LP Playback: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim ARO tonearm, van den Hul Frog phono cartridge; LP12/Lingo/Cirkus/Ittok/Arkiv.CD Playback: Meridian 508.24.Preamplifiers: Conrad-Johnson Premier Fifteen, Linn Linto, Naim Prefix.Power Amplifiers: Audio Research D200, Krell FPB 600.Loudspeakers: B&W Silver Signature, Dynaudio Contour 3.3, EgglestonWorks Andra, ProAc Response One SC; REL Studio II subwoofer.Cables: Kimber KCAG, WireWorld Gold Eclipse III interconnects; Kimber Black Pearl, WireWorld Gold Eclipse speaker cables.Accessories…
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Sidebar 4: Measurements
All the measurements on the Naim CD 3.5 were performed using the FlatCap power supply for the player's analog stages. The maximum output level at 1kHz was 2.184V (left channel), which was 0.76dB higher than the CD standard 2V and a negligible 0.04dB higher than the right channel. The player's output was noninverting and sourced from a very low 2.5 ohms in the midrange. This figure dropped even further at high frequencies, to 1.5 ohms at 20kHz, but increased to a moderate 773 ohms below 20Hz, presumably due to a finite-sized coupling capacitor. With a preamp having…
Given Audio Note's early dominance of the low-power scene, you'd expect any loudspeaker from them to be a high-efficiency design, and you'd be right. What you wouldn't expect is how they go about doing it, since none of the 20-odd models in their speaker line appears to be much more than a plain-Jane two-way box, with nary a horn or whizzer in sight.
So it goes with Audio Note's latest, the AN-E Lexus Signature, which takes the company's basic E-size loudspeaker—at just under 70 liters, the largest of Audio Note's cabinet sizes—and refines it in a number of subtle and mostly invisible…
I could write at least 1000 words on the AN-E's appearance and not be done with the subject. Aesthetically, the Lexus Signature is a refreshingly simple thing, yet the depth and complexity in the grain of its flamey maple veneer—every surface comprises two flip-matched pieces—make it look as rich as it is serene. There's something else that sets the AN-E's cabinetry apart from the norm, although it took me a while to realize what it was: Apart from the two drivers, the front baffle is undisturbed by anything else, including the visual blight of those cheap-looking plastic sockets for a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" fabric-dome tweeter, 8" paper-cone woofer. Nominal crossover frequency: 2.1–2.3kHz. Frequency response: 17Hz–22kHz, –6dB. Impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 98dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 31" (795mm) H by 14.25" (365mm) W by 10.625" (270mm) D. Weight: 41 lbs (speaker), 20 lbs (crossover), 25 lbs (empty stand).
Finishes: 18 different real-wood veneers, 5 piano-lacquer finishes.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 2123, 2124.
Price: $12,200/pair; stands, $499/pair. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm; Miyabi 47, Linn Akiva, Incognito Shibui cartridges; Tamura TKS-83 moving-coil step-up transformer.
Digital Sources: Naim CD5x, Ayre CX-7e CD players; Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplification: Linn Linto phono preamplifier; Audio Note M3 Phono, Naim NAC 32.5 preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1 monoblocks; Fi 2A3 Stereo, Yamamoto A-08, Naim NAP 110.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989, Lowther PMM6a drivers in…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature was one of the more sensitive dynamic speakers I have measured, at an estimated 92.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, though it should be noted that this is well below the specified 98dB figure. The impedance remains above 6 ohms for most of the audioband (fig.1), though it does drop to 3.9 ohms in the lower midrange and to 4.8 ohms in the upper treble, and there is a combination of 6.2 ohms magnitude and –40° electrical phase angle at 112Hz. Even so, I don't think the speaker will make significant demands for current on the partnering amplifier,…
Art Dudley wrote about the Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE in August 2008 (Vol.31 No.8):
Good dramatic impact, a believably human sense of touch, and altogether superior note-to-note flow: If those things top your list of musical qualities that a high-fidelity system should honor above all others, then the Audio Note AN-E line of speakers should top your list of loudspeakers to covet and consider (footnote 1). That the AN-E is electrically sensitive and easy to drive with a low-power tube amp may be a plus, but I no longer think of that as its sole reason for being: Even if I were cursed with a…
John Atkinson wrote about the Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE in November 2008 (Vol.31 No.11):
Art wrote about the Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE loudspeaker ($6900/pair) in August 2008 (p.104). "Good dramatic impact, a believably human sense of touch, and altogether superior note-to-note flow," he wrote. "If those things top your list of musical qualities that a high-fidelity system should honor above all others, then the Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE should top your list of loudspeakers to covet and consider."
As I had traveled to Art's in August to measure the Harbeth M40.1s in-room, it was a no-…
Usually, a Stereophile "Follow-Up" follows up (duh!) a full review of the component in question. This review, however, is intended to flesh out a cryptic comment made by Wes Phillips in April's "As We See It": "When Apple introduced its AirPort Express wireless multimedia link," Wes wrote, "it even included a digital port so that an audiophile—such as Stereophile's editor—could network his system, using the AE to feed his Mark Levinson No.30.6 outboard D/A converter. 'Sounds okay,' deadpans JA."
Indeed, while I found the AirPort Express's analog output somewhat disappointing…