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

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

  1. rufusblues

    rufusblues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    If anyone in the States is interested, I have a two meter length Isis digital cable for sale, RCA plugs, excellent condition, with box. See listing on U S Audiomart.
    Thanks!
     
    jonwoody likes this.
  2. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    I thought I read that the WE 5 year warranty gradually decreases? Like year 1 90% year 2 80% etc or something to that effect I feel like someone posted it on here recently.
     
  3. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque

    From the WE Website

    "Western Electric will at its sole discretion repair or replace the defective tube at no charge to the End User for the first 90 days following purchase. If the user has returned the warranty card and proof of purchase to us within 10 days of purchase, the no charge period is extended to one year from date of purchase.

    If the Warranty card and proof of purchase have been returned to Western Electric a defective tube will be repaired or replaced in years 2 thru 5 after purchase at the following percent of the then current retail price:

    • Year 1 – Free of Charge
    • Year 2 – 20% of then current Retail price;
    • Year 3 – 40% of then current Retail price;
    • Year 4 – 60% of then current Retail price;
    • Year 5 – 80% of then current Retail price;
    The replacement tube will be warranted only for the remainder of the original 5 year period based on the date of purchase of the original tube."


    The warranty definitely is based on a sliding scale based on age. I have had no experience with the new tubes, but the manufacturing process does look very similar to the traditional process WE used for many years. If this process is what it seems then I doubt many people are going to need any warranty service at all. The WE 300B's I am using in my Conquest Silver Sigs are from Kansas City circa 2004 and have 10,000+ hours on them for sure. Could be twice that. I am not counting. Have never had an issue. Had a coupling cap blow in one of the amps some years back. The tubes survived. These are tough tubes. No doubt.
     
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  4. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Even with the declining warranty that seems very fair to me for such a rugged tube.
     
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  5. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    Same cable as the standard Isis interconnect so possible to reterminate as a 1 mtr stereo pair as an option.
     
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  6. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    If you are asking about what is factory supply ,6x5 is generally Philips as is the 5687 wb
    7044 is a GE tube.
     
  7. Chris.p.l

    Chris.p.l Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Hello Finn,

    Are interconnect and digital connected in the same way?
     
  8. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    One would feel quite put out if one took them up on their 80% with 6 months left in year 5 and then the tube failed after 8 months! Fine print indeed, that's pretty evil!
     
  9. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    Honestly, I can’t definitely say they are the same terminations with regard to the shield connection, the only factory terminations I’ve had are the Pallas digital. All the other cables I use or resell, I do the terminations myself and depending on the actual situation in the system, tie the shield at the most appropriate end.
    As for terminating the Isis, it’s a straightforward job.
    It was just a suggestion that may make the cable more broadly appealing to purchasers.
     
  10. Chris.p.l

    Chris.p.l Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    OK, thanks.
    I allow myself to report an experience ...
    I have an 80cm Lexus Digital RCA, a pair of 1m RCA ISIS Interconnect.
    For me the best connection between my Streamer and my Dac2.1x Sig. is the 1m ISIS Interconnect.
    I wonder if 1m of ISIS Digital would be even better, hence my questioning.
     
  11. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    It's actually about the cable structure and less about the length. Isis is similar in construct to Sootto but copper. The Isis will have more weight and scale compared to Lexus. Just don't listen to Pallas.
     
  12. Chris.p.l

    Chris.p.l Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Ahhh the Pallas ... :)
    When I asked Peter.Q about the recommended digital cable, his answer came in less time than it took me to write the question ...
    WHITE PALLAS !!!
     
  13. Larry I

    Larry I Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    I spent an interesting Saturday afternoon at my local Audio Note dealer. He had a new visitor in the store who wanted to hear Harbeth 30.2 speakers with a tube amplifier. He owns a pair of the Harbeths, which he runs with solid state gear, and was surprised how different and better they sounded with a tube amplifier. The dealer then had him listen to the same amp on Audio Note AN-J (or K, I'm not certain which it was) speakers. The visitor's first impression was that he liked the Harbeths more. But, after a few more minutes of listening, he presented an almost perfect analogy of what he was hearing. He said it was like looking into a pool and, at first, thinking that it was a bit murky because he could not see the bottom on to realize that it was the depth that he was experiencing. He is now interested in the Audio Note speakers. This is someone who gets what these speakers are about--it is not the flashy qualities of "clarity" and "detail" but the harmonic saturation and "depth"" of the sound.
     
