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I have a full Audio Note UK system in my NY suburban home: Kegon Amps with WE 300b output valves; M8 Phono preamp with the latest power supply based on the company's patented Galahad circuit, E speakers with silvered crossover components, all silver AN UK speaker and interconnect cables including Sogon cables in a few key places, etc.
For about a year, I have been using Audio Note UK's new Sogon silver power cables for the preamp and the two Kegon mono amps and found the ANUK Sogon power cables to be deeply revealing and musically superior and satisfying compared to other power cables I have used over my years in audio.
Recently, I ordered a CDT3 and put another well respected power cable on the preamp in order to burn in the power cable before the CDT3 arrived. I forgot that I had taken the Sogon power cable off the preamp. I had house guest over for cocktails and played some LPs for them. They were stunned at what they heard, but I was vaguely dissatisfied. I was missing the kind of deep focus and transparency that I was used to. The next evening, I rummaged around in my valve (tube) collection to see what I would try out, figuring that I had an excessively aged valve that was likely to be in the preamp. In the midst of picking which valve to try first, I recalled that I had taken the Sogon Power Cable off of the M8. I then quickly reinstalled the Sogon power cable and the system's transparency and natural musical sound and deep focus snapped back on - instantly. It was like bringing an analog Nikon lens into manual perfect focus from being slightly out of focus. It was what used to be called in audio reviewing an "Ahh" factor. These Sogon power cables are highly recommended. Admittedly, I do not have a clue why different power cables can make that kind of difference in the sound, and a number of my electrical engineering clients swear that power cables cannot make a difference in the sound once the designer does the basics correctly, but I do hear the difference.
Now that I have posted this, I am going next to make a statement about my former Kondo system of an Ongaku and Silver 7 Phono Preamp and my present Audio Note System, which in my humble judgement as an audiophile for over 50 years is superior to my former Kondo System. Not to diminish the Kondo System, which I had for over 10 years, but the Kondo System, once I was very used to it, began leaving me vaguely dissatisfied and a trifle bored with its consistent golden glow that it gave to all of my LPs and CDs. This Kondo golden glow made all music that I played have a similar very, very pleasant sound, which after living with the Kondo gear for a decade, I found far from transparent to the source. After passing the 10 year mark with the Kondo System, I tried the AN System described above and found that it displayed far better the distinctions between the various recordings in my collection and sounded absolutely wonderful with a well recorded piece and with a less well recorded piece, I could clearly hear the difference in the various recordings. The Kondo System narrowed the distinction between the recordings and gave all my recorded music the same golden glow. After trying the AN UK system described above, I sold the Kondo System and bought the Audio Note UK system. It took a bit to get used to the difference between the Ongaku's and the Kegon's output valves, but the Kegon's WE 300b won out with a utterly to die for mid range in the Kegons and Audio Note UK Systems's transparency to the source which retained the Ongaku's wonderful impact of an all silvered SE amp and preamp. I am very glad to have had the Kondo Ongaku and Silver 7 system for over a decade and remember them with great affection and respect, particularly when I recall the era in which they first came into the market, but could not now go back to them, even without the new Audio Note UK Sogon Power Cords, which materially improved the transparency to source of my Audio Note UK System. I did not have any reason other than the comparative sound of the two systems to sell the Kondo gear in favor of the UK gear. I did not do it to liquidate cash out of the Kondo System - I did it because I found the UK gear to better fit my needs and, now that I have had the UK gear for a number of years, I have even more appreciated the switch.
When I receive and burn in properly the ANUK CDT3 that is on order and has recently been shipped, I will post a comparison between it and a CEC TL1, which I have used for over a decade for spinning CDs into an Audio Note UK DAC 4.1. The CEC unit lost a key component which is no longer made and that rendered the CEC unusable. Indeed, it lost that key component just six months after having it rebuilt by Nick Gowan, who could not locate that component in the after market and advised that my CEC 1 was unusable, which led me to the CDT3.
