AUDIO NOTE 
Audio Note systems pursue the kind of clarity we immediately recognize as ‘concert hall’ clarity as opposed to ‘studio
clarity.’ They have all of the clarity we crave but none of the analytic quality we fear.
Peter Qvortrup believes that most technological ‘advances’ in audio for the past couple of decades have served to put more
between us and music. By working with established designs significantly predating current high end equipment, his company has designed
single-ended tube electronics; filterless and non-oversampling dacs; turntables with several motors and lightweight platters; and broad-fronted,
two-way speakers designed to sit in corners, all of which together take us closer to the whole sound of music than many of us ever thought
was possible.
Qvortrup's eloquent and complete line of audio equipment often makes many of us feel that his competition is getting just the shell
of the music. Though they tend to sound best in all-Audio Note systems, some equipment travels very well. The CD players, digital transports,
and dacs match up extremely well with all other lines of equipment I have heard. AN cable is also very versatile, providing an engaging
roundness and refined beauty. AN electronics and speakers have all of the eloquence of their tubed dacs but generally prefer to work
with each other, or at least with other tubed gear. Audio Note single-ended triode amplifiers are especially remarkable for the solidity
and wholeness of their presentation. Most of them are, predictably, low powered and are usually paired with efficient speakers
like Audio Note’s own. Together they can do extremely musical things.
Audio Note electronics give the sense of coming at music more from the inside, resulting in a less robust, but subtler,
more refined presentation than Blue Circle electronics, for example. Both approaches are extremely effective, and with most listeners
the choice comes down to differences in priorities and taste. Audio Note fans find Blue Circle electronics insufficiently refined; Blue
Circle fans find Audio Note electronics too beautiful. So it goes.
Audio Note speakers provide an interesting alternative to Reynauds. Considered by many to be the perfection of the British
sound – as appealing as Spendors but more authoritative from top to bottom, as ‘accurate’ as Harbeths but less staid
and diplomatic, and as assured in their sense of touch as Quads but both more ‘rounded’ and more liquid in their presentation,
AN speakers make friends easily and tend to keep them. Their sound is more refined and less physically immediate than that of Reynauds.
They tend to set us back a few rows deeper into the concert hall than the French speakers do, which as a rule aim for intimacy. With
Audio Note speakers we hear everything but are aware of having a perspective on it. We are often aware of how clear and beautiful the
music sounds. With Reynauds, the instruments are closer, though interestingly, not at all bright. We are aware of their physical presence.
With Reynauds we are often more excited by what we hear than aware of how beautiful it is. I like both speaker lines enormously and
enjoy seeing what sorts of listeners are drawn to each.
My journey to Audio Note's digital products, which is how I met the company, began, in its serious stage with a Krell MDT2 &
SBP64X, zigged wildly to a Sonic Frontier SFT1 & SFT2-II, zagged partway back to a Naim CDX/XPS and then on to a CDS2, sampling
a Meridian, a better Krell, a BAT, an Audio Aero, a Wadia, and an Accuphase along the way! The arrival at Audio Note was a delightful
surprise that dramatically altered my expectations and increased my happiness. It is the first digital front end I have heard that does
full justice to both new state of the art recordings and early 60's jazz. And perhaps more important, every AN digital front end I've
heard so far outperforms comparable SACD players, comparing separate CD and SACD recordings. Yes, CD's on the AN rigs beat SACD's on
the SACD players.
Audio Note Analogue. In the spring of 2004, I was a guest of Peter Qvortrup in England and got to hear a premier Audio Note
analogue rig, the first time I had heard LP’s in over ten years. As a result, I installed an old Voyd Reference turntable
with an AN arm and Io1 moving coil cartridge and AN-S4 step up transformer in my reference system; and for a long while I also had an
AN Turntable Two, Arm Three/AN-Vx, and IQ3 moving magnet cartridge in my "small room" system. Both in an effort to reacquaint myself
with the unassuming but utterly convincing power of analogue. My aural memory is not a great one, but based on what I’ve heard
so far, I would not have abandoned analogue in 1990, as I did, if I had owned these rigs, which are far from the top of the line.
Audio Note interconnects and speaker cable – AN-Vx or the far more costly Sogon - used either as digital or regular interconnect,
are superb. Lexus speaker cable is so good I used it with AN-E/SPe speakers while I waited for my AN-SPx to arrive and was startled
at how good it sounded. It is an all-copper cable with the same structure as the many, many times more expensive Sogon – and possibly
the best sound-per-dollar available anywhere. Lexus is naturally full, SPe and SPx speaker cable are more open sounding and articulate
from top to bottom.
AUDIO NOTE COMPONENTS
What follows is a selected survey of Audio Note products I have heard and come to admire. This will list will doubtless grow as my experience
of the line increases. The complete line of Audio Note products is available through Amherst Audio, including analogue equipment and
speakers. Check the manufacturer's web site (http://www.audionote.co.uk) for more details.
Audio Note returned to the digital transport field in spring, 2005, with an upgraded version of the reference quality CDT-2 called the
CDT 2 II and in spring 2006 with the CDT 3. In the near future, we expect a CDT 4, which, like the M3 series of preamps, will make
use of the Galahead Power Supply. The CDT 2 II, CDT 3, and CDT 4 will continue to make use of the top-loading Philips CD 12 Pro drive,
have a sliding top cover, and manual controls on the faceplate in addition to control by remote. Prices: CDT 2 II: $6250. CDT 3: $9550.
CDT 4: $14,500. A Level Five CDT 5 transport (with tubes!) was shown at the recent Milan show.
Also new are three new one-box (integrated) CD players: a CD1.1x, $2750; a CD2.1x II, $3850; and a CD3.1x II, price forthcoming.
See my listening notes on the CD2.1x II below.
Audio Note analogue is the owner’s pride and joy and he is in the process of upgrading his entire turntable line. At the moment
there is a TT1 and a TT2, both to have optional external power supplies available soon; at least one more TT3 table over the next year
or two, priced above the TT2 but comfortably below the TT3 Reference and Half Reference.
TT2, with Arm 3/AN-Vx and IQ3 moving magnet cartridge. This became my first
AN analogue rig when I returned to analogue in late 2004. It dramatically outperforms my long lost Linn LP12/Itok/Kharma outfit, mainly
by being airier and more transparent, with no sacrifice in bass authority. It makes my LP12 sound plumy in contrast. This is presumably
because of its light-weight platter and dual motors, but I can’t do the audio-physics on this, so I’ll leave it to others.
This combination will take you back to analogue in a hurry if you let it.
TT2,with Arm 3/AN-Vx, IO1 moving coil cartridge, AN-SL4 step-up transformer.
If you’re feeling both flush and ambitious, put an I0l moving coil cartridge into the Arm 3, add an Audio Note step-up transformer,
and listen to the whole experience go up at least a level – two levels if you go with the SL4. Among the step-ups, the AN-SL3
is excellent, the AN-SL4 a knockout. As always with Audio Note, you don’t notice anything missing until you move
up and it arrives!
CD 1.1x . A one-box player, using a Philips front-loading transport mechanism and DAC with a 6111WA tube and tin foil
output capacitors. Non-oversampling and filter-free, of course. Both front controls and remote. Housed in a new full-width chassis,
which is not as high or deep as the standard DAC chassis.
CD2.1x II. Like the CD1.1x but with Audio Note tantalum resistors, some Black Gates, and copper foil output capacitors.
Some Listening Notes on the CD2.1x II
I have had my eyes on this unit since I first saw the brief description above. I know what adding Tantalum resisters, Black Gates, and
copper foil output capacitors can do to a basically sound design. I saw this player as the likely entry point for serious audiophiles
on a budget.
I had it right. If the design benchmarks were the earlier CD2.1x and CD3.1x, I would say they have been surpassed. What I’d hoped
for was a Honda Civic that was recognizably a little cousin of an Acura TL. It’s better than that. It will serve well in ‘smaller’
systems and is easy to recommend to those of you with more taste than money. I would say it would take more than twice its cost to better
it – and in a small room, perhaps not. With an Audio Note OTO and K/SPe’s, using AN-Vx interconnects and either Lexus or
SPe speaker cable in my 10’ x 10’ study, the combination was excellent. Of all the combinations I tried, though all were
very good, this one is the one that stood out.
In all of the systems I tried the player in, what I heard primarily is the always satisfying AN midrange clarity: not at all analytical
or clinical, just naturally there – almost tactile - and highly transparent. It gets instrumental timbres extremely well. All
of the combinations had more than respectable bass, which is clear rather than window rattling. (None of the speakers I used have deep
bass response.) With the OTO and K’s, there was natural warmth and great immediacy – the latter being a specialty of K’s;
highs were both crisp and sweet (!). With a Manley Stingray and pair of JMR Twin Signatures (same cable), midrange was fuller, breathier,
and slightly less clear. Highs were fine, neither noticeably rolled off nor noticeably sweet. There is also the expected extra degree
of warmth from the Reynauds that the Stingray plays effectively to, which is not present with the Audio Notes, and which I wouldn’t
expect to hear from Harbeths or most Spendors. With my Blue Circle NSCS and Twins, the midrange was clearer than with the Stingray,
less tactile and refined than with the OTO and K’s. The bass had a bit more authority and the overall presentation was weightier.
Again, what was most noticeable in all of these combinations was an appealing and naturally clear midrange.
For fun, I subbed the player into my reference system (Audio Note M6, Neiros, E/SPx SE’s) in place of a CDT3 and Dac 4.1 Balanced
Signature – and held my breath. Huh. Same virtues the reference front end has, which was a nice surprise. Emphasis on surprise.
A bit less of everything but a lot more than I expected. And, of course, the Magic is dialed back a bit. Magic is expensive and hard
to quantify. That is what we pay for when we spend more on Audio Note front ends. But again, as a whole, an extremely good imitation
of my reference source. And this is a tougher test than it will ever have to pass in real life. So I’m impressed.
CD3.1x. An upgraded version of the 2.1 by virtue of its Dac 1.1x Signature II. More soon.
CD4.1x. Audio Note’s best one-box player, using the Philips CD Pro top-loading transport mechanism of the CDT 2 II
and an improved version of the Dac 2.1. My new 4.1 is due here soon. I’ll report out soon.
New Audio Note CDT 2 II and Dac 1.1x Signature II
CDT TWO-II transport . The MK II version of the highly regarded CDT 2 is an even more startling upgrade than the new Dac 1.1x
Signature II. It is so good I urge you to consider the seemingly radical idea of putting it at the head of even fairly modest systems,
from which its price would seem to exclude it. For example, pairing it with the Dac 1: you won’t know how good the new Dac 1 truly
is until you hear it with a CDT 2 II. The new CDT 2 is significantly more dynamic and open sounding than its predecessor. It unleashes
remarkable quantities of clean, authoritative bass, and its treble region has less grain. Like all of the best Audio Note products,
this new transport solves audio problems we were not aware we had. A breakthrough product that challenges the notion that the dac is
more important than the transport. $6250
CDT 3. I expected the 3 to be a bit better than the 2, but with a bit over 200 hours on my new one, frankly I was knocked
out. I would say the biggest difference is verisimilitude: everything sounds more real and more present. The whole presentation has
more authority. All of my CD’s sound appreciably better, which I have to take into account now when I do CD reviews! The CDT3
demonstrates as well as anything in the Audio Note line what upgrading in a predictable way – better parts mainly but also intelligent
implementation – really means. The basic products are so thoughtfully designed that upgrading parts dramatically upgrades performance.
