An Aura of Sophistication - We Take A Closer Look At The Rega Aura MC Phono Stage

The new Rega Aura is the culmination of many years of research by Rega. As a reference MC phono stage, Rega have created a no compromise phono pre-amplifier that will deliver all the subtle nuances extracted by your prized moving coil cartridge.

This truly is a heavy weight in every sense, weighing in at 14kg, it's a solid unit that exudes quality with its completely re-designed custom case. The slick front panel allows you to easily switch capacitance and load settings with minimal effort to ensure your MC Cartridge and the Rega Aura match perfectly. On the rear you get balanced outputs as well as RCA.

In order put it through its paces. we put together a great sounding system consisting of Rega's fantastic RP10 turntable, fitted with their top of the line cartridge the Aphelion, hooked up to a Rega Osiris amplifier and Bowers and Wilkins 702 speakers. To make things more interesting and to give a comparison we first listened through Rega's Aria Phono stage.

Pumping up the volume on Massive Attack's Mezzanine album everything sounded great through the Aria but then switching to the Aura definitely took things to the next level. The bass we previously thought moved along very nicely suddenly became much more focused and fluid. The separation and detail improved exponentially, more than justifying the extra cost of the Aura! We carried on listening with some Pink Floyd and we instantly became Comfortably Numb whilst thinking the Aura was right on the Money.

At £4000 it isn't cheap, but if you are lucky enough to own a cartridge from say £1000 upwards then the Rega Aura should definitely be on your short list.

Come and have a listen at Audio T Bristol

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

Turn Heads and Enjoy the Music With the New Bowers and Wilkins PX Wireless Headphones

Introducing the Bowers and Wilkins PX wireless headphones, the feature rich wireless headphone offering a taste of the award winning sound that Bowers & Wilkins have delivered for 50 years.

Look, no wires! 

On first seeing and holding the PX's you can instantly tell this is a premium headphone. This feeling continues when you put them on your head as they are very comfortable. We think you could wear them continuously for the 22 hours the battery will last.

So how about this for minimum effort, you don't have to touch your phone/device or a button in order to stop them playing. Pull them away from your ear and they instantly stop playing, placing the headphones down will kick start a sleep mode to save your battery life, to continue with listening simply pick the headphones back up and put them on. These wireless headphones can also be used conventionally with the supplied cable although they will have to have charge to be able to use them like this.

Light comfortable and stylish

They have a clever three mode noise cancelling operation. The three modes are flight, city and office. This changes the way the noise cancelling works to suit the environment you are in.

The PX's support HD 24bit/48khz with the latest Bluetooth aptX HD supported devices such as various smartphones and digital audio players for example: Sony, LG & Astell & Kern.

The B&W PX's captivate with their control over the music. They give each instrument great separation and the bass is never overblown which lets the music shine.

Incorporating driver technology from the Bowers & Wilkins P9's, these lightweight well built headphones will also fold flat and they come with a handy travel case to protect them. The B&W PX also come with a traditional headphone cable as well as a micro usb and the volume can be adjusted easily using the controls on the side of the right ear phone. The middle button will allow you to pause, play, skip and go back.

Overall the Bowers & Wilkins PX wireless headphones have certainly ticked a lot of boxes for us: user functionality, build quality and audio quality, so come along and have a listen for yourself.

Bowers & Wilkins headphones and loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:  
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea and Swindon. Bowers & Wilkins 800D3 series are only available from Audio T Cardiff.

Good Things Come In Small Packages – Naim Uniti Atom All In One Music Player

With the introduction of the new Uniti series (Atom, Star and Nova) all in one music players and streamers, Naim have created a lifestyle product and a premium Hi-Fi in a single box.

Naim has gone to exceptional lengths to truly enhance the sound quality from such a tight, solid and compact all-in-one music system.

Naim Uniti Atom Front Panel

The Naim Uniti Atom boasts precise handmade engineered analogue and digital circuitry - built by and developed by music lovers - and contains a substantial transformer, which ensures that the power supply is continuous, significant and stable and means that it can drive a wide variety of loudspeakers with relative ease.

