First impressions at California audio Show

[RGA]

According to Audio Note, (here), the spec for the AN E is 18 Hz to 23 kHz at -6 dB; in a basic vented box this implies a -3 dB in the low 20's. This is extraordinary performance from an 8" driver assuming maximal fidelity parameters. That is, with corner placement we canimagine say, 23 Hz at -3 dB easily enough, but not without distortion.

Is the any information about what woofer AN uses? (I'd like to get one one day!) I'm wondering about the manufacturer. Of course AN will say that it is "custom build to our requirements" -- which is the usual assertion of OEM users.

The Woofer is from SEAS. They are custom but it's because they have I believe 6 different woofer magnets and wiring as they go up the line. The woofers are either hemp or paper and the upper speakers use progressively different Magnets - one is Alnico silver wired and one is copper and smaller. And the Tweeters are Foster Tonnegan (sorry I forget the corresponding numbers for the non "custom" model numbers). The Alnico tweeter is in house. http://www.audionote.co.uk/comp/speakers.shtml

The AN K on down uses drivers from Vifa.

I don't think it would be too hard to find in the catalog - not as many 8 inch drivers as the other types.

As for bass - Art measured 25hz flat in room response. As engineer Donald North noted - corner loading adds 18db to low bass notes. Looking at the Stereophile graphs - look where db level is at at 18hz and then add 18db. Audio Note only needs about 13-14db of those 18db to meet their spec of 18hz-6db. In fact they're usuable to 12hz. Peter once said to me that it is more likely that people are not use to such low distortion characteristics which is why they perceive it to be less than it clearly is. Soundhounds did a level matched blind session and listeners felt the AN E was the louder speaker even though it measured 3-6db lower the competition they sell. The reason for that is because it sounds so much cleaner. Distortion was measured by Hi-Fi Choice as "commendably clean" throughout its badwidth up to 108db which is where the speakers begin to compress. Unfortunately Hi-Fi CHoice no longer puts their reviews online for free anymore - I have the AN E and J reviews in a box but it will take some time to find them. Both were Best-Buy/Recommended respectively.

But if you are looking for that kind of "accurate" sound that people perceive from the tall slim multiple stacked woofers you will NOT get it from the AN E. I mean if you think about you can't. If it sounded the same as those others I would not be passionate about them. They have to sound considerably different. If you "perceive" them to sound "right" and many people do then the other designs have to be perceived as some how "wrong." I think you know where my perception is.

If I didn't own Audio Note speakers and I had more money - I would buy KingSound or Quad Electrostatic panels or some other panel in one room and in another room a big Tannoy or big Horn based system.

You are a panel guy but you know the limitations and you know the "plusses" that a big horn can bring to the table. You also know which you prefer and you also know the weaknesses of the horns you have heard. I have always felt that the AN E and the Tannoy Westminsters are some what of a compromise between the two poles. The non damped box to get rid of stored energy as fast as possible (rather than damping and retaining unwanted resonances in the box and Higher efficiency mimicks a LOT of what a Quad 2905 does on the speed, agility, and openness front. (This is also why guys like Jack Roberts and Constantine Soo and the distributor for Quad in the US Dave Cope switched to the Audio Note E. If you are going to leave the best Quads (the 63 isn't one of them IMO) then the speaker has to sound open and clean and unboxy - despite the measurements they just have to convince a Panel guy.

The corner loading waveguide and efficiency mimics the dynamics and impact and scale of the bigger horn based systems without the shouty bright nature that is so unrelenting about a lot of horns. Of course the E doesn't have the dynamics or dynamic Ease of a big horn like a Klipschhorn but it's in the ballpark.

Thus, the E is a compromise between the two - it does not do Dynamics and Scale as well as the best horns or big time large speakers like a YG Acoustics nor is is as completely open as the better stats or single drivers like the Teresonic Ingeniums.

In other words if a Stat or Teresonic does the openness and transients at a 10/10 the E may score 8/10.

The horns have the dynamics scale at 10/10 the E gets an 8/10. The big expensive statement speakers like the Focal/YG Acoustics may get the impact and grip thing and lack of frequency variation at 10/10 the E scores two rungs down at 7 to 8/10.

It's just that IME the E scores across the board well in every area. The Panel that gets the 10/10 on the openness lack of colouration thing may only score 5/10 in the scale and dynamics arena and maybe only 2/10 in the high impact bass grip department.

The horn may be a 10/10 on dynamics and scale but a 4/10 in the other areas such as frequency or matching up to the woofer (sound treble heavy way out in front of the bass.

So they may be state of the art in some areas and rather lacking in others while the AN E is not state of the art in any area at all but good at everything. I want a system that allows me to enjoy the music and relax than one that has me sitting up front in my chair trying to pull apart everything.

Terry, my favorite dealer, who has been in this for 35+ years now has said that Audio Note is a sit back in the chair and relax speaker - his B&W's are a sit in the front of the chair and try to figure out what the next cd player or amplifier or cable will be to make it better trying to listen for things instead of to things. That's why all the guys there have AN E's at home and whatever they used to have is on the shop floor. Regardless of accuracy comments I believe that the AN E has a seductive sound - it is not a snap judge speaker - it will lose - I disliked them the first time I heard. Ray Seda a reviewer said the same thing on several occasions he could not understand the appeal - and then had a longer session and gets them and changed his mind.

I'd rather listen to music than trying to place distance between one guitar and another. If I am paying attention to that - I am out of the event. But that's just me. Obviously, others feel differently.