My New Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Seafinch, May 31, 2018.

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  1. John Mee

    John Mee Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of Carthage
    I will be talking to Peter next week and see if I can get the answers (except for price, since that is country/market/dealer dependent)...
     
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  2. Jim13

    Jim13 Forum Resident

    Congratulations, I have the Oto phono se signature , will never replace it, beautiful amp , I’ve had bugle boys 12ax7 but much prefer nos mullards in that spot, more warmth, better bass, have fun mate.
     
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  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg Inside of mine. Took the pics in February for a reason I can't remember...
     
  4. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Unlike some brands I find the prices of AN fairly consistent whether Canada/US or Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong has no sales taxes. In BC, Canada there is federal and provincial tax of 12.5% combined which makes quite the difference. And of course different countries have different import duties. The fluctuating dollar and now the US lead trade war will affect the prices of a bunch of goods so we'll see how things shake out in the coming months.
     
  5. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    There are 3 variants on the power supply and final pricing hasn't been determined yet so no luck with final pricing. We asked Emily as to pricing and availability last Wednesday so reasonably current information.
     
  6. finn

    finn Forum Resident

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  7. marka

    marka Forum Resident

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  8. loudwizard

    loudwizard Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Texas
    beauty! man, you got really serious about yer upgrades!
     
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  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I love good looking electronic guts. Audio Note does the best!
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I like that they constantly try and improve their products. It used to bug me when companies changed stuff around ("You mean it's not perfect now?") but constant tinkering is needed if sound quality is to evolve.
     
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  11. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat

    Location:
    Canada
    Seafinch, have you received your AN-E?
     
  12. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    I have not. Looks like they should be shipping from the UK this week.

    In the meantime I’ve really been enjoying the Oto with the Devore o/93s - I could easily live with what I have going now for a long time. If the AN-Es are another improvement I’ll be really happy.

    Started doing some tube rolling this week, still a little too soon to report in those findings. Here’s what I’ve got to try...

    12ax7 Pairs-
    Amperex Orange Globe 12ax7 Pair
    Raytheon 5751 Windmill Getter Pair

    Single 12au7s -
    Amperex Medical 12au7
    Cifte 12au7
    Brimar CV4003

    Single 6922s (for Phono) -
    Amperex 6922 PQ

    Single 12ax7s (for Phono)
    Mullard CV4004

    And a few others I can’t think of off the top of my head.

    Should be fun.
     
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  13. plimpington2

    plimpington2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland
    I run a similar front end (mid-level LP12). Do you have any issues with footfalls for your LP12? I never could set the old fruitbox on any sort of non-spiked furniture without problems. Mines on the “counter” of a built in cabinet now, so I’ve solved that issue.

    I note my amplifier is not dissimilar to yours either - a Leben CS300XS, also a hand built El-84/6bq5 based integrated. I’m running a Lehmann Black Cube SE MK2 at the moment, but I have the Leben phono stage on order (it will be 4 long, excruciating months as of next week - I hope I live that long).

    Your Devores are lovely. My speakers are my only sore point - and i have had my eyes on the Devores for neigh on three years. But i can’t get a home dem - $8000 is real money. You gather your Oto drives them without difficulty? What do you gather are the Devore’s weakest attributes?

    I want to post pics - but can’t see how to. In can’t just dump them into the message from my photo album on my phone??

    Justin
     
  14. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Justin - why not consider the AN E/Lx speakers at $5800 - Considerably less expensive - look similar - and you have more finishing options (using 100% No void Russian Birch). Devore makes a nice sounding speaker - but there are some pretty good speaker options available which are easy to drive in the $5k to $10k range such as the AN E/Lx and E/Spe, Volti Rival, Spatial Audio, Pure Audio Project, Zu Audio, Teresonic, Acoustic Zen, all of which would be happy with 8 watts.

    Part of it comes down the room.

    PS I agree on the PAI factor of the suspended turntables - I had the AN TT2 in Canada - suspended like your LP12 - and when I would walk up to the table it would bounce the arm. Fortunately, I know live in HK where the buildings are 100% concrete so rock solid and the TT2 is phenomenal. If I were in the same place in Canada - I'd have to choose a different table or wall mount the sucker.
     
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  15. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    It's worth the wait. Order some Mullard CV4024's for it to pass the time.
     
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  16. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    Does it use 12AT7-type tubes nowadays?
     
  17. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    There's only been one model of it, so yes, nowadays and always. :)
     
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  18. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    I thought it had the same tubes as the standard OTO SE: Audio Note

    But come to think of it--I seem to remember a thread at this forum some months ago where there was some confusion as to the tube complement of the OTO SE Sig. Something about that AN had changed the tube complelement over time.

    EDIT: Sorry, just realised that you're talking about the Leben.
     
  19. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Under that wood floor is a cement - so footfalls aren't really an issue for me. I really like this table a lot - but am in the process of building a Garrard 301 - we'll see how they compare in the same setup :)

    Congrats on the new phono pre - I've heard wonderful things about Leben in general and that pre specifically.

    Thanks! Took me some experimenting with placement and amplification to really fall in love with them, but now the I am they're going to have to battle it out with the incoming AN-E SPE HEs. Should be another fun shootout. The Oto is more than up for the task of driving them in my 11' x 19' room. I thought the loss of power between the LM508ia and this Oto would be noticeable, but as I've recently been told, the EL84 is a bass miracle. It's still relatively early in the process and I've just begun rolling tubes, but as of right now, I'd really have to nit-pick to find a major weakness. I'm sure they're there, but my setup has never sounded this good, so nothing is sticking out as bad, quote the opposite actually.

    You have to host the photos somewhere else then use the photo's url...
     
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  20. gregr

    gregr Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    I'm running the OTO Line SE Signature, so I don't have the 12au7 in the circuit, but I have enjoyed the Raytheon 5751 Windmill Getter as an input tube. With my JMR Bliss Silver speakers, the highs were a little splashy, but I mated it with a new production Mullard EL84 and that's one of the better combinations I've tried. If I had AN speakers I'm not sure I would have ventured too far down the tube rolling path; the more I swap, the more it seems that Peter Qvortup was very careful in picking the tubes to match his equipment. Hats off. :tiphat:
     
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  21. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    How do you compare the new production Mullard EL84's to the stock Sovteks?
     
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  22. gregr

    gregr Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    Smoother, but less detailed. More bass than Sovtek (this can expose the flabbiness in the low end of the Ei). Highs roll off a touch. Seems linear. The Sovtek/Ei combo is still the best when it comes to the high frequencies -- so delicate!
     
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  23. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Interesting. In my experiences with the non-sig Oto, I felt the Sovteks were basically good sounding for dirt cheap tubes, but had sort of a "warm 'n wooly" character to the lower end. The Tungsrams I replaced them with keep all the fun of EL84s, but are more precise and detailed and overall "cleaner".

    I don't have much experience with the EL84 tube, but the third kind that I've heard are the NOS Soviet (which somewhat amusingly were made with Soviet Technology but are not Sovteks) EL84, which don't really do anything bad, and can be had for pretty cheap (Upscale prices them reasonably but they can be had for less).
     
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  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    No one sells those inexpensive USA GE EL-84's from the 80's any more? Got mine at Groove Tubes in the 1990s.. Like 20 bucks each for a matched quartet!
     
  25. gregr

    gregr Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    I covet the Tungsrams. What input tube did you run them with?
     
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