Audio Note speakers

[Purité Audio]

Buy some old Snells.
Keith

 

[MattHooper]

Buy some old Snells.
Keith

Yes, in the case of audio note in particular, the resemblance or lineage from the Snell design makes a better case for that.

Still, I would ask do they sound exactly like?
Because for picky audiophiles, small differences can decide whether you like one speaker over another.

And do the Snells come with as nice a fit and finish?

 

[Purité Audio]

You can buy some smart furniture with the ( enter absurdly high figure) you save,
Keith

 

[Mart68]

How exactly and what would that entail?

First, to reiterate, I find audio notes speakers get ridiculously expensive for “ what they are” in my own price performance criteria. But I did seriously audition a pair that I would have bought had I liked them enough (AN-E model if I remember correctly).

I personally I am super picky about which loudspeakers compel me want to sit and listen for long periods of time. It’s actually pretty rare for me. So when I find a speaker that lights my fire, if it’s within my budget, I don’t care too much that some other audiophiles will say “ this can be done cheaper, it’s overpriced.” I’m happy to let the speaker designers spend lots of time designing a loudspeaker that turns out to be exactly what I want. The materials may not be super expensive, but they spent a long time dialling the sound in and hit on exactly what I’m looking for, so I’m willing to pay for that.

I’ve often seen people say “ this speaker isn’t worth it” often sighting material costs or whatever. I’ve seen it even said about speaker brands I own, Joseph audio, or about other brands that I really enjoyed, for instance Devore O/96 speakers “ it’s just a 10 inch woofer and a tweeter in a wide box!”

Fine, but they are normally isn’t replicas of the very same speakers out there for sale at half the price or whatever. That seems to just leave it to “ somebody could build something like this much cheaper .”

But I have no interest whatsoever putting time into learning speaking design and making my own speakers. So the advantage of DIYing some cheaper version hold no appeal to me. I’d rather buy a finished product that exactly suits my needs.

And those saying “ anyone can put together the speakers you are talking about” I would say “ fine go ahead, if you can build an exact replica of this loudspeaker, that sounds precisely the same, with just as high-quality fit and finish, and sell it to me for half the price, go for it. And I also hope that if you set up a company to do this, it will remain viable and not close after a year, leaving me out to lunch if I need a part or service.”

El84 or 34 tube amp, passive pre and the high impedance 1970s speaker of your choice. If you want to get really close, get some old Snells.

No need to spend tens of thousands, been there and done it.

IMV the Audionote speakers offer very poor value for money. Just a simple two-way in an adequate cab. The finish on them is good I give you that, but that aside there's not much to them.

Their marketing revolves around the hemp driver, fancy capacitors and silver wiring. All just guff.

The Snells they are based on are actually - IMO - better by a margin, and reasonably cheap on the used market.

 

[MattHooper]

You can buy some smart furniture with the ( enter absurdly high figure) you save,
Keith

“ why not get something that doesn’t sound the same or look the same, and spend money elsewhere?”

That’s a “ solution “ for someone with different priorities.

This is what I was getting at.

I no doubt overpaid, by some peoples estimates here, for some of my loudspeakers.
But since they are precisely the combo of aesthetics, level of craftsmanship/fit and finish combined with the exact sound I love, I am more satisfied with them than if I’d cheaped out.

 

[Purité Audio]

“ why not get something that doesn’t sound the same or look the same, and spend money elsewhere?”

That’s a “ solution “ for someone with different priorities.

This is what I was getting at.

I no doubt overpaid, by some peoples estimates here, for some of my loudspeakers.
But since they are precisely the combo of aesthetics, level of craftsmanship/fit and finish combined with the exact sound I love, I am more satisfied with them than if I’d cheaped out.

PQ just copied the designs, as Mart says probably made them worse as he copied the Kondo stuff, it’s just a hugely expensive vintage sound, the only good thing is the veneer.
Which is kind of apt.
Keith

 

[CapMan]

But since they are precisely the combo of aesthetics, level of craftsmanship/fit and finish combined with the exact sound I love, I am more satisfied with them than if I’d cheaped out

If it makes you happy then what the hell, just get on with listening to the tunes and enjoy.

