Audio Note UK AN-E speakers, from cheapest to most expensive. A handy chart, UPDATED 7/21...

Nice to have all this in one place. It would be cool to have all the various AN E reviews as well as the numerous best of show reports here.

I still maintain that this is the best all around loudspeaker for the money and for the size of room they're designed for and of solid constructuon.

 

It would be a nice plus, if the retail pricing were shown along side of the various models. It would help provide a point of reference and to the differences in prices.

 

This is a great resource list, thanks Steve for posting! Quick question for you if you don't mind, any reason for using the AN-E/SPe speakers in the Mastering Room and the AN-E/SPx Alnico speakers in your listening room? Ever done a switch over with these in the different applications?

 

The AN E/D starts at around $4,000. The basic version the top one is over $100,000.

The E/Spe He Hemp is $7,400 and is typically seems to be the favored model. Bu the E/LX I had is $5800.

I prefer going with at least the E/Lx because of the quality of cabinetry.

The upper models like my E/Spx Alnico are better but as Steve implied is more of a luxury than a necessity. But that is true of most luxury goods. The AN E Lx HE Hemp or Spe He Hemp are difficult to beat for.most music in my experience. Though there are other great speakers of course that have strengths i love as well.

 

Wow ... I count sixteen (16?!) different versions of the mighty AN-E ...? ... and I presume the rest of the whole source-to-speakers-and-bits-in-between AN lineup is similarly arrayed, choice-wise ... gotta be the bespoke music playback kit maker on the planet!! No company of even very large size could manage to stock every option ...

 

I know who I'm calling when that big lottery prize money gets deposited.

I'm encouraged that an entry-level E pair is about $4,000 ... that's half what (say) a pair of DeVore O/93 goes for (nearest equivalent speaker I could think of.) So an aspiring 'phile could be into a full-range AN system for relatively little money (say, $10-15k ...?) Am I close?

 

Here's a Stereophile review of the AN-E Lexus Signature - Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature loudspeaker .

Art Dudley was very positive.

"The Audio Notes are on a different plane altogether: easy, adaptable, and, in the best sense, mostly invisible. That they manage all that while being compatible with the very-low-power amps that some of us love is a heck of a thing.

"Who would've thought? Who would've guessed that a speaker so unassuming, and so steeped in quiet tradition, might be the one that a whole subset of our hobby has been looking for all this time?

"Anyone with this kind of money who's looking for a very musical and exceptionally efficient loudspeaker simply musttry the Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature: It's joined the Lowther horns and Quad electrostats as one of the very few speakers I know I could live with and love, indefinitely."

John Atkinson was disappointed by the measurements, especially the sensitivity which was a whopping 5.5dB less than specified.

"The Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature was one of the more sensitive dynamic speakers I have measured, at an estimated 92.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, though it should be noted that this is well below the specified 98dB figure. The impedance remains above 6 ohms for most of the audioband (fig.1), though it does drop to 3.9 ohms in the lower midrange and to 4.8 ohms in the upper treble, and there is a combination of 6.2 ohms magnitude and –40° electrical phase angle at 112Hz. Even so, I don't think the speaker will make significant demands for current on the partnering amplifier, which, in combination with the high sensitivity, makes it very suitable for use with flea-powered single-ended amplifiers....

"It didn't measure as badly as I expected it to, its designer obviously having worked hard to produce a neutral balance in-room. But I was disappointed by the verylively cabinet and by the discontinuity at the top of the woofer passband, the effects of both of which I could hear with the sample that I measured. And its specified sensitivity and bass extension are misleadingly optimistic, in my opinion."

 

I would be careful putting any stock in JA's measurements. Note that JA measures only one speaker freefield.

The AN E is designed for the corner and measured by AN in stereo (as a pair). Had JA sent an email to ask AN this then they eould have got the numbers AN posts and why because:

1) a secon speaker adds 3dB. And a corner adds 18dB in bass frequency response and at least 3dB to sensitivity.

Thus adding 6dB to what JA gets 92.5dB + 6dB is 98.5dB.

Interestingly the Devore 0/96 which claims 96dB only gets 91dB amd no snarky comments made by JA even though that speaker measures no better and has no corner gain to make up for its discrepancy. Politics exist in audio as everywhere else.

Art Dudley did buy the AN E/SPe speakers and reviewed them in a later issue.

Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature loudspeaker John Atkinson, November 2008

 

Thanks for the link and the explanation. I did not realise that the AN's are designed for placement in corners. That would rule them out of my listening room. Industry politics are inevitable in an industry where owner/designers' companies compete with big businesses and conglomerates.

