Review: Two Audio Note Systems (Levels Zero and Two)
Overview: Audio Note (UK)
As I got to know them better, I learned that our Indian Trinity
Vivek, Prem and audiopro are all prominent members of the Indian audio community. Given the hurdles Indian audiophiles face (like the difficulty of sourcing less popular brands, and the prohibitive import duties levied at individuals) it continues to amaze me how the community "gets so much done", a showcase of determination and stamina.
Coincidentally, in the not so distant past, Vivek and audiopro had both reviewed full ANUK systems. Full system reviews are rarer and valuable. This article starts with their Reviews and is followed by my Overview of ANUK - about time.
pic from India's HiFi Today. Click to enlarge.
Level Zero System
In 2018, Vivek reviewed the ANUK Level Zero System for India's HiFi Today. This is still top entry if you google ANUK Zero. I must say, very honest review and Kudos to the webzine (which seems to have ceased operation)! Vivek had reservations about the CD Player and called over some of his friends for referencing. Some of our magazines will never say things like that!
It is the current Zero System, which differ in many ways from the original Zero components that I'd go over in the Overview (the AX2 appears to have been d/c'ed by ANUK). The originals were housed in plainer aluminum project boxes and significantly cheaper. The current Zero's obviously are pivoted to a different crowd, the "entry high-end" aspirants rather than the more experienced "bargain hunters and adventurers". The amp is similar in design but the DAC of the current Zero is a NOS design that uses the iconic TDA-1543 whereas the older one was a delta-sigma design.
On the 6111 These sub-minature double-triodes of military origin have to be directly soldered onto the circuit board but they are cheap, space-saving and sonically OK (no tube rolling!). ANUK used them widely in the original Zero and One series. They are very durable that after all these years the units are still in function and failures are rare. Others use them too, like Tim Paravicini in the Quad QC-24 Preamp. The related nuvistor 6112 is used in many high-end Musical Fidelity Products (which are decent sounding).
On the ECL82/6BM8 Tube This tall Noval Tube combines a Beam power tube section with a short Triode section. Space saving, as four of these can make an amp, with the 4 Triode sections used as splitter/driver (even simple phono) and the 4 Beams used as 2 push-pull pairs. There were many lower-end vintage amps that used this (as well as the similar ECL86/6GW8, like in the iconic Rogers Cadet series). ECL82 is also popularly used as a power regulator tube (as in my Shindo Monbrison). The Japanese also love to make an elegant SE amp out of it (as in the older Elekit TU-870R and San Ei). There are even more similar tubes, like the PCL86/14GW8 (higher filament, used in the current
Elekit TU-8100).
I actually once owned the AN-K loudspeaker that Vivek wished he had heard, but I will deal with that in the Overview - it'd not be entirely as he expected.
pic shows CDT-2 Transport used with DAC 2.1x. The Turntable is Pro-ject X-tension 9.
Level Two System
Around the same time audiopro published his review in hifivision. audiopro was rather self-effacing, and gave his general impressions of the system. Make sure you read the whole thread for other people's favorable audition impressions (like DAC2 vs Chord 2Qute, and TT1). As audiopro did not give basic info on the stuff, I shall supply it.
OTO has always been in the ANUK lineup. It's original iteration was an integrated amp using EL84 PP. Its preamp and amp sections were separately marketed as M1 and P1. I have heard it in second hand shops but given my understanding of the brilliant vintage EL84 PP amps (the likes of Eico, Dynaco, Pilot, Fisher etc), the OTO (PP) was only fair. I have also once owned the M1, sweet, but its broad-stroke and lack of detail made me sell it after a short possession.
Interestingly, the current OTO PP has switched tubes! It now uses the 6005/6AQ5, which is the 6V6 with a different pin-out and in a smaller envelope. Now, this is a good sounding tube (see my
Elekit Tu-8150 post; and NOS are cheap, and one can use adaptors to use 6V6)! And it also uses 1 x 5670, which is a good sounding tube, especially with WE 2C51/396A. I'd not mind auditioning this one (just for curiosity, not that I have much expectation), particularly since I know the old ANUK Kit 4 (6V6 PP, see Overview).
