New Acoustic Energy 309 Floor Standing Speakers Punch Well Above Their Weight

Acoustic Energy have been purveyors of top quality loudspeakers for over thirty years now and have got pretty good at the dark art of making pretty boxes that will make your music sound wonderful and lovely! The latest 300 series builds on the fabness that is the 100 series and the floor standing AE309 raises the performance bar for a £1000 speaker by a significant margin.

The Acoustic Energy AE309 build quality is up there with the best. With mass loading in the cabinet making a very heavy and inert cabinet which is just perfect for housing a 28mm aluminium dome tweeter featuring what AE have trademarked Wide Dispersion Technology or WDT for short. The bass/mid driver is a new design too and uses a ceramic aluminium sandwich cone and long throw motor system. The cabinet itself is seamless (so you cannot see the joins) and boasts a very chunky 18mm thick high density MDF material designed to control cabinet vibrations and reduce colouration in the music.

Before listening properly to the AE309's we ran them in for about a hundred hours and yes this really does make a big difference. For the purposes of this blog we listened to them on the very lovely new Arcam CDS50 SACD/CD streamer and SA20 integrated amplifier (see last blog from the Swindon store for more info). The results are quite simply astonishing. Rarely have I heard a system costing this little sound this good! It is a real giant killer!

They sounded sooooooo good that I decided to put them through their paces good and proper! I brought in my CD copy of Natural Selection by Land's End. Now to say this is nicely recorded is a bit of an understatement. It is quite possibly the best recording of a rock band (of the progressive variety) that there has ever been! Plenty of so called top quality recording studios and their engineers and producers should be made to sit down and listen to this .... they would be thoroughly ashamed of their miserable efforts! Why does the word Oasis spring to mind here I wonder(wall)! None of that compression rubbish on this one and it's all the more lovely for it! 

Anyway ...... rant over ...... back to the task in hand. I started track five which is called My Home and was immediately struck by how accurate Acoustic Energy's marketing blurb was! Wide dispersion is bang on the button here. The soundstage created on the AE309's was huge. There was a real and tangible sense of width depth and height with the guitar on left coming from so far out of the box I had to open my eyes to see if he was actually there!! Then a drum rolls across the back all the way to the opposite side and a synthesiser explodes in the background - it is just WOW!! 

In fact whatever this system was given to play always sounded clean open and superbly detailed. You get a proper insight into the mix and it becomes totally absorbing and engaging. They produce a sound that I don't believe I have ever heard from a floorstanding loudspeaker at this price before. I think that they could become a bit of a Hi-Fi classic. Leave them off your shortlist of speakers to demo at your peril 

To sum up .... I have heard systems costing way more than this sound a fraction this good. The Acoustic Energy AE309's are game changers and if you would like to arrange a no obligation demonstration to hear for yourself we would be more than happy for you to bring in some of your own favourite music we can supply the tea coffee and biscuits! 

Acoustic Energy loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cheltenham, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Swindon

Special Speaker Alert! Neat Iota Xplorer Are Here!

The Neat Iota Xplorer - hand crafted by the boffins at County Durham's finest loudspeaker manufacturer - is the new big brother to the smaller Iota Alpha's, which has been one of our most popular little speakers of recent times. 

Anyone who has heard or indeed owned a pair of the smaller Iota Alpha and hankered after that next step up will adore these. Bigger than the Alpha's and with the same overall shape as them but still not a big loudspeaker by any stretch of the imagination. The Neat Xplorer very cleverly conjures up oodles of extra bass extension (not boom) by using the iso-baric double bass driver trick which fools the drive unit on the outside into thinking that it is in a cabinet that is way bigger than it actually is! Genius or what!! This system is not easy to get right but Neat have well and truly nailed it with this design. It sounds for all the world like they have their own built in subwoofer!

Another big stroke of speaker boffin design genius puts Neat's very own P1-R3 170mm bass/mid range drive unit and the rather grandly named Air Motion Transformer (AMT) together. and are mounted side by side in their own rear ported enclosure separate from the bass units. Designed and built this way to give a cleaner sound with a wider dispersion of the stereo image.

The enclosures have a tuned rear port, we have found they work equally as well placed close to the  the rear wall or in free space . They are isolated from the floor by some rather smart and very shiny coned spikes. This also keeps the isobaric bass units on the bottom the ideal distance off the floor!

