Audio Note UK Cobra Integrated Amp/DAC REVIEW

The Audio Note UK Cobra didn’t scrimp on musical weight, which can be an issue with a relatively low-powered tube amplifier. Bass was always natural and full, with plenty of tangible edges around the notes. On 2L Recordings’ new Trio Mediaeval performance, An Old Hall Ladymass, I heard that weight even though we are talking mostly about a women’s choir backed by an organetto. When those voices are merged together, there should be an increase in the visceral impact of the music–we’re talking “strength in numbers” in its purest apparition.

That’s where the Audio Note UK Cobra made its personality clear–those pieces of music that represent two opposing performances, and how beauty can be found right at the intersection when they collide. That’s a result of the AN system capturing the energy of a performance and saving it for you to hear any time that you desire. This is a truly musical system–one that constantly celebrates the emotions behind the notes.