I like a balance of AN Copper and Silver cables. ISIS and Sogon interconnects. SPx speaker cables. ISIS mains cables. In fact I can take that a step further. The internal wiring for my speakers is also a mix—Lexus for the woofer and midrange, SPx for the tweeter. The only non-AN cable in my system is an Ocellia Silver power cord for my phono preamp. For whatever reason the Ocellia sounds better than ISIS in that spot.
Thanks for the reply Don, I have 88 hours on the speakers as of today . I let the system play while I'm sleeping , I play classical music on my fm tuner , I don't have a cd player at this time . They are getting better edges are tighter bass has better detail . I find as they break in I can pull the speakers away from the corners about 1" / 25mm and the bass is not as boomey. Today I found an Ocellia Reference rca interconnect in my stash and replaced the copper interconnect from the amp to the line stage and it made a big improvement in the sound. I never listened to alnico speakers before these and they are very smooth after 20 hours . Looking forward to hear the speakers at 500 hours . I'm very happy with the purchase. Bill
After the speaker have more hours I will get audio note silver but the Ocellia's are better sounding than the current copper ( not audio note copper ).
What do you recommend for power cords for my Wavelength amps and Herron line stage and phono ? Currently using Coincident copper . Thanks,
E Even though those amps and preamps are not Audio Note, it sounds like you are heading towards an all-AN system so I would use ISIS power cords.
My local dealer builds custom horn-based speaker systems. On one of the high end builds, I noticed a mix of wire used to wire the drivers and crossover. Some wire was Sogon, others were cheaper silver Audio Note wire. I asked if that was a cost-saving measure (doubtful, given the particular build), and the answer was that the thinner wire actually sounded better where it was being utilized. At some point, I will be re-wiring my speaker as well, which means I will have to somehow borrow different cable to try in different locations. I hope it is the cheaper wire that works in the relatively long run between the crossover box and the woofers.
I have the same issue with the volume knobs on M6. Left one is always a half step ahead of the right one when I count the number of clicks. But when I listen to the music, I need to turn the right knob one click more than left to balance the sound. If any of these make sense... At the end, I just live with it. I can't live without my M6
If implemented correctly, why do all these attenuators seemingly have balance issues? Why aren’t the clicks exactly the same? Also the clicks on the left feel different than the ones on the right of my M3.
My M5 attenuators are balanced perfectly, however they do feel/sound different from one another when changing position. The left attenuator makes a nice clean *click* between steps while the right makes kind of a dull thud. It’s odd, but not exactly bothersome. Would be nice to understand why this would happen though.
Apropos our earlier conversation about fake AN cables this deal seems too good to be true but its from a longtime Agon seller with tons of feedback. I would pull the trigger if I felt more confident. Audio Note AN-Vx Silver Litz Interconnects (1.0m) with Eichmann Silver Bullet Plugs | Interconnects | San Francisco, California 94122 | Audiogon Also weird the title of the Ad doesn't say Kondo and the Ad says AN UK but the link says Kondo?
I know Andy personally and he is one of the people I would buy stuff from. I called Andy to confirm and Nick Gowan terminated those cables. Nick is the AN factory service center for the West coast and the only person who touches my stuff. If you were in the AN room at last week's show, you may very well have met Nick. Ask Andy which lengths and strand counts he is selling
The seller may be genuine but don’t think that’s a good deal at all. First, it is a very old version of the Vx since it only has 15 strands. Since then AN used 20 strands, then 27 and now 31 in the Vx model. Second, it doesn’t use the AN-P RCA plug which is important for best sound quality.
@Salectric and @John Mee thank you both for your feedback. I think I will take a pass mostly because I need another cable like I need a hole in the head. But good to know Andy is a trusted seller for the future!
There is a set piece of metal which is slightly out of alignment in the attenuator. Performance is not affected and if adjusted would be "balanced". Not a quick fix as it requires dismantling of the attenuator.
My CD player has gone to digital heaven and am looking at the AN Zero or the CD1.1X ( though leaning to the Zero for size on my rack) has anyone compared these two players or would generally like to share their thoughts of the two?
Just a bit of tube info for you. My M8 preamp use 3 x 5670 tubes in the phono stage. As supplied they were GE JAN 5670W tubes. Occasionally one will go a bit rustly and I just fit a new set of the same type (they are cheap). Anyway this time around I fancied a change and fitted some Sylvania JHS 5670. They have a different internal structure but are physically a similar to the GE. They do not sound very good at all. There are no redeeming features. Lifeless, boring, unengaging. Put some GE back in and normal service has been resumed. I was genuinely shocked at how poor they sounded, avoid!
I went to Deja Vu Audio and heard the AN-E in one of their Audio Note rooms and I have to say I definitely get it now. I don't know exactly what amplifier they were running but think it was an OTO of some sort. I loved how the combination sounded.
+1. I had the opportunity to meet Ben and have some work done by him. He is extremely knowledgable about all things Audio Note and highly skilled. Highly recommended by PQ
Ben has a sound room setup with Audio Note gear in Brooklyn NY . Call him @ 718-377-8010 too set up a audition . He is also a Pass dealer
You will likely need to try both and determine if the extra outlay is qorth the money. As you move up the levels the sound inproves but that is also determined by what the rest of your system is capable of reproducing.
Finally found a dealer whom has both models and will get auditioning shortly, will report back if anyone is interested.