We gave the speakers an initial listen fresh out of the box with results that were OK but not great, so we left them on for two weeks running eight hours a day, giving them the best part of 80 hours of quality running time playing a combination of Kraftwerk's Tour De France  and Deadmau5's Random Album Title! Going back to them again after all this time they sound like a totally different pair of loudspeakers!

My initial thought was "Wow" .... bass was now deep and tight just when it needed to be. Top end now sweet and nicely extended. Mid range now nicely open lending voices that type of expressive detail that makes you hang on every word.

The one thing that makes the most difference to the overall presentation of the sound though is how these speakers manage to throw an image way outside of the boxes. It sounds like the walls of the room disappear and you are left with the image of the music just hovering in the air   in front of you . a lovely experience and a rare one too! Not many speakers of any size or price can quite manage this!

Amongst lots of things I played one of my favourite demo tracks which is Get Miles by Gomez from the Bring It On album. This piece has cavernous deep bass which was very deftly handled by the isobaric bass system but the thing that struck me the most was how easy it was to hear right into the mix. The three vocal parts spread across the soundstage. Drums far left, guitar far right. I was totally sucked in to the music! But then I suppose that is exactly what a good loudspeaker should be doing!

Oh and the electronics being used to make all these lovely noises......... the new Arcam CDS50 CD player and SA20 amplifier from the new Arcam HDA range, with my favourite Rega Couple interconnect and Chord Company Odyssey speaker cable ...... but then that's a blog for next time!

Why not come in and have a listen and we'll even make you a cup of Audio T.

Jon, Farid & Andy, - Audio T Cheltenham

Neat Acoustics loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading

Wired for Sound! Choosing The Right Cable Can Make All The Difference!

The interconnect cable is very often an afterthought when buying a Hi-Fi system. Sometimes taken for granted or even forgotten about altogether! A good interconnect can make a system sound fantastic, just as easily as a ropey one can ruin the sound completely!

This overlooked gem in the Rega range is quite possibly one of the world's best kept secrets along with the Hapsburg Napkin Fold, the Worcester Sauce recipe and the answer to Fermat's Last Theorem!! Well I think it's time that one of these secrets was revealed and the only one I know anything about is the Rega Couple phono to phone analogue interconnect, so here goes as we attempt to tell the whole world (well the Audio T Blog readers) what this cable can do.

Here at Audio T Cheltenham we have been trying, testing and listening to phono to phono leads for rather longer than it took for life to crawl up the beaches from the primordial oceans in the days before even the dinosaurs had ancestors. We have tried the good the bad and the ugly and have learned how to recognise a gem when we hear it and this one really is flawless.

Obviously it works wonderfully in a Rega system. Whether it is being used with a Rega Apollo CD player and Rega Brio integrated amplifier or going further up the range with the Rega Saturn CD Player + DAC or the Rega Elicit R integrated amplifier, it always sounds great. So a very flexible (in both senses) cable then!

We always keep coming back to the Rega  Couple as the phono lead of choice to use in our main demo systems in store and to those doubters who say that cables do not make any difference we say come and try this one and you will be converted.

Build quality is excellent and even has locking phono plugs for a better connection and to make it less likely that the plugs will be accidentally knocked out. Conductors are full of top notch copper of the high purity type and it also uses Rega's own design of gold plated plugs the signal pin and screening clamp of which are joint free which helps to keep the music signal pure.

Choose a well recorded album, (preferably on vinyl of course) such as Radiohead's latest wonderful thing, A Moon shaped Pool - this one happens to be a white vinyl copy.....pick a track....could be any of them because they are all great!

Kung Fu Hamster Highly Recommends The Rega Couple 2

When played using a lower prices cable (better not say which) and then comparing the same track using the Rega couple the immediate impression is that the sound stage now has much greater depth and width. Sounds now come from further left and right of the soundstage and the loudspeaker cabinets just disappear! Rhythms have a greater propulsion, bass is tighter and deeper and it is now much easier to follow all the music and the vocals at the same time. The vocals have also now become more distinct and all the tiny inflections in Thom Yorke's voice now come through....... spine tingling stuff!!

If you are of the Green persuasion you may be pleased to know that the packing is 100% recyclable.