As for the
OTO SE, it is a different animal. It uses 4 x EL84, meaning Parallel SE (PSE) of 2 EL84 per channel. Understandably, that roughly doubles the power of SE and makes it fit (squeeze) into the "real world" (driving loudspeakers), but imho this is also a small compromise. Compared to SE, I think PSE introduces timing errors (as does PP) as no 2 tubes, no matter how "matched" can ever be the same. If this is the case, I'd rather have PP. My experience with the excellent Manley Retro PSE/PP 300B amp is a case in point. After much comparison, I preferred the PP to the PSE. PSE is neither here nor there. Of course, similar doubts can be harbored about most OTL amps, which parallel the tubes for more power. Another point, as a great admirer of the EL84 tube, I am not a fan of the Russian or JJ tube (tighter and more upfront than old-stock) and I'd definitely judge by old-stock tubes, which are more expensive. audiopro's expereince seems to agree with me. He invested a lot in good tubes. He maintains only by using the expenisve Bendix 6094 (with adaptors) and rolling Telefinken and Amperex in input tubes was he able to get the best result.
True SE EL84 Because of its low power (just a little more than SE 6V6), only boutique brands would make SE EL84. Almarro (defunct) made a nice one, the cheap A205(A). I once heard the very expensive Wavelength (generally good but not exceptional, including their 300B), and it was not bad but not as good as the vintage ones and overpriced. Many people do not know, but there are actually some very nice vintage SE EL84 vintage amps which can be had on the cheap (like my overachieving Conar, Heathkit AA-191 and the even earlier EA-1). The vintage transformers are way better, one may safely conclude.
DAC 2 Unless I am mistaken, the one audiopro used is the standard DAC 2.1x, there being also a Signature version (
review of Art Dudley). I know ANUK DAC well because I once owned an early DAC 2 (
here), which is now with my friend Seng (having passed through one more pair of hands). The earlier version (may not have been NOS) used the 20-bit PCM63 (a great chip), employed the same transformer I/V conversion and used the same 6DJ8 tubes. The current 2.1x uses the 18-bit AD 1865 chip and adds tube rectification (a 6X5).
The pic shows audiopro's older Pro-ject Xtension 9 turntable. He later replaced it with the
Audio Note TT1 (as the comment in that thread said) and had tried both the IQ1 and IQ3 (basically modified Goldring's).
For the loudspeaker, audiopro briefly tried the AN-E but felt it was too big for his room.
He also briefly had the
Meishu. He said "...it is impossible to get a good 6SN7 tube. The Ken Rads are always noisy and the Sylvania just lack magic. The new sovteks are crappy. At that time AN introduced their own 300B tube which costs USD 2000. I got one pair on demo and it was super coloured. Also the Meishu lacked dyamics - in fact I felt the OTO is a better amp overall..."
*****
Overview: Audio Note UK
This Overview is skewed towards the lower levels, as I think the higher levels are absurdly over-priced. I am most familiar with the discontinued UK Kits and the original Zero series. ANUK is not exactly my taste but, given its popularity, I sure have owned a few and heard a
lot!
Who are ANUK? Headman
Peter Qvortrup is not even a designer, but he knows what he wants, including the name Audio Note, which he basically wrangled ignominiously from Kondo san. He was a successful salesman turned entrepreneur. On Electronics, his chief designer is Andy Groves, whose designs are rather predictable, rarely inspiring. The other designer (loudspeakers mostly), also tasked with other duties, was Andy Whittle, who hailed from, and is now back with, Rogers.
How Innovative are Their Designs? Overall, ANUK's designs are completely derivative. The one exception is the use of transformers for I/V Conversion in their DACs. This will be dealt with more in Product Categories below. Otherwise, from circuits to parts they are highly derivative.
OEM Audio Note/Andy Grove also designed and manufactured for other companies, like the Rogers E20A amp (to be re-released; I had one), and also Quad II-40. You can say that they have a generic Andy Grove sound. ANUK is also supplier of parts for some small companies, as we shall see later (the case of Audion).
Then and Now Night and Day.