The full colour LCD display with proximity sensor, that wakes up on approach, is just one of the winning finishing touches Naim have come up with. The compact styling similar to that of the Mu-So range is sleek with a luxurious finish, making it perfect for different living areas or as a high-a stand alone main system which makes it very versatile. Adding to that you have the ability to upgrade by adding a Naim power amp.

This is not just an amplifier with a streamer bolted on, the Atom brings everlasting choice to your music, combining the popular wireless options with reliable premium Hi-Fi. You will only need to look at the list of supported sources and options for connectivity to truly understand its versatility and the new and improved Naim app for both iOS and Android simply brings this all together:

• Google Cast for Audio

• AirPlay

• TIDAL

• Spotify® Connect

• Bluetooth (aptX HD)

• Internet Radio™

• UPnP™ (Universal Plug ‘n’ Play)

• Digital Input (S/PDIF)

• Analogue Output

• Headphones

• Storage

• HDMI ARC (optional)

• Multiroom

• File Formats

• Wireless Updates

Uniti System
The Uniti range is the talk of the town and we couldn't have been more eager to get our hands on the Atom. So as audiophiles do, we have tried, and tried again, with a variety of speaker options to find what works best.

And with our listening test concluded, we challenge anyone to find a better sounding system with the same functionality for under £2500.

This system comprises of:

Naim Uniti Atom → Dynaudio Emit M10 → REL T-Zero

With the above set up, you get an extremely interesting, well balanced, stylish, dynamic and vibrant system that has a wide frequency range, perfect for a small to medium size room. Playing '2Pac – Do For Love' reveals a tuneful, tight bass that underpins the track and makes it really motor along. The snap of the snare, the punch of the kick and the rhythmical percussion are brought to life through this system.  We can not fault it for the money.

Why not come and have a listen and play a few of your favourite tunes and put the Atom through its paces... or come along to our Naim Unit Event on 10th October. You can reserve your place here.

Naim Unit Atom Rear Panel

The Technical Specifications

Dimensions:

• 95mm X 245mm X 265mm (H X W X D)

• 7KG

  Audio Inputs:

• 2 X Optical TOSLink (up to 24bit/96kHz)

• 1 X Coaxial RCA (up to 24bit/192kHz, DoP 64Fs)

• 1 X HDMI ARC (Optional)

• 1 X RCA

• 2 X USB Type A socket (front and rear)

Audio Outputs:

• 1 X Stereo power amplifier

• 1 X RCA sub/pre output

• 1 X 3.5mm headphone jack

Naim 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

Musical Fidelity Encore 225 All In One Music System

When you open the box for the Encore you are presented with an 18.3 Kg beast of a unit! This 225 watt box of musical delights is really solidly built and as such fills you with confidence even before you plug it in.

The Musical Fidelity Encore 225's purpose is to provide a one box solution designed to take away the fuss that usually entails when you take your first steps into streaming. There is no need to have a separate storage unit such as a network attached storage (NAS) drive as the Encore has its own 1TB (upgradeable) hard drive built in. You can connect the Encore to your network and you can drag and drop music onto it. Not only that, but it comes equipped with a CD drive which can work as a CD player but is also a ripper. Copying your CD collection could not be simpler, just put it in the drive and the Encore takes care of the rest. Using the Apple or Android App you then simply find your music and press play. The large high resolution display on the front panel will then show the artwork and track you are currently playing. It's not limited to playing music from the hard drive or CD though, as the Encore integrates the music subscription service Tidal through its App allowing CD quality playback from their large jukebox in the cloud. Also around the back of the unit you will find 3 pairs of RCA inputs, 4 digital inputs and a couple of USB inputs for expanding the units storage. Also on the front panel it has a high quality headphone output.

