February 01, 2019

Rega, QUAD and Spendor Hi-Fi System Focusing On Vinyl And CD!

February 01, 2019/ Portsmouth

We realise that not everyone wants to stream their music, some people like to keep it simple with CD and Vinyl. With this in mind we put together a quality mid range system (Under £4000 excluding cables) for a small to medium room that sounds great and focuses on more traditional formats.

The honest shot showing the connecting cables!

Starting with the hub of the system, we have the Quad Artera Solus. The Solus is an amplifier / CD combo in the very high quality Artera casework giving it a really solid, hefty feel.

For our record spinner we chose the latest version of the iconic Rega Planar 3 with Elys cartridge and the Rega Fono MM phono stage. The Planar 3 is available in Black or White as well as the Red finish shown below, and without cartridge if you would prefer to choose your own.

And last but not least, one of the most compact floorstanding speakers we have, the Spendor A2 in black. The Spendor’s are also available in Dark Walnut and Natural Oak. White is available at a premium. Grills are available as an optional extra.

We tried several pairs of speakers with the system and liked the Spendor’s the most. Although they struggle to fill a big room, the combination of subtlety and a very natural musical presentation won us over against some of their bigger rivals.

Although this system is excellent with CD and Vinyl it does have potential to expand. The Quad Solus does have Bluetooth if you want to dip your toe into the streaming world. It also has digital inputs, and analogue outputs for the Quad Artera Power amplifier for a bigger room / speakers.

Feel free to come in and have a listen. Thanks for reading Nick, Joe & James - Audio T Portsmouth.

Rega Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T

QUAD Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Brighton, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Spendor Loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T: Cardiff, Cheltenham, Portsmouth, Swindon

November 28, 2018

Deck Your Halls With The Sound Of Vinyl

November 28, 2018/ Cardiff

Here at Audio T Cardiff we have come up with six excellent value turntables for you to consider for Christmas. A great gift to give for a music loving loved one or to give yourself a treat. We have picked these as we believe at their respective price points, they offer tremendous value and more importantly superb sound!

First on the list is the Pro-ject “Primary” A simple plug and play unit that is simple to use. Very little set up is needed, you simply place the platter on the spindle, fit the belt, connect it to your amplfier or phono stage, power it up and away you go.

Second on our list is the “Rega Planar 1”. Again like the Pro-ject above it has the same kind of set-up and will having you listening to your vinyl in no time

In third place we have the Project “Debut Carbon”. This is one of our best selling turntables. Fitted with the superb Ortofon 2M Red cartridge a carbon fibre tone arm and a heavy steel platter, it gives the best possible performance for the money. This is also the first turntable on our list that is upgradeable. You can swap the felt mat for a cork one, upgrade the stylus to a 2M Blue or even swap the steel platter for an acrylic one.

The fourth on our list is the iconic Rega Planar 3. The Planar 3 has been around for many years over which it has been steadily improved. With its distinctive glass platter and a superb tonearm that is compatible with many different cartridges both MM (moving magnet) and MC (moving coil), this is indeed a very versatile record deck. It can be supplied without cartridge or as a package with the Elys 2 with considerable saving on the price.

In fifth place we have the Project “Classic Super Pack”. Similar in looks to the Linn LP12 or the old Thorens TD160 this record player uses a high quality tonearm a damped heavy steel platter and a very clever sorbothane suspension to eliminate vibrations. Now adding electronic speed selector and fitted with an Ortofon Quintet Red cartridge this deck will give you many years of happy listening. This turntable is also supplied with a leather mat and record clamp.

In sixth place we have a new kid in town, the stunning Rega Planar 8. Stunning in looks and performance this deck truly deserves all the accolades bestowed on it so far. It has an electronic speed box that is fine tuned and matched to every individual unit. Fitted with the Apheta 2 cartridge this turntable sounds sublime. Certainly the best we have heard for the price for a long while. However just don’t take our word for it, pop in and have a listen. Bring along your favourite vinyl records and pick the turntable that suits you best!

Pro-ject turntables are also available at the following branches of Audio T:

Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Swansea, Swindon

Rega is available at all branches of Audio T.

September 20, 2017

Rega Turntables Are Superb And We Couldn't Make It Any Planar

September 20, 2017/ Audio T

Here at Audio T Preston we are pleased and proud to say that we stock the entire British made Rega Planar turntable range, from the modest entry level Planar 1, all the way up to the range topping RP10.

Rega Planar 1
This is a great entry level record player for anyone starting out listening to vinyl. It's easy to set up, and you can buy with confidence knowing that you are buying British and getting the best performance you can buy at this price point. The RB110 tonearm with the Rega Carbon cartridge combination works really well together. It sounds great and is easy to use and easy on the pocket. The P1 is available in two different finishes black and white and costs just £248 and is excellent value for money.

Rega Planar 1 Rega's entry level turntable

Rega Planar 2.
The next step up the Rega record player ladder is the P2. Whilst this turntable shares the Rega Carbon cartridge with the Planar 1, this is where the similarities end. The Planar 2 has the RB220 tonearm, which requires minimal set up to get the best from your vinyl collection. It also introduces a heavier glass platter, which increases performance. Like the Planar 1 this turntable is available in black and white finishes and costs only £375.

Rega Planar 3.
This multi-award winning incarnation of an iconic turntable has managed to improve vinyl reproduction even further. With structural bracing top and bottom between the sub platter and the RB330 tonearm, this turntable has been the benchmark model for avid vinyl listeners for many years. The RB330 arm requires the standard set up, however for even better performance this can be purchased with a variety of Rega's own cartridges to improve sound quality. We're on hand to guide you with the set up and offer a cartridge fitting service so that your music sounds as good as this turntable can reproduce. The Planar 3 is available in black and white finishes.

