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

I use a P5 with my system and unlike Don, I have never had issues with it running out of "oomph". It never goes above about 50% load and I have tried the system with various pieces attached to the PS Audio unit and always felt it was better with everything tied to it. I contemplated getting the P10, but opted for the P5, based on the current and projected load and after consulting with some knowledgeable folks.

 

I did seriously contemplate buying another set of top cover plates for a pair of Quest monos and doing them in gold leaf as a show piece. I think they would come up pretty nice with the transformer covers still black. I have another client who will one day get an upgrade amp with a duck egg blue paint finish, maybe a jinro shochu with the 211 moly plates and their bright glow.

 

Interestingly, in the picture of the yellow Ongaku there are some screws indicating that the top plate can be removed, however in all that I have seen, either in person or in pictures (including the other Ongaku picture, those screws were not there. When my Ongaku was worked on, it was an absolute bear to remove the top plate, as it had to be separated from the chassis to enable removal of some components.

 

The screw faceplates are used on the Jinro chassis and top cover so anything painted must be using that combination rather than the Ongaku components. Having colours applied can look great but can also affect resale if it comes to that. Doing the gold leaf on a marked pair of covers would be the only option I would consider and they top covers do accidentally get small marks on them in final assembly and these are annoyingly put aside to use later in one off's like where the marks can be refinished, primed and painted and no wastage occurs.

 

Sometimes we have to put things in perspective - an Audio Note Jinro you probably keep for life and enjoy music or a bottle of wine.

This $31,000 Canadian - I took the picture at a City Super Grocery store - yes this is at a Grocery store in Hong Kong - I'd hate to see the wines at a boutique wine shop.

 

I think there’s a problem when the Shindo preamp named after the wine costs less then a single bottle of it.

 

and I bet it doesn't even come with its own cork screw!
Who remembers Red Mountain? Gallon jugs and you put it in the crook of your elbow and drank directly from it. We didn't need "no steenkin'" glasses

 

There was a bottle above it that I didn't get a photo of but my camera got it for $288,000HKd so another $15,000 Canadian.

It makes our little audio hobby seem entirely reasonable. When bloody handbags are selling for $50k -- eesh. I saw a shop that seems to only sell hair clips - yes those $1 hair clips only for the price of a car no doubt. Any diamonds? No. Gold? No. WTF?

LOL - this is me talking myself into an AN Jinro - hahaha.

 

Do you have a photo of the Gold Leaf covers?

Yes I think if you buy a dedicated colour like Yellow or whatever - you probably need to order the original cover as well so if you do sell you have it. On the other hand there is something special about owning a unique amplifier - the fellow who buys a hot pink one is probably the only person on the planet to have it.

That's sort of my way of thinking. Audio is costing a boat load of money these days and if you are spending $15k+ on gear I think being forced to choose between 4 colours (as most offer) or worse 2 colours it just seems you're buying a dime a dozen amp. I wouldn't want it scratched to hell when the plate is taken off for repair. Though I suppose if one pays for a $30,000 amp one should expect that it would not fail.

 

Sorry, haven't pursued the gold leaf idea any further. The idea came from seeing the production of gold leaf in Kanzawa in Japan and thinking, where can I use that. I have to convince the wife of a friend who used to do museum restorations of gild frames that doing this for me is a worthwhile project. It's probably $200 in leaf plus the top plates from AN but I think they would look stunning. Maybe for one of the shows coming up as a photo worthy publicity shot. Gold and aluminium work surprising well together as a colour palette especially if the aluminium is brushed or anodised.

 

Is this the colour you mean?



If you could make it with the rough looking texture it might look pretty awesome. Plus, if it did have a minor scratch it would probably go unnoticed - that's why I hate black - every bit of dust or any scratch will show up in a big way - but this Gold might work well. And your amp doesn't look any more valuable than when it's Gold!



hmm and it would match my Poplar Burl AN Es.

Call it the Jinro Pure Gold Finn edition!

 

Closer to the second image is what I had in mind.
I don't think Peter needs another name description to add to his price list .

 

I think the length of the price list ship has sailed. Isn't already a phone book? I'm diggin that gold. I wonder if the tube glow would get it to sparkle.

