars & in some cases the sound of double basses & cellos, in certain registers, can be mistaken for one another. Well, listening to the Wilcox recording again w/ the Denon phones you can hear that the guitar being played is not a dreadnought sized instrument but a slightly smaller size instrument due to the fact that the string sound is more balanced from the lower strings through the treble strings, whereas a dreadnought sized instrument will sound a little bit 'chestier' sounding. In other words the sense of scale is very easily discernable through this combo. I suppose I get too wrapped up in details ,but sometimes these details won't let me ignore them due to the fact that most playback of recorded music is very easy to semi-listen to. More often than not, listening w/ these pieces, I find it easier to ignore everything else.


----------



## thread

I'm curious how this amp performs with the UE11. I read folks using Shure IEMs with it, but the UE11 is extremely sensitive and I'm wondering if there would be any audible noise coming from this amp.

 It sounds like the Zen Head is better suited for full size headphones. Would it not be the right choice for an IEM user?


----------



## trickywombat

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *thread* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I'm curious how this amp performs with the UE11. I read folks using Shure IEMs with it, but the UE11 is extremely sensitive and I'm wondering if there would be any audible noise coming from this amp._

 

The UE-11 sounds fantastic with the Zen.

 Personally, I tend to listen to music at a lower volume, so for me the Zen was too loud even on low gain/high impedance. Steve can fix this if you request a lower gain.


----------



## mrarroyo

I had an opportunity to use the Zen portable amp yesterday at the Tampa Meet thanks to HiFlight.

 I used three cans: AT ESW9, AT ESW10jpn, and Ultrasone PROline 2500. All were driven very nicely and I did not go higher than 9-10 o'clock on volume. The source was an iPod Classic.

 However, portable it is not, transportable yes.


----------



## Luckyleo

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *mrarroyo* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_I had an opportunity to use the Zen portable amp yesterday at the Tampa Meet thanks to HiFlight.

 I used three cans: AT ESW9, AT ESW10jpn, and Ultrasone PROline 2500. All were driven very nicely and I did not go higher than 9-10 o'clock on volume. The source was an iPod Classic.

 However, portable it is not, transportable yes._

 

Sorry I couldn't go up there with you but the NASCAR race was great. Glad to hear that you were able to try this amp. How would you rate it? Can you compare to the Reference and the SR-71 and/or (A).

 Thanks

 Leo


----------



## mrarroyo

Leo, I did not test it with the level of detail to compare it. Meets are not that conductive to extensive nor detailed comparisons.

 Besides, I would not use it as a portable amp and I do not need a home SS unit. For portable I would stay w/ a MiniBox-E+, Reference, D3, or SR71.


----------



## Luckyleo

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *mrarroyo* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Leo, I did not test it with the level of detail to compare it. Meets are not that conductive to extensive nor detailed comparisons.

 Besides, I would not use it as a portable amp and I do not need a home SS unit. For portable I would stay w/ a MiniBox-E+, Reference, D3, or SR71._

 

Fair enough! Thanks for the update.


----------



## AmanGeorge

Wow... just got mine yesterday, let it break in for about 30 hours... this thing is an absolute marvel. The sense of air is so beautiful and tangible, and the fullness of the bass really wonderful (I am appreciating bass on my ER4P for the first time!). It is definitely colored, but sounds really stunning paired with something neutral like these Etys... look forward to getting my DT880s this week and seeing what the combo can do!


----------



## RIDE

Right on AmanGeorge! Glad you're enjoying that beauty!

 RIDE


----------



## AmanGeorge

I am indeed enjoying it, although "beauty" it is not... I don't care too much about aesthetics, but it is a shame that this thing is ugly as sin. Given how well-built it is, and the excellence of the fit and finish, it is somewhat disappointing that there wasn't effort put into making the Zen Head at least somewhat visually appealing.

 I can't argue with the sonic results, though! Will post impressions later this week of my new Zen Head + DT880 combination.


----------



## AmanGeorge

Uf... 24-hour love affair officially over. 

 The distortion that is coming through on my DT880s is remarkably unpleasant. I just ran out and bought a bunch of different batteries (neither CVS nor Giant carried Ultralife, sadly - I'll try that next opportunity I get) and I haven't been able to shake it.

