If you need help with your HIFI system or general advice, then send me a mail to: realhifihelp@gmail.com (my name is Larry) For free help, then look at my videos and comments. Then there are several 1000’s of hours put into these videos for the entire community. (circa 450 videos)

@mortengammelgaard929

8 ай бұрын

With all that Bull you say in this video, I hope No one will inlist help from you….. omg 🤯

I love my Snell Elll. They were an updated design by Kevin Voecks after Peter Snell suddenly passed away. Of course the haters will say they’re no good compared to the originals etc. I really love them. They’re not the greatest speakers ever of course but I think they sound great on their own . I also own Vandersteen 3ASigs, Magnepan 1.6, Tekton DI and they all have their strong suits. I really can enjoy whichever brand I’m listening to. Those 3 are probably “better” than the Snells in audiophile perspectives and they are more expensive etc, but the Snells are very enjoyable for what they are, when they were being produced etc. I’ve heard AN-E at shows and at a friends home and they are wonderful as well. Completely different I would say than my other 3 speakers and certainly more sophisticated at a considerable price difference than my Snells, but there’s something that is familiar and related to the Snell sound. The corner placement is baffling as to how it seems to work. That placement would be hard to do in most normal living situations I would think.If you can facilitate that set up then you’re good to go!

This was very hard to listen to, you left out how Audio note ended up with speakers similar to Snell, Why rip on Snell when Audio note bought the patents from Snell after the owner of Snell passed away. Audio note then took something that already sounded good and took it to the next level. Audio note kits and Audio note England were together until about 10 years or so and they decided to split. There is also a Audio note in Japan that is separate. Just because Audio note kits are cheaper doesn't mean they use parts from China, I have built a few and I will tell you that at 5 to 11 dollars for just a resister isn't Chinese quality. They use great parts and I would dare say that, well I know they will smoke any McIntosh you choose to put next to it. The preamp phono stage I built was for a friend who wanted something good but didn't want to spend a lot of money. The Snells needing 30 watts to drive is a crock, the pair I have are rated at 90db, the audio note AN-J/SPe HEMP that I own are 93db, now if it takes twice as much power to add 3db how do you get 30 watts for snells? I assume you understand power is logarithmic? Believe it, they do use tantalum resisters just like what I have in my preamps phono stage and amplifier.The black transformers that you keep saying are from china are Hammand. As far as which speakers sound best? The snells cost me 200 bucks and the Audio notes well lets just say a little bit more. Which ones sound better? The Tannoy HPD's 12 inch sound better after I upgraded the caps. However they still don't compare too the Yamaha NS-1000's that I redid the crossovers. I doubt any Audio note speaker could compare to the Yamaha's.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

Yes ANK beats most tube sound without a problem. Yes AN probably got their tech from Snell as a base that they built around. Still everything is much better in sound and they use better parts. They have very little in common. It's a bit like comparing a 1970's skoda with one from 2020. Yes Snell still being so old, manage to beat a lot of brands out there, so they give a lot of value. Yes Tannoy make a cool sound a bit like ATC, with a huge potential. But on a mid to top AN class system, you would hear how they do not integrate as well plus layering and many other things would just seem very generic on even the best Tannoys just compared to the new small an-e spe/he model. Tannoy and ATC fit a totally different type of room and typically a totally different type of gear for a different type of person, liking a dominating bass that is still very impressive. Yes Tannoy and many other speakers can improve a lot from changing the caps, I got that done a couple of times, and it can fix a lot of problem with the stock sound.

@Sooopa_Doopa

3 жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp "Yes AN probably got their tech from Snell"??? AN-E *IS* a Snell Type E ii clone with upgrades and rear tweeter delete

@thomasdiyaudio5353

Жыл бұрын

Very well said.

