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

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

  1. NapaBob

    NapaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Napa Valley CA USA
    That would be cool, wouldn't it? Sadly, no, just a wire rack to hold the 'now playing' jewel box
     
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  2. Gjo

    Gjo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Fred, did you use another Audio Note speaker cable prior to SPe, and if so which cable and how does the SPe differ in sound?
     
  3. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    It would be cool, indeed! But I figured that it had to be something else ... :)
     
  4. Footsurg

    Footsurg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque

    I really like Lexus speaker cable. Especially in bi-wire. Bi-wiring any cable does amazing wonders compared to just 2 runs with jumpers. In my experience the Lexus does result in more authoritative low frequencies then SPe or SPx. I think that has to do with the absolute number of strands rather than the strand material. More stands means a larger cross sectional diameter of wire. Larger diameter (larger gauge) is able to more efficiently conduct greater voltage and current through the load. It takes more voltage and current to move a lot of air than to move relatively little. Therefore a cable with 96 strands does a better job of moving air than one with 17 or 31 strands. It is Ohms law. I think silver wire does add a character that results in the conveyance of detail better than copper. This character cannot be explained by any physics that I've seen.

    In my system I am using silver interconnects for everything. Even the jumpers from amps to the external crossovers are silver. But I prefer Lexus to the speaker drivers. This is because of the electrical considerations we just discussed. I really like the overall sound of the Lexus speaker cables. The midrange is honest without being too bloomy. The high frequencies are without any harshness and quite well resolved. And the low frequency extension is very powerful, and very well extended. The SPe and SPx being both silver will definitely be a little more refined in the midrange and high frequencies, but neither can produce the low end of the Lexus. My set up is by design. Silver all the way to the amps and copper to the speaker drivers. I feel like there is always some compromise with anything you do. I have never had speakers with Sogon or better. I am sure using that solves a lot of issues, but at a much greater cost. I have dabbled in SPe and SPx (But not bi-wired) over the years and can say that my opinion is based on personal experience. For speaker cable I prefer Lexus to SPe. SPx is a lot better than SPe with 31 strands, but still cannot punch out the low frequency like Lexus does. For what it costs, Lexus has to be one of the best cable values in all of this hobby.
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2021
  5. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
  6. Gjo

    Gjo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thank you for this detailed reply.

    Considering the bass energy comment about Lexus/SPe and my observations with Lexus, I'd like to audition SPe bi-wire. It might be the answer. I previously owned some 99% pure silver bi-wire cabling made by a boutique fabricator here in the USA, now deceased. They were quite good. Very small gauge.
     
  7. Fred Hansen

    Fred Hansen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Gjo, I've not used lexus as a speaker cable but I have had the J Lx and used Crimson cobber cables. I am very happy with the bass performance of the Spe (single run not biwire) and the resolution of this cable is invaluable to me in combination with the Oto sig and the E Spe sig
     
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  8. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I had read a review that said the AN K was below average in bass response. And that kind of startled me because the review offered no comparison to other speakers of any kind. Well yes the AN K is below average in the bass if you compare it massive speakers with two 15 inch woofers or perhaps even comparing it to the AN K but not against anything of similar size. Indeed, speakers its size are usually found wanting.
     
  9. Litvin

    Litvin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
    I have experimented with Lexus single wire vs. SPx single wire. It is one of those Mars vs. Venus things (Lexus being Venus), exactly as many here said - SPx more details, and a musical fluidity, Lexus more authority in the low and overall what my dealer calls "slam." I could go back and forth for a while, but ended with SPx when I replaced the LX speakers with SPe. I found that silver in the speakers matches the silver wire in ultimately more desirable way. With J-LX I might have stayed with Lexus. Like OTO, its value is very hard to beat.
     
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  10. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    Update: After initially enjoying the improvement that replacing the Tungsol 5687 in my DAC gave, I felt that there was still some constriction in the sound. So I decided in first instance to replace the Tfk 0B2, which was approaching 5,5 k hours of use. That again brought an improvement. Next up is the Sylvania JAN 7N7 in my Kit One amp. While these JAN 7N7 are rated for 10 k hours, they are so cheap that there is no harm in trying to see if a fresh tube will bring improvements.
     
