Unfortunately for all of us the sound coming from our set always is a pale imitation of the sound produced at a live music experience. In my opinion each set, high-end or not, is only a poor imitation. I even dare to say that good reproduced sound doesn't really exist. But it is fun to try to get as close as possible to the "reality". After all, that s our common hobby, right? My main criterion is that a set sounds nice and comfortable, not perfect.
I regret that the main part of the hi-fi fans I know, have very strict opinions about how the ideal set should sound like, without ever having heard an instrument in a live setting. Comments like there is an edge to the sound of that violin or trumpet, "the deep bass of the large drum and bass are not correct" or "the sound is not open, are most often coming from people who have created their own frame of reference by selecting a set which sounds like they think it should be, but that sound is usually far from "realistic". In itself there is nothing wrong with that, but it's not my cup of tea.
About taste we can argue for ever, and my ears are only for my own reference of course.
This reference has been build up by visiting approximately ten concerts a year in Paradiso, Melkweg and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. With that in mind I can say this set sounds very realistic. And that is incredibly important to me!
I started a long time ago as a kid, about ten years old. First with dads old stuff and then slowly, very slowly climbing the quality ladder with sometimes "obscure" brands like Akai, Philips, Aristona, JVC, Bose, Technics, Yamaha, Sony, T&A, Elipson, Audio-Analyse, Teac, Audio Synthesis and QED to what it is now. And of course there were cables like Monitor PC, Van den Hul and Audioquest in the early days.
1994. One evening I was caught by the Audio Note virus. When I was a member of a Dutch audio club this brand was demonstrated by Mr. Ed de Jong. It was overwhelming!
In those days I bought all my stuff at Renaissance Audio in Amsterdam, the finest shop in town. Its owner, Kees Ooms, was a very enthusiastic Audio Note lover and showed me much more Audio Note components which I found great listening to.
1995. I bought my first piece of Audio Note. Its integrated line amplifier Soro SE (18 watt class A, single-ended 6L6G). It replaced my also integrated Audio Analyse PA 90.
1996. My speakers, Elipson 1303 with Foster tweeter (89db), are replaced by the Audio Note E/SP (94 db).
October 2000. I bought myself a Magnum Dynalab 101A with the marvellous ST-2 FM antenna and sold my Yamaha TX-900 to a colleague.
End 2001. The Audio Note Soro was replaced by the wonderful sounding, integrated, Audio Note Meishu (9 watt class A, single-ended 300B).
Start 2003. This amp was so unbelievably beautiful that I didn't hesitate to buy a double Meishu the Audio Note P4 mono blocks (18 watt class A, parallel single-ended 300B). They sound just the same as the Soro but now with double power and an enormous drive. The easiness of the soundstage was very realistic and overwhelming. For several years I used them together with a passive preamp made by QED. Later that year I replaced my TEAC VRDS 20 by a CEC TL-2X with an Audio Synthesis DAC, a great step forward.
Mid 2006. I replaced the Audio Synthesis DAC by the Audio Note DAC 3.1X balanced, and at the end of that year the Audio Note M3 preamp replaced the QED. I had never realized that the influence of a good preamp good have such an impact.
It brought much more rest, openness and easiness to the sound.
Start 2007. I could sell my old Audio Note E/SP speakers for a nice price and bought myself the Audio Note E/SPe but now in Bösendorfer finish.
It was mostly for the eye but worth every Euro.
September 2008. I got an offer I could not refuse. Someone offered me a pair of Audio Note Ankoru mono blocks (70 watt class A, parallel single-ended 845), and of course I couldnt resist them. What a great power, but again with lots of easiness in the soundstage.
They bring (even) more detail and (even) more air in voices and instruments which go (even) deeper and (even) wider, but most of all: it sound so much relaxed.
October 2008. I did my last audiophile exuberance up to now.
The CEC TL-Ox is my favourite for many years and now Im able to buy one for a good price. Fantastic, what a machine, what a sound! I searched for words to describe the sound of the TL-Ox. Most of all its more realistic.
What strikes me most every time you buy a better component; you buy more air. That seems quite strange when you just read this, but sounds great when you let your ears do the reading!
August 2009. My new ordered Shuguang 845 Metal Plates arrived. What a difference compared with the Suguang 845B! A smoother sound, a fuller and more correct bass, a bigger soundstage and (even) more (micro) details.
