I had the line 2SE a while back and like the others say, chassis is very flimsy. Get any contact cleaner or alcohol on the paint and you will have to touch it up. On the plus side, the sound is very much like the AE-3. I should know, I have owned 2 stock AE-3s, 1 DJH, 1 AE-3 MKII and a modded AE-3. It does not have the impact or bass extension like a good SS preamp but does have a sweet midrange. I thought the upper mids/lower treble could be more refined but you will need to ditch the Auricaps for that. A good deal for the money though and Doc P can customize it to suit your needs. |
There is another thread here comparing this peice of kit to some other pre's. I've not heard any of the ones you mentioned, but do any of the others have phono stages? I think that's a bug selling point with the Mapletree. |
I have been looking into two other pre-amps in the 600 - 1,000 prices range: Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 and PrimaLuna prologue 3. How do they compare to Maple tree 4SE?? |
Lloyd offers good NOS 12sn7s (RCA I think, and GE or Sylvania for the power supply, so he is helpful in that he uses good tubes, but he is not a tube seller, though he might offer an opinion, so helpful in "that sense" too. |
What do you mean by helpful? make suggestions?
I always thought that tube rolling was more of a personal adventure. |
how helpful is Lloyd with tube rolling, does he work with customers to satisfy? |
Good. You could not spend that kind of money any more wisely IMHO. |
There have been at least 4 for sale here in the last 6 weeks. Asking prices between $450-600. They go fast, be on the look out. You'll get one for a fair price if you check here often. |
Since they are bought direct at not at a discount off MSRP that you would get at a dealer, maybe 70% of list would be good, but you hardly ever see them come up for sale, but if you wait long enough..... |
Okay the million $$$ question, does anyone know of a used one for sale? What can I expect to pay for a used unit @ $600???/ |
One of the greatest bargains in this crazy hobby. Having
owned AI, ARC, LAMM, CAT, JOULE, and ATMA-SPHERE tube
linestages, I feel this preamp can compete with most anything
out there. Though not audio jewelry (I like the RCA Red color
scheme), the engineering and circuit design are done by
someone who knows what they are doing. Don't
hesitate to buy on sound quality considerations - I just have
not had a problem with the weight, yes they are small and not
too heavy. |
very glad to see that this pre is still getting chatter in the forums.
I'm very much considering one, however, I'm concerned about the weight. Only because I like things to stay where I put them and I'm sure thats an easy tweak. |
Would it be fair to say it produces a 3-dimensional wide soundstage with no roll off on the top or bottom ends, bass is tight with impact as needed, top is airy, mids are velvity?????
|
Weak: so light weight that cables can raise it off the shelf; no remote.
Actually the doctor can outfit it with remote now |
My 2A/SE Linestage:
Strong: quality build with excellent personal support; point-to-point wiring; able to use inexpensive 12SN7s if desire; simple circuit; custom gain per input; L/R balance; quiet; wonderful sound.
Weak: so light weight that cables can raise it off the shelf; no remote.
My conclusion: quality sound and build far far far out weigh the weak points. After all, that is why I am in this audio rabbit hole - quality sound. |
I have an Ultra 4se and I love it, I think they are a great bargain for their cost especially if you can get a nice used unit. The factory umbillical (sp?) cable from the power supply is a little cheesy and can be upgraded, do a search on that and you will find the info. This is my first tube pre and Im thrilled with it. |
If you need to add mass, have the pre made to accept monster brass footers, like the Edensound Bearpaw or the briefly produced "Fat Bastard" which I use. Otherwise get the commercial varieties around. The very Expensive Mapleshade products to the cheaper Chinese BBC brass cones and so on.
The only other pres that have that Octal sound which come to mind are the AE-3 from Cary which should come up at around your price point. The problem is they don't come around that often. The second thought is the lesser versions of the SLP-05 Cary. Their other 6SN7 pres like SLP 98s etc. They are prolly more than you want to spend. |
Strong points are sound stage, presentation,and price. The only weak point I have is the pre and power supply are very lightweight. I added some brass 10g scale weights on Herbies dots.I'm extremely happy with the pre and have no trouble recommending it to anyone. |
I know few are in circulation; however, they seem to sell quickly on the used market.. Are they perfect best of all worlds?????? |
