Snell E, J and K vs. Audio Note AN-E, AN-J and AN-K

[TubeHiFiNut]

Has anyone been able to listen to the Snell E, J and K vs. Audio Note AN-E, AN-J and AN-K?

Similarities and differences?

The Snell models are available for a reasonable price. I'm wondering, with the proper crossover upgrades, if the Snells will give the ANs a run for their money?

 

[JohnVF]

I vaguely recall somebody, maybe Art Dudley, making the comparison. But I could also be imagining that. Whoever it was reported on similarities but more refinement in the ANs.

 

[MikeO]

Art Dudley did write this article in Stereophile comparing the Snell J with the Audio Note E

http://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-115#dCGVb85PBGbrookr.97

I have owned Snell Ks and now Jiis and I think both are great speakers. I have not heard the Snell E as they seem to be fairly common in the US but not so much in Canada. Had I lived in Maine, I could have had a pair of Snell E iiis for $150 US last week. I paid nearly three times that here for my Snell Js.

I also finally heard a pair of Audio Note Es this past weekend and thought they were even better but not night and day. And they are much, much more money. If I understand correctly, the owner of audio note bought the production rights to the Snell J, K and Es after Peter Snell died and then proceeded to improve them with more modern parts. They are more of an evolution to a more modern speaker with many upgrades available along the way. I have thought about trying to find a pair of Audio Note Ks or Js but they almost never come up for sale used in Toronto. The Es would likely be too far of a stretch for my budget even if I could find a pair used.

And best of all they seem to work well with low powered amps. I bought the Snell Js because I am really loving my low powered Fleawatt TPA3116 amp and I remembered how well the Snells sounded with lower powered amps.

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

MikeO - Thank you for the link to Art Dudley's comparison and also for your personal experiences.

I have a pair of the original Snell Type A speakers and really like their sound, their window to the music. They are not SET friendly and my thinking is that maybe I can use one of the other, more efficient Snells to get that 'Snell sound' with my SET amps.

 

[billfort]

Here's an interesting option if you have heard the AudioNote Es and are seriously considering dropping that kind of $ on a ‘conventional' speaker that some say are just refined Snells.

http://www.ankaudiokits.com/newSpkr.html

These are ‘kits' and many would rule them out pretty quick on re-sale value and un-known performance but the ‘real' AudioNote Es are out there to listen to and I have built a pair of these and had them in my system to taste. No, they would not displace my 604s but they sure surprised me on a bunch of levels and with the right amp might be a great choice for smaller rooms especially since optimum placement is supposed to be in corners which can really help with ‘fitting' speakers into a room.

I built the basic kit on that site (pre-hemp woofers) and made my own cabinets exactly duplicating the AN-E plans right down to joint style, miter configuration and wood specification (mostly Baltic birch). I cut the panels with some nice equipment at a friend's place (which included a CNC router), veneered and finished to the owner's spec. which turned into a huge PITA the cocobolo veneer and solvent-based lacquer was a bitch to work with.

I really doubt the "98db efficient" number spec'd for these maybe at certain frequencies when pushed into a corner but they did work well on 300Bs and even better on el84 & 6550 push-pull amps (forget 2A3s). Great bass and treble extension and a very smooth, detailed midrange through the crossover region this is a great driver combination and very nicely done crossover. Nice full image and very ‘musical' presentation with really good dynamics. They go deeper than the big Altecs but can't match that big 15 woofer for dynamics, speed and sense of ease when the music gets big. I think the Altecs have the edge in imaging and scale too but hey, look at the size of those things and the with the hard-to-get factor who can live with those?

The price of these seems high and with the pre-built cabinets (without fancy veneer!) they start around $3200 so maybe not a good comparison to hot-rodded Snells. I have sure heard the real AudioNote Es a bunch of times though (although not a home) and would say theses kits compare pretty favorably. The alnico version looks especially interesting but at that price ($9k gulp!) I'd be hard pressed to consider this route just too much else out there at that price that I like more than any AudioNote I've heard, and that's the ‘real' ones.

 

[marantzfan]

Wow, those Cocobolo cabinets are absolutely stunning Bill! You know, my first thought looking at those is that they look kind of like Devore Orangutans. I wonder where the similarities and differences are between those two designs.