You don't have to keep justifying it mate - folks on here will always disagree with your choices (and personally I would not choose them in a month of Sundays ) - but it's your money, time and life frankly. I don't think you've ever tried to argue that these are neutral or SOTA by any modern measurements. You've just said they make you happy and that you enjoy them...

 

[DanielT]

Snell instead, as pointed out in the thread.

Heck IF you now for some reason want a two-way speaker with an 8 inch bass driver, build it yourself. Then the challenge will be to find a tweeter that goes far down in frequency so the crossover point can be low (plus EVERYTHING else required to make them good).

A tweeter with WG is then preferred. The only one I can think of is this:

Wavecor TW030WA11 | HiFiCompass

hificompass.com

Okay, maybe we shouldn't go down the DIY rabbit hole, but still.

_____
I mentioned KEF Cadenza. Why not, as an Englishman said, check out Kef 104ab, the ultimate' Cadenza.

These, and check out what they can be bought for:


Edit:
OT. A gem on the used market, which has nothing to do with Audio Note's design principle, are these:

Infinity Primus 360 Speaker Review

Infinity Primus 360 Speaker

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

If you live in Germany, it seems you can buy a pair of Infinity Primus 360 for around $100. Incredibly good sound for that small amount of money.

 

[MattHooper]

1) You have admitted many times to liking a "sound" that is, by your account, not accurate. What do you (personally) have against accurate (or neutral) sound?

I can see why you might have that impression. But in fact what I’ve actually said many times is that I like the fact that loud speakers sound different, and so I like a variety of presentations. That includes neutral. I’ve worked with neutral equipment, and I have owned neutral equipment, including loudspeakers and enjoyed them.
So I’m certainly not anti-accuracy..
What I’m listening to now is not very far off neutral to begin with. But I can also appreciate the sound of some loudspeakers that are further from neutral as well.

2) Many members here have similar likes as yours, but they don't mention their likes and dislikes to nearly the extent that you do.

Actually plenty of members reiterate their preference for accurate equipment. If I mention my likes or dislikes, it’s possibly because I like a wider range of sonic profiles than those here seeking a strictly neutral sound at all times.

To many members here, your aggressive public advocacy amounts to proselytism. Why are you so aggressive in your public advocacy?

I think as we’ve discussed before, you are mixing up “ advocacy” with “ explaining or defending a personal position.”

If I explain to you why I enjoy pineapple on pizza, that is not “ advocacy” that you or anyone else should therefore enjoy pineapple on pizza.

I mean, this seems to be a pretty basic distinction doesn't it?

I would defy you to find anywhere in all my postings on this forum, where I have argued or even suggested anyone here ought to or should make the type of decisions I’ve made or for the same reasons. Instead, I have continually acknowledged and defended the good reasons you or any other ASR member have for your approach. Since many people puzzle here about “ why would anybody WANT buy or like X type of gear?” Then that makes it relevant to give explanations.

To many members here, your aggressive public advocacy amounts to proselytism. Why are you so aggressive in your public advocacy?

Well, I guess it would be unfortunate for those people to make that type of mistake, mixing up in their minds “ advocacy” with “ explaining the reasons, someone likes something.” But I’m afraid that is on them and not on me.

Do I infer correctly that you are comfortable with all the actual proselytization and advocacy for other viewpoints here?

I mean, it’s constantly put forth by many members what or how one “ought” to purchase equipment.

And it’s often simply stated as fact that “ the purpose of audio equipment is to be fully neutral and accurate.” Which amounts to some people’s subjective viewpoint. But do you think it is actually “ proselytizing” or out of bounds to point out there are alternative viewpoints for what some designers or consumers want out of audio gear as well?

 

[MattHooper]

If it makes you happy then what the hell, just get on with listening to the tunes and enjoy.

Just to be clear: I don’t own audionote speakers.

You don't have to keep justifying it mate

I think it’s worth pointing out that “ justifying” the worthiness or not of gear, usually by appeal to personal criteria, is what people do here, as in any forum. All the critical comments about audio note in this thread are forms of justifying “ why I wouldn’t, or other people shouldn’t buy this gear” as much as justifying own particular purchase. In fact, Our wonderful forum leader spends huge amounts of time and effort justifying Praise or condemnation of gear.

