I recall Audio Notes' head designer was/is Andy Grove, I understood him to be a competent individual.
The issue with valves is that it has all been done and I don't see anyone developing things further, (Nelson Pass had something to say about this), in fact it seems that the Valve amp world actively trades on the nostalgic element, thus products seem to be a remake of old designs. I had understood that AN pride themselves on the quality of their transformers both in design and in use of materials, how much of this is true, or just price setting I don't know, but it is true that most of the performance 'issues', for want of a better expression, with valve amplification are set by the magnetic components and so it seemed like a laudable aim to me.
I understand that many of their more up market designs are built in the UK (Hove) and thus will be expensive.
On a personal level, I have been fascinated by Valves since I started experimenting with them as a kid, in addition to their look, I found the technology more relatable compared to solid state and even the added danger of HV made them more attractive! But as a HiFi user I have all but sold on my Valve kit, (I used to own some AN electronics), the experience was fun, much like most box swapping, but I found it offered nothing other than looks and the feeling that it needed me to nurture it, (it is relatively high maintenance) compared to solid state. After all, when designed correctly valve gear should do much the same job as solid state.
I can't really come to terms with its weaknesses being seen as a virtue, other than when you need a sound effects machine like a recording studio valve compressor or a guitar amp when the valve gear becomes part of the performers instrument and not the reproduction equipment. In this instance the performer has already applied the intended colouration/distortion, surely it is not for the listener to apply butter to their sandwich when the flavoring is already peanut butter. In the 30's, 40's, and 50's the listener had no choice, but we do have this choice now.
Those dealer ad's, maybe a decade or so ago, which showed POA against a piece of kit (Naim, frequently as that's where I was at the time) were counter-productive. Too many ad's with prices for anyone to bother finding out, surely. Initial impressions of POA ad's were that it wouldn't be competitive. Silly practice !
