Blog #6
What's in the box?
I left you staring at a tempting stack of brown boxes in the warehouse at Audio Note (UK) HQ, within 10 minutes they were outside Micky's office a short drive away after fortuitously fitting perfectly into my Yaris. TT2 deluxe turntable, arm, cartridge and power supply were then removed to his office for fitting.
Well I say "office", I could have said "best room ever" or "audiophile gone to heaven room" rather than office.... ok, pictures speak a thousand words.....
View down the room, desk/computer to the right, ahead note lovely Audio Note (UK) system playing background music.
Left side wall stacked with records, valves and Audio Note (UK) components. I'd like to spend oh... a couple of days sifting through this lot!
Racking on right wall also contained a cornucopia of recent and older Audio Note (UK) treasures I was more than happy to examine. I'm sure you'll be able to recognise some favourites there, including a lovely VINDICATOR 2A3 power amplifier and an IO LTD MC cartridge power supply. I remember very fondly the airy, detailed sound of the 2A3 valve when we were kindly loaned Audio Note NEIRO mono power amplifiers back when I was a retailer.
Audiophiles, especially Audio Note enthusiasts will appreciate my sentiments and agree that an afternoon spent surrounded by items such as this is time to be treasured! Glad I took photos to remind me, as at the time it was quite overwhelming, not knowing where to look next.
Main system playing was a CDT Four/DAC 3.1x/ii Balanced playing through an OTO PHONO SE Signature then into some AX-One loudspeakers, Micky put some nice chilled dub reggae on while he was working on my turntable.
Time so see my turntable.....
TT2 deluxe in gloss black ready for arm fitting, external power supply in aluminium. The iphone pictures don't do it justice unfortunately, it's deep black and lustrous. If I had to put a few words to describe this turntable, I'd say "commanding presence" and "potential". It was at this point I inwardly thanked my partially hidden 25 year love of gloss black audio components for guiding me when I was building this beauty. If you're seriously thinking of buying a TT One or Two I would definitely consider a gloss finish at extra cost, because you'll be admiring it for decades like me!
ARM Two, IO 1 blue in their boxes and finally all fitted to the TT2.
The IO cartridge looks glorious next to the gloss black TT2 deluxe. Moment of truth, it sounded nimble, light and sprightly on the swing record Micky put on, very happy. Micky then spent a while adjusting the arm height so the IO sat at the right angle to the record. I then thanked Micky for his time and expertise as it was getting to late afternoon, fearing the M25, it was packed back in the box and home to Bristol!
Unboxing at home....
So it's the morning after getting back from Brighton as it was too dark for photographs when I got home, up early and see what treats are contained within!
Firstly let's look at the cables as they're enticingly on view. I must admit I do like the way Audio Note (UK) cables are packed, copper colour removable fabric bands to keep the contents in, and velcro reusable ties to keep the cables in shape and a big window so you can gaze at your new purchase on the way home before ripping the packaging off. Silver cables have silver bands, as you can see my level 2 and 3 cables are all copper. I'd say it's very nicely done and feels sufficiently premium, even the box rear has a huge Audio Note logo!.
So a not unpleasant half an hour unboxing a few thousand pounds worth of Audio Note cabling!
All counted and correct. 6 way ISIS level 3 wired mains block at the top, 3 x 1 metre ISIS level 3 wired mains leads, 2 x 1 metre ISIS level 3 interconnect cables (CD and turntable) and 5 metres of bi wired LEXUS LX level 2 speaker cable to match the cabling in my AN K LX level 2 speakers. This speaker cable has excellent reviews as it's a copper version of the AN SOGON silver cable whilst the ISIS is a copper version of the outstanding flagship AN SOOTTO silver cable. This cabling is the bedrock of my system and will get the very best from the major components.
Now for the amplifer...
Next up was the heaviest box containing one 19kg OTO PHONO SE Silver Signature.
What a beauty, I'm very happy I went for the aluminium front, it oozes quality, the switches all click with authority and the rotary controls have real heft behind them.
Rear view showing speaker output and all the inputs. Note black screwable grounding posts. The farther one labelled "signal" I'll use to connect to the AN S2 step up transformer so I don't get hum from the turntable. The top down picture shows the monster SHiB copper / copper c-core output transformers which make up a large chunk of the substantial weight in addition to contributing to the (hopefully!) spectacular sound.
CD player....
Thirdly was the CD 3.1x/ii serial number CD3-219, welcome! The packaging was very adequate and on removing from the box it was immediately obvious it was substantially built weighing 8 kg which is a lot for a CD player.
Note central drawer as this model has an in-house modified Philips CD mechanism. Also high quality input/outputs. I'm really looking forward to hearing this as the CD3.1x/II is the first model of integrated CD player in the range to feature the highly regarded Analogue Devices AD1865 digital to analogue converter chip, the same device used in the more costly stand alone DACs. Now I've finally got my hands on it, the solidity certainly inspires confidence.
And a lovely surprise.....
What a beautiful item! I was very pleasantly surprised on opening the AN S2 step up transformer. It was really securely packed and heavy, I mean really unexpectedly weighty. I put it on the kitchen scales and it weighed in at 1.199 kg, as you can see the build quality is exemplary. Even my wife commented that it was a beautiful piece of artistry and my audio hobby usually (read always) leaves her cold! Welcome AN S2 serial number L-226 to the house.
I've died and gone to heaven...
Time for the big surprise, AN K LX in gloss olive wood. I've seen olive in satin finish online but never gloss so I ordered these blind so to speak. On opening the box, I noted a little bag with blue tack, self adhesive feet and 4 jumpers to connect the rear speaker terminals if you're single wiring using 1 length of speaker cable. I'm bi wiring using 2 lengths of cabling so I won't be using these but it's nice to have. A thoughtful addition and saved me dashing to the hardware shop for more blue tack.
As soon as I clapped eyes on them I knew I'd made the right choice, the gloss was extra but (as with the turntable) I'd urge you to think twice and juggle your finances, you'll thank me. I can't stop looking at them. At Audio Note UK's Austrian factory, eight layers of polyurethane lacquer are applied with intermediate sandings then pre-sanded four times before getting a high-gloss polish, followed by a quality check. Finishing time from the start of production until completion is two months or longer, depending on the veneer used.
The aftermath....
Wow, what can I say, that's my entire system unboxed (apart from the AN K speaker stands). I haven't owned any Audio Note (UK) products for 25 years and this is my first foray back into owning components from the best audio equipment company in the world. I'm sat here typing this blog, with the system sat patiently 10 feet away awaiting set up and I'd have to admit I'm a bit emotional. This initial unboxing has far exceeded my expectations and my "pride in ownership" experience is as high as it's possible to get. For an Audio Note enthusiast, this parallels the sports car enthusiast, visiting the factory to collect the hand built luxury car then looking at it once home sat in the garage, potential untapped.
What's in blog #7?
This'll come as no surprise to you! Blog #7 will be the first report of the system set up and playing music, with a couple of caveats....
1) My listening room is still a mess as my son doesn't move out until early February 2026.
2) My hifi furniture is being made but has had a couple of setbacks and it's delayed.
Therefore we audiophiles being resourceful types I'll move, shift, fettle and squeeze furniture in order get get things playing and get some listening in.
I'm looking forward to it, hope you are too, see you soon and happy listening!