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 have now
installed an old Voyd turntable with an AN arm and Io1 moving
coil cartridge and AN-S4 step up transformer in my reference
system; and an AN Turntable Two, Arm Three/AN-Vx, and IQ3
moving magnet cartridge in my "small room" system 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.
Also new are two new
one-box (integrated) CD players: a CD1.1x, $2750; a CD2.1x II, $3850. See my listening notes on the CD2.1x
II below.
Audio Note analogue is the owner’s pride and joy. Peter is in the process of reinventing
his analogue line, but at the moment there are the TT1 and TT2 at the entry level
of the line and the TT3 Reference at the top. We expect to see two more TT3 tables
over the next year or two, priced above the TT2 and comfortably below the TT3 Reference.
TT2, with Arm 3/AN-Vx and IQ3 moving
magnet cartridge. This has been my analogue rig off and on since 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.
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 am flabbergasted. 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
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 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
and lately has also been driving my 94 dB AN-E/SPe's quite happily. 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
Jinro . 20
watt SET integrated amplifier with Chinese 211 tubes. More
information and commentary coming.
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 has taken 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, but as I reported above, my
modest little OTO does them proud. They love the 2A3’s in
my Neiros! The standard E’s are 94 dB, but with
the new hemp HE woofers...Well 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 one of
the new 45 or 2A3 stereo amps due out from Audio Note soon;
but 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 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 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, each 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!
Lexus . All all-copper 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.
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 Lexus cable and
all a modest system will ever need. 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.
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
AN-SPx. 99.99% pure silver litz
conductor, 27 strands. Better yet, especially in the upper
midrange, and will upgrade a highly resolving system.
SOGON. 99.99 pure silver conductor, 44
strands. Sogon is, I presume, SOGON. 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.
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 Duet 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 Duets - 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 Duet amazes with the warmth, speed, and immediacy of a 'live' performance. And
where the Twins sometimes wanted a subwoofer to fill them out, the Duets 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 Duets are warm, immediate, smooth, passionate, and fast.
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 
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. 
Orféo. Ostensibly a smaller scale
Concorde Signature for rooms that can’t accommodate the Big
Boy, the Orfeos are a triumph on their own musical merits.
They have become my favorite Reynauds. The Orfeos 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 Orfeos give you a grander, fuller, and more
beautiful picture. Both are great speakers. The Orfeos 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.
Concorde Signature . JMR's top of
the line Concorde has been given the Signature treatment and
then some, with new ribbon tweeters. I have yet to hear them
and will report here as soon as I have. Its predecessor has
been described by some as supreme EV3's and by others as an
Offrande with more extended bass and the ease and authority
that comes with a true three-way speaker. I expect no less
from the Signature and am eager to hear what will clearly be
an improved high end. I am told improvements in the design of
their enclosures makes them more suitable for normal sized
listening rooms than their predecessors were. In a system that
is up to them, I expect them to be at least as authoritative,
smooth, musical as the earlier Concordes, while retaining the
warmth and presence of their smaller siblings. They will be
comparatively easy to drive, but JMR tells us they will reward
an amplifier that can feed their woofers well, like a Blue
Circle BC206 or pair of BC208’s… or a pair of Manley Snappers!
Price: $12,000.
FtTH