Audio Note UK AN-E speakers, from cheapest to most expensive. A handy chart, UPDATED 7/21...

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Steve Hoffman, Jul 28, 2018.

  1. Sugar Man

    Sugar Man Forum Resident

    Chris, both solid and great choices for what you are looking for. Don't give up on the Audio Note Speaker Kits IF you can get the pre-made birch cabinets from ANK. If the cabinets are available, the build is very easy as you are only soldering a couple of speaker leads. I had to do my own cabinets, which were a bear, but now that they are done, I'm starting to forget how hard the build was - kinda. And I know everyone with store bought likes to say they are better, but mine sound REALLY good and world class bass is not a problem.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  2. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Thanks, Sugar Man! I have already thought about and passed on the idea of building my own via a kit, even though I'm sure for those of you, like yourself, who are good with such things, are smart to have saved some $$$'s building your own! I will leave all of that to the professionals at Audio Note UK and rest easier knowing that I didn't screw it up!
     
  3. Sugar Man

    Sugar Man Forum Resident

    Did you see these on Audiogon?
     
    JMAC likes this.
  4. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    YES thank you, I have seen those and they clearly seem a great deal! Unfortunately, they are in Brooklyn and GOD only knows what hoops and ladders I would have to go through to get those! No parking, no patience, no New York, as I've been there and done that and it ain't pretty, plus he is 7 and a half hours away from me, each direction!!! My wife is STILL bitching me out for driving 9 hours each direction to buy a NM, one owner, 1984 pair of Klipsch Cornwalls, LOL, which were also in New York!
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2019
    googlymoogly and Sugar Man like this.
  5. Erocka2000

    Erocka2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    I’m pretty sure they’d just ship them to you.
     
    Joe Spivey and Rolltide like this.
  6. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    i feel like those have been on Audiogon for a really long time. Wonder why?
     
  7. JMAC

    JMAC Senior Member

    Location:
    PDX, OR, USA
    They’re from Brooklyn, so they’d probably tell you that they were on Audiogon waaaay before it became popular.
     
  8. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    that's pretty funny!
     
    JMAC likes this.
  9. slcaudiophile

    slcaudiophile Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City
    oh cool. thanks for clarifying.

    i wonder what brexit is going to do with pricing ...
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I've been informed that Audio Note UK is making me a pair of AN-E/SEC Signature speakers. I've never heard a pair of AN-E's with external crossovers but have heard good things about them. Will be interesting and exciting to compare in my listening space. Stay tuned..
     
  11. Kimiimacman

    Kimiimacman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lost
    Steve, you’re goin’ to love them. I’ve heard both of Peter’s pairs in his system and they’re sublime although much of that will be the system they are driven by of course :righton:
     
    Steve Hoffman and SandAndGlass like this.
  12. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Well, I'm just back from an audition of AN-E SPe HE's in Toronto, Canada and that didn't go very well at all!

    First, it's been about 15 or so years since my wife and I have been up to Toronto proper and I have to ask, just when did it turn into L.A.? I'm dead serious that I can get around L.A. much, much easier than Toronto. They have about 100,000 too many drivers up there now. We got to this place where about five main highways meet and my wife said "look, it's like a sea of cars" and I said "yeah, just like the opening scene of "La La Land".