As previously mentioned the Encore has 225 watts per channel plenty enough for the vast majority of speakers out there and enough to always keep things under control. We have tried it on a number of different speaker makes and models including Dynaudio, Neat, Bowers and Wilkins, PMC and it worked well with all of them so it's certainly not a fussy amplifier. We also tried a variety of music genres. Playing Antonin Dvorak Op. 77 Scherzo performed by the Berlin Philharmonic String Quartet showed just how much grip on the speakers the amplifier has as the dynamics of the performance shone from the first bar onwards. Tippers Gulch from his Backwards Forwards album memorised with the scale of the sound stage and again this showed the amplifiers control as the speakers didn't trip up once as the sounds in the track twisted and turned. It not all about power though, as the Encore is really good at resolving the detail. On Agnes Obel's Aventine you could hear every last nuance in her voice and the strings giving the impression the artists were in the room with you. All in all we think the Encore is a great sounding product and perfect for the modern ways of music consumption. The Encore 225 offers a lot of product for the money. Of course you can come and hear it for yourself, Just give us a call for a demonstration on 0117 926 4975.

Thanks for looking.

Martin, Max and James. Audio T Bristol 

Musical Fidelity Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Acoustic Energy 100 Series Return to Audio T Bristol

It's been a few years since we stocked Acoustic Energy speakers and we are pleased to see them back in store. Like AE's of old this new range offers fantastic value for money.

The AE100 is a compact standmount that retails at a very modest £199.99 in walnut and £229.99 in black, we have to say they offer exceptional value for money. They are a very capable speaker and in store they have shocked us by playing everything we have thrown at them regardless of genre and volume and to a standard of presentation that belies their price tag. The small cabinet houses a wide dispersion soft dome tweeter that never becomes harsh even at high volumes whilst the 4in long throw bass/mid produces a surprising amount of bass for such a small enclosure that never gets out of hand no matter how loud you like to play your music. 

AE100

The AE109 is the floor standing version. It has all the same attributes of the AE100 including the look and finish but has an extra bass/mid resulting in a speaker that produces music with more scale and can easily fill a big room and can also go very loud. Although it is a floor stander it is not all that big, it stands just 800mm tall and as it's only 160mm wide as such they are unobtrusive. It's no lightweight though as the cabinet is loaded with the bottom part filled with sand. At £499.99 for a pair in walnut and £549.99 in black which in our view is an absolute steal. We don't usually stock floor standing speakers below the £800 mark because it is hard for a manufacturer to produce one that performs adequately, but the AE109 certainly does perform and as I mentioned earlier if you like your music played loud you can crank the volume up.

The AE109

So they look good and sound great and offer exceptional value for money. All that's left is for you to come on down and have a listen at Audio T Bristol. Bring some of your favourite music and sit back and relax in comfort in one of our demonstration rooms. 

Acoustic Energy loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Bristol, Cheltenham, Online, Portsmouth, Swindon

Convert Technologies Plato Class A All In One Music System At Audio T Bristol

We auditioned the Plato Class B about a year ago and thought that it was a fantastic product well thought out and well engineered but we had some misgivings about the sound quality. Not that it sounded bad but it didn't quite hit the mark when factoring in what our customers expect us to be selling.

At Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show Convert launched the Plato Class A all In One Hi-Fi system which we are taking a closer look at here.

Essentially it's the same product as the earlier model but with a better Class A amplifier.

Normally a class A design would generate a lot of heat and as such you will find that they are usually large with an array of heat sinks to dissipate the heat. Convert have used some clever technology to avoid this and as result you get class A performance without the bulky box. In fact we think that it looks very modern, uncomplicated with clean lines and just the right amount of curve. It would even look good on a sideboard we think.

The 15 watts you get with the class A operation doesn't sound a lot, and indeed it isn't when you turn up the wick, the Plato caters for this scenario by switching to A/B operation when needed pushing out 50 watts of A/B power. What do they say, “when the going gets tough...”

So, what else does the Plato do? It would probably be easier to describe what it can't do. The initial idea Convert had was to create a device that will record Vinyl in a sophisticated no nonsense way.

Plenty of ins and outs on the rear.

That initial idea is delivered in spades as there is not a better vinyl ripper on the market. It will handle both MC and MM cartridges and records up-to 24bit 192khz. When you drop the needle on the record it will intelligently look up the recording online and deliver the album art and track names as well as split the recording into tracks. This is very clever and couldn't be simpler.

As well as recording Vinyl you can also record your cassettes or any other analogue format just plug in and away you go. The Plato is also a streamer and a ripper. The observant amongst you will have noticed from the picture that it doesn't have a CD draw. They get round this by supplying a USB drive along with an android tablet which gives complete control over the unit. The 2TB of internal storage you get should be enough for most but as it is a streamer as well it would be easy to expand on that if needed.