The CDT 3 is better at everything the excellent CDT 2 II is good at, just as my Dac 4.1 Balanced Signature is better at everything my
Dac 4.1 Balanced was good at. The improvements at that level are not at all subtle. If you can only afford a CDT 2 II, relax, you are
in good hands. But if you can stretch to the 3, you will hear its benefits throughout your system. I would even consider putting it
on an AN dac below its presumed level of performance, just to see if the old saw about source is still true. $9550
CDT 4. I am told it should be production soon and Tadas, its designer and builder, tells me it is “notably better”
than the 3. That is a frightening thought, but then so was the 3 when it was first announced. Fare forward! $14,500
CDT 5. Stay tuned.
The Audio Note Dacs are the key to the natural magic of Audio Note digital. I have yet to hear them all but as soon as I have I
will augment the notes below.
DAC 1.1x Signature II . The Signature II’s predecessor, the DAC One.1x Signature, was a fine sounding dac, especially given
its extremely reasonable price. It captured the middle of notes better than the competition. Paired with a CDT TWO it could sing, boogie,
and roar - easily outperforming two $5000 CD/SACD players in my house, making the whole "hi-res" phenomenon a non-issue. The new Signature
II is astoundingly better in audible ways. I have used it in my reference system without fear that anything essential would be lost
and have not been disappointed. Moving up the Audio Note dac line always brings revelations that justify the added investment. But I
expect more and more audiophiles to find the new Dac 1 Sig II good enough. $2600
DAC 2.1 Signature, and DAC 2.1 Balanced. The 2.1 Signature, with its tube rectifier, is a nice step up in refinement
over the 1.1x Signature II. In its new Mk II configuration I’m told the Dac 2.1 Balance II is mightily improved, forcing an upgrade
to the 3.1! More soon. $4350 and $6275
DAC 3.1 Balanced. Coming to the 3.1 from anything other than a more expensive Audio Note dac will put an enormous smile
on your face. Up until a year or so ago, with its analogue filters still in place, it was a very decent sounding dac but not significantly
better than the 2.1 balanced. When they were removed, it pulled well ahead of the 2.1 in all respects. Naturally rich, smooth, refined,
and clear. Just out, is a new iteration of the 3.1 Balanced that should be a corker. While it gets better as you move up the line, this
is where a goodly number of ambitious audiophiles will be happy to settle. $8575
DAC 4.1 Balanced. The 4.1 is the Audio Note product that introduced me to whole the Audio Note line and until I heard
the Signature version, it was the best single component I'd ever heard of any kind. It still sounds extraordinary to me, even when I
come to it from the Signature. My review on Positive-Feedback.com says all I can say. (See Reviews section below.) Compared with the
3.1, it is more open through the middle and on top, firmer and clearer on the bottom, and more refined overall. Where funds allow, it
should sit at the head of any ambitious music system. $15,500
4.1 Balanced Signature. The Dac 4.1 Balanced Signature is in another game. To be honest, as much as I love the 4.1
Balanced and could be happy with it forever, the 4.1 Sig is the first DAC I’ve heard that truly does enable digital to compete
on an even playing field with very good if not state of the art analogue. While the 4.1 Balanced is great digital and an appropriate
goal for all but the most self-indulgent audiophile, the Signature version does seem to cross some sort of invisible (and expensive)
threshold and take us to a place where the choice of what to play, CD or LP, can be based, as we once hoped it would be, on the music
rather than the medium. It does not emulate analogue’s beguiling softness but offers comparable smoothness in the treble and stunning
overall clarity and transparency. It can turn a good system into an extraordinary one all by itself. That it takes this level of investment
to get to this point with digital tells us all we need to know about the medium’s difficulties in musical communication relative
to analogue, doesn’t it! $28,000
DAC 5 Special and Signature . More information and commentary coming someday! $40,425 and $76,500
OTO SE . Single-ended, EL 84 based, 10 watt integrated amp. Available with or without phono stage. The best amplifier
value in the Audio Note line for efficient speakers. Likely designed with the Audio Note K’s in mind, it makes a wonderful match
with the 93dB J’s. I have used it with it with both the JMR Twins and Arpeggiones, getting from them a more refined presentation
than most of us are accustomed to hearing from JMR speakers. The OTO is satisfyingly full, dynamic, and clear, sounding and wonderfully
informative through the midrange. An excellent choice for a $10,000-15,000 system with efficient speakers, it is a fine competitor for
the Manley Stingray and the Audiomat Arpege, among others. I am sure I have yet to hear all that it can do. I have not found that after-market
cords improve the OTO. OTO SE Line, $3275. OTO SE Phono, $3850.
Soro SE. 18 watt, 6L6G tube based single-ended integrated amplifer with a more robust and fuller presentation than
the OTO. Available with or without a phono stage. An ideal mate for Reynaud speakers in particular and a fine contrast to the Blue Circle
integrateds for those who prefer the flavor of tubes. I run it with great success on Twins, Cantabiles, and Offrandes, and expect it
will also be a fine match for the forthcoming Emeraude, successors to the Evolution 3. Soro Line SE, $5100. Soro Phono SE, $5675.
Meishu, Meishu Silver, Meishu Silver Signature . 9 watt SET, 300B based integrated amplifier. Available with or without
phono stage. This is the best way to bring 300B tubes into your system if you’re a prudent rather than self-indulgent audiophile.
Naturally, warm, and full sounding, it can be upgraded with NOS tubes to take it pretty much any direction you like. Its natural mates
are Audio Note AN-J’s or AN-E’s. Its three different models parallel the Quest monoblocks amplifiers below in its internal
components. The Meishu Silver is a great upgrade. Meishu Line, $6850. Meishu Silver Line,$9350. Meishu Line Silver Signature, $14,950.
M3 single-ended, tubed preamplifier. Available with or without phono stage. With its new improved power supplies, whose
technology has trickled down from the M10, the new iteration of the M3 has made it the great preamplifier value in the line. Dave Cope
and I agree it sounds miles ahead of its predecessor. A natural match with a P3, P4, Quests, or Conquests. M3 Line, $7250. M3 Phono,
$9350.
M6 single-ended, tubed preamplifier. Available with or without phono stage. The M6, which has also acquired new power supplies
derived from those in the M10, is the finest preamplifier I have heard at what it does. I consider it a reference component. It is the
perfection of the M3 school of preamps. M6 Line, $15,500. M6 Phono, $19, 250.
Quest . The Quest amplifier is a 9 watt SET monoblock amplifier, which gives us the rich glory of the 300B tube. It comes in
standard, Silver, and Silver Signature models. As the Conquest, it offers us 18 watts with paralleled 300B's. Quest, $7050.
Quest Silver, $9625. Quest Silver Signature, $17,250.
Conquest Silver Signatures
Conquest . 18 watt SET monoblocks amplifier. More information and commentary coming. Conquest, $11,500. Conquest Silver,
$14,500. Conquest Silver Signature, $21,250.
Neiro. 8 watt SET monoblock amplifier. A pair of Neiros offers the passion, penetration, and deeply saturated colors
of parallel 2A3's coupled with a C-core transformer with copper primary and silver secondary windings. More elegant, informative, and
possessed of firmer and clearer bass than the 300B based Quests and Meishus in the line, the 2A3 Neiros are also a bit less meaty and
sensuous. They sound startlingly more powerful than their meager eight watt rating suggests. In conjunction with the M6 preamplifier
and a DAC 4.1 Balanced, they soundstage wonderfully with depth and air, putting a natural finish on notes that is strikingly real. $25,025
Shinri. 10 watt monoblock amplifier, identical to the Neiros, but with a single 300B output tube in place of parallel
2A3’s to provide a more nuanced, disciplined, and refined perspective than their 2A3 brothers. They are Mozart to the Neiro’s
Beethoven. Great sense of control on harpsichords and pianos. Remarkable delicacy and suavity overall. Where the Neiros are notable
for drama and contrast, the Shinris lead with poise and control. $28,875
P4 Balanced. My new P4’s have arrived and taken over the house! While clearly related
to the Quest/Conquest line of 300B amps, the P4B’s with their interstage transformers take us into another sound and musical world.
Far better bass, a huge soundscape, increased spatial presence, and a degree of clarity that leaves its little siblings in the dust.
I feared their copper wound transformers might mean too much warmth but after just one day of play, that demon was gone. This is the
proverbial grail combination of warmth and detail we all seek. I drive mine with an M6 but Audio Note says they’ll respond well
to an M3 as well. If the price tag is beyond your means, at least try to hear a pair of these at the next RMAF to see where Audio Note
is going. $28,000.
Jinro. 20 watt SET integrated amplifier with Chinese 211 tubes. Debuted at CES in 2010. More information and commentary coming
soon. $21,175.
Tomei. 25 watt SET integrated amplifier with 211 tubes. More information and commentary coming.
Ongaku. 25 watt single-ended integrated amplier with VT4-C tubes. Information and commentary forthcoming. $95,000
SPEAKERS
Audio Note’s are the only speakers I have yet to hear that present a truly viable different perspective than Reynaud’s.
Peter Qvortrup says they are "correct and accurate to the recording," an argument I have heard in favor of a great many speakers I admire
but am not (any longer) drawn to. Harbeths, most recently. But Audio Note speakers are extremely persuasive, whatever the philosophy
behind them. Perhaps Peter has sprinkled some fairy dust on them and not told us.
They did not take me by storm. I expect this is mainly because they don’t sound at all like Reynauds, which is the speaker voice
that had occupied my head for the last couple of years. Reynauds generate a sense of almost palpable emotional atmosphere about them:
they are wonderfully breathy, naturally warm, and full of musical presence. They are so effective at this that they can make other,
quite excellent, speakers sound lean in direct contrast. Which is exactly what they did to a pair of AN E/SPe’s the first few
weeks I had them here.
Audio Note speakers are not at all lean, they are as clear as a New England fall day and, once the transition from JMR speakers is made,
exhilaratingly open and gloriously transparent. Violins in particular are transcendent. Human voices are strikingly clear, instrumental
voices remarkably lifelike. Unlike Reynauds, they are not especially indulgent of bad digital transfers. But to most of mine, and I
have a great many, they sound fine and are full of nice surprises. I have never much enjoyed the sound of Chandos CD’s for example,
and they sound very good on AN speakers. They seem to give all decent recordings more than a fair chance to show what they’ve
got. The best recordings sound extraordinary. Every recording sounds distinct from every other recording, which is their designer’s
criterion for excellence and has become mine.
Like Audio Note electronics, they are eloquent rather than ingratiating. This seems to have a great deal to do with their speed, their
responsiveness to an audio signal. I have never quite understood the importance of this attribute until now, and I expect it has a great
deal to do with the simplicity of the signal path. It seems to be what gives AN speakers their extraordinary verisimilitude. Music coming
through them sounds a great deal like what I heard in the spring of 2004 at the Aldeburgh Festival in Norfolk, England. (http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/festival.htm)
Notes break the air with great speed and little effort, giving them great immediacy.
