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In Reply to: RE: Attended dozens of Audio Shows over the years... posted by SETdude on August 23, 2015 at 05:44:22
So true ..I've been in dozen shows as well and I kept coming back to AN room like an oasis , not only because it sounds good. It's also because Dave Cope is a class act and plays meaningful , well recorded, mostly moving ,content loaded music. I can't afford most of that AN gear, but I go around and listen to all that bombastic setups $40k speakers and the rest up to that price and I don't have a fraction of listening pleasure compared to Audio Note room . No gizmos , cable risers , special ball magnetic isolation devices , NASA subcontractor built shelving racks , none of it. I know the higher level is expensive , but everything is expensive nowadays. It is kind of sad that Chinese buy Audio Note gear and Americans happily buy Chinese...
Follow Ups:
I'm in flyover part of the country and the shows I attend usually have only one "moderately priced at $20k-$40k" AN system hosted by Dave.
Now, if only I could make my original Snell K sound a little bit closer to AN K I'd be $2950 ahead ...:)
OK, sounds sensible. $20K to $40K is a big spread but probably covers the range for a good number of 'philes. With AN, it's always tempting to cheat a little on cable and the front end, and that can take it up fast. As good as AN copper cable is, AN speakers love silver and w/o sllver AN ain't quite AN; so that's where the escalator starts. Not sure what the sweet spot is among the digital front ends these days, but if you go to separates, there's more trouble! Anyway, Cope always used to use a one-box CDP and probably ISIS cable, which keeps things under control.
There is a line among most audio marques that crosses from music territory into sound territory. Cope has been around Audio Note long enough to know where that line is.
Actually , it is a source which usualy is the most expensive part of Dave's systems . TT2 with new AN arm is over $7K , than the cartridge... He frequently brings separate digital rigs which retail at over $15k. The amp of choice is mostly new OTO sig which is a lovely sounding amp indeed.
Speakers are modest K, and J's and bi-amp copper speaker cables.
That's said, over the years I have not heard one bad or average performing AN room on the show and when Mr. Charles King brought his small Stellavox R2R on recent Axpona this one modest presentation was worth the show's ticket.
My, 2 cents ..
Actually, if memory serves, AN usually has two rooms, the expensive room and Cope's room, which uses only moderately expensive stuff...E/SPe HE's, etc. Maybe things have changed but I somehow doubt they've changed much....
Actually, the two room adventure happened only once in Vegas, a couple times at RMAF and every year in Milan, where I ran the $1M room and Mario ran the value for money room. Sadly the Milan show is kaput.
I now tend to take higher level gear to shows I can (reasonably) drive to, such as NY, Chicago and DC. Those three are getting the CDT Three transport, DAC3.1x, TT2 Dlx, Arm Three, IQ3 cartridge, M3 Phono pre, Jinro Shochu 211 balanced power amp and E/SPe speakers. AVShowrooms awarded us a Golden Sound award at AXPONA for that combo.
At shows that would involve shipping or crossing the Canadian border, such as Montreal, Vancouver, LA, San Fran and Denver, I throw myself on the mercy of local dealers. No more of the freight carriers Break One, Lose Two rule of thumb. This tends to result in more modest systems.
Keep your ears and your mind open.
You'd be surprised. The P1 and P2 power amps come in SE or PP. Their integrated partners are the OTO and the Soro Integrated. The P1 and P2 are about £2200 (i think) in the UK, probably less in the US without the VAT.
I'm not surprised really , I play my half DIY OTO SE (Thanks P.Q!) downstairs and my half DIY kit 4 ( 6v6 PP with new copper shrouds OTO PP OPT's ) upstairs :) ,went a little bit overboard with PSU...since I don't have to pay living wages to skilled British workforce..
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