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Specifications:
● Tube Compliment: One 6111WA Output Stage
● Reference Output: 3.0V RMS (approx.)
● Channel Separation: > 80 dB
● Power Consumption: 15W
● Size: 116 (h) x 470 (w) x 350 (d) (mm)
● Weight: 10 Kilograms
● MSRP:
$1,750 USA
Audio Note (UK) Limited
www.audionote.co.uk
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Introduction
Toward the end of the last century, what is now known as Audio Note Japan
became known as the manufacturer of extremely expensive single-ended triode
equipment. Photos of $120,000/pair 27W Class A SE triode Ongaku monoblocks
graced covers of major audiophile publications, accompanied by interviews
with company founder Kondo San that treated him with a kid glove reverence
usually reserved for the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders. While
scores of readers shook their heads with disbelief as they read that the
reason the equipment cost so much was that a small cadre of devotees spent
days and days on end hand winding silver wire transformers, other
audiophiles were tempted to take a listen.
I cannot resist describing my initial Audio Note Japan listening
experiences. The first occurred perhaps 14 years ago at New York's Sound by
Singer, where the then top-of-the-line Ongakus, manufactured by Kondo, were
connected to Wilson Grand Slams. Since I lacked both reviewer credentials
and the appearance of someone with a huge bank account, I literally had to
be snuck in by a friendly salesperson who said to me, “Can you believe I've
sold three of these already?”
While I was assured that the huge Wilsons were sensitive enough to be
powered by 27W SE triodes, what I heard left me confused. On the one hand,
the orchestra in Fritz Reiner's Chesky performance of Brahms' Symphony No. 4
took on monumental proportions to do justice to the scale of Brahms'
monumental music. I had never before heard such a huge soundstage, let alone
so much air around vocals and instruments. The sense of space, and the sense
of actual hall reverberation were immensely exciting. The sound was nothing
like that I'd heard in live concert situations, but it was most certainly
amazing.
However, in the case of a much smaller-scaled recording, a Brahms lieder
recital on Hyperion featuring soprano Elly Ameling and pianist Rudolf
Jansen, the balance between voice and piano was so off, the normally bright
voice so blanched out on top, and the soundstaging so artificial that I
couldn't figure out what was going on. Ameling and the piano
sounded miles apart, separated by a wind tunnel. I left the showroom
dismayed that what I had been told was the best sound money could buy could
create such a distorted listening experience. How much of what disturbed me
had to do with a serious component mismatch, I cannot say. But I do know
that what I had heard from equipment in an adjacent room that cost 1/10 the
price proved far more satisfying.
My second listening experience was at a now-defunct Audio Note dealer
showroom in Marin County. In a special afternoon session open only to
members of the Bay Area Audiophile Society, I spent quite some time
listening to $18,000 Audio Note amps (and other high quality Audio Note
components) driving imposing Avantgarde Trio horn speakers. The dealer was
very much into vinyl, and kept offering us one tempting analogue recording
after another: Leonard Bernstein conducting Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde
with James King and Fischer-Dieskau, so and so doing baroque music on period
instruments, a rare RCA Living Stereo in mint condition, etc. He also played
some of the best-sounding CDs available at the time. Frankly, it didn't
matter what was played. Everything sounded the same. Glorious midrange,
uniform coloring, no top, no bottom. Never did a harpsichord or violin
sparkle; never did a timpani thunder. Once again, it sounded nothing like
the real thing.
At one point, I left the room to join a growing contingent of BAAS members
who had retreated to the sunny outdoors. I sat next to a local dealer, and
asked in a low voice, “Can you believe what we're hearing?” His reply, which
I quote verbatim: “It's all a scam, Jason, it's all a scam.”
While I would never pretend to be a final source of truth on such matters,
especially given the plethora of pages devoted to praising Audio Note Japan
products, I must admit that these experiences left me deeply skeptical of
the company.
Since those two listening experiences, however, two very different Audio
Note companies have emerged. Initial company founder Kondo, formerly a super
engineer for Sony Corporation, originally designed and manufactured all
Audio Note products in Japan. Peter Qvortrup from the UK was the company's
worldwide marketing director, as well as one of the owners of UK's Audio
Innovations.
At one point, Peter felt the world needed more affordable Audio Note
equipment. With Kondo's permission, he began to build Audio Note's Level Ones to Three in England, while Kondo built the
higher-level gear (Levels Four to Eight) in Japan.
Eventually, when Kondo expressed a desire to build push-pull designs, and
Peter wished to stay with single-ended triodes, there was a falling out
between the men. Peter turned out to hold marketing rights to the Audio Note
name, and proceeded to build and distribute Audio Note UK products
everywhere except in Japan, where Kondo's Audio Note Japan remained in
control. Audio Note UK also began manufacturing Audio Note equipment up to
Level 10. At this point in time, for example, both companies manufacture the
Ongaku.
What's the difference between the sound of the two company's products?