 I will say that as much as I loved the sound I was getting yesterday evening through my Etymotics, this amp feels a little too much like a prototype. The lack of attention to aesthetics and hastily slapped on piece of felt to keep the battery in place I'd be able to forgive (especially given the sound when it's working!), but this distortion issue is a little absurd. Do I just have to use expensive Ultralife batteries indefinitely because rechargables won't work and there's no way to connect this thing to AC power? 

 Awful.


----------



## HiFlight

You might check out the following post regarding distortion on certain headphones due to capacitances issues. This is fixable.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f105/n...ml#post4742609


----------



## AmanGeorge

Hey HiFlight,

 Do you have a link? I'm looking for these comments on the Decware website to no avail.

 Thanks!


----------



## AmanGeorge

Oh never mind, I'm an idiot.


----------



## Skylab

Just contact Steve at Decware. He will take care of you.


----------



## AmanGeorge

I sent Steve an email, thanks for the advice.

 And I did more listening with the Etys... truly awesome.


----------



## AmanGeorge

Got my Zen Head back from Steve yesterday - many compliments to him on really great and extremely fast customer service. The amp now works distortion-free with my DT880s, and I am very happy with the results. The amp's warmth is a great match for these headphones as it was for my Etys. The ability to deliver lots of great-quality bass relaxes the sound without sacrificing detail and brings out the best in these cans!


----------



## Signal2Noise

I just ordered one of these. Skylab's (and others') review piqued my interest in this one. Even though the Zen Head is ranked roughly mid of the pack it meets all the criteria I'm looking for sound-wise. So hopefully I'll see/hear in a few days.


----------



## EFN

Zen Head is definitely on my list as well. Steve is a tubes guy so it is natural that this amp should have stellar synergy with the ER-4


----------



## Skylab

The Zen head is definitely more than middle of the pack. The differences between the top amps in terms of overall performance are subtle. The ZenHead does have a slightly warm, "tubey" sonic signature. It's really a great amp.


----------



## Keppel

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *AmanGeorge* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Awful._

 

Why would they put such a shabby opamp in it, _and then not socket it?_ This makes no sense to me. If the amp was socketed, it could be changed out for whatever. It seems like a lot was sacrificed to keep down the cost of materials. (Too bad that's not reflected in the retail price!) They can keep it.


----------



## Azoth

I would be curious how zenhead would work with AKG k701 or the Grado G1000


----------



## Jdogg

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.


----------



## Signal2Noise

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.


----------



## Signal2Noise

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).


----------



## Jdogg

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.


----------



## Signal2Noise

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.


----------



## EFN

Dang I must have a listen to this amp. One way or another I will get one...


----------



## Jdogg

I bought mine in December but unfortunately it was stolen last week from me at work 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. 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.


----------



## Jdogg

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.


----------



## EFN

A unit of Zen Head should be heading towards me soon. I plan to do a comprehensive review on this amp. Sounds like a sleeper with surprises


----------



## Signal2Noise

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.


----------



## Jdogg

Yeah me too. I'd like to see if what I was hearing is in line with your expirience with the Zen Head.


----------



## EFN

*Signal2Noise & Jdogg:*
 Yep...just wait and see. I am anxious now LOL!


----------



## pinoyman

subscribed!
   
  is this really a good amp compared to ibasso?
  id like to use this for my ue700/sr325is and sm3.


----------



## alphaphoenix

^You do realize that you just subscribed to a 2+ year old thread?


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## audionewbi

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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## HPDJ

Best to call up Decware and ask Steve (the owner) questions directly...he is very responsive once you get him on the phone..
   
  There are quite a few options in the portable amp world since this amp first hit the scene (I have no experience with this amp or any portable amps fyi)...I know ALO sells an amp with an actual tube in it. But call Steve when you have a sec 
   
  -H


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## Haidar

Anyone compared the Portaphile 627 to the Zen Head?


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## Sonicmasala

Any bros using the zen head with a Ocharaku Kuro?


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## starstern

anyone compared a decware amp to theorem or portaphile or dacport  or alo panam  or neko or fostex or woo audio ??


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