Horn Speakers Personified – Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE SIGNATURE Speakers

“…As soon as the speakers are on, the sound is noticeably more dense and flavorful by several folds than last time! As for instruments such as the saxophone and the guitar, they sound more open. If I were to close my eyes, I’d think I’m listening to a pair of large horn speakers. When the vocals come on, it sounds as though I am sitting right in front of the singer, yet the most remarkable thing is that the singer is so emotionally committed that as a listener, I cannot help but be drawn into the song through to the end…”

“Whether it was this Peter [Qvortrup] or that Peter [Snell], they both saw speakers as the resonance chamber in musical instruments, so neither Peters liked to use sound-absorbing foam. Audio Note took a further step in using Russian birch plywood to make speakers. Birch plywood is one of the best timber available, and is usually used to make pianos and other instruments; Russian-made ones in particular are the best of the best. This naturally benefits the sound quality. American pine plywood were perceived to be the best in antique speakers, and it’s precisely because it resonates more than MDF. Audio Note’s choice in Russian birch has the very same effect.”

“The most surprising thing is, even though this has the same 8” foam-edge blue hemp woofer, the same silver coil [as the AN-E/SPe HE], this is just as good as the bigger 12” bass, if not better with a clearer, bouncier and more vivid sound.”

The Tube World Monthly – December 2018