Remember though ...... a phono cable will not improve the signal, it just makes certain that you do not lose information between components! Yes there are better phono to phono leads out there in the big wide wacky wonderful world but that next jump up takes you up to about £200 and that's a whole other blog!

The price of the Rega Couple is £126 for a one metre pair, but remember if you are buying a new system, not only will we make you a cup of tea or coffee, we will do you a bit of a deal on that price too!!

Now it's time to blog off!

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

Hear The Benefits Of Mains Conditioning With IsoTek At Audio T Cheltenham

Visit us at Audio T Cheltenham on Friday the 6th April  (4.00pm - 7:30pm) and Saturday 7th (10am - 5:30pm) and come and hear for yourself how the benefits of mains conditioning in conjunction with IsoTek can give you more enjoyment from your music.

The quality of the electricity we feed into our Hi-Fi and Home Cinema systems has a profound effect on how our music and films sound. As the electronic devices we use at home grow and the demand for electrical power increases, the quality of the electricity we feed our systems continues to degrade from RF interference and mains noise.

IsoTek is a leading brand of power management products for Hi-Fi and Home Cinema use. Its product range includes high-performance mains cables and connectors, plus a range of performance enhancing power conditioners focused on the specific requirements of individual systems. IsoTek have earned numerous accolades from specialist audio and AV publications worldwide. The product ranges comprise of the following solutions:

Mains Cables and Blocks:
The standard black mains leads supplied with your Audio and AV components are designed to do a basic job, no more. They lack the quality of materials and construction needed to protect the integrity of the electricity they feed your system, thereby degrading performance. The first rung on the IsoTek ladder is to replace these leads with EVO3 Premier power cables. We will have the following on demonstration:

The  Evo3 Initium , Premier, Elite and Optimum mains cables

The IsoTek Aquarius and Sigmas mains conditioners, plus the new Genesis One and Mosaic mains regeneration units.

Mains Conditioners:
These are designed to remove noise contamination from both Differential noise that is created by the power supplies in all electronic devices and Common Mode noise in introduced by RFI and the wireless communications.

Regenerators:
These are state of the art hybrid power cleaning systems. They effectively take the mains and regenerate it having taken out all the noise.

Prize Draw
We will put the names of all attendees into a prize draw giving you the opportunity of winning 3 IsoTek Initium 1.5m mains leads with a value of each £75. The draw will be made at the end of the event day on Saturday.

This is a great opportunity to hear how much you can improve the sound quality of your system and an affordable and worthwhile Hi-Fi upgrade.

Refreshments and snacks will be served over two days and of course we will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. 

Exclusive offers will be available for attendees on the day.

We look forward to seeing you in Audio T Cheltenham!

Click here to reserve your place.

Jon, Farid and Andy.

New Ruark R7Mk3 High Fidelity Radiogram Re-Defined

This lovely all in one system from Ruark has been three years in development and is well worth the wait! Ruark made their name by making really high quality loudspeakers with a reputation second to none. Their passion for great looks, great build quality and great sound all gels together in the latest version of the R7.

We have always been big fans of the previous incarnations of Ruark's all in one music system and the new model does not disappoint.

It has built in CD player, streamer, DAB/DAB+/FM radio, Internet Radio, Bluetooth, Subwoofer, Phono input for vinyl, Headphone socket and sports two 140mm dual concentric drive units. All of this plus USB charge /  playback and plenty of analogue and digital inputs too! 

It is a great pleasure to be able to champion a UK design. The styling is gorgeous giving the new model a more sleek Scandinavian look compared to the older retro 60's and 70's look. Colours available are Walnut with black spindle legs or Soft Grey with pale pine legs. There is also a very clever TV mount available as an optional extra so it can be used as a sound bar! 

If you wish to you can also multi-room the R7 Mk3 by using the smaller Ruark R2 Mk3 radios enabling you to stream your music to other parts of the house, even vinyl! It helps that Spotify Connect is built in to the R7 Mk3 so if you have a Spotify Premium account you can select the R7 as your playback device and then control music using the R7's Roto Dial remote control.

The electronics inside the R7 have been specially designed to eke out the best possible sound for the size and the price. The two front firing speakers give a lush, clean and detailed sound which is all underpinned by the integrated subwoofer which adds scale and weight to the bass performance which makes all types of music more involving and realistic. Proper HiFi sound!

