6/3/2023 0 Comments Audionote sg![]() While its lack of power makes it expensive on a pound-per-watt basis and limits its usage to efficient speakers only it sounds absolutely gorgeous – the audio equivalent of smooth rich chocolate! The CD player is especially good, giving a rich warm, yet open tonality that is unusually ‘analogue’ in nature. The CD/II and AZ-Two speakers are both very fine-sounding products that will easily stand comparison with comparably priced (and dearer) equivalents from other manufacturers. So, whether or not it offers good value is intimately related to how highly you rate its sound quality. Given all this, it’s unlikely that anyone will choose the Zero system for ‘battleship build quality’ or stylish appearance. No grilles are supplied, but these can be bought as accessories for about £60. The AZ Two loudspeakers can be obtained in black ash, rosewood, beech, or cherry veneers and again styling is fairly traditional. Both amplifier and CD player exude a distinct retro appearance and will appeal to those who prefer hi-fi with a traditional look. Each item is nicely finished, but the plain somewhat ‘boxy’ styling means there’s not much ‘wow’ factor. There's nothing flashy about the build quality. Our review samples came in the former and look understated, but smart. The 6111WA tube is soldered in place and Audio Note claims its lifespan should exceed 100,000 hours.Īudio Note offers its Zero electronics with a choice of fascia plates – silver alloy, or black acrylic. The transport is a modified Philips L1210. The CD player features a single 6111WA tube in the analogue output stage, with a Philips TDA 1543 filterless DAC used without up-sampling. The amplifier employs four ECL82 output tubes (two per channel), run in Class A up to about 80 per cent of their power and then switched to Class A/B. There are additional buttons for volume and input selection that, unfortunately, have no effect on the IZero amplifier.īoth amp and CD player feature tubes. The Zero CD/II CD player is only a little less Spartan: you get the usual operational controls, a single set of unbalanced analogue outputs, plus a digital output.Ī remote handset is supplied with the CD player and there are buttons for direct track-selection and fast- search, a button to dim or turn off the illuminated display, plus buttons for repeat (one track or the whole disc), random track playback and time – either track elapsed time, remaining time (track or disc) and total elapsed time. There’s a volume control and an input selector, and that’s it! The IZero integrated amplifier offers four line-level inputs, plus a set of loudspeaker outputs. ![]() Audio Note takes a less-is- more approach, so don’t expect to find anything more than the absolute basics. In keeping with the minimalist ethos of high end, each Zero System component is a simple no-frills design. And it’s when you put the whole thing together that the magic begins. ![]() But, at the same time, there’s the promise of something more: an overall result that’s greater than the sum of the parts. Individually, each item boasts sonically excellent results which compare favourably with similarly priced (and more expensive) competition. It offers high-level performance at prices that are realistic. After all, it’s not easy to produce outstanding results within tight budget constraints, but Audio Note’s Zero System aims to do just that. Nevertheless, some high-end manufacturers relish the challenge of designing products that deliver a taste of high-end performance at more wallet-friendly prices. When a manufacturer sets out to employ specialised military-grade internal components that are large and massively over-specified, you can’t expect prices to be low. High-end audio tends to be a tad expensive. Makers of some of the most exotic hi-fi on the planet, Audio Note's Zero system is, says Jimmy Hughes, refreshingly affordable
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