AudioNote did it again...

We reviewed the AN-iZero. This is the entry level integrated amplifier from AudioNote, but the results were quite surprising!
Check out our AN Cobra review here: • Audio Note Cobra Integ...
Chapters:
Specifications - 0:00
Review - 2:18
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Audio Excellence Inc. is a high end audio/video store in Markham, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. We've been in business since 1991.
Check out our interviews with designers and audio luminaries like Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Paul McGowan of PS Audio, Paolo Tezzon of Sonus faber, Wendell Diller of Magnepan, John Atkinson of Stereophile, Dan D'Agostino of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Nelson Pass of Pass Labs and others.
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[@shanestephenson8423]

Great job guys. As usual the journey you three take is as enjoyable as the actual equipment you're reviewing.😁👍🎧

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Always love seeing your editing - inserts - lol. Looking forward to seeing you all again Saturday =)

[@edmaster3147]

Love Vilips statement, the amp making it possible understanding the artist. That is exactly what for me the main factor is in audio, I like gear that 'lets understand what the artist means'. It has to make sense. I love losing track of time while enjoying the music. Then the gear is great. It happens to me daily... Love the AN gear.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

Your negative is your negative. I think the conversational approach to your reviews capture important considerations in the vetting process of making a purchase. Very helpful.

[@bencausey]

Absolutely love your reviews. Tiny point of critique - I wish you wouldn’t read through every last spec of the unit - you could simply flash that for a few seconds, and those interested could pause and read. Thanks.

[@damonsbest]

I agree regarding the specs. Hear us out champs

[@adrianlow2114]

@@damonsbest good idea thanks

[@craigenputtock]

Agree.

[@paulmastermann2200]

@@adrianlow2114 right thanks

[@susokraut3169]

Yeah, specs don’t matter at all, all that counts are subjective impressions that have no basis whatsoever and high price and lots of distortion

[@Ricky-cl5bu]

Great review as usual

[@Michael-xz1nk]

I'm with Lewis. It's all most would ever need.

[@jmbaug1229]

Excellent content 👌🏼 very pleasant to watch 😄 J.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks!

[@brown-eyedman4040]

Maybe a review of the AN-K speakers. Always interested in high efficiency stand-mounts.

[@markpreston3406]

undoubtedly one of the most musical 'real world' compact 'speakers out there..

[@thevintagehifiambassador8524]

Hello. Audio Note: The CD 2.1x Mk I the first one. Will it work with my Sudgen A21 SE Signature integrated or my Sudgen HA-4 headphone preamplifier or my Exposure 3010 s2d preamplifier or my Exposure 2510 integrated or my Cambridge Audio A500 because of these 100 kOhm impedance I suppose no amp of mine has. Kind regards. Jeff

[@carlsitler9071]

Based on my understanding of the market, $5k amps aren't flying off the shelf so I guess there is a 500% to 1000% markup from manufacturing cost so guys can stay in business. The tiny amount of buyers are going to shrink another 90% in 2023. Maybe I can get some good "going out of business" deals.

[@edwinfermin9142]

Awesome video as usual! How would this compare to the Synthesis Roma 96DC? I know the Roma is more money but it’s cheaper than the Cobra. So maybe a closer comparison?

[@jeffkalina7727]

Pass Labs least expensive amp is its most musical. XA25.

[@GjbMcN]

Maybe it’s me but in this clip when the camera image fidelity is fine on fillip or louis the switches back to Adrian you it’s soft focus blurry. Is it a technical issue or vanity? BTW my favourite Nessun dorma version is by Plácido Domingo and my best piece by Pavarotti is Bononcini Griselda Per la Gloria on Pavarotti In Concert 1974

[@adrianlow2114]

I'm glad you also like Nessun Dorma. I prefer Pavarotti as I like his clearer voice. Will check out your Pavarotti recommendation. Re the lack of focus, it was likely a set up error

[@gaborozorai3714]

I've heard several AN systems several times but only at shows. Almost always very impressive, particularly in that the Level 0 systems clearly try to tread the same path as everything else up to the Ongaku. I believe that the musicality everyone comments on is an added flavour (colouration after all) of perceived "naturalness". The higher you go up the price range the less that flavour impinges upon audiophile technicalities such as transparency and resolution especially at higher volumes. What AN is NOT, at any "Level" is good value. Those Chinese amps, with high efficiency speakers can be excellent and are unbeatable value.

