CHANGING FROM AUDIO RESEARCH TO AUDIO NOTE SYSTEM 

@ghasley : good review of two different systems! I think the OP should just sell the Wilson's and get the Devore 096's. Keep the ARC gear and get an Audio Note SE amp for alternate listening. No need for an AN preamp!

I think member jasonbourne52 is  on to something and I agree.  I would try the Devore speakers and if you like them with your current ARC electronics, you just saved a boatload of money.  If still in doubt, try the AN electronics.  I just don’t see how those AN speakers are so expensive seeing as they are based on the Snell speakers which were not that expensive in the first place. I just don’t see how you can get real good bass out of speakers with an 8 inch woofer, no matter how far they are stuffed into the corners. 

@pfmaudio

Since corner placement is of primary concern, AN-E’s are worth a try. In addition, the signature versions of Audio Note electronics are the sweet spot in the line up. I would take for example a silver signature level 3 over a base version level 4. You dont have to run silver interconnects or speaker cable but you can always upgrade to those later if you want to squeeze out more performance. The E-Spe’s are wired with silver wire but have copper voicecoils so you dont need to go crazy with silver ic’s and speaker cable unless you want to eek out the last 1-2% of performance. In my opinion, the 8wpc from a 300b set is barely enough for the spe he’s depending on your listening preferences. I listen at low levels but like dynamic snap when called upon. YMMV.

I also concur with @jasonbourne52 ​​​​@stereo5 that you havent heard how good your ARC gear can sound yet. Far from it. Frankly, your 5se preamp is so good you will have to spend $$$$$ to better it within Audio Note. You might even consider hanging on to your 5se if funds allow. Its a special preamp that will be in high demand for many years to come on the preowned market and maintain its value. And good luck finding another one if you change your mind and want it back.

Any of us who have taken a deep dive down the Audio Note rabbit hole will attest that its great gear, it does what it does very well but if you are buying new, it depreciates far more initially than you may think. A big haircut awaits if you want to reverse course. A really cool option for you might be for you to demo a ref80s amp with the audio note E’s. Then you could sell your ref150 and buy the ref80s. The ref80s has a triode mode and I would be very curious how that system would perform with the AN-E’s. If you are demoing the e’s and they don’t quite float your boat, you could reverse course and pick up a pair of Sabrinas...they are a bit more placement agnostic than the Sophias IMO. I have a friend who has Vandersteen Quattros(I dont recall the version naming conventions) with a similar ARC setup and given the adjustable bass on those speakers, he has them very close to the walls/corners with fine results.

Good luck and as always seems to be the case, be careful when your setup is predetermined by domestic/decor priorities. You will have a wide sweetspot with the E’s in your room but that sweetspot won’t be as sweet as you might think. They sound pretty good no matter where you happen to sit but all of that toe in that is required, I repeat required, for the Audio Notes will compromise your presentation in other areas. With the E’s in my systems and rooms, I found myself feeling that they don’t suck musically and are a terrific speaker for a normal domestic setting. Just please don’t slip into the trap that some of us slip into when we think we are going to have dedicated listening room performance in a non-dedicated listening room. That won’t happen.

Great advise from you all! Thanks!
@ghasley , you said it all about the REF5SE. It is indeed a great and special,preamp! One of the things I feel about this business is that I am exchanging a very special preamp for an inferior one, although great sounding. A little bit the same about the Sophia’s, being changed for very plain AN E model, because a level 4 model more than doubles the price. it is a great idea the ref80 issue. I will give it a try.

At the end, it is a question of liking the sound of AN and I do a lot. The JADIS with the O96 really impressed me. I felt music and emotion in their presentation. I coul hear the effort made by a singer to pass the emotion. Believe me, it was unforgettable. I could go for this combo, JADIS with Devore. But I think it will be too much for my living room. I posted a picture on my profile with the system in the room. A corner placement would be great for the room. The Devore will be bad for the room.

I also must say that the AN system didn’t impress me as much as the Devore/ Jadis. But I liked it a lot. Where I starting from scratch and if money wasn’t an issue, I would buy and live happily with the AN system for the rest of my life (if one can say that for sure).

@pfmaudio I agree with you and you are thinking about the right things. One thing you might consider, pick up the phone and call Mr. Devore. Tell him what you heard when you first heard his speakers, tell him about your room and your desires for placement. I have seen photos where John built front ported O96's for a customer. Heck, that may be all you need to get the sound you are after is to have a pair of O96's built that way.

My personal opinion is that if you are looking past the AN-E spe he then you should consider the higher models in the context of an all Audio Note system. Its the AN specific synergies where you milk the last bit of elegance from the system. I am far from an Audio Note expert as I determined real quick that it can be painful as you move up the Audio Note food chain. If it were my money, and it clearly isn't, I would upgrade to a ref80s and have some O96's built with front ports. You could stick with your existing Transparent cabling, experience some amazing dynamics tonal color and texture and sink in and enjoy your music. Besides, the O96's are absolutely built to an heirloom standard, they are beautiful in room and are terribly easy to live with. While O96's may not be everyone's cup of tea, what speaker is? One of the things I really appreciate about the O96's and Devore Fidelity in general, you will see them driven by inexpensive tube integrateds, class A solid state, SET's, lower power amps, higher power amps and they appear to check off boxes for those buyers. They really are versatile. With that said, you might find the transparency and texture that ARC delivers would mesh nicely with AN-E's and they might sound amazing in your room. Hopefully you have great dealers who will find a way for you to see which direction works best for you.

Best of luck...