Strictly for fans of Audio Note UK (all things Audio Note UK)

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Richard Austen, Mar 19, 2015.

  1. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Me too, but I have learned to switch to CDs if you are going to pour a third glass of wine :D
     
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  2. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Not to step on your dealers toes, but I would be very tempted to write in detail about your issue to Peter Q or to Andy Grove to get their response. They definitely have the big picture and I would expect a very good response as to what your options are, based on my asking them questions in the past. The guys and gals in the repair shop (while very knowledgeable) don't necessarily have the skill set to have compared the different options that you are considering. My impression is that they come from the angle of getting something to function properly that has been broken, not necessarily about getting the best from your system from the sound aspect as well as the user interface aspect.
     
  3. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC

    I think that Bryan (Finn) is right. I don't believe that the AN-E SPE HE was U.S. $6918 retail, one year ago. That sounds more like the AN-E Lx. I am more used to the Canadian prices (which are higher due to exchange), but I really don't believe that they raised the price by 47% in one year. Much more like the 10% that was suggested. Of course, each of the dealers are buying directly from the factory as there isn't a distributor in North America, to the best of my knowledge. The upside of that is that you can probably negotiate a bit of a discount when it comes time to purchase : )
     
  4. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    That was a day to buy a lottery ticket as well as obviously you had superior powers smiling down on you :p:p:p
     
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  5. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC

    DO NOT BUY THOSE CABLES! I have watched the Japanese sites for years and you will find an occasional deal which gives a slightly better price, but you will NEVER get a high end AN cable at that sort of price. It is not even a possibility. I have run across a couple of AN owners who have tried to get a great deal out of Asia or Russia and even though the item looked identical on the outside, it was most definitely a knock off. Just remember that someone can simply print the same writing that they see on a Google image and simply solder on a pair of used AN plugs.

    Save your money and your heartache. Even the AN Japan cables go for a fairly high price in Japan.
     
  6. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I even got the guy to deliver them to me.

    Of course, getting a new dishwasher installed has been a three week journey, so perhaps I (wisely) spent all my luck on HiFi.
     
    jonwoody, Encore and Don Parkhurst like this.
  7. Erocka2000

    Erocka2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    Things are already being taking care of by my dealer. I'll be sending the M3 back in two weeks or so to have the attenuators fixed/balanced correctly. I won't be changing them at this time.
     
  8. enginedr

    enginedr Its all good

    Location:
    New York City

    If you or anyone needs Audio Note gear repaired or modified call Ben @ High End Audio Repair .718--377-8010 - That is where AN will send you and for good reason .
     
  9. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC

    I found that I had between 450 and 600 hours before my AN-E SPE HE speakers had finally settled down. I wouldn't make any decisions until you have at least 500 hours on them. Also, if possible, find a CD player and play some music on the 'continuous' setting so that you can add the hours without wearing out your stylus. You will add hours to your tubes, but you will also be getting much closer to the final sound of your fabulous system. That makes it closer to the musical enjoyment that you are looking for, so don't worry about adding some hours to your tubes. Once you hit that 500 hour mark, sit back and enjoy. Then you can decide which speaker cables you want and what you wish to improve, because you will know how your system sounds in your room. Keep the volume at a reasonable level, not at a whisper as the hours tend to not break in the speaker nearly as quickly, if the level is really low. When I did it, I would set a reasonable level so as not to bother my family or neighbours and then close the door on the listening room while I went and prepared dinner or cut the grass or what have you.
     
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  10. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Hi Sky;

    Welcome to the SH Forums! You need to speak to Rob Hume or to Finn or to John Lee to speak to someone who may have compared those components. The rest of us mere mortals play at a lower price level : )

    Don
     
  11. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    That sounds like the smart way to handle it. I 'think' that I have slightly different positions of my volume knobs on my M6 Phono when the volume is correct and balanced, but then I look at them from a different angle and they look the same. Then I think that I should stop being such a neurotic audiophile and to stop fussing over tiny details that might be there and might not be there and to just sit back and enjoy the freaking music!

    So, in other words, I share your pain brother :angel:
     
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  12. Salectric

    Salectric Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    I have a set of Ocellia Silver Reference interconnects too. They are nice but don’t use them as a model for silver cables. The Ocellias are the most UN-silver sounding silver cables I have ever tried. Warm, rich, and soft rolled off highs. The AN Silver cables are more neutral as well as more detailed.
     
  13. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Good to know. I will also say that if you are near Vancouver or Victoria in British Columbia, that Soundhounds in Victoria, B.C. has a very skilled technician who has done quite a bit of AN repairs or upgrades over the years. Speak to Aaron Anderson at Soundhounds. I have had him do work for me and it has been top notch.
     
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  14. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I can relate! I have had some 'adventures' with different dishwashers that I have owned over the years. The only one that has been as good as promised has been Miele. My current dishwasher was quite expensive but it has been quiet, efficient and bullet proof. Just wish it was priced like a Maytag!
     
  15. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    In my difficult room, the Alnicos were actually quite unlistenable in the beginning. I still hadn’t sold my old speakers, so I hooked the Alnicos up to a small solid state amp that I keep for backup and had them play in counter phase opposite each other whenever I wasn’t in the room (including a one-week vacation). I don’t remember the exact periods but I do remember putting them into my main system at least a couple of times just to have them go back to get more break-in. It definitely took a month or more.
     
  16. slcaudiophile

    slcaudiophile Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    I love it …

    yes, there will be an increase in performance. while the M8 is stunning the M9 would take your Kegon's to a new level. while I have not heard them side by side the M9 has a different circuit design and simply is the best of the best. so yes, the upgrade, while expensive will be worth it if you have the music collection.

    the M9 also has the stereo / mono switch, which is awesome if you own a lot of mono records.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2019
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  17. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC

    Yes and when can we all come over to listen to the new preamplifier? ;););)
     
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  18. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Do you prefer silver or copper in your dishwasher wiring?
     
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  19. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Clearly the silver. I can see through the crystal wine glasses that much more clearly!
     
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  20. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    ISIS AN UK wire. Good for almost any musical situation. I'd be happy with just that. Yes, my silver AN wire is fantastic but it is the price of a car. ISIS is really, really a good sounding cable.
     
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  21. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Cool, but what kind of dishwasher do you use?
     
    Don Parkhurst likes this.
  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Samsung by Audio Note.
     
  23. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    All six of my power cables are Audio Note ISIS power cables. I’m very happy with them.
     
  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I only got to know ISIS because that's what Warren used and he dropped me off three sets of interconnects and two pair of Bi-Wire cable for me back in 2014. It just works perfectly, quite neutral.
     
  25. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    When I was involved in the local audio show in 2016, my AN system was used to demonstrate Audio Note via our local dealer, Soundhounds and although my SPx speaker cables sounded significantly better in my listening room, we switched to ISIS speaker cables to fill out the sound because of a dreadful hotel room that made everything sound thin. Once swapped in my system sounded much more like it did at home. They are great cables.
     

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