This must be one of the very best reviews I've watched. So well articulated, and I caught myself smiling through it because it was as if I was there listening to the amplifiers. Very well done, Adrian!
I currently own a Bluesound Node 2i and a Cayin CS100A, which I use with a Cayin iDAC6 MKII DAC. I bypass the internal DAC on the Bluesound using the Coax out to my external DAC as the Bluesound Node is simply outclassed by the Cayin iDAC6 MKII, not by a little bit, but by a huge margin. I previously owned the Cayin CS55A, and I used to feed it Quobuz via my laptop to the built-in USB DAC, this is an optional extra on the CS55A. Why I believe this review is tainted is simply, the DAC on the Cayin CS55A, if you have that option, is simply leagues better than the DAC on the Bluesound Node. It may not be the same as the iDAC6 MKII, however, feed a good source such as Quobuz lossless to the USB DAC on the Cayin CS55A and it sounds absolutely amazing. I will go as far as to say I was utterly shocked at how good the CS55A can sound for a relatively affordable amp. I have no doubt it would wipe the floor with any solid-state amp costing similar money. Ultimately the Bluesound Node DAC is OK, I would say Mid-Fi not Hi-Fi, but the Cayin CS55A deserves to be fed a way better DAC than the Bluesound Node 2i. If you own a Cayin CS55A and are listening to music via the Bluesound DAC, you simply are not hearing the Cayin at anywhere near its best. Whilst I am not saying the iZero may or may not be better, as I have never heard one, I know the Cayin deserves a far better DAC than the Bluesound Node.
Hi Adrian, if possible, I would like your review between a Single-Ended Triode (SET) like Decware SE-84ufo2 and this AN iZero. Heard so much about musicality of low-output SET amp and would be a delight if you could compared between the 2 mighty mite 😊
Interesting comparison and use of the David/Goliath story. However, I've got to tell you that the review of the Beethoven's 5th and the AudioNote's weakness with that piece of music would be a deal-breaker for me. In fact, I have the same recording as the one you used. That fourth movement must absolutely have the ability to be played without sacrifice - or the lack of power/depth you described. The timpani and brass definitively require there be substantial power. Quite an honest review. Thanks! (PS While you might pooh-pooh my lesser hybrid amp - Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 - as a class D hybrid, it can "drive" that symphony!)
Hey ! Is Rouge Audio really as good as many say it is ? Would it be a good match with speakers like Harberth or Proac ? Also many say class D is not the best choice for those speakers. Interested to hear your opinion.
@@sylvio1980 I think Rogue Audio is a company that makes great products and sells them at a fair price-point. I love the sound of mine and how it works with my components, particularly my Tannoy speakers (Revolution XT-8F). My speakers are "efficient" and my Sphinx V3 has plenty of power/"headroom". If you search, you'll find a number of good-great reviews for this amp. However, you'll also find one, in particular from Audio Science Review that rates/evaluates them to a lesser degree due to measurement assessments. (This is typical for tube amps.) I think it's for every individual to make their own assessment. Do you evaluate based upon measurements or your own ears? Regarding class D? I'm not qualified to speak to that topic specifically. Also, inasmuch as the amp is a hybrid - with both tubes and solid state features, I don't know that it's truly "class D". However, there's an easy way to explore your question. Simply do a search and get in contact with Rogue Audio directly - email or phone call. They provide GREAT customer service.
If you have a very large room that would be the case but what gets people hooked on AudioNote is the luminosity and realism if you have ever heard a Cello through an Audionote even at Level 1 it is really quite startlingly close to hearing one live. Get to a level 5 Audionote system and in my view it is pretty much end game.
A few things to note here - the I-Zero is their most entry level integrated amplifier and it is part of their zero series meant to be mated to their zero series speakers. Those speakers are smaller standmounts so not really intended to be "full scale." You're going to lose some bass but the trade is a far superior midrange over something like Cayin or Rogue Audio. The I Zero is meant as an affordable option to a SET amplifier. As you move up the speaker line you get more bass and more sensitivity - the E speakers come in this version but also HE - which rises to 96-98dB and of course they offer more powerful amplifiers like the Jinro/Ongaku which has stunning bass performance at a stunning price point! Personally, I kind of want 95% of the Beethoven 5 to sound "the best" sacrificing the sheer bass oomph because all the systems I have heard that do the bass better - don't do the 95% of the rest as well. It's those tradeoffs where I will audition $110k+ Dan D'Agostino amplifiers or top-of-the-line Pass Labs with $200k Wilson Audio and Magico Q7 and then think - yes it has better bass - it can play louder - but the voice band sounds far FAR FAAAAAR better on AN E and a Meishu Tonmeister for 1/th the price. It's so hard to give up the voice band just for more volume and bass. Of course the alternate solution is to buy a preamp like the Audio Note M1 which is superior to the I-Zero and then buy an PS1 power amp which is superior power amp section to the I-Zero and then buy a Wyred4Sound mAmp monoblock set for under $2k that outputs 450 watts per channel into 4ohms - and so when you play the 5 now you have the ridiculous power to do it perfectly - and then switch back to the PS1 for Eva Cassidy. Best of both worlds!
