Western Electric 91E Review – Tube Euphoria

By resuming the introduction of new 300B tubes, Western Electric has created a full-scale storm on the audiophile market. Well, the American manufacturer has many more things in its arsenal that can surprise fans of good sound – for example, the Western Electric 91E integrated single-ended amplifier, which we are testing today.

Design

Western Electric 91E is a classic single-ended (SE) integrated amplifier, operating in pure class A and using “that very” pair of 300B tubes (2 x ECC81 are also used). The device is housed in a solid aluminum case, weighs 22.2 kg and has a multi-voltage power supply with a 2A slow-blow mains fuse.

The amplifier is equipped with a built-in MM and MC phono preamplifier (in case of working with an MC cartridge, the option of adjusting the Input Impedance from the basic 1000 kOhms is available. The signal-to-noise ratio reaches 101 dB for the CD input and 83-73 dB for MM and MC phono. Western Electric 91E operates in a frequency range of 15 Hz - 32,000 Hz for the CD input and 30 - 20,000 Hz for Phono with an error of 0.5 dB. The output power reaches 2 x 20 W when working on a 4 Ohm load with a THD of 10% or 2 x 14 W with 3%. As is usual for equipment of this type, the output power remains unchanged when connecting 8 Ohm speakers.

Western Electric 91E also allows wireless operation according to the standard Bluetooth 4.2 APTX with support for streams up to 16/96. LAN and USB interfaces are used only for upgrading the device software and cannot be used for music streaming. The device is controlled via a very convenient remote control and a dimmable display with a VU meter. Up to six source devices can be connected to the amplifier - so the model is suitable even for complex systems.

Technologies

Western Electric 91E uses the proprietary Steered Current Source Technology (SCS) - which doubles the traditional output power with an advanced, single-ended (SE) circuit design. The use of a patented linear current power supply controlled exclusively by the tube’s output voltage guarantees excellent articulation and sound detail.

A Stepped Logarithmic Attenuator is used as a level controller, which uses discrete resistors in a ladder configuration. Quite interesting is the chosen solution Interchangeable Transformer Block - the standard 8-ohm transformer block can be interchanged with the optional 4-ohm or 16-ohm version. Although this approach does not seem ergonomic, it allows you to set the desired match of the amplifier with the acoustics in one manipulation, while lowering winding capacitance normally vitiated with multiple tap transformers.

The Microprocessors Auto-Bias function is not forgotten either - so no user settings of the tubes are required. The standard delivery of the Western Electric 91E includes the Pin-Straightener and Spanner tool accessories, as well as matched pairs of 2x 300B and 2x ECC81 tubes. The model has a pre-installed 8 Ohm Output Transformer Block as standard.

Test system

We included the Western Electric 91E in the well-known system. Switching from the rather complex ProAc Response Four speakers to the highly sensitive Operly Intelligence III allowed us to understand the capabilities of the device in different modes. Before testing, the model was warmed up for 100 hours.

Listening

The Western Electric 91E provides a characteristic sound, inherent in single-ended amplifiers based on 300B tubes. The charming and transparent midrange, for which audiophiles are ready to put up with the inevitable power limitations of such tube circuits, became even more soulful and airy here - the selected set of tubes, no matter how you look at it, remains one of the most musical in the world. The device is unlikely to work in tandem with acoustics that require a lot of current - no-no, the super-transparent performance will be preserved, but the energy will seem a little blurry.

Switching the Western Electric 91E to highly sensitive speakers will "give fire" - along with crystal resolution, precise localization and a natural timbre picture, the necessary aggression, punch and attack will appear.

Western Electric 91E is equally strong in almost any genre, the amplifier also plays heavy rock without problems, but the real highlight of the season in its performance is vocals, jazz and classical music. Few models of equipment can achieve such magical realism - and the filigree presentation of our subject here is more like a textbook for the other contenders. 300B, reinforced by powerful power supply and proprietary innovations, reveal themselves in all their beauty and power, forming a flexible and fantastically detailed sound canvas with outstanding characteristics in any aspect of assessing the expensive audio equipment.

Conclusion

Western Electric 91E is not a universal, but a charming amp, a real gem of the audiophile sector.

Stas Ustenko