Blog #13
Episode 1 -
Fellowship of the Ring......
As you've probably gathered by now, I'm quite curious, especially about Audio Note (UK)!
I've visited Audiobarn's website quite a few times over the last couple of years and have been really impressed with their site and facilities, especially the bespoke Audio Note room, stuffed to the gills with covetous equipment...
An idea germinated in my brain...
A few phone calls and emails later (thanks again, Micky, Audio Note UK sales manager), the ever-so-helpful Ben at Audiobarn agreed to let me visit for a whole day to listen to my favorite music on their Audio Note (UK) equipment. He said they could let me hear an Audio Note (UK) level 2 first, then level 3, and finally the icing on the cake: a level 4 system!
Realising the enormous amount of new material and pictures I'd be collecting, not wanting to rush things, I decided that I would split this Audiobarn report into 3 blogs, the level 2 system (this blog), level 3 system blog and finally level 4 system blog;
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was born!
So, after a few weeks' wait, I drove to East Harlow last week, full of anticipation, to the fabulous Audiobarn.
Jack (Audiobarn owner), Graeme, and Ben warmly greeted me, and after a bit of chat, Ben asked if I'd like to see the dedicated 4 metre by 6 metre Audio Note room.
Oh, go on then...
The Audiobarn, beautiful premises, stuffed full of dream audio equipment
The Audio Note room
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Ben Radford, Audiobarns Audio Note expert, showing me around prior to getting some listening done.
What a stunning room! The cosy sofa looks incredibly inviting. Sorry about the notebook that accidentally made its way into the shot—just a little glimpse of my creative process!
Now you're talking! After a three-hour drive, Ben delivered me a lovely cup of tea, thoughtfully served in an Audio Note mug. It was most welcome.
First things first...
Ben had already set up a lovely level 2 Audio Note system for me to start with (below);
Audio Note Level 2 CD-based system, comprising:
Level 1 - CD 2.1x/ii - cd player - £4450.00
Level 2 - OTO PHONO SE Signature amplifier - £7150.00
(latest 35th Anniversary version)
Level 2 - AN K/LX speakers (high gloss black) - £5320.00 -£4250.00 (satin)
AN K speaker stands - £670.00
Level 3 - AN V silver 1m interconnect - £790.00
Level 2 - 3m biwire LEXUS LX speaker cable - £1950.00
Level 3 - ISIS wired 6-way mains block - £590.00
(prices correct as of Oct 2026) Total - £20800.00
However, I firstly did like most of you would in my position....
Crawl around on the floor looking at more cool kit...
CDT One /ii transport and a pair of step up transformers in Aluminium, S3 and S5, now I wonder how the S5 would compare to my loan S4....?
Level 4 M6 phono preamp with individual stepped potentiometers (volume controls!) for each channel.
A lovely pair of Level 3 Conquest silver mono power amplifiers, plus a Level 1 Cobra integrated amplifier with an onboard digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and remote control.
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Now we're talking! Left-hand picture: an awesome level 3 JINRO integrated amplifier with those mesmeric, glowing, huge 211 valves. This example was in a custom colour, black with black control knobs, I think it looks rather smart. I've never seen one before, and it didn't disappoint in the flesh. Centre and right is a beautiful level 3 MEISHU Tonmeister Phono 300B silver integrated amplifier in aluminium.
It just keeps on getting better! A high gloss black level 4 TOMEI KENSEI stereo power amplifier was warming up on the side with it's 211 valves helping keep the room warm! Then a pair of high gloss rosewood AN J/LX Hemp speakers. I am a fan of high gloss and these were so much better in the flesh, hang on, see if I can squeeze another picture below, just to show how magnificent they are...
At the back of the room was an equipment rack with a very smart level 3 TT3 turntable in white, sporting an ARM 3 and IO2 cartridge. It isn't obvious in this phone-camera picture, but the IO2, with its gunmetal casing, looks really exquisite. Underneath were 3 of the requisite external power supplies in both black acrylic and aluminium finishes. I've always preferred the black TT3, but seeing the white in the flesh, it's absolutely stunning.
Above are the different finishes of the TT3 PSU, plus a gorgeous pair of level 3 AN E/SPe HE in satin olive. I do have a soft spot for both satin and high-gloss olive.
Now down to some serious listening...
What a view and what a place to listen to music.
The room is 4 meters x 6 meters (compared with my 2.5 meters x 5 meters at home), with a high ceiling and exposed beams. Nice thick carpets too.
Ben told me there was no specialist room treatment.
On my clap test, my room at home sounded more "live"; a clap here decayed marginally quicker. That's not surprising; I haven't started decorating and furnishing my room yet.
I was definitely looking forward to listening here; look how far apart the speakers are! I'm sat at the apex of the triangle, perfect.
Started with Gomez - "Bring It On" album.
Instantly, as expected, the sound was very familiar; the family Audio Note sound was audibly present.
