New Audio Note UK AN-E/SEC Signature speakers on their way from the UK.

Thanks Steve.

Just for clarity my experience here is in two rooms which both have suspended timber floors. As in timber joists covered with floor boards or sheet material. On concrete floors the results may be completely different. I have tried concrete blocks as stands with success but my SEC Sigs have covers in stands so preclude the use of them.

Two AN employees and two other AN customers as well as Steve are now using these pads in place of blu tak so this isn’t just some aberration from an obsessed hifi tweaker. Honest Doctor

The AN reasoning on dissipation of unwanted energy through the stand and into the floor is logical. However I had found it very difficult to remove a certain upper bass ‘bloom’ in my room with speakers positioned near the corners. Positioning the speakers away from the corners helped in this regard but a certain ‘magic’ was lost.

So the thought occurred to me that as AN speaker cabinets are designed to ‘sing’ without all the internal damping that most speaker manufacturers use could coupling to the steel stands then the timber floor with spikes be increasing the bloom effect because of excessive resonating.

The importance of not allowing the speaker to ‘rock’ is clear. So how to overcome? I remember reading a very interesting article on the isolation properties of silicone rubber but initially dismissed as I dislike Sorbothane. After reading the article again I bought a couple of types of Silicone Rubber. After comparisons I plumped for the one sold on Amazon UK which is used for Big Shot (no it’s not linked to adult entertainment) $15 is enough to buy two small sheets to cut the 16 discs needed.

I tried several configurations before plumping for one rubber disk one metal disc then another rubber disk glued together like a sandwich. The central disc of metal is important as the rubber on it’s own (with however many lairs) just doesn’t work well. I found an English 5p piece the ideal size for each disc and used that coin as the central one. By only having one thickness of rubber either side of the coin there is virtually no ‘give’ avoiding the ‘rock’ . The coin in between the rubber seems to create an even better decouple from the steel. I was pleased to hear not only better bass but the perceived removal of a ‘hard’ character which I feel is because of decoupling the speaker to a steel stand.

The science behind these findings can be debated but AN equipment measures terribly yet sounds fabulous so who cares? It works for me and several others.

Interestingly I made a variation of the speaker/stand pads to use as feet for my WT turntable. They work very well also and even a UK Well Tempered dealer uses them instead of the squash balls in cups that come as standard.

 

Wow that is impressive and Innovative!!!! I have purchased different stands because I was not sure how to make them sound right.....
I did not want to keep adding or removing sand to adjust the sound.

Did this sandwiches effect the speaker positioning at all?

 

Does anyone know of a US source for the “Big Shot” rubber described by Rob Hume? I would like to try his sandwich idea as footers under my turntable platform which rests on a Sound Anchors steel turntable stand.

 

Well the E’s are designed for room corner positioning so if you are having any issues with excess bass close to corners (like I know you are ) then anything that tightens up that area will help as you can position closer to AN recommendations.

 

So Steve, what album inaugurated the new speakers?

 

If the sound is a bit boomy, move the speakers. Within the general confines of "corner placement," there is some wiggle room for moving the speakers around. Even a movement of as little as an inch can make a dramatic difference. A lot of experimentation is necessary with any speaker to optimize placement. If you google the "Sumiko Method" you will find a sort of systematic way of experimenting with placement. This is one of the better methods for balancing bass response. I've heard the E's sound very good moved away a bit from the back wall. Every placement choice is a matter of balancing compromises. Placement away from the back wall will also increase a sense of soundstage depth (something you don't get much of with Audio Note speakers placed near the back wall), but too much distance from the back or side walls can make the sound too light and lacking in the meatiness that is so endearing about the Audio Note sound. Movement increments for experimenting should be really small, starting with the speakers very close to the wall. If you use the Sumiko Method, you will find that there is not a gradual change in one direction as you move the speaker--the bass will go in and out as you move away from the wall, such that a position farther away from the wall can actually have more bass than another position closer to the wall. That means finding you will find several good spots from which to choose.

 

Thank you guys for all the great comments. We should have YouTube videos of "how to set up AN E Speakers" and "How to make your own Rob's Sandwiches "

 

Rob kindly sent me details last week on how to make his spacers for use on my recently acquired AN/J Lx Hemp with AN stands. Like his set up my speakers sit on a suspended floor and I had initially been using blu tack as per the AN instructions.

I made the spacers over the weekend and have them installed for a few days now. Glad to report they have made a good improvement, bass is better defined and treble improved as well. Also I find the soundstage better defined with sharper placement on instruments.