[@MrBazsi888]

Indeed child labour + overtime shifts can lead to unbeatable values, but it's not a good value for the health status of that particular slave employee... but who cares ???

[@gaborozorai3714]

@@MrBazsi888 I don't think it's right to view the manufacture of relatively small volume, high cost items under the same light as that of items mass produced in sweatshops. I am sure that working conditions are very far from what would be expected in Germany, but withholding business from these manufacturers will only make the plight of their working and middle class Chinese employees worse not better, in both the short and long term.

[@MrBazsi888]

i dont want to generalize the situation in china, but their key advantage is due to slavery & copycat designs. i dont want to provoke them, but i would never compare value wise an AN product to anything in china (without any warranty & safety regulations regarding the electrical parts). it's not a fair comparison at least. especially not AN.

[@gaborozorai3714]

@@MrBazsi888 Copycat? Tube amp circuit designs have been in the public domain for decades. And there are many reputable brands with decent quality and safety controls and long standing western distribution. Line Magnetic, Ming Da, Cayin, Opera-Consonance etc. I appreciate the design effort and quality of self-manufactured parts that go into AN gear but the pricing is still over the top. Value pricing as is normally done in the luxury goods market. Prices that are very far removed from actual manufacturing costs, and that includes the undeniable "artistry" of musical tuning. Not that AN are the only culprits in the luxury pricing spiral...

[@MrBazsi888]

@@gaborozorai3714 until now no other manufacturer values musicality & reserach like AN does, I'm not against their price policy... there are no real competitors next to Audio Note. just a few handful manufacturer have the same principles as AN. music comes first, and everything else is secondary. their entry level stuff is not even expensive anymore. you exactly know what i'm talking about regarding china... there is no discussion. self-manufactured parts are not just more expensive to make but also take long time to fine tune and measure back the ultimate sonical coupling between the whole equipment range. just to manufacture a transformator is way more complicated if your goal is to reach above industry standard levels. and lets not bring in the raw earth materials along the AN chain... special copper & unique silver metal versions are not easy to get hold off after proper R&D steps.

[@LS-ti6jo]

"Right out of the bat"

[@Ricky-cl5bu]

You’s are definitely selling me on audio note

[@Michael-bj4sz]

I missed the unboxing on this one too. Can’t find it anywhere?

[@bikemike1118]

How old are you, Michael?! Older than 15 years..? Unboxing is only „interesting“ for children … not for men any more! Keep that in mind!

[@pacificateur3630]

RIp Villips. Why Lewis reviews always seems like his wife is earpiece telling him what to say…😅

[@paulpaulzadeh6172]

Really really good , pleasant sound, very happily surprising sound, Quastions: what kind of sound it is ??!!!

[@markpreston3406]

as a recent convert to AN i can tell you it's an extremely dangerous sound - you will never get anything done (apart from listening to music) at home again..

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

You don't miss it !!!......Indeed ........but it's THERE in the RIGHT proportions , with is not the case with many Hi-end amplifiers because they do it WRONG !

[@careyriddell7780]

I have known for 25 years, Vilip has a gifted ear for sound, and is a good guy.

[@dennishaley4443]

Why was he fired ........

[@seanb3303]

100 pairs? Do you pay MoFi upfront?

[@kloss213]

Small amp large horns = no limits

[@jeffkalina7727]

As I listen and Multi task I missed any comment about a remote or no remote?

[@vilipmak3973]

No remote.

[@CheekyFest]

"We threw 3 different speakers at it" ...and it broke ! :p

[@mick-iq9bd]

why is it out of focus???

[@hectoralvarez941]

Cobra is class A/B also

[@adrianlow2114]

It's class A, push pull

[@michelbibikoff904]

Hello I'm french so please forgive my poor english. I just bought an AudioNote system (Oto amp, CD3 player and AN-E speakers). I went to listen to multiple systems. Some were really great, you could appreciate some or other qualities like presence, transparency, bass or high frequency response, dynamics, ... But when I went to listen to AudioNote, I just forgot to focus on these aspects. You just get into the music, wondering about the composition or interpretation of the artist. This is what people call mucality, I guess. This being said, you have technical differences between the components. And price can quickly rise.