As you can imagine …not nearly as much better as the price increase might suggest. Otherwise they would build their „lower level“ stuff purposely bad. This product policy to me appears „shady“ anyway!
@@klepp19 cannot speak from personal experience here…but I‘d suppose that the OTO is „better“ (maybe only in the sense of ‚different‘). If you’re into the market for one of those amps try to get a personal listening experience at a dealer. But there are surely alternatives out there as well. The quality of their chassis (talking about AN here) is below-ground in their price class…
@@klepp19 … this question of yours is too general. Depends on a few things: your budget, your taste in sound, your taste in brand name, the other components of your system (especially the speakers), your taste in music, where you want your amp to come from (United States, Europe, China, Japan etc). You see: this hobby can be very complex! If I where you I wouldn’t rush the decision making process and would first dive deep into my own mind to find out what I want… then visit the according dealers to learn more about the components and their sound signature. At the end of the day it mainly comes down to the synergy of your components as well as to your personal preferences.
Very nice, Adrian! I really like the sound of the products by Audio Note. Top Notch! Have you ever listen to the amps and preamps of Decware? I really like them and they are way more affordable, but they have a looong waiting list.
@@adrianlow2114 when I get back to Toronto I really must pay you a visit and thanks for te reply. I am happy with my vintage Luxman 5L15 but you know how we are never happy! I did manage to see Derek 3 days prior to his departure, we must have a proper memorial one day soon!
FWIW (and it may not be much), the story of David is not historical. The "Philistines" were just more iron-age Canaanites, like the "Israelites" (who were upland iron-age Canaanites). The Neo-Babylonian empire defeated both (that were left after the neo-Assyrian empire had already taken the northern region of Canaan.) It is not difficult to accept that there were conflicts between the low-land dwellers and the up-land folk, but the tale written in the Torah is what the redactors wanted to tell to justify their re-occupation of the land. But the idea of the little guy defeating the big guy is a cornerstone of storytelling, so I guess it works in audio shootouts too.
You left out the punchline of the David and Goliath story: after getting fame for killing Goliath, David went and killed 2000 more Philistines and cut off their foreskins. Not sure how that will work into your amplifier story... but it could have something to do with tubes.
At audio shows there are some amazing sounding systems. Wow you say that is more real than real. In fact most recordings are created from recorded parts frankenstiened together. The first thing you notice at Carnegie Hall if your a High-fi buff is. Wow. This doesn’t sound as good as everyone says it does. Real music is blurry but tonally rich. Perhaps if your in the Golden Circle. I wouldn’t know - few do. At one of the booths at the audio shows they have real musicians play. Usually a room tucked in a corner. The audio note room. You open the door and say to yourself Oh they have musicians playing now. You turn the corner and it’s their system. So you ask yourself: Do I really want my stereo to sound like real music? If your honest answer is yes there are few systems that can hold a candle to Audio Note. It sounds like real music. But many systems sound better than the real music played in real time by musicians. Most people want their images photoshopped. And their music mastered. But not everyone.
This must be one of the very best reviews I've watched. So well articulated, and I caught myself smiling through it because it was as if I was there listening to the amplifiers.
Very well done, Adrian!
I currently own a Bluesound Node 2i and a Cayin CS100A, which I use with a Cayin iDAC6 MKII DAC. I bypass the internal DAC on the Bluesound using the Coax out to my external DAC as the Bluesound Node is simply outclassed by the Cayin iDAC6 MKII, not by a little bit, but by a huge margin. I previously owned the Cayin CS55A, and I used to feed it Quobuz via my laptop to the built-in USB DAC, this is an optional extra on the CS55A. Why I believe this review is tainted is simply, the DAC on the Cayin CS55A, if you have that option, is simply leagues better than the DAC on the Bluesound Node. It may not be the same as the iDAC6 MKII, however, feed a good source such as Quobuz lossless to the USB DAC on the Cayin CS55A and it sounds absolutely amazing. I will go as far as to say I was utterly shocked at how good the CS55A can sound for a relatively affordable amp. I have no doubt it would wipe the floor with any solid-state amp costing similar money. Ultimately the Bluesound Node DAC is OK, I would say Mid-Fi not Hi-Fi, but the Cayin CS55A deserves to be fed a way better DAC than the Bluesound Node 2i. If you own a Cayin CS55A and are listening to music via the Bluesound DAC, you simply are not hearing the Cayin at anywhere near its best. Whilst I am not saying the iZero may or may not be better, as I have never heard one, I know the Cayin deserves a far better DAC than the Bluesound Node.
