Talk to me about Audio Note AN-E speakers please

Hi all,

OK, I'm seriously considering these speakers in either their top-tier 94 dB variant, the AN-E Spe (with AN-SPe19 silver internal cable, copper voice coils) or their 98 dB variant, the AN-E LX HE (with Lexus LX96 copper internal cable, silver voice coils), or if I can be convinced to spend the extra coin, the AN-E Spe HE (with AN-SPe19 silver internal cabling, silver voice coils).

These would replace my much-loved Harbeth M30.1s and be driven by my Audio Note Oto SE, which I've been completely seduced by, but after a month I'm realizing that as beautifully as the Oto drives my M30.1s, their 85 dB efficiency does not make them as ideal a partner as I first thought.

Any and all feedback, comparisons to Harbeth, or other brands is most welcome, and I thank you in advance.

Cheers,

–R

 

If you're using an Oto, run -- do not walk -- to your dealer. The speakers are similar enough in voice to the M30 that they should be at least comparable when comparably positioned. Correctly positioned, your increase in dynamics and articulation will be distinctly non-trivial. If you think the M30 is good with the Oto... well...

The big, bad, spendy models do all the little stuff better. The soundstage is a little more realistic and stable. The tone is just a little more true. The subtle details are just a little more effortless. For the most part, though, they sound like the same speaker. If you can live with one, you can live with the others.

Warren Jarret is the board member with the broadest experience -- so he may contradict me -- but I'd say that the 98db (by ANUK's somewhat odd standards) speakers are almost certainly a better fit if you have the cash. They'll be just a bit more lively across the board. That's important to me, but it may not be as important to your space or your wallet.

This really is one time when a good dealer is going to have better knowledge than a bunch of internet yahoos. Listen to any AN speaker, decide what little things you want to change, and the dealer is almost certainly going to point you to the right one of their seventeen million models.

 

A friend here build the "basic" AN-E's about 8 years ago. They never impressed me, but they are efficient, and work well with his 300b amp. If you like your M30.1's, I would look for a bigger amp.

jeff

 

Thanks for the detailed post Kfringe, much appreciated.
I have a great AN UK dealer – Soundhounds in Victoria – but the boys don't have any AN-Es in stock at the moment, (December or January I believe), since they also carry Harbeth, I'll demo the AN-Es head-to-head with the M30.1s when they do get their Audio Note shipment in.
Everything you've said about the AN-Es was echoed by the dealer as well, particularly in regards to how close they voice to Harbeth.

 

I like what the Oto does best, hence the desire for more efficient speakers.
As far as AN UK kits go, everyone I've spoken with over the years acknowledges there is a huge difference between the kits and the hand built, factory products.

 

I selected the "low end" model AN-E speakers and i am more than happy with them. I compared the AN-E series at a dealers room. He did everything to optimize for position, he had also special baffles on the walls. Sure, the HE speakers are better - but in my room the difference was almost inaudible and not worth the extra money. And, by the way, the HE and SPE are much more expensive than the standard model over here....
The best thing about them is, that i can place them near to a wall without problems. I'd say they have been build for near-wall or corner placement.
If you have the OTO, go for the AN-E (any model).

 

What do you mean ? Hand built is better ?

 

Yes. The hand built, factory products.
AKAIK, the factory uses superior/different parts, wiring, component-matching, construction techniques, etc. compared to the AN kits.
Hence the hefty price difference as well.
Lots on the web as well, just do a search.

 

You may want to reach out to Bob Neill at Amherst Audio. He's quite knowledgeable on all things Audio Note. Make sure not to dismiss K's, they might be more to your liking. You really must hear both if possible. Like the E's, the K's come in many variations and can cost upwards of $10k.

 

Upgrading laterally is a pretty dangerous game. I suppose what you should be asking yourself is, what is more important to me, the amp or the speakers? Most likely your current speakers are going to be able to handle most anything that you throw at them, amp wise. Will the Audio Notes do the same? The more that you live with your amp and discover its limitations, do you want to go through another costly round of replacing everything?

 

If the AN-E don't match or beat the M30.1s, then I won't change them out.
I'm not changing for the sake of change, I'm looking to change for the sake of better sound and dynamics/headroom.

 

I'm not trying to pick apart your decision making. I was just trying to help. I always try to look long range. A speaker like the Harbeths, will do good in multiple systems. They aren't full range, so ultimately wouldn't be for me. I can however appreciate the Harbeth as being an excellent speaker. I would also look at the amp and ask, is 10 watts really going to be enough drive the kind of speakers I am looking for? Will the Audio Note speakers deliver what I want over the Harbeths? Would I be better off with a more powerful Audio Note amp? Would I be better off with a tube amp from somebody like Mcintosh, Audio Research, or Octave? Am I willing to have a system that may not have the musical peaks on certain recordings, but sounds great with everything? Of course, you might find that an All Audio Note system gives you that.

 

Have you considered an amplifier that is a better match with your Harbeth 30.1 speakers (this assumes that power is indeed a constraint)?

My thought process is that the amp is being played through the speakers and if the Audio Note Otto is not a good match for whatever reason it isn't clear to me that you really know if you like the speakers or the amp for the long haul I mean.

IIRC you tried out a bunch of tube (and class A) amps and settled on this one - did you try something completely different?

I am using the Devialet D200 with my Harbeth 30.1 speakers and I am rapidly becoming a convert to the SS sound (much to my surprise).

