![]() ![]() The compression that these speakers place over the music is a show-stopper for me thus, I really can't put enough emphasis on the fact that the AN/Es just don't have that weakness. However, there are no other box speakers I know of that have that quality but are also capable of the realistic dynamics of horns - or anything close to it. There are lots and lots of 'conventional' speakers that sound smooth, pure, and seamless (Kharma comes to mind, though there are plenty of others). ![]() All of these things together, along with their perfect pace (PRaT), and the fact that they are indeed very extended (easily flat to 30 Hz in my large room), just make for an extremely musical and transparent speaker. I think the live cabinet also accounts for the excellent dynamics. This is the way they were designed to be used and the way I'm using them. Actually, I think this is mostly because they are a horn-loaded speaker: the corners are their horns. They are astoundingly dynamic for a non-horn-loaded speaker. They are not bright, dark, tipped-up, recessed or anything else: they just 'sound like music' (to use the phrase that's become a cliche some love to hate). The tonal balance is as perfect as I have heard. The speaker is as coherent as any single-driver speaker (or planar) and sounds like a point-source with one voice. The crossover seems to be absolutely, completely seamless. So, what makes them special? They are a TWO-WAY BASS-REFLEX SPEAKER - what could it be that makes them sound like, well, really nothing like any other two-way BR box I've heard or heard of? It had been almost a year since I'd heard an AN/E (2007 RMAF), and I think the model I heard was the AN/E Spe, which I believe retails for around $8000, but I will have to say that the AN/E Kit 3 is not shamed in area by those speakers or by any of the speakers I've owned, most of which are 2-4x its price, and in fact it is all-in-all possibly the single best of them all. ![]() And, possibly most importantly, I had never heard the kits and had no idea how close the performance would come to the factory model. And you don't know if the show sound will transfer to your home. But, you really don't know what that means until you hear it for yourself. So, about the speakers: basically, what the reviews say is spot-on. I have no experience with the A-N stands so can make no comparisons. I also purchased the Sistrum speaker stands as recommended by Jack Roberts in his review. I also believe in the value of early impressions. ![]() It may seem silly to post a review after such a short period of listening, but I do have 12+ solid hours listening, and at this point I know what I like and am able to form judgments quickly. I put them together just yesterday they have about 20 hours of playing time, including break-in. And, though the Kit 3s will not likely replace the horns in the main system, they are just so astoundingly good I had to write a bit about them. Mind you, I was not and am not unhappy with my horns in any way - far from it. I didn't want to drop the much larger dollars on a "test-run" of a factory model I thought this would be the best way to try out the AN/E sound at home. I've been a fan of the Audio Note rooms at the shows for a couple years to me, the sound has always been very lifelike - pure, coherent, very dynamic, and extended, despite the use of technologies that seem very pedestrian at first blush.Īfter trying (mainly buying & selling) many different speakers (and amps, preamps, etc.) over the last several years, I decided a month or two ago to give the A-N kit speakers a try. I am not into booming bass, not into audio parlor tricks, and not into flat, un-dynamic boxed speakers (and these adjectives apply to nearly all multi-way bass-reflex or sealed boxed speakers in my experience). I've been a SET-and-horn guy for a couple years (back horns) so you know where my priorities are: coherence, directness, dynamics - musicality. It's been awhile since I've felt compelled to write a review of anything, but I do feel compelled to speak about these babies - even though it's already been said. Review by Paul Folbrecht on Augat 21:09:56 Manufacturer URL: Audio Note Model Picture: View Model: Kit 03 - Standard Category: Speakers Suggested Retail Price: $1,950 USD without cabinets Description: Matched and calibrated silver voice coil tweeters, silver voice coil 98dB woofers and crossovers. ![]()
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