Blog #9
It's my pleasure.....
The journey started for me in February 2025, hearing an Audio Note system again after 20+ years at the Bristol Hifi show and deciding this was my audio path to follow.
It's now mid-April 2026 and I've had 5 months of beautiful music. As you will see, my listening room is cleared but not decorated (unwilling to upset now very much more elderly cat/listening partner who spends 95% of her time there to be honest), so that aspect may have to wait a bit!
As if by magic Tilly arrives in shot after just having admired the gloss Olive finish on the AN K speakers.
I'd like to report on the first 5 months listening experiences, PRIOR to receiving the OTO PHONO SE Silver Signature 35th Anniversary amplifier and new "breathed on" IO blue moving coil cartridge as at time of writing, both have still well under 100 hours and are improving day by day so I'll save that for a later blog.
Being blunt....how does a 40k Audio Note system sound?! Is it worth it?
That's the question you all really want to know.
For 99% of the public, even audiophiles, it's not just a chunk of change, it's a giant chunk of change, a sizeable great car chunk, house improvement chunk and... it's bought me a slice of the mainly lower tier, mainly copper rather than silver, pretty small speakers, integrated rather than pre/power amplifier with their wondrous glowing valves audio system.
So you're heading for a refund then?
Not exactly.....I'll tell you why......
It's the best audio system I've ever heard in my life! That's why! Bar, none, hands down, money on the table...the best.
Bold statement, requiring extraordinary evidence, seeing as you're sat in a small undecorated upstairs bedroom......with a cat
Fair point, I'll explain why:
1) The 8 foot by 16 foot irregular shaped bedroom is a positive advantage. Many Hifi reviewers state that their most memorable best musical moments happen in a "cosier" room. When I was a retailer setting up a system in a customers home, I'd clap a few times in the room and can tell from the clap if the room will sound good for a hifi. (Try it yourself, some rooms regular shaped with little to no furnishings echo and sound very bright from the clap whilst over furnished heavy curtained rooms suck the energy out of the clap, the sound dying immediately.) This room passes the clap test well, not too bright but still plenty of life, decaying naturally. A good start.
2) A holistic Audio Note system. In numerous reviews and on every forum it is stated in an all-Audio Note system (including mains leads and cables) the performance of each component is enhanced. This I can attest wholeheartedly to. In fact I'd go so far as saying when considering purchasing an Audio Note CD player for example, the mains lead and interconnect should definitely be costed into your equations for best bang for the buck.
3) The Performance level system. When designing the system I stuck to the "purchase components no more than 1 level more or 2 less than the amplifier". In consequence, all the components seem ideally matched and work synergistically, with absolutely no weak links.
I also matched Lexus lx speaker cables to the Lexus lx cables in the AN K speakers and bi-wired as recommended. In addition, a decent amount of lead shot in the speaker stands helped...a lot. I placed them in the corners close to both walls pointing at the listening position and apart from a tiny amount of tweaking they sounded immense and grounded right away.
4 tubs of these (£35 per tub) 2 per speaker stand and you could swing a chimpanzee off them, they're going nowhere. Every voice and instrument improved and especially the bass tightened up substantially.
4) Sorry - cliche alert following......The elusive "live" sound.
Don't yawn, shake your head and stop reading. I've been thinking hard how to explain this and I think I've finally found how. Imagine these scenarios:
a) You're out for a walk and you hear music coming from someone's garage, you get closer and you can tell it's a band practising. You know it's a band rather than someone in there with a hifi, how?
b) You're out in town, just outside a bar/pub and you hear music, you know it's live without seeing the A-board outside stating "Live music here tonight", as you walk closer and finally open the door, the familiar "live music" feeling gets stronger and stronger until you actually enter and FEEL the music. How did you know?
Audio Note systems have the same effect. Last week I was in the room next door painting the walls with my system playing a live in Berlin 1968 LP of Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen at a healthy volume. The sensation was the same, it's a spooky aural "trompe d'oeil". They could actually have been in there next door with that searing trumpet, realistic thwack of the drums and audience erupting in appreciation.
Last week my son had a friend round, he came upstairs to use the loo, carried on going to my music room where I was listening to Dire Straits, came in and said "that sounds live!", stayed for a bit nodding his head then left, impressed. He's no audiophile but liked what he heard enough to investigate.
No other system I have owned or heard outside Audio Note does this! It's addictive, and the reason I came back to Audio Note after a 20+ year gap, this feeling was lodged in my musical memory and I wanted to experience it again. I can happily report... I am!
A few pictures of the system in situ, absolutely rock solid build quality, the pride in ownership is very high, everything feels special and handmade (which it is).
Why is it the best?
This unassuming pile of records above is one of the main reasons.
When I was clearing this room out I made several visits to the tip/sorting centre. On one of the visits I saw a guy with a very dusty brown box containing the above records, he was literally at the "general waste" section when I saw him with the box plus contents and asked if I could have them, he said yes and handed them over. This is absolutely true. On getting home I sifted through them, apart from the XTC who I used to like 40 years ago, all of the music was NOT my taste. Singing nun anyone? singing in French?
