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Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto can move and carry me on undulations of both frailty and calculated brutality. For pure musical poetry I have several versions. Belkin and Vengerov’s is among my favorites. The SE-35 tracked the monstrous dips and peaks of the musical flux, communicating the soloist’s accents and fluid motions to provide the closest facsimile to real I’ve yet heard in my system.
With the SE-35 in place the soundstage was laterally massive but especially so in the depth perspective. Sections of the orchestra were seemingly placed further back with more realistic depth of field but the soloist locked in place forward and in three-dimensional relief from the rest of the orchestra. Similarly with jazz/tango combos à la Moro Quartet where the accordion/bandoneon, guitar, percussion and acoustic bass all occupy their respective spaces in a wide sound field. Again because of the SE-35’s extraordinary tonality, well-produced recordings using unusual instrument mixes are an absolutely transfixed delight to hear.
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Many so-called 'experts' claim SET amplifiers can’t do bass and lack extension on top. They’ve reached this conclusion based on a past negative experience, a mismatch or mediocre example and closed the book no matter how much things may have changed since. While some of these hard-headed generalists won’t change ever their mind set (they’re lost cases and I also come across their kind when talking class D), would they just open their ears as well as minds, what wondrous worlds might they discover. The SE-35 has a powerful, tight and detailed bottom end that socks in the gut with kick drum and moves bowels with organs all whilst maintaining cohesiveness and overall balance. The same goes for the treble which extends skyward with refinement, beautifully intricate and textured detail, decay, ambience and air.
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The SE-35 also excels at dynamic contrast and that jump or snap factor that can startle when unexpected. It’s PRaT to the max. The Cymer’s dynamic landscape is one of sharp and sudden elevations and transients that soar above the average recorded levels. Powerful snare strikes, vocal accents, percussive attacks etc. are surprising off beats within the musical context, adding realism and engaging and enhancing the gestalt. It always sounds ‘live’ and alive. There’s true magic in this 45 and 13E1 combo.
Given these truly extraordinary sonic results I was somewhat perplexed about the seeming incompatible partnership on paper, of a 35-watt SET and multi-way speaker such as the Wilson Audio Sasha which dips to below 2 ohms in the bass and never rises above 4 ohms from 20 to 20, 91dB efficiency be damned. What are the real causes, the secret vows responsible for such a successful marriage? Why do some far more powerful contenders of both the valve and solid-state persuasion crumble into a brash distorted and congested heap into this load when the modestly powerful Cymer SET sounds so effortlessly dynamic, free of constriction, with powerful bass and absolutely neutral response? I even posed these questions to David Wilson and Vladimir Lamm when I interviewed them recently. I include Ancient Audio’s Jarek Waszczyszyn with his stunning Single Six 6C33C monos in this circle too. Not surprisingly, these designers all concurred from their different corners of the galaxy and independent of each other. The biggest slice of the elusive pie is the transformers along with thorough and solid engineering in the first place. But the battle cry clearly is, make the best possible over-built mother-truckin’ transformers. The Cymer has ‘em as the best Elson can make.
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Caveats? In my system after extended listening and probing hard, I could find none. Maybe there’s another amplifier that can provide the same all-round excellence while outputting more power (two or more 13E1s* will do that but at some cost to midrange beauty, transparency and immediacy). I’d be simply surprised if it was built to the same Sherman Tank level, was as quiet and available anywhere near the same almost modest price considering.
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* http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aab0050.htm
In practice the amps are heavy so a solid place within a rack or dedicated amplifier platforms are essential. The SE-35s run quite hot as class-A biased and need plenty of open space around them. There’s a whole heap of copper in those trannies so clocking proper musical time for run-in is important. Ditto all the Mundorf silver/oil caps and extensive internal PSC silver wiring. At first the Southern Star sounds a tad bass light and very slightly brash in the mids. After about 50 hours things settle down, the bass blooms and the mids smooth out. But persevere and continue your run-in procedures because around the 200-hour mark the magic kicks in. The mids become sweeter again but paradoxically more detailed and far more resolving while attaining that unprecedented inherent beauty of tone and immediacy I’ve mentioned throughout.
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Reach for the Southern Star. In every area of sonic performance this amplifier not only astonished critically and intellectually. It completely satisfied on a pleasurable emotional level. It exceeded my expectations for what an amplifier can do within my system irrespective of technology and power rating (NuForce Reference 9 V3 Special Edition monoblocks are stable mates). It sings with a voice that mimics 3D reality. It’s built to last, an absolute bargain, as quiet as any solid-state design measured ear to tweeter. Its industrial simplicity is visually stunning. And it’s the best damn all-round performer I’ve ever heard in my system. Period.
Reading back over this review, the pouring of such praise over this device may have seemed unbridled but was in fact moderately pared down lest this extraordinary amplifier be tainted by the negativity of some minority but rampant cynic. "On the payroll!" is the most ridiculous and malicious; "not discerning enough"; "advertiser paid for that" and on and on with ever more infantile generalizations and claims that aim to dim the brilliance of this star.
Once again imagine. Now you’re taking off and starting your flight over the concrete cliffs of the monstrous factories. As you rise higher past the toxic pollution of clandestine undercover web negativity and right through the clouds of superficial buzzword marketing, aim your flight path to a celebratory astral course towards the stars, then head towards the blinding excellence of the Southern Star. Happy travels! |
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Quality of packing: Personally delivered, custom packing available.
Reusability of packing: N/A
Ease of unpacking/repacking: N/A
Condition of component received: As new conditio.n
Completeness of delivery: Thorough interaction as the man personally takes you through the amp’s workings. Customers outside Sydney metro have prompt email or telephone advice.
Quality of owner's manual: N/A
Ease of assembly: N/A
Website comments: No website at this stage.
Warranty: 12 months.
Human or web interactions: Excellent rapport.
Final comments & suggestions: Beautiful monoblocks that run class-A hot, need room around them and are best placed on dedicated amp platforms.
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