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  11. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I enjoyed that review Richard. I think that’s the best review that you’ve written. Like John, I also enjoyed the comparison to other speakers, some of which I had heard extensively in the past. I’m really glad that you can get these speakers with such a nice finish these days. The woodwork is beautiful. They seem like an ideal pair of speakers for a condo that doesn’t have room for full sized speakers.
     
  12. Litvin

    Litvin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
    I also enjoyed the review. It is good to know that these speakers are getting better without becoming too much pricier, which is the unfortunate trend that has befallen the AN analogue front end.

    Not just condos, Don - I had them in an East Coast brownstone 20'x14' atrium with 15' ceilings, opening to other rooms at both upper and lower levels! And it still sounded not just well, but powerful enough, with 11 o'clock being a teenager volume. It helped that I had a weird early OTO with an extra 12AU7 in the line making it 12 watts, but I am sure they would have worked with standard ones too. Another gem in the AN lineup, along with OTO and Lexus. PS: I sent that OTO, old already then, to Ben Jacoby and he was trying to convince me that it had a phono stage. Then he called Peter, who explained that they had this short timed experiment of making Otos 12 watt with an extra tube! It also had a pre-out, believe it or not. A piece of AN trivia.
     
  13. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I am a little surprised that it did so well in a larger space but then having a good system synergy and laying it out well in the room can make a huge difference. And of course we don't expect speakers this size to compare with huge tower speakers when it comes to dynamics. But, getting an accurate and natural sound is going to matter much more than blowing back the hair of the listeners!
     
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  14. Litvin

    Litvin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
    I know, counterintuitive but it certainly worked. The 12 Wats may have been a part of it - it is 20% after all :) While I certainly appreciate and love the more realistic AN-E HE sound now, in some ways I miss the fast and focused delivery of those K-Spe.
     
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  15. Litvin

    Litvin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
    Guys - does anybody know what these caps are? They are inside my M2 RIAA. Are they regular copper in oil just covered? Thanks
    [​IMG]
     
  16. roole

    roole Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vilnius
    Yes, these are regular copper in oil.
     
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  17. Litvin

    Litvin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
    Thanks!
     
  18. Andrew Mackay

    Andrew Mackay Forum Resident

    Location:
    Taillant, France
    Another great review, Richard. Out of curiosity, I investigated with AN a while back the possibility of swapping the 'doped'/rubber surround drivers in my K/SPe with the new foam surround/paper cones. They said that while the change would be possible, the cost of replacing the drivers and having them matched would be quite expensive for very little gain, so didn't recommend it.
     
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  19. Andy Saunders

    Andy Saunders Always a pleasure never a chore

    Location:
    England
    @Richard Austen enjoyed the review, l probably missed this but what was the finish on those K's?:)
     
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  20. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
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  21. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    That's not what Peter Qvortrup said to me - one of the bigger gains is the foam surrounds. Perhaps that is in combination with other changes.

    But the new K/Lx sounds a lot better than my old AN K/SPe from 2003. I know SPe has more strand count today and better cabinetry along with foam over the rubber. So they probably figure it's better to sell your old one and buy a new one with all the changes, not just one change.
     
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  22. enginedr

    enginedr Its all good

    Location:
    New York City
  23. Salectric

    Salectric Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    Thanks for posting the link to the DAC review. It was very interesting.
     
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  24. Fred Hansen

    Fred Hansen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I'm about to upgrade the tubes in my Oto Phono Sig phono stage. Phono 1 is 6DJ8 and Phono 2 is ECC83 (Is one of them more important than the other if I want to start by only upgrading one of them?)
    I am looking at these.

    Mullard ECC83 / 12AX7

    Mullard ECC88 / 6DJ8

    I'm using a Brimar in the preamp stage (ECC82). It's great, but I decided to try another one, so I' just ordered a NOS Mullard ECC82 Valvo.
     
  25. Fred Hansen

    Fred Hansen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    My question is of course if someone here think these two Mullards (ECC83 and 88) would work well in the phono stage and if one of them might be more important than the other.
    The power tubes are excellent Siemens NOS
     

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