The AN K/lx speakers, driven by the OTO SE Signature 35th Anniversary, had absolutely no trouble filling the room. In addition, I was falling in love with the high-gloss black finish too...
Gomez are unusual in that they don't have a lead singer; they have 3 singers, each in their own place in the soundstage. What I like, too, is that their voices are so totally different.
With Ben's expert speaker positioning, I had a rock-solid center singer in the mix, with each singer in their own space. A very good start...
I really enjoyed this CD and stayed with it longer than I planned, enjoying listening to this level 2 system in a nice big room. The AN K isn't a big speaker (hence I picked it for my small room), but it really stepped up here, and it never felt like it was struggling to pressurize the room in a satisfying way, even driven with the 8-watt-per-channel OTO.
The presentation is definitely "copper"; I could hear the signature rounding of the note edges, and the music that I played, broadly speaking, came from the plane of the speakers, not being projected too far forward/left or right; however, I can totally see why someone could call this an "end game" system; it does absolutely everything you could want. It had a large, detailed and addictive Audio Note sound. I wanted to play more music!
"Added bonus" - physically small! In most circumstances, this would be a very domestically acceptable audio system: small, beautifully finished speakers tucked into the corners, a small CD player and amplifier.
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Next up: T-Bone Walker, with a cheapo compilation CD (5 full albums!) that I love and play over and over; again, you can pick this up for less than £5 on eBay.
Starting with T-Bone Shuffle, his blues guitar was beautifully etched, and his gritty voice shone through, once again dead center. I waited for the saxophone solo, which didn't disappoint, full of body, hairs on the back of my neck.
Once again, I played nearly an entire album, having only planned to play a couple of tracks.
My "schedule" for listening to this first level 2 system was going to pieces!
I'd been listening for an hour and had only played 2 CDs; I could hear the system really warming up and improving rapidly, too.
The system portrays all music as fantastically detailed without sounding strident or jarring, even on the worst-quality discs. With my similar home Audio Note set-up I don't look at "gold label" or expensive cds, I just buy whatever I fancy (generally cheapest!), and it always plays them in a very satisfying way.
This was really shaping up to be a bucket list type of day!
Tell me more about this system, I'm interested...
Although the CD player is "only" level 1, it fits perfectly well with the Audio Note (UK) performance-level recommendations (link HERE), i.e., all components are either 2 levels below or 1 level above the amplifier. This maintains maximum homogeneity across all components. In this case, the OTO amplifier is level 2.
Level 1 - CD 2.1x/ii - cd player - £4450.00
I chose aluminum instead of gloss black acrylic for my system components. However, I can see why a customer might choose gloss black, since it looks fantastic in this room.
CD 2.1x/ii is a Level 1 Red Book CD player. The CD 2.1x/II is essentially a component upgraded version of the CD1.1x, equipped with better parts such as Audio Note (UK)s own custom-produced tantalum resistors, custom Audio Note (UK) electrolytic capacitors, and Audio Note (UK) copper foil capacitors, making for a more open, detailed and lively performance.
I have read several very complimentary reviews of this cd player (link HERE and HERE).
Despite it being the model down from my £6500 CD 3.1x/ii, I was certainly looking forward to hearing more and was impressed so far.
Level 2 - OTO PHONO SE Signature amplifier - £7150.00
(latest 35th Anniversary version)
Some of the superior quality components utilised in the OTO SE Signature include: -
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Improved selector switches and internal cabling
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Audio Note (UK) in-house made copper foil signal capacitors, used in the most critical areas.
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Audio Note (UK) Standard and Seiryu electrolytic capacitors used in critical areas.
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Audio Note (UK) Tantalum and Niobium resistors used in critical areas.
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Audio Note (UK) custom in-house designed and wound BA C Core mains transformer and choke power supply.
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Audio Note (UK) custom in-house designed and wound I HiB core output transformers.
The latest 35th Anniversary OTO was released in February 2026 to a huge fanfare and stellar reviews.
The OTO SE review (link HERE) was extremely positive, so I was excited to hear the Signature in person with all the improvements (listed above).
If you want more details on the Audio Note (UK) OTO's 3 single-ended (SE) models, click HERE.
Level 2 - AN K/LX speakers gloss black - £5320.00
AN K speaker stands - £670.00
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I may be biased, but I really love the AN K speaker- the size/looks/sound - everything.
I mentioned a few blogs back that I had a "thing" for high-gloss black; to me, it screams HIGH QUALITY.
The AN K above are AN K/LX, meaning they're a level 2 product built with multi-layer birch ply cabinets and wired internally with copper LEXUS LX cabling.
You may notice the not inconsiderable cost (£1070) to upgrade from satin to high gloss, it's a personal choice and, of course, a budget thing to be considered when you're taking the plunge and buying a pair.
AN K stands, perfect size, fill the legs so they're nice and weighty (I used 4 tubs of Atacama Atabites at £35 per tub). I noticed every aspect of the sound improved significantly after I did this.
