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

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

  1. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    They do. At least I think so :) You can see them in post #209 in this thread.

    The story of the cabinet change is that I discovered some scratches on them, and I also became increasingly fed up with the veneer type. I don't recall the exact type but it looked kinda DIY. So I took the plunge and had the drivers transferred to new cabinets. The Copenhagen dealer was very helpful, and managed to sell the old cabinets to a customer who were looking for just that veneer. But it was still quite expensive.

    Actually, the Austria factory got it wrong, and the new cabinets arrived in satin, so the dealer took them to a competent painting company and had them do the gloss lacquer. They did a fantastic job, actually with a thicker coating of lacquer than you get from the Austria factory. So that means that if you have the veneer you like, you can have them lacquered by a local company, provided you trust their skills.
     
  2. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    I always admired the look of those speakers but never made the obvious now connection.
     
    Encore likes this.
  3. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Perhaps they have a chance to sound good with the 211. I have not been a big fan of the AG's. I heard a lower level pair here in Hong Kong and with Eva Cassidy it was just so poor I had to shut it off. This was not with AN gear though.

    Interestingly Acapella - which is sort of similar - with AN has sounded pretty great to me. I think AN gear will make a lot of systems sound a lot better. At Audio Shows - I hear speakers and think - well this could be pretty good if they actually used good equipment in front.

    I remember the Tannoy Eaton was being demonstrated with Adele Youtube videos as the source. I mean that is really not a great way to demonstrate the speaker - which sounded quite respectable even at that.
     
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  4. J.Uotila

    J.Uotila Forum Resident

    Location:
    Espoo, Finland
    ^Acapella is passive speaker and Avantgarde is semi-active. I think it has an effect on the coherence of the sound.
     
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  5. slcaudiophile

    slcaudiophile Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    the K/Ds in a small desktop install. sounds fantastic!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Richard Austen likes this.
  7. gov

    gov Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC Metro
    Wonder how different those quests are from newer production.
     
  8. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I asked James Healey (Audio Note UK Service Engineer & Sales Support) if my 2005 Quests could be updated to the current spec and he said:

    “The Quest has remained pretty much the same, we've changed the layout of the PCB a little to make it easier to assemble, but the only real upgrade path would be to upgrade to Silver or Silver Signature versions of the same unit.”
     
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  9. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    The ones in that For Sale ad have had some non audio note spec work done on them as evident on binding posts and RCA connectors. With no internal shots, you can't tell if it extends further. There has been numerous changes in componentry used since 2005 even if the circuit design hasn't drifted that much. Rebuilds can be fun to do using the higher spec AN componentry chosen carefully, I'm doing 4 at the moment, 2 Oto's, Dac2.1 Balanced and a pair of Kegon Balanced.
     
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  10. Joe Spivey

    Joe Spivey Forum Resident

    I noticed the binding post too... and they don't look like AN parts either so you've got to wonder.... what else. A peak inside would be helpful.
     
  11. slcaudiophile

    slcaudiophile Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    i bet that OTO you did sounds amazing. i really admired that.

    have you heard or used the new Niobium resistors yet? can you report anything on sound quality?
     
  12. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Good catch on the binding posts. Definitely a red flag.
     
  13. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    I have the 2 wattNM Niobium's in the grid resistor position in a pair of quest silvers and the 2 watt Silver Niobium's going into the Kegons in the same positions. I built some new racks for the gear so am finishing the setups this weekend and can finally get a handle on what they bring to the table. The equipment supports are very influential as to the overall sound and take a bit of getting used too.
     
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  14. Andy Saunders

    Andy Saunders Always a pleasure never a chore

    Location:
    England
  15. slcaudiophile

    slcaudiophile Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    the COBRA is a great amp ... plus it has a remote so i can be a lazy listener.
     
  16. ghasley

    ghasley Forum Resident

    The Cobra is not just a great amp, its a gateway drug. I've had one for a few weeks and just paid my dealer last week to order a Tonmeister Silver.

    The Cobra is better than it has any right to be and the digital section is a headscratcher, it shouldn't sound this good. I'm thinking a fair comparison would be a Border Patrol Dac built into a Leben CS600x. I do not believe the Cobra to be the equal of the 600x (I have them side by side presently). It doesn't quite have the bass drive of the Leben but the Cobra is simply a crazy amazing value. The dac portion is a little cleaner than a Border Patrol and the Cobra responds well to some tube rolling. I've owned a lot of tube integrateds (Line Magnetic, VAC, Leben, Primaluna, VTL) and on balance when considering value, sound quality and flexibility its remarkable.
     
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  17. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I like the option of having a mono switch for my mono records, but it’s hard to find one with high build quality and short signal paths. So I had a little module custom made using Audio Note components. AN-P’s, silver RCA’s, silver wire, silver solder, and a switch with silver contacts. I think it turned out nice in the end.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Itsjaw, Don Parkhurst, Dai and 12 others like this.
  18. highendlover

    highendlover Well-Known Member

    Location:
    USA
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2020
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  19. Daniel Sun

    Daniel Sun Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Singapore
    I've read a post by the late Warren Jarrett that he doesn't use much acoustic treatments, just some GIK panels. I've an M3 pre-amp with Quest monoblocks and I'm thinking of buying a pair of AN-J speakers. Since I can't install acoustic treatments in my house, just wondering if I need a lot of diffusive materials instead. Any advice will be appreciated. thanks.
     
  20. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Unfortunately my experience with the speaker kits is that they don't sound as good. The manufactured speakers are pair matched and the kit builder doesn't have that ability nor are the drivers in the kits from the "A" stock of drivers.
     
  21. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Hey Spartee - what I was after a long while back was a speaker selector. For those of us who have to run both 2 channel and surround sound I keep having to change the speaker wires.

    So when I listen to my 2 channel I have my AN system going but then have to detach my cables and then attach the cables running from my receiver to be able to use the PS4 or movies. Though I can watch movies through the AN rig I don't want to waste tube life for such things.

    So it would be handy to just flip a switch. Have both amplifiers connect to a switch box so I don't have to keep removing the cables. But most of the ones I see on the net are low end junk. Do you think something like what you made is doable here?
     
  22. Fred Hansen

    Fred Hansen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    This is difficult to answer without more information, but I'm a firm believer in minor treatments not big panels or bass traps, start with thin carpets, a thin rug, and perhaps curtains. The J's will work in any room, but I strongly encourage you to go straight to the Es
     
  23. Fred Hansen

    Fred Hansen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Wonderful. This sounds like the perfect amp for a small second system
     
  24. Daniel Sun

    Daniel Sun Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Singapore
    Maybe I should rephrase my question. There's only one audio note dealer in Singapore and he has acoustic panels in the room, with the speakers free standing and only slightly toed in. So, the set up is nothing like what I've read.

    So, for those of you who heard it set up in the corners and heavily toed it and liked the sound, were those rooms heavily treated with dedicated acoustic panels, or just your usual furniture?
     
  25. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    Not heavily treated, just usual furniture. I'm no expert but I think that in terms of bass, there's only so much you can do with panels if the room is difficult to begin with. However, judging from my own experience, AN speakers also benefit from having treatment at first reflection points. I got some combined diffusers and (not bass) absorbers from GIK, and they made the soundstage bigger and pretty much got rid of a tendency for female operatic vocals to sound shrill. But my setup is unconventional as I can't honor the corner placement.
     

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