When I say that I saw a familiar face in the Audio Note UK room at AXPONA 2024, I’m not talking about Peter Qvortrup. Peter was there, of course, running the room just like he did at 2024 FLAX, and I did get to chat with him a couple of times in Chicago, but that dark but familiar face I’m talking about belonged to the Audio Note UK TT-Two Deluxe turntable, just like the one I reviewed last year.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
“Just like”? No, this was the exact same unit I reviewed, right down to the Audio Note UK IQ III MM cartridge. For some reason I looked at it and thought it might be the TT-One’s turn to shine in an Audio Note UK exhibit room. Nope, it was the TT-Two Deluxe. It seemed so simple and so streamlined, and I was reminded how much I enjoyed the performance and how I may have packed it up too soon. Also, I would have assumed that something like the TT-Three would be more at home with this upper level AN system that also included the new field coil version of the AN-E/SPx speakers (around $60K/pr) and the Audio Note UK Conquest Silver Signature 300B monoblocks, which I hadn’t heard yet.
That’s the fun of covering so many Audio Note UK systems at high-end audio shows over the last couple of years. Audio Note UK has so many iconic products that have been in the line-up for decades, and it’s been a genuine pleasure to mix and match and see how AN performance increases as you go up and down the line while still maintaining that legendary tonality.
In this case, I was able to listen to the Audio Note UK TT-Two in the context of a more lofty AN system than I hosted back in Portland. First, those field coil AN-Es continue to intrigue me–while one show attendee thought they sounded just like his AN-Es back home, I still hear that steady and solid delivery you can’t get from permanent driver magnets. Second, I stand by my assertion that the Audio Note UK TT-Two Deluxe is one of the most underrated turntables out there for less than $10K (with arm and cartridge and phono stage, in most cases), and this exhibit room proved that once and for all. The sound was refined, coherent and, once again, it sounded just like real musical instruments and not just hi-fi.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2024, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