Then, ANUK was an interesting company that I kind of rooted for, with its generally well received bargain Kits arm. Up to the time of the highly affordable Zero series, they had simpler offerings. Fast forward to
now, it is absurdly over-priced big business, with an opportunistic sales strategy.
Their True Color Make no mistake,
ANUK products are mostly highly colored. BUT, to be fair, under a lot of circumstances, given the general pallor of modern products, it can be beneficial, or remedial to have some color. I'd say most ANUK products are used outside of all-ANUK complete systems, because of this MSG.
ANUK is all about the FIRST WATT, the Jump Factor, and Presence, not wrong priorities for SE Amps,
but in my opinion many Japanese designers (not to mention Kondo)
do it a lot better than he does. And, mostly, this kind of sound can be accomplished for a lot less money. That said, a full system of ANUK usually sounds not bad, even in show conditions. But if you listen long, you will find out more.
From DIY Mentality to Marketing Ploy ANUK was probably the first in the world of audio to consistently seize on and deploy this Level and Upgrade business (and there is also the Signature option within a Level). The "genius" is to market the DIY mentality ("better components equals better sound", which I have reservations about) to the general, non-DIY customer. This business model is highly successful and now much emulated, witness the likes ofAN Kit operation, Sophia Electric (I had the misfortune of listening to my friend Karma's 300B amp, stiff and lifeless) etc. Take basically the same circuit, add rectifier, perhaps regulator, add more and more transformers; "upgrade" the caps, change the cables from copper to silver. Does that make the product better? That's exactly what a DIYer would think, but having heard so many terrible DIY products that use the most expensive parts, I can assure you that is not the case.
Quality Parts? ANUK has always touted its own use of quality parts, but how good are they? Whatever Kondo does, ANUK has to prove that they can do it. Kondo had LONG made their own transformers and components and relatively recently ANUK also started to "make" their own components and partnered with others for their "special" tubes.
Transformers A tube amplification company stands or falls on the quality of its irons. ANUK in particular, beside the Power and Output Transformers, also use Transformer I/V Conversion and Interstage Transformers (imho the hardest to do right). They must know what they are doing, right? But I have my doubts; at the very least, I don't think they are complete masters of their art. As I shall detail below, I have listened to a lot of their amplifications, and not one will I call great. This is mostly about Preamps and SE amps, where ANUK amps cannot compete with their Japanese Counterparts. Aside from listening impressions, there are some little known (to Westerners) aspects. As I have mentioned, ANUK supplied parts to some smaller operations. Audion is a UK company that has a cult following. Early on, they made SE amps (with ANUK transformers) in small but attractive chassis that were terrible at heat dissipation. Add to this use of components that were almost under-spec'ed relative to output, and breakdowns were inevitable and common.
Here, a well known Taiwanese Technician who is versed in winding transformers was SHOCKED at the lousy quality of the transformers (in winding, grounding and isolation). Make sure you look at the many pics. Atrocious, and unconscionable.
Caps ANUK started with Jensen PIO and then proceeded to "make" their own. Both Jensen and ANUK caps, at least earlier on, had reliability problems, in particular, leakage. They are also highly colored. A little here and there may sound good, but using those across the board is not a good idea. And now ANUK is "making" resistors...Good luck.
Tubes This is a fad. Sophia does it, ANUK does it. All those tubes (including Psvane, 6SN7, "CV181") are at most the same generic Chinese tubes in different envelopes and base, but selling at inflated prices. And they are highly colored. Take the "globed" 300B/4300, I have heard the earlier Sophia 300B and "2A3" and they are absolutely garbage (overly warm and woolly). The sound veers so much off 300B it's not even funny. To be fair, American reviewers (and others) are largely to blame too. They know so little about tubes that they are easy to fool and they praise all these rip-off's. Yes, current tubes have improved but tube rollers need to hear the old-stock tubes (in proper condition) to know what a tube should sound like.
Circuit Board You know how little these cost. Just look at the Chinese offerings on Ebay. What I can hardly accept is even high level products use circuit boards, not hard-wire. What quality is that?
