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Audio Note OTO Integrated Amplifier

Oct 17, 2013 | Amplifiers, Audio Note, Brands, Reviews, Valve Amplifers | 0 comments

The Audio Note OTO Phono SE is Audio Note’s entry level single-ended amplifier running in single-ended pentode mode. While Audio Note is famous for those ultra expensive Ongaku’s, it may be the OTO that most consumers will be introduced to first. The OTO is, if not already, a modern day classic amplifier. To be viewed a classic in virtually any arena, a pre-requisite is for it to be able to stand the test of time. Can your product still hold up against newcomers with new designs and ideas? The OTO SE has been selling for 16 years since 1992, and it continues to beguile, amaze, and sneak into the hearts of owners for its sheer beauty at replaying recorded material. For the beginner, the OTO is about as easy as you could hope for in operation. First of all, there is no biasing to worry about and thus no need for volt meters. It’s as plug-and-play as it gets for tube amplifiers. With five gold knobs on the front for INPUT SELECTION (Phono, CD, Aux, Tuner), TAPE SELECTOR, BALANCE, VOLUME, and POWER, it’s as straight forward as it gets. The OTO Phono SE has 9 tubes, all of which can presently be purchased for as little as $6 – $10 each from various online retailers. Audio Note expects tubes to last for around 8,000 hours. This is an important aspect to consider for long term ownership because many other tube amps use tubes that don’t last nearly this long and are very costly to replace. With the SET myths continually being espoused on forums, it is first-hand experience that is needed to get a true sense of what is going on. Firing up the OTO with its paltry 10 watts of EL 84 power, a tube considered in tube lore to be a weakling power tube, I was shocked by how truly powerful this amp can sound: full range, crystal clear to a high levels, and absolutely no noises, hums, or hisses. Basically, the experience had me doubting everything I had read for years on audio forums and in magazines. I didn’t get it. To OTO or not to OTO? That is the question. And the question that follows is not whether this ten-watt amp will work well with your speakers, but whether your speakers will work with this amp. With the Audio Note J or E loudspeakers, there is clearly a synergistic system match where the cohesion and timing and body of tone is so right that sometimes I wonder if one could want for more. The OTO with the J or E from the Rock oomph of AC/DC and Aerosmith to Sarah Mclachlan, Hayley Westenra, or Loreena McKennitt’s glorious sensual vocals to Beethoven’s full on 9th, the OTO is able to provide a powerful level of drive when needed, while also delicately delineating the subtleties of acoustic instruments and vocals. The OTO is a nimbly tuneful amp ready to take what you throw at it in stride without a hint of gassing out. Strings and acoustic instruments have a rich decay, gentle, and insightful. Put on some electronic music and the amp is capable of digging down deep and grabbing you by the scruff of your neck. You wonder about bass and treble because such amps have always been said not to be able to cope with frequency extremes. Well, there is absolutely nothing to fear here and it’s truly a disservice that this myth gets propagated. I have owned and auditioned several respected solid-state amps that sounded leaner and lighter weight in the bass and offered none of the three-dimensional organic qualities offered up here. Indeed, I am hard pressed to think of a solid-state amplifier for the price, or maybe any price, that I would take over the OTO for pure music reproduction. You Don’t Need to Win the Lotto to Own an OTO Audio Note has some stupefying prices on some of their upscale equipment, so it’s nice to see that they don’t forget the audiophile on a budget. The OTO is by no means an inexpensive amplifier for most of us, but it is in the reach of most audiophiles looking to get a real taste of the organic musicality that the single-ended experience offers. A glorious combination of leading edge attack and full-bodied decay with astonishing bass depth and a grain-free open treble reproduction is what you get in the Audio Note world and the OTO doesn’t leave you out in the cold. The OTO has a beauty of tone, timbre, and a full-bodied enveloping sound that makes it difficult to resist on any music program. The word “right” comes up in reviews again and again describing Audio Note products, and the OTO is no different. Of course, you will get better sound moving up the ladder or “levels” in the Audio Note line but that is how it should be. The question is can this be your last amplifier if you just want to be wrapped up in the music – with the right speakers; the answer is yes. Chameleon-like is the order of the day here. The price of entry into the Audio Note single-ended world, and for the rewards you will get from this amp, it is nothing short of a steal. Audio Note is a company dedicated to music reproduction and while the OTO may not look like much against some of the ritzy glitzy competition, the music reproduction here should not be overlooked. This is a first-rate, well-built, classy-sounding amplifier.

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AUDIO NOTE OTO INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

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We are extremely pleased to announce we have an Audio Note OTO amplifier on dem. This is an integrated single-ended valve amplifier using the EL84 tube. A phonostage can also be added to this superb amp making it perfect amp for those integrating a multitude of sources who don’t want the inconvenience of many separate boxes. It embodies the design philosophy of Audio Note; simple, understated yet elegant amplifier. But it is the sonic characteristics of this amp that set it apart from the crowd. Here is what Richard Euston of Dagogo has to say about this amp:

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The Audio Note OTO Phono SE is Audio Note’s entry level single-ended amplifier running in single-ended pentode mode. While Audio Note is famous for those ultra expensive Ongaku’s, it may be the OTO that most consumers will be introduced to first. The OTO is, if not already, a modern day classic amplifier. To be viewed a classic in virtually any arena, a pre-requisite is for it to be able to stand the test of time. Can your product still hold up against newcomers with new designs and ideas? The OTO SE has been selling for 16 years since 1992, and it continues to beguile, amaze, and sneak into the hearts of owners for its sheer beauty at replaying recorded material.

.

For the beginner, the OTO is about as easy as you could hope for in operation. First of all, there is no biasing to worry about and thus no need for volt meters. It’s as plug-and-play as it gets for tube amplifiers. With five gold knobs on the front for INPUT SELECTION (Phono, CD, Aux, Tuner), TAPE SELECTOR, BALANCE, VOLUME, and POWER, it’s as straight forward as it gets. The OTO Phono SE has 9 tubes, all of which can presently be purchased for as little as $6 – $10 each from various online retailers. Audio Note expects tubes to last for around 8,000 hours. This is an important aspect to consider for long term ownership because many other tube amps use tubes that don’t last nearly this long and are very costly to replace.

.

Audio Note has some stupefying prices on some of their upscale equipment, so it’s nice to see that they don’t forget the audiophile on a budget. The OTO is by no means an inexpensive amplifier for most of us, but it is in the reach of most audiophiles looking to get a real taste of the organic musicality that the single-ended experience offers. A glorious combination of leading edge attack and full-bodied decay with astonishing bass depth and a grain-free open treble reproduction is what you get in the Audio Note world and the OTO doesn’t leave you out in the cold. The OTO has a beauty of tone, timbre, and a full-bodied enveloping sound that makes it difficult to resist on any music program.

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TO READ THE FULL REVIEW OF THE OTO AMPLIFIER CLICK HERE

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