Handel SE6V6

Once in a while, piece of gear comes through the doors that presents such a price to performance ratio that it really makes me wonder about some of the top shelf high dollar gear I own. Here is one such amplifier, a single ended 6V6 built a few years back and sold under the Handel moniker. From what I understand, only five or six of these amps were ever made, a true cottage industry item, but whoever did design and build these gems certainly knew what they were doing.

A simple and very classic looking little amplifier, the Handel brings romance and a sharp presence into the room. With two switchable output settings; one making less than a watt and the other making a little bit more than one watt, this little single ended 6v6 amplifier is quite a performer within its limitations. Given the right speaker, this is an amp that is emotional, dynamic, and warm, but still incisive. All in all, it gives some of the big boys a run for their money.

The 6V6 is just hands down a very, very good sounding tube. I can’t remember ever hearing a bad sounding 6V6, but the best of them are really something special. This amplifier came to me with a pair of smoked glass RCA tubes, and I have several other sets of 6V6 tubes in the collection including some holy grail like the Bendix 5992. I’ve tried a variety of 6V6 in the Handel now, and have found that a pair of 1950s smoked glass Brimar tubes from England are heads and shoulders above the rest. I believe they are ex-RAF stock, but whatever their pedigree they deliver a performance that is easy to distinguish from the pack. So even though I have 8 or 10 other pairs of 6V6, I’ve settled into using pretty much only the Brimar in this amp because it just sounds better. And with a 6SN7 driver, the possibilities and combinations for tube rolling on the Handel amp are wide open.

Most of the speakers I have on hand are adequate for the Handel 6V6 amplifier, but I’ve found a certain synergy with the Isophon 2132 and the new-to-me Seas oval. I’ve come to really appreciate the elliptical European drivers, and matched to the Handel they do give a very satisfying performance.

This isn’t an amp that I envision many people finding, simply because there aren’t very many on the market. I don’t know what happened to this company, but I imagine the small tube amp world is a tough market to break into. Regardless, what they did accomplish was the creation of a really superb little single ended music machine. I’d love to hear this against a single ended EL84. I can imagine (from memory) that the EL 84 will be a little bit more dynamic, but the 6v6 will be a little more warm and fuzzy. Goldilocks says the best is somewhere in between, but it will be fun to find out. If I have the chance, I’ll update this review in the coming years. For now, if you can find one and have the speaker for it, the little Handel is quite a fun amp to spend an evening or an afternoon with. And perhaps a lifetime. Single ended 6V6 is highly recommended. Happy hunting!

Small and compact, this little amp has a very clean and warm presence.

I’m happy to see a 6SN7 driver here rather than a miniature tube like the 12AX7. Given the choice I’d always choose the 6SN7.

A 6sn7 shootout, here with my hoard. One of the nice things about this amp is the single driver tube, which means I don’t need matches to some of my fancy pants 6SN7 stash. Much more affordable to roll some of the holy grail tubes.

Sylvania 6SN7W. Wartime production, these metal collared tubes are phenomenal sounding!

Tung Sol “round plates” from the 40’s or 50’s. Very nice!

An assortment of the better 6V6 tubes on hand. From left to right: Fiver 6V6 from Italy, Brimar CV509/6V6 from Great Britain, RCA smoked glass and Bendix Eclipse Pioneer TE-8/5992. Of these four, the Brimar is the best sounding in the Handel amplifier.