Industrial Design None. Big Black project box, all of them. The current aluminum front plate is uglier than the black acrylic of yore. You pay all that money and get a box like that? All you have to do is compare Kondo and ANUK and you will see how crude ANUK is. Wavac, Zanden, Yamamoto, all look much better. Even the bargain Elekits and Sun Valley products look way better! Think about Linear Tube Audio, very unique and great industrial design!
To sum up, today, I actually think,
for the money, at any level, ANUK is low in build quality and high in profit. And now to the products.
KITS (UK) I am not talking about the current Canadian Audio Note Kits (ANK), which has taken a similar approach but there are big differences. Even though I have doubts about the ANUK trannies, the ANK's Hammonds are likely even worse. I shall be guarded also because in Hong Kong I have seen all kinds of components and combinations that make one worry about just how officially sanctioned ANK is. ANUK had many kits and I only treat here the ones I am familiar with:
- Kit 1 This is the most famous one, and the best. It was also the first ANUK I owned, as well as my first SET amp. At that point I hadn't picked up the solder so mine was assembled for me. Brand new, it took quite a while to run in. After the Kit 1, I owned many 300B amps, including the Audion Golden Night, Japanese Advance, Sun Audio, Cary's kit, AES-1 etc. The Kit 1 uses 5U4, 2x300B, 6SN7 and 2x5687, is a good amp, with surprising driving power (and was better than ANUK's finished products) but, in comparison with some of the others, has a trace of brightness that I could not rid of, which was why I sold it. Later, I got the Welborne and ultimately the Verdier and Wavac, and that was really another level. But this is an iconic product, and much emulated. Kit 3 This is the PSE monoblock version of Kit 1 (pic can be seen here) but I have not heard it. Kit 2 is a similar amp on the same chassis but SE 6550 (see here; pic here); It is rare and I've not heard it.
- Kit 4 I bought one in HK and delayed the building for many years. Finally, I did it but I misplaced the back plate so cosmetically it was not complete. It came with horrible Russian and Chinese tubes; at least 2 6V6s failed so I had to replace them with old-stock. The sound was smeared and not good. On the net there were good user reviews (here and here), so perhaps I had not run it in (my Kit 1 did take quite a while). Somehow I highly doubt it will hold up to my cheap vintage Grommes and Bell.
- Preamp Kit Mine was the original one which I bought used. The net is now dominated by the current ANK so old entries are hard to come by. It looks like this one. Suffice to say sound was a bit veiled, not very extended on both ends. It did not stay with me too long. This is most likely due to weakness of the line stage (see below).
- Phonoamp Kit Mine was the original one which I bought second hand (details here). Although the phono section looks similar to that in the Preamp Kit, it sounds better, which leads one to think the line section of the preamp kit was not very good (not surprising).
Zero (Original) These were reviewed in
Positive Feedback. For the difference between them and the current Zero series, see above. As I have many tube preamps and amps I was not interested in the preamp and amp. They were very reasonably priced (especially in HK), sold pretty well and many second-hand units were available, so I bought used.
DAC Zero and CDT Zero These worked well and sounded good. For the price they were bargains.
DAC One 1x This is highly confusing. Although it says ONE, it is in a Zero series enclosure, and in this
TNT review was regarded as part of the Zero series. It uses the same AD1865 chip ANUK uses now. There is also a Signature version. This was my first NOS DAC and I was able to A/B with the Zero. There is little question the 1x is more fluid. In particular, better bass articulation. A fine little DAC for the money.
Digitals DAC is where ANUK scores higher with their NOS and proprietary I/V conversion. However,
I have always thought their Transports ridiculously overpriced. DAC 2 My original one I have written a lot about (
here). As for higher levels I have heard them many times. My good friend WSS used the
CDT-4/DAC5 but many times the combo did not perform well (as in
here, but it was better after some servicing), so I have my reservations. WSS' friend ML has a constantly evolving system worth tens of thousands. He always has 2 full digital systems (top dCS, Metronome etc). And so I have heard the top of the line
CDT-6/Fifth Element. Was it impressive? I can't really say. I was good but I didn't hear the kind of NOS that I like, a more lithe kind.