Despite my many years of audio experience it still surprises me how much influence different tubes can have on the sound.
June 2010. After a critical note from a friend with good ears I replaced the ordinary power cord from the local construction market, which supplies the power for the complete set, for the relatively low budget Belden 19364 shielded power cord. After connecting the power cord to the set I was enthusiastic immediately. Normally I'm very sceptic about exotic and expensive power cords but this was amazing. More easiness, more air, more detail and last but not least more fundament in the bass section. I always preferred the standard power cords but the neutral sound and much less exotic Belden is an amazing improvement. You're never to old to learn something new.
Januari 2011. My best friend, who owns the same speakers as I do, told me he had made an upgrade to the speakers and therefore they sounded even better than before. Of course I became very curious and went over to his place. On my first entry into his house it became clear right away. What a great sound! He made an upgrade from AN-E/SPe to AN-E/SPe SE. Now, several weeks later, the same upgrade took place in my speakers. The burn in process has been completed and the improvement is beyond every expectation.
March 2011. Because I don't listen to the radio very often anymore, I sold my beloved and very musical Magnum Dynalab after 10 years of loyalty.
May 2011. For quiet some time now Ive been searching for a replacement of my Spectral rack. A few days ago I ran into a Finite Elemente Pagode Signature rack. According to most of us, myself included, one of the best and most beautiful racks available. I keep finding it strange that a bunch of shelves have so much influence on the sound. The sound is more dry, more loose and more balanced. Its also less tiring on a loud level.
In short a great gain for the complete set!
September 2011. I mounted some new feet under the Pagode Signature rack; the Carabase Classic from Finite Elements. At first the result was a complete shock! After a couple of cds I replaced them again for my old Soundcare SuperSpikes and there was my old, nice sound back again. To make a long story short. When I placed the rack upon the Cerabase without mounting them the improvement was enormous. Mounted the sound became edgy. Then what I did was to remove the metal adapters where they were screwed into and mounted them directly with wood screws into the rack. Now the improvement is significant again. Im seriously considering to put Cerabase under all the equipment.
February 2012. Ive tried to buy some used Cerabase Slimlines but I couldn't find them. So I bought them new and put them under the speaker stands and under the Ankoru mono blocks. What did change? Im afraid that its rather boring to tell. The overall sound is again more space full and balanced. And again it was a good investment which improved the complete set.
May 2012. My purchase of Cerabase Slimline dampers led me to X-ECT AudioService. They also sell, among other things, very robust power strips, milled from thick-walled aluminum box section. After a short trial, I bought one. It's more convenient, which loosens up the sound even more.
October 2014. I'd been experiencing occasional hiccups with the drive for a while. Finally, on the advice of Ton van der Veeken, the current importer of CEC (http://www.guruaudio-benelux.com/pages/home), I sent the TL0-X to Germany. Communication with the repair service there was very poor (read: nonexistent), but all the better with Ton. After a few weeks, it was repaired, and Ton picked it up for me from Hamburg (he had to be there anyway...) and personally delivered it to my home. That's service many could learn from!
February 2015. The meter cupboard desperately needed updating, so I immediately took the opportunity to have a separate circuit installed for the system. This resulted in a "cleaner" sound, best described as a more open, calmer, and transparent soundstage.
May 2015. Our nine-month-old dog, Kondo, was a little too curious about my speakers and unfortunately chewed the foam of the right speaker to pieces. So I made a phone appointment with Ernst from Total Speaker Repair (http://www.total-speaker-repair.nl/) in Bedum, Groningen. In my opinion, the specialist for this kind of job. I brought them in the morning, spent a day in Groningen, and picked them up neatly repaired in the afternoon. They're now playing like new again.
May 2016. Unfortunately, in June of last year, the same old problem with my TL0 resurfaced every now and then. Since I'd built a good relationship with Ton van der Veeken (the Dutch importer), I called him. The warranty on the repair had just expired, but Ton immediately contacted CEC Germany. I sent my drive back to them. They couldn't find anything, were very difficult, communicated very poorly, and I ended up having the drive returned. A few weeks later, back home, the same problem resurfaced. I filmed it and sent it to Ton, who forwarded it to Germany and Japan. At the end of November 2015, I brought my drive to Ton. He then took it to Fred Louwersheimer of Q-Analogue (a friendly repairman in The Hague). He found one of the causes within a day. The motors weren't what they should be, so two new motors were sent from Japan. Fred installed these, along with two new belts and a new laser.