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  14. Salectric

    Salectric Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    Larry, what tube amp was used on the Harbeths and ANs?
     
  15. Acapella48

    Acapella48 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elk Grove, CA.
    Actually for most tube manufacturer's, you'd be put out long before that considering the average warranty is one year or less and you can only receive coverage if you jump through all the right hoops, at the right time during a blue moon, while standing on one leg.
     
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  16. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque

    I agree. The warranty is actually very generous if you compare to other 300b tube manufacturers. Most others are 90 days to one year with many stipulations in the fine print. Other have little to no warranty at all. 5 minutes or 5 songs, whichever comes first.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2021
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  17. Gjo

    Gjo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Hello All,

    Is there a decoder for Audio Note loudspeaker serial numbers?
     
  18. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque

    You bet. His name is Peter Q.
     
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  19. Larry I

    Larry I Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    Salectric,

    The demonstration was with the Synthesis A100 (KT66 tubes). The visitor bought the amp following the demonstration. It will be replacing a solid state integrated amp.
     
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  20. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Last time I was in I listened to that amp on AN-J's, Vu seemed very high on it and I thought it sounded great. Not that I'm willing to give up my separates but nice to know a good integrated with Dac can actually sound good.
     
  21. Salectric

    Salectric Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    I was curious about the amp because Harbeths have a reputation for needing some serious watts to deliver their full potential. When I auditioned the Harbeth 40.2, Vu used an amp with WE 124 circuitry, probably 10 watts or so, and it sounded good but it was probably not enough. The Synthesis A100 has 100w per channel so that would be a more appropriate match. I heard an earlier version of the Synthesis amp driving Harbeth 30.2 in one of the DejaVu rooms at CAF, and I thought it sounded very good indeed.

    Audio Note speakers are more compatible with low-power tube amps.
     
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  22. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    AN simply use the model type and sequential numbering, pair are supplied with consecutive numbers and manufacture dates are written on the x over. The factory collates speaker specs for all finished product so traceability is now relatively straight forward.
     
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  23. Larry I

    Larry I Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    I too heard the 40.2s with the 124 amp and thought it sounded great, at least at reasonable power levels. I own a slightly lower powered relative of the 124, a Western Electric 133 amp (349 tube), so I am a big fan of these types of amps.

    The Audio Note speakers are better suited to lower-powered amps, like those made by Audio Note, but, I think it is still a bit of a surprise to a lot of folks just how little power is needed, given that none of their speakers come close to horn speaker efficiency. I heard the AN-E SEPs sounding spectacular when driven by the Audio Note Kageki, an amp rated at something like 6.5 watts/channel. I own a pair of Kageki, but I use it with considerably more efficient speakers, so I was impressed with how it worked with the ANEs.
     
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  24. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Harbeth's Alan Shaw - the designer/owner has said on his own forum that properly working amplifiers all sound the same and that more power is always better. He wants people to use 500watt+ Solid State/Class D amplifiers. To him, these work best for his speakers. They are typically 10dB less sensitive than AN speakers.

    As a reviewer, I believe in fair comparisons so I pay attention to what the owner of the company tells me. I don't completely ignore him and then do what he expressly would never do. So if you are running a comparison and AN is all about SET amplifiers - you review it with SET amplifiers - bring in others to try too but at the outset - you review it with a SET - not a Shindo - Shindo isn't a SET. Not Prima Luna - Pima Luna isn't a SET. Otherwise don't bloody review them.

    With Alan Shaw, they should be auditioned with the highest power amplifiers the store can muster or the reviewer can muster that meets recommended power specs.

    I see no problem comparing speakers with different power amps. A SS amp on AN speakers can pinch them or as I call it "overcontrolling the woofers" so the sound is thinner and brighter. But a SET amp will underpower a Harbeth making it distort or sound slow and tubby.

    The problem is AN SET amps tend to sound vastly better than 500-watt class A/B SS from anyone at any price. So that puts Harbeth at a disadvantage right from the get-go. So I understand why a dealer would want to then put AN SET on the Harbeth and play some girl at a piano at moderate volumes to give the speakers a chance at competing with AN speakers. Perhaps a 500-watt SET amp will do the trick. How many 211s will be required?
     
  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    "Properly working amplifiers all sound the same."

    How can anyone think that?
     
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