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What sounds more musical than audionote equipment

My entire system is now from audionote. For the first time I do not need to worry about the technical aspects of hifi listening. But what other equipment out there can beat or match this musicality. An often misused term, by musicality I basically mean the ability to understand how the musicians interact with one another to create a whole piece. Intimately related with this and all go hand in hand is the rhythm, timing and pace must beon par in order to recreate the piece the musicians wanted. It is only then that you can get the full emotional impact of a piece of music,that feeling that makes your feet tap and your mind entranced. JUST AS THE MUSICICANS INTENDED. The musicians did not set out to provide a hifi spectacular they are driven by emotion and no matter what piece you listen to you should be able to pick this up to a greater or lesser extent.
audiojoy4
bkonig
127 posts
 
Overall, I definitely prefer great tubes to great transistors. I am familiar with many different brands, but not familiar with AN. I am currently running the Dartzeel amp and pre-amp combo. I have owned some state of the art stuff like Tenor, but the Dart is downright Scary because its sounds soooooooo real. I have heard nothing like this combo in the way it brings music to life right before your very eyes. To top it off, these are transistor units which really combines the best of both worlds and then some.
audiojoy4 OP
96 posts
 
Hi evita thanks for your reply. No i did appreciate that you liked AN gear.
larryi
1,972 posts
 
It's good to hear that you are enjoying your Audionote system. I, too, like their house sound. It does make some sense sticking to one brand, at least for the electronics, because the components are voiced together and are electrically compatible. I have personally found that interactions between components of different brands are completely unpredictable, so very careful trial and error is necessary. It is easier, if not always better in result, to stick with one brand.

I like the sound of Audionote speakers, though they are not my absolute favorites. But, I am particularly fond of their electronics. I have a pair of Kageki (2a3 in parallel SET configuration) amps that are just plain fantastic. I also really like the sound of the DAC-5 signature digital-to-analogue converter, but it is out of my reach. Hey, a lot of their stuff is out of reach (M-10 linestage, M-8 phono stage. . .).
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muzikat
887 posts
 
Mahandave,
This is all in the ear of the listener.
Processing the information (or sound) differently IS hearing differently. If you don't get that, then you are the one who does not get it.
Get It?
evita
112 posts
 
The showcase line at our local dealer is Audio Note. I've heard it numerous times, both there as well as at the homes of friends. My understanding is that Peter Qvortrup--the president of AN--has the largest private LP collection in the world. Whether that's true or not, his love for music definitely comes through in the sonics of his gear.

Away from the subject of musicality, I like the AN approach to upgrades. Starting just above the basic model of any particular component, their DACs, monoblocks, preamps & speakers can be taken through as many as 7 levels of upgrades using the same chassis. Excellent business model, in my opinion.

My only question is how does a company that sells an IC at $2800/meter not put any credence into the variability of power cords? Oh well, fair enough to let the customer decide.
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