Except for the strings and the laser, everything was covered by the previous repair warranty! After playing at Ton's house for a few days, the problem recurred! According to CEC Japan, it was due to a less smooth-running bearing (measured by the run-out time after stopping the CD), so a new, pre-positioned drive shaft with bearing was sent from Japan and expertly installed by Fred again. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the solution at first, but Japan assured Ton that the new shaft would have to run non-stop for at least a week to become nice and smooth. No sooner said than done. Combined with a little "Haarlem oil," this significantly increased the run-out time, and the problems finally seemed to be solved. Unfortunately, at the end of March, on the evening before I was supposed to pick up my drive, it turned out there was more to the problem.
CEC Japan was called in again. Ken Ishiwata, the man behind CEC, personally intervened. Through several emails, in which I was also cc'd, various solutions were suggested, which Fred then worked on. Ultimately, it turned out that the shaft they'd just sent wasn't right, so a new one was sent from Japan and installed by Fred. Thanks in part to his extensive knowledge and experience, everything ultimately worked out, and now, after six months, I finally have my beloved fully overhauled movement back.
Throughout this entire process, Ton kept me regularly updated by email or WhatsApp on the latest findings and developments. Thanks to Ton's dedication and the smooth cooperation of CEC Japan, the costs were incredibly reasonable.
I can now say that this movement now sounds better than it ever has since I bought it in 2008!
It's wonderful that there are still importers willing to dedicate themselves so selflessly to their customers. Even if, like me, they didn't even buy new from them, meaning I didn't actually make any money. I'm glad a top brand like CEC has the top importer it deserves. Big thumbs up for Ton van der Veeken of Hear Everything Audio! (http://www.heareverything.nl/).
March 2018. As you can read in the chronology above, I'm always positive. So I find it very sad to have to share the story below with you, especially since it concerns my still much-loved Audio Note. But this needs to be told.
I bought a 3-meter AN-Vx interconnect and wanted to have it made into three 1-meter cables. So who better to contact than Peter Quatrup for a quote? Long story short, we agreed on a price "X" and I sent the cables to Audio Note England. A few days later, I received an email from Peter Quatrup explaining that the cable wasn't 3, but 4 meters long and what he should do next. So I enthusiastically told him he could make it into four 1-meter cables. I assumed ("X": 3 x 4) would be the new price. However, when I received the bill, it suddenly turned out to be 12.5% more expensive. Naturally, I asked in email where the extra costs came from. Perhaps he had made a calculation error. There was no response. However, a few days later, I did receive an email from the administration with the more expensive bill. When I explained that I hadn't yet received a response from Peter Quatrup and wanted to wait a bit before paying, I suddenly received a reply:
"There is an extra pair of connectors on a full set, that's why. If you are unhappy about the price, I can have these taken off."
I then presented him with my calculation ("X": 3 x 4) and asked what I would do with a cable without plugs. He replied:
"I really don't have time to go into this detail, Nico. I'm sorry to say. I'll remove two of the plugs, and then the old price is fine. We do these things as a service; not many manufacturers do this kind of thing. You need to understand that I personally work 100 hours a week and try to offer the best possible service, but this is simply too much." That's how Audio Note England deals with customers who have already invested heavily in their brand and continue to do so. This entire email exchange took longer than answering my rather simple question would have taken. Apparently, this gentleman has something to hide, because after a while, when I indicated that I would just pay because removing two plugs wasn't an option, I received this vague answer:
"Thanks, it's one simple question. I agree, but when you get 30-40 a day and you're trying to run a company with 45-50 people, it feels more like you're not trusted, and I don't deal with that very well. You exclude labor from the equation, that's where the difference comes in; I overlooked labor on two of the cables."
"Suddenly," did he make a mistake in labor costs? First of all, I don't believe that, because otherwise he would have immediately come up with this simple answer. Besides, the original calculation also included labor costs, I think. Secondly, I'm used to an agreement being an agreement, and if there's a major error, you communicate that to your customer first before significantly increasing the bill. This creates the basis for that increase. It's a shame such a fantastic brand has such a poor representative...
