Audio Note speakers

[Ron Texas]

That is a perfect example how Audio Note marketing bull$... can be more powerful than obvious truth - at least to some gullible, naive customers, supporters and forum enthusiasts.
Here is the naked truth:

View attachment 366410
These are measured resonances from Audio Note cabinet (https://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-note-e-lexus-signature-loudspeaker-measurements) - huge resonances which lasts more than 62 msec!!! Plus cabinet flexing for all frequencies below 200 Hz.
"Releasing energy from cabinet as fast as possible"?! In your dreams only!

Now, compare that with conventionally made cabinet from Triangle Antal (https://www.stereophile.com/content/triangle-antal-40th-anniversary-edition-loudspeaker-measurements):
View attachment 366413
Resonances die faster (less than 62 msec) than Audio Note! Also, this Triangle Antal has exemplary flat frequency response and about the same sensitivity, for a fraction of price.

Also, compare measured resonances for conventionally made cabinet from KEF LS60 (cheaper, also):
View attachment 366415

Cabinet resonances were not the only deficiency in the Stereophile review. The reviewed speaker was $12,000 in 2006 so it would likely be around twice that today.

 

[Sal1950]

They gave it Class A which is the highest they award to CD medium. That is the question - no one including AN says it measures good - we can all see that it does not but John and Art both say it sounds good - The question is how. To a consumer - the result is what matters and not the how the sausage is made.

Typical Stereophile review of an expensive, cultist component.
The CD-4 is a very poorly designed player that will give it's user a poor
representation of what the disc is supposed to sound like. JA's measurements
easily show that. One who's sound will also vary depending on the system to
which it's inserted. Proper handling of input and output impedance as to avoid
this type interaction was a solved problem decades ago. That is only one of the
issues revealed by JA but which he choses to ignore for reasons which I don't
need to go into here, we all know the "whys".

No one is dictating choices, that's a pathetic argument we are all tired of hearing. It's about educating people so they can make an informed decision. It's about eliminating the situation of uninformed people taking the advice of other uninformed people.

If someone is fully informed and still wants to make a left-field choice, then that's truly their decision and not one influenced by some know-nothing guru.

Can I get a big AMEN !!

I am a Single Ended Tube amp and Tube based Non-Oversampling CD player kind of a guy - the stuff that measures so bad - you will, in all likelihood, be able to tell it apart from a SS amplifier and SS equipment.

So you like distorted, inaccurate gear, we got that a long time ago.

My brain can tell m on an intellectual level that "the Kef measures better" but the feeling in my gut is my AN speakers sound better.

Better than what? Certainly not better than the musical performance the artists and production team desired to
put on the recording. That's easily and instantly proven by the measurements.