My original plan to visit meet Peter Qvortrup at the Audio Note UK factory in Surrey last October had to be postponed–we just couldn’t align our busy schedules. (Next time I won’t take the “if it’s Tuesday” approach to visiting multiple manufacturers in Europe.) That was disappointing, of course, because Peter Qvortrup is one of my true high-end audio heroes, something you might have gleaned from my extensive coverage of Audio Note UK components over the last year.
Words by Marc Phillips, Photos Courtesy of Audio Note UK
Just before the 2024 Florida International Audio Expo, I received work from Audio Note UK’s Adrian Ford-Crush–Peter Qvortrup would be at the show, and he wanted to invite me to dinner on Saturday. I accepted, of course, but I also made immediate plans to visit the room and perhaps introduce myself. I entered the room and only saw Adrian, and I realized I probably couldn’t pick out Peter Qvortrup in a police station line-up–most of the photos I’ve seen are from long ago.
I settled in and started listening to the system in the room, which I quickly determined was one of the higher-level Audio Note UK systems I’ve heard at a high-end audio show: Jinro Shochu power amplifier, M6 phono preamplifier, TT-Three turntable with a PSU 3, IO 1 MC cartridge, AN-S8 step-up transformer, CDT Four CD transport, DAC 4.1x/II balanced, AN SPx Bi-wire speaker cables and AN Vx, Pallas and ISIS mains cabling. The speakers were AN-Es. I quickly noticed that this Audio Note UK system was definitely firing on all cylinders–it sounded superb, and a little different. I couldn’t wait until Peter Qvortrup showed up so I could ask him some questions.
I did ask Adrian, somewhat casually, which model of AN-E speaker this was–and the answer was a shock. These are the brand new Audio Note UK AN E SPx Ltd Field Coil speakers. I’m currently reviewing the Songer Audio S2 field coil loudspeakers, where the magnetic fields of the drivers are created by external motors rather than internal permanent magnets, so it seemed like a huge coincidence that Peter Qvortrup decided to go this way–at least from my point of view.
Just then I noticed someone in my peripheral vision, sitting down along the side wall. I looked over. That has to be Peter Qvortrup, I thought. I wasn’t sure, so I continued to listen to the system. Everything sounded more even and balanced than before, steady and confident, which is what field coil speakers can do to a system. Then I noticed, off to my left, a couple of books on the floor. They were turned to photos of Peter Qvortrup. I looked at the books, then I looked over at the man sitting to my right. Then I looked back at the books. I summoned Adrian and asked him, “Is that Peter?” Adrian replied, “Yes, it is,” and he introduced us.
I forgot one part of this story–Dr. Vinyl. He was sitting with me the whole time. He told me that, after listening to this system for about an hour, that he finally understood why I was so nuts over Audio Note UK. After meeting Peter Qvortrup, Dr. Vinyl started a fascinating and passionate audio discussion with him. Peter is one of those grand story-tellers in the industry, and I spent the rest of the time in the room feeling a little star-struck, so I sat and listened and nodded once in a while.
I had dinner with the folks at Audio Note UK, and I was able to talk to Peter Qvortrup at length about various topics other than audio. Fortunately, Adrian supplied me with some information on Peter’s decision to turn to field coils for the next chapter in the history of the AN speaker designs, courtesy of Andy Grove, the head of R&D at Audio Note UK. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom:
“Ask guitar players about magnets, though, and they will tell you that there are clear differences in texture and tonality between magnet types.”
“[Field coil drivers] are more transparent and detailed, but, not with unnatural filigree but by way of lower signal-related hash.”
And how about this: “It’s almost like suffering defective vision from childhood, and then being given glasses for the first time.”
That’s how I felt the first time I heard the Songer Audio S2s, and that’s how I felt at FLAX 2024, listening to the AN E SPx Ltd Field Coil speakers while sitting next to the legendary Peter Qvortrup. And that, my fellow audiophiles, was my highlight of the 2024 Florida International Audio Expo.