How wrong I was, these records play directly to the strength of this system. First off, I put on "street sounds" a mass market compilation record from the early 1980's. After a few seconds with an anti static brush, I listened to "The Message" by GrandMaster Flash and the Furious Five. (I wouldn't have selected this out of choice normally). I was blown away, 7 minutes 10 seconds of wonder, Joseph Saddlers voice hovering dead centre, underpinned by mean bass, it was fantastic, I was in a new world. I played it again straight away, then the rest of the album. I was thinking about it when I went to bed, humming the tunes and played it twice the following day. The cartridge tracked this grubby chafed record like a bloodhound, surface noise was minimal whilst all the "good bits" were held aloft for me to admire. XTC the same, I've played this 3 times enjoying the band in their early years, I'm visiting each and every album, and each time I'm in wonder of the quality of the music. Considering it was free and not of my choice, this collection has massively broadened my musical knowledge and enjoyment. (I even like the French Nun!)
MOFI 180 gram on 45rpm Dire Straits "On every street"
£70 - was it worth it?
I then decided to see how the system performed with a spectacular piece of vinyl (above).
Predictably it was gob smacking, Mark Knopflers voice, his guitar, drums, bass lines, everything was meticulously placed in the sound stage, and I was close to being in a recording studio witnessing its creation. It was otherworldly and a memorable experience. I've never paid so much for an LP but this was godly through my Audio Note system.
Strangely, after I'd played this, I played a mono LP, my favourite "My Fair Lady", my dads, never ever cleaned, definitely surface noise, brilliant 1950s Jazz album. I enjoyed this just as much, if not more than the super duper MOFI recording.
Here it is, fantastic, freely available on eBay for very low price (under a tenner). Do yourself a favour, get it and after the 20th play, think fondly of me!
What about the CDs, not worth bothering with then?
Far, far from it. The CD3.1x/ii (£6500) has been a massive and very pleasant surprise.
At half the price of the turntable I was expecting a "decent" sound but the turntable was where the majority of the "proper" listening happened. Oh no, no no.
This unit is the real deal, the full McCoy. Would I listen to my wifes' "Music" by Madonna ordinarily? Not a chance. Through the CD3.1x/ii it is a staggering tour de force. I had my notebook and was trying to describe what I was hearing and not making a great job of it. OK, bear with me here's my notes.
"Track 4. Wow. I feel the presence of a huge invisible box from the front wall to me, full elastic bass, came out low, then rose, touched me and looped back 180 degrees back to the top of the front wall. At the same time, shimmering keyboards filling the space OUTSIDE the room boundaries. Singer dead centre, oh voice has gone through an electronic filter and sucked back BEHIND the front wall. Sinister deep drum beats across the soundstage." That's some of my notes on one track. It was a musical extravaganza and a personal roller coaster, in the semi dark, eyes shut. Each track had similar notes of marvel and wonder. I've never ever heard anything like this, at the shop, a Hifi show, it's my own personal performance.
Similar experiences have occurred with "Chairs Missing" by Wire and "Snivilisation" by Orbital. Both worth a purchase just on my recommendation, you won't have wasted your money! I could go on with dozens of others, the CD3.1x/ii is THAT good.
CD3.1x/ii in aluminium, very solidly built and low key considering the performance levels it is capable of reaching - highly, highly recommended.
Note TT PSU (turntable power supply) below, which I strongly suspect is the very understated reason why the turntable sounds so solid, authoritive and all-conquering.
That's the key!
This system makes every piece of music it tackles enjoyable. MOFI or landfill fodder, I'm deeply enjoying ALL types of music now whereas before it was far more limited.
My previous high end high end audio system played certain music well, however I had a huge pile of vinyl and CDs which were in the "unplayable" pile. I used to put little red round stickers on certain tracks or albums which it would agree to play well. We did the same in retail, played the best tracks to show off the system in it's best light.
Audio Note does not do this! Go to an Audio Note room at a Hifi show and you'll find all different types of music played and they'll encourage you to bring your own music and enjoy it, no pre selected demo discs in sight.
An additional bonus....
Volume. (whispering) This plays very well at a low low volume. Sometimes I'm playing some music, turn it down...still enjoyable. Turn it down again....still good. Sometimes I do this a few times and even at low levels the voices are projecting right into the room, guitars soaring, bass, perfectly full. Better for neighbours, better for cat!
In a podcast last year (I forget which, probably was Part Time Audiophile), Peter Qvortrup (Founder of Audio Note UK) talked about the "First Watt" being the most important in an amplifier. Low powered 8 watt per channel properly designed and built amplifier into sensitive speakers can be immensely satisfying musically at very low volumes, whereas 300 watt per channel behemoths into insensitive multi drive unit "towers" need volume and power to provide a satisfying listen.
This I wholeheartedly agree with having owned systems from both ends of the spectrum.
Conclusion....
This will be short! The answer to the question above "Is it worth it?."
To me a resounding "YES, DEFINITELY."
I'm certainly not a wealthy person and all my purchases are very well considered, especially at this level, but I knew it would be good, just not this good.
Can it get better? I can't truthfully see how, but with a new OTO PHONO SE Silver Signature 35th Anniversary and new design IO MC cartridge running in, I'm sure they'll have something to say about that!
I'd heartily recommend a COMPLETE Audio Note (UK) system at any price, go and have a listen and be impressed!
What's in blog # 10?
With the new components running in, I was thinking about highlighting the new IO Blue moving coil cartridge, it's an unsung hero and deserves some love!
I'm looking forward to it, hope you are too, see you then and Happy Listening!
My day will come.....