All Audio Note speakers are designed to be in the corners of the room, toed in such that their ‘lines’ cross about a meter
in front of the listening position. This said, I have found that most AN speakers work fine out in the room, especially the K’s;
so the fact that your room has no useable corners does not rule them out at all. My main listening room’s corners are eighteen
feet (!) apart, so the toe-in here is absolutely essential. Set up properly, Audio Note speakers create a very broad sweet spot. Peter
Qvortrup likes to demonstrate this attribute of his speakers by pointing out to visitors that his accustomed listening position is to
the far right! They love low-powered SET’s. Once I got my demo E’s (and J’s) snugged back into the corners, the full
length drapes (behind them and in front of my floor to ceiling glass wall) drawn a couple of feet past them (to take the glass out of
the equation) and pulled away from their rear-firing ports, they began to have their way with me. I drive mine with parallel 2A3 Audio
Note Neiros, while many AN speaker owners prefer 300B based amps, of which Audio Note makes a great many.
The sonic universe that Audio Note speakers propose can take me over. Their openness and clarity throughout their surprising range can
be magic, and you don't need to go 'up range' in the product line to hear it. As with the OTO integrated amplifier and
Dac 1.1x Signature II, the magic is there from the beginning. One of my favorites is the modest K/SPe, though I'll confess I am indulging
in legendary K/SPx SE's to give myself a present!
All of the Audio Note speakers are based on classic Snell designs, improved upon by Audio Note designers. They are available in an extraordinary
variety of finishes and degrees of technical refinement. The notes below refer to the SPe models which strike many of us as the best
AN speaker values.
AN-K/SPe
While there are speakers, (notably Audio Note J’s and E’s) that go lower and higher with more ease, and make a bigger and
arguably more accurate impression, the 90 dB K’s have a special quality that larger, more effortlessly full-range speakers generally
lack. Those who remember with fondness the KLH Six (compared with the Five and Twelve), the larger Advent, and the Celestion SL6 will
know what I’m talking about. The K/SPe’s are better speakers than any of those classics; but they share their appeal, their
ability to speak incisively and almost personally through the essential midrange, which, because of the K’s lighter low end, is
where their balance is centered. They have an immediacy, a presence, exciting leading edge behavior, and tactile musical excitement,
along with a beguiling hint of opacity (!), just as their predecessors had. The smaller Reynauds have some of this strange blend of
tactile immediacy and opacity. The K’s have sealed cabinets, which clearly account for some of their sonic quality. The KLH, Advent,
and Celestion were all sealed; the Reynauds (and Audio Note J’s and E’s) are ported. A substantial benefit of the K’s
is that they perform superbly on the modest OTO integrated amp. Designed with smaller rooms in mind, they also sound excellent in my
18’ and 28’ living room. $3000
AN-J/SPe
The considerably larger, ported J’s are unquestionably "better" speakers than their little brothers, in the sense that they go
lower with more authority, go higher with more ease – they are smoother and more open sounding; and they create a larger image.
They have less ‘personality’ than the K’s (as KLH Fives and Twelves had less than the Sixes) because they make fewer
compromises (cabinet size mainly, which means the smaller speakers have to work harder to cover the spectrum) – and it is compromises
that bring personality to a speaker, for better and for worse. The J’s bass comes remarkably close to that of their big brother
E’s. In small and large rooms alike, with their 93 dB sensitivity, they are quite happy on the OTO. Actually, the OTO/J-SPe combination
is one of my most popular. $5000
AN-E/SPe.The E was the first Audio Note speaker I heard and as much as I like the J and K, if you have the room for
it, the E is the speaker to have. Its additional half-octave on the low end clarifies the low bass fairly dramatically. It also gives
the impression of being more open and easeful from top to bottom, likely the result also of the clearer low end. The E’s
like a bit of space, but seemed just fine in Peter Qvortrup’s approximately 12’ x 16’ study. Most folks put
at least a Meishu or M3/P3 on E’s. They, see below. $6100
AN-E/SPe HE. An AN-E/SPe with hemp High Efficiency woofers taking them to 98 dB! A great upgrade which makes possible use of
ultra low powered 45 or 2A3 based amps. That said, the speed of the hemp woofers seems to make these E's demonstrably more
exciting on the same amps you'd use with the standard E/SPe's. I have just gotten a pair in and they have already become
my favorite Audio Note speaker. They strike me now as the sweet spot in the line. Not as absolutely resolving and refined as
the more than two and three times as expensive E/SPe SE's and E/SPx SE's, but a bit sweeter and absolutely endearing. No wonder Art
Dudley fell for them. $7600.
AN-E/LX Signature. A copper wired AN-E with the High Efficiency woofers and external, separately boxed crossovers using
solid copper wired inductors with Audio Note copper foil capacitors. Wired with Lexus cable. Excellent review of the E/LX Signatures
by Art Dudley in Stereophile...written before he heard the E/Spe HE's...http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/506an/index1.html
For those who love copper wired speakers or whose overly bright listening rooms require them, these are jewels. $15,500.
AN-E/SPe SE and AN-E/SPx SE. With silver wired inductors in the external crossovers,
these two beauties are the first of the upscale silver wired E models. More resolving and thus more articulate across their
entire range, they can be stunning with the Level 4 electronics they invite. Audio Note afficionados will insist on this level of refinement.
The rest of us will find great satisfaction with E/SPe HE's. ] $17,500 and $24,250
INTERCONNECTS
Audio Note cabling is the best I know of. It can compound the virtues of both AN and non-AN systems. Modestly priced copper Lexus is
terrific in a modest system, offering a naturally warm, detailed, and full presenation. I prefer it to the less weighty
sounding, silver-based AN-v, which costs more. But when you get to AN-Vx the game begins to change.
Everything begins to open up without any loss of the Lexus solidity or smoothness. SOGON with twice as many strands of silver is
simply astonishing in its clarity and sweetness. And the new Sootto, with twice as many strands as Sogon (!) can take your
breath away. Big, hugely present, and still beautiful. It clearly crosses an invisible line into territory where adjectives
flail and reality seems to begin. The strategy, unless you're rich, is to put the best cable you can afford at the head of the
system chain, say between a digital transport and dac or between a CDP and amp: that way its advantages get passed along. Even putting
a single run of Sogon, or better yet, the new Pallas, between the transport and dac in a system with all Lexus delivers a dramatic improvement.
Upgrading from Vx to Sogon to Sootto interconnects is like opening sonic doors. At each step we feel we are hearing it all and
then suddenly, in each case, there is more. More instrumental and spatial detail, more pure physicality and presence, more beauty, and
more shear excitement. This is directly attributable to the near doubling of strands of silver, the doubling of channels
through which musical information can travel: it is as if twice as much on a recording is being unleashed.
I can't tell you now exhilerating it is to hear more of a cello than you've been accustomed to thinking there is: the prodigious sound
of its physicality accompanied by the stunning beauty of true timbre. This is what this whole enterprise we are involved in
truly is.
With Audio Note cable, every step of the progression is a revelation, so there is no need to complete the journey through the
last door. But I promise you there is no other way to get it all. If all of the musical information can't get into your system, it ain't
going to come out!
LEXUSAll all-copper 50 strand interconnect with the same architecture as Sogon. Probably the best buy in IC’s
around. Full and smooth sounding, it has more clarity than we usually find in copper cable. One meter pair, RCA's, $235.
AN-V 99.99% pure silver, 15 strand litz wire symmetrical interconnect, copper screen. A respectable interconnect for
modest high end systems for those who have to have silver but can't afford AN-Vx. I have used it between a CDT1 transport and Dac 1.1x
Signature II dac and sometimes between the dac and an OTO integrated. Less full sounding than copper Lexus but just enough silver to
throw a bit of natural light over everything. One meter pair, RCA's, $525.
AN-Vx 99.99% pure silver, 27 strand litz wire symmetrical interconnect, copper screen. A significant jump in openness
and refinement from AN-V, this is the interconnect of choice in most reasonably priced systems. No need to go beyond AN-Vx unless you’re
a truly ambitious but definitely worth stretching to from AN-v and from Lexus if you can. A good choice in even a perfectionist’s
system that requires a long run, say to monoblocks. One meter pair, RCA's, $1250.
SOGON 99.99% pure silver, now 50 strands, up from 42 strand litz wire symmetrical interconnect, copper screen. Wide
open and as refined as I have ever heard. A great cable to run from a transport to a dac to give a VX based system a great start. More
and more listeners are considering this option even in modest systems because of the startling degree of improvement it provides. One
meter pair, RCA's, $3175. Single run as digital interconnect, $1587.50.
PALLAS A new cable introduced in 2008 for even more dramatic improvement in the run from the digital transport to the
dac. Better than Sogon in this role, if those of you who have heard Sogon can believe it. One meter, single run for digital IC, RCA's,
$2137.50.
SOOTTO 99.99% pure silver in 110 strands. Big, bold, clear, and still beautiful. Arguably the most 'real' sounding
AN cable. Head to head with Sogon, it sounds less refined and less sweet because it is holding absolutely nothing back. Not at all clinical,
just stunningly present. Scarey good stuff. Even a one-meter pair near the head end of a system can be an existential joy. In my
current reference system, I run from Pallas to Sootto to Sogon. One meter pair, RCA's, $7050.
SPEAKER CABLE
Lexus XL Pure copper 50 strand Lexus cable is all a modest system will ever need and also my choice for Reynaud Duets,
Cantabiles, Emeraudes, and Offrande Supremes. Way better sounding than it has any right to be. A great cable value. An all-copper wire
but built with the same architecture as Sogon, so it offers the classic warmth with detail. $280 per meter single wired plus $135 for
termination. Biwired, $560 plus $270.
AN-SPe 99.99% pure silver litz conductor, 17 strands. AN-SPe is comparable to an interconnect halfway between AN-V
and AN-Vx: a great sounding cable that will satisfy most audiophiles. Ideal for K/SPe's, J/SPe's, and E/SPe's. $780 per meter single
wired plus $80 for termination. Biwired, $1560 plus $160.
AN-SPx 99.99% pure silver litz conductor, 27 strands. Weightier sounding overall and more brilliant in the upper midrange.
Great match for JMR Orfeos and Concordes. $1940 per single meter single wired plus $80 for termination; $3880 plus $160 biwired.
SOGON LX 96 99.99 pure silver conductor, now 96 strands. Probably the best there is but prohibitively expensive for
anyone I know. I haven't heard it yet but will report out when and if I do. $9500 per single meter single wired plus $135 for termination.
$19,000 Plus $270 biwired.
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JM REYNAUD
JM Reynaud speakers pursue the natural warmth, body, and immediacy that give some listeners their chief emotional charge from music.
They are warm and robust but there is also, especially with current Reynauds, a crisp quality to the leading edges of instruments and
voices that gives them more clarity than most other warm speakers can provide.
Reynaud, who spends most of his "spare" time in the concert halls of Europe, has successfully pioneered an approach to loudspeaker design
demonstrating that monitor-like 'accuracy to source' resolution is not necessarily the way to the truth of what live music really sounds
like. His least expensive speakers often embarrass the competition's best.