According to Audio Note UK's US distributor Ray Lombardi, Audio Note Japan
equipment tends to have a more “romantic,” classic tube sound, while Audio
Note UK's products tend to have far more treble and bass extension. In
addition, Audio Note Japan is a very small operation, with a long lead-time
on orders. Audio Note UK, on the other hand, now claims to be the largest
audio company in Great Britain (excluding B&W), and produces on a much
larger scale with faster turnover.
Sometime last year, I spent some time at Audio Note dealer Joe Cutrufelli's
place in Martinez, California. Joe is in love with Audio
Note UK products, finding them extremely musical and satisfying. I liked
what I heard at JC Audio much better than the Audio Note heard on previous
occasions. I also could not help noting that the equipment Joe was selling
cost considerably less that the Audio Note Japan equipment I had found so
disappointing.
Thanks to Joe, I contacted Ray Lombardi and received, many moons ago, the
$1,750 Audio Note CD2.1x entry level CD player and, shortly after HE 2003,
the $6,000 M3 Line Stage Preamp ($7,499 with phono stage). These creations have
led me to view Audio Note-UK in a favorable light.
Technical Notes and Description
Audio Note's entry level CD player unites their CDT Zero transport and DAC
One.1x in a single chassis for a price considerably lower than for the
separate components. Since a one-box unit dispenses with the need for a
digital cable and a second after market powercord (if one chooses to use
after market powercords), the 2.1x certainly qualifies as a financial
win-win proposition.
The player's online manual describes the unit:
“The CD2.1x uses the revolutionary and currently exclusive Audio Note™
digital technology dubbed the 1X oversampling™ direct from disc™ circuit
topology. The ultimate version of this technology is found in the extremely
expensive DAC5 Signature, and we have taken great to ensure that as much of
the inherent advantages of the topology have been retained in the sound of
the CD2.1x. The technology dispenses with all the correction measures
inherent in all other D-A converters and presents the digital signal
directly to the converter after reformatting. This allow you to hear what is
actually recorded on each disc, rather than, as has been the case up to now,
some technically and cosmetically altered version, as a result the
reproduction is more reminiscent of a master tape in quality.
“Not surprisingly for an Audio Note™ product, the CD uses valve technology,
implemented using traditional Audio Note techniques, of simple signal paths
incorporating no correction or feedback operating the valves at their most
linear operating points for best sound and longevity.”
The player contains an 18 Bit 44.1/48/96 kHz compatible multi-bit converter
chip. Its 1X oversampling system truncates information at 20, 22 and 24 bits,
which the company claims “is a very much milder form of information loss than
that introduced by traditional oversampling and digital filtering, etc.” The
unit can either be used as a one-piece CD player or, via its RCA digital
output, as a transport.
Notes from Colin Miller: 1X
oversampling is no oversampling, which means no digital reconstruction
filter, i.e., a total reliance on an analog reconstruction filter, i.e.,
either the phase-incoherent and severely ringing analog 'brick wall' filter,
or a whole bunch of RF 'imaging' artifacts. As for the deleterious effects
of oversampling, the higher the rate, the better, and if it's done
correctly, none of the original data are changed, but rather the points
between the data are established via a low-pass filter, just as it would be
with an analog one, but without the phase problems, and the following analog
filter can be much more gentle, and transparent.
This front-loading unit has six buttons on the front: Open/Close,
Play/Pause, Random, Skip forward, Skip back, and Clear. The lightweight,
modestly sized remote control also offers Stop, Memory, Search, Time,
Repeat, and Intro functions, plus track keys ranging from “0” to “9” and
“+10.”
And the Sound . . .
To test how easily the remote control worked, I dispensed with reading the
manual and instead took a guess at how to program the unit. Nothing could be
simpler. On the first try, I succeeded in getting demagnetizing and break-in
tracks 6 through 8 on the old Sheffield/XLO to repeat until, a few hundred
hours later, I felt the unit was sufficiently broken in for auditioning.
After reading the manual, I variously auditioned the unit as a one-piece
player and as a transport. When used as a one-piece unit, I powered the 2.1x
with the same Elrod EPS-1 cord used on my far more costly Theta Gen Va DAC.
When used as a transport, I powered it with the same Shunyata Python cord
used on my more expensive Audio Alchemy DDS-Pro transport. I was also able
to use the same Nordost Valhalla interconnects between preamp and Audio Note
as between preamp and Theta. However, the Audio Note's lack of an XLR
digital output meant I could not audition it as a stand alone transport
employing my usual XLR-terminated Nordost Valhalla digital interconnect. I
instead called upon an almost-as-good Nordost Silver Shadow digital
interconnect configured with an RCA input and BNC output. This worked
perfectly between the CD player and the Theta DAC.
As a CD Player . . .
The Audio Note boasts an impressively large soundstage, certainly equal to
my far more costly standard setup. Thanks to its tube output stage, it is
also quite musical, barking out none of the harsh digital sound associated
with lower price digital equipment.