There are plenty of spare inputs available to cover all future eventualities and perhaps most important of all in these days of vinyl resurgence there is a phono input too!

The Ruark R7 Mk3 comes with the long spindle legs or little puck feet for mounting on an existing sideboard or AV cabinet. 

Available for demonstration in the Cheltenham store.

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

Don't Give Up On Your Old Vinyl Records The Project VC-S Record Cleaner Can Bring Your Vinyl Back To Life

Have you ever bought a record from a second hand store or a car boot sale and thought that you'd struck gold, but when you got it home and played it sounded like a full English fry up? Well fret no more because the Project VC-S record cleaner is here to rescue your vinyl!

The Project VC-S comes with a bottle of cleaning fluid and a goat hair brush to help you evenly spread the fluid over the surface of the record and get it down into the grooves. Then using the vacuum pump it will suck all the fluid off to leave a shiny clean record. The fluid is 100% eco-friendly and contains no alcohol which can damage the vinyl!

A kit to clean those pesky little 7 inch singles is available at an extra £110 and a lid is available for £25. Fluid is available in various sizes up to a litre which will clean around 1500 records!

In the picture is my latest purchase of the 12 inch 45 of Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush which sounds great on the LP but is just stunning on the 12 inch. This copy looked great in the shop but sounded a little snap, crackle and poppy when I played it. One spin on the VC-S has made it sound like it is brand new!

Pro-ject VC-S Record Cleaner

Anyone with a serious second hand vinyl habit owes it to their ears to see and hear what one of these marvels can do to a dusty slice of vinyl and you're welcome to bring in one of your crackliest records to clean so you can see and hear the results for yourself. 

The cleaner comes with everything you need to get started for £349.

Jon, Andy and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham

Pro-ject Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, PrestonReading, Swansea, Swindon

Groovy New Wharfedale Diamond 11.0 and 11.1 Stand Mount Loudspeakers

We have just taken delivery of the very lovely little new Wharfedale Diamond 11.0 and 11.1 bookshelf speakers. They have a lot to live up to as the previous models had been our go to little budget designs of choice for a while. The new models have a full front sized grille which magnetically fixes to the gloss black front baffle so no unsightly locating holes will be visible when the grilles are removed for optimal listening! The bigger model also sports a stylish curvy sided cabinet designed to help cut down on internal cabinet vibrations.

Now don't dismiss these because they are inexpensive or small (or both) because these little speakers really deliver the goods. OK they will never deliver that really deep bassy stuff but positioned close to a rear wall or towards the corner of the room and preferably on a nice pair of speaker stands they will give you an amazingly clean and open sound without that tendency of many budget designs to sound bright and a little ragged at the top end!

We have been running them in on a combination of equipment from budget Marantz systems to expensive Naim Uniti Nova and in all instances they are capable of a sweet open and detailed sound that is engaging and easy to listen to for long periods. Our old standard test track "I Don't Care Any More" by Phil Collins sounded full and vibrant with wide left to right sound staging. The bigger model delivering substantially more bottom end welly to make the listening experience more fun! Never would you think in blind tests that you are listening to small or budget designs. Our go to designs for entry level speakers for the  foreseeable future we think.

Anyone interested into little stand mounted speakers needs to add these to their demo shortlist. Once again that bar has been raised in what is a very competitive area of the loudspeaker market! Click here read more about the spec and price of the Wharfedale Diamond 11.0 and here for the Wharfedale Diamond 11.1

Why not come and give them a good listening to!

Thanks for reading. Jon, Farid and Andy - Audio T Cheltenham

New - Neat Acoustics SX7i

In addition to our current line up of Neat Acoustics loudspeakers we have now added the top of the Momentum range called the SX7i.

The SX7i delivers the performance of a high end loudspeaker from a room friendly enclosure taking up no more space that a conventional stand mount loudspeaker. The SX7i utilises no less than five drive units. The upper section is effectively a two way infinite baffle loudspeaker housed in its own enclosure. High frequencies are handled via a SXT black anodised aluminium tweeter with a massive ferrite dual magnet assembly offering extremely detailed presentation with no hint of hardness allowing fatigue free listening. The tweeter is flanked by two of Neat's recently upgraded P1/R3 bas mid drivers.

