Music for York House

Relative price

well above typical

Among the 59 integrated amplifiers in the catalogue, this one is well above typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

NEW ENTRY (2026-05-12) per Tier 1 currency audit. Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B — Level 3 SET integrated amplifier with built-in MM phono stage, shipping since late 2019. Hand-assembled by 28 full-time employees at the West Sussex Audio Note factory. Per Stereophile (Robert Schryer): "weighs about 65lb and started shipping in late 2019."

TONMEISTER DESIGN UPGRADE vs PRE-2019 MEISHU: The Tonmeister is a major redesign vs the original Meishu (1991-2018). Per Audio Note UK official: "The input and driver stage is very similar to that found in the JINRO, TOMEI and ONGAKU, with a 12AU7 and 5687 driving an in-house designed and manufactured inter-stage transformer for the best energy transfer, evenness and authority. This is the most important, fundamental upgrade over the original design." Also: new PSU (one mains transformer + one 5U4 rectifier + one choke), new output transformers designed specifically by Andy Grove. Per Dagogo (Constantine Soo): "I have never been much of a 300B tube amplifier fan... the Meishu Tonmeister is the best of both worlds — an amplifier capable of gentleness and politeness but can also bring it with rock and roll."

VALVE COMPLEMENT (Phono Silver Tonmeister): 1× 5U4G rectifier + 2× 300B DHT output (Psvane Hifi Series standard) + 1× 5687 driver + 1× ECC82/12AU7 input (Psvane Hifi Series) + 1× ECC83/12AX7 + 1× 6DJ8/ECC88 for MM phono. Silver Signature variant adds 1× ECC82 CV4068 silver upgrade. Common tube types — tube-rolling friendly. NOS Philips ECG 5687WB recommended for the driver position (per Stereophile).

CRITICAL ELECTRICAL FIT: 8W SET 300B mandates ≥93dB sensitivity speakers. Excellent partners: AN-E SPe HE (98dB), AN-J (94dB), Living Voice IBX-R3 (94dB), Klipsch Heritage (Cornwall/La Scala 95-99dB+), single-driver/horn speakers. POOR partners: BBC LS3/5a tier (83-84dB) and most modern compact-bookshelf designs (80-86dB). In cavity-constrained system context: NO cavity-eligible speaker in current catalogue meets the 93dB+ requirement (highest is Neat Petite Classic 87dB / PMC Prodigy 1 87dB) — Meishu Tonmeister is architecturally INCOMPATIBLE with cavity placement constraints. For free-placement systems, Meishu Tonmeister is among AN UK's most rewarding entry points to the Level 3 SET 300B world.

Competition record

Assessed against 10 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 36 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

• timing and drive ×3

Who it comes up against

What the reviewers said

superquiet, black backgrounds Stereophile, Micallef, 2023· Electrical noise floor

rich, brawny, physical reproduction Stereophile, Micallef, 2023· Tonal body

texturally and tonally beautiful Stereophile, Micallef, 2023· Harmonic texture

a large soundstage populated by visceral, nearly-3D images Stereophile, Micallef, 2023· Spatial resolution

a surprisingly taut yet rich low end Stereophile, Micallef, 2023· Bass control

doesn't do air, no sense of diaphanous treble Stereophile, Micallef, 2023· Tonal consistency

How it scores

Clarity

• Electrical noise floor 78 from listening evidence
• Spatial resolution 74 from listening evidence

Voice

• Tonal body 78 from listening evidence
• Harmonic texture 78 from listening evidence

Bass

• Bass control 74 from listening evidence
• Physical impact 54 from specification
• Bass extension 54 from specification

LowerVolume

• Low-level noise floor 76 from specification
• Micro-dynamic resolution 76 from specification
• Tonal consistency 66 from listening evidence

Specifications