SYNERGY SORTED ! Audio Note iZero and AX One/2 Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2024
- Made by one of the most individualistic companies in the HiFi world. I review the Audio Note iZero amplifier, AX-One/2 speakers and the Zero system as a whole.
Link to sponsor's webpage:
premiumsound.co.uk/?...
Link to manufacturers webpage:
www.audionote.co.uk/products
Link to my Patreon:
/ abritishaudiophile
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Time stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:14 Audio Note iZero Amplifier
6:16 Audio Note AX-One/2 Speakers
12:47 Audio Note Zero System - เพลง
Amazing amp with signature sound, when I got it first time- I spent 5 hours and couldn’t stop listening same album and it performed better and better with every 30 minutes. Amazing performance!
Thank you for sharing your experience with the IZero 😊
🙏THANKS TARUN,FOR HELPING THE AUDIOPHILE COMMUNITY…🤔SYNERGY IS A GREAT THING 🤗💚💚💚
Thank you 😊
Hi Tarun. Thanks for the excellent review. In answer to your question. Listening to music is my priority but as much as having a complete HiFi from one manufacturer has its obvious benefits (synergy being the most significant), I’d get bored over time and make changes to the components, so the synergy would be compromised over time. I have to admit to myself that it isn’t just about the music… I like experimenting with different components and seeing what sounds good, better, best. After getting my Willsenton R8 and Monitor Audio speakers recently my wife said “wow this sounds great, but I know you won’t keep them for good”. I know she was right 😆😎🎵
That is a great anecdote. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Hi Tarun, the idea of buying everything from one manufacturer takes us right back to the golden age of HiFi. It certainly looked really cool to have a big stereo tower with every component of the same brand and the same line. I guess you could do that with the Audio Note iZero as well. There is plenty to like. But as in the 70's / 80's, the speakers may be the the one component that is likely to be from a different manufacturer. Having said all this, I would not do this my self. I would mix and match, it is part of the fun.
Thank you Hugo 😊
once again my friend a very informative and well done video!!!! thankyou for your channel !!
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Audio Note has built a brand. You know what it is. Analog. Imperfect. I've never experienced great hifi ever in a home and I bet many here haven't either so we've got little or no basis of comparison for 'warmth' and all it cousins. However to get to the heart of the matter I find that imperfection in so much music I listen to; voices especially and strings of all sorts, and reed instruments, it is imperfection which is the source of beauty. There is beauty in imperfection. Especially voices, but I repeat. So imperfection in hifi, no problem. Nothing is perfect. Embrace imperfection.
Its the same with musicians.. Those that make errors/mistakes are playing on the "edge" and that's where the magic happens...Those playing everything "note perfect" are playing well within their limits and that's often when the music sounds contrived.
Me?..A professional musician.
I’ve found that as resolution and accuracy of playback improves, imperfections, or subtle details in performances can become more apparent. Like slight wavering in vocals.
Issue with AN is it is massively over priced for what it does...I have the 4.1 Signature DAC and it was absolutely inferior to the Totaldac triunity DAC I ended up with..Of course, to each their own, but AN tends to be uncompetitive in the price brackets it competes in. There are incredibly analog sounding pieces of gear these days. My feeling is AN market is under attack from those brands. They need to step it up for the prices they are charging.
Thank you for sharing your perspective 😊
I did enjoy this review immensely and really love your in-depth insights into the internals. A little pricey for me, but I'm sure many will include these components into their signal parh. Thank you for your great content, time, and knowledgeable perspectives. Have a wonderful weekend, Sir.
Thank you kindly Simon 😊👍
Great review. As usual.
Thank you Jim. Much appreciated 😊👍
Good to see you Tarun at the Northwest Audio Show at the weekend.
Great to see you too. Thanks for stopping and chatting 😊👍
Terrific as always Tarun. I can see the appeal of keeping components in the same family, especially preamps and amplifiers, but a lot of the fun (neurosis) for some audiophiles is the mix and match game. Thanks!
