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So this thing costs 43k....

BDWoody

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Oh, I'm not saying it's sensible.

But at least it *looks* like a status symbol. People would probably believe you spent a lot.

The Audio Note looks like it could be found at flea market for $200.

Absolutely!

I'd say that funky multi sided upright handmade tube thing you've got is about at the top of that list. How it sounds isn't really the point.

That's...different....and awesome.

Too many just look like some half-assed middle school project...
 

BDWoody

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@Sal1950 I knew this would happen; @Thomas savage is just trying to bait us deeper into the blow-up doll world. He's probably a sales rep and / or beta tester.

I'd almost say he's the Master beta tester...
But that might be taken the wrong way, so I won't.
 

Thomas savage

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Sal1950

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If only they made one that could drive you back from the pub..
When you dial up college_cuties dot com, just be sure to ask for one over 21.
Or is that too old for you??? :p
 

BDWoody

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anmpr1

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What is most obnoxious is not the manufacturer of this POS. But, rather, the 'reviewer' pushing this, and the even more disgusting fact that the Webzine is part of the Stereophile/Sound and Vision/Hi Fi News group. There comes a point when 'guilt by association' becomes a real issue that these opportunistic whores... I mean hi-fi journalists, need to look around, face a real accounting, and clean up their house.
 

maarten

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very funny read: an open letter to Peter from audio note (see below).

One really wonders why it only costs tens of thousands euro's. If it only delivers a fraction of what described below the Audio Note is an absolute bargain ! There's a heaven for sure and it's called Audio Note. Best ejaculation ever when listening to Audio Note ;-)

Welcome to the holy church of audiophiles ! :)

P.S. I have to have a serious talk with my cables: it seems there are holding back information from me, the bastards: shame on them! I do not tolerate censorship from my (copper) cables. Words are silver, silence is gold (and music is copper) !


Open letter to Peter (Audio Note)


Open Brief aan Peter (Audio Note)
15 MEI 2010

Dear Peter,

As promised I hereby send you my personal findings of the system so far. It took some time because I was busy and I needed time to understand the system better.

First of all I like to thank you for this opportunity. I told you this before, but the way you helped me out with the possibility to be the owner of the best system in the world is incredibly appreciated by us.

Slowly but surely the system in running in, and as you told me, it takes a long time before it comes to it’s full potential.
The transport in the beginning was a bit dull, and it seems that the sound was filtered through a blanket. But slowly and surely the transport is loosing it’s blanket. The brown color is making place for a more open and more colorful palette of timbres. I personally think the best Sanyo transports are more open and easy in the lows, but your opinion on guarantee, continuous delivery etc. is off course important for this type of product. The difference with the Audio Note CDT Two is unbelievable, I notice so much more micro details. But the all over stability openness and, how do I say, finesse is incredible nice to listen to.

The DAC5 speaks for itself. It is the best in the world. I have heard many DAC’s in my life, but no DAC does this job. The richness of the sound, the purity of sound when listening to Hayden, Kraftwerk or Monk, is bringing me to another dimension. The music goes through the heart and further, it breaks walls. That is what I like best about the DAC5, you cannot avoid it. I hope the DAC 5 Signature delivers the same but will give me even more color, openness and air. Can’t wait.

The Ongaku is quite like the Jinro in some aspects. Especially the power of both amps are great. Although I think that the Jinro is less colorful than the Ongaku. That I think is strange because in my experience copper wiring / copper components give a more lifelike midrange and a more colorful rich sound. The GE tubes on Ongaku must make the difference.

I have always been somewhat afraid of silver, so many times I find silver aggressive in the highs and to coarse overall. Basically I do not like silver. But I always thought that somehow Audio Note silver is different in this means. When listening to the Ongaku and complete silver cabling (SOGON) I was almost immediately convinced that my earlier assumption about Audio Note silver is true. There is something about Audio Note silver, what makes it not silver-like at all. It sounds like silver, but only the good points (fast, extremely dynamic, clean, open). Last but not least I noticed with Ongaku itâs possible to play as silent as you like and still the music will keep it’s dynamics. With the Jinro itâs just the other way around: it sounds best at a high volume.

The AN-E SEC Signature speakers are just the best. Without those a level 5 system is useless. All you hear is all you get. Even the mid lows are fully present. The speakers are great. They do not have the full resolution (whatever that means) as with other expensive speakers, but again all music is natural and nice to listen too, not a boring moment. You can play as loud as you like, but the speakers will not give a hump. Straight forward. That is just a fantastic feeling.

As for cabling. Cables are important and I believe that pure gold wiring is the ultimate (although it is also giving some mild color too). The Audio Note SOOTO though is just giving more information. But since the system is overwhelmingly good, it is also giving more music. The Pallas is amazing: all other cables connecting DAC and transport are holding back something, the music wants to explode, but it is just not possible to get out. With the Pallas, the only thing you get is music and that is all you need.