@Dan-vb3ju

5 ай бұрын

He should not harp on and on about a product site. If he doesn't like move on....real bad review

I have and love AN J spx (upgraded silver wiring), I also had Snell E ii’s- which were a similar sound signature but bigger. Regrettably sold them. I just got a pair of Snell k’s and refoamed them. Waiting for the glue to cure right now. Tube amp drives them beautifully, as did a few other passing ss amps. Notably an Onix OA20 with the Snell e’s was very good. I’d buy the snells again over AN e’s , go on holiday with the savings, and celebrate my good fortune :)

@RealHIFIHelp

Жыл бұрын

FYI a lot of speakers on the market that make a bigger sound, do that because they don´t dig as deep into the sound. Whether or not that is the case here, I cannot say. But itś just a good thing to be on the look out for. That rule applies to a lot of gear. Good you found the gear that you really like.

could you do a vid on the Conrad Johnson sound ?..I'm thinking of getting CONRAD JOHNSON ACT 2 +SERIES 2 preamp with Jadis Defy 7 power amp both 2nd hand....

@RealHIFIHelp

2 жыл бұрын

I have not heard enough of it to judge it.

I like the an-j and the an-k more then the e !!

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

Yes in certain rooms with certain gear, the lower models click better. The AN-E is a lot more confrontational in sound with a lot more potential, and demands probably a lot more. And when you demand more, the focus can easily switch from what is the best things about this system to what is the worst thing about the system.

How good are Snells Type D in today standard? some one is selling me a pair, but I don't have the background to understand how good they are.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

It is a safe/forgiving sound probably in the lowest budget sound area around the mid level. So much on the market can easily beat it now in regards to clarity/focus/slam/aspects of the detail. Snell is still a good value starter speaker, and it helps having a speaker like that, so you don't get to hear too much about the rest of the system that is failing. Personally if I was staring all over again, I would maybe buy a pair if they were like 1-200 dollars, and then put something like a YBA a100 used amp on it for only around 800 dollars used. That would be a crazy good value. And then maybe 2 years later I would get a Vandersteen 1ci used for like 500 dollars which is much better, then a Vandersteen 2ce.

@gluegod

3 жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp I Think I will step up my game and got me the Ascend Sierra Towers which I've been reading great reviews. I Already own a Bryston 4b ST and a Master Sounds Radius 2 to go with my two Technics MK5G turntables although, I don't do the DJ stuff often, actually I am more a listener. Thanks for your quick reply!

a happy Snell E/II owner's comments from one year ago, on the Audiogon forum: "I picked up mine last year for $500cdn. Delivered. I was happy when they arrived in mint condition. I hooked them up and went Wow! They sent the An K spe's to the second line. Not by much though. That rear tweeter made the difference." Got subjectivity?

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

Everything below AN-e line is for me a total time waste, for me AN-E is the only AN speakers that have that really good top sound. If I can't own AN-E, then I would rather own another brand than audio note speakers. Of course that does not mean that everything below AN-E that AN produces is trash. But we are then into the much more normal realm of where you can easily find speakers that are a lot better in this world.

Hello, I'm curious about the comparison - being a huge snell fan, I've always taken a little pride in the fact that Audio Note/Peter Qvortrup chose Peter Snell's designs to use as a platform for the AN-K and AN-E models. Sadly I've never heard either of them. My question is, having the opportunity to make a direct comparison, did you hear anything in the Snells that you think might have been the framework upon which Audio Note built their version?

@RealHIFIHelp

Жыл бұрын

Yes they sounded like they did not have a long signal path like most gear in the world. And that creates music.

I find it suspicious that you disparage Snell so casually when it's clear your facts are inaccurate on so many levels (same as for Audio Note Kits, as has been clarified here by the owner, or rep, and others). Snells are "hard to drive"? Are you kidding? This couldn't be further from the truth. Audio Note's Peter Qvortrup has stated that the Snell Type E/II is one of the absolute best used speakers one can obtain... A staff salesman at a U.S. Audio Note dealer admitted to me, several months ago, that the Snell Type E's are "very, very good"... John DeVore says the Type E's were a favorite... The Type A is one of Steve Guttenberg's favorite speakers. I'm quite certain, based on your comments, that you haven't heard a fully restored vintage Snell with original factory spec drivers, matched to the original 0.5 dB tolerance, as can only be achieved by purchasing matched driver kits from Atomic Hifi. Atomic's owner worked in the Snell factory in the early 1980's and has all the original Snell reference speaker data. Atomic provides matched driver kits, with custom wound chokes and capacitors, to restore the speaker's performance to exactly match the original. I have personally restored several pairs of Snells with Atomic's driver kits and the improvement is spectacular. Most people have only heard these speakers with re-foamed woofers and aged tweeters (including Art Dudley, in his Stereophile review of the Type J/II, where he fondly recalls his originals - your photo is copied from that article). You will not get even close to the original Snell sound with re-foamed woofers and aged fabric dome tweeters - hardly a fair comparison between a worn out Type J and a current AN-E! ... and still, Art liked the compromised 30-year old Type J enough to recommend finding a pair! I suggest that you listen to a properly restored pair of Snells before calling them one of the worst sounding speakers you've heard.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