Thank you Bryan. Much appreciated 😊👍
Wonderful review | insight as usual Tarun.
And as someone whom grew up in the Linn | Naim camp, I hold the importance of both synergy | PRAT just as vital today, as they were for me in 1984.
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Thanks a lot Tarun! Was a long time waiting to see something in regards of AN on your channel 😊. I just own a new Meishu Tonmeister 300b Silver Signature and yes it gets pretty quick expensive once you are starting with Level 4, but even I always tried to avoid AN, those guys know perfectly well the tube side ;-) The synergie of their complete chain is for sure one of the best...YES, AN is way too expensive, BUT they invested a lot in their products and thats what i appreciate and willing to pay for!! And you see it also in the used market, very rarely seen and still expensive, says a lot in those living-fast-hifi-ultra-craziness, thanks a lot!
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊
Good review! It is not surprising that a system works better than different brand separates as the testing and listening is done in house.
Thank you 😊
Great review.
Thank you 😊
Thanks Tarun, great to see a whole system review. It makes sense for that system synergy which is the holy grail of the Hifi journey mixing and matching as we go along. Though I think we like the challenge of this! 😅. It makes sense to go with known partnering brands in my opinion.
Thank you Phil 👍
Thank you so much for this complete review! Excellent work and detail as always. I think Audio Note like all higher end audio focus on their premiere products which have built their reputation over he years. This system as fine as it is being the lowest of their offerings is probably as far from their pinnacle performance as any components. That is not a slight against them but a likely reality of a company making $750,000 amplifiers versus this system, the name will only carry so far. For the price it would be hard to pass up a opportunity to hear this system in a small room setup to feel how the warmth of it's delivery. It certainly is unquestionable quality and it's not priced out of reach by that much for many. You make it tempting to make the trip to the nearest show room which for me is about a day away. Thank again!
Thank you my friend. AN Zero DAC and amp are the stars of the show 😊👍
Andy Grove had designed a similar amplifier decades ago for hifi world magazine. This Zero setup I believe, is available in India.
Thx for sharing 😊
Had the pleasure of listening to Audio Note at the highend show at Whittlebury earlier this year,I thought it would be decent but I was pleasantly suprised at what it could do.
Easily producing decent drive and bass,even on the Lee "Scratch"Perry dub reggae cd being used in demonstration.
I have a close friend I attended the show with and he is lucky enough to own some Audio Note Kendo gear and there is absolutely no comparison.
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Thank you for sharing 😊
Great video as always! I noticed that you covered all of the Zero range components except the R Zero ii phono stage? Any chance you could do a bonus episode and cover it?
Thank you. Unfortunately, I can’t set up a turntable effectively in my current location. There is a plan for the future 😊👍
Great review as always. Exactly why I subscribe. And I'm happy to throw few quid your way via Patreon. Well worth it.
There's just something about the sound of valves n'cest pas?
About gear from the same family. Guess it can work if you enjoy the "house sound".
Thank you Gerald. Wise words and thank you for the continued support😊👍
Excellent review again and good of you to point out that AN still make a one box CD player with a Philips drive and DAC (which today is a rare thing). As for one maker systems; I'd say the famous British makers used to be at least more interesting at offering that. The 80s and 90s were an ideal period for finding perfect multi-brand systems and you'd have specialists that made ideal matches for other products such as John Farlowe's Exposure amps with Stewart Tylers ProAc speakers. Perhaps there are fewer interesting one-make system choices these days but still a lot of great inter-maker matches which you always point out in your reviews.
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Whoa price wise way out of my league!
Build setup over time ⏲️
Doesn't happen overnight
Thx for sharing 😊
And this is the brand's "poor man's" range? 😮
I can happily listen through a Denon DM41 or a reasonable boom box.
Infact some bands come across better. 'The Fall' comes to mind.