We listened to the unit using a variety of music including ripped vinyl (which sounds really good) recordings from the hard drive and recordings off our network. The class A 'sound' smothered us not in a soft gooey way but in way that is very pleasing to the ear. Nothing we played tripped the unit up. So the Pixies Doolittle album didn't sound harsh at all as it often can. Massive Attack's Mezzanine sounded great with a very pleasing bass that was not necessarily as tight as some A/B amps can muster but with texture that those amps only hint at. The all important mid range is handled excellently, with Teardrop off Mezzanine touching the back of the spine if you know what I mean.

All in all we think the audio performance is excellent and that coupled with it's massive feature list the Convert Plato deserves a place in the shop. You may not need all the features it offers but even if you just need storage and streaming in an attractive package it is well worth a listen. As always don't take our word for it, come and have a listen.

Convert Technologies Plato Class A is available for demonstration at Audio T Bristol.

Auralic Aries Mini Wireless Streamer / DAC Audio T Bristol

The Auralic Aries Mini streamer and DAC has a very small footprint (13.5cm x 13.5cm x 2.8cm). It is a wireless streaming node that is full of features fit for music lovers and audiophiles at a real world price.

It is designed to fit seamlessly into an existing Hi-Fi system by either plugging straight into your amp via its RCA outs or connecting to a DAC. The Mini supports all your usual file formats, with PCM resolutions of up to 32bit 384Khz and DSD 256 (FULL FAT NO COMPRESSION, yes come on). The unit can be set up, via an ethernet cable or via WiFi, to stream from either a local network, attached storage, Tidal, Qobuz and Internet Radio.

Despite its small dimensions Auralic have left room inside for a hard drive so you can store your music on the device itself. You can also connect to it via Airplay and Bluetooth there isn’t much this thing can’t do!

Control is everything where network devices are concerned and Auralic have produced, and continue to improve, a fantastic app (Lightning DS) that can be used with any IOS device. This user friendly app is a dream to operate, look at and is easily one of the better apps out there. It comes with a simple in-app set up guide to activate the product and sync up everything you want to use it with.

We have used the mini in the shop for a couple of months now and it has not let us down once. Connected via its RCA outputs it performs really well considering it's price. Even on a system costing thousands it does not draw unwanted attention to itself. Connected to a DAC in the same system it will perform even better making it a good choice if you plan to upgrade your system in stages. We also used it in a headphone setup feeding a Naim DACv1 using the £800 Focal Elear and it proved to be an excellent combination with an expansive detailed sound that just made you want to sit and listen.

Auralic Aries, Focal Elear Headphones and Naim DAC V1

We tried it with a wide range of music from Pink Floyd to Dvorak and pop to full on EDM. It delivered a balanced presentation that didn't lean toward any particular genre it just played everything really well.

We absolutely love the Auralic Aries Mini, so if you're looking for a simple plug and play streamer then please come and have a listen.

DEVICE CAPABILITIES

• Local UPnP/DLNA Network Player
• Tidal, Qobuz and WiMP online streaming
• Internet Radio
• Airplay, Songcast and Bluetooth
• USB Playback with optional internal HDD/SSD

Auralic Hi-Fi products are also available from the following branches of Audio T:
Bristol, Cheltenham, Reading, Southampton

Chord Electronics Mojo Portable Headphone Amplifier And DAC

I have only been at the company a short time and I was very excited to be given the opportunity to write a blog, so I decided to pick one of my current favourites, the Chord Electronics Mojo, an award winning portable headphone amplifier and DAC (digital to analogue converter). While it may look small it’s certainly not light weight, it feels very solid in your hand and gives you the impression that it is built to last.

Fits comfortably in the palm of your hand - hand not included ;-)

The device has a very simple layout and is operated with the use of only 3 buttons these are power on and 2 volume controls (+ and -). By using a series of button press combinations you are able to easily adjust the input / output settings of the DAC. For example holding down the volume control buttons when the device is being powered up will set it to the LINE out function.

