Decware TORII Mk II User manual

OPERATION MANUAL
Model TORII Mk II
ZEN DUAL MONO PUSH PULL AMPLIFIER
MANUFACTURED by DECWARE / High Fidelity Engineering Co.
1202 N.E. Adams Street, Peoria IL 61603
USA
www.decware.com

GETTING STARTED
IMPORTANT:
TUBES MUST BE INSTALLED IN THE CORRECT LOCATIONS!
Refer to diagram on page 2
IMPORTANT:
OUTPUT TUBES MUST BE MATCHED PAIRS FOR EACH CHANNEL
Your amp will come with matched tubes. Check the base of each tube for
the letters A and B. Put both output tubes marked A in one channel and
both output tubes marked B in the other channel.
IMPORTANT:
HAVE SPEAKERS HOOKED UP TO THE AMP AND
THE MASTER GAIN CONTROL TURNED FULLY COUNTER-CLOCKWISE
BEFORE TURNING ON THE AMP.
IMPORTANT:
THE OA3 TUBES LOCATED IN THE FRONT NEAREST THE
MASTER GAIN CONTROL DO NOT GET HOT.
These tubes may be touched during operation and you are likely to touch
them when you adjust the volume which is no problem. All of the other
tubes DO GET HOT and care should be taken not to touch them when
they are on to avoid burns.
IMPORTANT:
OA3 TUBES TAKE BETWEEN 2 and 10 SECONDS TO COME ON.
After the power is turned on, there will be a delay before the OA3 tube
lights. OA3 tubes are no longer made. They last the longest when they
are left on for at least 20 minutes before turning off. NOTE: The OA3
tube is also a clipping indicator allowing you to see when the amp is
starting to clip by observing when the OA3 tube flickers.

OPERATION NOTES:
This is a dual mono amplifier. The only thing common to both sides is the chassis and
the removable power cord jack and integrated 5 amp fuse.
It is common practice to power up one side, then the other as opposed to turning on
both sides at the exact same time.
The amplifier ships with top quality matched EL34’s for the output tubes. These gener-
ally have the warmest tone and smoothest top end.
6550’s can also be used. Headroom increases slightly, speed increases as does detail.
KT88’s can also be used. We like the JJ brand the best for it’s unique signature. Expect
added depth and openness in the base with more linear base response . These are
ideal with loudspeakers that have widely peaked impedance curves such as some horns
because they minimize the bass boom.
The 5U4 rectifier can be exchanged for the 5AR4 and even a 5Y3GT. All three sound
good in this amplifier. The 5U4 has the best headroom.
The 9 pin input tube (6922) can be exchanged with either a 6N1P or 6DJ8. 6N1P’s are
the warmest and smoothest, 6922’s have the best dynamics, 6DJ8’s have a more airy
sound with less weight.
The treble controls, one for each channel, are there so you can tweak the top end for
any given combination of source and speaker. Most of the time this control ends up
somewhere between 3/4 and all the way up. These controls are not in the signal path.
The speaker impedance switches allow you to change between the 4 ohm tap and the 8
ohm tap while you listen. Choose the one that sounds best. You amp can also be or-
dered with the switch wired for 8 and 16 ohms. The higher impedance is always to-
wards the back.
Output tubes should be tested or changed once a year.
Decent power cords and isolation transformers/power conditioners make a large differ-
ence with an amplifier that is this transparent. Speaker cables and interconnects are
equally important. Don’t handicap your amplifier with a weak link.
My personal cell phone for day or evening calls—[phone] Steve Deckert
This amplifier comes with a lifetime warranty to the original owner with
90 days on tubes.
Manufactured by Decware High Fidelity Engineering Co.
1202 N.E. Adams Street
Peoria IL 61603
[phone]
www.decware.com