Valve amps, great with Jazz, shit with everything else.

[AJSki2fly]

£650 in 1986 is £1900 today.

Which is not a high price for a valve amp if you ignore the made in China stuff.

Also the price is not a guide to quality. They could just have had a large mark up and large dealer and distributor margins.

The Audionote is also a high distortion amplifier.

if the sound is distorted by the equipment no amount of room correction or room treatment is going to solve the problem. Better equipment is needed.

You are not factoring in the increased costs of components, using similar quality available today, or increased manufacturing costs.

The S500 is a good amp IMO paired with suitable speakers it makes very good noises

I don’t know the Soro but I believe Mike said he considers the S500 is better.

As I said the room is very awkward and just plonking more expensive gear in there is not going to fix the issue, based on what we know to date. As I said before anyone who under-estimates the impact of room layout, furnishings, speaker position and so on and how it impacts the end result of a sound system is fooling themselves.


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[Macca]

I agree the room has a big influence. Over the years I've had set ups in 11 different rooms. But the room and furnishing won't be the cause of the sort of distortion that Mike describes.

[fatmarley]

Sounds like room treatment or EQ is the only thing left to try.

[Mikeandvan]

I agree the room has a big influence. Over the years I've had set ups in 11 different rooms. But the room and furnishing won't be the cause of the sort of distortion that Mike describes.

All those other amps I've owned whilst at this flat must be dodgy too then, including JVC AX 1010, Naim, Quad........

[AJSki2fly]

All those other amps I've owned whilst at this flat must be dodgy too then, including JVC AX 1010, Naim, Quad........

I doubt that, I just think your dodgy, only joking I am sure it can be resolved

[jahsavage]

Low output is a problem with many valve amps.

I have heard AN/Es with a lot of very high priced Audio Note UK amps.

But when I plugged my 80 Watt 211 monos into a pair they just blew me away. Never heard them sound so good. Those monos can peak at 170 Watts.

The best AN amp I have heard on AN/Es was a 211 design. I documented it on this forum.

In all honesty I really think a lot more power is required than many of the AN amps actually provide for their own loudspeakers. Though the 211 AN amp was very good, even more power brings things even that very high priced item could not manage.

Hi Justin
Do the lights dim when you switch your amps on? They do sound scary from your description, you must have at least 4x211 per mono. As regards the AN/E, the S500 with a decent set of tubes should fill a small room with sound. Mine certainly did 30 years ago before they burnt out.

[Pharos]

If the problem is on one side only, swapping components is a useful way to eliminate.

[Mikeandvan]

However the issue still persists according to the OP. I have read people saying it's ears, etc.
I believe the issue is still the S500. Be it under powered or valve degradation/ Miss match. etc.
Or simply not up to the expectations of the user.

And you've taken into account the fact that I'm only driving AN J speakers? Hello.

[fatmarley]

Mike, Am I right in thinking you've replaced every piece of kit in your system (some multiple times), and the problem persists? Not only that, but your partner hears the same problem.

Surely It's got to be either the recordings or the room.

[AJSki2fly]

Mike, Am I right in thinking you've replaced every piece of kit in your system (some multiple times), and the problem persists? Not only that, but your partner hears the same problem.

Surely It's got to be either the recordings or the room.

If you read through the thread, long as may be, you will see virtually every aspect has been considered. Mike is in the process of moving room and hifi around and trying out some simple sound treatment to address probable mid to high frequency reflections. It is a very difficult room acoustically being nearly square, and complicated by a 50% opening to a kitchen at one end.

I believe he is getting it better, bit by bit.