AES SE-1

Brief Review: AES SE-1, revisited, vs Elekit TU-8300

AES SE-1 Review (2010)

Elekit TU-8300 review

Ten years ago I wrote the above article on AES SE-1, and till now it is still one of the most read in this blog. Recently, after the arrival of the easy-to-drive Harbeth P3ESR SE, I began to run again some of the SE amps that I have. After the 5 wpc Almarro A205A (EL84), I ran the SE-1. 300B's were Shuguang; old stock Ken-Rad 6SL7's.

Driven by the Shindo Monbrison, the sound was quite nice. Compared to EL84 the image was larger, surprisingly life sized and midrange was warmer. The bass was well contoured, as is usual for 300B. I was able to play quite loud with classical orchestral pieces.

vs Elekit TU-8300 I swapped the same 300B's onto the Elekit (used with or without preamp). In comparison with the SE-1, the sound is similar, perhaps a little more resolving but also a little leaner. Most revealingly, the sound of the Elekit is more 2-dimensional, the SE-1 more corporeal. It is obvious which one I prefer.

Both amps are solid state rectified. The SE-1 is a very simple circuit, Zero NFB with (Cathode Resistor) Fixed Bias. The Elekit on the other hand is a more complicated design. There is a small amount of NFB. The B+ has FET ripple filter. Although auto-biasing, it is actually Fixed Bias controlled by a Constant Current Circuit, with protection for current overdraw. I cannot help but think the solid state components, although "not in the signal path", likely could be a reason for the somewhat lean sound of this amp.

The AES amp is a good buy. It is a basic amp, conservatively designed, with good parts and iron. Aside from changing some caps and upgrading some parts, there is not that much room for upgrade (my first unit was modded and it did not sound that much different.) It is not the most resolving, nor the most subtle in expression, but plain speaking is often preferable to over-voiced in the long run. To surpass it, at the least one needs even better iron (like Sun Audio). For a larger leap, one needs to consider much more expensive amps like the Wavac MD-300B ( 2 tube input + driving stage + interstage) or Verdier (a unique circuit).

Q and A I'll take the opportunity to answer a reader's questions by email. In general, I prefer to have the questions in the blog (as comments) so as more people can read about it. Here it is:

Q1. Might you still have a copy of the owners manual for the AES SE-1 power amp you could email me?

A1. I do have a manual in NYC, but I have posted the relevant pages in the link above. The rest is construction notes, not important. I am away now, and for the foreseeable future have no access to it.

Q2. Since this is my first 300b power amp I'm simultaneously happy and anxious and curious. I love the sound but wonder where how this old thing stacks up against some of the more contemporary options out there. For example, the Bottlehead kit. Or some of the amplifiers available at a low price from China.

A2. Please read carefully. In the link cited above and in this article I have laid it out, though not exhaustively. For the cheaper Chinese amps, I think you can forget about them (since you have the AES already). Remember, many of those people touting some of these products are no more experienced than you in SE amps. Bottlehead is not bad, but they are over-priced now.

Q3. How long did you keep your SE-1 in your system? What did you move on to?

A3. This is an odd question. I know many people do a quick A/B and sell off what they deem is inferior. I do it a little differently. I sell things sometimes to acquaintances or by chance. Sometimes, one regrets what one has sold and other times things actually appreciate in value. If you seriously peruse this blog, you will find many 300B amps that I have used and commented upon, albeit briefly.

Q4. What cables are you preferring?

A4. Similarly, you can find many posts on that. Mostly Gotham, sometimes Mogami and others.

Mail: "...Here's a little about my system and history - for many years I was in the Naim camp. I ran LP12/Ittok/dynavector 17D3/Linto, CD 3.5/hicap into 82/hicap/135s into Apogee centaurus minors. I used this system for 15+ years. 7 years ago I picked up a pair of ESL 63s. Switched from the 135s to an Innersounds Electrostatic amplifer (great amp). When I retired I bought a Supratek Cortese preamp. Now I'm using a Quad 909 and am using 2805s. I also have a pair of JBL 4430 monitors. I'm using the SE-1 with the JBLs and it sounds very nice. Power cords, speaker wires and interconnects are still evolving..."

Reply: Judging from what you have had, all good stuff, you know what you are doing and can make your own decisions. The 4430 is excellent. Since I had the 4312 (which I wrote about extensively) I know the house sound. And I can surmise that you don't listen to banging music. The 300B (any SE) is just enough to get a good sound with the JBLs, but it would help to add a subwoofer (an old and cheap model will do), and that would reap more benefits than switching amps. The subject of adding a sub has been extensively treated in this blog.

Good luck!