HeritageBob Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 AES-AE1 Preamp for sale. $550 plus shipping. This one is factory wired and is the same preamp that went through Erik to get to Wolfram in Germany. Do a search for "aes" on this forum and you can see others impressions and some more pictures. A very nice looking preamp and great sounding. Very quiet and smooth. Only reason I am selling is because I got a hold of a Wright WLA12A preamp that matches my Wright 3.5's and I dont need two preamps. Pictures attached. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted November 14, 2004 Author Share Posted November 14, 2004 another pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 I have had requests for more pictures.... One of the inside.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 One of the rear of the unit.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Just for the record, this was a very nicely wired and built preamp -- a factory wiring job, and obviously not a kit done by a first-time builder (though I would certainly respect the effort!). The lighter wood sides are much nicer than the dark brown ones that came with the preamp -- in fact they belonged to the chassis from which I got many of the parts to build the one I made from scratch! it is a very good design, and one of the few grounded grid preamp circuits I have seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Man, this thing hasn't sold yet -- I figured it would be long gone by now. Incidently, I believe this circuit is nearly identical to the one Cary uses in their near $3000 SLP-98L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I would have grab this one in a flash had I not have one already (especially when it has Erik's fingerprints ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Bob, How do you like the Wright pre with the 2a3's? I love my Wright's but have never heard them driven with one of Geo's pre's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 I love it with them. I love the AES with them also. Actually these are the only two preamps I have ever heard or owned. I have had all integrateds up until this point. And these are also the only 6sn7 based pre's I have heard but I have to say I like them a lot. They are very quiet and smooth, very detailed and reveal the music nicely. The Wright is really no beauty queen in the basic black box setup as the 3.5's aren't either. I definitely have to replace that blue can cap on top with possibly a JJ black one. The coupling caps on this one I have are Auricap's and by the way they look soldered in, either George put them in or someone did a nice job switching them out. I was under the impression he used Hovlands in his WLA12A's but maybe for a time he used Auricaps. The AES definitely wins on looks though, its really simple and clean looking with the nice wood panels offsetting the black chassis. I like the low profile larger chassis on the AES over the chunky black box look the Wright has. But on sound they compare quite the same to each other. My ears really cant stretch too discernable a difference between them both. If I had to pick either based on sound alone I would have a very very hard time. The main reasons I am sticking with the Wright instead of the AES is that (1) the Wright has a nice little switch on the back that changes the db of the volume control to provide more or less gain that I like, and (2) the Wright only has two 6sn7's to roll into compared to four with the AES. Thats the only things that made me keep the Wright. But I definitely am going to be cutting some wood panels to mount on the Wright after owning the AES. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocket Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 I'm a happy Guy.... This week Bob's AE-1 should arrive at my door. I've been using a Bottlehead Forplay for some time. I anticipate a reasonable improvement is audio performance and also some fun with tube roulette, which is required when a new toy enters the house. Big thanks to Bob for kindly offering the AE-1 to Klipsch Forum membership first. Thanks also to Eric for his expert attention to this unit by way of Wolfram. This always cultivates great confidence when approaching such a purchace. Thanks to Wolfram for not keeping it too long before turning over to Bob. Also thanks to Kudret for his help in my preamp search, even if in the end I may have aquired a preamp of a slightly different flavor. Reg B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocket Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 The good news and the bad news......... Bob's AE-1 has arrived and is far more atractive than is represented by his pictures. Everything about it is was pristine. The finish, the wood, all of it exceptional.... Now the bab news. The preamp was doubled boxed with a supper abundance of bubble wrap and air bag protection. It was sealed tighter than a well loved Pharaoh. The on-off-standby switch was, as you may have guessed, come apart. Although it may be simple to reassemble, I just want to be sure how it operates. I have found two metal ball bearing like parts and expect there is also a spring wandering about inside. Am I correct that the spring with a ball at each end is placed through the hole in the shaft that is at 90 degrees to the shaft's axis? Can this be done with the switch still installed in the chassis? The 2 contact wipes must go opposite each other inside the housing just before I snap the assembly back together. Have I missed anything? Thanks in advance for the help. Reg B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 This switch is really a PAIN!!!! It has come loose every time the preamp gets shipped. If I remeber correctly the procedure you have in mind should be it - though you might have to remove the switch from the chassis - but somebody who is a bit smarter than I am in such matters might manage without doing so. Anyway, once the switch is fixed the unit should indeed perform flawlessly - so enjoy your new toy . Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 I hate those dumb switches! Sorry about that. If you have trouble with that thing, send it to me and I'll throw it away for you in put in a good switch where that won't happen again! Call me if you need some help to put it back together. It's not hard, just requires patience! Are the springs there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 ---------------- On 11/16/2004 9:55:23 PM Daddy Dee wrote: Bob, How do you like the Wright pre with the 2a3's? I love my Wright's but have never heard them driven with one of Geo's pre's. ---------------- Hey Dee I am in town and have a wright pre if you ever want to hear it give me a pm and perhaps we can arrange some time for some listening. It was one of the biggest improvements to my system so far. I really really really need the wright phono pre....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted December 4, 2004 Author Share Posted December 4, 2004 Reg, Did you get this switch put back together? I was hoping it wouldn't take you too much to assemble it after talking to you on the phone. I packed that thing well, especially around the switches and I figured it wouldn't come apart at all, but seems to be the trait of this one switch. Good thing is that once the switch is snapped back on it works flawlessly. Lemme know how its going and how you like the sound in your system. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 ---------------- On 12/4/2004 11:39:01 AM seti wrote: ..... I really really really need the wright phono pre....... ---------------- http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1106371650 Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Good price unfortunately I am going to be cashless till about January. Wish I had bought a phono pre before I bought a house. drat double drat. He also posted a hagerman cornet based on the 6sn7 bet it's great. http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?preaphon&1106372348 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 I need to point out that I really didn't do very much to this particular preamp when it was here. I replaced the side panels with those that were on my own (this was the factory chassis version), and there were two or three solder connections that were improved, but that's all. This AE-1 was built very, very well! I packed it well to when it was shipped to Germany, since the switch had come apart on its way to me, as well! Strange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocket Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 The switch went back together easily. Erik I greatly appreciate your offer. One of the two wiper bits had come off. I took a guess as to where it should be placed. I drew a little picture of the 12 contacts (6 for each side) and placed the timing ring in a logical position. Then I repaired one of the 4 claw like fingers that holds it all together. This could have been the weak point that lets it come apart (don't know for sure). Mechanically the switch is working just fine now, however I now need to check it electrically. My son has misplaced the Fluke meter. Some of you may appreciate that 17 year olds have a knack for misplacing stuff but can alwasy find the refrigerator. The picture shows a fairly inexpensive switch even the shaft is plastic. I'll have it operational soon and report back. Bob, your packing job was flawless. We talked about how it was to be packed before it was sent. Your attention in this matter exceeded my expectasions. Thanks again. Reg B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.