Reynaud speakers have a way of providing the perfect marriage of sonic information and musical expressiveness that seems to elude so
many other designs. The zig-zag to Reynaud began with Kefs, proceeded to Meridian M-2 actives, Linn Saras and DMS Isobariks, B&W
Matrix speakers, Spendors (BC1's and 1/2's), and on to Harbeths. The arrival at Reynaud was both satisfying and definitive. No speaker
I have heard does as well at getting the elemental emotional feel of a live musical performance into our living room, which is their
designer's express goal. In contrast to the vivid kind of clarity that distinguishes some of the most popular contemporary ‘for
a clear day you can hear forever' speakers, Reynauds offer a naturally warm but also spirited and energetic version of transparency,
resulting in a physical immediacy that can take your breath away. To my ears, had the Spendor BC-1 evolved in a straight line rather
than thinning out its heritage into the current Classic line, it would have turned into a Reynaud.
Compared with Audio Note speakers, Reynauds seem considerably more physical in their presentation, putting the primary focus on
the body of instruments. Where Audio Note speakers have favor a complex, and inflected presentation, Reynauds sound weightier and a
bit simpler and more straightforward.
JEAN MARIE REYNAUD LOUDSPEAKERS
Again, for more detail and a look at the full JMR line, go to the manufacturer's website, http://www.jm-reynaud.com.
All JMR equipment is available through Amherst Audio. Note: North American distribution of JMR speakers is once again being handled
by Amherst Audio. A current list of dealers appears at the end of the JM Reynaud section. Amherst Audio remains a retail dealer as well
as the importer.
Below are subjective descriptions of my favorite Reynauds. Amherst Audio offers the full line of Reynaud speakers.
The Bliss (formely called the Duet). After thirteen years and four different
versions, JMR decided it was time for the famous romantic Twin to retire to make room for something altogether new. Well, not absolutely
altogether. The drivers are the same and the enclosure is almost the same --slightly smaller in volume (2 inches shallower, 1 inch wider).
But the interior of the enclosure has been completely re-engineered to take advantage of what was learned from creating the Offrande
Signature. There is a new crossover. And the sound! Still naturally JMR warm and expressive but much more immediate
and clear. The ideal for JMR has always been that elusive marriage of warmth and clarity we hear in the concert hall and jazz venue
and that has eluded speaker designers for years. Over the half-dozen or so years that I have been listening to Reynauds JMR has steadily
and conspicuously moved closer to this goal. But in his latest speaker iterations he has taken a giant step - and with the new Bliss
he has brought this level of improvement to his entry-level speaker. I loved the MK III Twins, I loved and admired the Twin Signatures.
But I am floored by the Blisses - and mine are not even half broken in yet. The most dramatic improvements are in the immediacy
of the midrange and the clarity and authority of the bass. Where the Twins used to seduce with a degree of beguiling opacity, the Bliss
amazes with the warmth, speed, and immediacy of a 'live' performance. And where the Twins sometimes wanted a subwoofer to fill them
out, the Blisses often sound as if they are already subs somewhere in the room. Still no hint of the brightness or over-asertiveness
that often accompany great presence. Just there-ness. The Blisses are warm, immediate, smooth, passionate, and fast.
They strike me as more versatile than the Twins. Within reason, you can get almost any sound out of them you like. So far my favorite
combination has them with the Blue Circle 6922 based FtTH hybrid integrated, which brought the house down at the recent audio show in
Montreal; and the SBT preamp (also with 6922's) and SBM solid state monoblocks. The FtTH brings out their dynamic capacity and phenomenal
low end; music has great weight and body through this amp. The SBT/SBM combination seems to maximize the Blissess' potential for clarity,
speed, and brilliance with no loss of smoothness. The 6SN7 based Blue Circle DAR integrated, brings out their romanticism: a fuller
and more blended sound, a more fluid midrange, increased holography & deep sound stage, and lots of energy, all at the cost of some
tightness in the low end and some overall definition. The SBT/SBM and Blisses sound truthful and exciting; the FtTH add to this truthfulness
increased dynamics and authority; the DAR and Blisses are more enveloping than either but lack some of their command.
I am getting the sense it will take me quite a while to discover all that these little miracles can perform, especially on the JMR Magic
Stands. More than even their predecessors, the Blissess are the kings of the under $2000 speaker market. Merci, Jean Marie. Merci, Jean
Claude. $1895.
New review of Duets on Positive-Feedback
Bliss Silver. There will be a new Bliss Silver added to the line in February. Not a replacement
for Bliss, which remains happily in the line, it is in essence a refined and upgraded Bliss, with silver internal wiring. Jean Claude
Reynaud reports that he is currently on tour with it visiting the retailers in Europe.
From JCR: “I have had some good early comments... A journalist already had a pair and love it very much...They’re very instantaneous
and incredibly dynamic and the tone is really beautiful. They sound like small Offrande Supremes with less bass of course and less body
overall, but with the same magical sense of open space. For me they’re one of the best monitors ever... If I had some when I was
sound engineer I would have been very, very happy... All the small details of the recording technique are incredibly true and clearly
noticeable, the spacing between instruments and the depth of the sound stage is incredible for such small speakers. No box sound at
all... Very clear and clean low midrange and very informative too. Low end is not cheating it’s truly wonderful...”
The US price should be slightly less than the Euterpe, floor-standing version of the Bliss, $2700 or so.
Euterpe. Floor-standing version of the Duet, replacing the Arpeggione Signatures. They use the same drivers as as their
little siblings, but with more space for the woofers to work with, they provide an additional 5 Hertz on the low end. And no need for
stands! $2895
Cantabile Signature. The new Cantabile Signature, which has taken sole possession of the slot in the JMR line its predecessor
shared with the Trente, is a more interesting speaker than that much-loved standmount. Jean Marie himself considers the two speakers
very close in overall performance and dropped the Trente from the line in part because his European customers were finding them redundant.
I do not consider them redundant. I find the Trente a recognizable sibling of the Twin and Offrande, which is to say possessed of a
beguilingly natural warmth, its center in the lower midrange. Robust, spirited, and immediate when called upon to be, mellow and comfortable
when not, with a tendency to blend instrumental textures rather than separate them. The Cantabile Signature is a notably more open sounding
speaker: more articulate and informative from top to bottom than the Trente, with a less obviously warm presentation centered farther
up toward the center of the midrange. It is less weighty sounding than the Trente, primarily because of greater clarity in the bass
(the Cantabiles actually go down to 40 hz, which is 5 Hz lower than the Trentes). Audio Note speakers have this same characteristic.
A solo cello is exciting as well as sonorous.
I was sorry to see the Trentes go, but as must be evident, I have come to prefer these new Cantabiles. (I’m told they are a considerable
improvement over the earlier Cantabile: hence, the Signature designation.) They are telling me more of what I want to hear from
musicians; but, in the JMR tradition, they are not in the least analytic. Like all artists who truly understand tradition, Reynaud knows
that even his own cannot simply pass from one generation of speakers to the next: it must be recreated through continuing creative effort
that is closely tied to first-hand experience of live music. I find the Cantabile Signatures recognizably Reynauds but captivatingly
new.
They sound best, natural, and appealing on the Blue Circle SBT/SBM combination; robust, full, and smooth on an Audio Note Soro (which
I have finally got to hear); refined, smooth and less rich on an Audio Note OTO integrated tube amp; firm, dynamic, and most informative
and authoritative with the Blue Circle integrateds, the FtTH in particular. Price: $3995.
 Emeraude.
These replacements for the extremely popular Evolution 3’s may be the most overtly appealing speakers in the Reynaud line
by virtue of their Spendor-like midrange. And unlike those lovable British Classics, the Emeraudes have commanding bass. So if this
sounds like your game, this may be your ideal speakers. Reynaud is using a new fabric tweeter (still top-mounted) for
this model which has a neodymium magnet with a "w" shaped suspension: it is likely responsible for the wonderfully clear and smooth
quality of the Emeraude's treble range.
Jean Claude Reynaud considers Emeraudes smaller Orfeos – and while they are certainly closer in personality to their big brothers
than to the more immediate and direct sounding Offrande Supremes, these speakers have a distinct identity that doesn’t remind
us of Orfeos at all. Like all Reynauds, they are naturally warm and clear; but their smaller scale results in a more lithe, more intimate,
and less grand, presentation especially well suited to moderate sized rooms, say 12’-14’ x 16-18’ or so. Remember,
their predecessors were the floor-standing version of the everybody’s mother loves them Trentes. Emeraudes sound like floor-standing
versions of significantly more informative Trentes. "Imaging is very wide open and deep. It has a sound that is both fast
and warm, as we like." JCR. They are wonderfully easy to drive - 8 ohms compared with the EV 3's 4 ohms and sensibility
is now up to 91 dB. They sound extremely happy on my 95 watt Blue Circle FtTH hybrid integrated. A great match. $5495.
Offrande Supremes replace the Offrande Signatures. Still 8 ohms, still with the ribbon tweeter. Price $6995 (still). But likely not much past early 2009.
Offrande Supreme: Phoenix Rising
Just two years after the introduction of the stunning new Offrande Signature comes another new Offrande,
the sixth version of this famous, much loved stand-mount that has always been so much more than a stand-mount. Why so soon?
According to the Reynauds, while a goodly number of music lovers (and recording engineers), found
the Signatures to have an ideal balance of increased resolution and traditional JMR warmth, the world of Reynaud lovers at large missed
something in the new Offrandes that had drawn them to succeeding iterations of this definitive Reynaud for going on thirteen years.
They heard, correctly, that unlike previous Offrandes that had been the essence of the entire JMR line, the Signatures stood somewhat
apart from its siblings. Not so much as to be different in kind but clearly different in degree: they were more objective sounding through
the upper midrange, making them superb recording monitors, but a tad less friendly in small domestic situations with side walls close
by to reflect (and boost) the first wave of treble sound. In my large listening room in Massachusetts, with walls some six feet away
(and a ceiling ten), they were excellent. In our room at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in 2006, when people stood along the walls they
were equally impressive. But when the crowd thinned, exposing the flat, hard walls, they became a bit overwhelming. As presumably they
also did in small rooms in Paris and Lyon as well. Clear and accurate but less "Reynaud-like," as Jean Claude concedes.
And so, Jean Marie returned to the drawing board (and listening lab) and has emerged with a reinvented
Offrande that retains the widely acknowledged advances of the Signature – more authoritative bass response and a miraculously
clear, wide dispersion, ribbon tweeter – but with a voice and overall balance closer to what has characterized Offrandes since
their arrival into the audio world. On first hearing, I would say the Supreme is a significantly improved version of the last model
before the Signature, maintaining its much-loved natural warmth but adding an even more dramatic sense of presence and immediacy and
the best imaging of any Reynaud ever: its ability to represent space is uncanny.
I came to like the Offrande Signatures a great deal, as my report on them here made clear; but I understand
their departure. They could only achieve their musical goals in spaces most of us do not inhabit. So when I got the news of their departure,
rather than feel regret, I just held my breath and waited.
A Perfectionist’s Duets?
Offrandes have always moved us in closer to the musicians than the JMR floorstanders, like the Orfeos
and Concordes. That is what Offrandes do. They move us up so we can hear everything each instrument is saying before it blends with
the others, in exchange for a bit less of the hall: less fullness, less reverb. The Orfeos and Concordes are speakers that capture the
sound we hear just after instruments begin to blend, where the treble just begins to taper off and where the overall sound is fuller,
richer, and more reverberant. Not quite "mid-hall" – fresher sounding than that – but getting there.
