Harbeth M30.1+Luxman LX-380 & Audio Note AN-E/SPe Oto SE Sig

I have the AN-J/lx's and have heard both the AN-E's the Harbeths. My dealer, Deja Vu Audio carries both brands. I am a fan of the AN sound and really love their speakers. I listened to the Harbeth 30.2's the newer model and thought they sounded fantastic. However they are much smaller than either the E or J and lack a certain amount of bass and richness as well as being less sensitive.

 One thing I will mention also my dealer specifically recommended to me the Lexus copper internal wire and paper rather than hemp drivers. Vu says the SPe  silver sounds too bright as internal wiring and that the hemp drivers sound drier and bass shy compared to the original paper cones.  As a tube and AN lover I know what choice I would make but your ears need to decide.

As usual Charles asks the right questions about your audition. Ponder them and perhaps go back for another listen. Have fun take your time and happy listening!

Charles agreed and Vu has never steered me wrong. He never tries to sell me he lets me sell myself by giving good advice and letting me listen to great gear. I called him once about noise in my system, assuming a tube was going bad, he correctly diagnosed a short in one of my interconnects, over the phone! I feel blessed to live near the store and my system has steadily gotten better and better over the years. The AN-J's were the "final" piece in the puzzle I can live happily ever after now. Of course I won't probably. To the OP you really are in an enviable position sir all of the equipment you are listening to is topnotch it will be impossible to make a bad decision!

Charles,
No I am unable to use corner placement due to the layout of my apartment. There is a photo on my system page showing the setup, it's fairly conventional. In fact Vu recently asked me to email him a pic of my setup for another customer who was looking to put J's in a similarly small room. Another note on sensitivity, I was looking at the K's for my small room and Vu suggested the J's as a better option for an apartment dweller. Higher sensitivity would provide more satisfying sound at lower volume versus the K's.
Cheers,
Jon

Charles,
In Vu's Audio Note room they have the E's in the corners on the back wall and opposite on the front wall either J's or K's in a conventional setup. Glad you enjoyed the system pics I finally got around to taking a bunch of new photos. And yes AN DAC's tend to be designed from the front back, power supply first, then analog, then digital. One of the many reasons it sounds so good. Happy Friday hope you and everyone get a lot of listening done this weekend!
Jon

@writeface Good to hear and awesome you have the ability to get both systems you like down the road! Good luck and let us know how it all pans out!

Irish as with all things audio the only ears that matter are yours! I am sure you will love them at home even more than at Axpona! And all Audio Note is a great way to go congratulations indeed!
Cheers,
Jon

Irish,
I am sure the anticipation is tough my speakers took about 12 weeks to arrive and it was agony! Would love to hear your impressions when they arrive and also curious what AN gear are you running?
Cheers,
Jon

Irish,
Nice system! I have the DAC-3 Signature which came before the 3.1x so I know your digital sounds great, and I use Lexus speaker cables too! The Oto is supposed to be a sweet little amp and AN TT's are very musical looks like a well thought out  well sorted system. May I ask what speakers the J's are replacing?
Cheers,
Jon

irish cool I've heard great things about JM Reynaud but never heard a pair. Sounds like you're in for a nice upgrade both amp and speakerwise!
Cheers,
Jon