Klipschorn ten times as efficient as Audio Note's best

[RGA]

Not the Audio Note thing again!.......so since were talking AN J, my Snell Type J's are rated at 92db but I still have to crank the amp to the same level as my old Kef 103.2's which I believe were rated ata 88 or 89db. What gives? You think the caps are winding down? Should I buy some killer audio grade caps, or will I be messing with the magic even if I stay within .5% of the specs.

The Snell J isn't an Audio Note J. The original Snell J was $645 back in 1980 (or $1685 if bought in 2010 inflation in) and was rated as 90db sensitive (according to the Snell website). Sensitivity ratings are somewhat tied to the way they were measured and typically don't account for the fact that each driver in a speaker has a much different sensitivity - a woofer may be 85db and the tweeter may be 97db. So the perception of loudness when you're listening to music will likely be in the 300hz to 2khz range - one speaker may sound louder to the ear than another that is more sensitive out of that range. All of that is a long way to say that you can't just go buy sensitivity ratings for perceived loudness levels.

The Audio Note J/Spe is rated as 92.5db sensitive in corners. Peter noted on a forum that away from corners expect 89 to 89.5db. Which is about Snell's spec. Further you should note that some speaker exceed spec - which may be the case for the Kef.

Snell also used deader cabinet materials than the AN J models and different port dimensions - the Snells were not designed to take corner gain into account - and their bass doesn't go nearly as deep as the AN J. I am also pretty sure that Snell used a more stifling to the sound dacron wadding inside the speakers. The drivers and wiring are also not the same - although the Snells at the time had the closest matching tolerance.

Lastly I am not sure about the tweeter. The stock tweeter made by Foster/Tonnegan has ferro-fluid cooling in the voice coil. Audio Note removes this because it lowers sensitivity and they feel it has a sluggish quality to the presentation. I don't know if Snell did the same thing but the sound in the treble should have the ability to sparkle and the transient speed should be right up with Quads and Horns. Basically anything to get away from a dead box sound. There are things you could look into to get them better - if you open them up though go to the ANkits forum at AudioAsylum because there is a trick to get the woofers out without damaging them - don't use a screwdriver I believe is the advice.

Foam surrounds in humid climates should be replaced every 10 years.

They have my Turntable playing the room - Affordable Audio Note Top Audio Video Milan 2011 - YouTube



But you should get a fast open sound as much as possible.