Jean Marie’s favorite perspective has always been closer in, which is where his favorite speakers
take us. The Offrande Signatures, to some ears, took us all the way in, closer than most were ready to go. You could say that in that
sense, for many listeners, they overshot the mark, as many recording engineers do these days! The new Duets, his other favorites, take
us in but not quite so close. Those with foresight might have seen in the Duets where new Offrandes would eventually go.
Some will doubtless characterize the new Offrande Supremes as a perfectionist’s Duets, which
is actually a way of reminding us how good the Duets are. The new Offrandes provide a dramatically enhanced version of the Duets’
clear, naturally warm and immediate presentation. With the Offrandes we get scads more timbral detail, a still clearer and more liquid
presentation, and immediacy to die for: they are full of the presence of musicians making music. We get more of everything the
Duets have. The Supremes are less absolutely transparent than the Signatures were, less absolutely objective sounding monitors of recordings;
but they are more transparent than the pre-Sig Offrandes. To my ears, they are closer to what a ‘live’ musical performance
actually sounds like, thanks, I’m sure, in significant part to the ribbon tweeter. Where the new Offrandes are conspicuously better
than previous Offrandes is in their imaging and in their stunningly engaging and descriptive midrange. What they can so with solo violins,
cellos, and woodwinds – not to mention human voices – is quite literally enchanting.
Having lived with these speakers for quite a while now, it is clear to me that the Offrande Signatures
were a departure from the direct development of the Offrande tradition and that we are now back on the main track. If I were a recording
engineer, I might mourn the passing of the Offrande Signature. As a music lover who must persuade other music lovers with living
rooms rather than studios, I welcome the Supremes.
Looks: As you can see from the image, we have
returned to the traditional Offrande shape, perhaps to signal the return to a more traditional sounding JMR speaker. I recommend them
in the new light cherry stain. Lovely creatures.
Amplifiers: The new Offies are 91 dB, a dB
more sensitive than the Sigs. You will get a good deal of what they are capable of with a good hybrid integrated like the 95-watt
Blue Circle FtTH, a good deal more with something on the order of my BC3000II/GZpz and BC204. The FtTH is a tad smoother, mainly because
it’s not getting as much information through. The 3000/204 is more dramatic, authoritative on the bottom, and both more present
and more liquid through the midrange, which it should be for nearly four times the price!
I could be happy with either amp on the Offies and am.
Room size: Offrandes have always been designed
for moderate (not very small) sized rooms – 12’-14' to 18’-24’ maybe. In this size space their
overall balance should be perfect. In large rooms – 18’ x 36’ and larger – they can lean out a little,
depending on ceiling height, furnishings, and the like. That is Orfeo and Concorde territory. Even the best stand-mount speakers
in the world with 7.5 inch woofers can have trouble loading a very large space, though all of my comments above are based on listening
in my fairly large living room (18' x 28' x 10'), so who knows?
The Offrande Supremes are as good as the Orfeos, they simply offer a different perspective. All you
have to decide is where you want to sit.
Orféo. The Orfeo has gotten a new crossover and become the Orféo II.
Sonically and musically, it is a new speaker, an Orféo with the midrange of a Spendor that grew up. All of the fullness and low
end authority we expect from an Orféo but a new sense of immediacy, presence, clarity, and beauty in the range where instruments
and the human voice speak to us most identifiably. It would be tempting to call it an an Offrande Supreme with better bass, which is
what I would have reported before my pair broken in. But 75 or so hours in, the Orféo II is now closer to the Concorde Signature:
a bit faster and not so deep, but with its big brother’s overall command. All this from a new crossover? Yup. No price increase.
 The
Orféos are a perfect complement to the Offrande Supremes and will choose their fans accordingly. Where the Offrandes provide
more immediacy and the intense excitement of an intimate perspective, the Orféos give you a grander, fuller, and more beautiful
picture. Both are great speakers. The Orféos have a warmer overall balance and fuller, more authoritative presentation than Emeraudes,
by virtue of their considerably deeper bass. Their scale is orchestral, perfect for rooms too large their little brothers, and, fed
with something comparable to my 150 watt Blue Circle hybrid stereo power amp, they achieve it with great ease. What they do for the
left hand of a piano is a mighty thing to behold.
While you can run Orféos are an amp as modest and versatile as the Blue Circle FtTH, it gives you much more on higher powered
separates. I am currently running mine on a BC3000 II GZpz and a 150 watt BC204 hybrid stereo amp, and they are incredibly satisfying
in all respects. $7995.
 Concorde Signature. When JMR's top of the line Concorde was given the Signature treatment -
principally a redesigned interior and the same ribbon tweeters that make the Offrande Supreme and Orféo so open and spacious
- it took several steps up. Its predecessor has been described by some as a supreme EV3 and by others as an Offrande with more extended
bass and the ease and authority that comes with a true three-way speaker. The Signature has an improved high end, more presence, and
a tighter low end. Improvements in the design of their enclosures makes them more suitable for normal sized listening rooms than their
predecessors. In a system that is up to them, they are at least as authoritative, smooth, musical as the earlier Concordes, but add
the presence of their smaller siblings. They are comparatively easy to drive but will reward an amplifier that can feed their woofers
well, like a Blue Circle BC206 or pair of BC208‘s. Price: $12,000.
MAGIC STANDS. JM Reynaud has granted Amherst Audio the rights to build and sell in the US his patented Magic Stands,
designed specifically to improve the performance of Twins and Trentes and now the new Duets. Making use of the principle of the Helmholtz
Resonator, Magic Stands not only improve low end performance of these JMR speakers dramatically, they also have the effect of evening
up response in the midrange. Magic Stands are hand-crafted by Amherst, Massachusetts cabinet-maker E.S.Fair. They are identical to the
originals, though I find these a bit sturdier. Price, $400
For a definitive presentation of the theory behind the Magic Stands, go to:
http://www.jm-reynaud.com/jmr_us/archives/magic.html
JM Reynaud Dealers
Craig Jensen
Great Plains Audio
7535 Hwy 212 Chaska, MN 55318
(612) 590 - 2248
cmjncf@copper.net
Louis Hernandez
Stereo Shop
4319 Columbia Rd
Augusta, GA 30907-1469
(706) 863-9143
Louis@thestereoshop.org
John Guidi
Evolution Audio
5341 Derry Avenue Suite S
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
818-879-1312 or
800-836-8577
John@eavht.com
Bob Neill
Amherst Audio
164 Red Gate Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 549-6171
www.amherstaudio.com
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BLUE CIRCLE
Gilbert Yeung's quest to reproduce the essence of 'live' music has led him to design electronics with a combination of authority, dynamic
energy, natural warmth, and clarity. His career has yielded some of the most satisfying (often hybrid tube/solid state) preamplifiers
and amplifiers in the world.
Amherst Audio began with Blue Circle. The zig-zag that got me to this musical line of preamps and amps followed one of the predictable
routes: zig from Krell to Conrad Johnson, zag halfway back to Plinius. It could just as well have zigged from Bryston to Cary and zagged
halfback to Plinius. To my ears, Blue Circle, especially in its current designs, comes remarkably close to achieving the mean between
an accurate version of what's on recordings and a presentation of what ‘live’ music really sounds like. Avoiding both the
clinical and the cloyingly colored, Blue Circle preamps and amps, in both single-ended and balanced, in both solid state and tubed topologies,
have pleased me for many years. There are stars in the line – the new mini SB series, the FtTH hybrid integrated amplifer, the
MKII versions of the classic BC3 series tubed preamps, the new 200 series hybrid power amps, and especially the reference quality dacs
and a new BC6000 line conditioner. But I have yet to hear any Blue Circle component that does not have a musical point to make. With
Blue Circle, the preamp is the key: this is where designer Gilbert Yeung speaks most meaningfully. To compare any digital front end
direct to amp system with one that has a Blue Circle preamp in it will tell you a lot of what you need to know about Blue Circle. Blue
Circle used to sound warmer and softer than most of its components do today. Lately, the designer has moved to a more realistic balance
of warmth and transparency, which his widespread use of balanced topology has helped to mature. Especially when paired with JM Reynaud
speakers, they are dynamic, weighty, and present. Yang to Audio Note’s Yin?
In the last year or so, in an effort to broaden the Blue Circle palette, two new series of electronics have been introduced, both of
which impress me very much. The SB series of compact preamplifiers and amplifiers, while clear cousins of the FtTH and 200 series amplifiers,
have an SET like clarity and sense of touch that has turned many heads. The DAR and 400 series amps, making use of the much-loved 6SN7
tube, bring back some of holographic qualities of the classic BC 2 and BC6 amps of yore. Stay tuned.
BLUE CIRCLE ELECTRONICS
For full and more objective descriptions of Gilbert Yeung's line of electronics, see the company's web site: http://www.bluecircle.com . What follows is my subjective opinions of a selection. All Blue
Circle products are available through Amherst Audio.
Preamplifiers
BC3PLS. New preamp for those can’t quite stretch to a BC 3 Despina II. Not a replacement for the no longer
available BC 2l.1 but a whole new design. Price: $3295. For more information go to: http://www.bluecircle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=67
BC 3 Despina II. Tubed, single-ended. The "original" Blue Circle preamp, now upgraded to MK II status, which tightens
its low end and adds dynamics, reflecting its designer's move toward more incisive, bolder, and somewhat faster reproduction. Retains
enough of the classic Despina sensuousness and remarkable midrange clarity to keep the BC3 faithful in the fold. Mates especially well
with the BC 26 II solid state amp, as well as with the BC28 hybrid. The BC Despina II, Galatea II, and BC3000 II also make excellent
mates for cooler solid state amps. The Despina II is available in balanced topology for an additional $750. The BC 3 Despina is at the
heart of many fine music systems. Price: $4495.
Note: The original BC3 Despina, Galatea, and BC3000 are once more available as an option – at the following prices. Prices: BC3
Despina: $4495. BC3 Galatea: $6295. BC3000: $7995.
BC3 Galatea II
BC 3 Galatea II. Tubed, single-ended. The upgrade from Despina II to the Galatea II, which amounts to the substitution
of the 3.1 II for the 3.0 II external power supply, takes this extremely popular preamp a significant step forward. Bigger power supply
means better bass and a bit more refinement through the midrange. The Galatea II is available in balanced topology for an additional
$750. List price: $6295.
BC 3000 II. Tubed, single-ended. The 3000 II represents a huge sonic upgrade from the Galatea II and is probably
the most sound per dollar in the preamp line. When it is coupled with the optional GZpz power supply, it gets more refined and
picks up an astonishing sense of ease on large orchestral and big band music. The BC 3000 GZpz is currently the top of the
BC preamp line. List price for stock 3000 II: $7995. With GzPZ power supply: $9995. The BC3000 II is also available in balanced topology
for an additional $750. Pair this reference preamp with one of the new BC200 series hybrid amps.
Amplifiers
GDC. Brand new entry-level integrated solid state amp. 95 watts. Considerably clearer from top to bottom than the former
CS, it changes JMR Duets into more penetrating and faster sounding speakers, at a bargin price. $1795.
DAR. A new 100 watt integrated hybrid using the 6SN7 tube to achieve a warm, appealing but still delightfully clear
sound reminiscent of the vintage BC2 and BC6. It made its debut at the 2007 Rocky Mountain Audio Festival and was extremely well received
playing with Reynaud Cantabiles.
