All
Audio Note
Website:https://www.audionote.co.uk/
Est. year: 1975
Location: UK
Audio Note (UK) is a family-owned British manufacturer of valve electronics, digital sources, turntables, cartridges, cables and loudspeakers, run by Peter Qvortrup from premises near Brighton, England. The name dates to the 1980s, when Qvortrup, then a Copenhagen hi-fi retailer, began selling the work of Japanese engineer Hiroyasu Kondo under the Audio Note badge. Today the British company offers a complete system from record or disc to speaker under one roof.
Range & what it's known for
The range is organised in Levels, from the entry Zero series through Level 5. Each step up keeps the circuit idea and changes the parts, with Level 3 wired in copper, Level 4 mixing silver and copper and Level 5 using silver throughout. Most amplifiers are single-ended triode designs running in class A with little or no global feedback, built around output valves such as the 300B and 211. The Meishu integrated sits at Level 3, its Konzertmeister and Kapellmeister versions at Levels 4 and 5, and the 211-based Ongaku is the top integrated. The AN-E corner-loaded speaker family, the CD transports and the DAC range follow the same Level ladder, so a whole system can be matched by tier.
Who owns it and where it's made
Audio Note (UK) is privately held by the Qvortrup family. Qvortrup's company moved from Denmark to England and for years handled Kondo products for the world outside Japan, until the partnership ended after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Since then Audio Note Japan, known as Kondo, and Audio Note (UK) have been separate firms. The British company designs and hand-builds its products at its own works in Sussex, including in-house transformers.
The lineup in this catalog
Amplifiers, source components and loudspeakers, 82 models in total. Zero-series pieces cost about USD 2,000, and Level 5 single-ended systems go well past USD 100,000.
Who it's for
Audio Note is meant for a home where the whole chain, from the turntable or CD transport to the speakers, is one valve-based system designed together. A sensible start is a Zero or Level 1 integrated with AN-E or AN-J speakers, then moving to a Level 2 or 3 amplifier and DAC. Buyers who already know they prefer low-power single-ended triode amplification and efficient speakers get the most from the brand, since every upgrade path stays inside the same design logic.
Range & what it's known for
The range is organised in Levels, from the entry Zero series through Level 5. Each step up keeps the circuit idea and changes the parts, with Level 3 wired in copper, Level 4 mixing silver and copper and Level 5 using silver throughout. Most amplifiers are single-ended triode designs running in class A with little or no global feedback, built around output valves such as the 300B and 211. The Meishu integrated sits at Level 3, its Konzertmeister and Kapellmeister versions at Levels 4 and 5, and the 211-based Ongaku is the top integrated. The AN-E corner-loaded speaker family, the CD transports and the DAC range follow the same Level ladder, so a whole system can be matched by tier.
Who owns it and where it's made
Audio Note (UK) is privately held by the Qvortrup family. Qvortrup's company moved from Denmark to England and for years handled Kondo products for the world outside Japan, until the partnership ended after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Since then Audio Note Japan, known as Kondo, and Audio Note (UK) have been separate firms. The British company designs and hand-builds its products at its own works in Sussex, including in-house transformers.
The lineup in this catalog
Amplifiers, source components and loudspeakers, 82 models in total. Zero-series pieces cost about USD 2,000, and Level 5 single-ended systems go well past USD 100,000.
Who it's for
Audio Note is meant for a home where the whole chain, from the turntable or CD transport to the speakers, is one valve-based system designed together. A sensible start is a Zero or Level 1 integrated with AN-E or AN-J speakers, then moving to a Level 2 or 3 amplifier and DAC. Buyers who already know they prefer low-power single-ended triode amplification and efficient speakers get the most from the brand, since every upgrade path stays inside the same design logic.
- All
- Floorstanding loudspeakers
- Bookshelf Speakers
- Turntables
- Cartridges
- Phonostages
- Preamplifiers
- Integrated amplifiers
- Power amplifiers stereo
- Power amplifiers mono
- CD / SACD players and transports
- DACs
