One of the things that I observed - and very much appreciated - about Audio Note UK while I was visiting was that it is very much a family oriented business, with Peter Qvortrup, Lesley Fennell (Peter's wife), Emily Qvortrup (Peter's eldest daughter), and Daniel Qvortrup (Peter's son) all being involved in the day-to-day business activities.

Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier

Not only is Peter's family heavily involved in Audio Note UK, but that same family-like atmosphere permeates through the staff as well. I was impressed to note as I walked around Audio Note UK headquarters how happy people were while doing their work, and how gracious and thoughtful they were towards each other, and it was obvious to me that they care about each other. 

The staff of Audio Note UK reminded me of being more like an extended family than employees who just come in and then go home after a day's work.  

Amy Tweed at Audio Note UK

Take for example, Amy Tweed (above), the lady who assembled the OTO Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier (below) that was sent to me to write about for you here at Jeff's Place and Positive Feedback.

Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier.

"Amy has been with Audio Note UK for years", her colleague Micky Seaton told me, who made it a point to tell me what a fine assembly engineer Amy is, "Amy is at the forefront of build and quality, she knows how to build components that create beautiful music", as well as how Amy took it upon herself to make the best possible version of the Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier for yours truly.

I'm impressed that Micky made it a point to tell me about Amy, and I'm impressed with Amy's level of expertise, care, and consideration in building the Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier for me to write about for all of you. It makes me feel cared for too!

Amy Tweed and Micky

You rarely see that kind of dedication and care in today's world, and it impresses me, and that's why this Today's Fresh Catch post is titled "Amy's Amplifier - The Audio Note UK OTO Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier".

That's my way of saying, "Thank you, Amy, I appreciate you, your talent and knowledge, your care and dedication, and your fine craftsmanship in creating this Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier just for me." 

I might add that when you place an order for any product from Audio Note UK, each product is built just for you after you order it, and that same dedication, skills, and tender loving care that Amy put into building the Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier for me, goes into each and every Audio Note UK product they build for you. I find that to be very impressive and refreshing indeed!

Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier.

I'll be telling you a lot more about the technical details of the Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier before too long, but let me just toss out a few details for you from the owner's manual to whet your appetite until I get more detailed information about it:

"It is a Pure Class A, Single Ended valve design, which preserves the entire musical waveform as one 'whole', producing a level of performance that is radically superior to the majority of current designs.

Part selection is optimized to realize the most neutral and realistic sonic reproduction.

Some of the superior quality components utilized in the Oto Phono SE Signature include:

• Audio Note (UK) Copper foil capacitors used in the most critical areas.
• Audio Note (UK) Tantalum resistors used in the most critical areas.
• Custom designed IHiB output transformers, manufactured by Audio Note (UK). these output transformers - one of the most critical areas of valve amplifier design - allow the Oto Phono SE Signature to produce impressively extended and controlled bass.

The Oto Phono SE Signature fulfills all Audio Note (UK) Level 2 criteria of pure Class A Single Ended Pentode operation (EL84), materials, and component quality."

It just arrived a few minutes ago, and I'll go over the details of its design with you as soon as I find out more, but I wanted to show you some photos of it as it just arrived - it's impressive! 

Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier

The Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier was designed by Andy Grove (Senior Engineer, Research, Product Conception, Design) 28 years ago (I introduced you to Andy in my last post about Audio Note UK HERE), and it continues to be a best seller today.

I think most of you who have been reading my audio writing over the years know that I love integrated amplifiers, particularly EL84 integrated amplifiers (the EL84 is one of my favorite valves), and this particular integrated amplifier really excites me because it includes a phono stage! Woo hoo! That's how an integrated amplifier should be made!

The Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier is heavy, the literature says it weighs about 40 pounds, but with its compact size it feels even heavier than that. It's the transformers used that make it so heavy, they are really massive!

Micky told me to give it about 150 hours of run-in time, so for now I'll be installing it into my system with my vintage Altec 832A Corona loudspeakers, which the Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier can easily drive to live-like levels with its 10 watts per channel output.

The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price for the OTO Phono SE Signature is $6,330.00 USD, which I think is a very fair price considering all of its features, its superbly hand crafted nature, and uber quality of materials.

Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier

Stay tuned, I'll have a lot more to say about the Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier soon!

As always, thanks for stopping by to visit with me here at Jeff's Place, and may the tone be with you!