Let me end this on a positive note. I just received my newly ordered Psvane WE845 Western Electric replicas through Grant Fidelity and immediately installed them in the Ankorus. This, along with the Psvane WE300B replicas I also ordered from them. I can't really judge whether these are actually replicas, but my first impression is very good. I realize this could also be due to the fact that the old tubes were nearing their end, so the sound quickly improved. I also want to add that I found Grant Fidelity to be a very pleasant company to do business with. Excellent communication and accessibility, with fast delivery!
November 2018. The Psvanes are now well-run. I am very satisfied and can highly recommend them!
February 2019. One of the Psvane WE845s broke. Suddenly, a lot of rumbling came from the left speaker and a "nice" purple color in one of the 845 tubes. I immediately turned off the amplifier and sent an email to Grant Fidelity in Canada. Even though the three-month warranty had expired, they're still sending me a new one as a goodwill gesture, covering shipping costs. A neat solution that I'm very happy with. This shows that there are still companies that prioritize service. Now I just need to convince customs to refund the money I had to pay again at customs.
February 2021. Another one of the Psvane WE845 replicas broke. This time, a filament came loose, which now lies loose inside the tube like a ballpoint pen spring. I think three years is (too) short a lifespan for such a tube and hope for some goodwill from Grant Fidelity again. Perhaps COVID-19 has also caused financial problems here, but there's not much that can be done. Not even if I were to buy four new Linlai Global tubes. This is because Psvanne is no longer available. However, making such a large investment after only three years is not an option for me, especially since the brand doesn't mean much to me. After some searching on the internet, I found a similar Psvanne WE845 replica on eBay via Hifishark. And I could pick it up in The Hague (!?) for a reasonable price. Now I hope to be able to enjoy my Psvanne tubes for a while longer, because sonically speaking, they remain incredibly beautiful tubes!
December 2021. The CEC mechanism was malfunctioning again, so I went to the repair shop again via importer Ton van der Veeken. This time, the guys from Elektronica Service Krimpen (ESK) had the honor of fixing the problem. It turned out to be a drive belt, and they also replaced the laser. I returned the device, and I immediately realized this wasn't my sound. Loud, shrill, and definitely not CEC/Audio Note. The first thing I was told was to break it in. I now know that break-in is certainly necessary, but that this break-in process doesn't transform the sound from "bad" to "good" (https://hifi.nl/artikel_pagina4/1974/Papier-in-olie.html).
Also, very long CDs proved difficult to play, so it had to be returned to ESK. Ton still had a few lasers that had been selected and purchased by the late Mr. Stegner of CEC. According to Ken Ishiwata of CEC Japan, this man had a knack for beautiful lasers. I couldn't imagine there would be such a difference in sound between different lasers. After all these years, I should have known better. Once back home with this new laser, my old, familiar sound was back. No break-in, just spot-on. Warm, open, and detailed. Ton, thanks again for all the great care!
A misfortune never comes alone. One of the Ankorus also stopped working. After a quick search, it turned out a fuse had blown. I replaced the fuse, but it blew right back out. A real mess. At times like these, I feel blessed to know so many good people in the audio world. Peter de Bruyn of Acoustic Dimension is definitely one of them. With him, all tube equipment is in capable hands. After making an appointment, I went to see him and was able to pick it up a week later. It turned out to be a faulty rectifier that was causing a short circuit. The power supply capacitors also needed replacing. Because this affects the sound, the other side also needed to be replaced, so when I picked one up, I immediately took the other one with me, and Peter took care of that one as well. The choke in the power supply for the output tubes was also malfunctioning, causing a humming sound that has been audible for a while. Unfortunately, Peter didn't have it in stock, so they're on order.
Now everything is working as usual again, and I'm happy to have my beautiful sound back.
February 24, 2022. Kees Ooms, my best friend, passed away today at the age of 77 after a long illness. He was a visionary in the audio world and one of the first to introduce Audio Note to the Dutch market. For him, it was the only brand that could realistically convey musicality and emotion. Something I discovered through him, and I remain deeply grateful for that. He also introduced me to beautiful, unusual music. Thanks to him, many audio and music lovers were set on a new path forever. Rest in peace, my friend…
February 2023. Ever since I bought my Finite Elemente Pagode Signature rack in 2011, I've been searching for the Pagode Master Reference rack from the same brand. Not because I'm dissatisfied with it. On the contrary, I'm still impressed by the musical purity and tranquility of the soundstage. But since that purchase, I've been curious about its bigger brother. Can it add anything? I'm quite skeptical about that, so it has to be a secondhand one that can't cost too much.
