A little light on the subject. I have been using a Zen Triode SE84C+ since 2008. Using the original SV83 (Russian 6N15N) output tubes and rolling the 5U4 and the 6N1P for flavor changes.
The amp didn't cost me much new in 2008. It has been solid and reliable for the years I have used it.
Is it the holy grail and worth all the press? Well it all depends. The amp has very little horsepower and almost no torque, but what can you expect from 2 wpc. With the right speakers it is a remarkable amp with considerable inner detail, air and what seems to be faithful timbre. I have always had a Music Reference RM-5 in front of it and experimented with several speakers As has been noted, speaker efficiency is the key and Decware has been pretty clear about that in their Owner's Manual and advertising.
Two speakers that did not come to life are Dynaudio Focus 110 (86db) and Ohm Micro Tall (87db). Both these did well on higher output tube and SS amps.
With that in mind I moved on to higher efficiency speakers. I started with home brew OB and TL using Fostex FE-127E and FF-165WK. Both at around 93 db from their spec. sheets. Things started to happen. The more efficient drivers paired well with the amp, but there were still issues. The mids and highs were very nice, lots of detail, great on voices, but little bass dynamics. These speakers were more efficient and delivered a much fuller sound than the less efficient speakers, but if the little amp was ever to deliver, these speakers were not its forever partners. Before throwing in the towel I gave it a couple more shots.
Saba Greencone 19-200-5298 I don't remember their efficiency spec., but they are very efficient. In a TL enclosure driven by the Decware they were amazing. The detail and timbre made the hair on my neck stand up. The Zen Triode and this driver were made for each other. There was still a lack of real bass, but the midrange, the attack and the air was remarkable. I tried other amps to see if the magic was still there. Mac MC-60, W4S ST-500, Elekit TU-8200R and Hafler DH-220. These are clearly not the world's finest amps, but they do a pretty good job. The magic was gone. I came to the conclusion that the Zen Triode was a remarkably enjoyable amp if you have the right speakers. I feel that the amp is more dependent on speaker selection than are other amps. The Sabas sounded wonderful, but for my everyday listening they just were not going to do.. I loved the little amp, but it just didn't have the right speakers. So I unplugged it and nested between 2 MC-60's for comfort and let it rest.
Then I started to see lots of chatter about the Klipsch RP-600M. That was just not a speaker that I could live with. Forte maybe, but a little horn loaded tweeter might burn out my ears. The amp was great, but where were the right speakers. I just don't have the space or cash for the speakers this it needs.
Along come Herb Reichert and Steve Guttenberg, who both make reference to the Zen Triode and the RP-600M matchup. So what the heck if I burn my ears out I can just sell the speakers and amp and give up on the quest. Then RP-600M II appears on the scene with some revision to the older model. So i bought a pair, dusted off the Zen and unplugged the Macs.
Bingo-they like each other. All that I had enjoyed from higher efficiency speakers was still there, but now there was bass and more slam. They are still playing well together.
So What!
Well the Zen Trade is a wonderful amp if you find the right speakers. It is simple, very well built and fairly priced. I have found the right mate for it and enjoy the matching. I don't think that I would wait two years for a new one, since there are lots of very fine amps on the shelf. You will likely pay more, get it sooner and have fewer speaker compatability concerns.
Do I like it? YES Is it a keeper? YES Is it worth the hype? Nothing is.
