What sounds more musical than audionote equipment

It's good to hear that you are enjoying your Audionote system. I, too, like their house sound. It does make some sense sticking to one brand, at least for the electronics, because the components are voiced together and are electrically compatible. I have personally found that interactions between components of different brands are completely unpredictable, so very careful trial and error is necessary. It is easier, if not always better in result, to stick with one brand.

I like the sound of Audionote speakers, though they are not my absolute favorites. But, I am particularly fond of their electronics. I have a pair of Kageki (2a3 in parallel SET configuration) amps that are just plain fantastic. I also really like the sound of the DAC-5 signature digital-to-analogue converter, but it is out of my reach. Hey, a lot of their stuff is out of reach (M-10 linestage, M-8 phono stage. . .).

Mahandave,
This is all in the ear of the listener.
Processing the information (or sound) differently IS hearing differently. If you don't get that, then you are the one who does not get it.
Get It?

The showcase line at our local dealer is Audio Note. I've heard it numerous times, both there as well as at the homes of friends. My understanding is that Peter Qvortrup--the president of AN--has the largest private LP collection in the world. Whether that's true or not, his love for music definitely comes through in the sonics of his gear.

Away from the subject of musicality, I like the AN approach to upgrades. Starting just above the basic model of any particular component, their DACs, monoblocks, preamps & speakers can be taken through as many as 7 levels of upgrades using the same chassis. Excellent business model, in my opinion.

My only question is how does a company that sells an IC at $2800/meter not put any credence into the variability of power cords? Oh well, fair enough to let the customer decide.

evita makes a good point. of all the AN amps out there, my favorites were always the oto se and the e40 that they made with rogers uk. for the money spent, with superb phono sections, you can't beat these for world class reproduction of all genres of music with a pretty wide selection of loudspeakers.

i have been in the music industry for 30 years and this hobby for more than that and (i love my audio note components), but components good, bad, or ugly...are just that. like i said in my first post, there are lots of brands which trigger a euphoric, emotional response and longterm loyalty from consumers. unlike flavor-of-the-month brands they tend to favor style over fashion, and most design product that benefits from the synergy of an entire system. to dismiss mac, and other seminal lines as 'not being as musical' just tells me you've got alot the learn about hi fi. 'getting off' on music, live or recorded happens everyday for folks all over the world with or without an AN system or any other hi end product. No one purhases 'the soul' of great music, they only purchase components that give give them a worthwhile way to spend precious free time listening. If you are under 30, get ready to spend lots more over your lifetime. until you figure out that this hobby is equal parts listening to music-pride of ownership-and just plain collecting, you are never going to have any fun. Until you have at least one room in your house where you fall over lps, cd's 45's etc stacked to the ceiling, you are an absolute begineer.