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Amp and Sound SE84, My Impressions


joessportster

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First off I want to start with a summary of my experience dealing with Justin

of ampsandsound.com, Through hundreds of audio deals on several sites I can honestly say I

have never had a better experience. Justin is far and away one of the most thoughtful

and genuine people i have met in this hobby or anywhere else for that matter.

He not only cares more about music and how his products perform than he seems

to care about money, He also shows great compassion for the people he meets, which is a rare

commodity these days. It has been my experience of late that most people simply want to get

there hands in your pocket as quickly as possible, I did not feel that with Justin in any

way. I say kudos to Justin and amspandsound for there customer service. I guarantee you will not

be sorry for choosing ampsandsound as your next supplier of audio nirvana

Gear used to Audition this amp, source sony vaio, playing loss less WAV files via WMP, Shiit Bifrost With Uber upgrade DAC

Cables are standard cheapo 3.00 versions, DAC connected via USB 2.0, Amp is of course the SE84 from ampandsound.com

Now for the amp. First off can you say "QUIET AS THE GRAVE" Because that is exactly what this amp is.

Sennheiser HD-650 Headphones Connected, volume at max, not a peep, dead quiet. The highly regarded Almarro A205

Cannot accomplish this feat. (Read the reviews on Head-Fi), My first album is Eric, Clapton Unplugged an album I

have used for years to compare equipment First thing I notice is the highs are crystal in quality, supremely

clear and absolutely shimmer through decay, I have to say the Highs on this amp are better defined and just

seem to float the best I have heard (and that includes my previous favorites the Thor Tpa 30, $11,000.00 amps) The

tambourine on Nobody Knows you when your down and out is hauntingly realistic


The midrange is so very musical, and life like I am getting SHIVERS up my spine (rarely happens any more) If you don't

know what I am talking about you are in for a treat when it happens for you. If you do know what I am talking about

then you know there is no higher praise. The separation and imagery are sublime Now I'm on to

Alison Krauss & Union station Live, I have never been good at Audiophile terminology but i can tell you I have never heard

Alison sound better her voice just carries more breadth (I Have Shivers again) Decay on this amp is superb, Dobro

Hangs in the air forever. It is literally hard for me to imagine any other amp doing better at any price, This amp does

not just play music, it brings out emotion (Down to the river to pray, will bring tears to your eye)


For bass I chose S.M.V. Thunder, (as in Stanley Clark, Marcus Williams, and Victor Wooten) Needless to say with 3 of the

all time best musicians on the planet, There are some complicated bass tracks here. The SE84 handled it like a champ

Bass was tight and superbly defined (other amps tend to muddy this album up) not so with the SE84 the 3 players are

well defined, Bass is as deep and impactful as I have heard Through Headphones


I doubt you could buy a better amp at any where near the $910.00 price tag of this small wonder, I for one have owned amps costing

10X this amount, I would not trade this for any of those. It is a definite keeper


Dean don't send it back, Put on your headphones and fall in love again. I agree 100% with your assessment

This amp is just Musical, It excels way beyond its price point


If you own headphones, or sensitive speakers you owe it to yourself to try this amp. I'm not kidding, It's that good

ampsandsound.comL3000.gif

Edited by joessportster
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I went to box up the amp yesterday so I could send it back to Dave, but it wasn't in the rack anymore. Everything else in the house has been accounted for except for the amp. We have the insurance people coming out on Monday, and I'll be sure to keep everyone up to date on this tragic event.

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Guest David H

I went to box up the amp yesterday so I could send it back to Dave, but it wasn't in the rack anymore. Everything else in the house has been accounted for except for the amp. We have the insurance people coming out on Monday, and I'll be sure to keep everyone up to date on this tragic event.

Wow Dean, even your burglars have impeccable taste.

Dave

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Thats too funny. The speaker Joe has was a design study... his shipping box even was labeled, simple 4" speaker. I went with a TL for my final version... got the size down in half and able to still have same bass ext.

The simple 4" is a wonderful speaker... Happy to share for anyone wanting to build a bad as speaker. If someone starts a new thread, Ill include cab speaks and link to the driver.

Cabs are .25cu ft with .5" long port, 1" wide. The driver is now AN but is obviously made by same factory. The surround is rubber instead of pleating... Stiff suspension, cast frame, massive magnet for its size. Ive always believed that AN full ranges sound so good because they goosed the voice coil... making them much hotter than they should be... such that in a cab they play right and have amazing HF extension. This 4" has the same properties.

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Yeah, I was shocked when he said speakers, and then I went to the website and saw those little single Fostex speakers. They look very much like Tekton. And I was sad that Eric was no longer making them. I can't wait to hear about the little speaker. I miss my Tektons a lot.

If you get a pair, I will value your opinion of them. I wonder how they will stack up against the Tektons? Does Justin offer a 'Trial Period' like Eric does?

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I went to box up the amp yesterday so I could send it back to Dave, but it wasn't in the rack anymore. Everything else in the house has been accounted for except for the amp. We have the insurance people coming out on Monday, and I'll be sure to keep everyone up to date on this tragic event.

Wow Dean, even your burglars have impeccable taste.

Dave

No kidding...mine just threw the tube amps onto the floor as they snagged other stuff...

My 2A3 amp took the worst of it, knocked the feet off, loosened up a bathtub type oil cap, and bent the case. One 5930/2A3W came out the socket, but didn't break. All tubes tested fine, the case was straightened, the cap was fixed, and the amplifier works as good as it ever did. Just a little worse for wear.

6EA7 w/bridged Allied 10K 1.1 IT DHT 2A3 amplifier, with war wounds.

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Edited by mike stehr
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