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

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Steve Hoffman, Apr 29, 2022.

  1. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Finn I love J talk and am personally curious what your comparison will reveal to you! My dealer prefers the paper cones and that's what I use, and love.
     
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  2. Chris.p.l

    Chris.p.l Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Good morning,

    Out of curiosity, I tried "Moongel" Damper Pads between the stands and the speakers, instead of the BluTack.
    It's surprising, the speaker seems to "float" on the support.
    The result is really interesting.

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. al2813

    al2813 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brussels, Belgium

    I am using Aktyna Exo isolation feet between my K's and the stand instead of blue tack - also with very positive results.
     
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  4. Lowrider75

    Lowrider75 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Chris, I've used Moongels for years to dampen vibrations in various areas of my system. They work well. BUT, over time under heavy loads they flatten and lose that "bounce." They become ineffective and flat as a pancake.
    If the goal is to decouple the speakers from the stands, try them and see if they're effective. Their real purpose, of course, is to dampen the heads on drums.
     
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  5. Chris.p.l

    Chris.p.l Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    I also wondered about their life expectancy…
     
  6. Karlas Dad

    Karlas Dad Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    AX-One 2.500.-
    AX-Two 3.750.-
    AX-Three 4.750.-

    All prices in Euro
     
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  7. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Ouch. $4,000 USD for the AX Two - Inflation is a bitch.
     
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  8. Karlas Dad

    Karlas Dad Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    At that price, I hope there is more to them than meets the eye.
     
  9. R.T.Firefly

    R.T.Firefly Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Am I wrong in thinking that the Tonmeister is a passive amp, unlike the previous Meishu, which was active? It is basically a P3 with additional switches and inputs. As such, I think theoretically it makes sense that it pairs better with slightly faster speakers (J with paper) than with slightly slower ones (E with hemp). A preamp would probably change that and make Es sound as fast in the system.
     
  10. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    You would be wrong in your line of assumption. The 12au7/5687 represents the current Pre amp gain stage. The major difference is using transformers as the drivers for the 300b tubes as opposed to using 5687 tubes as the drivers in the older Meishu.
    I also don’t agree with your assertions about speed and respective models.
    I don’t know where you are drawing these observations from but it’s certainly a different pool of experience to mine.
    Having a difference of opinion is not a personal attack so don’t take it as such, I’m happy to read why you formed your perspectives and what holds you to them.
     
  11. Chris.p.l

    Chris.p.l Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Hello,
    Some news of the fight session J SPE SE / E SPE HE Sig.

    Well, in fact, there is no fight...

    The Js work instantaneously with speed and weight.

    The E's can do exactly the same thing (perhaps even more), but finding their ideal position takes a lot of time and patience (which until now has been lacking for me).
    The breadth that the Es can offer is their strong point as well as their weak point when it comes to taming all this generosity.

    This is the End? Nooooo :)
     
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  12. R.T.Firefly

    R.T.Firefly Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    This is not a difference of opinion, because I only had an assumption and too little data to have an opinion, which is why I asked about it. The Js with paper I heard sounded drier and "faster" to me in the conditions I heard them in than Es. But I never had the opportunity for the only situation that would let me form a credible opinion, i.e. comparing them one after another in my own room with the right positioning and with the same music. And thanks for the clarification about Tonmeister, I hope I've not mislead anyone.

    Is there any technical reason why Js would be a better match for Tonmeister, apart from a given room's acoustics?
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2023
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  13. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    Thank you for a great evening of great music and interesting talk, @rappaport :) I was really impressed at what your—on paper—humble digital setup delivered, and of course the IO Gold was wonderful. Especially with the stellar pressings that you have.
     
  14. rufusblues

    rufusblues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I'm interested to know what the "humble digital setup" consisted of, if you'd care to share. Thanks.
     
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  15. Karlas Dad

    Karlas Dad Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    I have heard Rappaports system on two occasions. The drive was a humble Pioneer DV-600 feeding the AN Dac 0.1x.

    Its one of, NO, the most realistic sounding systems I have ever heard. Kudos to Rappaports ability to fine tune, decades of experience and razor sharp ears.

    Stunnig
     
  16. rappaport

    rappaport Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hundested
    Thanks so very much @Encore and @Karlas Dad for your very kind words.
    It's very nice and a great "relief" to be able to back up the sometimes (perhaps very) bold statements made by me - I'm sure might have been able to raise a couple of eyebrows by people who don't know me - (can't blame them!)

    A case in point:
    When I went to the UK to work with PQ, I was for a period of time given the honor and pleasure of acting as the deciding ear for the specific final prototype version of af product to go into production.

