Cambridge Audio SE1 Review-England Swings Like A Pendulum Do

Cambridge Audio SE1—overlooked at their original $85 tab, these garnered a ton of attention when discounted to  $20. Solidly built and extremely well packaged despite the curiously useless little carrying pouch; isolation is quite good with the included foams. Well-matched to my mobile phone, although more powerful sources seem to tighten low end.

These immediately register as smooth, W-shaped and surprisingly big-sounding, with a wide enveloping stage. Bass is prominent but not punchy and slightly wooly; it’s not boomy but lacks speed and definition, which somewhat colors the sound, albeit in a pleasant way. Mids are quite forward and slightly warm, with a nice thick texture; treble isn’t hyper-extended but reveals considerable nuance and micro-detail, with a bit of sparkle and an estimable lack of digital artifacts and sibilance. Drums and cymbals are reproduced very cleanly. Aside from the somewhat amorphous low end, instruments are accurately placed and stereo imaging is vg.

Where the Cambridge Audio SE1 excel is in the organic, analog quality of its timbre, which makes budget champs like the DT6 or KZ hybrids sound somewhat artificial in comparison. The similarly-tuned Blon BL-3 has better-etched bass and a comparable unforced tonality, although the Cambridge Audio SE1 is better-fitting and easier to drive. I actually found the SE1 to be closest in spirit to the ($89) smooth, warmish  Focal Sphere, which, again, has  tighter bass but a similarly enveloping naturalness; I prefer the SE1 to other mainstream players like the RHA750 or the Sennheiser Momentum.With its imprecise low end and lack of removable cables, these would be unremarkable at their original SRP; at the fire sale price, however, the Cambridge Audio SE1 are a no-brainer and one of those pieces you’ll want to keep even as you evolve towards higher-dollar fare.