How do I use it?
The Mojo can be used with a variety of different digital sources. It can be used with a PC or Mac an iPad or Android tablet or phone. It can also turn its hand to being used in a system as a standalone DAC.

What does it sound like?
To listen to the Chord Electronics Mojo I used two different sets of headphones: the impressive Audioquest Nighthawks as well as my trusty Sennheiser HD 25-1 so I would be able to see how it would sound using two different brands of headphones.

USB, optical and coaxial inputs

The sound ‘quality’ was immediately noticeable, clarity and dynamics stood out, with the DAC doing wonders and the amplifier giving grip and drive to the headphones. I used a variety of music genres so I could get an honest opinion across the musical spectrum. On the Audioquest Nighthawks I got the impression that there was smooth clear balance to the sound and they quite obviously benefited being plugged into such an accomplished DAC come headphone amp. My trusty HD25’s have never sounded so good and I honestly didn’t think they could sound that good!

This product is in my opinion the leader in its class and will not disappoint when it comes to a great audio experience, really bringing out the sound stage enhancing the listening experience, in the grand scale of things the Chord Electronics Mojo really packs its punch for the buck.

For the techno minded and audiophile readers the technical specs are as follows:
Mojo has 3 digital inputs 1 x TOS-Link optical capable of playing 44.1KHz to 192KHz PCM and DSD64 in DoP format. 1 x 3.5mm COAX SPDIF capable of playing 44.1KHz to 384Khz PCM (768KHz special operation) and DSD64, DSD128 in DoP format. 1 x micro USB capable of 44KHz to 768KHz PCM and DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256 in DoP format

Blogger and Audio T Bristol Store staff member  - James Cannon

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

Music, Emotion And Hi-Fi. It's All About System Synergy & Set Up

Blogs are usually about a piece of Hi-Fi equipment and how it stands up against its peers or the previous version of it. This time I wanted to do a blog about a system and the way it makes me feel.

In our newly refurbished demonstration room at our Bristol store, we had just set up a system for a reviewer for one of the UK Hi-Fi magazines. The review was for the REL 212 sub bass system and to see how well it integrated with a pair of Kudos Titans. Looking at what had been put together and the reasoning behind the system, you soon realise that the magic doesn't just come from one bit of Hi-Fi equipment, it comes from all of the components working well together.

The kit that was used:

Chord cables throughout
Bryston 4B SST
Bryston BP26 plus MPS2
Naim NDX
Naim XPSDR
Kudos TITAN
x 2 REL 212SE stereo pair run via longbow

This is not an inexpensive Hi-Fi system but thats not what this is about. If you're a music lover you invest in Hi-Fi because you love music and the feeling and enjoyment you get when it immerses you in the artist's performance when it plays. To get to that point of musical nirvana, it takes both time effort and a level of skill to set up to ensure the system is as musical as possible.

The finished result after many hours of fine tuning, was a highly musical system that put a great big smile on my face and gave me chills when listening to it. So good that it made you want to keep playing one more track..... and the worries of world just drifted away. Probably one of the best sounding Hi-Fi systems I have ever listened to and in my time I have listened to quite a few.

Audio T established in 1966 has 14 stores from Preston down to Brighton. All of our friendly and helpful staff are music or film enthusiasts, most of who have been working in the industry for many years. Their collective knowledge and experience of a wide variety of different Hi-Fi systems is considerable and they do know what works well together and how to set it up correctly to make sure you get the most joy from your music and film collections. We all have different ears and tastes for how we like our music to be presented, so we will always listen and proffer friendly advice, but ultimately your own ears will be the judge..

Kevin Starkie, General Manager - Audio T

Dynaudio Emit M10s at Bristol

So, Dynaudio, from the land of fine bacon and cheese come this fine speaker brand.

We are impressed with the Dynaudio range in general (including Emit and Xeo ranges) here at Audio T in Bristol.

So, what can be said about these speakers?

dynaudio emit m10 standmount loudspeaker

The Emit M10 is the spiritual replacement for the much loved Audience 42 albeit with many generations of newer technology inside.

They have a classic design - elegant as Dynaudio state - leaving frills aside; they have a beautiful solid finish to them with a good substantial weight when lifting them.

They’re available in two colours: Satin Black Lacquer and Satin White Lacquer.