 

[billfort]

Thanks Anthony - they were a bitch to do but yeah, that is some nice veneer the owner picked! I went back and forth with him on different stains for these (I like simple natural oils) and luckily he chose something subtle - I think it was just Watco Danish cherry tinted oil which has very little color added. They are pretty wild looking with a deep, rich graining that seems a mile deep but that's all that expensive veneer's doing - not much of that around anymore.

They do look a lot like Orangutans and based on my quick listen to the Devores, might share a lot more than just the look. I heard them both (Orangutans and AN Es) a few minutes apart and even though in completely different systems, they really shared some of their strengths IMO. I liked them both.

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

billfort - Agree with marantzfan , those cabinets are gorgeous. Your woodworking skills are several orders of magnitude above anything that I would even consider trying.

Interesting that the similarities to the Devore Orangutan speakers came up. It's definitely there and I'm sure that listening comparison between the two would prove to be very illuminating.

I'd also include the Seas A26 kit that JohnVF posted some time ago with appropriate upgrades and a pair of Snell Type E (original, II or III) with rebuilt crossovers, re-coned woofers, etc. in the listening session.

A four way competition, so to speak.

That would be a lot of fun.

 

[MikeO]

It is likely unfair to compare the Snells to the current Audio Note line. I think for someone with a smaller budget, like myself, the Snells are close enough to what I am looking for in a speaker. If my budget were higher I would choose a pair of Audio Notes over the Snells just because they have been evolving for the past thirty years under the care of someone who appreciated how good these speakers really were and decided to continue with their evolution into a modern high end speaker. The same might be said for modern versions of the LS3/5a. While I understand a collector might want an original design, if I were to purchase one to listen to, I would rather have a modern re-interpretation rather than one with 30 year old drivers, cabinets and crossovers. But then again, you can likely pick up a pair of Snells for 1/10th the price of the Audio Notes.

 

[prime minister]

Damn Bill, I always regretted not having a chance to see, and hear, your work on those Audio Notes. The look gorgeous, just like all your builds do.

 

[TubeHiFiNut]

It is likely unfair to compare the Snells to the current Audio Note line. I think for someone with a smaller budget, like myself, the Snells are close enough to what I am looking for in a speaker. If my budget were higher I would choose a pair of Audio Notes over the Snells just because they have been evolving for the past thirty years under the care of someone who appreciated how good these speakers really were and decided to continue with their evolution into a modern high end speaker. The same might be said for modern versions of the LS3/5a. While I understand a collector might want an original design, if I were to purchase one to listen to, I would rather have a modern re-interpretation rather than one with 30 year old drivers, cabinets and crossovers. But then again, you can likely pick up a pair of Snells for 1i/10th the price of the Audio Notes.

The AN speakers should be pretty close to the pinnacle for their design, especially when you start adding in their silver wire, upgraded divers, caps, etc.

The Devore Orangutan should be right there with them or exceed their performance.

But from everthing I've been reading, the Snell Type E and the Seas A26 are no slouches.

The cheapskate experementer in me wonders how close I can get using either a used Snell Type E or the Seas A26 by upgrading appropriate parts, drivers, etc.

I wonder how close one can get for a much lower cost..... 😈

This is where I usually get myself in trouble.

 

[asilker]

Pardon me for this unseasonable resurrection (no lilies blooming around here), but I have the same question.

Has anyone else run Snell and AN speakers in the same setup / same room? Is there a significant delta in subjective results?

 

[Phillip Jeffries]

My original Snell E’s had variable resistors in the crossover, whereas I don’t think my later Snell j/iii’s did. There’s some degree of fine tuning. The E’s also has multiple caps in parallel…like 2 electrolytics, an orange drop, and a wima together in parallel. Peter Q once said not to upgrade the crossovers in snells.

There was a pretty significant difference in top between the original tweeter and the later J/iii vifa. Also, audionote will sell their foam surround to repair snells. I didn’t end up doing that, but apparently it helps extend the bass.

The E’s sounded better than the J’s. I could see doing the upgrade to the woofer and then finding one of the tweeters that audionote used to get the snells working a bit closer to audionote, but the fine tuning may be hard to replicate. They also matched to the cabinet, apparently. When I bought new vifa woofers from Snell, they asked for the serial numbers and sent inductors with the woofers, I guess to maintain whatever tuning had been done.