Entry level tube amp for ZMF

The perceived “value” of a tube amp varies dramatically per the person and specific equipment combination. There are numerous discussions of tube amps on this site, many dating back several years (see examples below). Some people split tube amp quality between $500 to $1,000 hybrid or entry-level OTLs vs. the $2,500+ price class.

I own a Lyr 3 ($500 when new) and a $3K Decware Zen Taboo Mk IV. I also built a Bottlehead Crack ($500 value), and have experience with quite a few others.

Is the Decware better than my other amps? Absolutely, and very very obviously better. Is it worth it? To me, yes.

I lump tube amps into three rough buckets:

  1. Street price <$250. As likely to disappoint as impress. They cut many corners but do provide a taste of tubes. They can have strange artifacts or be flat out weird.

  2. Street price of $500 to $1,000. These often sound decent until you move up. If you won’t try better products you may not notice, but if you do go up you may not willingly return. My Lyr 3 has a relatively narrow stage, limited frequency range, and it doesn’t reveal much detail. But, I honestly liked it back in the day.

  3. Street price >$2,000. The builders start spending real money on esoteric materials, and they use premium transformers and capacitors. They have a budget for QC and item-by-item testing/component matching. IMO, the quality differences in this tier follow from using better parts and QC as much as being “fully tube.”

Sample discussions:

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