So really, justifying is generally the name of the game here, whatever angle one is taking.

folks on here will always disagree with your choices

I don’t think it’s that severe or one-sided here.

I don't think you've ever tried to argue that these are neutral or SOTA by any modern measurements. You've just said they make you happy and that you enjoy them...

Yes, I appreciate you can see this.

But on a forum like this, discussing the reasons the gear makes us happy - our particular justifications - is part of the conversation.
That’s why there’s so much talk by different people about what type of performance they want to see and why in whatever audio gear is being discussed. The justifications is where the meet of these conversations lie.

 

[Rõlnnbacke]

Incredibly good sound for the small amount of money.

But that's the opposite of what an Audio note lover wants

 

[Sal1950]

First, to reiterate, I find audio notes speakers get ridiculously expensive for “ what they are” in my own price performance criteria. But I did seriously audition a pair that I would have bought had I liked them enough (AN-E model if I remember correctly).

I can see why you might have that impression. But in fact what I’ve actually said many times is that I like the fact that loud speakers sound different, and so I like a variety of presentations. That includes neutral. I’ve worked with neutral equipment, and I have owned neutral equipment, including loudspeakers and enjoyed them.

Just more examples of Matt's apologetic attitude toward the snake-oil marketers of over priced, poor performing products.
Same ole, same ole story Matt

 

[CapMan]

I think it’s worth pointing out that “ justifying” the worthiness or not of gear, usually by appeal to personal criteria, is what people do here, as in any forum.

Nope, justifying the worthiness of gear based on personal criteria is exactly what this forum does not do (I think). It justifies worthiness based on objective measurements.

 

[CapMan]

Just to be clear: I don’t own audionote speakers.

So you like them, you advocate for them, just not enough to part with your own cash?

 

[MattHooper]

Nope, justifying the worthiness of gear based on personal criteria is exactly what this forum does not do (I think). It justifies worthiness based on objective measurements.

What I meant by “ personal criteria” was the fact that we are all justifying what we want by appeal to our personal criteria.

When choosing gear you may have a personal criteria for wanting “ the highest possible accuracy,” and someone else may have a personal criteria that is less strict about accuracy.

But it’s still the same thing: everybody is justifying their interest in gear, or how they think gear should be vetted. That’s mostly what we talk about here.

I point this out because sometimes people say things like “ you are just trying to justify the gear you like” as if at bottom isn’t what we all do on audio forums of any type. (as you pointed out, on your own criteria, you would never want to own my gear).

I hope that clarifies what I meant.

So you like them,

I only got a good audition of one pair, and found some pleasant things about them, but ultimately didn’t like them enough to buy them. I can, however, understand why other people like them enough to buy them. At least the ones I heard.

you advocate for them,

No.

just not enough to part with your own cash?

I personally didn’t like them enough to buy them, correct.

 

[DanielT]

But that's the opposite of what an Audio note lover wants

One way of looking at it.

In any case, if you google: Studio monitors with 8 inch bass, a lot of suggestions appear, so the two-way combination with 8 bass drivers seems to have its demand in the market. The diameter of the bass driver is the same, but they differ a lot from the old "classic" passive two-way speakers discussed in this thread. It in that these modern active studio monitor/speakers often have WG tweeters and probably FR fixed via DSP.

Just to name a few active ones that came up when I googled:
JBL 308P MKII,RCF Ayra Pro8, ADAM Audio T8V, Kali Audio LP-8 2nd Wave, Mackie MR824, KRK Rokit RP8 G5, Yamaha HS 8. Incidentally, those mentioned are within more or less the same price range. It seems like a tough competition.

 

[Rõlnnbacke]

One way of looking at it.

In any case, if you google: Studio monitors with 8 inch bass, a lot of suggestions appear, so the two-way combination with 8 bass drivers seems to have its demand in that market. The diameter of the bass driver is the same, but they differ a lot from the old "classic" passive two-way speakers discussed in this thread. It in that these modern active studio monitor/speakers often have WG tweeters and probably FR fixed via DSP.

