Is Decware worth the investment

A few observations from a casual Decware observer (and owner, but not of this amp):

1. Decware amps come with a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser.
2. They hold their value far better than most.
3. They're easy to resell.

None of these are be all/end all, obviously, but they are factors to consider.



The supply vs. demand thing definitely plays into factors 2 and 3.
The warranty is void if you change the coupling caps. Decware is silent on that. My experience with Steve is very negative.

If I had $4k to use for an amp I would look elsewhere.
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
I was -- I guess -- a little confused by the first post to this thread. This Decware amplifier itself is four thousand smackers?
That's... nuts.
I saw a Perry Mason episode the other day where Della Street was impressed by a retainer check for 2000 "clams". Mason corrected her saying that the appropriate unit is dollars when over $1000. I am sure the legal precedent Mason cited also applied to "smackers" and other similar terms. I do not know if the threshold has to be adjusted for inflation since 1958.

A Decware amp for 4000 dollars is... nuts.
 
I saw a Perry Mason episode the other day where Della Street was impressed by a retainer check for 2000 "clams". Mason corrected her saying that the appropriate unit is dollars when over $1000. I am sure the legal precedent Mason cited also applied to "smackers" and other similar terms. I do not know if the threshold has to be adjusted for inflation since 1958.

A Decware amp for 4000 dollars is... nuts.
Della Street... well, she was... of the street, after all... ;)

Yeah, adjusted for inflation, I could probably still get away with smackers or Samoleums as the currency unit for entry-level Beemers. ;)
... but I digress...
:confused: :redface:
 
The warranty is void if you change the coupling caps. Decware is silent on that. My experience with Steve is very negative.
While I have no doubt you knew exactly what you were doing when you changed caps some owners might not have the first clue and end up just mucking things up. That, I would guess, would be the reason for this policy, one I suspect is shared by lots of manufacturers. There's no question, though, that something like this should be stated upfront in the clearest possible terms. If Steve's warranty didn't do that then I definitely understand your, um, what shall we call it, lack of enthusiasm.

This Decware amplifier itself is four thousand smackers?
That's... nuts.
Well, I wouldn't pay this much, so I guess I must be sane. (This is good news, trust me.)
 
While I have no doubt you knew exactly what you were doing when you changed caps some owners might not have the first clue and end up just mucking things up. That, I would guess, would be the reason for this policy, one I suspect is shared by lots of manufacturers. There's no question, though, that something like this should be stated upfront in the clearest possible terms. If Steve's warranty didn't do that then I definitely understand your, um, what shall we call it, lack of enthusiasm.


Well, I wouldn't pay this much, so I guess I must be sane. (This is good news, trust me.)
I'm not sure a diagnosis of sanity from someone like me counts for much, though... y'know?
 
Don't pat yourself on the back too long... you are here with the rest of us crazies..☺
When your only evidence of sanity is a disinclination to spend $4000 on one specific amp I don't think you get to pat yourself on the back too much. So, no worries, ding-dong, hey-ho, nobody's unlocking the exit door out of the loony bin for me just yet.

I'm not sure a diagnosis of sanity from someone like me counts for much, though... y'know?
Well, you are a doctor of something or other, ain't ya?
 
I also don't provide warranty work when someone changes caps out. I have a Fisher 300 power amp here that I completely rebuilt that the owner said just stopped working one day, and when I opened it up I was shocked at how sloppy things looked on the inside. Thankfully I keep photos of most of the work I do, so I was relieved to figure out that the owner had decided that he needed to put in different caps (which are less expensive than the ones I put in there for him in the first place). I told him I wouldn't be able to help him with his amp anymore.
 
I also don't provide warranty work when someone changes caps out. I have a Fisher 300 power amp here that I completely rebuilt that the owner said just stopped working one day, and when I opened it up I was shocked at how sloppy things looked on the inside. Thankfully I keep photos of most of the work I do, so I was relieved to figure out that the owner had decided that he needed to put in different caps (which are less expensive than the ones I put in there for him in the first place). I told him I wouldn't be able to help him with his amp anymore.
I wonder, have the words either and neither been completely eradicated from the English/American language? When I went to school in Sweden in the fifties and sixties mixing positive and negative terms was a complete no no. You’d write "I don’t provide warranty work either” or you’d flunk badly.


I also don't provide warranty work when someone changes caps out. I have a Fisher 300 power amp here that I completely rebuilt that the owner said just stopped working one day, and when I opened it up I was shocked at how sloppy things looked on the inside. Thankfully I keep photos of most of the work I do, so I was relieved to figure out that the owner had decided that he needed to put in different caps (which are less expensive than the ones I put in there for him in the first place). I told him I wouldn't be able to help him with his amp anymore.
 
While I have no doubt you knew exactly what you were doing when you changed caps some owners might not have the first clue and end up just mucking things up. That, I would guess, would be the reason for this policy, one I suspect is shared by lots of manufacturers. There's no question, though, that something like this should be stated upfront in the clearest possible terms. If Steve's warranty didn't do that then I definitely understand your, um, what shall we call it, lack of enthusiasm.


Well, I wouldn't pay this much, so I guess I must be sane. (This is good news, trust me.)
Yes, I knew what I was doing and there was nothing wrong with the caps. It is not mentioned at all on the Deware site. Further, the amp was not wired correctly. Decware fixed it and charged me $900. Yes, $900. Mr. Hardy's comment about Mr. Deckets Purple Prose was spot on.
 
Last edited:
I wonder, have the words either and neither been completely eradicated from the English/American language? When I went to school in Sweden in the fifties and sixties mixing positive and negative terms was a complete no no. You’d write "I don’t provide warranty work either” or you’d flunk badly.
When I went to visit family in Norway in 1996, I met a relative who I was certain had married into the family from England. His English was far superior to mine!
 
When I went to visit family in Norway in 1996, I met a relative who I was certain had married into the family from England. His English was far superior to mine!
I love Norway. It’s one of the most beatiful countries on earth. Which part of the country does the Birkeland family come from? I've spent a lot of time in Norway. My mother lived there for many years. Her second husband was the sales director of the Norwegian subsidiary of the British EMI record company. They lived in Oslo, but had holiday homes in Gudbrandsdalen and the Oslo fjord.
 
Back
Top