Напольная акустика — Audio Note AN-E

The AN-E is the central loudspeaker family of Audio Note (UK), a two-way, rear-ported design with an 8-inch bass/mid driver and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter. Rather than a single model, the name covers a ladder of versions that share one cabinet and differ in drivers, wiring and crossover parts. An older entry version, the AN-E/D, used vinyl-clad chipboard and had six more expensive versions above it, the highest of that period being the AN-E SEC Silver with silver internal wiring.

Key specs that matter

Nominal impedance is 6 ohm. Audio Note gives the response as 18 Hz to 23 kHz within 6 dB, measured in a room rather than in free space. Amplifier power should be at least 7 W RMS per channel, and the upper limit is 150 W RMS per channel without clipping. Efficiency depends on the version and runs from 94 dB to 98 dB. The cabinet is 790 mm tall, 360 mm wide and 270 mm deep, and a speaker with an internal crossover weighs 23 kg.

Engineering and use context

Birch plywood forms the enclosure, which is covered in real wood veneer under a high gloss coat, and the veneer list includes maple, olive, palisander, cherry, walnut, black ash, Makassa ebony and Indian rosewood among others. The first-order crossover is hard-wired and assembled from air-core inductors and either polypropylene or copper and silver foil capacitors, and internal wiring is 99.99 percent pure copper or silver depending on the version. Woofer cones are paper or hemp paper, and the tweeters use impregnated silk domes. The tweeter network of each speaker is trimmed so that the two units of a pair match a reference within 0.4 dB. The reflex port sits low on the rear panel, and the bass extension depends on the speaker standing close to the wall behind it or in a corner, which is the placement Audio Note intends. Optional stands for the AN-E/D were 254 mm tall, made of steel and meant to be filled with fine lead shot and sand, with spikes angled toward the front.

Pairing

The moderate impedance and high efficiency allow small single-ended valve amplifiers to drive the AN-E, which is what the low minimum power rating reflects. Larger valve or transistor designs remain an option as long as they stay within the upper power limit.

Alternatives

The Audio Note AZ-Two Deluxe is a floorstanding design built as a rear-loaded, folded quasi-parabolic horn with a rear-facing mouth and two drive units per cabinet, offered in Black Ash veneer only.