I have heard about 2/3 of the Snell models and they were decent speakers. But most high priced speakers nowadays are a lot better, and age have also made them worse. Systems have changed so we are revealing more detail than before, and Snell are not built for this ultra high end revealing sound. It is a nice sound, and better than a lot of stuff, and yes a good restoration does good stuff. But even the newer Harbeth beat all Snell, and cheap stuff like most mid monitor audio speakers disintegrates them. Tannoy even beats them. And again Tannoy are also a fine brand. They belong on old 1980ś gear, and other retro gear. And that is still a nice sound, but lacks a lot in other departments. Yeah, surprise that a CEO would stand up for his company and not say something bad about it. But time is to make room for a much better newer standard. Fine if you want to use Snell, still a lot better than a lot of the cheapest new stuff.

@papawoody651

3 жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp I saw, in your other video, that you stated that Audio Note speakers will reveal technological improvements in electronics, even 50 years from now... Interesting that you took the words right out of Peter Snell's mouth, almost 40 years ago... that was his exact design philosophy. Peter Snell was widely recognized as a rare genius in the audio world and he was known for using his ears as well as his technical expertise... do you not think that his speaker design, which Audio Note literally copied (and has then "refined" with oodles of money, then returned to a "retro" paper cone woofer), is also not capable of keeping pace with current amplifier designs, which in many cases (such as your own) are still using vacuum tube technology that is more "retro" than the speaker design you're listening with?! Heck, the cabinet dimensions of your AN-E's are identical, to the fraction of an inch, to Peter Snell's E/II... all that supposed improvement and refinement and yet the all-important cabinet dimensions were perfect? And a primitive paper cone is still the best? And still a fabric dome tweeter?! You're just not convincing me. Have you looked at the components in your speaker crossovers? they are still resistors, capacitors, and wire ... there is nothing magic in them. We will just have to agree to disagree, but your claims are not founded in logic - you're using the same retro technology that you dismiss. A modern version of a Type E should certainly be able to beat a 1985 version, by some margin, but "70 to 100" vs. 30? Ah well, someday maybe we'll both get to hear AN-E vs fully restored E/II... good day.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

@@papawoody651 Yes Peter Snell made good speakers, and back then they were maybe some of the best. But the component quality of the caps, resistors, cable, plugs were really trashy. And it was only because of the less revealing gear that was available back then, that this did not pose a problem. The thing you are forgetting is that an Audio Note speaker in itself, does not do the magic. It is having the same religion design/components and other stuff, in the amp, cd, DAC and even cables, that makes the magic happen. The magic lies in the coupling. And if we were to do a direct comparison, then we are talking about a normal 5 dollar hardware store cable in a snell vs: a 10.000 dollar cable in one of their upper models x maybe 50 different components just for the speaker. If you look at a Tannoy speaker, it not really that special. But if you find a religion of cd/dac/amp sound like Accuphase, suddenly it sounds a lot better. And that is simply what Audio Note have done.

@papawoody651

3 жыл бұрын

"Fine if you want to use Snell, still a lot better than a lot of the cheapest new stuff" cheapest new stuff? I know of Type J/II owners that tried and failed to better them at $5,000, or more, back in 2010

@papawoody651

3 жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp actually, it is well known that PS intentionally used affordable components, rather than exotic materials, and that the magic was in the design itself, and the synergy of components (similar to what you claim for Audio Note) - the sound was not dependent on price of components. Look up Steve Guttenberg's video recollection of his time knowing Peter Snell... he specifically recounts how he, and others, told Peter that he "must" build a reference version of the flagship Type A, using exotic components and wire, to really show what the design could do. Well, he DID make a reference version, just to prove his design worked as intended. Guttenberg heard the reference version and confirmed that it sounded no better than the standard model... that's how it's done. Furthermore, a former Snell technician (and electrical engineer) has tested hundreds of vintage Snell capacitors and found that they rarely drift from factory spec... despite what people think, that is just not a problem in a passive speaker crossover, where very little heat is generated (except with pre-70's paper & oil capacitors or with capacitors in amplifier circuits). If you claim that the Audio Note magic is due mostly to the orchestration and synergy of the entire system, fine... but that contradicts your statement that the Snell speaker is so bad, relative to Audio Note... put a pair of restored Snells into an equally, um... "curated" system and then get back to me.

