Greetings friends, I hope you are well.
In a previous post I was telling you that I was in a state of complete awe at the performance level of the Audio Note (UK) Tomei 211 SET integrated amplifier (above) powering my Duelund-ized Tannoy Westminster Royal SEs.
I said about the Tomei 211 SET, "I've never heard anything finer for my tastes, and the sound quality, the visceral impact of the music, and level of emotive impact is just extraordinary."
Then, a few days ago, the Audio Note (UK) Ongaku 211 SET integrated amplifier arrived (above center).
After listening to it I sent Peter Qvortrup a message saying, "The Ongaku arrived and I've been listening to it, and my response is, "Oh my god, what an amazing amplifier!" You really have done something incredible with the Ongaku!"
Peter messaged me back saying, "Thanks, you are now at the “all-silver” Level Five where magical things happen to the sound. Keep listening, it gets better over time."
If you have been following along with the Audio Note (UK) review series that I have been doing with Peter for Positive Feedback, you've read about the concept of Peter's "performance level system" for his Audio Note (UK) components.
The idea is that Peter and his design team develop complete audio systems - from source to speakers and everything in-between - made up of complimentary high-performance audio components at each level, and as one ascends up the performance levels the components that make up an audio system deliver increasing levels of performance and refinement.
Peter wanted to demonstrate to me how performance increases as one ascends up through the levels, so we started at Level 2 with the superb OTO Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier, and then we went to Level 3 with the mighty Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B SET integrated amplifier. Then we ascended to lofty Level 4 with the stunning Tomei 211 SET integrated amplifier that I was lavishing praise on above, and which blew me away so completely I was in a state of awe at its performance level.
Here's how Peter defines the performance levels:
Level 2: Class A single-ended pentode or tetrode amplifiers & Class A push-pull directly heated no-feedback triode amplifiers (e.g. the OTO Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier).
Level 3: Class A single-ended directly heated no-feedback triode amplifiers (e.g. the Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B SET integrated amplifier).
Level 4: Class A single-ended directly heated no feedback triode amplifiers, with high quality parts and materials such as hard wired circuits using silver wire, copper or silver foil signal capacitors, choke coupled power supplies with valve rectifiers for the HT, with a mixture (relative to overall cost) of Cerafine or Black Gate electrolytic capacitors, non-magnetic resistors made from tantalum film and output transformers with C-cores (instead of IE cores traditionally used due to cost) with very high nickel content (e.g. the Tomei 211 SET integrated amplifier).
I've had the hots for each of the Audio Note (UK) integrated amplifiers I've reviewed for Positive Feedback, and would consider myself a very fortunate man indeed to own any one of them, but there is no denying that there is a considerable jump in performance and refinement as you go up through the performance levels.
Level 5: Class A single-ended directly heated no feedback triode amplifiers, with only the very best parts and materials available, fully silver-wired high-content nickel iron C-core output transformers, Black Gate capacitors throughout where available, silver foil signal capacitors, and both circuit and power supply hard wired with silver wire (e.g. the Ongaku 211 SET integrated amplifier).
Even after a short listen to the Audio Note (UK) all-silver Ongaku 211 SET integrated amplifier I was completely blown away once again. As shockingly good as the Tomei 211 SET integrated amplifier is, I have never heard anything that performs at a performance level comparable to what I'm hearing from the Ongaku 211.
In fact, it is going to take considerable effort on my part to describe the performance of the Ongaku, as I'm pretty sure I don't have the words yet that can describe what is happening at its Level 5 of performance.
Peter said Level 5 is "where magical things happen." Peter's not kidding, the Ongaku 211 is magical, and it certainly has cast a spell on me.
I didn't even think this level of amplifier performance was even possible in audio, yet here I am listening to it. I'm utterly amazed.
Like usual, I'll be doing a deep dive into the performance of the Ongaku 211 SET integrated amplifier, and will be telling you all about what I find out.
Stay tuned, there will be lots more to come about the Audio Note (UK) Ongaku 211 SET integrated amplifier.
As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
