Audio Note speakers

I bought a pair of the original Snell E's a while ago and was not impressed. Sounded like the medium size boxes they are. And I like vintage speakers- replaced them with similarly scaled Monitor Audio MA-3's, which are a huge improvement. I find it really hard to believe Audio Note An-E's would win any fans at all if they sounded as "meh" as the old Snells that passed through my hands. Perhaps the caps in their crossovers were old, or something of that order. I have some breadth of experience with vintage speakers. Keepers: Quad ESL 57's, ADS 810's, Altec 604G's in 620 cabs, the MA-3's mentioned above. Out the door: Klipsch Heresy II's, Cornwall I's, Vandersteen 1C's . . . and the Snells.

Jason,

Which AN corresponds to which Snell?

Snell models I have seen used Vifa woofers and SEAS or Peerless tweeters.  Their secret sauce was custom calibrated crossovers, and all soldered wiring, but they didn’t use today’s boutique parts. Certainly no hemp cones!

No offense intended toward anyone, however, if someone says Audio Note UK speakers sound anything like the Snell's they don't know what they are talking about. Anyone who says they are built the same, they don't know what they are talking about.

The Snells in their day were truly unique and sounded better than many speakers at the time. They were forgiving of placement and were for their day quite amazing. But lets be honest, build quality, quality of materials, etc were all applicable to their day.

Today, Audio Note UK begins with far better materials. The cabinets are similar to Snells but different in meaningful ways (void free Baltic birch, different bracing, the science behind the ports, adhesives, etc). The drivers are exceptional and of a unique design, wiring, connectors, etc all built and designed and produced in-house to exacting standards. Caps, resistors, etc all to the highest standards.

I assure you, they don't sound like Snells any more than a Porsche 911 built today drives like a late 1940's era Volkswagen...the vehicle from which it originated. And for those in the bleachers who love to proclaim that anyone who pays more for something than they believe is reasonable are idiots...that's just untrue.

While I don't own Audio Note E's, I have in the past and perhaps will in the future. They perform at a high level and perform in certain rooms better than virtually any other speaker.

I auditioned a Linear Tube Audio Z40+ with Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE loudspeakers (hemp cones).

The match was very good. Great frequency extension. Clear, yet sweet upper mids and highs. I think you’d be happy.

I suggest using the same speaker cable that’s used in the crossovers of the loudspeakers. So, if you buy AN-J/LX, then buy Lexus LX copper speaker cable. Same advice applies if you buy any of the AN-J models wired with silver cable (SPe, SPx). Use bi-wire rather than single runs. 

If you’ve not decided on a Linear Tube Audio amplifier (excellent amplifiers), then I encourage you to consider an Audio Note amplifier like an OTO SE Phono or OTO SE Phono Signature, or SORO SE Phono or SORO SE Phono Signature. Audio Note amplifiers and loudspeakers are designed to work together in a holistic fashion that results in a system greater than the sum of its parts.

That said, if you’re focused on a Linear Tube Audio amplifier, I can attest it will match nicely (but it won’t bring out the full, uncanny naturalness of the AN-J loudspeakers). 

Thank you all for the great feedback.  If I go with an Audio Note amplifier (was just listening to an interview with Peter Q yesterday and heard his whole philosophy) - how much heat do they produce?  Are there models that won't make my 12 x 15 room overly warm?