So they are definitely staying in place and for a small outlay are well worth trying out.

Thanks again Rob

 

@Rob Hume, I have the AN-E Spe, with external crossovers, on suspended floor. I am using the extremely heavy lead-filled stands and blu tack. Would you advise me to change from blu tack to the spacers of your design?

 

PM Sent

 

Certain specific models of AN amps and speakers sound like perfect matches. One example is AN/E-Lexus- HE speakers with Empress amps . But this pair of AN/E-AlNiCo with Ginrei amps, is simply jaw-dropping, even wth compromised source material. Or with just average source components.

 

Quite a few people in the Steve Hoffman forum follow my posts now, so I would like to go into more depth about what makes an excellently matched set of Audio Note components so sonically impressive. Of course, what I would REALLY like is for unbiased forum members to come and listen. I have 3 systems set-up. My almost-all-USA-made reference system contains nothing that I sell: Theil CS-3.7 speakers, ARC Claasic 120 amps, Theil sub and x-over factory pre-set specifically for the CS-3.7s, Conrad Johnson PV-9 preamp, etc. It is marvelous in its capability to analyze a recording and present truly high definition of every good and bad sonic quality in an honest and accurate light. Sometimes maybe too honest, like under a microscope, but at the same time, fun to hear the imaging, dynamics, and detail that some music is capable of delivering.

Listening in my two Audio Note demo rooms, provides a totally different experience, that is more than just fun. They bring out and maximize whatever is good in ANY recording, and allow the listener to ignore qualities that are not so optimized. The magic, emotion, and excitement of live music is emphasized. The recording flaws are downplayed. An evening of music listening passes too quickly, as my friends and I play record after record, CD after CD, and R-to-R tape after tape.

So far everyone who has heard my $9000 AN/E-Lexus-HE and $10,000 Empress amplifiers has heard this "Magic". But now, Steve's ex-system, the $25,000 AN/E-AlNiCo speakers with $90,000 Ginrei amps takes these capabilities even farther.

Please come and listen, then comment in this forum for others to understand what YOU hear at The Audio Home, even if these particular components are not in your price range. I think it is an enlightening experience to hear these systems side-by-side.

 

Hi, Rob,

Could you send a link to where to buy this magic rubber? And maybe some photos of how this little sandwich looks? Thanks.

 

PM Sent

 

Me too, please.

 

PM sent Warren

 

I visited Steve last week to hear the "next giant leap forward" in AN/E speakers and AN 211 amplifiers, SEC Signatures and Gaku-On amp. I felt we were a little disappointed with the new "kit" compared to the well broken-in kit now at The Audio Home again.

Is this because the new speakers are not broken in yet? Is it because this pairing just isn't one of the "magic AN combos" that I reference above? Or is it just that Steve needs to tweek more, and not rely on his previous tweeks too much (for example, speaker position)? We dont know yet. Steve, the ball is in your court.

 

Steve doesn’t ‘run in’ his equipment 24/7 so there’s no way the SEC’s will have 500 hours on them yet but I’m surprised that his set up isn’t better than the one that you use at the Shop Warren. The Ginrei’s are just mono Tomei power amps and I know that the Ongaku Kensei is significantly better than the Tomei Kensei. I’ve just compared them extensively. Also the SEC Sigs are superb and better than the models below them when fed with level 5 components. Peter used them in his home system for many years producing a great sound which many visitors will testify to. Steve uses M9 you M6 or is it M8? Both aren’t even close to it. I’ve had three of the AN guys including Daniel Q visit me and they were all blown away by my system which is very similar to Steve H’s so it doesn't add up???

 

I thought Steve had the Ongaku Kensei (stereo power amp), not the Gaku On ( mono block)?

I have found that the speakers can take several hundred hours to break in. In addition, they can be sensitive to rear wall closeness and toe-in. I cannot comment on the effect that the stands with the built in crossovers has, although one person whom I trust and has experience with both, much prefers the external cross overs which are also cheaper.

 

Peter Qvortup has told me, and his aide Mario certainly displays AN equipment at shows following this principal, that a good audio system should be musical and pleasurable to hear, independent of recording quality. The emotion and energy of the composition is what we most deeply appreciate, so the audio equipment should not get in the way of the music itself, by motivating the listener to think about sound instead of music.

This is exactly what I hear in my two Audio Note systems. But I am not so sure that Steve's new system is providing it yet. I suspect that it is going to take some work to get it back in his current system. again.

 

I absolutely concur with Rob. This somehow does no make sense. I strongly suspect it just needs a lot more time.