Kondo - Audio Note

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Portugal

Are there 2 Audio Note companies?
Kondo Audio Note
Audio Note Home Page

Seems like it...

Yes. There is a long story that you can probably find on the internet. I think the short story is the UK distributer somehow ended up starting his own company many years ago using the name Audio Note. It is good gear but not with the cache of Audio Note Japan. A lot of acrimony as we understand.

[Elberoth]

Here is the story:

General Asylum: Re: Audio Note of Japan (KONDO) by Peter Qvortrup - Audio Note (UK) Ltd.

[Still-One]

I will look at that later. I do see that it was authored by the individual who was part of the issue. It might be better to find a more neutral article.

[Marcossy]

I'm not sure if this thread is the best place to address this theme (maybe the "Cables galore" section suits it better) but certainly I'll find more users and enthusiasts of Kondo Audio Note in here than anywhere else.

Last week I had the opportunity to make an A/B comparison at home between the new speaker cable models SPs-2.7 (Operia) and the KSL-SPｃ (gently provided by Ashizawa Masaki san).
In one word I was delighted with what the SPs-2.7 did to my system.

The sound became so natural and warm but never with the compromise of detail, extension or resolution in the highs. Despite being a silver cable the bass region showed-up very powerful, full and resolved. What most impressed me however was a kind of inner light in the presentation that was defined as below in the review of the silver interconnect at 6 Moons:
"These Kondo cables and power cords illuminate the audio spectrum with what can only be described as a brighter but somehow more natural light than I've ever experienced before. It's not like the bright etched harshness of a spot light. No, it's like the light of a bright but not windswept summer day. There is no harshness but a sense of luxuriating in the warmth of a perfect day. I think this comes from these cables' key characteristic which is their natural presentation.”

The KSL-SPｃ (the copper one) was also very correct and natural but I missed the “luxuriating light” of the silver cable. The “problem” is that the silver version costs roughly 4X the copper model.
I suppose some of you guys use Kondo cables but I’d like to know the opinion, especially of those ones who opted for the copper cable rather than the silver one, just like Jerry supposedly did.