    The original M3 and the original Ankoru 845 being amongst the products I gave the get go after having listened to numerous versions of the two brought "home" by Andy Grove.
    I'm no mind reader. Bur Andy at one point might have thought; who the H... IS that "crazy" dane, Peter's friend from DK critically scrutinizing and evaluating my devoted works of art, and like a discount Cesar-wannabe having the outright audacity occasionally pointing his thumb up or as it were with most; down.
    (Being MY version deliberately overstating the issue for effect. In fact Andy was VERY coerteous and accomodating - so not to point any undue a finger at him!)
    Choosing the versions that sounded the most natural and real - as opposed to, as it showed up later; the on paper text book perfect ones based on measurements alone.
    So when the likes of mr. Atkinson and others like him argue that this and that piece of equipment relies on poor design practice. One has to ask if indeed the measurment regime employed by the Audio 'zines does in fact show up the relevant issues? Since it is plainly obvious you're either faced with the option to satisfy your EYES - OR satisfy your EARS.
    I go with my ears any day.

    My much mentioned and lauded superlative specimen of the Rappaport Amp One already measured rather poorly when it came to 2.order distortion, which could be measured in percentages!
    Anyways:
    The proof of the pudding...as the say, came immediately after, when the prototype M3 had been approved of by me, but had to go back to Andy to have a quick addition of some Lemo connectors at the back.
    When the exact same M3 returned to Peter's listening room I immediately discovered it's sound had changed. The "magic" qualities I'd found it possessed - were gone.
    It was then quickly returned to the factory to be found out why.
    At first no one could quite figure out why, cause all and everything looked dandy. And I was told nothing had changed. I persevered telling what I experienced listening before and aft.

    After much head scratching it was dicovered that some ridiculously small seemingly inconsequential detail had been overlooked.
    To this very day I still don't know exactly what caused the difference.
    Other that the team would never have thought it made ANY difference to the sound.
    But it HAD indeed a profound negative and detrimental effect on the M3's performance.
    And when remedied, restored the M3 to it's full glory of the version I'd approved of.

    Which I'm sure in the end might have altered Andy's view on me, as one not easily prone to just imagining or dream up things up, LOL
    Nice

    Once again thank you guys - 'twas much appreciated!
    Cheers Henrik
     
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  17. rappaport

    rappaport Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hundested
    @rufusblues
    Original I ran a very humble Pioneer DVD Multi rez player as transport. The one used by Max Townshend for his then pricey two part cd player from the early 2000's.
    Not chosen for it's high rez abilities running into an old modded red book multi bit AN DAC 1. But because this DVD player used alone as a transport punched far far above it's paltry price ticket.

    The Pioneer doing red book cd duties these days is an even lowlier Pioneer DV-300 DVD player I got hip to, reading Fikus Lampizator's rather surprising and appaling history of this DVD Multi-CD player.
    A rather fun read!
    If interested Google "Goldmund" Lampizator.
    Where Lampizator besides lists a whole lot of upgrades that can more or less easily be done to the already surprisingly good transport - of which I've made some - the rest to be made by a techie with 20-20 vision and a pin type solder tip!
    It's signal goes from my part AN Pallas Black silver clone (less the Palladium coating) digital cable to the aforementioned AN DAC Zero 0.1x.
    Both resting on top of each other - DVD at the bottom on 3 pcs. Orea Graphites.
    A half meter length AN Lexus going from DAC to one of my Cobra's line inputs completes the chain.
    Cheers Henrik
     
  18. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    @Karlas Dad & @Encore you're lucky to be able to have others (relatively?) close to you to hear their systems, especially one as interesting, as well as the owner as @rappaport

    Have a great weekend all.

    Nige
     
  19. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    :cry: That speaker used to go for well under a grand! (Right?) ... Shoulda gone for 'em then
     
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  20. rappaport

    rappaport Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hundested
    @bhazen
    A bit more than that AFAIR.
    1200 USD quoted at some point, which I believe might have even risen slightly before being finally discontinued.
    The new facelifted and upgraded versions appear to be "luxury" versions of the ONE and TWO, using superior crossover parts.
    Even the drivers themselves are reported to have been improved.
    Besides the rapid world wide inflation has taking it's toll with sometimes dizzying price hikes.
    So it isn't quite comparing apples to apples
     
  21. Karlas Dad

    Karlas Dad Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    The AX One was 800 Euro, now 2.500.
    AX Two was 1.100 Euro, now 3.750.

    It will need more than replacing the vinyl wrapped enclosures with real wood veneered ones, to justify the price hike.

    I am expecting AN to having improved/ reworked the AX series. From the photos released so far, the ONE no longer has a doped mid/ bass driver, good thing for a start.

    The introduction of the new AX One/Two doesn´t take anything away from the "old" AX series. They are still hitting above their weight, and beyond.
     
  22. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    All I know is, all the truly great audio gear I used to fantasize about has been priced out of my reach. A sad day in my world.
     
  23. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Hey bhazen don't be too sad brother that's a cracking little system you have there. And sometimes fantasy is just that fantasy. ;) But there's always the used market so keep those eyes peeled!
     
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  24. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Fair point, for sure. I'm grateful for what I have. :nauga:
     
  25. jcn3

    jcn3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NH
    Wow! What nice gear! A setup many would love to have.
     
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