Amps AN amps are totally derived from experience with Kondo. That they keep using the iconic
Ongaku name is really regrettable Cultural Appropriation (more serious offense than the "Kimono" incidence if you ask me). In fact, considering their split from AN Japan, their continued use of Japanese names is just sleazy and vengeful. When I still had the Kit 1, one day there was a 300B amp shootout where some one brought the
Conqueror. What a misnomer! The Kit 1 walked all over it. We opened it up and the stacked output trannies were just half the size of the Kit 1. I later heard the much more expensive monoblock
Quest, which was more commensurate, but not superior, in performance.
Meishu I heard this at the second-hand shop. Not too impressed and I thought my Kit 1 was as good. And that HUGE box was really ugly.
Jinro My friend WSS has the Jinro (amp version,
here) but we all preferred the Quad amps.
Preamps Again, here ANUK was really derived from Kondo, including use of tubes like 6072 and 5687.
M1 I had an early version that used the 12AU7. Sweet but lacking in resolution. Perhaps a little better than the Preamp Kit, but nothing to write home about. Sold it quickly.
M8 Again, WSS (and our friend Joe) uses the M8 and we have heard it many times. Not bad, but pricey.
Analog The ANUK turntables are all derived from classics.
TT1 The TT1 is basically a Systemdek. It is a good turntable, imho competitive with the Linn LP12, no credit to ANUK. My old version came with a silver wired modified Rega arm (probably
Arm 2). The
TT2 looks like also an updated Systemdek also. As for the
TT3, it is basically a reworked Voyd Triple-Motor with different cosmetics. ANUK's new arms are made in Austria, most probably by Pro-ject. I seriously doubt they are better than the older Rega's. As for Cartridges, the IQ's are basically modified Goldring's. Titanium cantilever? Doesn't sound right to me.
Loudspeakers Except for the budget ones designed by Andy Whittle, all the loudspeakers are basically based on Snell's. And I have heard Snells. They always sound at ease, if a little weak in the bass.
AN-K I owned this one. It was very fine and coherent in the treble and midband, but the bass was a loose with tube amps. I sold them to a photographer friend together with the Micromega Tempo (solid state but sweet) amp. I went to his home and set it up. I was astonished at how much better they sounded together. Like many UK (or not) loudspeakers, the Celestion SL6, Spendor SP1/2, Harbeth Compact 7 and HL5, B and W Matrix 805 and many more, it responds to solid state better than tubes. This is ironic for a tube based company! The fallacy in the corner loading is that while it will improve the bass it won't make the woofer respond better when it comes to tube amps.
AN-J/E I have heard these many times and because of increased size they have a fulller bass, but they are still cut from the same cloth. All these loudspeakers will work better with a good solid state amp and they are not that efficient and certainly not ideal for SE amps like 300B or 2A3. No matter how you slice it, NOT efficient enough.
AX/AZ These are from ANUK's own (Andy Whittle) designs. They look rather DIY. I am not sure which models I heard in people's homes or second-hand stores (heard both bookshelves and floorstanders) but I remember they were cheap and the sound was fairly balanced. ANUK now is so upscale they largely don't bother with these.
Cables Don't get me started. As you all know, I use mostly professional cables and frown upon most audiophile cables. But, I do know some of these ANUK cables. I know some of the older loudspeaker cables, which likely has remained unchanged. The old
AN-B was musical but had a hopelessly under-damped bass (I believe this is deliberate to compensate for the loudspeakers' faults). The
AN-L was better. In terms of Interconnects, I have 2 vintage AN silver cables from a long time ago, before the schism. The
QSSC and the
AN-V. These are soft and probably correspond more to the current Kondo cables than the stiffer ANUK silver ones. Both of these are smooth but have a midrange suckout so very common to silver cables. I personally prefer the Kimber KCAG So, I shall not be enthusiastic about their cables. At WSS' place, the Belden 1694A trounced everything, including a current ANUK Digital Coaxial Cable. My advice, forget it.
I have actually heard a lot more isolated ANUKs in various systems. The point is, I think
ANUK's System Approach, touted by themselves as a holistic one, actually comprises many patches not dissimilar to computer operation. They know where the holes are, and they patch them, but a good OS it is NOT.
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