May I show-off my new website, for those who know (and know of) me? Audio Note at The Audio Home..

Wow, a little unusual but many thanks for the effort. Wish you all the best with your shop. Thank you for caring enough to promote quality audio!

 

I'm not a fan of the parallel 300Bs. The only one of those I liked was designed by the late Allen Wright - the DPA300 - which was a differential balanced amp, and a bloody good one too. It's sad that Allen passed away so young. He was a gifted designer.

 

Brian,

I dropped-off your demo/"Black-Friday" Oto-Phono-SE at FedEx this weekend, so it will start traveling from So. Calif to No. Calif tomorrow.

Coincidentally, you will be receiving your Oto within a day of me receiving my B&W-Matrix-800 speakers. Mine will arrive Monday (tomorrow) or Tuesday; yours will arrive to you on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Please add posts on this forum, for all of us to read, when you receive the Oto and start gaining impressions of its operation and sound.

 

Within a given level, there is no best; they just sound different, and the differences appeal to personal taste, in conjunction with the specific characteristics of the speakers you choose to play. So, of all the Level 3 amps, I love most the Empress 2A3, particularly considering price. It has flat, extended and clean bass (particularly compared to the 300B amps), doesn't have quite the midrange "magic" of the 300B amps, but sounds more "accurate" to me than "euphonic". And it does provide plenty of "magic" for me (which I can define in more detail, if you'd like). I also like the 7 watts, with my AN/E-Lexus-HE speakers. This level of power (in a bedroom size room and in the hotel size rooms I have used at audio shows) provides great loudness and muscle into those speakers, that 2 or 3.5 watts cannot. And more that 7 watts in just not necessary, unless you have lower efficiency speakers. But the real key is just that each amp sounds different, and every speaker sound different, so the synergy is totally personal taste. Even the Jinro doesn't sound "better" to me than the Empress, for my speakers, but they do sound different, and I like them both.

What is "better" is to go up a level. Simply the differences in internal components between a Empress, Empress Signature, Empress Silver Signature, and Neiro make a DRAMATIC upgrade in every aspect of sound. It is totally amazing that more amplifier manufactures do not offer a single model amplifier in multiple levels of internal parts quality. All other manufacturers balance one price to one sound quality level (so as not to "confuse" the customer), and hope everybody likes THAT set of compromises, with no knowledge of how upgrades might make the sound even better. But, this simply IS NOT true; it is simple but not realistic. So what happens to some, in real life, is they gamble on after-market upgrades, based on rumors and guesses.

Regarding balanced connections, Audio Note will redesign or configure ANY product to your specifications and desires, for extra cost and extra lead-time. But no, in standard form, the Empress is not available with XLR connections.

 

If anyone here has heard a Paladin 45 (2 watts) or Vindicator (3.5 watts), with AN/E speakers, please relate your experience: what did you hear? The general consensus is that 45 tubes do EVERYTHING right and sound INCREDIBLE, if you can get-by with 2 watts. I have not had an opportunity to hear them myself.

 

You can get very good results from the AN-E's and J's from the Vindicator particularly if you use the paper cone bass drivers, even more so using the high efficiency versions which don't apply to the AN-J's. One of the nicest combinations we demonstrate is with a Vindicator silver signature with AN-J SPe paper cone speakers, it really is a very musical outcome.
As for xlr inputs on power amps, that option requires the use of balanced transformers for the input stage and few of the level 3 amps provide that option, the Jinro Shochu, the P4 Balanced and the Ankoru 2 mono's only. The difference in the parallel 300b Conquests and the P4's is very significant.

 

I NEED HELP NEXT WEEKEND. Please, if anyone can visit The Audio Home on Friday, Saturday or Sunday (Dec 1, 2, 3), let me know.

The B&W Matrix 800 speakers will arrive tomorrow (Tuesday), in 6 wooden crates, totaling 600 pounds. But I will not need much help, yet. I will assemble the speakers myself, over the following few days.

Then, Friday and Saturday will be the BIG days, for listening and comparing: various bass amplifiers, various changes in speaker locations, and settings of the electronic crossover. That is when my visitors will voice opinions about sound, and in the end come to consensus. Well, actually, in the end I will decide unilaterally, with all the help considered and appreciated.