Dynaudio emit m10 standmount loudspeaker (rear)

So, to the technical specifications…

Sensitivity: 86 dB into 6 ohms. These is reasonable when partnered with a good amplifier in the same range like the Rega Brio-R for example.

2.8cm diameter soft dome tweeter (high-range) driver for precise highs whilst not sounding in any way edgy.

14cm diameter MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) squawker/woofer (mid-range/low range) driver for a solid, transparent mid-range and a fast and a tight low range performance.

What does it sound like?

I use Our Shadows by Deatoni Parks for low-range and accuracy, Barney Rubble by The Twang for high-end and control, River by Joni Mitchell for soundstage, King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar for low range and detail, Not Above That by Dawn Richard for low range and musicality, So what by Miles Davis for resonance and a breathing sound and the Third Movement From The New World by Dvorak (Decca) for top end control.

With all the above, it performs well…

The throbby low-range on Our Shadows was full-bodied for a stand-mount speaker without sounding flabby, equally, when the breaks come in, it presents them with pace keeping everything in check.

With the wrong setup the high-end can sound piercing and hard on Barney Rubble and From the New World, not so with the Emit M10s, on both, the high-end was well controlled by the soft dome tweeter which made the tracks enjoyable whilst maintaining realism, even when reaching a crescendo during From the New World.

There are two bass lines on King Kunta which only a well-defined system that is able to dissect sound can pick out, these speakers do a great job.

Not above that starts with a low-range ‘bomb’ with a slow build-up, this buildup loses its tension if the sound isn’t involving, not so with these speakers, it has you sitting forward until it reaches the top.

So What is a great old recording and the Dynaudio speakers just breathe as you’re listening to them.

Overall, we’re very impressed with the Dynaudio range (which also includes larger floor-mounts as well as wireless speakers).

We’d love to demonstrate these speakers to you so get in touch or come in and have a listen to these great standmount loudspeakers.

Dynaudio loudspeakers are available from Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swindon

Chord Electronics Hugo TT DAC & Headphone Amplifier

You better? You better? You bet.

 

Here we have the Chord Electronics Hugo TT. A version of the Chord Hugo (which you can read about in an earlier blog here) but with several enhancements. The first question off everybody's lips seems to be, is it better than the original Hugo.

As a portable headphone amplifier come dac the Hugo certainly excelled and if you found it useful in its other guises i.e. stand-alone dac or dac come pre amp then you were most definitely onto a winner for not a lot of money (in relative terms).

The TT builds on what the original offered by making it a better proposition when putting into a system. Like the Hugo the TT is a headphone amp/dac/pre amp but with more than a couple of tweaks to make it a more suitable fit in a home system. It's bigger than the original Hugo and picking it up you can certainly tell that it is milled from a solid block of metal. Though it still runs off a battery it is not really portable. It feels reassuringly solid and well built as all Chord products do.

Unlike the Hugo it has a display to show you what input you have selected and if you wish it will display the sample rate of the music you are playing. It also comes with a remote control. On the front panel you have 2x large headphone sockets and 1x mini headphone socket, along with the afore mentioned display, an input selector button and a cross-feed selector. Around the back you have a (technically correct) BNC coaxial input an optical input and 2x USB B asynchronous inputs (more of which later). They have not forgotten about outputs as you get a pair of fully balanced XLR's and a pair RCA's.

Although the dac circuitry is the same as the Hugo the TT has been substantially changed in other areas. The battery has double the power of the Hugo and is backed up with a supercapacitor. These two tweaks enable the TT to cope better when the music demands, making the unit more capable in the way it handles dynamics and transients. The headphone amp is more powerful meaning it will drive even the most demanding headphone while always having something in reserve. I mentioned the 2x USB inputs. One is labelled SD and the other HD. They both handle music up to the same resolution but the HD input has been galvanically isolated ridding the sound of all of the inherent interference you get with USB outputs you find on computers. I didn't know that the usual implementation of galvanic isolation only works up to 48khz or 96khz at best, Chord have managed to get it working up to 384khz. Quite a feat and you can hear it.

