Sugden A21 Signature Integrated Amplifier

Where can a person buy the Audio Note K/Lx speakers? I may be interested in the future.

 

SHF member Warren Jarrett is an Audio Note dealer in Los Angeles. He posts on here all the time.

 

lol, not if I'm curious about PMC or ATC.

Well sure, from me you won't find any disagreement that one needs to combine amps with speakers that the amps are comfortable driving. It's why I have a pair of AX-Two's. Moving up the AN line one day is a possibility (every bigger AN speaker I've ever heard, the bass sounds very live, it's pretty sweet as I'm sure you know)...though I must say that the AX-Two has quite a bit of low end for a speaker it's size, and nothing really feels missing there. I can even feel the bass sometimes.

But if I end up falling in love with a pair of speakers that need more grunt, I may have a tough decision to make. They would need to be really special sounding to my ears to move on from the a21 (and even then, I don't think I'd sell it, I'd just keep it but buy a used NAD or something). I don't think that all lower efficiency speakers are worse sounding as some sort of rule. PMC's tend to be pretty efficient actually, but I think they do well with more power due to their 4th order crossovers. I used the TB2i before...really loved the sound, so I guess I'll always be a little curious about using them and how to get the best from them.

Anyways, I'm very happy for now. I'll only bring in other speakers to try if and when a pair turns up for a good price and I have the funds saved up (which at the moment I do not!). I think I mentioned this to you before, but I managed to score my AX-Two's for $200. A lot of the time when I think about this I tell myself that I will never get more sound for less money even if I look every day for the rest of my life. I should probably just stick with the AN's, as I could spend $2,000 on something and it would probably be only a tiny bit better.

 

Mine looks pretty much exactly the same but beside the name "Sugden" on the front it simply says "a21a". I wonder how the Signature version differs. To the right mine says "Pure Class A Amplifier Series 2".

 

Yours is an earlier update. I think it was 2007. Mine is from the 2015 update. Very similar. I’ll see if I can find the info later. I’m fighting the flu at present.

 

Right now I am really happy with my LS50's.

It does appear from reading that the A21 update timelines I mentioned are correct. The first update in 2007 was both cosmetic and functional as it included a beefier power supply and reconfigured preamp section.

 

Does the A21 SE have a phono stage option? I thought their phono offerings were external/separate components.

 

Just a dealer..... Tone Imports is the US Distributor. Would love to have you for a demo sometime!

 

A21SE does not have a phono stage. A21 and IA4 both do.

There is a phono stage in the A21 series that's very nice though.

 

That is the trick - but it doesn't have to be Audio Note - There are 3-4 dealers in California and I believe none in Oregon.

I am mainly recommending a higher efficiency easy load speaker preferably with an 8 inch+ woofer to try out. From what I have seen most of the speakers you have gone through are middle 80s sensitive and in the $1500 range. I am wondering if instead of buying and selling many $1500ish speakers it would be best to try for something in the $3-$5k range - chances are it will better most everything in the $1500 range and like the Sugden could be good enough to be a final speaker.

 

Don't have the money and the last 2 speakers I owned were in that range. I have since divorced and remarried and have different priorities. My room is 10x10 so I don't want to overload it...and yes I want my next speakers to be a final speaker.

I've owned Spendor A6r's, Harbeth C7's and Devore Gibbon 8's. These were not $1500 speakers. At one time the fun in this hobby was in trying different pieces. Not in the quest for my last gear but for the fun of hearing them in my home. Now I am going a different way.

 

The Sugden A21 will drive these horn-loaded Klipschorns well and make them sing. Only 5 watts are required ...



The only downside is these speakers may cost almost $10K more than the A21.

 

The downside is that I would have to listen to them.

 

That was absolutely perfect. I tip my hat off to you, sir.

 

It is amazing these Klipsch Heritage Line of speakers have been made in Hope Arkansas since the early 50's ...

 

Back to the Sugden...

 

To be fair - and this doesn't just apply to klipsch - is that I have had to revisit a lot of speakers I thought sucked that may have simply sounded lousy based on the amplifier and sources driving them. Horns put a lot more truth out there than people like - they usually have lower distortion than other speakers and don't paper of the cracks. With most dealers selling high negative feedback (generally horrible sounding) Solid State amplifiers - they may just sound more horrible through a horn.