Here is my AN K LX in a gloss olive finish. The individual laminations are clearly visible. The birch plywood construction provides significantly better cabinet rigidity, allowing the enclosure to resonate harmoniously with the driver units instead of producing a dampened, artificial sound.
As a result, you get a more tonally accurate presentation with a tighter bass response.
Level 3 - AN V silver 1m interconnect - £790.00
Level 2 - 3m biwire LEXUS speaker cable - £1950.00
Level 3 - ISIS wired 6-way mains block - £590.00
To ensure that the major components of the system are performing at their best, it's essential to include specific elements that can "round off" the setup. The LEXUS speaker cable is designed to match the cabling used in the AN K speakers. Audio Note also recommends bi-wiring whenever possible, as it can noticeably improve performance. All Audio Note speakers are voiced to achieve optimal sound quality when bi-wired.
Based on my extensive listening comparisons with the Level 3 copper ISIS interconnect
(blog #11 (link HERE), I've found that adding the Level 3 silver AN V interconnect can truly enhance the sound, providing "lift," "airiness," and "three-dimensionality." However, this may come at the cost of a slightly leaner sound compared to the ISIS, which is more muscular and delivers harder hits. In short, interconnects can function as a tone control; you can choose the one that best suits your needs, components, and room.
The Audio Note AN V Level 3 interconnect is a fantastic, thoughtful addition to this system, especially since all the components are copper-based, and the room isn't overly bright. The AN V truly shines in this context.
Finally, plugging all components into an ISIS-wired six-way mains block helps reduce the noise floor, allowing the system to draw a consistent, low-noise AC supply. Users have reported experiencing a superior soundstage, more powerful bass notes, and greater presence in vocals.
Back to the music...
"A week in the Real World". What a brilliant sampler from Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. (Really cheap on eBay happily!)
Ben happened to be in the room when I was playing this and was sufficiently impressed to take a few photos of the case for a future purchase for himself.
I listen to this...A LOT.
Listening to The Holmes Brothers "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me" YouTube link (HERE) was a transformative experience. Gospel and blues, deep, deep growling vocals soaring to falsetto with immaculately plucked guitars; I was a happy camper. In my notes, I wrote "WOW". Endgame system happiness.
Dixie Chicks - "Wide Open Spaces", New Order - "Movement", then finally Rammstein - "Liebe ist für alle da".
The system was fully warmed up when I played this Rammstein masterpiece; it really, REALLY rocks.
Ben raised an eyebrow at Till Lindemann's spectacular voice, as he's not too familiar with the band.
I know Rammstein and this disc very well and was extremely happy with the hard-hitting, snappy bass, crunchy guitars, and the "being present at an event" experience. I don't play disc 2 that often; my favourite tracks are on disc 1. However, on this occasion I played the whole of disc 2; I couldn't take it off. "Roter Sand" being especially memorable.
Oh go on then, you twisted my arm...
I'd just finished Rammstein when Ben made a comment that made me a very, very happy man and another tick on my bucket list...
Ben -"do you fancy a soft upgrade now? shall I put the JINRO (link HERE) on?....."
Yes, yes, thrice yes...
For those who don't know, the JINRO is a level 3 integrated line-only pure class A
amplifier with a pair of gorgeous 211 directly heated triodes which generates 20 watts per channel as opposed to 8 watts per channel for the OTO. (RRP as of Oct 2026 is £25500.00)
I am happily perched next to a JINRO, which you can see is over 2 feet long and weighs 38 kg - ouch!
I have read a couple of old reviews and seen a few comments online about the JINRO; information is scarce, but in my audiophile's opinion, seeing/touching/using and hearing a JINRO is like a football fan successfully inviting Lionel Messi round to their back garden for a kickabout.
Conclusion...
It's a lot of money, no doubt, just playing CDs (though you could add a turntable later if you wished).
However... I challenge any music lover to sit where I was and not be absolutely captivated by the way this Audio Note (UK) level 2 audio system delivers huge smiles and satisfaction.
Even owners of top-flight fully silver Audio Note systems would nod, smile, and recognize this is a little brother, but successfully knocking it out of the park.
Everything seemed right.
When The Holmes Brothers want you to marvel at their singing, you do; when Rammstein demand awe and terror in a forthright audio pummelling, you sit there enjoying track after track. This isn't a system where you fidget and switch music, searching for something that clicks; everything I tried, I wanted to listen to from start to finish.
This is an exceptionally well-balanced, well-judged selection of individual components, each working together to give their best, like a rowing 8 with no weak links.
Definitely recommend this system, now I wonder how the JINRO will sound?...
What's in blog #14?
I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger; it was necessary!
This ensures that blog #14 will be an exciting one!
I'll firstly try the JINRO instead of the OTO SE PHONO Signature in the level 2 system, then move on to a full level 3 setup.
I truly can't wait, and I hope you feel the same! See you then, and happy listening!