Nice story and really love how the channel is delivering. I had picked up 2 months ago a Willsenton R300B and what an Amp for
Please make a video about what's the difference between triode, ultralinier, and single ended and the advantages and disadvantages of each
Strange question. One can find the differences & principles all over the internet!
Yes, it’s about the emotion of the music.
You are a great reviewer because you love music
Absolutely spot on review Adrian. When will you be sharing a review of Ongaku, soon I hope
Can't wait for that one
Is Vilip coming back?
Hi Adrian, if possible, I would like your review between a Single-Ended Triode (SET) like Decware SE-84ufo2 and this AN iZero. Heard so much about musicality of low-output SET amp and would be a delight if you could compared between the 2 mighty mite 😊
Interesting comparison and use of the David/Goliath story. However, I've got to tell you that the review of the Beethoven's 5th and the AudioNote's weakness with that piece of music would be a deal-breaker for me. In fact, I have the same recording as the one you used. That fourth movement must absolutely have the ability to be played without sacrifice - or the lack of power/depth you described. The timpani and brass definitively require there be substantial power. Quite an honest review. Thanks! (PS While you might pooh-pooh my lesser hybrid amp - Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 - as a class D hybrid, it can "drive" that symphony!)
Hey ! Is Rouge Audio really as good as many say it is ? Would it be a good match with speakers like Harberth or Proac ? Also many say class D is not the best choice for those speakers. Interested to hear your opinion.
@@sylvio1980 I think Rogue Audio is a company that makes great products and sells them at a fair price-point. I love the sound of mine and how it works with my components, particularly my Tannoy speakers (Revolution XT-8F). My speakers are "efficient" and my Sphinx V3 has plenty of power/"headroom". If you search, you'll find a number of good-great reviews for this amp. However, you'll also find one, in particular from Audio Science Review that rates/evaluates them to a lesser degree due to measurement assessments. (This is typical for tube amps.) I think it's for every individual to make their own assessment. Do you evaluate based upon measurements or your own ears? Regarding class D? I'm not qualified to speak to that topic specifically. Also, inasmuch as the amp is a hybrid - with both tubes and solid state features, I don't know that it's truly "class D". However, there's an easy way to explore your question. Simply do a search and get in contact with Rogue Audio directly - email or phone call. They provide GREAT customer service.
If you have a very large room that would be the case but what gets people hooked on AudioNote is the luminosity and realism if you have ever heard a Cello through an Audionote even at Level 1 it is really quite startlingly close to hearing one live. Get to a level 5 Audionote system and in my view it is pretty much end game.
@@sylvio1980 agreed about Harbeth Audio Note Proac is stunning though
A few things to note here - the I-Zero is their most entry level integrated amplifier and it is part of their zero series meant to be mated to their zero series speakers. Those speakers are smaller standmounts so not really intended to be "full scale." You're going to lose some bass but the trade is a far superior midrange over something like Cayin or Rogue Audio. The I Zero is meant as an affordable option to a SET amplifier. As you move up the speaker line you get more bass and more sensitivity - the E speakers come in this version but also HE - which rises to 96-98dB and of course they offer more powerful amplifiers like the Jinro/Ongaku which has stunning bass performance at a stunning price point!
Personally, I kind of want 95% of the Beethoven 5 to sound "the best" sacrificing the sheer bass oomph because all the systems I have heard that do the bass better - don't do the 95% of the rest as well. It's those tradeoffs where I will audition $110k+ Dan D'Agostino amplifiers or top-of-the-line Pass Labs with $200k Wilson Audio and Magico Q7 and then think - yes it has better bass - it can play louder - but the voice band sounds far FAR FAAAAAR better on AN E and a Meishu Tonmeister for 1/th the price. It's so hard to give up the voice band just for more volume and bass.
Of course the alternate solution is to buy a preamp like the Audio Note M1 which is superior to the I-Zero and then buy an PS1 power amp which is superior power amp section to the I-Zero and then buy a Wyred4Sound mAmp monoblock set for under $2k that outputs 450 watts per channel into 4ohms - and so when you play the 5 now you have the ridiculous power to do it perfectly - and then switch back to the PS1 for Eva Cassidy. Best of both worlds!
What happened to the review of the Guarneris (David)???
Very nice format for product comparison =)
With its prices, are you able to sell any of these amps or the speaker you used.
If IZero is this good I wonder how much better is the Meishu Tonemeister is? I'm hesitant on Tonemeister as Stereophile said it lacked air!
As you can imagine …not nearly as much better as the price increase might suggest.
Otherwise they would build their „lower level“ stuff purposely bad. This product policy to me appears „shady“ anyway!
