Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE speakers arrive

Just wanted to post that the AN-E's have arrived.
Many, many thanks to Don and Terry at Soundhounds in Victoria whose hard work getting them to me is greatly appreciated.
Right out of the box I was deeply impacted by their ability to communicate emotion to the listener.
I've yet to hear another speaker in my home (and very few other places) that have impressed me so thoroughly, so quickly.
The bass is staggering in it's depth, tightness and nuance. Sound stage is beyond the boundaries of the room.
I'm not even going into the midband or highs at this point, needless to say they are on an order of smoothness, richness, detail and subtlety that has left me shaking my head.
Fit and finish is only matched by the DeVore O/96 IMHO.
Much more to come in the days and weeks ahead as they and the new speaker cables break in.

 

If they sound as good as they look you're in audio heaven my friend, congrats!

 

I have had the good fortune to listen to rafe's system as it has developed. I was there a day ago and got to hear he new AN speakers. I will say this is the best his room and system have sounded yet. Really fantastic.

 

Gorgeous...I want, I want!!!

 

Well I'm shocked! The Audio Note OTO sounds best with Audio Note speakers, who'd of thunk!

Kidding kidding! Rafe you've taken quite a path but that system and room looks great. Isn't it nice how those E's can be so unobtrusively tucked away? It's a great bonus on top of amazing sound. So what do you think, are these the one?

 

Nice. Very simple crossovers in these and very efficient. I'm sure you are getting the best out of your amp with this combo.

 

I have to say that your second photo is one of the absolute best photographs of an Audio Note product that I have ever seen - the finish looks exquisite. Now you're going to make me try a deeper toe in.

I couldn't make it out to Soundhounds when I was home this year - wanted to go and to meet up with you guys in Vancouver but I was surprisingly busy and a trip to Vegas in the middle.

Synergy is an important aspect to this stuff that I think is not taken into account nearly as much as it should be. Reviewers tend to be bad for this as well - forcing a speaker say to fit what we happen to own where it may simply not fit. My AN AX Two speakers taught me much on that front being "just another standmount" albeit a good one - it had a noticeable uptick when I mated it with Audio Note's I-Zero amplifier and DAC 0.1X.

The HE version I kind of wish I went for now - at the time - I heard 300B and wasn't thrilled with them - except run in pentode. My favorites being the 211 and the poor man's 211 the 845 which offer 20 watts - so who needs HE. But now my favorite amp from Audio Note is the Empress 2A3 at 7 watts - grrrrrrr.

 

Congratulations! Having just finished building the kit version of the HE, I know what a thrill you must be experiencing. As always, the pictures are great.

 

Happy New Speakers Day!

They sure look fantastic...

 

If I were flush I would seriously consider an AN setup. First it would be off to Rafe's for a listen.

Hey Rafe, I understand you visited a friend in Portland recently...cost-no-object...it would be either what I could buy from PDX or AN.. I trust your ears and will be reading with interest.

BTW, I've never met Mike but have known Dale for years. Been in each others homes and bent elbows many times. Great guy.

 

I'll be swapping in the Acoustic Masterpiece (Air Tight) 201H amp I have on long-term review from Element Acoustics tonight or tomorrow to see how that sounds.
The 201H is far more polite than the Oto, but has 22 watts (or 24 watts depending on where you look online) of Push-Pull vs the Oto's Single-Ended 10 watts, so it should be quite interesting.
Being able to put them in the corner is a Godsend after owning/reviewing so many speakers that require huge amounts of space around them.
It's completely opened-up the room, and the AN-E's design of wide-dispersion imaging and corner loading to pressurize the room in a manner that mimics acoustic instruments is something you really have to hear yourself to understand just how impressive and completely realistic the sound is.

 

C'mon on over Art. Beers in the fridge. You can bunk in the kids' room.
Yes, PDX Hifi in Portland is where you want to demo gear, Dale and Mike are fantastic.
I've yet to meet to Dale in person, but I can only imagine how fun bending elbows with him must be.
Looking forward to doing it myself one day
Cheers Art!

 

Merci!!!

 

Those are really beautiful, what is the veneer? And (sorry I'm not up on all the model designations) are the drivers the AlNiCo Hemp?

 

Congratulations, Rafe!
Beautiful speakers!!

In your opinion, are these at least an order of magnitude better than the best of Harbeth you may have heard?

 

I think you will find the veneer is Palisander in a matt finish and the AN-E SPe HE speakers use the high efficiency magnet structures, silver voice coils, SPe silver cable, no alnico at this price point. Nice looking pair, the factory in Austria do fantastic work.

 

Kkfan

As an aside - I think the onus is on Harbeth to be an order of magnitude better since their speakers costs twice as much. The M40.1 is double the price of the AN E/Lx and while sound is somewhat subjective (I think the E/Lx sounds somewhat better) the E is 10 times easier to drive allowing the owner far more (better) options on amplifier selection(amps at 1/10 the wattage for example).

 

Thanks, the woodwork is top notch no doubt! Do they use paper for the drivers or some other substance and do you know what magnets (ferrite, neodymium, etc.)?

 

What speaker cable are you using? And are these speakers new or do they have some time on them? My Spe HEs arrive next week. I'm new here on the forum but I've been following your thread with anticipation as I've been looking at the same speakers but have only heard them at shows. I'm a big Harbeth fan and love the looks on the O/96 s. I have only heard the Devores under show conditions. I've had a pair of the AN-e Lexus for a couple of years and wanted to try the HEs. I'm encouraged by your first impressions. Good listening....Vernon

 

I like the listening layout, it looks relaxed. And the toe-in is good-keep side reflections down. What is the supposed sensitivity of these speakers?

 

Sensitivity is 97-98dB (IF) placed in the corners and that is for both speakers driven. The discrepancy with Stereophile was that they didn't measure in the corners but in the middle of a room and they only measured one loudspeaker.
Martin Colloms and Hi-Fi Choice magazine have both measured and got the same measurements that AN provides. I don't fault Stereophile because they have their standard test - but corner loaded speakers in stereo (which is how people listen to stereo loudspeakers - ie we all listen to two speakers not one) is to me a weird standard. What is odd is that Martin Colloms for years was the guy measuring equipment for Stereophile and unlike JA is actually an audio engineer.

That aside - you're going to want 7 watts or more - the OTO measured 4.2 undistorted watts per channel at Hi-Fi Choice. And the OTO doesn't have a helluva lot of trouble with the regular AN E let alone the HE version in a normal size room. Still - just get a Jinro, Tomei, or Ongaku eh? Why not it's only money - I'd rather a Jinro to any $25,000 car that's for sure LOL

 

The drivers are HEMP. They offer paper drivers in the entry level models for less money. I can't remember what the magnets are. The drivers I believe are made by SEAS.

 

Hemp for the bass drivers and they still do paper as an option. I don't know exactly the composition of the high efficiency magnet material other than knowing it is significantly larger than the standard magnet.

 

Having difficulty ascertaining from various threads what you actually own as speakers as opposed to what you have on loan and/or for review purposes.

 

Audio Note seems to have a bucket of choices on the drivers seen here

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/-c-113_114.html