    Regarding the audition, I have to say that I was in heavy e-mail contact with the guy (Francis) at the store (which is actually in Thornhill, just north of Toronto) and he knew that I was bringing my wife and that I wanted to audition the Audio Note speakers. Thanks to the unknown traffic, we arrived about 30 minutes late and knowing that we would be a little late for our appointment, I called him to let him know, which was no big deal. He failed to warn me that this plaza that they are located in is mixed with about 30 other stores and that there is barely anywhere to park! He is standing by the door when we arrive with another customer, who was about to leave. We introduce each other and he leads us past the two main listening rooms and takes us way back into what my wife called the meat locker, with temps around 50 some degrees. This room almost feels like a makeshift back storage room, but he does have the Audio Note speakers and a complete Audio Note related set-up. Again, this guy knows that I was also bringing my wife, so you can only imagine my thinking right away when I notice that, not only does this guy not have proper chairs to sit on, but instead these "producers chairs", as if we were making a movie and only one is actually set up when we arrive. So, after already dealing with the traffic, the people and now the uncomfortable chairs, I'm a little dismayed, before he takes my CD-R of songs that I love to hear when auditioning speakers. Before the first few songs on my CD start, he adds "this room has a lot of echo", which is great to find out after traveling five hours to get up there! The first two songs are from Richard Hawley's beautiful "Truelove's Gutter" CD ("As The Dawn Breaks" and "Open Up Your Door"), which I personally find great easy going openers for speaker auditions. A few other songs play and I turn to my wife and she says "they sound like they have blankets on them" and I agreed.

    It is at this point that I have decided that more often than not, my speaker auditions sound like this (same thing happened to me in Pittsburgh auditioning Golden Ear and Harbeth speakers and in Cleveland with Vandersteen Treo's) and I ended up disliking all of those as well. I guess that it is simple to figure out just what the real issue is and that is that all of these dealers all run everything flat and with little volume. Thusly the only things that usually sound really great doing that in my book, is when playing classical, old jazz or some boring Diana Krall album. I want my speakers to "say something to me" and those AN-E's said nothing to me or my wife! My wife jokingly added, they didn't put tone controls on an a pre-amp or receiver if they didn't want you to use them. I have to be honest and say that it pisses me off when someone tells me that McIntosh products are too smooth and then I audition something like these and they are EXACTLY just that, too damn smooth. Near flat is fine for most recordings, but I rarely, if ever, run my music completely flat and I always add a touch of treble or low end. I mean, even Steve has admitted to finely EQ'ing certain recordings when listening to them, as they often need it. I haven't used an equalizer for years, but I can certainly understand why some do. I'm just too lazy to get up and change the EQ for each and every recording, so instead I try to buy a speaker that fixes a lot of that crap on their own, but as we all know, no one speaker does it all.

    So, in future auditions, does anybody know what I should say to the dealer before I arrive that I don't really care for completely flat playback and is there a way to add a touch of highs and lows to the mix, so my experience goes better? Otherwise, I can't imagine how any speakers ever get sold with this kind of presentation, as you really don't get any true idea of just what they are capable of, in my opinion.
     
  13. finn

    finn Forum Resident

    You will be surprised by the difference that the external x- over and cable harness brings to the conversation with these versions of the E's. They will take a lot of run in time, considerably more than a conventional E, for the first 30 odd hours great then until 150 they sound broken and then slowly come on song and around 400 is where they start to really sing. I have a pair and they are difficult to get right but worth the effort. In fact, when everything is right, the only word that will come to mind is they sound "effortless ". Enjoy the ride.
     
    Fred Hansen likes this.
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Thanks for the head's up, bedding time noted, looking forward to the journey..
     
  15. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I don't think Audio Note do tone controls on any of their equipment. I think the idea is to reveal what is on the recording, unfettered, and hence I don't think that Audio Note would be the right "sound" for you, given your requirements (tone control etc.)? Regarding your audition, it is unfortunate that this seems to happen often with regards to retailers offering the wrong listening environment to demonstrate equipment . The BEST test is a home test with your own equipment etc. and I am surprised that this isn't standard when looking at equipment at this level but here in Sydney there are some retailers that don't let you do it. The Audio Note distributor for Australia, delivered the AN-E SPe HE's to my door, set the them up for me and gave me time to evaluate them (one week but I think I could have had two if I wanted) although it was clear how much better these were than my original speakers were after two notes. Thank you finn :).
     
