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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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In Reply to: Audio Note AN-J or AN-E vs Harbeth SHL5 posted by jasonpatrickbrowne on August 16, 2014 at 22:27:07:
I have heard most of the Reference 3a line back in the day and I have heard several models of the current line with the Be tweeters, I have heard much of the Harbeth line (though not the newest ones) and the AN line largely from top to bottom.
What I like about this thread is that Reference 3a more than 10 years ago was my front running speakers that I was raving about. It's also interesting that Soundhounds in Victoria, my dealer, has carried all three lines and also carries Devore.
Realize that what people say about these speakers are generally based on mixed level experiences. A person owns speaker A, but heard speaker B at an audio show, or speaker C at a buddies house, and the person may have a huge bias against the owner of speaker B because they got into arguments with said owner or whatever.
The bottom line is this - listen and decide for yourself. I have news for you - none of these speakers is perfect. They will all do things, bring their own idiosyncrasies to the table and you decide which weakness you can live with.
I have two front runners for my next speaker after hearing all three lines in HK and the top model from Reference 3a with the BE tweeter and the Harbeth M40 - my next speaker will likely be either one of two (at least as it sits right now). The Audio Note E/Spx HE Alnico (2013 product of the year in Asia) and the AN K/Spe which I used to own in 2004.
Sound quality is a big factor but it's not the only factor. The AN's can be placed near wall but it isn't a must. Often they sound better away from the walls - depends on the room. The Audio Note Dealer in Hong Kong positions the speakers well away from the walls due to the design of the room. This is NOT ideal as owners, the manufacturer and dealers will claim but it's also by far the biggest AN dealer in the world in terms of sales. So being in corners is hardly critical. Ditto the J and K or AX Two.
Further you have to make apples to apples comparisons. The E should be treated as a full range floorstanding speaker that sits on stands and should be compared to floorstanders like the Grand Veena Be. I would say the J should also be compared to speakers like the Grand Veena Be.
For "regular" standmounts the AN K is the speaker to be compared. I wound up buying the AN K over the DeCapo and DeCapo i. I have heard the new Be version but I like the new K/LX and K/Spe more - so little has changed in 10 years. And all are based on free standing position auditions.
My only real issue with Harbeth is the price - cause I like their sound. But I have trouble when I audition the AN E/LX or J/Spe at $7k and $5k and compare the sound to the $14kish Harbeth M40. I'm not convinced the latter sounds better and it costs more than double. But I like their sound but for the difference a lot of money can go to amps/sources etc.
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- RE: Audio Note AN-J or AN-E vs Harbeth SHL5 - RGA 14:11:28 08/18/14 (0)
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