Or perhaps a True Jinro Edition colour scheme

 

First part is 180 pages, second part is 75.
The glow of the 211 tubes on the copper is quite beautiful. Will have to wait for the moly plate 300b tubes to see how that comes up.

 

You could also go for an oxidized copper for another variation on the copper look. They come in many different patina options:
Color Copper Sheet in Heavy 24 Gauge | Copper Sheeting from ColorCopper.com

 

Since most of us agree (I hope) that it is crazy that the wine costs
more than the amp... I therefore suggest you talk yourself into Ultra amps instead of just a Jinro (with, of course, corresponding source components and speakers..) <ducking quickly>

 

Do we have any idea when the moly plate 300Bs will be available?

After hearing such positive impressions of the 211/4240SE tubes, I am really interested in hearing how the new 300Bs compare to the better 300Bs on the market. I have four Western Electric 300Bs from the newer period (15-20 years old - not really sure) in my Kassai mono blocks.

I would love to have a shootout with my reissue WE 300Bs, the brand new 2019 WE 300Bs, Takatsuki 300Bs and the new Audio Note 300Bs. It would be a great way to spend a weekend...

 

Apparently the moly plate 4300B tubes were meant to arrive into Peter's possession this week, 150 pairs or 150 pieces, one of the 2.

As for your shoot out, I have a client doing comparisons between Takatsuki and Elrog at the moment with the Elrogs having 250 hours on them and the Takatsuki's having 6. The Takatsuki's require minimum 130 hours running before they hit cruising speed so bear that in mind if you ever do get to do the comparison.

No idea what to expect with WE, the distributor here is only going to allow demonstrations in the WE amps and buy before you try. Already numerous orders placed apparently so let's hope they have the sound and reliability. It's one thing to have machinery and materials, it's another to have the skills and application ability in new manufacturing of a product which hasn't been crafted for quite a few years and how long it takes to get those skills applied to a high artisan level.

 

Bwahahaa. As soon as Lady Gaga finds me and realizes I'm the one for her. I'll as for the Ultra for Christmas. I have Brad's beard. Too bad that's all I have.

 

Maybe I have been wrong not inviting my wife to join this forum. If you guys are going to talk wine and Audio Note UK products, then maybe I can convince her that spending a little (make that a LOT) more on quality high-end speakers and such, is a GOOD thing, LOL.

For what it's worth, I actually talked my wife into driving up to Niagara On The Lake very soon, for a few days of beautiful wine country up there (Here's a little secret for those who have never heard of them, "BIG HEAD WINES" ..., you can thank me later, but trust me when I tell you that Andre and his fine line of wines are as worthy as your Audio Note product line!). On one of the days while we are up there, we are driving up to Thornhill (just north of Toronto) and I'm sitting down for an hour or two and finally auditioning a pair of AN-E SPe HE's. So, thanks to the wine, I can finally convince my wife to get me to my closest Audio Note dealer! I originally was trying to arrange to fly out to @Warren Jarrett showroom to audition, which Warren was very kind to offer all the time I needed to audition, but I just couldn't get that arranged, but I thank him all the same! I tried to see if he could get Steve Hoffman to come over and join us for an afternoon of hanging out and listening to great music, but he said that Steve would probably never do it. Too bad, as how much fun would that have been to hang out with Warren and Steve?

 

I have a question for the AN Silver cable experts.

A while back AN came out with updated versions of the Vx and Sogon which increased the number of strands to 31 and 50 respectively. What sonic differences can one expect compared to previous versions?

I own a 20 strand Vx and 42 strand Sogon. A few years ago I compared my Vx to a 27 strand Vx, and I was quite surprised to find that there were major differences and that overall I preferred my older version. Now that AN has changed the Vx again to 31 strands, it makes me wonder how it would compare to the two earlier versions and to the two Sogon versions. For what it’s worth, I find the Vx to have pluses and minuses sonically but I love my 42-strand Sogon. I have no reservations about its sound whatsoever.

I am looking for a new cable for my SUT output. Right now I can use either my Vx or ISIS but I am not totally happy with either one.

Thanks in advance.

 

Are you sure the 27 strand Vx was fully burned in? The only difference with the more recent versions should be more strands and thus a more complete reproduction, a fuller sound. The character of the sound should not be different.