Follow Ups:
I agree with your assessment of the Audio Note amps. The first time I ever heard a stereo sound the way a stereo is supposed to sound it was an Audio Note power amp with a store made pre based on Audio Note design coupled with Spendor speakers. I forget which turntable and catridge were used. The salesman played Muddy Waters "Folk Singer" MFSL and I was blown away. Even though I have been an audiofool for about thirty years I had never heard anything like it. I use Ayre Acoustics amps, but the effect is still the same. Ain't it grand having something so inviting right in your own house?
Regarding the reply post that it takes five or more years to notice that something is amiss with Audio Note gear: when I had Mr.Kondo's gear, the sound was very, very seductive. It really did take me years to so adjust to its sound that I began feeling a bit bored with the sameness of the sound. When Mr. Kondo's Ongaku was marketed world wide by Audio Note UK, there was nothing that I then knew of that could match it to my ears and esthetic. Much later, Audio Note UK put a number of amps on the market that took the Ongaku sound and design esthetic of Mr. Kondo, deleted the "golden glow" and presented what to my ears is a more realistic sound that better represents the LP or CD as it was originally recorded. Now I hear subtle differences in each recording and I have what I think to be the best of what Kondo did without what to my ear were the minuses and with pluses added in by Audio Note UK's designer, Andy Grove.
Nevertheless, I am very grateful to have had a Kondo Ongaku and Silver 7 phono preamp for so long and remember it and its designer with great affection and respect - both the Ongaku and Mr. Kondo with Mr. Qvrotrup's marketing skills changed the audio industry by proving that a SE all silvered amp with properly made silver interconnects and speaker cable could perform far better than the best of its era, which abounded in all copper push pull tube amps. I find it interesting that at the time the Ongaku was being marketed by Mr. Qvrotrup, he was working closely with Mr. Kondo to assure that Kondo stayed with SE and to urge Mr. Kondo to design without feedback, which Kondo did not do with the Ongaku. The audio world always moves on and my 300b Kegons with an Audio Note UK M8 phono preamp use Kondo's breakthroughs as a design given and have moved the bar quite a bit forward when I compare my present system to my former Kondo system.
I guess the good news is that if there is anything even mildly off with the AN stuff it will probably take 5-10 years before you notice.
:-J
the savor of everything - Bob Neill
You are a fortunate man. I am consigned by my choices to AN Level 3 equipment. But have recently discovered Fi products (made in Brooklyn), and am thinking to add more of this equipment to my systems, not in the least because they cost less than most Level 3 products and, to my ears, perform as well or better sonically than the corresponding AN level 3 products.
I don't have any Sogon power cords, but am inching in that direction...slowly.
Thanks for your enlightening and personal post.
"You don't need to be a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows"
It sounds like you have a truly wonderful sounding system. How fortunate that you can afford such an expensive system. I once heard an all Audio Note UK system at a friends house and was totally blown away with the highly revealing, yet extremely musical sound. It is a sound I have never forgotten in all of my 43 years of high end audio.
I did get to hear the Kondo Ongaku amp (used) at Goodwins High End and to be honest, although it was very musical and involving, it just wasn't my cup of tea. To this day, I still don't see what all the fuss is about regarding that amp.
Enjoy your system for many years to come.
Bob
I throw my windows open wide and call to you across the sky.
I hear that a lot. I think it boils down to a basic difference in the preferences of listeners. One type wants to be engaged/seduced by, drawn into, the music and the other wants to observe the music - have it layed out in front of them. This is Bob Neill's distinction, not mine, but I think it is very apt.
Audio Note (UK) lovers want to be engaged by the music. I think the same is probably true of Odyssey amp owners: they both pull you into the music (based on my one experience of them at RMAF several years back). Then, as Bob notes, Blue Circle products lay the music out in front of you.
This distinction is not normative; no judgement is implied about either type of listener.
Something to think about. Maybe it fits your own experience?
"You don't need to be a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows"
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