First impressions at California audio Show

[RGA]

If the AN-E`s woofer is hemp and foam then it isn`t the CA22RNX for sure. Conceivably that woofer is the one used in the AN-K.

I still have misgivings about boosting below the -3 dB roll-off frequency, at least with the steep, vented box 18 dB/octave. A real expert, (with all due respect), would have to assure me that corner placement has at least a roughly complementary boost effect.

I like the idea of closed boxes. In this case boost below -3 dB is often recommented, albeit usually by electronically means rather than by corner placement. Of course the electronic boost isn't efficient in terms of the amp power required.

Unfortunately the AN K woofer is not a SEAS it's a Vifa.

The problem is that all the measurements that have been done have been free standing. And most of the time they're not positioned in corners because most people are not used to it. In England Audio Note will drive to your house and set it up for you to try so there is absolutely zero excuse for people living in England not to try them - costs nothing but some time (Peter also runs a high end shop in Denmark so people living there also probably have the same in home service). Here where I live you can take home anything to try so it's not like that costs anything but some gas and some time. And a couple of dealers in the US will mail you stuff so to me it's a try it and see. All speakers and gear should be a try it and see. It's not like they're the only game in town. There are other ways to get deep bass. A popular one is the old small two ways standmount with a sub in between or two subs (IMO better) and a good sub will play deeper and louder. I have never heard a truly good system doing this except for George Lucas' favorite M&K gear but even then I didn't care for the treble.

I think Peter relies heavily on the acoustics papers done by Bell Labs, L.L Bearanek the opera house designer acoustician, speaker designer who designed the boxes, Peter Snell, and N. W. McLaughlin's Loudspeakers, McGraw-Hill 1934 (Peter believes this is the best book on loudspeaker basics that has been written) and Any of Harry Ohlsons books.

And hey why not skip the AN E and look into speakers Peter thinks are the absolute best of the lot?

"The treble and midrange on the Lowthers [PM4] was one of the best I have ever encountered, and I have owned pretty much everything over the past 35 years, from Voigt's field coil driven horns, Tannoy's original 1950's Westminster's, Siemens Klangfilm and WE cinema systems to B&W DM70s, stacked Quad 57's, Beveridge System 2's, Acoustats, to Hill's Plasmatronics, Heil's full range AMT, Snell A/IIIs you name it, I have at some time or another had them all and what they all has taught me is not insubstantial.

I rate the Lowther PM4 system and the Siemens systems as the best overall, but they are domestically almost impossible unless you live in a mansion, and very few of us do, so something smaller is needed.
Which is why we are here!" http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?...er+Qvortrup&r=