The DAR midrange is open and full of musical timbre. There is a slightly warm, airy and breathy immediacy and clarity in the mids and
upper mids that mates predictably well with JMR speakers. So far I’ve heard it on the Cantabile Sigs and the Offrande Sigs and
while it sounds very good on both, I prefer it slightly on the Cantabiles which seems the more appropriate and natural match.
The DAR is a bit richer sounding and more solicitous than the SBT/SBM combination. They in turn are firmer sounding and a bit more penetrating.
But they are recognizable cousins. Both have an emotional directness that sets them apart from most other electronics I know. Both of
these Blue Circle amps have a way of making many other amps sound evasive. $2995.
BmPH. A powerful (160 watts into 8 ohms, 260 into 4 ohms) all solid state integrated designed for those
who need more power in a one-box amp. Warmer, fuller, and punchier than the FtTH. Informative review on SixMoons: http://www.sixmoons.com/audioreviews/bluecircle2/bluecircle.html.
$5395 with single Shallco volume control.
FtTH
FtTH. Hybrid integrated using 6992 tubes, one for each channel. 95 watts into 8 ohms, 125 watts into 4 ohms. True-balanced
typology. Separate external power supply. A more open sounding and sophisticated amp than its former stable mate NSCS, the FtTH has
an upper mid and treble range that gives strings and woodwinds more room to strut their stuff. This is the integrated we music-loving
audiophiles have been waiting for. $5595.
Backbone and Grace: Listening Note on the Blue Circle FtTH Integrated Amplifer
Listening to a Blue Circle FtTH on either my Reynaud Duets or Offrand Supremes, I do not get the sense that everything is especially beautiful,
refined, sexy, or radiant, but that it is naturally and forcefully present, as it should be. The music falls simply falls
into the room with grace and authority. When I listen to live music, I’m not smitten with beauty or radiance, I’m
smitten, when I am, by the firm, clear presence of real instruments. I am not taken, at least consciously, by aspects of sound
but by music. There is nothing diverting me, positively or negatively, from the music. The instruments have their full character,
nothing more. And most especially, nothing less. It is a very reassuring experience. I invariably find myself saying, "oh,
of course." That is why I will always have Blue Circle electronics in my house. This is the way they present music. They remind me what
instruments sound like. I admire this amplifier enormously. It is my Reality Check amp. That does not mean it is Plain Jane,
clinical, dry, solid-state-like, or dull. It is real. And reality can be a wonderfully uplifting thing. In audio, it may ultimately
be the most uplifting thing, which lasts. I am amazed that it serves both the modest Duets and demanding Offrande equally well.
Very few other audio designers can live with this approach. They fear, with good reason, that it won’t grab potential buyers,
who want to Hear Their Gear. Want to be seduced or bowled over (or both). They want to hear and be able to characterize the voice
of their system. While I’m listening to my FtTH on my JMR speakers, in my mind other systems sound overly refined or harmonically
enriched or too lean 'n' light or too charming or two patrician or too assertive: artificial, affected. Again, with
my FtTH, I feel as if I am getting real thing. The real musical thing. I realize I have forgotten how good reality sounds!
What a wonderful combination of backbone and grace it has. I want nothing more. Because the cost of its output devices has risen sharply
over the past year or so, it is very likely the FtTH will leave the Blue Circle line sometime in 2010. It will become an instant classic
when that day comes. Do not wait for it.
 BC 204
BC 200 Series Power Amps. I have now heard the first two of these new hybrid and balanced stereo amps, which
are rapidly becoming the stars of the line. Once we move beyond the practicality of integrateds, these are the amps we aspire to.
But the separates which are the FtTH of Blue Circle high end power amps are the 200 series.
BC 202. Coupled with the Galatea II, the 202 is a clear step up from the FtTH, providing noticeably more authority
and clarity through the midrange. But to my ears, as good as it is, it is more a promise of what's to come in the 204 than a logical
stopping place. But for $3000 less, it's a great high-end bargain. 125 watts. $7495.
BC 204. The BC 204 is a dream amp, which coupled with a BC 3000II GZpz now occupies the center of my Blue Circle/JM
Reynaud reference system. More authority, more refinement, more everything. It is the FtTH of Blue Circle stereo amps. I'm
sure the BC206 and especially the BC208 are better. There's always something better! Gilbert is clearly on a roll with the 200 series
amps and I'm eager to hear them all. But I'm here to tell you that once you've heard the 204 surrounded by comparable components, you'll
feel little temptation to venture further. For a while. 150 watts. $10,595.
BC 206. 180 watts, $16,495. Available as monoblocks and called the 206ob with 160 watts, $20,995. And don't be fooled
by the lower power. Gilbert assures me the 206ob is a better amp than its single chassis brother.
BC 208. 215 watts. Top of the line monoblocks. $28,995. Believe the reviews.
SBT tubed preamp and SBM solid state monoblock amps
SBT. Tubed preamplifer with 6922’s. $1795.
SBP. Solid state preamplifier. $545.
SBS. 20 watt, class AB solid state stereo power amplifier. $1795.
SBM. 45 watt, Class AB solid state monoblock amplifier. $2995.
Digital to Analogue Converters
BC 501ob with optional purple-heart walnut faceplate.
BC 501, BC501ob. I have finally had an opportunity to hear one of Gilbert’s dacs and I am mightily impressed.
The ob version, with its extermal power supply, can hold its own with any dac I have heard. Both bold and smooth, it presents music
with remarkable ease and authority. Music has natural weight and roundedness through this all-solid-state dac. Compared with Audio Note
tubed dacs, the 501ob gives the impression of greater clarity: it is clear from corner to corner like a Leica lens. Where
the Audio Note dacs seem to be pulling everything together and providing strong emotional focus, the BC dac seems to spread things out,
giving us a more objective presentation. Which you prefer will be entirely a matter of personal audio preference. Both work extraordinarily
well.
Match your Blue Circle dac with an Audio Note CDT 2 II or CDT 3 transport and you’ve got a great digital front end.
I have yet to hear the baby dac. The BC 501 retails for $4345, the 501ob for $7845.
Blue Circle Line Conditioners
Blue Circle’s Music Ring line conditioners have been around for a while now and do a very creditable job. I have used an MR800
in the past and was pleased with it. But I wanted more, so I brought in an Audience AdeptResponse and got a LOT more. I got more of
everything I wanted but also an uninvited boost in testosterone. I liked that – it improved the performance of both my Blue Circle
and Manley amps, so I didn’t complain. In its new, revised version it is even better and has less testosterone, good enough to
merit an award from me on Positive Feedback for 2007. But.
BC 6000
But, in late fall of 2007, I heard the BC6000. And the AdeptResponse had to leave. The BC conditioner made both my Blue Circle and Manley
amps sound better still, but this time in the areas of clarity, refinement, and beauty, which are important to me. On my Audio Note
M6 preamp and Neiro monoblocks, I got more ambient information and a noticeable increase in musical energy. This is the best piece of
line-conditioning equipment I’ve heard and given the price of the competition, it is a steal. It is so much better than the Music
Rings that I’m not even going to talk about them any longer. Go directly to the BC6000, in either the six, twelve, or fourteen
outlet versions, and don’t look back. Probably the most bang for the buck in the Blue Circle line. $1795, $2325, and $2435 respectively.
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TG AUDIO LAB
TG Audio Lab is back in business, now run by Frank Latimer, still in Houston, Texas. The full line of products formerly offered by the
late Bob Crump is still available. Frank worked some with Bob before his death and knows the cables well. The stars in the line-up
remain the SLVR power cord ($500 for a five-foot cord), TG speaker cable ($800 for an eight-foot pair, $990 for a ten-foot pair), and
High Purity interconnects ($800 for a one-meter single-ended pair unshielded, $900 for shielded – Add $500 for balanced). Contact
me for other lengths – and other TG products.
The TG product I’ve heard most recently is the latest version the SLVR power cord. While I’ve seen no benefit from using
after-market power cords on Audio Note electronics, they definitely add something of value to most solid state and hybrid amps, Blue
Circle amps in particular. Quieter background, more sense of ambient space, which was always a Crump specialty. I have yet to try it
on my Manley Stingray but past experience tells me it will be provide a significant improvement.
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A Brief Essay on Digital and Analogue Sound
Digital
Digital, since the ballyhoo and bravado of its introduction in the late 1980’s, has spent most of its nearly twenty year history,
at least in the world of high end audio, fighting (or defending itself from) what many analogue fans characterize as ‘the problem
of digital.’ Most agree that even at its best, which can be very good indeed, digital CD’s take somewhat of an analytic
or clinical slant on things. If we like it, we hear it as stunning clarity and transparency and are drawn to the crispness of its leading
edges. We admire its speed and transient response. Its fans call all of this "accuracy to source." Its critics hear instead a relative
starkness, a lack of roundness and fullness; a sense that instruments have had some of their rich timbre stripped away. At its worst,
which is rare these days, it comes through as edginess and/or glare. Those who speak of digital’s presentation as having a ‘problem’
attribute to many things – too low a sampling rate and jitter chief among them. Based on my experience with some extremely good
CDR’s made by recording engineer Da-Hong Seetoo, I have come to believe that what the critics of digital are talking about can
be attributed at least in part to the manufacturing process, which is why so many tweak treatments to CD’s are at least to some
degree effective. Recording engineers are frequently dismayed by the degeneration in quality from their masters to the CD’s we
buy. Optrix, Auric Illumiunator, Vivid, Bedini’s Clarifier, even copying commercial discs onto CDR’s all seem in varying
degrees to relieve edginess and glare, softening things up a bit and rounding them off appealingly. Upsampling, noise-shaping, and more
radical nostrums aimed at CD’s allegedly too modest sampling rate strike me as less successful. Having heard redbook CD’s
sound extremely good without any of this (and somewhat artificial with it) persuades me they are dead ends. Filtering, in both the analogue
and digital domains on the premise that distortion is the root of ‘the problem’ have also demonstrated to me, through its
absence in Audio Note dacs, that it too is a false path.
Audio Note’s approach, which to my ears yields the least ‘problematic’ digital available, has mainly to do with treating
the 16/44 information stream as respectfully as possible: no filtering or upsampling, extremely high quality parts, silver cabling,
and the like. At its best, especially with its Philips Pro top-loading transports, the CDT 2 II, CDT 3, and CDT 4, Audio Note digital
is virtually free of many of the qualities critics object to in the medium. And on truly good CD’s, treated with one of the elixirs
– my latest find is Nanotec Systems’ Intro Project 8500 CD-DVD Coating Liquid - the ‘problem of digital’ can
sometimes seem no problem at all.
Analogue
The truth behind the truism ‘if you have to ask yourself whether or not you’re in love, you’re not,’ is that,
like grace to which it often likened, love comes unbidden. This is the kind of talk we frequently hear in talk about vinyl. It is true
that with CD’s, we sometimes find ourselves reaching out with a willful effort at belief. The music itself seems to have a forced
quality about it. Less with Audio Note digital but still some. With most vinyl, we more often find ourselves in a passive mode of acceptance.
There is a perceptible ease about the proceedings and the issue of ‘belief’ seldom comes up. What does come up is a tendency
to talk like this!
This lack in CD’s of ease and solicitousness, what some call appropriately "liquidity" in contrast to the somewhat dry sound they
attribute to digital comes across to digital fans – to repeat myself – as objectivity or transparency. It
can sometimes sound like that. But extended time spent listening to live music tends to challenge this belief. CD’s almost deathly
silence and uncanny separation of instruments can sometimes give digital reproduction a distant, unorganic, unworldly, astral character.