Now, 12 years later, it finally happened!
Believe it or not, I heard a difference from the very first notes.
That can't be true... imagination... wishful thinking...
But after listening for a while, it only confirmed it. The first thing I noticed was that the bass had become fuller and tighter. In addition, the entire soundstage is more refined, which is reflected in, among other things, a more pleasant treble response and, here we go again, more air.
The difference between the two racks is significant and exceeds my expectations.
May 2025. And the same problem with the TL0X resurfaced. So back to Krimpen. They took everything apart again and completely overhauled it. After a month, I got it back; it worked fine for a few weeks, and then it was back to square one. Terribly frustrating, and the device was gone for a while. After a week of running it, they hadn't had any problems, so they asked for a CD that showed the problem. But that was pointless, because the problem happened with any CD.
July 2025. So back to Krimpen again. They were also going crazy, of course, and came up with all sorts of crazy ideas, like a remote control that might be too close to the device, and other nonsensical suggestions. The device was returned in August, and a hefty bill. That's fine, as long as the device holds up.
September 2025. But you can sense it coming, right? Back to Krimpen again in September. Everything has already been replaced, so yeah, just say it. Ultimately, it turned out to be due to two dirty sensors located under two holes in the platter where you place the CD. These sense the CD and the puck and have now been cleaned. All's well that ends well? You almost don't dare believe it anymore.
December 2025. Since the rise of high-end streaming, I've become interested in it. And although several people around me switched to this medium some time ago, it wasn't a done deal for me yet. I quickly saw the advantages of the ease of use and having access to (almost) every conceivable album by (almost) every conceivable artist. Still, in my experience, the sound quality lagged behind my CEC TL0X / Audio Note DAC 3.1x combo.
After A-B comparing several devices at home, I eventually came across Grimm Audio. I had heard a system from them at VAD a few years ago and was quite impressed. Perhaps I should try their streamer at home? So I started looking for a dealer.
I found Listening Matters in Hilversum online, where Marc Bosman is the store manager. A funny coincidence is that I've known Marc since 1990. Back then, he worked at Art Fidelity in Amsterdam, and I once bought a pair of beautiful Elipson 1303s from him. We'd run into each other occasionally in the years that followed, as it's a small (audio) world after all. So I called him first, and even though we hadn't seen or spoken to each other in at least 20 years, he recognized me immediately. Of course, I was allowed to come over and pick up the MU1 to try out at home.
Once connected, there was no sound from the speakers. I'd connected everything correctly, hadn't I? After a lot of searching, I accessed the MU1's settings and discovered that it's set to 4x oversampling by default. Apparently, that's not compatible with my current DAC, because after I changed this setting to 2x oversampling, the music finally played, and the listening could begin. It sounded great right away, but in the A-B comparison with my own equipment, it still fell short. Especially in a (slightly) smaller space. That was my biggest pain point. I'd decided beforehand that I wouldn't want to lose ANY quality, and preferably improve it. That's quite a challenge when you're used to Audio Note...
Because the MU1 couldn't get the most out of my DAC, I figured that might also be the reason for the disappointing spaciousness. So I consulted Marc about trying the MU2. No difference in terms of streamer, but with a built-in DAC and preamp. After first comparing it A-B with my drive/DAC and hearing virtually no (!) difference, I then disconnected my preamp and started using just the MU2. Again, no (!) difference. Well, now it was getting really appealing. No more buying CDs, control everything from the comfort of your own home, and be completely up-to-date on audioland. Marc was very realistic with his trade-in prices, and I didn't necessarily need the absolute best, so after a brief conversation, we reached a mutually satisfactory agreement. Anyone who had ever told me I'd be (partially) saying goodbye to Audio Note would have been crazy. A strange end to an otherwise relatively quiet audio year.
Responses are welcome. Happy listening everyone!
My set in Dutch:
https://my.hifi.nl/index.php?user=2033
A review of my old set (in Dutch):
http://www.hifi.nl/allesover.php?id=1974