Just to name a few active ones that came up when I googled:
JBL 308P MKII,RCF Ayra Pro8, ADAM Audio T8V, Kali Audio LP-8 2nd Wave, Mackie MR824, KRK Rokit RP8 G5, Yamaha HS 8. Incidentally, those mentioned are within more or less the same price range. It seems like a tough competition.

And how about the Mofi source point 8 (inch)? As far as I know a well measuring, highly regarded speaker. Two way coaxial with rather large midwoofer=tweeter waveguide so that a smaller amplitude is needed for a given output. Rather expensive, too, for normal people.
It's night here, I'm going offline.
Peace

 

[Sal1950]

And how about the Mofi source point 8 (inch)? As far as I know a well measuring, highly regarded speaker. Two way coaxial with rather large midwoofer=tweeter waveguide so that a smaller amplitude is needed for a given output. Rather expensive, too, for normal people.
It's night here, I'm going offline.
Peace

Another option in that line is the HSU Research CCB-8.
Another 8" coax like the Mofi but at a much lower price $389 each.
As is typical of Dr Hsu, he leads the pack in offering very high value products.
The speaker was measured and reviewed by James Larson at Audioholics with much the same
results that Amir found from the HB-1 MK2 here, a recommended product.
I kept a 5.2 system based on the HB-1 here for a number of years before finding something I wanted to spend
considerably more money on, they are very hard to beat.

Hsu Research CCB-8 Bookshelf Speaker Review

The CCB-8 is an audacious new speaker featuring an 8" woofer utilized as a waveguide for a center-mounted tweeter. Read our review of the Hsu Research CCB-8 bookshelf speakers for our impressions.

www.audioholics.com

HSU HB-1 MK2 Review (Horn Speaker)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the HSU HB-1 MK 2 bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $169 each as of this writing (normal price $199). I can't say I am a fan of the industrial looking horn but otherwise, the HB-1 looks fine: As you see, it uses a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Frank Dernie]

PQ just copied the designs, as Mart says probably made them worse as he copied the Kondo stuff, it’s just a hugely expensive vintage sound, the only good thing is the veneer.
Which is kind of apt.
Keith

I thought he bought the old Peter Snell designs, which he liked, when Peter died and Kevin Voeks took over as the designer and started making a different style of speaker altogether.

FWIW 50 ish years ago Peter Snell actually had the objective of lowering colouration, reducing diffraction and "paying attention to"on and off axis response.
I did enjoy the Snell A an aquaintance owned 20 years ago or so but Audio Note don't make a version of that.

Anyway, assuming they stick to the well matched crossovers in the originals the cheapest Audio Note speakers may be the best value since I am pretty sure the silver wired crossover, silver voice coil or field coil drivers in the bonkers priced ones will make only placebo levels of improvement.

I haven't seen recent measurements or listened to any though.

 

[Rõlnnbacke]

Another option in that line is the HSU Research CCB-8.
Another 8" coax like the Mofi but at a much lower price $389 each.
As is typical of Dr Hsu, he leads the pack in offering very high value products.
The speaker was measured and reviewed by James Larson at Audioholics with much the same
results that Amir found from the HB-1 MK2 here, a recommended product.
I kept a 5.2 system based on the HB-1 here for a number of years before finding something I wanted to spend
considerably more money on, they are very hard to beat.

Hsu Research CCB-8 Bookshelf Speaker Review

The CCB-8 is an audacious new speaker featuring an 8" woofer utilized as a waveguide for a center-mounted tweeter. Read our review of the Hsu Research CCB-8 bookshelf speakers for our impressions.

www.audioholics.com

HSU HB-1 MK2 Review (Horn Speaker)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the HSU HB-1 MK 2 bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $169 each as of this writing (normal price $199). I can't say I am a fan of the industrial looking horn but otherwise, the HB-1 looks fine: As you see, it uses a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Another example, like Ascend acoustics, of a very nice American brand that doesn't export, at least to Europe.
Audio note should give a set of such speakers away with their Silver Speakers. It's only about 1/100th of the price anyway.