Audio Note Japan vs Audio Note UK--Comments?

I have Audio Note UK kit. I love it. AN Japan is better, harder to get, and much more expensive. For the politics, look on AA. THey got into it ad nauseum.

What I would like to know is how much difference in performance is there between same or similar models from the two different sources?

They mostly do not make the same models.

Just another tit-bit as I understand it: Audio Note originally started in Japan by Kondo-san but today, legally, Audio Note is the British company. The original Japanese company is not allowed to use "Audio Note" & has changed names to Kondo.

AFAIK, the model names & numbers are totally different. In all probability you have not heard of the AN Japan products as the ones usually referred to are the UK company's products - esp. the AN DACs & their SET tube amps.

The co. Kondo hand makes all its products & they are made in very small numbers, very expensive & set to much higher performance standards of music reproduction. I think that one of their flagship amps costs $60,000! You might have seen some of their MC step-ups xformers on A'gon, which usually sell for $3000. The AN UK equivalent sell for $500 (& maybe upto a $1000).

Not much info, I know but I hope it adds to your awareness of Kondo-san's company.

AN Japan is the original and has the main designer. AN UK is a broken branch off of AN Japan. AN Japan is far more limited production using far more exclusive parts. AN UK tries to clone AN Japan's designs, but uses different, lower cost parts. Different parts = different sounds. Lots of bad feelings between the two.