Rega Planar 6.
The newest edition to the range features the Neo PSU electronic speed change, advanced anti-vibration control and user adjustable electronic fine speed adjustment which until now was only found on the RP10. With a two tone black finish, dark matt grey at the top and high gloss black around the edges, this player looks stunning. We have our Planar 6 fitted with the Ania moving coil cartridge and the performance is outstanding. The Planar 6 can also be purchased with Rega Exact moving magnet cartridge.

Rega RP8
The RP8 is a ground breaking turntable which takes Rega’s design further than ever before. With low mass, high rigidity plinths combined with an electronically controlled low vibration motor, it makes this player a true force to be reckoned with. The RP8 is the first of Rega's “skeletal” design turntables with a new plinth using custom materials and the RB808 tonearm. Our demonstration RP8 is complete with the Apheta 2 MC cartridge. You can also get it with the new Ania MC cartridge.

Rega RP10.
As with the RP8, the RP10 utilises the skeletal design and space age materials, however the RP10 is fitted with the RB2000 tonearm, which is simply stunning both in appearance and in performance. The RB2000 tonearm requires the standard set up (we can fit this for you) and has a ceramic platter and a dedicated power supply, which is the same size as Rega's Brio amplifier. The combination of the changes from the RP8 to the RP10 make a huge difference in performance and make this turntable the one to aspire to own. The only way to truly appreciate just how good your music on vinyl can sound, is to bring it in and take any Rega record player for a spin in our comfortable demonstration rooms.

The range topping Rega RP10 record player

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you in store soon.

Ian, Gavin and Andy - Audio T Preston

Rega turntables and Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

July 23, 2016

Audio T Southampton Summertime Store & Hi-Fi News!

July 23, 2016/ Southampton

We may have been quiet on our store blog for a while but we have certainly been busy!

We have just finished a makeover of our store. It's now looking clean and bright with freshly painted walls and new carpet throughout.

Here's part of the shop front with walls resplendent in crisp Atlantic Surf, white with a hint of blue, replacing tired old magnolia! The new carpet tones in with both the new shop colour and the dem room.

The dem room walls are painted in soft grey, befitting the lower light conditions required for home cinema.

To go with our new shiny shop we have a lot of new products to show you.

Here's a taster!

Our new Sony VPL-VW320ES 4K projector is producing spectacular images to complement the great sound in our Dolby Atmos dem room.

With the demo room in music mode we have been wowed by the awesome sound of these stunning Dynaudio Contour S 3.4LE speakers, in beautiful high gloss Bubinga finish. Running from a Naim NAC N-272 streamer/pre-amp into our brand new NAP300DR power amplifier, with mains conditioning courtesy of an Isotek Sigmas this system is truly spectacular. IsoTek's Titan and Mosaic Genesis mains regenerator are currently on hand for those who want to push audio performance to even greater heights!

Interest in vinyl continues to grow and we have some new turntables in store to suit all budgets.

Teac's TN-300 is a well engineered and beautifully finished record player for £299.95. Ours looks great in lacquered cherry, one of five superb finishes available.

Rega have impressed us with both the superb build quality and performance of the new Planar 2 and Planar 3 models. Fantastic sound at affordable prices as always from Rega.

We thought it was time to offer another great British turntable brand so now have a magnificent Michell Gyro SE. Currently fitted with a Dynavector 10X5 it's not just beautifully engineered but sounds superb. It looks good on our new carpet too!

Moving from source to speakers, we are delighted we now have some of the new PMC Twenty5 range on demo.

The Twenty5 21 look splendid in oak. The cabinets are even better quality than the Twenty 21, our previous favourite compact speaker, and improvements in all key areas have really raised the audio performance to great effect.

Twenty5 23 looks set to overtake Twenty 23 as our most popular floorstanding speaker, building on the strengths of the earlier model whilst maintaining the all important compact, domestically acceptable, cabinet.

The Twenty5 24 is a revelation, sounding markedly superior than it's predecessor. Our demo pair look splendid in Amarone finish. Twenty5 22 and 26 will be in store soon. We can't wait!

So, we have lots of new products for you to see and listen to in our newly refreshed store. We look forward to welcoming you into our comfortable demo room very soon.

Alan and John

P.S. Watch this space for exciting news of a very exclusive product range arriving imminently!

July 20, 2016

New Rega Planar 1 2 & 3 Set The Benchmark For Entry And Mid Priced Turntables

July 20, 2016/ Brighton

New revised Rega Planar turntables are setting the standard for other manufacturers to follow. The most recent addition is the all new Rega Planar 1 inc Rega Carbon cartridge £248, joining the Rega Planar 2 also with Rega Carbon cartridge £375, and the Rega Planar 3 inc Rega Elys cartridge £625 or excluding cartridge £550.

All three Planar models have been thoroughly reworked, and set new performance levels at their price points. Available in either a gloss black or gloss white plinth they look pretty fabulous too! The red mat is an optional extra.

Just come along to Audio T Brighton with a favourite record or two and have a listen. Make comparisons between them, and understand just how crucial the record player is in the great scheme of enjoying your music played on vinyl. It is vital, as once the signal leaves the record player that is what you get. So make sure you audition thoroughly to ensure you get the performance and sound you're looking for.

Buy the best you can realistically afford and then sit back and really start enjoying your music. It could be a real ear opener as a better record player can often give you what seems to be an entirely new record collection when you revisit the music and albums you thought you knew well. There is a lot of music in those grooves!