Diving Headfirst Into Audio Note System

I placed an order today for Audio Note kits for the AN-E speakers, a 300B Interstage SET amp with Hi-C Transformers and a Pre-amp. It has always been my dream to build my own system and own Audio Note, so this is my opportunity to make both dreams come true and save some money with the kits vs. the UK components.

The speakers have hemp cone woofers and are all silver voice coils to make the the equivalent of the AN-E/LX HE and are 98dB efficient. I got them with hand built cabinets:

The cabinets are sanded but not finished. I have a friend who is a professional carpenter so we are considering putting a nice exotic figured veneer on the front, or we will just lacquer them. Granted, the kits are probably not on-par with the UK built speakers, but should be pretty close (especially since I am not building the cabinets). I am considering getting internal silver wires to make them like the AN-E/Spe HE.

The amps are Interstage Parallel 300B with high-end AN c-Core Transformers that produce 20 watts per channel. The Interstage design is the same as the On Ganku 211 amps. The amps include AudioNote Tantalum Resistors 2W (output), AudioNote Tantalum Resistors 1W or 1/2W (power board), Mundorf's Best Myltic Power Supply Caps, PTFE Silver Plated Hookup Wire, and Elna Cerafine Signal Electrolytics.





The Pre is their top-of-the-line preamp kit, the Mentor, which also uses C-Core transformers:

These will be used with my VPI Aries 3 TT and BAT VK-P10 phono-pre.

Brian was great to work with and he put together a package deal.

I am thinking of documenting the build on this forum if anyone is interested.

 

Thanks, Steve. As you probably remember, I have been loving the Wu Audio WA 5 300B SET amps, but these should be a solid improvement.

 

Congrats Ray!

Looks like a gorgeous setup. At $7,000 for the Power Amp, you'll probably experience some amazing sound! Curious to read how the AN compares to your old amp.

Enjoy the build!

 

More congrats, and do let us know how the build goes.

 

Looks like a blast. Happy soldering.

 

I would have to have a friend with better fundamental understanding to check my work. It is also exhausting to me. I get super tense when I have to solder something like tonearm wiring. My paranoia about cold joints is never ending. If someone else does it, I never think about it.

 

No idea, but it sounds like he is doing it right, upgrading the internal wiring and what not. Also sounds like they are including incentives because he is buying a system.

 

That's when a variac comes in real handy. It's very disheartening to let the "magic smoke" out of expensive components.

jeff

 

Excellent. I will be following your progress with interest

 

First, thanks for all of the kind words and well wishes.

I am very comfortable with my soldering skills and knowledge of electronics. I have modified and repaired many components, as well as building simpler electronic kits. I also really know my way around a multi-meter. To a certain extent, it is easier to build something with new components rather than doing repairs or mids, as desoldering and resoldering is more complicated and dificult than soldering new components.

You can also rest assured that I will be taking my time with the build and triple checking everything before plugging anything in!

 

Wonderful! Keep us posted on your progress! (some pics too would be great. ) Good luck!

 

That's a cool looking preamp. I think it's unique to AN kits.

That's a lot of kit building ahead of you, but what a nice way to spend your free time. And what a great time of the year to do it. I think I'm envious....... Have fun!

 

Jealous of your skills and working materials... I always struggled with the transfer stickers.

 

Congrats! Looks like a cool project. Way beyond my abilities, but I'll also be interested in following the progress.

 

This is definitely a cool project. What's their relationship with Audio Note UK these days? Are they using the same parts supplier?

 

They get their parts from Audio Note UK. Per the ANK Audiokits website:
Meanwhile ANK Audiokits still works with Audio Note engineering on a contract basis as we always have, and we continue to buy quantities of Audio Note parts for the kits – Tantalum Resistors, Audio Note Film Capacitors, speciality C-Core Transformers, AN shielded cable, AN Silver RCA’s, AN Speaker Posts, AN Speaker Kits etc.

 

Audio Note also recommends using a Variac, and I am in the process of shopping for one.

 

I just changed my order from the Speaker Kit 03 to the top-of-the-line Speaker Kit 04. These are a lot more money, but seems like a significant upgrade- it has AlNiCo hemp silver coil speakers and a much more substantial crossover built and matched to the speakers in the UK.

According to the site:
The Kit 04 has raised a great deal of interest since its introduction. It offers the ultimate in speaker performance with its AlNiCo, silver coil woofers and tweeters and precisely matched and calibrated crossovers. This is the first time a tube friendly speaker of this quality been offered as a kit.
What is AlNiCo? AlNiCo is an acronym that refers to the materials used in the magnets and is widely accepted as the ultimate material for speaker magnets as it offers superb tonal reproduction. The composition is made up of aluminium (Al), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co).

The double AlNiCo magnet is mounted to a special soft iron top plate which acts as the focusing ring around the silver voice coil, the front mounting plate is made from aircraft grade soft aluminium.
The Audio Note AlNiCo magnet 1 inch dome tweeter became standard on Audio Note's top level finished products speakers, the AN-E/SEC Signature and the all silver AN-E/SOGON.

The crossover parts are mounted on the back of the rear panels to keep wire lengths to an absolute minimum. Each crossover is matched to its woofer and tweeter at Audio Note UK - you will find that the number on the crossover corresponds to its matched woofer and tweeter.

Built, tested and calibrated crossover with matched silver voice coil AlNiCo magnet tweeter and AlNiCo hemp cone woofer plus silver voice coil. AN-E cabinet drawings and port tube, this ultimate speaker kit!
The Speaker Kit 04 is based around the 98 dB efficient silver coil drivers.



They should be shipping soon.

 

I'm afraid to ask, but are you getting any warranty on these kits? And will Audio Note repair centers take them if something goes wrong beyond the assembly instructions?
I looked at the prices for ANK kits. They are not at all cheap. Definitely, nothing close to Gaku-On prices, but with production models offer some warranty and repairs are included for two years. What about these kits?

 

There is a 12 month warranty on the parts, but obviously not on the assembly. I am sure the repair center would repair it for a fee. I've been repairing my own components for years, so that doesn't concern me.

No they are not cheap, but I think a good value for the money. I have always wanted to build my own components.

Update: I should be receiving a couple of the kits in early January.

 

This looks like a great project. I have been eyeing the DAC kits for some time but would have to hire someone to put it together. Good luck and post when you have updates.

 

No soldering required - just use the blu tack supplied.
Neat project.