While it is many moons since the $499 NAD CD player I reviewed for Secrets
resided chez Serinus, my sonic memory suggests that, on non-HDCD recordings,
the sound of the Audio Note certainly justifies its higher price. I received
considerably greater musical information from this unit, delivered with
greater clarity. For music lovers who cannot afford more than $1750 for a
one-piece CD player, these pluses suggest that the Audio Note is a unit
worth auditioning.
It is also true that my digital reference system (Audio Alchemy DDS-Pro
transport, Perpetual Technologies P-1A, Theta Gen Va DAC) is far more costly
than the Audio Note. Extended comparisons suggest that the extra expense is
justified. The Audio Note 2.1x simply cannot deliver the degree of
resolution and sense of space rendered by the Theta.
A case in point is Hilary Hahn's twice Golden Eared recording of the Brahms
and Stravinsky Violin Concertos. This is a disc whose SACD version I lugged
room-to-room at CES 2002 and HE 2003, affording me ample opportunity to hear
what different equipment combinations can glean from its bits.
When I played the non-SACD pressing of the Hahn on my far more costly combo,
I experienced a reasonable (if not ideal) sense of the sheer mass and weight
of instruments in the orchestra. I could roughly guess at the size of the
violin section from the glisten of individual strings. The percussion and
double basses registered fairly clearly at one end, while the violins shone
at the other. Other solo instruments and bodies of instruments also emerged
from the basic fabric, making the experience quite involving.
When I played Hahn's Brahms on the Audio Note, everything sounded more
congealed. The violins seemed more of one solid mass rather than an
assemblage of individual instruments. The Theta's fabled fullness on lower
midrange and bottom was also absent, and the timpani registered as weaker.
Most important, there was a degree of grayness to the Audio Notes' sound. The Theta, with or without the P-1A in
the chain, delivered sound more colorful, no doubt abetted by its “blacker
black.” The absence of ultimate color and detail were what I missed the most
when listening to the Audio Note. This was not due to a noise floor issue,
as shown by the graph below. It is a very quiet machine.
Turning to a new addition to my CD collection, I next played M.A.
Recordings' superb sounding Será una Noche: La Segunda. (My review of this
disc should appear in the September edition of Secrets). Recorded at a 176.4
kHz sampling rate in Argentina's Monasterio Gandara, this disc offers
wonderful musicianship enhanced by a magical three dimensional sense of
space around instruments. M.A.'s sound leaves most other digital recordings
in the dust.
Because this recording has many fewer instruments to reproduce, each of
which is separated by distance from the other, the major difference between
my reference combo and the Audio Note was on the leading edge of transients.
The Audio Note tended to soften the edges, blurring detail. The slight
hoarseness and edge to Rosa Passos' voice, for example, was more clearly
heard through my reference. Similarly, the thumps of percussion and bass
instruments were more clearly defined.
Over the long haul, these differences determine the difference between a
system more suited to casual and background listening than one used
primarily for extended listening with rapt attention. Just as I much prefer
to hear a soloist in Berkeley's Hertz Hall than in San Francisco's drier
Herbst Theater, so too do I find myself far more satisfied by my reference
setup.
As a Transport . . .
Because I could not use the same digital cable for comparisons, I hesitate
to pronounce judgment on the 2.1x used as a stand-alone transport. As far as
I could tell, it seemed to do a really good job, coming close to if not
equaling the older Audio Alchemy (which was always touted to work best with
the I2S interface that I don't employ).
Conclusions
For an entry level (albeit hardly inexpensive) CD player with a tube output,
the Audio Note does quite well. It may lack ultimate detail, clarity, slam,
and color, but it is musical and satisfying in its own right, probably due
to the tube in the output stage. If you're
looking for a player in the $1,750 price range, this unit is definitely one
to audition.
- Jason Serinus -
Associated Equipment
Theta Gen. 5A single-ended DAC
Perpetual Technologies P-1A with Modwright modified Monolithic Power Supply
Audio Alchemy DDS-Pro transport
Bruce Moore 100W dual mono tube power amp with Electro-Harmonix KT-88 and
Siemens Cca tubes
Bruce Moore Companion III tube preamp
Talon Khorus X speakers (with final modifications)
Digital: Nordost Valhalla interconnects and digital interconnects
Analog: Tara Decade and Nirvana SL-1 to phono preamp
Nordost Valhalla bi-wired speaker cable
Powercables: Shunyata Python, Nordost, AudioPrism Super Natural S2, Elrod
EPS-1, 2, and 3 plus EPS Signature-2.
PS Audio P600 Power Plant power synthesizer with MultiWave I
PS Audio Ultimate Outlet; PS Audio Power Ports
Michael Green Deluxe Ultrarack, Basic Racks, room treatment, and Audiopoints
Black Diamond Racing Cones
Inner tube, maple cutting boards, bags of sand
Shakti stone and Shakti On-Lines
Bedini Quadra Beam Ultraclarifier
Audioprism Stoplight and Blacklight, Marigo Disc
Gryphon Exorcist
Sheffield/XLO degmagnetiser and break-in disc
Analog Front End Dual 1219
Sumiko Blue Point cartridge
Classe 6 phono preamp with optional umbilical cord
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