Audio Note speaker kit

lcrim · « **on:** 17 Mar 2006, 12:24 pm »

I was bidding on a pair Audio Note speakers on ebay that were grabbed at the "buy it now" price. They were not factory built but the cabs were by a pro cabinet maker and were from the factory plans. Audio Note kits has a forum over on the asylum and after losing out on the ebay pair, I checked it for pricing.
There are two levels of drivers, one w/ copper wound voice coils and one w/ silver. The copper is not as efficient as the silver but is less expensive, quoted price w/ both drivers and pre-built crossover of $1050 plus shipping. You can actually buy the cabs, fully built and ready for finish for $800 plus shipping.
Has anybody here built these or have more knowledge of these? At first glance anyway, this looks doable for not cheap but reasonable cost. If the end result is close to the sound quality of the factory models then this might be very cool.

asull2k · « **Reply #1 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 07:28 pm »

Honestly, the whole following represents to me one of the biggest scams in the business. Much like a number of other companies, they have a cult following that believes in the hype that Peter Q has spread, hype which is not based on solid engineering but marketing trash. I've heard one of their overpriced highest-level kits (put together exactly according to plan, in a couple setups, full AN upstream, etc.) and it sounded exactly as I expected. Poor drivers and unbraced cabinet contribute to a poorly resolving speaker with lousy dispersion, resonant/high distortion bass, and clearly not at all "realistic" or true to the recording. Despite what others may say, I found it nowhere "musical", unless you like the sound of broken instruments and muffled singers.

You'll find that many of the cultish owners tend to describe them as "musical" and "PRAT-ty", however. I find that to be more of an excuse because they fail so miserably at all the things good speakers should do. The price is based on massive markup for a collection of overpriced crossover parts which are sourced elsewhere... somehow, AN has convinced people that silver wire and oil caps are more important than solid design.

You're right, the kit is easily doable, because it is so simple. It's not difficult to put together a poorly braced box. Reasonable cost? That's up for you to decide.. I would recommend hearing/seeing for yourself though. Other kits offered, including ones on this forum such as the Ellis 1801 offer FAR better parts and, imo, ultimately better sound and value. If you want to splurge on a pricey but top-notch kit, go for the Linkwitz Orion. Unless you're dead-set and sucked into the AN marketing, I would really encourage you to look at some of these other options.

lcrim · « **Reply #2 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 08:16 pm »

asull2k:
Don't sugar coat it, how do you really feel ?

Just kidding!

I have been looking for a (nearly) full range speaker that would match well w/ my electronics, and the Audio Note stuff does have a strong following. Maybe I got lucky when I lost the auction.
The higher efficiency and the, until now, high public regard was what attracted me to them. The DIY part was really to keep costs down, I will likely stay with a finished product. All the other candidates on my short list are single driver and fairly efficient.

Thanks for your opinion.

zeke · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 02:13 pm »

While i may agree that the AN gear is overpriced, i do not agree that it sounds bad. I think you need to go listen to AN gear and decide for yourself.

I have a AN 300B kit 1 amp and the AN kit 03 speakers --- sounds great to me ............

EarWax · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 04:48 pm »

I also listen to AN Kit-1 w Kit-3 speakers (with cabs supplied by AN Kits) and can only respond to Asull2k by saying if i'm in the "cult" then kindly pass the cool-aid!!

I have never been happier!

BTW- I wonder if a pair of Ellis 1801's or Linkwitz Orion's would have sold at the "buy it now" price on ebay?

Zero · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 06:29 pm »

I once owned a pair of AN Ax-Two bookshelf speakers. They retail for about $600.

On the plus side, their sound was incredibly linear and lacked that classic hi-fi sound. To me, this was a good thing as this speaker allowed me to just jam out to the music, no matter what it was. Having compared the ax-two to numerous amounts of speakers in the $500-1000 range; Despite the Ax-Two bringing up practically the bottom keel of the range, it was sonically on par (albiet very different) from those scraping or at the 1k mark. I'd say that for $600 retail (hint; you can get em for less, brand new)... their sonic value is exceptional.

The down side is that their build quality is pathetic given their price point. You have a plain/jane larger box cab with light construction with foam drivers and a normal vifa dome tweeter with oh so slightly above average *plastic* binding posts.

It's a sound thats not for everyone - and while I have not heard any AN gear aside from the ax-two... I'd say its sound makes up for the shoddy construction.

Dmason · « **Reply #6 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 07:29 pm »

Larry

I think a really great pair of speakers for you and your electronics, would be the Vandersteen 1C. These are almost completely overlooked, and I believe they are Richard Vandersteen's favourite model. You can always find a good used pair on Audio Gone for around $400. With the EE push pull amp, I wouldn't be looking waay too far up the ladder at speakers whose voicing was intended for SE tube amps. I would BET the vandys and your amp would be truly fine. They have a very nice open sound, and commit no faults, which is their most outstanding quality. ie: they are ultimately listenable. Vandersteen says they sell most of their speakers to musicians. People who know what music and instruments actually sound like.

The above information is intended for general purposes only, and the thread author agrees to hold this poster harmless. Signature X

lcrim · « **Reply #7 on:** 18 Mar 2006, 09:25 pm »

Hi Dan:
A few years ago I went over to Audio Connection, a fairly large dealership here in beautiful NJ and the setup they had put together for me to listen to, included the Vandy 1C and Audio Electronic Supply Super Amp (which seems to have disappeared in favor of the Six Pacs) plus the AE-3 preamp. My memory, while not perfect, is pretty much what you said, while not the last word in any category, they didn't do anything badly. They are close enough to full range to not absolutely require a sub. They won't look as impressive on my audiophile resume as the Audio Note but they are without question listenable. I actually had considered them again w/ the lower powered MiniMax combo, as they were mentioned by Srajan as a nice match as well in one of his EE reviews over on 6moons.

Thanks to all for your recs.

BTW-I did buy the AE-3 and still have it. Decent little 6SN7 pre.