UpComing Reviews

BettisDad

Wammer
Wammer
Oct 23, 2019
329
264
83
Wigan
AKA
Phil
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
It would also seriously dent the resale value. Also, an aftermarket engineer who could be trusted with the work would be billing for a lot of labour time.

In fact, the parts cost if you use genuine AN transformers would be higher than the price difference. You could of course resell the standard ones, but I doubt the market is drowning under people who want a pair. As far as I know, AN will still supply transformers, but they're needed for production, so waiting times are extensive.

Add it all up, and it makes sense to just buy the 'right' spec.
Exactly.
 

BettisDad

Wammer
Wammer
Oct 23, 2019
329
264
83
Wigan
AKA
Phil
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I guess its AN 's pricing structure that beats me every time.
If I hear their stuff that I like & has "promise", to then enquire about a slightly better presentation usually involves accepting that I should forget the idea. :)
The differences in sound between the different versions of the same product are quite obvious, this is what blows my mind when people state that components can't sound different as long as they're to spec. Whether you can come to terms with the price difference is another matter. Hence going for the Silver rather than Silver Sig.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rabski

StingRay

Legend Wammer
Wammer
Apr 27, 2016
13,040
8,521
163
Suffolk coast, UK
AKA
Ray
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Trouble with smaller Chinese outfits is trying to borrow items for review. When George reviewed the Denafrips Terminator+ he had to buy one.

I will make some enquiries.
Yes I understand the problem. Maybe a member on here has one?

Thanks for enquiring.
 

garn63

Wammer Plus
Wammer Plus
Mar 3, 2020
12,284
18,700
198
www.avfc.co.uk
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
The differences in sound between the different versions of the same product are quite obvious, this is what blows my mind when people state that components can't sound different as long as they're to spec. Whether you can come to terms with the price difference is another matter. Hence going for the Silver rather than Silver Sig.
I agree with you for a large part and indeed we are all after the same thing..but differently :) For example I owned an AN Dac. It had its charms but half the mix was missing ? On enquiring, the Dac I would have probably liked was 4 times the cost of the one I was using ?
Maybe I will have to dampen my expensive tastes & carry on listening to others stories 😀
 

ozzric

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 23, 2014
289
303
83
Norwich, Norfolk
AKA
Cliff
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I think reading between the lines, the Tonnmeister is very good and the silver signature improves on this with nuances which are hard to ignore, but the twice-the-price cost of the signature raises the diminishing returns question where the extra cost is justified by the quality of used components rather than the uplift in sound quality.
I have not heard both flavours back to back so I'm not really in a position to qualify that, so Im probably just trying to justify that the standard Tonnmeister is within acceptable affordable reach, but if £22K was pocket change why wouldnt you go for the full fat version? I would.
 

rabski

Everything in moderation
Staff member
Dec 2, 2006
32,873
1
26,119
173
Kettering
AKA
Richard
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I think reading between the lines, the Tonnmeister is very good and the silver signature improves on this with nuances which are hard to ignore, but the twice-the-price cost of the signature raises the diminishing returns question where the extra cost is justified by the quality of used components rather than the uplift in sound quality.
I have not heard both flavours back to back so I'm not really in a position to qualify that, so Im probably just trying to justify that the standard Tonnmeister is within acceptable affordable reach, but if £22K was pocket change why wouldnt you go for the full fat version? I would.
'Diminishing returns' is always the issue in this hobby/industry/obsession, of course. But the same applies to everything. I have two turntables. On one of them I have an AT OC9XML, on the other an AT 50ANV. At retail prices, the Anniversary lists at about three times what the OC9 costs. Is it three times better? No, it isn't. Do the differences warrant the cost? To my ears, yes. It's that last touch of delicacy, the slightly better rendition of high treble, the cleaner separation of instruments, etc. If I had just heard the OC9 then I would have been perfectly happy. Having lived with the 50 Anniversary, I am aware that it is better.

The Audio Note is no different. Is the Silver Signature version twice as good as the standard? No, of course not. However, it takes what the standard version does and simply expands on it in pretty much every way. The components (and cost thereof) are a red herring really. It is better because of the differences in components, but it is the sonic differences that matter to people like us. I put more than once in the review that the 'standard' Meishu is superb and I would be very happy with one. The Silver Signature is just 'more of the same', but having heard both, and very extensively now, if the Silver Signature was financially possible, one would be in the rack here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ozzric

ozzric

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 23, 2014
289
303
83
Norwich, Norfolk
AKA
Cliff
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
'Diminishing returns' is always the issue in this hobby/industry/obsession, of course. But the same applies to everything. I have two turntables. On one of them I have an AT OC9XML, on the other an AT 50ANV. At retail prices, the Anniversary lists at about three times what the OC9 costs. Is it three times better? No, it isn't. Do the differences warrant the cost? To my ears, yes. It's that last touch of delicacy, the slightly better rendition of high treble, the cleaner separation of instruments, etc. If I had just heard the OC9 then I would have been perfectly happy. Having lived with the 50 Anniversary, I am aware that it is better.

The Audio Note is no different. Is the Silver Signature version twice as good as the standard? No, of course not. However, it takes what the standard version does and simply expands on it in pretty much every way. The components (and cost thereof) are a red herring really. It is better because of the differences in components, but it is the sonic differences that matter to people like us. I put more than once in the review that the 'standard' Meishu is superb and I would be very happy with one. The Silver Signature is just 'more of the same', but having heard both, and very extensively now, if the Silver Signature was financially possible, one would be in the rack here.
Maybe AN could lend you a Jinro for evaluation now you are a trusted reviewer. I would be quite interested in reading that, ive not heard one myself but I remember Mario turning up with a Tomei for a show once and thats the only 211 based amp I have heard, but it was the end of the demo day and all a bit rushed to have a proper warm up and listen to.
I have to say I quite miss Mario, his demonstrations had brilliant music choice and the settings all seemed to be more intimate than they have been of late; thats not disparaging to Daniel and Mickey, they're both lovely chaps, its just that Mario had his own way and character, a performance, which drew you in.
 

Juancho

Wammer
Wammer
Jan 22, 2014
1,597
573
158
London
AKA
David
As a DIY builder, I so wish that was true. Unfortunately...
Really? Try some Samwha capacitors and compare with same spec Nichicon Gold Tune as the main caps in a solid state amp then tell me that😝but of course if we're comparing good with good there may be little or no difference ......
 

rabski

Everything in moderation
Staff member
Dec 2, 2006
32,873
1
26,119
173
Kettering
AKA
Richard
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Really? Try some Samwha capacitors and compare with same spec Nichicon Gold Tune as the main caps in a solid state amp then tell me that😝but of course if we're comparing good with good there may be little or no difference ......
You're teasing, of course. In some applications and some cases, absolutely there are no differences. However, in others...

Coupling capacitors in valve gain circuits? Resistors in a passive IV conversion? Capascitors (and resistors) in passive RIAA? Electrolytics (or different LEDs) in cathode bypass? The list is long, as is of course the list of places where a bit of wet string would work.
 

ozzric

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 23, 2014
289
303
83
Norwich, Norfolk
AKA
Cliff
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Not really for a couple of reasons, firstly it would void the warranty on a brand new amp, secondly Audio Note no longer sell their transformers separately as far as I'm aware.
There is an eight week lead time for Audionote transformers sourced through HiFi collective look at some of those later prices though, you could buy a whole Tonnmeister for the price of one Traffo:

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/-c-61_78_79.html
 
  • Like
Reactions: BettisDad

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
113,444
Messages
2,451,263
Members
70,783
Latest member
reg66

Latest Articles

Wammers Online