    Fred Hansen and SandAndGlass like this.
  16. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Thanks for your comments! I realize that I'm a bit old school, as my main amplification are McIntosh (with tone controls at the push of a remote control) or my Fisher 500c or Scott 299b tube amps, both with tone controls on the front, but do most people really listen to music without any change in tone controls? I wish that I had close proximity to higher end speakers to audition them at home, but I can barely find any dealers for most high-end speakers even remotely close and while most would allow for a home audition, it would cost me hundreds to send them back if I end up not loving them. I'm not saying that Audio Note doesn't make a great speaker, because clearly they do, as heard many times over on this and other websites, but shouldn't their dealers be forced to offer a much better auditioning set-up than what I experienced in Toronto? We both left there with the old "blankets over the speakers" listening experience and I know that was NOT the way that it should have been!
     
    SandAndGlass likes this.
  17. John Mee

    John Mee Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of Carthage
    I love my pair, they are really spectacular. The only improvement I can think of woud be AN-Sogon or AN-e SOOTTO, at several times the price.
     
  18. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I don't think there is really a right or wrong in tone controls, ultimately finding the right sound for you that you enjoy is what is important! Personally I can't recall the last amplifier I owned that had tone controls. Selling hifi is hard for any business and I'm sure the dealer in Toronto would have provided a better listening experience were he in a financial position to do so. ie selling enough of this stuff to make it worth his while. "Most" people have no interest in hifi at all so the market is very small and very competitive and in my experience hifi dealers are selling what is "easy to sell" rather than what is "best" for the customer. It's made even harder today in that many "customers" will go to a hifi shop, listen to the equipment and then buy it online at a discount.
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2019
    Richard Austen and Chris C like this.
  19. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    @Chris C have you considered getting a small, portable equalizer that you can bring with you to audio equipment auditions, then ask to temporarily install it between the source (e.g., CD player, in your example above) and pre-amp? For example, this is only $70 at Amazon and has RCA stereo in/out:

    https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-FB...ble+equalizer&qid=1556509264&s=gateway&sr=8-3

    If that's not high-quality enough for you (i.e., if you're concerned about coloring the signal path with lesser equipment), I'm sure you can find more expensive options. :)

    Similarly, I was wondering if you already have a portable high-res digital audio player, that has tone controls within its user-interface. For example, the Fiio X3 (around $200) has a 10-band graphic equalizer built-in, so you could play 96/24-bit, 192/24-bit, or native DSD audio and make adjustments to the tone via the 10-band graphic equalizer as you audition the audio equipment.

    FiiOX3 Mark III Digital Audio Player with Bluetooth 4.1 (Black)

    Should be easy to connect via either of the headphone outputs, with a connector that converts the signal to RCA stereo, then plug directly into the pre-amp of whatever equipment is setup for your audition.

    I feel like bringing your own tone control capability is the easiest way to solve this part of the problems you faced.

    Storage-closet-quality room echo is another thing entirely, though. Yikes!
     
  20. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    But what is odd is that AN isn't an easy sell. No remotes, little power, not a household name even in HiFi circles, and nit visually sexy like the numerous bling tube amps. What won me over at Soundhounds in Victoria BC was the fact that the utterly trounced the B&Ws I was looking to buy and the pricey SS amp I was looking to buy.

    But the dealers usually don't push them because as the owner Terry told me: 90% of everyone who comes in already know what they want. So he sold the lines the magazines told them to buy. AN had to be demonstrated to win over the B&W crowd who buy based on the looks and name brand appeal and what some deaf reviewer tells them is good.

    So it's perplexing to me that a dealer described above would even carry Audio Note. I have only been to 2 dealers in Ontario and both were pretty useless. Especially compared to Soundhounds or my dealer here in HK. Easily the two best by a MILE that I have been to.

    Soundhounds sadly moved and downsized as the owner and top sales guy passed away. But Soundhounds had space. They had several rooms in a brick concrete building. Thousands of LPs. A lot of varying products panels, home theater, SET amps and many brands. And comfy couches and an fancy espresso coffee machine you would see at an Italian coffee house. They'd often offer you a cappuccino and a doughnut. No hard sell, no guys in a suit.