With all these items put together you get something magical. Something unbelievable. Hayden was in the room playing so lively as I have never experienced except for live. I always thought that the way towards ownership is better than actually owning it. But with this system I know one thing. That’s completely bullshit! M9 and TT3 and S9 on the list for later.

Many thanks Peter and all the best for you wonderful staff!

Many regards,

Caspar
 
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rgpit

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maarten

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For $43K you'd think this thing would at least have a 75 Ohm BNC connector for the SPDIF input.

Maybe optionally at some 5k EUR ??? Do not know, but only if it's a pure Audio-Note-silver connector (no ordinary silver, please).
 

FrantzM

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What is most obnoxious is not the manufacturer of this POS. But, rather, the 'reviewer' pushing this, and the even more disgusting fact that the Webzine is part of the Stereophile/Sound and Vision/Hi Fi News group. There comes a point when 'guilt by association' becomes a real issue that these opportunistic whores... I mean hi-fi journalists, need to look around, face a real accounting, and clean up their house.
Hi

I remember back in 1984 I met with a teacher after a class on Digital Processing and declared to him that LP was superior to CD when it came to sound. Ludwig Kurz was his name, he quietly sat down with me to work out the mathematics of the Nyquist Theorem. I understood... but still kept the lingering thought that, from theory to application there had to be a gap ... I went on to remain a nice subjectivist audiophile. I heard differences. Night and Day. I spent a serious amount of hard earned dollars... on cables, on amps , on room treatments. During these times, I met several audiophiles. During a meeting, I was particularly impressed by how one those audiophiles could perceived what a simple cable could do to the difference in the midrange bloom, that I, could not. He has a PhD and has remained famous in subjectivist circles to this day. I, also met, even befriended some manufacturers; some of them started as mere hobbyist with no knowledge whatsoever of anything electronics.. They would design with their ears and it became a badge of honor to claim so, If one were to look into High End Audio few are engineers , not that a degree bestows its owner of anything special .. stilll... One such amateur who was part of our audiophile "posse" did "design" a special rigid, made out of copper tube digital cable (He's seen such in a radio station trasmitter so why not in digital( audio ?? He brought it to a friend house and we ( a serious meet more than a dozen) all heard a difference ... massive.. Night and day ... Thing is, for the entire afternoon of audition, my friend Digital Transport could not switch to Coax and was feeding the DAC through optical, there was in fact no change of cable ... My friend and I discovered, a few days later that the transport remained on optical at all time, it had to go for repairs !!! .... that did not change our views: we remained subjectivists audiophiles. I had completely forgotten about this incident if it weren't for my friend and I discussing our changed view a few days ago ... He has kept a few items from his subjectivist past but is no longer the ardent audiophile I knew: We would drive hours , in one instance 500 miles round trip (!!!??!!) to listen to systems or components ... He is now disillusioned and a bit bitter.

As in many things in life. The belief into High End Audio covers a spectrum. It is not binary. At the top or bottom,(depending on how you scale these things), are the True Believers. They are the evangelists. They truly believe. The Faith is at times challenged by facts... as in any faith, it returns invigorated by those dangerous brushes with reality ... Faith usually survives.

There are several levels of belief/faith in between ...

And there are the cynics, those who understand the nature of the faith and how to take advantage of it. Many manufacturers belong to this category. The Cable manufacturers , foremost. In my world view, cable manufacturers are 95.99999999% composed of cynics: Ninety FIVE with a bunch of nine... A simple rule: any Cable manufacturer that present a range of Ethernet cables is a cynic.. 100%.

At the reviewer level the same can be said. Some believe but most do understand that the emperor has no cloth, those see it as a losing proposition to undress him further. Some don't believe anything they write but are masters wordsmith who make their money off that craft or enjoy their hobby through it ( a nice review, accommodating prices...)...

The magazines and reviewers are an important part of the Industry. They are its engine of sustained presence. Even objectivist magazines or webzines or fora. I am not sure many here would have cared about the Khadas Tone Board if it weren't for Amir testing it ... Our blunted reflexes would have been to go toward a $1000 DAC and be done .. not a $100 ... or the JDS Atom representing the Nec plus Ultra of Headphones Amp .. Few are better and none cost close to it $100 for similar performance.. prepare to pay n- times more ... for no gain in perceivable gain in performance...

Truth has found a champion. Long Life and vitality to ASR!!

Peace.
 
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Frank Dernie

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So she can go in to the bar...?
If she's under 21, she could always just wait in the car...
Here one can drink alcohol from 18, drive from 17. OTOH I have no idea if there is a UK equivalent of college cuties...
 
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