The TT sounds no less informative than the Hugo but does so in a creamier way. It definitely sounds more in control with no edgyness to the sound what so ever. We have used it in the shop with an array of different products. As a dac we have used it with various streamers to great effect. It will also work flawlessly with the Melco N1A audio Nas we have in store (This product is definately worth a look if you haven't seen it already link here). Combined with the Melco the Hugo TT could give you the perfect streaming solution. We have tried it with various power amps and active speaker systems and it never sounded out of place. Of course we have tried it with lots of different headphones, including: Audeze EL8's and LCD 3's, Fostex ATH900's, Sennheiser HD600's, 700's and the difficult 800. It dealt with everything really well without drawing attention to itself and is a pleasure to listen to.

As ever don't take my word for it. It's here at the Bristol branch so come on in and have a listen.

Also available at our Brentwood, Brighton, Cardiff, Reading, Southampton, and Swansea stores.

Naim Super Lumina Cable

 It has been a long time coming (and quite a bit of time running in) but Naim have finally released some proper high end cables, Super Lumina. All your cabling needs are catered for. Din XLR and RCA for source and Pre-power cabling plus 4mm and Spade connectors for speaker cable. It is all hand made at the Naim factory.

Its construction is of the highest quality with special attention paid to eliminating stresses within the cable and connectors. It is made of silver-plated copper conductors which is a departure from their usual copper only conductors. These are individually insulated and are of varying diameters all enclosed in a flexible (if you have NACA5 you will appreciate this) outer shielding.

 

Naims flagship amplifier Statement ships with Super Lumina as standard. This is testament to Naims faith in Super Lumina. Don't think you need Statement to appreciate it though, as a listen on one of Naims other range of products will demonstrate. We put it on a NAC282 NAP250 combo and the results were excellent. Fed by an NDS and compared with NACA5 and a Highline the sound became more coherent and definitely more musical. For instance listening to Robert Plant and Alison Kraus perform Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us on Raising Sands, which to me sounds like the lower mids and the bass have a curtain between them and the main parts, came together beautifully creating a whole picture rather than it sounding like a collage.

As usual you can see for yourself how good it is as we have it in store in Bristol. You can come and listen in our demonstration room or arrange a loan so you can try it in the comfort of your own home on your own system. So what are you waiting for give us a call or drop us an email.

Naim and Super Lumina are also available from other branches of Audio T.

Stocked at
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford,Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon 

Naim NAC-N 272 Streaming Pre-Amplifier

Are you thinking about a new pre-amp? A new streamer to go with your pre-power? Then Naim's new pre-amp streamer maybe what you are looking for.

The NAC272 is Naims latest Pre-Amp and if it were just a Pre-amp it would be an awesome partner to most power amps. It doesn’t just fulfil that role (admirably) as it also incorporates a Streamer. Anyone who knows how streamers work will understand that a large percentage of getting streamers to right is the interface used to control it. Naim do not disappoint (as many do), instead they allow simple control from either android or Apple devices. As its a Naim streamer it also sounds excellent and allows the streaming of files up to 24bit/192KHz. Other functions include iRadio, Blue tooth (apt X), USB, Spotify Connect and an optional DAB/FM module. It has three analogue inputs and six digital inputs so you've plenty of options there.

Naim have been very clever in it's design as unlike most of Naims other Pre-Amps it has its own power supply meaning you can use it with other manufacturers power amps. They have also included the ability to upgrade the Pre with a separate power supply namely the XP5 XS, XPS or the 555 PS. When used this way immediate gains are heard as you are upgrading both the Pre-Amp itself and the streamer.

To give you an idea of how good a Pre-Amp the NAC-272 is, it could be used with a NAP200, 250 or even a 300. We have been using it mainly with a NAP250 with a 555 PS driving a pair of Focal Maestro Utopia’s (we have on temporary loan from Focal) and the sound is quite superb. As I have said it can also be used outside of Naims stable with virtually any power amp. We tried it with a Bryston 4B to great effect as you could clearly here the Naims excellent insightfulness presentation and fantastic timing coming through.

We have it in store now, so if you would like to come to the shop for a demonstration give us a call and see what the 272 can do for you.

Naim products and the NAC272 are available from most Audio T stores. Check stores and availability.