Especially on pianos and most especially on harpsichords. It takes one hell of a good digital front end to handle, let alone capture
the beauty of, a harpsichord. And then there is the difference between hearing the initial breaking of silence by an instrument –
the first vibrations of the air which precede the impact – and the last vibrations fading away; and not hearing them. Coming to
an analogue LP from a CD, this first arrival and final departure can sound like touches of softness, for which vinyl is both praised
and criticized. Because CD’s generally don’t capture either of these as well as vinyl, dithering notwithstanding, they deliver
a crispness, for which they are both praised and criticized. A clarinet’s reed must start out at very few mill-Bell, even
if it only remains there for a millisecond. That is part of why we find even the most raucous clarinet appealing – it enters on
a cloud. We notice that. We sometimes call it "air." Digital adherents call it euphony or color. Its adherents tell us it is actually
the difference between what a real clarinet (or violin) sounds like contrasted with a brilliant but incomplete imitation of one.
This aspect of real sound reproduction can be mimicked by playing with output curves, filtering, up- and over-sampling, richer and softer
output devices. But once you grow accustomed to the real thing or an excellent analogue of it, the vinyl fans tell us, you will not
be fooled.
And then there is the sheer physicality that many of us hear in analogue sound. Peter Qvortrup calls it "the medium." Music coming
from an analogue recording has avoirdupois, a substance, a body, a roundness that we generally miss in digital.
Closely related to this physicality and the entry and exit quality I spoke of above and perhaps drawing on them both, is beauty
– not prettiness but the savor, the quality of the sound of musical instruments that we respond to immediately at
concerts of live music. This is the aspect of sound that makes even the raucous clarinet appealing in the midst of its rancor. It is
what audiophiles are referring to when they praise an audio system for being ‘engaging’ or ‘involving.’ It is
a feeling of satisfaction. Exceptional digital recordings can get some of this quality. I have heard it in some of the record engineering
of Tony Faulkner and Da-Hong Seetoo. Good analogue recordings do seem to get it as a matter of course. It is, in the end, what music
lovers come to analogue for.
Bad vinyl? Some LP’s can have a peculiar brittleness or dryness and also a hemmed in quality that reminds me of bad digital actually,
though without bad digital’s excessive assertiveness or brightness. Only the most radically sentimental of audiophiles will deny
that there is such a thing as bad vinyl. Vinyl is not a holy material: even analogue recording requires good engineering.
Gear? I have heard very few analogue rigs. My own of a generation ago: a Linn LP12 with an Itok arm and Kharma cartridge. I loved it
at the time, or rather took it for granted. It had a seemingly natural warmth we all raved about. And now an Audio Note TT2 with Arm
3/AN-Vx and Io1 moving coil cartridge and an old Voyd .5 Reference with a new Audio Note AN-1s/ANSgon arm mounted on it with the
same IO1 cartridge. Both of these Audio Note rigs sound better to me than (my aural memory of) the Linn, mainly in seeming faster and
more resolving. My TT2 outfit, once it settled in (20 hours?), revealed all of the characteristic I’ve described above. Sometime
in 2009, we are hoping for a new TT3 .5 Reference, broadly based on the Voyd layout, but with better suspension. My ears (listening
to the Voyd) and rumors of the projected price-tag tell me it will be substantially better than the TT2. And I will want one badly.
But it will not be absolutely better than my TT2, especially considering the likely price difference. With the TT2, we are 2/3
of the way there already. Where is there? The Audio Note TT3 Reference.
All of this said, I will not be giving up my Audio Note transport and dac in this lifetime. There is a great deal of music, mainly by
contemporary musicians and composers, which is simply not available on vinyl. Also, unless I am in super critical A/B mode, Audio Note
digital is so good at minimizing the ‘problem of digital,’ I am only occasionally aware of it.
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SYNERGY and UPGRADING
SYNERGY
Granted all of my talk about individual designers and designs, AMHERST AUDIO is more and more about system synergy. The search I have
carried out over the past 8-10 years has been for the most natural and emotionally convincing sounding components but, increasingly,
also, for the combination of components that expresses the most natural and whole sound.
Synergy outside of audio means the process whereby two or more substances work together to achieve an effect of which
each is individually incapable. Its root means literally ‘working together:’ from son or syn and ergon. In
audio, the term has come to mean something like energy or work moving in the same direction, toward the same ends. And presumably
achieving them more effectively because of this shared effort. Some systems achieve satisfactory results by having components working
against each other, by achieving some sort of balance of opposing forces, usually with the help of ‘corrective’ cabling.
I have owned several and heard many of these systems; and as exciting as some of them have been, they lack the ease and confidence of
systems whose components are all going in the same direction. Unanimity in preference to debate.
Most of the components I sell will, used wisely, sound quite good in many other systems. Blue Circle's tubed preamps, for example, are
legendary for breathing musical life into systems with other people's all-solid-state amps. I know for a fact that Reynauds perform
well with Audiomat integrated tube amps, and even with Plinius and Bryston solid state separates. Audio Note front ends appear to be
the sort of beginning that no system can foul up. And Audio Note cable is legendary for bringing peace on earth and good will wherever
it goes. But. But if you were to assemble a system from these same components, with an eye to synergy rather than peace-keeping,
I suspect you would emerge much happier.
For example, while one could mate Audio Note electronics with Reynaud speakers satisfactorily, it soon becomes apparent that whereas
the Audio Note gear is working toward grace, eloquence, and refinement, the Reynaud speakers want to break out, kick up the dust. They
feel unnaturally tamed, held back. You are hearing a workable marriage but not a particularly happy or peaceful one. Then you hook up
a Blue Circle amp and everything changes: the Reynauds break free, together with the BC amp they commence to dance, and the whole room
rocks joyfully. Even string quartets through a Blue Circle/Reynaud combination have a more robust quality that feels like a shared point
of view about music rather than a compromise or decision by committee. Jean Marie Reynaud and Gilbert Yeung clearly understand music
reproduction in similar ways.
A comparable ‘situation’ arises when you (as I did) put a splendidly eloquent Audio Note M6 preamp on powerful, incisive
Blue Circle AG8000 hybrid monoblock amps. Initially everything sounds terrific: we have both grace and power – all of that iron
fist in the velvet glove baloney. And then, gradually, sure enough you can hear the dissension. The two components are working against
each other, producing a dramatic but not a natural result. We have sonic not musical drama, an artificial construct. The initial
excitement pales before an instinct to call in a referee. Some may prefer an Audio Note M6 preamp to a Blue Circle AG3000 preamp or
vice versa, just as some prefer Apollo, some Dionysus. But making the god dance with the faun does not enable either to perform to its
advantage.
Audio synergy is achieved when a system is made up of components informed by the same view of what reproduced music ought to sound like,
components that are the result of the same design philosophy, such that neither iron nor velvet is required. The supreme example of
this phenomenon in my experience is Audio Note, primarily because the same design team controls every link in the audio chain. Every
component, beginning with both analogue and digital front ends, through cabling to electronics, and on to the speakers flows from a
single approach to musical reproduction. The approach or philosophy if you prefer, is a belief that the simplicity and purity of the
signal path so as to maintain the integrity of the information, is the best route to whole musical truth. The DAC’s do not alter
the signal they receive: neither do they up-sample nor filter. The turntables use several strong motors driving light platters because
heavy platters store energy thereby restricting dynamic energy and clarity. The electronics are single-ended, run in Class A, use directly
heated triodes, use tube rectifiers, and use no feedback – in a coordinated effort to keep the signal whole and unaltered. There
is no wave reconstruction involved, as there is in push-pull designs. The speakers are two-ways with broad front baffles, which, the
designer of the Snell speaker on which they are based discovered, offer the truest reinforcement of speaker output. Setting a modest-sized
Audio Note two-way speaker in a corner, so that both the walls of the room and the speakers own front baffle naturally reinforce the
bass, results in astonishingly deep and clear bass.
Improvement (upgrading) very simply involves better parts and more pure materials, namely silver and better materials used as windings
in the transformers, not new design wrinkles. The most expensive Audio Note E speaker is visually indistinguishable from the least expensive
E. The only differences are inside. From the M3 to the M6 preamp, the cabinets and controls are identical. Again, as Emily Dickinson
tells us, the inside is where the meaning is. One can put an Audio Note front end into a non-Audio Note system and also use Audio Note
cable judiciously in such systems. But when you insert Audio Note gear farther down the chain of a system composed of other gear, something
fundamental is lost. The synergistic chain is broken. Unanimity is gone and debate begins.
Blue Circle’s Gilbert Yeung understands that controlling the entire audio chain is the only sure route to synergy and so, among
other ventures, he has already designed and marketed three DACs to complement his electronics
and is hard at work dreaming up an even more ambitious one as I write. It will be interesting
to hear what happens when that young genius perfects this move. There are also Blue Circle speakers emerging from the Innerkip design
room. Jean Marie Reynaud seems content making speakers. So at the moment achieving synergy
with Blue Circle, and Reynaud, is up to you all. It is worth the effort, especially if the Audio
Note presentation is too civilized for you!
UPGRADING
The Hyperbola
The key to improving a synergistic audio system that has ‘your sound,’ the presentation of music that seems most real and
most satisfying to you, is not changing it but making it better at what it already does well. This route will not produce dramatic alteration
but incremental improvement. That is because the direction of improvement in audio is not up so much as over: you are trying to get
closer and closer to the sound of live music, which you are already approximating. You are, to borrow an apt image from mathematics,
moving closer to the y-axis. Your trajectory is a hyperbola. This truth is disappointing to the kind of audiophile who is in it for
sonic thrills, who wants to hear something startlingly new for every new dollar spent. But it will ultimately be more satisfying to
those of you in it for the sound of music. Getting ever closer to the real thing can be musically thrilling. Getting 15% closer to the
real sound of a violin – more of the resonance of the instrument’s wooden body, of the almost physical sensation of the
bow on the strings – gets up into our sinuses with pleasure. Getting more thwack of the bow on the strings of an acoustic bass
rather than a slightly vague thrum can seem like all the world when the musical passage depends on it for impact. This is what genuine
upgrades give us: more violin, more bass, more sax. And more Anita O’Day!
System Balance
Another valuable piece of the synergy and upgrading puzzle is that one needs to maintain balance across a system to make genuine progress.
Upgrading electronics to the extent that they get ahead of your source (turntable, digital transport, dac) will not improve the system.
It will generally not sound better. The new amplifier will simply give you a clearer view into the relative shortcomings of your source.
It will be doing its proper job. Likewise, improving your speakers beyond the capability of your amplifier to drive them effectively
and without distortion will almost invariably make your system sound worse. If you can’t upgrade your system as a whole at one
time, it is generally best to begin with the source, so that the improvements can be passed down the chain. And the same holds for upgrading
cable: begin at the source. You’d be amazed at what a little bit of Sogon silver interconnect between a transport and dac can
do; and appalled at what it will do if introduced farther down the chain first.
The system balance approach to upgrading is what informs the Audio Note Levels System, which Amherst Audio has adapted to Blue Circle,
Manley, and Reynaud as well. What this boils down to is that a Level One system will generally sound better than a Level Two system
with a Level One source. A Level Two system with a Level Three source will generally sound better than a Level Three system with a Level
Two source.