I guess you don't know what exactly are you talking about. Wasting 24 minutes of golden time of mine, listening to your bla bla.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

Yes you're right, you did not learn anything.

My blog page: realhifihelp.wordpress.com/

I have a snell speaker that’s huge but I don’t know how to connect it can you help me

@RealHIFIHelp

Жыл бұрын

You can send me a mail...

Very interesting comments. I went to visit the AN UK factory and met Peter Qvortrup, the man behind the marque. I understand that when Peter no longer wanted to manufacture kits he handed them over to Brian Smith, ANK's man in charge. Brian obviously wanted to cut down costs, and the outcome is that which you outline on this video. I guess one may buy an ANK and have its caps, resistors and transformers replaced in order to reach new heights. Your take on the Snells surprised me as Peter Snell was deemed a good designer and served as the model from which the AN-Es design was based. Maybe the old Snell pair you've listened to was worn out in its driver suspension and crossover components, hence the bad sound. I've listened to AN-Es, you have rated them well at 70+ in sound quality. (I've never listened to either Snells or ANKs.)

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

In one of my later videos I covered that Snell speakers was really good at the time they were released and offered good value, but that now, we just live in a new age of speakers that is much better. Also the Snell have with time become a lot worse, because we simply listen to a higher level of detail, that they are not built for in general. With their age, they also lose some of their original sound.

@wramaccorsi1357

3 жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp Right. I say that because I've listened to 50+ year old speakers in worn-out conditions and I'm aware that as cone and X-over materials age, they lose all of their original definition and focus. Therefore you're in fact not listening to these in their original glory, and if restored, one is able to listen to what the designer originally intended. It is as if glancing at the Mona Lisa today you'd complain about its dull colors and faded vividness, concluding that Leonardo did not know his craft well as do current painters. That would be an incorrect assumption. While it is true that speaker materials have radically evolved, older designers had good ears also, and tried to extract the best results from the materials they had available at the time, by introducing apt compensations in their designs. That is why I think it becomes hard to judge an older product, unless you have heard to it carefully restored. But I see your point.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

@@wramaccorsi1357 I agree. I have heard some few products restored to it's old glory sound and also modified. And yes it had many times a bit of extra goodie stuff that was nice. But I also remember having an accident with my first modified YBA amp, and waiting about 1½ years getting it restored. And psychologically, not having it for such a long time, made me over-romanticise how good it really was. Getting it back was a huge dissapointment, because since I lost it, I got access to a much higher standard of sound from my friends. Which elevated my level of understanding sound. But had I lost it, and not listened to better gear. Then it would maybe still make me happy. Funny how life works out. But yeah a lot of modern gear has a very linear/correct structure, and it is cool to hear some of the more flawed manually tuned in gear from the olden days, that was made in a very different way.

Very glad i asked you before embarking on AN kits.... Weird that Audio Note wants to put their name on this stuff...

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

As far as I know from a very credible source, ANK and AN are 2 completely different companies have nothing to do with each other.

@audiolife5038

3 жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp then they should take them to court for misleading novice hifi-enthusiasts and misusing Audi Notes good name and reputation!

I have a pair of snell type e II, not that what you say is boring, you need to paid with tube amp to get the best sound and also a good stand, I pair it with audio innovation 1000 monoblock and target stand, its very musical and detail, although audit note speaker is better but not that much, you got to look at the price difference.

Terrible comparison. Snell J if it's a well sorted pair that have been re coned and re capped are awesome speakers. The audio note E is a great speaker. But cost many more times than the snell J. I would say a better comparison would be the Snell C, B or A or even the E. Yes they are old but re capped and re coned snell speakers are fantastic. Maybe the pair you have are in need of of some tlc. I run the Snell C and they have seen off many very expensive and modern speakers.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

Yes I agree with you.