Sunday, I have two free tickets to anyone who would like to attend the LA & OC Audio Society annual gala in Buena Park, with MASSIVE raffle prizes, including a $12,000 Grado cartridge.

 

As far as current production 2A3s, I have, and love, the Emission Labs mesh plates. Not cheap, but worth it IMO. I'm hoping to run them in a Vindicator, down the road. I've also used their mesh plate 45s, and the 2A3 sounds very similar (unlike NOS 45s vs. 2A3s). If you like the 45 sound, but want 2A3 power, the EMLs may be the way to go.

 

I have a set of NOS Sylvania 2A3, made in USA. Haven't even tried them yet though. Any ideas about how they will sound compared to the Emission Labs?

 

I haven't heard Sylvania 2A3s, but I expect they would sound pretty good. Most likely better than current production Chinese and Sovteks. The consensus out there seems to be that there aren't any really bad sounding 2A3s, but, of course, some sound better than others. The EMLs (especially the mesh plate) are really in a different league IMO. They have the same specs and pins as standard 2A3s, but the bottles are larger (300B size). Their sound is hard to describe. To me, it's just “right”. You pay a premium price for them, and you get a premium tube.

Peter Q can tell you much more about various NOS and modern 2A3s than I ever could.

Emission Labs - 2A3 tube data sheet. Mesh Version.

 

When you say a premium price what sort of price are we looking at given that it requires 4 of them for Empress monoblocks - and I would also ask where does one buy them.

I really liked the Empress in stock form at the dealer in Hong Kong - enough that that has been my front runner power amp for awhile - it's just that I sort of buy things that come up whenever I see a deal. So I have actually been going in the exact opposite order of what I planned on doing hence the AN E/Spx AlniCo speakers when I already had AN E/LX speakers.

I am almost there with a full AN set-up - my plan is basically for the Empress and CD Two/II and DAC 3.1X Balanced but the DAC 0.1x is pretty awesome I must say. It certainly doesn't make me want to "hurry" to move it on. Even from the USB from a computer!!

 

I have not tried these 2a3 tubes but I did hear the KT88 versions. I generally don't like KT88 tube amps but the amp I heard from Master Sound KT88 amp using these tubes was the best I have ever heard to the point I almost pulled out my credit card for the amp. But then I figured it could be more about the tube. I was going to get some from my LM 219IA but knowing I was going to sell it - I decided to hold off buying tubes for it.

Anyway - I'd like to know if you guys have tried this tube specifically in the Empress and how it fared versus stock. At $320 pair that would be $640 investment into the Empress so not exactly cheap but not outlandish.




2A3-TII (pair)

 

I'm eagerly waiting for the Audio Note OTO SE Warren mentioned earlier in the thread to arrive.

...And lo and behold if that isn't the FedEx truck pulling up outside. Full report to come!

 

Nice!

Congrats... looking forward to your thoughts. Enjoy

 

Dude don't keep us in suspense. Hook that bad boy up and tell us about it. I was sorely tempted by that offer. Congratulations.

 

Congrats!

It looks beautiful on your shelf.

Fire that puppy up!

 

The Oto arrived an hour or so ago. Doing business with Warren was as pleasurable as talking with him on the forums, and the unit arrived quickly and well packaged.

A few things I've never owned before in an amplifier - single ended, EL84, or 10 watt per channel. The Oto Phono SE is all of these things, so I was looking forward to something different then I was used to with the two consecutive EL34/30-ish watt amps I'd owned. I connected it in my system alongside the Garrard 301/SME/Koetsu rig, with the other source being the Line Magnetic 502CA DAC. Speakers are the 90db sensitive DeVore 3XL. I decided I would let up warm up for the 30 minutes the manual suggests, give it a perfunctory listen with the stock tubes, and then roll in some Amperex. But I'm a 21st century American obsessed with instant gratification, so I did none of these things.



With about 60 seconds to warm up, and with the factory tubes (I haven't checked the make), the Oto sounded amazing. One of the first things that immediately stood out was how powerful and authoritative the sound is. With speakers that just toe the line of being high efficiency, the volume at 9 o'clock produces what I would call a normal level, with 11 o'clock approaching call-the-cops levels. Bass is not just present, but goes low and long. In general I would describe the sound as being rich and vivid in tone and color, but it does this along with an emphasis on detail and precision. People often consider these things to be mutually exclusive, and in a lot of gear they are correct.