    Just listen to whatever. Theyd also leave you the hell alone to listen for an hour. "This is the CD player, this is how you you use it, here is the volume...enjoy" then they'd leave you to it. "Let us know if you want to try something else"

    It's low sales pitch because they carries Linn, McIntosh, AN, Devore, Harbeth, Kef, Tannoy, Magnepan, Quad, Dynaudio, B&W, Paradigm, Totem, Reference 3a, Wyatech, Jolida, Antique Sound Labs, Prima Luna, Classe, Bryston, YBA, Sim Audio etc.

    You are likely to like something.

    As for the traffic. We left in 1982. The 401 was a nightmare back then. I am vacationing in Toronto for a week in July. Fortunately, I won't be driving.

    Unfortunately, it sounds like this dealer probably likes Audio Note to want to sell it but is located in a less than ideal place in a less than ideal building. Needs the foot traffic in a busy area which probably isn't condusive to an audio business. Soundhounds was out of the way a bit and mostly by itself.

    Still, the dealer has carried AN for quite a while so he must be giving out a lot of home auditions in the area. I know in the UK takes the stuff to your house and sets it all up for you.
     
    SandAndGlass likes this.
  21. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    As an addition. I really don't feel the need for any tone controls with Audio Note gear. Not on any musoc in my collection. Once it has been set up correctly it's been good on any music put to it.

    The problem with tone controls is they usually affect frequencies you don't want to be affected. On poor systems like in my old car I used it heavily...but it never really got "good" it just got bass heavier or tamed the lousy treble.

    In a very bad room they probably also make sense.
     
    SandAndGlass likes this.
  22. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Unfortunately Audio Note UK is not present at the High End in Munich next month, but Audio Note Japan :D
     
  23. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I don't know how it works in reality, what surprises me is that virtually every store I've been in will stock brands that, when you speak to the salesperson, they actively discourage you from buying in favour of other brands they also stock. My understanding is that Audio Connection were the Audio Note distributor for Australia but that they felt, as you said, Audio Note was too hard to sell (especially the speakers) so made little effort to do so (ie they sold what was easy to sell) and hence the current distributor specialises in just Audio Note.

    Now admittedly I'm no better than the person reading on line or magazine reviews as it's through this web site that I heard of Audio Note. I was in the market for new speakers, had a few discussions with retailers here pushing me in one direction or another but always pushing me just, or in some cases way, over my top end budget. Finn Bespoke Technology (the distributor here) were able to offer me an informal listen in their show room (and friendly discussion) and then, as I said, delivered and installed the speakers which, to my delight, offered me everything I was missing in my previous speakers so, without taking the time to listen to the competition, I took the plunge and bought them (to be honest I actively dislike the process of being "sold" hifi). I'm happy, this wasn't at the high end of my budget, it provided me with the sound I was looking for and the distributor had an "easy" sell :). Even better I bought the pair I was demoing so I didn't have to wait for the speakers!

    What is clear though from Audio Note's perspective is giving Steve free equipment is worth it as they are probably getting sales (like mine) as a direct result of the discussions it causes on this forum. The excellent service and advice from finn was the icing on the cake to seal the deal.
     
    SandAndGlass and Shiver like this.
  24. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    They will instead be at hifideluxe. I would like to go, but we will have visitors that week.

    Aussteller | hifideluxe
     
  25. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    The obvious reason dealers have trouble with AN speakers is that they are out of fashion in terms of appearance. Interestingly, many years ago at Soundhounds Terry noted that in fact Boston Acoustics also had the rights to the Snell Type E, J and K and probably the C and A. In theory, Boston Acoustics could make AN E speakers and compete. The rep for Boston Acoustics said that while they sounded better [than what BA made] that "that look won't sell."

    And a big speaker maker like a Paradigm or Revel etc are about moving the most amount of boxes at the most amount of margin as is humanly possible. The sound is completely irrelevant. I know dealers who say the same thing - the first question is "is it well known and what's the margin." As much as Terry at Soundhounds my love the sound of Audio Note - it was his Magnepan, B&W, and Paradigm sales that keeps the lights on.