All Snells aren't created equally. The earlier models used peerless and then vita. Peter Snell thought the cheap vita tweeters sounded the same as the most expensive tweeters at the time. I would take a refoamed Snell-Kii over any other 2-way AudioNote kit available. I hope that this is a non biased review and aren't getting compensation from AN.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

Jup.

I have never heard more bollocks crammed into 24 minutes in my life……..

@RealHIFIHelp

Жыл бұрын

Sounds like you own snell or ANK.

@mach1853

Жыл бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp I own neither, only one pair of ears that has been constructing bespoke tube audio for 40+ years and is well aware of what goes into AN gear and how it performs in relation to the audiosphere…..

I was listening and agreeing until you said "I would say Snell are so bad in sound that..." Also, i believe you mention that they were out of china now. They are canadian. Of course all of this is moot because their speakers are discontinued.

This is NOT a cheap Chinese knock off. Your assumption is absolutely false.

@RealHIFIHelp

Жыл бұрын

That's good, because that is also not what I said. Have a nice day.

This is an absolute joke, so spend all your annual earnings and get a Chinese clone of an original design with all great components and engineering that someone just copied and is trying to get rich on? Sounds about right. The Snells sound just fine, they don't need any improvements, they were and are very good.

1) Thank you for the video, After seeing Jay's video from the next big sound studio i almost pulled the plug on those Kits. Luckily i always do research and i stumbled on your video. I was disgusted to learn the truth but i was looking for a nice thing for cheap. And i'm confused buy Royce McMahon comment. They really were together before ? 2) Weirdly your video is convincing me to order their integrated kit for a 300B amp. Knowing that it's better than McIntosh stuff is enough for me for now. They use very good parts for a 2500 dolar product. I'm just looking for a better sound spending something i'm conftable with. I can do the work myself saving labor cost and upgrading the cheap parts with the real parts i can put my hands on on Hificollective. 3) I will never touch their dacs, phono,.... Those things needs original stuff but a tube amp is simpler.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 жыл бұрын

ANK is a very good start to decent tube sound, and you save a lot because you can assemble it yourself. I don't know too much about the history. I just know that the selection of parts and the quality is not near the same. It's a bit like good protein, you can either use the good natural stuff from real food or the leftover industry stuff they sell to bodybuilders, which is basically a waste product. Both are protein. One just is natural, and the other one blows you up like an allergic reaction.

Come on the real hifi help. Stop being audio snob I hate people who poke fun with people with not a lot money. Snell are pretty good for the buck and yes higher end speakers are gonna sound good as well. We all start at budget hifi kits at some point. I do any way and now I got Cyrus setup mid to high end system. Think about it we all start of budget hifi at first remember!!!!!!!! (STOP BEING HIFI AUDIO SNOB 😞😞

@thomasdiyaudio5353

Жыл бұрын

Totally agree. DIY of big brand old models is the way to go for me.

It isn`t about what you see, but what you hear. You are talking a lot about what you see

I guess you can't read or you would have seen under the ANK site it has nothing to do with the original Audio Note. Look at their site it explains it just before the pictures. So you should do more research before talking about stuff you know nothing about. I have one our their Dacs and they are amazing...a lot people have praised the kits.

All these speakers sound wooly .... Audio note seriously overpriced

There are so many inaccuracies in this video that you should be embarrassed to have this online.

@RealHIFIHelp

9 ай бұрын

Yes the truth hurts, that you can´t get the same sound for 1/5-1/3 of the price. This is not just my opinion, but based on having used 5 technicians that worked on all of their gear, having owned it, having had it all modified, and then having talked to many shops and people that are at the highest levels in the audio world who are for and against these brands. Plus customers, friends and other people that I cannot mention for obvious reasons. AN is just on a whole other level.

Whole Audio Note name is a bit of a con. PQ basically ripped off Kondo. As for AN Ks the original was not a kit.

@RealHIFIHelp

3 ай бұрын

If you think the Audio Note name is bad, then blame the right guy who came up with it who was Kondo San. ANK was different then compared to now.

@user-te4ey8gk5c

3 ай бұрын

@@RealHIFIHelp not what I meant really.

Sorry, this is possibly the worst and ill informed audio argument I have ever heard