Octave V40SE makes a great valve amp entry point, says Terry Ellis…

Terry Ellis from Pursuit Perfect System gives a video review of the Octave V40SE integrated valve amplifier—and loves the ease of set-up and combination of tube sweetness with solid-state-like drive.

Here are some key quotes—you can watch the video in full (from our YouTube channel) below and link to our product page here for more detail and to order, etc.

"I think this is an ideal first tube amplifier for a serious music listener and audiophile that will tick a lot of their boxes and open them up to the wide world of tube rolling tweaking too”

“…it took me about 5 minutes in total to get things just right for all fours tubes and I found this traffic light system very reassuring—that I set the bias correctly”

"On the rear of the amplifier are lots of RCA line level connections including a home theatre bypass option—you don’t always see this on tube amplifiers and I think is a very nice addition.“

“…its sonic performance strikes a very nice balance of what tubes do well and what you might want from a solid state amplifier”

"the V40 SE has a reasonably neutral overall sound character but definitely with a sizeable pinch of sweetness which would be exactly the reason one might chose this over a solid state amplifier equivalent”

"You notice the sweetness straight away with the amplifiers delivery of vocals, there is a lushness to the mid range that is instantly gratifying”

“I was impressed by the distinct change in the vibe of the sound from the V40 SE. To so clearly shift from a head bobbing vibe to pumping and intense with very clearly clean cut layered vocal beats, the V40 handled it all superbly well”

"Overall I found the Octave V40 SE very easy to listen to and very easy to live with”

“…there is a tube sweetness present at all times that keeps the overall sound pleasing and satisfying even a quite loud volumes”

"The bass… is impressive as well, nice and full and punchy with very good extension."

"There is also good overall sound stage clarity with very good timing and a nice amount of urgency to the V40 SE’s delivery"

"An Essential Audition Award is granted in recognition of a product's high performance but with a certain uniqueness that makes auditioning even more essential."