    I am not a dealer but I did do half a business degree and have been around it to know that sales is a brutal industry - no matter what you sell - you have to sell it. They need to make money on the stuff. Soundhounds was easy going because they carried so much choice that they didn't have to tell you your speakers suck buy a B&W. That is what Hi-Fi Center in Vancouver told me. They carry fewer lines and they have to press you to buy the stuff they carry - the rent is very VERY high in downtown Vancouver now - so they push B&W and McIntosh. And let's face it - it's not terrible gear and it looks pretty awesome.

    I mean if you like the looks of McIntosh there is little else that has that immediate brand recognition without even knowing the name. B&W is sleek sexy and satisfies the GQ crowd. If I was running an audio dealer these two brands basically sell themselves. You don't have to do any work. Similar to Bose in this regard.

    I remember first hearing AN and thought - yuck. Dumpy fat 2 way and amps that were in a black box and chunky. NOT INTERESTED. Show me the sexy B&W tweeter on top Terry - and give me one of those cool Classe or Bryston amplifiers with a 1000 watts per channel! Those things have great measurements - distortion to the 0.0004% - HA - nothing is better - I read the Stereophile review and saw the pretty graph.

    It was basically a second audition and the AN K used as a throw in to my auditions that made me have to rethink everything. But again - it required the dealer to set up 4 loudspeakers back to back to back to back and allow me to spend 7 hours in the room listening. It's work for them and at that time all the speakers were under $2000. So it's not like they were going to make a killing on me.

    If you sell a Bryston - well it's bloody easy work - 20 year warranty and the company is rock solid on delivering on that warranty - and it's none of that crap about warranty only to the first user - that is such CRAP IMO. you have the damn serial number - warranty the product! Bryston will drive everything pretty much. Made in Canada - so no Chinese issues.

    Big power, built solid, great warranty. Then you sell speakers from the big names.

    Bloody hell - Audio Note - they have to sit you down and educate the customer on tubes - wait the OTO is 10 watts per channel and is an integrated with a 2 year warranty from England (the country known for their SPECTACULAR electrical systems in cars :sigh: . Or for the same money Bryston SEPARATES with 170+ watts per channel - 20 year warranty - and back when I bought, AN was a "who the hell are they?" company.

    I think the problem some dealer have is that they are too used to selling the stuff that is pre-sold on the strength of reviews or hype. The Toronto dealer here IMO should have put the AN system in the very best room he has - moved all the other stuff out. If you know people are coming a long way to hear it you have to let them hear what it is capable of doing.

    Consider that the AN E is designed for a corner - and yet Hong Kong sells more Audio Note than anyone else - no corners. I believe Singapore is second - no corners from the photos I've seen - so even in sub optimal positions they can sound good. Having no chairs and putting the speakers in an echo chamber. I feel bad for Chris C - you travel all that way - and that's what you listen to.

    I know being an audio dealer can be tough but jeez - you make it 5 times tougher on yourself if that's the level of service you have to offer - and this stuff is NOT cheap!

    This is the dealer room and my knee in Hong Kong. I bought the AX Two speakers after this audition.

    [​IMG]

    Here is a dealer that sells 200 M6 preamps at approaching $18k price points - this set-up here is pricey the turntable is over $100k - The AX Twos were around $750. This is how you demonstrate. It also gives the AX Two a massive advantage because you can actually hear them with high end equipment and get an idea of just how good they can be. Pretty much every other dealer in Hong Kong has speakers stacked to the ceiling and on some SS amp and it's just meh.

    Something that looks like this

    [​IMG]

    Some of these competing $750 speakers might actually sound as good as the AX Two - but you'll never hear it in this place. The Toronto dealer has to do better for himself and for Audio Note. You have to give yourself the best chance to sell a speaker or to have a positive reaction - if they don't like it in your best room - then so be it. Dealers need to be like the Japanese - look long term. See 5 years later - build the brand rep even if you don't get an immediate sale.

    Yes someone might go an buy it online or second hand - but that's not the point - that someone demos it for a friend and three others come down and buy a pair 2 years later.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2019
    SandAndGlass and scobb like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine