Talk to me about Audio Note AN-E speakers please

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by raferx, Oct 24, 2014.

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  1. 33na3rd

    33na3rd Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW Washington, USA
    Hi Rafe,

    I realize that Portland, Oregon is quite a drive from Vancouver, but Eugene Hi-Fi just opened a shop there and they carry the Devore's.

    Might make a great road trip, if those were on your list.

    http://www.eugenehifi.com
     
    raferx likes this.
  2. raferx

    raferx Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    I love me some Portland... might be do-able!
     
  3. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Dale and Chris are pretty great guys. It's very worth the trip.
     
  4. Art K

    Art K Retired but not tired!

    Location:
    Corvallis, Oregon
    ..and the new shop is very cool.
     
    kfringe likes this.
  5. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer

    I've done business with Dale- a great guy.
     
    kfringe likes this.
  6. Larry I

    Larry I Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    Hi Beowulf,

    I am wondering if you, or others participating in this discussion, have heard the Voxativ full range system. I have never heard that system myself, and have no idea where it can be auditioned. What I find amazing is that an organization like Stereophile, with very conventional sensibilities, would pick one of their speakers as a product of the year. That Voxativ model must be doing all of the conventional sonic tricks correctly--reasonable tonal balance, ample bass--for Stereophile to like it.
     
  7. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I was told the company is delivering me a pair of new Voxativ Pi speakers with stands and dedicated cable in a few weeks. Looking forward to hearing them in my home, I enjoyed them at the Newport Show. I'll have them installed downstairs, my wife will just love that...
     
  8. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    What fun. What amps will you use with them?
     
  9. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    Brilliant speakers, very exciting ,if you only listened to solo piano recordings and jazz duo's then it could be heaven but they have a voice which can make a certain sameness evident on whatever you play. Could work stunningly well if you wanted a separate system with a unique sound for certain type of recordings.
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    WAVAC EC-300B.
     
  11. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Sounds great, but..... How many sound systems will you have in your house?!
    You have a very patient wife!!!
     
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Well, that would make 4 including a vintage system. This would only be temporary, however..
     
  13. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    Hi Larry I, unfortunately no ... I have some friends who caught them at a show and thought they were excellent. Single driver manufacturers have been tweaking these drivers for a while now and have been engineering the bad stuff out along the way. There was a shouty bump in some frequency ranges with past Lowthers and the like, but IMO in the last couple years they have especially gotten good. Todays single drivers are much more smooth in transitioning the ranges, than only a couple of years ago so I wouldn't be surprised that this is an excellent driver and just from their videos you can tell they are well made. I believe that I read somewhere that DaveC has heard them and hopefully he will see this thread and respond.
     
  14. Tlay

    Tlay Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Coast
    Jack Roberts at Dagogo.com directly compares Audio Note speakers to Devore speakers in part three of his Orangutan 96 review. Check it out if you're interested in these two brands. I can vouch for the O's. I love them...even with substandard electronics (which will change soon). Also, Dale at Eugene hifi (now in Portland!) is a really good and helpful guy. Good luck with your research.
     
  15. JazzPolice

    JazzPolice Well-Known Member

    If you think that the Audio Note AN-E is going to be as refined as the Harbeth, you're kidding yourself. If you think that an 8" paper driver is going to be as smooth as the Radial driver when the program material becomes challenging, once again you are kidding yourself.

    Peaky tweeter? http://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-note-e-lexus-signature-loudspeaker-measurements

    Compare with the superb, ruler-flat SEAS unit used in the Harbeth: https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/seas-soft-dome-tweeters/seas-excel-t25cf-001-e0006-tweeter/

    The Audio Note speakers would be a serious downgrade, IMO. Though they are nice speakers in the grand scheme of things, the Harbeth offers world-class sophistication that the AN cannot touch.
     
    norman_frappe likes this.
  16. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Wow - they really overstate the efficiency. That's a bit dishonest.

     
  17. rbp

    rbp Forum Resident

    Can anyone suggest what size tube amp would be required to drive the Harbeth M30.1 speakers (85 dB sensitivity) optimally in a medium sized room?
    Are we looking at 35W+ ?
     
  18. JazzPolice

    JazzPolice Well-Known Member

    Depends on the amp. I tried driving a pair of them with a Fisher 500C and it didn't really work out so well. Recently heard at a friend's house who had KE-50A mono amps on a pair of M30s and the sound was jaw-dropping. A tube preamp with a solid state power amp works really nice for the Harbeths as well.
     
    rbp likes this.
  19. magoo6

    magoo6 Forum Resident

    I have the P3ESR's, and they are happiest with 30w or more, I actually use a pair of Manley Snappers @100w, but a pair of Manley's Mahi Mahi's might just be the perfect match. Leben's CS600 is a known good match & thats only 30w, but the impedance matches well between amp & speakers. The M30.1's are a tiny bit more sensitive, but are a similar load. The Line Magnetic range of amps would all be on my audition list if I lived somewhere you can actually buy them!
     
    rbp likes this.
  20. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    It seems as if raferx has become smitten with the Oto SE SET though, so @ 10 watts he needs more efficient speakers. Those AN's are able to be driven more easily than the Harbeths for sure. He can either keep the Harbeths and look to more powerful amps, or keep the Oto and look for more efficient speakers. If he wants to stay in the SET game then he probably wants to hear some other choices such as Devore, AN, etc. of course there are other choices for efficient speakers such as Zu, Tekton, Omega and Daedalus to name a few.
     
    norman_frappe likes this.
  21. JazzPolice

    JazzPolice Well-Known Member

    None of those speakers are going to be as smooth as the Harbeths. If the OP values the virtues of the M30, he won't find those qualities elsewhere. Better to look for another amplifier, for example, a more powerful SET amp. They do exist. Or a pair of Quad ESL 57 will work with 10 wpc.
     
    norman_frappe and beowulf like this.
  22. JazzPolice

    JazzPolice Well-Known Member

    I've heard fantastic paper drivers. The problem is that they don't stand up under pressure. They will not stay intact and are more prone to distortions and unpleasant colorations. That's why they work so wonderfully in guitar amplifiers. A paper driver will sound lovely at a whisper, but the minute you lean on the volume, most fall apart and start shrieking.
     
    norman_frappe likes this.
  23. raferx

    raferx Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Well, I'm no expert by a long shot, but John Atkinson preferred the AN-E Spe HE Signature to the Harbeth M40.1 when performing measuring tests at Art Dudley's:
    http://www.stereophile.com/content/...ature-loudspeaker-john-atkinson-november-2008

    For my money, the M40.1 is the best speaker I've heard other than the M30.1, but it definitely needs juice to come alive.
    I'll be able to compare the AN-E Spe HE to both M30.1 and M40.1 when Soundhounds receive their new demo pair, so I'll be posting here when that happens.

    Again, I'm set on amplification. It's higher-efficiency speakers I'm interested in pairing with the Oto SE. And if the AN-E doesn't sound significantly better or at the very least, equal to the M30.1, then I won't buy it.
     
  24. vinylkid58

    vinylkid58 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, B.C.
    I've personally flogged a lot of paper cone woofers (and full range drivers) in my time. They seem to hold up rather well.

    That's a bit of a contradiction.

    Mine don't, at least at any sane volume levels.

    jeff
     
    beowulf likes this.
  25. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    I agree with you on all points ...
     
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