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The output tubes have a glass temperature of 200 degrees centigrade by design, and you
can be assured that they will be that hot if you touch them or your cat decides to lick one.
The last heat related comment is this - turn your amp off when your not using it. Tube life
is directly tied to hours of operation so there is no point wasting it when your not listening.
INITIAL BREAK-IN EXPERIENCE
Unfortunately the esoteric parts in this amplifier need to break-in. The combination of a
fast amplifier and fresh parts can be a little rude so we will explain the process.
Specifically it is the exotic capacitors that actually require the burn-in to sound right. The
fastest way to achieve a burn-in is to play the amplifier for 5 hours and then turn it off and
let it rest for 5 hours. Once you have repeated this process 5 times your soundstage will
bloom and the focus will begin to lock into a crystal clear image.
If you listen to your amp during the burn-in process this is what you will experience: First
the amp will sound good followed by almost an immediate increase in harshness which af-
ter 30 minutes will change to dullness and continue to go back and forth. During this mind
bending experience the imaging and soundstage will be unstable and somewhat restricted.
There will be moments of incredible sound during this process and equally ugly sound. You
will know when the amp is burned-in because out of nowhere some night when your listen-
ing the amp will bloom with a soundstage almost double in size and forever stay that way
in all successive listening sessions. As you amplifier ages, it will season like fine wine and
continue to do so for many years. An amplifier that is a couple years old almost always
sounds superior to a brand new one assuming both are using a fresh set of tubes.
DESIGN GOAL
The design goal behind this amplifier was simply to take our stock Zen Triode platform and
push the envelope of its design to the limit. It uses many of the same parts as found in our
other amps and is every bit the equal in fidelity. Unquestionably this single ended pentode
amplifier is completely at home in head to head comparisons with any SET (Single ended
Triode) amps including our own.
Since you only hear the weakest link in a high end audio system, you will find the quality
of your source and cables as well as your speakers to effect profound changes in the over-
all fidelity of your system. This amplifier will show you the weak links in your system and
because of it's resolution some of the weak links may come as a real surprise to you. Point
is your Taboo is not likely to ever be the weak link in your system provided you have sen-
sitive speakers that don't require gobs of power to sound good.
Like the stock Zen amp, this is intended for those who like to get lost in a huge 3-D image
and experience the emotional side of music that only this type of resolution can accurately
convey without grain or ear fatigue. It is not intended for loud playback levels, or parties.
Unless of course you have full range horn speakers around 100dB
efficiency in which case you can have both. We recommend 4 to 16 ohm speakers at least
90dB 1w/1m for most listening. Small live rooms (12 x 14 for example) or nearfield listen-
ing setups can work with speakers below 90dB. On speakers that are 96dB, the Taboo
takes you to a new level approaching live music and dynamics that would make you think
you've got a hundreds watts or more. Always strive for more efficient speakers if you're
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