I don't mean to divert the thread since you asked for something else - just a thought...

 

200W per channel - I bet those Harbeths sing.

 

No worries, I didn't think you were. I was just clarifying my reasoning.

 

No problem, diversions are what keep me focused.
The amp came after the speakers.
I demoed numerous, high-end SS amps from Sugden, Blue Circle, Lavardin, Sonneteer, Rega, Peachtree, etc., even Devialet.
I love tubes, and the sound a low-powered SET (or pentode in this case), produces, especially through the M30.1s, it is magical.
I ordered the Oto to for the Harbeths, (after an extensive demo) but after using them together I'm starting to get curious about pairing the amp with it's natural partner: a high-efficiency speaker.
I'm all vinyl on the front end with a tube phone stage & SUT on the way as well.
I've demoed the Devialet 240 and while I came away very impressed, to my ears, tubes, and AN UK tube amps in particular, just do music, voices, instruments – everything, especially acoustic, blues and jazz – the best.
The sound is just right to me.
But in the end, this isn't about amps, it's about AN-E speakers, or other high-efficiency speakers to mate to my Oto.
Power to the people who groove on high-power SS amps, that's just not my path.

 

Hi raferx,

I think the most appropriate E for the Oto is probably the HE Lexus. If you have the signature Otto then maybe the HE SPe, but I still think the Lexus E will be more appropriate. Remember that you will want to match the speaker wire to the amp, so you have to factor that into the cost of the speakers. Understand that 2 meters of SPe is a lot more money than 2 meters of Lexus. And bi-wire is even more.

Since I mentioned money, you might also want to say what your budget is. Without a budget this is all pretty much academic.

Last but not least, what is the size of your room? If your 11 x16 is in feet (not meters) then I would seriously consider the J. The J has a better midrange than the E comparing the same model for model of course. The E has a better bottom but I think the bass from the J would be plenty fine in a smaller room such as 11x16 feet.

 

I get you Solid state meets my use case better but I am sure that I'll be back in the high efficiency world myself as soon as I start having longer blocks of time to listen to music. I get interrupted a lot when I am doing the music thing and it bummed me out to walk away from glowing tubes - sometimes for hours - so SS is mentally more suitable to my needs. And, hey, I like the way that it sounds with my Harbeths

I wish that I could offer more to this comparison thread - I considered staying with tubes and moving in the direction of these specific speakers (the Audio Note AN/E family) because they seem very well suited to my room (I have juicy corners that are crying out for speakers) - so I'll be following jealously for now and living vicariously through this adventure.

 

It seems like gain matching and efficiency matching are a part of the puzzle about finishing the sound, that allow the major strokes (materials and design) to fully realize potential, in whatever take on frequency accuracy you arrive at.

 

Interesting comment about the cabling. Thanks for that.
Budget is around $8,000 ~ $9,000, but I'd be trading in my M30.1s if I decide to go the AN-E route. I'll have a chance to demo the Js as well.

 

Oh I have no doubt that the factory boxes are quite a bit different than what's suggested in the kit plans. Just by adding some proper cabinet bracing to the basic kit boxes would really help clean up the mid-bass. Unfortunately, most people building the them probably don't realize this.

Ideally, you'd want to hear the AN-E's in your listening room before dropping eight grand.

jeff

 

Buy the AN-E HE SPe's and be done with it. The BASS is so much better with the SPe over the Lexus, you would need to wire the speakers with ISIS copper cable to get the same result, more dynamic speed and extension. Also go out and find 2 sets of aurio pro max coupling devices to use under the speakers, absolutely brilliant and elevate the sound to a whole new level. you will enjoy the ride.

 

I like Audio note speakers and they should be a pretty good match with the Oto. They are somewhat optimistically rated, as far as efficiency, so, while they are certainly a better match than the Harbeth 30.1, some may feel that more power is needed for certain kinds of music. I use a 5-watt amp with 99 db/w speakers, so I am not one of those who think more power is needed, but, I don't listen at very high levels. I would bet that the Oto would work well with some other high efficiency speakers as well. Have you heard the DeVore Orangutans? These speakers have a somewhat similar sound to AN-Es and are probably slightly more efficient.

Have you heard other high efficiency speakers with the Oto or other small tube amps, such as the top end Zu speaker or Classic Audio or Horning speakers? These do have a more dynamic and edgy sound than the Audio note speakers, and are not as smooth sounding (in other words quite different) but, I think they are certainly worth hearing; everyone has a different reaction to particular speakers, so one never knows. While I generally like the Harbeth 30.1, I hear a slightly raspy sounding peak in the upper midrange (makes the speaker somewhat sibilant), so I don't think it sounds much like the AN-E.

In my system, Audio note cables work particularly well. I happen to prefer the silver cables, but, if you want a warmer and weighter sound, the higher end copper cables will deliver the goods as well. I use a 4 meter run of Sogon interconnects from my linestage to my amp, and 2 meter Sogon speaker cables to my speakers.

 

You should also check the DeVore Orangutan O/93s just for due diligence. I feel they're just a bit more exciting than AudioNote speakers.

 

For your listening tastes, moving to Audio Note Speakers will probably makes sense. They’ll sync up better with your system - I heard the Audio Note rig in the NY Audio show and it was excellent. In the ballpark as Harbeth - natural sound - but designed for lower powered amplifiers.