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RE: Looking over the AN speaker catalog...

Posted by RGA (R) on September 1, 2014 at 02:49:22

In Reply to: Looking over the AN speaker catalog... posted by genungo on August 31, 2014 at 09:15:06:

I think the level system approach AN put out makes a lot of sense.

The E/Lexus is probably the model to get if the rest of your system is going to be something that isn't going to be using silver cables or is an upper level Audio Note with silver everywhere. Bob is correct that the Spe is more revealing but that can be a two edged sword because revealing may show up more warts and can actually sound worse unless the other stuff is up to snuff.

The tricky thing with Audio Note (and not alone on this) but because they offer so many models of the same speaker you kind of get into that feeling of wanting NOT to buy the basic entry level model. We all want to get the model up. Pay the little extra for the SE car over the basic model.

If you didn't directly compare the E/Lexus to the E/SPe you'd probably not care. Indeed, I was ready to buy the old J/L but the J/Spe showed up lie by omission of the L. But I'd have been perfectly happy with the J/L I suspect.

I think your choice in gear will influence all of this as well. I've heard enough 300B that it's just not for me (except the parallel 300B which for whatever reason sounds like the best of both world "almost" of 211 and 8 watt 300B).

One Hong Kong dealer described the 300B as a "Lady amp" in that they're delicate and sweet but lack the manly man attributes of scale dynamics and drive. Given that I play rock and trance the Jinro is way mor emy speed and to my ear Jinro walks all over the likes of the Meishu when full range powerful music is played.

They're both built well and cost about the same but to me the Meishu sounds a little too much like the OTO and given the OTO is so much less expensive I kind of say - just get an OTO and save $15,000.

It's ultimately why I chose the non HE driver over the HE woofer. I have a big guts and glory 24 watt SET with 845s (closer in sound to a Jinro) and I felt it would compensate for the HE driver and might suit the copper wiring better. And if I ever do go with Audio Note amps it's going to be either the 211 or the parallel 300Bs. And the speaker that would be commensurate with those amps to me would be the E Spx/Alnico

Frankly all of their stuff is hugely listenable. There isn't anything that I've heard from them that is wrong sounding. I can't say that about most stuff. A lot of stuff sounds better at doing certain things but they usually always trade-off two or more things to achieve the superiority in one.

I've lived with the AX Two for three years and it's about as entry level as it gets and other than what it can't do it's pretty hard to say that for $1,000 there is something about them that is disagreeable.

And heck those things AX Two's are copper wired with lower grade cables than the Lexus. And has lower grade drivers cabinet etc. But if you were not a crazy audiophile like we all are then the AX Two is for most people good enough to be a last loudspeaker within its frequency response limits.

The E/Spx Alnico to me is a big jump over the Lexus and Spe. Having said that the associated gear to get the most from them (not to mention the price of the speakers themselves) is starting to get into the 6 digit ballpark.

What I would like to see is a E/Lexus Alnico and E/Spe Alnico. How much is the sound improved by the Alnico versus the cables?

Lastly I am more of a source first approach guy.

Would you rather a system of say OTO SE Signtaure with say a DAC 3.1 on and a TT2 with the MC cart on E/Lexus or say because you spent the extra on the speakers you have a regular OTO and DAC 2.1 and TT2 with the MM cart) on E/Spe HE?

Edits: 09/01/14 09/01/14

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