[@vilipmak3973]

Exactly.

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Michel, tu l'as compris ce que beaucoup ne comprendront jamais ! ( mais c'est pourtant ce qu'il recherchent, j'ai beaucoup d'amis comme ca mais ils choisissent avec leur cerveau et pas avec leur ame )

[@winchwhip]

Did you purchase your equipment in Quebec?

[@michelbibikoff904]

@@winchwhip nope. In France

[@vaneast411]

not a small consideration the ability to listen to the music is key emotional insight

[@CheekyFest]

"starter" system with an amp at $4500Can?

[@tms372]

It's AN's entry level amp, and remember it's an integrated amp, so $4500 is at the low end of the market. Folks that purchase cheap stuff from Best Buy don't usually watch Audio Excellence.

[@enniol8043]

Starter system is a Sonos at Best Buy. This is in the context of high end audio. Starter car is a Kia, starter luxury car is a C Class Mercedes.

[@reserva120]

That makes zero sense

[@CheekyFest]

@@reserva120 What does(n't)?

[@scottwolf8633]

You guys have Audio Note Kits, right there in Canada. Get quality and save yourself a fortune by wielding a soldering iron.

[@vilipmak3973]

Actually the distributor of the AN DIY kits in Canada will assemble for a charge of $500 CAD.

[@dilbyjones]

Fast = Bass attack

[@bencausey]

“Chorale” is pronounced - “Kore - al”, as in shall or Hal. 😏

[@signalfixer]

I'm kind of a tube guy and that tube is not really a legendary tube for audio.....such as a 45 tube or a 2a3 or a 300b. This tube is so so for audio reproduction.

[@AmazonasBiotop]

The point is IF we have a hifi system that can play the whole hearable frequency range. Then if the user has knowledge and set up everything according to the book physical. And if he learn about our hearing sensitivity across the frequency range. Plus equiped with a calibrated microphone and REW. A lot of IF above 🤣 Then the most shity DSP as preamp will simulate any amplifier or speaker simultaneously fixing your room (that no electronic or speakers can do at any price point.) So actually you will NEVER need to mix and match different HW again and not rely on if you may win on the synergy lottery in your room with you electronic and your personal preferences. All that is solvable by the "IF" all the ifs are covered above. 😉

[@vilipmak3973]

You obviously have never heard a system that does what AN does.

[@AmazonasBiotop]

@@vilipmak3973 Yes, let's just spread the FUD. I could be likewise: You obviously have never heard a system that does what mine does. ;) The AN speakers can't do what mine speakers can do and it is just physical impossible with that small driver that AN speaker has. In other words the AN speaker can not physically support homo sapiens hearing and 100% not definitely our hearing sensitivity in for example ISO 226:2003. Maybe I have scientific information and knowledge that probably most hobbyist lacks or they WASTE time to learn old stuff? Another thing never trust a sales person (like in these videos). Adrian is a sales person he makes money on those inadequate AN speakers as a dealer. Then he takes the profit and buys a pair speakers that probably honestly sounds better than despite all the rave for AN (SPOILER ALERT it is not AN). His speakers can physical do the mentioned things above.. ..so in all honesty when he votes with his (yours/customers) money then it is NOT a AN system in his living room. Henry Ford said: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” But AN is good in building up their brand around faster horses. Adrian has in his living room a car of today. In other words AN is stuck in perfecting old obsolete technology. Better caps, binding post, materials and so on (just a little bit faster horse). And captured those that believe that the best of the best is better when still using topology, techniques from 1950-ties and majority of the HiFi brands is still doing that.. And missing out ALL technology advancements we have done with processors, programming, development, research and so on (car)! Just a small and easy understood example: Where is SONICALLY the best placement for doing a crossover? Is it in the low voltage domain BEFORE the power amplifier OR is it AFTER the power amplifier when it has amplified the signal. So the crossover is in-between the voice coil and the power amplifier that makes it harder for it to control the voice coil. And increased signal level require bigger and more costly crossover components to handle that higher voltages. But it is a great income stream for AN that are selling silver foil inductors, capacitors and so on. 🤣 The thing is I am a old developer and I think it's pity that people invest so much of their own time and resources to try to make the horse go a little bit faster. When if they just take a step back and looked at the issue from a helicopter perspective then they realize that IF they instead invest THAT time and resources into learning the technology of TODAY (car) they will sound quality be better off. Happy listening! 🎼🎵🎶

