DOOD.CA: Guy Stuff

I purchased the Audio Note AN-K Spe’s on a whim when visiting Victoria, BC… at a place called Sound Hounds. It was on the recommendation of my friend Richard, who is an Audio Note fanatic! He runs the AN-E Spe speakers with an OTO SE integrated and some sort of non-audio note source. I must say that they are excellent speakers, however… at $3000 retail out here in Canada, its a bit of a pricey proposition. If I hadn’t snagged them as closeout models for 50% off, they would be a huge loss!

First off, I powered this puppies with a few different types of amplification, and used them on a pair of Sonus solid stands. Very nice stands. They have a wide baffle, and thin profile, unlike the trend of speakers now which tend to be deep and thin baffled. Peter Q from Audio Note in all his arrogance claims that thin baffles are for aesthetics only, and that his way is the path to truth… and about how he forgot about a pair of Avant Garde Unos ($10K Speakers) in his closet because he thought they were so unremarkable or something… maybe its just heresay, I dont know! But anyway, These speakers are okay, but for the money… I think I could do better.

Paired with Radii Monoblocks they sang… but not as well as a pair of Aurum Cantus Leisure 2’s… at half the retail price. In fact, my Klipsch RB-5 MKII’s sounded better to me in many ways when powered by tubes, but only cost half the price as well. The speakers have an amazing finish however, my pair was finished in walnut. As you can see below, they have very nice Birch ply front and rear, MDF sides:

The Spe models are wired with Audio Note Spe silver wire internally and with silver plated connectors in the back. These speakers actually have the same retail price as the much larger AN-E’s with the LX Copper wire. The wire alone in here makes them double in price! But they do make a significant difference (yes difference, not improvement) in sound. Comparing the Spe models to the Lx, I found the Lx models much more forgiving and easier to listen to with inferior source and amplification.

All in all, an Okay speaker, slightly overpriced, but not too bad overall. Would I buy them again? No. Would I keep them? No. These speakers are going to be sold. But if you like the exotic Audio Note brand, and like that cult status that comes with them, then these are the puppies for you!