This makes perfect sense but it not generally how audiophiles proceed. They tend to favor speaker upgrades first, which are admittedly
sexier, But if the speakers are truly better rather than just different, starting with them will likely prove a disappointment. They
can, after all, only reproduce what they’re fed.
SYNERGISTIC SYSTEMS
Each Amherst Audio level represents a significant upgrade from the one below
it. Prices approximately double from level to level until we reach Level 5, which is essentially state of the art, with performance
achieved without serious attention to price.
Level One Systems
A really good Level One system costs $9,000 – $15,000 without turntable and phono stage. Level One done right should be good enough
for all of us. Its compromises have very little to do with musical enjoyment. A good Level One system makes us forget about sound,
audiophilia, and high fidelity. I keep a good Level One system around to remind myself of this.
At Level One, you can go with a mixture of Blue Circle and Reynaud, with an Audio Note digital source; or with an all Audio Note system.
The JM Reynand Bliss standmounts (formerly called Duets), replacing the famous Twin Signatures, are truly great speakers, probably better
than the much-loved Trentes of yore. Paired with a Blue Circle GDC or 6SN7 tube based DAR integrated amp, two of the best values in
audio, they will provide plenty of musical satisfaction. The new Blue Circle SBT 6922 tubed preamp and SBM solid state monoblocks are
a revelation with Duets, as well as with their floorstanding brothers, the Euterpes, providing more in the way of SET-like transparency
and dynamics than the GDC and DAR. To my ears, the FtTH hybrid (6922’s) integrated gets everything the Blisses (and Euterpes)
have to offer. I urge it on all Level One customers who are willing to stretch their budgets in exchange for a fuller, more dynamic
presentation with knock-out bass. The Bliss or Euterpe don’t need the FtTH to excel but they can be astonishing when driven
by it. With Lexus interconnects you will get more musicality than many audiophiles are accustomed to, though SPe offers a rewarding
upgrade for more openness and refinement. An upgrade to AN-Vx interconnect will open up the presentation fairly dramatically. Lexus
speaker cable is recommended for all Reynaud speakers, from the Bliss to the Offrande Supremes.
With the remarkable single-ended 10 watt, EL84 tubed OTO SE single-ended integrated amp and Audio Note K/SPe's in place of Blue Circle
and Reynaud gear you will get more refinement and transparency at the cost of some richness. There, while Lexus or Vx interconnects
are again the choices, SPe speaker cable is recommended for added openness and speed.
I recommend the one-box Audio Note CD2.1x II as a digital source for both Audio Note and Blue Circle/JMR systems at Level One with the
new CD3.1x II as a good upgrade. I recommend an Audio Note TT1 turntable with Arm 2, and the IQ2 moving magnet cartridge at this level
for analogue. In the BC/JMR rig, I’d recommend the Blue Circle BC 709 or 707 phono stage. With an Audio Note system, you can go
with an OTO that has a built in phono stage. If there is flexibility in the budget, stretch to at TT2, Arm 3/Vx, and the IQ3 cartridge,
a really fine analogue combination.
Level Two Systems
Level Two is the beginning of the trip up the ladder of joyful self-indulgence. It
is easy to justify this first step. Everything sounds better! As it should. While the music doesn’t get better, the instruments
certainly do. And we are more aware of them. A Level Two system runs around $25,000, without turntable and phono stage. Audio Note digital
separates – the CDT 2 II transport and Dac 1.1x Signature II (or 2.1 Signature) – are considerably more resolving and dynamic
than either the CD 2.1x II or CD3.1x II and belong at the head of either an Audio Note or Blue Circle/JMR system at Level Two. You can
put together an all-Audio Note system sticking with the OTO SE but bringing in the Audio Note J/SPe speakers. The alternative would
be a Blue Circle FtTH amp and the new Reynaud Emeraudes, successors to the Evolution 3's.
At Level Two, I’d use Vx interconnects, Lexus speaker cable with the Reynauds,
SPe with the Audio Note speakers. You could also sneak a single run of Sogon from the transport to the dac for an ear-opening experience.
For analogue, I’d stick with the TT2 and Arm 3/Vx but introduce the IO1 moving
coil cartridge, which will need a step-up transformer. The AN-S4 is a dream.
Budget stretching upgrades would be to AN-E/SPe speakers and the Dac 2.1 Signature
or 2.1 Balanced.
Audiophilia
Levels 3-5 are for audiophiles. Verisimilitude increases fairly dramatically; tonality
and timbre become more evident. The illusion of presence increases. Levels 3 and 4 are great fun, just as performance oriented cars
are fun. They are not about transportation, they are about excitement. Which is very real. The higher Level 4 and Level 5 systems can
be extraordinary. To assemble a Level 4 or 5 system is to make a serious commitment to getting all that can be gotten from current software
in the way of detail, atmosphere, and innuendo. And there is a great deal more information on both standard redbook CD’s and vinyl
LP’s than many of us ever knew.
Level Three Systems
Level Three systems can run run from $30,000 to 50,000 without turntable and phono stage, depending on choice of amps and speakers.
The CDT 2 II and Dac 3.1 Balanced comprise a superb front end that would take a considerable investment to better. The Audio Note 300B
based Meishu Silver integrated amp or better, an M3 preamplifier, with its new power supplies trickled down from the M10, and the Audio
Note Quest Silver monoblock amps are a superb introduction to 300B SET amplification. Or one could go all out for Quest Silver Signatures,
which open up the presentation considerably while adding still more refinement. The AN-E/SPe’s in the High Efficiency version
provide more authority, clarity, and ease in the bass than the J’s. Again, a dash of Sogon at the front end brings a shimmer of
musical sunlight impossible to surrender once heard.
A Level Three system with J M Reynaud speakers and Blue Circle electronics will give you a more robust and immediate but less refined
presentation. You want the FtTH integrated hybrid amp with Offrandes Supremes. You could also consider the Blue Circle BC501 dac in
place of an Audio Note dac in this system.
Upgrade the phono stage to a Blue Circle 703 in a Blue Circle/JMR system; go with an M3 phono in the all Audio Note rig.
Level Four Systems
These are the best systems I know how to assemble without shooting the moon. I live on Level Four! A Level Four system can cost as little
as $55,000 or over $100,000 without turntable and phono stage. At the head of the chain is the new Audio Note CDT 3 and eloquent Dac
4.1 Balanced or authoritative BC 501ob. In an all Audio Note System, I recommend the superb M6 or M6 phono preamp and the marvelously
clear 2A3 Neiros (the equally fine 300B based Shinri’s are $4500 more) or new P4 Balanced, and E/SPe SE or SPx SE speakers with
external crossovers, among other technical refinements. In a Blue Circle/Reynaud based Level Four system keep the CDT 3 transport but
consider a Blue Circle BC501ob dac. Electronics: the BC3000 II preamplifier (maybe with the GZpz power supply), one of Gilbert Yeung’s
new hybrid stereo amps like the 150 watt BC 204, and Jean Marie Reynaud’s Orfeos or top-of-the-line Concorde Signatures,
depending on the size of your room. Level Four systems should include Pallas digital cable and Sogon or Sootto interconnects, along
with SPx speaker cable.
For analogue, the new Audio Note TT3 .5 Reference with an Arm 1s/Vx or Sogon, a IO Gold moving coil cartridge, and a S5L step-up transformer.
Level Five - Shooting the Moon
Shooting the moon is not shooting Mars or Venus, but it’s as close to a cost no object approach to the reproduction of music as
I care to imagine. For the morbidly curious, this system would cost in excess of $300,000 with all Audio Note components or around $200,000
with a mixture of Audio Note, Blue Circle, and Reynaud components. Since I have not heard such systems, my recommendations here are
based on educated speculation!
CDT 4 or forthcoming CDT 5 transport, Dac 5 Signature, TT3 Reference , Arm 1s/Sogon, IOGold cartridge, AN S8 step-up transformer. Audio
Note M8 Line preamplifier or M8 Phono, Kageki (2A3) monoblock amplifiers. Or BC 3000 GZpz preamplifier, BC208 monoblock amplifier. AN-E
SEC Signature or JMR Concorde Signature speakers. Digital interconnects: Pallas. Interconnects Sootto. Speaker cable either SPx or Sogon.
The possbilities for excess and indulgence at this level defy the imagination.
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REVIEWS
Equipment Reviews
As many of you know, the journey to Audio Note, Blue Circle, and Reynaud is chronicled in reviews on Enjoy the Music and
Positive-Feedback, among others. I have attached links to the relevant reviews below.
Blue Circle AG3000 and AG8000: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/
Blue Circle Music Rings: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/
Blue Circle CS: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue10/system.htm
Reynaud Offrandes, 1st Review: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/
Reynaud Offrandes, 2nd Review: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue6/offrandes.htm
Reynaud Twins: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue4/reynaudtwin.htm
Reynaud Trentes: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue5/trente.htm
Reynaud Concordes: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue7/concordes.htm
Reynaud Arpeggiones: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue10/system.htm
Audio Note CDT TWO and DAC 4.1 balanced: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue8/audionote.htm
Audio Note CDT ONE and DAC 1.1x Signature: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue10/system.htm
Elrod Power Systems Signature power cord: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue5/elrodeps.htm
Elrod Power Systems Statement power cord: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue9/elrod.htm
Audience Au 24 speaker cable: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue3/audienceau24.htm
Audience modified Sony NV999 CD/SACD player: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue6/audiencecd.htm
TG Labs HSR speaker cable: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue4/hsr.htm
TG Lab 688 power cord: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue10/system.htm
TG Lab SLVR power cord: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/
Audience modified Sony NV999 CD/SACD player, upgraded model:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue12/sacd.htm
Audio Note CDT TWO transport with DAC One.1x Signature:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue12/sacd.htm
Music Reviews
Over the past few years, I have of necessity given up equipment reviewing (confluence of interest!) and taken up music reviewing instead.
I bring to this writing more enthusiasm than musical knowledge and so offer it up mainly as news about current offerings in the mainly
classical music recording world.
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SPECIALS
I generally have some used and demo equipment available at deeper discounts.
Current stock:
Blue Circle BC 3000II GZpz tube preamp, with ebony and curly maple faceplates, stainless steel
knobs, black casing. Gorgeous. Has optional processor loop, USB input, and 47-step volume attenuator. Graceful and authoritative both,
thanks to the GZpz power supply. Very low mileage - built about six month ago Taking it in on trade. $9500 shipped. (Retail new, with
options: $12,500).
Audio Note AN/Vx interconnects. 4 meter pair, 20 strands, RCA’s. Perfect for use
with monoblocks. Light use for several years between M6 and Neiros. Price new, $4175. Asking $2925.
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Sales Policy
Most items sold by Amherst Audio are made to order. This means that orders once made cannot be cancelled after
48 hours; and that goods are not returnable unless defective. Defective items can be returned at the expense of Amherst Audio and payment
will be refunded in full. Items damaged in shipping will be dealt with on a case by case basis in whatever way seems most sensible to
both buyer and Amherst Audio. All equipment is shipped by Amherst Audio insured. Visa and Mastercard accepted.
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Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.
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Photo credits: Yeung, Soundstage. Qvortrup, British Airways. Stephæn Harrell and Audio Asylum.
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