Conflicts of interest, especially when reviewing advertisers' products, are a huge problem. Then there are the commercial links of reviewers to companies who products they review, e.g. as consultants or authors of corporate histories. There is a classic example in the current issue of a leading hifi magazine.

 

If you don’t have corners, make them!

Seriously, at shows and in many living rooms with Audio Note speakers, two inexpensive panels are used to make a corner. I did that for my in-home test.

And while corners are recommended, I’ve heard them when placed far from a corner. Sound result was ... fantastic!

 

Yes the best selling Audio Note dealer is located in Hong Kong. The speakers are not located in corners. Not in corners the speakers will be 3dB lower than AN speaker. So 98dB will be 95dB. In either case 7 watts will be enough.

And let's not forget avout the AN J speakers that start.at around $3000 and use the exact same drivers and cabinetry and cables. They are slightly less sensitive but still reach 25hz. 29hz tune port.

The J was blind level matched tested against competing floorstanders in the 4k price range and was noted as still having the best bass and also winning the shootout. This was done in the 2001 June issue of HiFi Choice magazine.

And the AN K is no slouch either. The K/Lx is around $2300 and is IMO much better than a lot of bigger name similarly priced and more expensive speakers like the Harbeth P3 or Reference 3a Decappo or B&W 805 etc.

Like the AN E, the AN J comes in about 8 versions and the AN K comes in a D, Lx, Spe, and Spx model topping at $12,000 or so.

Audio Makes something like 700 products.

 

From Wes Philips who was one of the Solid State measurements first camp of reviewers who owned pricey Dynaudio speakers at the time.

Tough to find higher praise for any system than this one. AN E again.

Ongaku Means Ecstasy

 

I'm not going to make any artificial corners in my house. It's a period house with antique furniture and I'm not to ruin any rooms for the sake of a hifi brand. So what's the sensitivity placed far from a corner? Where's the best place to have them?

 

I agree you shouldn’t ruin a room for the sake of superior sound (it’s not about a brand). I would also say that most speakers themselves could “ruin” a room with antique furniture. Audio Note UK does have LOTS of available finishes, though.

But my point was that whether or not you can put them in a corner shouldn’t automatically disqualify them from consideration.

I don’t know the sensitivity when it’s not in a corner, but a few posts up Richard Austen says that it’s 3dB less. Richard is knowledgeable about AN speakers, and I have no really to doubt his information.

Your room with antique furniture sounds cool. Post a picture if you can!

 

Yes the AN J/Spe was 89.5dB not in corners and 92.5dB in corners.

But impedance factors in here as well. But it should be noted that JA and Stereophile screwed up on ANs sensitivity rating while the Devore Orangutan which claims 96dB only measures 91dB according to them. But no negativr remark about Devore being misleadingly optimistic and I WONDER why?

The AN E even not in a corner is still more senstitve.

Free standing the AN E should be 91.5 to 92.5dB and has a tuned port frequency of 29hz. It's a 6ohm nominal impedance that dips to 3.9 ohms. So assuming you have a quality tube amp you will get plenty loud with plenty of bass. But no not crack plaster bass or volumes that will knock your fillings out.

They bend the laws of physics really well but massive poweree subs and huge speakers will beat them. Big horns for example.

I think we get a little silly. Stereos should work in our rooms. Very few people can truly build a room around a set of speakers. So when selecting speakers it comes down to factors such as finish, size, price, sensitivity, as well as sound.

The AN E performs 100% at its best in a corner with a bigger than average toe in. But, let's say the AN E operates at 80% of ideal in the free standing position of the usual 3 feet from all walls. The question then becomes does the AN E at 80% of ideal still sound better than the competition operating at 100% in the free standing position they were designed for?

Thus, if I give the AN E a score of 100/100 in the corner but give it 84/100 freestanding, it may still beat the B&W 801 that only gets 65/100 positioned perfectly.

 

I auditioned the AN-E lx at my local dealer's showroom (I do feel very fortunate to have a local dealer). They were not in the corners. I imagine that it's difficult to arrange for corner placement in a showroom, as it sort of locks up that space for that one set of speakers. Nevertheless, they sounded quite good. My pair arrived a week ago yesterday. Set up in the corners of my room, and not yet broken-in, I maintain that they sound way, way better than when auditioned. And way, way, way better than the speakers that preceded them. Corner placement is huge plus in my limited space, and was an important consideration in my selection process.

 

Factory Tour: Audio Note UK factory tours and Life in the fast lane with Peter Qvortrup | Part-Time Audiophile

 

this is a great post.