[@paulomontero12]

Vilip Was born late?

[@MrNicks-gn8jc]

Is she who shall not be named have the initials L.S. ?

[@vilipmak3973]

Annete Ashvik.

[@elderinmoi1571]

Fast means the ability to play fast following notes correctly in pace. It has to do with attack / decay times. That is important for rhythmic perfection and also helps with complex music not to mix it all up. So speed is something very valuable in music reproduction. No speed - no sense of realism.

[@edmaster3147]

Are tube amps fast in your opinion?

[@kimchee411]

Faster is not necessarily better. This often comes with foreshortened decay, which is unnatural. We used to talk about PRaT - Pace, Rythm, and Timing - but somehow the conversation has turned to speed speed speed.

[@edmaster3147]

@@kimchee411 Your replly suggest that a downside of fast would be that there is a loss of sensitivity on lower voltages. I'm not aware of that a problem that increases with fastness. As far as Prat etc, when an audio system is very good, I suppose that's the result and all of that is hard to achieve, a single design flaw ore an out of spec component in for instance the power source of a digital source can cause that.

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Many confuse nervous with speed .....in fact the rightfull tempo seems slower when the amplifier is VERY fast but on all frequencies ..........many give you a headache adfter some timelistening .

[@toddhupp]

Philip seems to be the true expert in the reviews.

[@incima00]

I agree - i truly appreciate his (Villip's) commentary - i would absolutely trust him to help me put together the best system for me

[@normloo1590]

Neutrality is over-rated! A "well" colored sounding system can be less fatiguing....??

[@vilipmak3973]

Neutrality will allow you to hear the recording as it was recorded/mastered - too much coloration will obscure the original sound. So, some semblance of neutrality will allow a system to sound different according to the recording. Neutrality is also mostly about tonal balance although coloration can manifest in other areas.

[@normloo1590]

@@vilipmak3973Thank you Vilip for your comment. What you say is very true. Thus, I have in quotations. AN, Shindo, are some of the most beautiful sounding electronics. Some of the older Krell and Mark Levinson stuff are consider neutral sounding. Which do you prefer? If we can talking about an integrated piece that cost $5-10K, I'll take coloration over neutrality. There is no wrong or right here. Only personal preference. On the other hand, electronics such as CH Precision, DartZeel, and the likes, I want and expect neutrality, expansive soundstage, ultra low floor noise, tonal balance, dynamic shading, coherency, and etc.

[@Gez492]

" Its not fast enough" So much BS!

[@Michael-xz1nk]

Listening to music as an audiophile, thinking and listening for all the buzz words, ruins the experience for me.

[@UfukDirim]

Putting the on/off switch in the back is hinting not to turn it off ever. Not environmentally friendly thinking in this day and age.

[@jdekong3945]

Yaaaaawn

[@jasonleyson7825]

1st!

[@phx2jrl1]

Mike stand in Lewis' face is distracting.

[@digggerrjones7345]

C'mon Christian? That thumbnail of he who shall not be named doing his messianic Paul McGowan pose with his mouth gaping open is simply repulsive.

[@susokraut3169]

so much bs talk, amazing. What is the frequency response? the distortion ? the noise ?

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

LOL

[@davidspendlove5900]

That’s irrelevant.

[@susokraut3169]

@@davidspendlove5900 no it is not, to reach high fidelity, theses characteristics must be at a high level, I.e. noise and distortion low, frequency response flat in the audible range.

[@jeffkalina7727]

If you show a readable list-as you did today- you can save time and not read all those stats. Your reviews should be compared to other amps you sell.