OUR MISSION
The sole legitimate function of a music system, from modest to state of the art, is to enable the listener to enjoy the emotional experience of music performances. On a Higher Note's efforts are concentrated on distributing audio components which offer an exact recreation of live music performances without interfering with the musical enjoyment. This pursuit demands dedication and a genuine love of music that is impossible to hire, which explains the fact that in those few companies that succeed in producing musically satisfying components, product development is inevitably dominated by one or two individual personalities, rather than design by committee.
While we enjoy large-scale rock, we prefer to use acoustic performances on acoustic instruments as our musical reference. Similarly we recommend using music to voice a Home Theater system as we are familiar with how a Steinway grand piano should sound, while we have no such reference on hand to determine if a dinosaur stomp is accurate or not.
We are very excited about high-resolution multi-channel music; we first demonstrated a multi-channel music system at CEDIA in Indianapolis in September 2001, back when there was only a couple of dozen multi-channel SACDs in existence.
THE BENEFITS OF HIGH FIDELITY
If you're passionate about tone, timbre, pitch, and the blending of complex harmonic structures and instrumental textures that forms the whole; if you care about every nuance in the sounds produced by the instrumentalist or vocalist, along with natural (un-hyped) rhythmic drive; if you are passionate about the emotional response produced by music, then you will want an accurate presentation, you need to hear a well balanced audio system.
ON A HIGHER NOTE, LLC
On A Higher Note, LLC is a premier distributor of high-end audio components in the United States. Founded in 2001, OAHN set out to distribute products from manufacturers of synergistic high-end audio components across the globe to high-end audio dealers within the United States. We have a track record of rolling out distribution for quality brands and quickly establishing their unique presence with a premier dealer base and music lovers throughout the United States. After having successfully launched Halcro, an Australian brand of reference quality amplifiers, into the U.S. high-end electronics market from its infancy, and rolling out a U.S. dealer distribution network for EMM Labs, a manufacturer of CD/SACD playback systems, On A Higher Note is bringing to the U.S. market two exciting lines: Luxman from Japan, and Vivid loudspeakers. We will soon have an extensive dealer network across the U.S. offering auditions and dealer assistance/service with ease.
LUXMAN from Japan
On a Higher Note is delighted to help return an audio legend to the United States. Since 1925, Luxman has handcrafted audio products in Japan. All Luxman products are designed in Japan, each part is carefully tested and evaluated with many custom-made parts, thus making the Luxman designs unique, special and one of a kind. Luxman's tone is legendary; we have people writing & calling us every week wanting a new Luxman amplifer as their old piece has given 20+ years of service, but now as the switches are wearing out, they feel the need to upgrade to a modern piece. Luxman Japan’s attention to detail is second to none.
VIVID AUDIO from South Africa
It is our pleasure to introduce Vivid loudspeakers to the U.S. market. Vivid's products are Lawrence Dickie's new manifestation in innovative high-end speaker engineering after he completed the B&W Nautilus. Vivid Audio strives for aural and visual perfection along its full product range. These products have aesthetics as striking as the sound quality is pure, delivering an acoustic performance rendering them virtually invisible. They refine acoustic performance to a new level which encourages the listener to want more, rather than tire and need a break.
BRINKMANN from Germany
We are proud to have been selected to represent the superb Brinkmann line of electronics & turntables. We have been using a Balance with the Brinkmann 10.5 tonearm for the past six years nad have been very happy both with its perfromance and its reliability.
Having recenlty played with the new Bardo turntable in Germany, we are very excited about this new entry level turntable - it is a rather unique direct drive and while compact offers remarkable performance - we will be offering this turntabel coplete with a granite base. After extensive listening tests with Helmut Brinkmann at his home we determined that we preferred the granite over butcher block and aesthetically it is a gorgeous combination.
Music Giants from Lake Tahoe, NV
We are excited to be at the forefront to facilitate the digital revolution in the audiophile world and to offer the ability for our customers to enjoy both high fidelity music and ease of access for the first time via our alliance with Music Giants, a music & video service provider based in Incline Village, NV that offers WMA (with DRM) loss-less download audio format and will soon offer 1080P video downloads, neatly side-stepping the controversy over Blu-Ray as opposed to HD-DVD.
OUR TRACK RECORD
Our success is mainly due to our ability to relate to and fulfill the needs of the manufacturers, the dealers, the end-users and channel partners, and our skills in creating brand awareness and excitement with both the reviewers and the consumers.
We were responsible for the successful debut of Halcro in 2001 and for a strong run of the highest honors and the most prestigious awards a brand can ever imagine to accomplish during the subsequent six years.
Our ability to roll out distribution for quality products was demonstrated by us bringing 22 high-end dealers in 18 states on board to carry and sell EMM Labs' products in a short time.
Our Founder, Philip O'Hanlon, has a long time track record in creating strategic relationships and market demands in speciality niche markets in the high technology field.
OUR PHILOSOPHY IN WORKING WITH DEALERS
We currently have commercial relationships with over thirty high-end audio dealers in the United States and more audio-video installers. Our high-end audio dealers are predominantly “A” dealers in their respective markets and channels who have strong track record in selling into the high-end or luxury market. While we continue to solicit nation’s most productive dealers to join our network, we continue to nurture our existing dealer base to grow their presence and their sales organically. We conduct on-site product training on a regular basis for the sales people.
As our focus is on a narrow and deep channel of distribution, we restrict the dealer’s ability to discount the retail price and in turn we monitor all sales in our distribution channel to ensure that the dealer’s selling territories are respected.
Our dealers are service-oriented both in pre-sales services and after-sales support. We are active in conducting in-store product seminars and both stereo and multi-channel music seminars to assist our dealers in generating demand for our products in their marketplace. This sets the select audio/ video stores apart from the large AV chains in mid-fi as well as against the yet larger low-fi chains.
OUR ALLIANCES WITH CHANNEL PARTNERS
On A Higher Note has very strong relationships and alliances with select manufacturers of synergistic products. We work with JM Lab, Nordost, Shunyata Research, Synergistic Research, Transparent Cable, XLO Electric, and Wilson Audio to support each other in large systems sales and demonstrations. We continue to cultivate strategic relationships that would further our goal to be the first stop for manufacturers of high-end audio components around the world as well as help in assembling stereo systems that are truly capable of performing at the edge of the art..
FINANCIAL HEALTH
On A Higher Note is well capitalized, debt free and financially sound. In all the years of operations, we have had zero bad debts.
PHILIP O'HANLON
Philip O'Hanlon, our Founder & President, is a native Irishman who has been living in the United States since 1991. Prior to entering the audio industry, he was an executive producer for visual effects at a digital visual effects post production facility serving the motion picture industry. Screen credits include; Independence Day, Volcano, Species 2, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, his last project in the movie business was the destruction of New York city in Armageddon.
Mr. O'Hanlon is a music lover and an audiophile; he has a broad musical taste from folk to jazz and collects music in many formats. He enjoys a pair of heavily modified QUAD ESL57 (non-magnetic stainless steel frames) in the office during the day, where he has music playing continuously. The evenings are spent enjoying music in the living room, where he has a state of the art stereo / multi-channel music system.
To clear the cobwebs from his brain; Mr. O'Hanlon rides Aprilia & Ducati motorcyles around the canyons of Southern California. He is also an avid photographer.
Photo of Philip O'Hanlon with John Atkinson, editor of Stereophile at CES 2007, receiving the "Amplifier of the Year" Award.
© Copyright On A Higher Note llc 2007
On A Higher Note Phone +1 949 488 3004