"All our speakers are intended for corners or at least close to the front and side walls, never freely in the room!" Just so, the AX One/II generally play it somewhat brighter due to their gradual and linearly increasing output towards the upper frequencies. Interested parties won't necessarily combine them with equally bright amplifiers. This is where the AX One/II differed from the Harbeth P3ESR XD. While the latter appeals to pleasure listeners, our test candidate is equally suitable for analytical fans who just must hear more. It won't provide the typical British feel-good monitor sound. But neither does it scare off holiday listeners rather than inveterate thrill seekers. The AX One therefore reminded me a bit of the compact €3'400/pr Neat Acoustics Majistra I reviewed last year. That Brit box also didn't follow the English tuning cliché with its relatively sober and neutral orientation but still sounded more factual and analytical than the Audio Note.
In the bass our Audio Note would lose out to that Neat which goes quite a bit lower. Considering size, it's only logical that the One doesn't produce much low bass even close to a wall. On the other hand, buyers get agile, dynamic and dryly pumping lows which were a pleasure. With Finnish post-Punk formation Grave Pleasures and their 2023 album Plagueboys, the Audio Note elaborated the bass action in "Tears On A Camera Lens" a bit lean but very precise. Therefore the small AX One is not for deep bass and electonica hounds but listeners who prioritize precision and wonderfully bouncy bass with punch. I also very much liked the Audio Note at low levels during sleeping hours. Yet this small box is no sleeping pill but wake-up call.
Male and female voices always seemed harmoniously embedded, natural and innately right regardless of genre. The Harbeth is a bit more full-bodied. The Audio Note presents the lower midband more matter of fact and neutral to be about taste. It is not as round and smooth as the Harbeth but more detailed, transparent yet suitable for long sessions without inner ear ringing. Spatially I enjoyed astonishing width which I'd not expected in this price range.
This action extended well outside the speakers, say on "Into the Black Wide Open" by Germany's instrumental rockers Long Distance Calling. That track from the self-titled 2010 album is unusually recorded and forced me to assess stage width and depth. Only the latter could have been more extended. That was undoubtedly due to the recommended close-wall placement. Instruments localized nicely across the horizontal plane but limited depth of field somewhat restricted the 3D effect. On the other hand, the AX One/II seems especially suited for nearfield scenarios and small spaces with close boundaries so this small adjustment of truth is tolerable.