Something that I've come back to a few times as I listen is how many things this 10 watt integrated tube amplifier does well that high end solid state amplifiers do well. The sense of endless headroom, amazingly black backgrounds and silence between notes, and the ability to play very clean and undistorted at high volumes. In my opinion, however, no solid state amplifier I've heard can deliver as realistic tone as to be had from the Audio Note Oto SE. Certainly not at its price point.

I'd say I'm going to be holding on to this one for a while. It's hard to imagine anything it doesn't do well, relative to its price or any price. It will be interesting to see how it sounds with some NOS Phillips tubes I have set aside for it, but I'm certainly in no hurry and it will probably be a while.

 

Actually, I have been so happy with the stock 2A3 tubes, supplied by Audio Note, I haven't been motivated to change to my NOS made-in-USA Sylvanias. I will do it, to hear the difference, just not in a hurry.

 

Replacing the tubes made it sound worse in fact, bright and shouty. I believe a reason why is the Sovteks it comes with are a lower gain version of 12AX7, so a "normal" 12AX7 is too much gain. Put the stock $12 Russian tubes back in and the beautiful tone returned. Like you say, quite interesting.

 

A review in Asia held the OTO as the king of thee El84 tube world. It's tough to make a case against it. It's been going for 25 years or so for a reason.

 

Brand new tubes do sound bright and shouty. As opposed to the well burnt-in Sovteks that came with the amp. The Sovtek EL84 are considered bad, however they are (still) being made today and manufacturers have no choice but to use them.

Here is what tube guru Kevin Deal says about the Sovteks:
Russian 6H14 / 7189
"We don't sell the latest Russian EL84 or 7189 offerings because I don't care for the way they sound."

 

Hi Triple - note though that when anyone mentions the words "tube Guru" we should remember that Audio Note's Peter Qvortrup isn't exactly a neophyte on tubes. You can be sure that Peter not only has heard EVERY EL84 that has ever been made - he very likely OWNS every EL84 that has ever been made. And probably every other tube type that has ever been made as well. I remember years ago someone mentioning that Audio Note has a 3 story building filled with tubes and some blame Peter as the reason so many tube types are so expensive because he bought vast numbers of them.

This isn't to say he is using his number 1 choice in the OTO because to supply OTOs it may be too expensive to put the number 1 favorite in them but of the mainstream group he will choose the best option that he can consistently supply (like most tube amp makers).

Note too that this also comes to amplifier design - Peter and AN strongly believe in Single Ended amplifier designs - Kevin Deal and Prima Luna does not - and this also comes down to parts where Kevin touts ALPS pots and torroid transformers while Peter Qvortrup despises both as generally being cheap rubbish.

Tubes are amplifier dependent. The same tube in one amp may sound great and in other sound poor.

Besides - the output tube typically has the least amount of improvement - I'd look more at the preamp tube.

With regards to dumping on cheap tubes - there have been several tube reviews over the years where Chinese tubes took down WE extremely expensive NOS varieties - the knock is the longevity but as I point out to people - you can spend $4000 on NOS WE 300B tubes or buy the Chinese ones for $400 a pair that apparently sound just as good and some reviews say sound better. But let's assume they're close enough - even if the Chinese tubes die in half the time- you can buy TEN pairs for the same price and come way further ahead - and those NOS could die early too after all. No guarantees.

Lastly, one important thing to remember for ANY person buying a tube amplifier is to know what tubes are in the unit. For instance lower priced high end amplifiers like the OTO or my old Line Magnetic 219IA ship with very affordable tubes for their type - the OTO uses the $10-$20 variety - the LM 219IA shipped with Shuguang or PSVane which are nice enough but not grotesquely expensive tubes.

Some makers though for similar dollars shipped with very scarce very expensive NOS tubes. Lesser transformers and pricier better tubes. But without those fancy tubes they may not sound very good at all. And when those tubes fail and you are forced to use a cheap tube - maybe you won't like the sound at all. Ie; you may be stuck. I really like amps that sound great with affordable and available tubes.