@@bikemike1118 Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Do you think IZero is same league as the basic Otto SE?
@@klepp19 cannot speak from personal experience here…but I‘d suppose that the OTO is „better“ (maybe only in the sense of ‚different‘).
If you’re into the market for one of those amps try to get a personal listening experience at a dealer. But there are surely alternatives out there as well. The quality of their chassis (talking about AN here) is below-ground in their price class…
@@bikemike1118 I am looking for a SET tube amp do you have any recommendations?
@@klepp19 … this question of yours is too general. Depends on a few things: your budget, your taste in sound, your taste in brand name, the other components of your system (especially the speakers), your taste in music, where you want your amp to come from (United States, Europe, China, Japan etc). You see: this hobby can be very complex! If I where you I wouldn’t rush the decision making process and would first dive deep into my own mind to find out what I want… then visit the according dealers to learn more about the components and their sound signature. At the end of the day it mainly comes down to the synergy of your components as well as to your personal preferences.
Adrian: Hi everyone, I am going to tell you a story today.
Me: Go ahead please.
lol
Love Audio Note, left it once chasing more power, but quickly regretted it! Lost the musicality other amps just had more power but didn’t draw you in.
As always in this hobby (or ANY hobby out there) a matter of personal taste…No absolute truth.
Does the I zero sound like a tube amp? If so, is it more EL34, KT88 or 300B?
Thank you for this excellent comparison review. Will you be carrying the AudioNote brand?
They have already covered some Audio Note equipment. See their unboxing video of speakers.
Very nice, Adrian! I really like the sound of the products by Audio Note. Top Notch! Have you ever listen to the amps and preamps of Decware? I really like them and they are way more affordable, but they have a looong waiting list.
No I haven't
More 1 to 1 comparisons please!
Does the AudioNote I Zero have sufficient OOMPF to power my beloved Hanson Monitors ? How about my LS35/As Cheers
Hi Peter, nice to hear from you, hope you are well. Unfortunately no, the iZero won't work, but the Cobra might
@@adrianlow2114 when I get back to Toronto I really must pay you a visit and thanks for te reply. I am happy with my vintage Luxman 5L15 but you know how we are never happy! I did manage to see Derek 3 days prior to his departure, we must have a proper memorial one day soon!
@@eyesee55 agreed! Let's get all his extended family and friends and honor him. Are you in charge of the crying virgins ?😂
Interesting comparison! I have the CS55a, any tips on tube rolling to get it to that next level?
Unfortunately I haven't tried
Go for El 34 tubes in triode. Then the magic comes alive.
@@lasse5214 I believe I will, any particular brand you would recommend?
FWIW (and it may not be much), the story of David is not historical. The "Philistines" were just more iron-age Canaanites, like the "Israelites" (who were upland iron-age Canaanites). The Neo-Babylonian empire defeated both (that were left after the neo-Assyrian empire had already taken the northern region of Canaan.) It is not difficult to accept that there were conflicts between the low-land dwellers and the up-land folk, but the tale written in the Torah is what the redactors wanted to tell to justify their re-occupation of the land.
But the idea of the little guy defeating the big guy is a cornerstone of storytelling, so I guess it works in audio shootouts too.
Has anyone tried the Cayin CS55A with the MOFI SourcePoint 10?
I have the source point tens I was thinking about getting a tube amp now.....
Ok, now I don’t have to go church this morning. Lol.
Carlos Kleiber..................a master director .......
Beerhoven went deaf too?
You left out the punchline of the David and Goliath story: after getting fame for killing Goliath, David went and killed 2000 more Philistines and cut off their foreskins. Not sure how that will work into your amplifier story... but it could have something to do with tubes.
200 Philistines not 2000. And this was for a whole different purpose.
굿
Painful clipping at times, guys.
At audio shows there are some amazing sounding systems. Wow you say that is more real than real. In fact most recordings are created from recorded parts frankenstiened together.
The first thing you notice at Carnegie Hall if your a High-fi buff is. Wow. This doesn’t sound as good as everyone says it does. Real music is blurry but tonally rich. Perhaps if your in the Golden Circle. I wouldn’t know - few do.
At one of the booths at the audio shows they have real musicians play. Usually a room tucked in a corner. The audio note room. You open the door and say to yourself Oh they have musicians playing now. You turn the corner and it’s their system. So you ask yourself: Do I really want my stereo to sound like real music? If your honest answer is yes there are few systems that can hold a candle to Audio Note. It sounds like real music.
But many systems sound better than the real music played in real time by musicians. Most people want their images photoshopped. And their music mastered. But not everyone.
Audio note is a rip off of Kondo. Dont buy them. Also, did Lewis quit???
How a rip off?
Agreed
no Lewis is my store manager