Complete Audio Note UK system both digital & analogue now in my listening room.

I have two basic rooms that I work in, my mastering space and my listening space. I need both flavors of playback, it helps in my mastering, and it is just fun to have two rooms though my wife isn't too thrilled about it.

In my mastering room I have a tremendous system built from manufacturer long-term loans including the amazing Tenor Audio 350m monoblocks, the powerful VAC Phi 200 monoblocks, the state of the art PS Audio DirectStream DAC & PerfectWave Memory Player, the giant-killing VPI Classic 2 turntable with Soundsmith Paua moving iron cart and MCPW preamp, Masa's Concert Fidelity line stage and Didi's great Venture Audio Grand Excellence III speakers for a KILLER playback system.

My listening room up the hall is now completely Audio Note UK. I can stroll from one room to the other and pretend I'm at a stereo show except in this case both rooms sound amazing and to my personal liking but very different from each other.

Audio Note came in to my life earlier this year when I met Warren Jarrett of SM Audio in Orange County and he brought over some Audio Note gear for me to listen to at my business manager's house including his AN-E signature Lexus "Hemp" speakers and the famous Baby Ongaku: the copper wired JINRO integrated amplifier that uses two 211 tubes for 18 watts a side. I was impressed. I'd never experienced the Audio Note sound at the stereo shows, too crowded in there and I couldn't ever get them alone to play any of my stuff. I found it amusing that some Audio Note rooms I'd peaked into (not Warren's, BTW) had the gear just resting on hotel end tables, no fancy racks, no super duper setups, just basic set up, even just sitting on the hotel room floor sometimes. No cable lifters, etc. I found this most interesting though it must drive some audiophiles right up the rafters.

When I met Audio Note's Peter Qvortrup in April we had a great meeting and I was quite taken with his philosophy of sound reproduction. Seems that we hear alike and so does Warren Jarrett, Peter's local distributor. We could all sit in a room and speak the same language. We like the same basic playback sound. This may not mean much to you but it means a world to me. People I can talk to and know exactly what I'm talking about and the other way around. Speaking the same language is quite a relief.

So anyway, thanks to Peter at Audio Note and Warren from SM Audio, (the AN dealer in Southern California), I have on long-term loan a fabulous sounding system, shipped directly from England, consisting of all new gear:

AN-E/SPe speakers in Wengewood with dedicated AN stands.
Isis speaker cable.
Jinro integrated amplifier.
TT-2 Deluxe turntable/Arm 3 v1/IQIII cart
M6 RIAA phono stage.
CDT Three CD transport.
DAC2.1x SIGNATURE digital to analogue converter.
Isis interconnects.

I've never had an entire system from one company before. I mean, everything, the wire, the electronics, the speakers, all from AN.

Warren spent last Sunday basically positioning the speakers in my room. It's crucial to get them in just the right spot and he did. The sound locks in, the speakers disappear and the music envelopes you.

We also did some listening and did our final tube rolling in the AN electronics. The Jinro Integrated now has Amperex Dutch 7199 and ECC82 input tubes and (believe it or not) the inexpensive Chinese Shuguang 211 - VT-4-C output tubes made the final cut. We both liked them better than the "second best after RCA" 1943 GE's! How 'bout that, tube fans? The cheap Chinese 211's over the RCA Radiotrons that cost $2,000 a pair when you can find them. The moral of this story is: Never judge a tube by it's reviews on the Internet!!

The AN DAC 2.1x Signature has NOS Telefunken E88CCs (the good ones from UPSCALE AUDIO) now in place of the stock Phillips 6DJ8's plus I kept the fine sounding stock NOS Phillips rectifier tube. The M6 RIAA tubes we left alone. No messing with perfection there. That's it. The only possible upgrade will be a pair of German Elrog 211's when they arrive and since the company is basically funded by Audio Note, the tubes will be AN as well!

Warren and I were impressed with the DAC 2.1x Signature. Great build quality and parts upgrade. The sound was three-dimensional and just sucks you in with perfect ambiance retrieval. Not easy for digital.

The M6 RIAA phono stage is really the best phono section I've ever heard. The decay and spaces between the notes become audible and crucial if you know what I mean. Switching to another phono stage lost that illusion totally. The M6 RIAA. A state of the art phono section. It's really amazing.

I was wondering if the expensive AN CDT Three CD transport was worth the money before I actually used it but after playing with it, yet, it is. I put another transport I have in the system and the sound just fell apart. Obviously the transport makes a big difference. Who knew?

All in all, the system, even though it is all new and hasn't been properly bedded yet (broken in), is organic sounding, natural, emotional, fatigue free, musical, realistic and floats my boat in every possible way. The digital section sings, the analog section shines, the speakers reproduce everything with effortless flow that makes me sink in to my listening chair with a peaceful smile on my face, even when playing Nirvana. Nothing has even broken in yet. It's only going to get better and better. Looking forward to that, but I don't know how much goodness I can take. If it gets much better I might have to be committed to the Audiophile Home For The Hopelessly Contented.

Most people might feel that Audio Note UK gear is out of their price range but please remember, the fine OTO integrated has the true Audio Note sound and build quality and it is not much! Also, check the used market, great bargains sometimes because a lot of Audiophiles keep changing their gear as the seasons change.

I want to thank Audio Note and SM Audio for making this long-term loan happen. It's making my job far from a chore and my off-time listening sessions quite wonderful. Oh, and thanks to Peter at SYMPOSIUM ACOUSTICS for making me a custom SEGUE platform that conforms to the special shape of the Jinro Integrated. Fits perfectly under it. Much appreciated.

Again, many thanks.

 

I'm not using the hemp drivers but I get it..

 

Thanks. Just to note that my AN speakers are not placed in corners and work nicely with some serious trial and error set up adventures (Warren did all the work, I just sat in the listening space and made suggestions)..

 

That's about it, and we are talking about an inch at a time here.

 

Speaker placement is CRUCIAL no matter what speakers you have or what shape and size your room is. It takes patience but can elevate the sound of your system and it costs NOTHING.

 

That's about it. Just two different approaches to getting there. Two flavors, as it were. Both yummy and it's a privilege to be able to have a choice like this. Two world-class systems. Makes my job more betta!

 

I'll have Warren take some shots the next time he is over. Taking blurry cell phone pics of my gear is just as bad as taking selfies to me.