@@timleelim9930 "And this is the brand's "poor man's" range? "
Don't forget that at one time Audio Note held the world record for the most expensive domestic HiFi amp ($100 000 for an Ongaku). The fact that it sold at all suggested that it had something special for those with an unlimited budget. I'm just a humble DIY builder but I'm a big fan of AN components, even (or especially) at the price.
I have been into the HiFi hobby for about 50 years and if I were to replace all my kit (some of which is actually 50 years old) with new items then it would come to significantly more than the cost of the system under review. It is a lot to spend in one go but very few of us actually do that - maybe one expensive component every couple of years. As ever, your mileage may vary. 😀
Very Good!!!
Thank you 👍
I can't say I have enough experience in this field, but my Atoll IN100/MS120 amp/streamer combination does sound very balanced, and I like it very much.
I've swapped my Innuos Pulse Mini for the MS120 streamer and didn't regret it at all.
So, yes, buying from the same producer does make sense for me, and yes, it does bring back memories of my humble HiFi beginnings back in the 80s
Thank you 😊
Unison Research & Opera speakers are also a match in heaven.
Grtz Phil
Cool 😎
Great review!!! PLEASE!!! review the Musical Paradise MP701 MK3 Pre amp!!! Best upgrade I've ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you. I will look into it 👍
MP 301 also great, cost only 500€ !!
I like to choose the same brands within domains, but not for a while system: e.g. Dynaudio loudspeakers and subwoofers, Rotel pre/power amplification, Teac transport and Dac, Puritan power conditioner and grounding cable. Because these are also tonally quite neutral and the Rotels have enough current to power the Dynaudios, they synergise very well.
Thx for sharing 😊
What you say of related brands is very much so. There are other brands that will as well. The brands without the budget suffer from lack of exposure. With social media, that could be mitigated. I can’t speak of what costs are. Don’t know, it’s all about choice and knowing what we listen to. What’s important is in the hands of the customer. Choice is still theirs. Great review, enjoyed it. Cheers.
Thank you Mark 👍
Another winner Tarun I’ve always thought Audio Note was well beyond my budget but apparently not….damn….there goes 30 years of settling for less
Thanks Bryan. Worth checking them out 👍
Enjoyed that two part review a lot. My first (Philips) cd player had the same d/a chip, but I can't remember being very impressed with the sound. From memory it was soft and not very detailed, natural; yes perhaps. I would love to hear one day what Audio Note have done with it.
Cool, thanks 😊
i found Rega electronics pair nicely with ATC speakers. very happy
Cool 😎
I was just recently thinking how I wished one of the reviewers who I follow would address the topic of system synergy. . . ❤
Thank you 😊
Thanks for the review. I can see going with the DAC and amp but the CD transport seems average for the price and I don’t get speakers that only sound good with a particular amp at their price point. An interesting system but I’ll pass. To answer your question, I’m a fan of matching components for looks and compatibility but I like trying different speakers with my equipment. I believe good equipment should sound good as long as basic needs are met such as power to match the speaker impedance. Yamaha matches their amps with their speakers but their top-line equipment sounds good if you change it up too. Rock on!
Thx for sharing 😊
I must ask Audio Note UK why they didn't send you the CDT Zero? They already sent you the matching DAC and the CD player duplicates it.
I wanted to test two different sources for CD enthusiasts and people who like streaming and are likely to use their own streaming transport 😊
Thanks for the review, Tarun. You obviously "get" the concept of a HiFi manufacturer producing a complete system of components which work well together.
I can think of other manufacturers who produce systems with their own synergy (as you state, Linn and Naim spring immediately to mind). Although all the components are good, the total is greater than sum of the parts. These are systems for enjoying music, not for those who look at the paper specifications. (A Dodge Viper may have buckets of power but the driving experience of a Lotus is preferred by many...)