Sugden and SET amps can often make speakers you didn't previously like sound considerably better. That was my experience running the Audio Note SORO integrated amp into some Magnepan speakers. With Bryston separates for 10 times the money - for me it was horrible - not with the 18 watt SE tube amp. I still didn't love the speakers but they no longer sound bad.

Sugden's a21a doesn't have the warts the Klipsh was revealing on other amp designs. I'll add "perhaps."

One interesting combination could be the Presitge series from Tannoy. The new Tannoy standmount I heard at CAS was really quite nice sounding and with pretty mediocre gear running it. I kept thinking wow wouldn't it be nice to hear these speakers on an SE amp with a good source.

I think they are around $5k but the Tannoy Legacy Eaton might be worth a try. Tannoy Legacy Eaton Standmount Speaker Review

Maybe you can get a discount etc. Tannoy is probably big enough to have a dealer somewhere in your vicinity.

 

Funny you should say that. I am expecting a Sugden a21 today to try with my Tannoy Turnberry speakers. Will report back to give first impressions.

 

I really like the sound of every prestige series speaker I've heard - not a huge fan of the other series except for the 215DMT. I like that you can just sit and enjoy. I heard an old (very old) set of Canterbury speakers and I was very tempted to just buy them - just a bit too big for me here in Hong Kong. Also loved the Kensington SE. I wish they had more presence in the west. I'd also like to get something in for review but I have trouble getting any sort of response from them.

 

I like the Prestige series Tannoys as well.

Not a fan of the KHorns. The Cornwall’s are ok.

 

How small are the typical apartments in Hong Kong? Just curious.

 

I've personally always been intrigued by Tannoy speakers, though the few times I have heard different models they have come across to me as a little too reserved.

I would love to try the new Eaton, and had hoped it would be a good value. But at $6k or whatever it is priced at that's simply not going to happen (now convert that to Cdn!).

 

They are similar to living in a fifth wheel. My apartment is around 600 square feet 2 bedroom and considered big. I live in a cheaper part of Hong Kong and the rent is $2200US per month.

The Tannoy Kensington SE would fit and my AN E just fits. Anything much bigger would not. Height is okay as the ceilings are very high 14 feet or so but not much for width. I could rearrange things for bigger speakers but I would then have to put them on the long wall and listen fairly near-field. It depends largely on the design of the speakers - but no Westminsters - that's for sure.

 

I hear you. We all live under the constraint of the roofs over our heads. That is one reason I can never have bulky speakers like the Klipschorns or La Scalas in my house. I continue to use my 20-year old Definitive Tech bipolar speakers, which do a good job for classical music, the only genre of music I listen to these days in my (early) retirement. In terms of price per square foot for home ownership, I have always heard Hong Kong Island is the most expensive in the world. I am sure the landlord would not rent an apartment at a loss and would pass the costs along.

 

Yeah they have an older school sound but I can appreciate that. Granted the AN J/D is $2900 and the AN J/LX is $3700 and so I personally have some trouble with the prices of much of the competition because I basically compare every speaker to these two at these two price points and look at ease of drive and resale value etc. Still not everyone is "I personally" and since Tannoy does have a quite different sound to most other speakers on the market it is entirely possible that other people can be a big fan of the sound. They have a tactile midrange which seems real fast and single driver like if more dynamically one dimensional. Still, you can probably get the J/Lx for $3300 with some negotiation so I always want to recommend it first because for me the next on my list jump to like $6k and up. None of this matters if there are no dealers in the vicinity and the likelihood you have to wait months for a pair. So I go to Tannoy, Volti Audio, Pure Audio Project, Spatial loudspeakers, Teresonic.

The Sugden seems a bit more powerful than the specs as well so you can probably drive slightly lower sensitive speakers too. Maybe stuff from ProAc, Spendor, Castle (if they're still around). Acoustic Zen, Reference 3a and Legacy speakers are not too tough to drive. Even the new Paradigm speakers are reasonably sensitive. Von Gaylord, Rossofiorinto and Rethm speakers are a bit off the beaten path - the latter look cool and are not too pricey from India.