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OWNERS MANUAL
MANUAL NO. 01
REV. DATE: 2/2008
START UP CONTINUED
OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS and IMPEDANCE
The Zen amp uses proprietary transformers.
It's output transformers are wound on
grain oriented silicon steel & nickel cores.
They are the results of years of
R&D and are one of the substantial secrets behind the success of this amplifier.
A couple things are different when compared to most other tube amps.
First, the
outputs (secondary windings that connect to the speakers) are floating with no
reference to ground.
Most amplifiers require that the negative speaker output be
tied to ground.
The Zen amp will work in either configuration meaning that if
you did connect the negative speaker jack of each channel together, or each to
ground, the amplifier will still work fine.
The advantage of floating the out-
puts as we have is tied directly to 3D imaging and sound stage palpability.
The acceptable speakers should fall between 2 and 8 ohms.
There is no need to
worry about changing the amp when changing speakers loads, for the amp it's auto-
matic.
In several cases where higher efficiency drivers are used (100dB 1w/1m)
it is possible to get good results with 16 ohm speakers as well.
Just remember that the amp will increase in power as the speaker load (ohms) de-
crease.
That means between a 4 ohm speaker and an 8 ohm speaker of the same
rated efficiency, the 4 ohm speaker will play louder on a Zen amp.
Unlike a solid state amplifier, it is OK to short the speaker wires together ac-
cidentally or on purpose.
If for some reason the amplifier was on with the vol-
ume all the way up and the CD player on with no speakers attached, having the
speaker outputs shorted together will actually protect the amp from possible dam-
age to the output transformers.
With most tube amps, this scenario would immedi-
ately damage the output transformers making shorting of the outputs mandatory
when a speaker is not connected.
But once again, the Zen amp is overbuilt and 2
watts is not enough to damage it's transformers under any condition.
I don't know about you, but in my years as an audio nut, I've blown up a thing or
two by accident...
It's nice to know that it is impossible to blow up your speak-
ers and impossible to blow up the amplifier so it will never happen again.
www.decware.com
MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRODUCT CAN BE FOUND ON
tm
DECWARE
High Fidelity Engineering Co.
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