Thank you for sharing 😊
let me guess. highly recommended
I carefully select the products I get in for review and return those that I don’t like. If I have done my homework they should get a “Highly Recommended.” If you are looking for something more negative and cynical this is not the channel to come to 😊
House systems or sister brand systems are safe options but does an audiophile really stop at that? You might say that a true hifi enthusiast does not stop until every component of their system is maximised for quality/synergy, regardless of brand.
Thx for sharing 😊
Hello ABA. what filter are your decibel readings; A or C?
It is just a basic phone app to get a rough idea. It doesn’t state the weighting 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Hello, it makes a big difference. DbA filters out all the bass and is mostly used for industrial noise. DbC readings measure bass and will be quite different.
It seems to me that the Audionote A1.0 electronics or just the amp would pair well with the Sebsalius speakers. What do you think?
No idea what a "Sebsalius" is but if you mean the Sibelius, then yes, I think they would be a great match.
Certainly worth trying 😊
@@gaborozorai3714 so you lied , and did know - be nice , no likes a punk -
@@reserva120 I know I was a bit nasty, trying to make a point. One should not publish (ie. make available to a larger number of people) a comment without checking and realizing that a word - here specifically a composer's name - has been butchered completely. It just irritates me as I find it disrespectful.
@@gaborozorai3714 we’ll Post it note style writing- which all this has devolved into- You may wish to have a cigar , bit a wine and let one or two just go by from time to time ..
You can have 2 of these 3 qualities; cost, convenience or quality i.e. "fast, good or cheap". But whatever the combination, you have to sacrifice the third.
I guess it depends on what your benchmark is 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 My 'benchmark' greatly exceeds the reach of my resources.
Ryder Cup shirt... you play golf? I find golf similar to hi-fi in that I somehow collected 4 sets of golf clubs just like I've somehow collected 6 stereo systems.
Thanks, not many better ways to spend a day than 18 holes followed by the 19th on a sunny day 😎👍
Not a fan of one brand system as the are “tuned” relative to all components. I think it would be hard to add something else in the chain. A great blended system example would be Billie Heaven 11, with Dali Minuet, and a Blue SoundNode X….killer system for the money.
Thx for sharing 😊
why do,u never review the British brand DNM? You like it because it comes with its own cables and their thin even the speaker cables!! it's there philosophy. I'm dying for you to review one of the amplifiers power or pre amplifier or the set. same form factor as audio note u got. Can't you reach out to them they make their own capacitors as well. you just don't hear them mention much these days very obscure brand but very good in my opinion.
There are still plenty of brands I haven’t covered yet 😊
"Welcome to part one" while this is already part two 😅
Maybe "Tuner" needs to be replaced by "Streamer/Streamer"?
Or just label them my numbers 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Yes like Rega
2.5m is closer to 8 ft , not 10! Mind you, with the current state of the American educational system being of 3rd world standards I doubt that many of them could tell the difference anyway!
Apologies, my error 🤣
No matter what you buy or spend, unless you deal with the room, you're wasting your money.
Indeed. Two words to bare in kind - positional equalisation 😊
What who ?
Legendary TDA1543 ? I say infamous TDA1543, a poor knock off of the truthly legendary TDA1541. The TDA1543 is a cheap crap DAC designed for the as cheap as possible CD players at the time. Using this TDA1543 without filtering is the stupiest thing to do anyway unless you like undesierable distortion.
Expensive system that I wouldn't consider for this price, not worthy of 2 videos.
Audio Note pursue a sound aesthetic that is a lifelong addiction for some enthusiasts. You either get it or you don't. They also focus very strongly on complete systems. So maybe reviewing the components individually was not entirely necessary, but Tarun probably decided to keep a level playing field and treat these components like all others he has on the channel.
@@gaborozorai3714thank you. That is exactly right. I wanted to know how these components performed individually as well as the system as a whole 😊👍
May we have your contact details, please? We would like to exchange knowledge about amplifiers with you. Like to hear some professional advice from you.