These are then crossed over to the lower half of the cabinet utilising two further P1/R3 drive units utilising Iso-Baric configuration. The first bass driver is located at the bottom of the cabinet firing downwards. This is coupled with an identical drive unit above with a sealed chamber between the two drive units. Both drive units receive an identical signal and operate in phase. These are then housed in their own enclosure that is tuned via a rear firing reflex port.

The first benefit this configuration is that the bass extension achieved is equivalent to an enclosure twice its size, thus offering extremely deep bass from a relatively small enclosure. The second benefit is that as both drivers are driven by their drive assemblies (Magnets) via the effective area of a single cone, which offers extremely controlled extended bass performance.

The drive units are housed in an extensively braced and damped cabinet constructed of high grade 18mm MDF. The cabinet sits on a pair of tri-laminate feet with adjustable spikes offering extreme stability and an overall cleaner presentation of the music.

Listening:
Straight out of the box and with no run in time, we were truly impressed by the musical performance offered - and this will only improve significantly with a few hundred hours run in time! We played 'And the Druids turn to Stone' from the album Universal Migrator by Ayreon via a Naim streamer and amplifier. The level of bass performance was truly outstanding for the cabinet dimensions and at no time became uncontrolled. the level of detail was a good as we've heard and  we heard information that we have never heard before! The sound stage and separation were truly outstanding. We have yet to play any music that has not impressed so far and this can only get better once they are run in.

These are truly outstanding loudspeakers and an audition is highly recommended. We look forward to seeing you.

Farid Andy and Jon - Audio T Cheltenham

Neat Acoustic loudspeakers are also available from following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading

Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Loudspeakers Just Add Music!

Taking advantage of their pedigree of designing loudspeakers for the domestic and professional markets Acoustic Energy have now released the AE1 active monitor loudspeaker.

The AE1 active is a two way reflex enclosure utilising an aluminium dome tweeter with a unique WDT wave guide for seamless integration into the room. This is coupled with a pure piston ceramic aluminium cone bass driver developed from the original and legendary AE1 studio monitor. Both drivers are driven by two internal 50W class A/B amplifiers via a fully active filter networks per loudspeaker.

Taking advantage of many products now available on the market the AE1 active can be coupled with any equipment that has a variable pre amplifier output. One of the major benefits is you no longer need multiple Hi-Fi components to achieve high end sound quality. In the age of network streaming, Bluetooth and music streaming services, a fine sounding music system can be achieved of diminutive size. As an active (speaker with an amplifier built in) monitor the AE1 Active can also be used as a loudspeaker connected directly to you computer offering sound quality rarely heard from computer loudspeakers. They are also ideal for improving the sound of from your TV (In fact I don't think there is a soundbar on the market that will come close to achieving the sound quality you can get when using the AE1s).

Below we set up a few different music streaming systems with the AE1 actives.

Arcam rBlink - AE1 Active:

The Arcam rBlink is a Bluetooth receiver that can be connected directly to the the AE1 Actives via the audio out of the rBlink. Any product that is Bluetooth enabled such as a mobile phone, IPad or tablet can then be used to play directly to the AE1 Active.

Sonos Connect - AE1 Active:

Connect the Sonos Connect via its variable pre-amplifier output to the RCA input of the AE1 and you have a system capable of network streaming (music files from a computer / external hard drive), Internet radio and music streaming services such as Spotify Premium, Tidal and Qobuz.

Auralic Altair Pre-amplifier - AE1 Active:

The Auralic Altair is an exceptionally high quality network streamer. This can be connected via the balanced XLR outputs on the Altair to the Balanced XLR inputs on the AE1 Active. This will provide with a system of diminutive size that produces exceptionally high sound quality.

Each AE1 Active is equipped with an independent volume control and +/- 2dB adjustment for both bass and treble. They are available in Piano Black, Piano White and high Gloss Real wood cherry finishes.

Sound Quality:
We connected the AE1 Active to the Auralic Altair music streamer. Playing files recorded in FLAC (44.1 kHz) via an Innuos Zen Mini hard drive and the sound quality achieved was outstanding. Playing Mike Oldfield 'Not of this Earth' the sound stage was expansive with great sense of depth. The high frequencies were detailed with no sense of hardness, mid range detail was excellent and the bass went down to depths you really wouldn't expect from a speaker of this size. We then played 'Fast Cars' by Tracy Chapman. Vocals were extremely clear with a great sense of emotion. All the instruments were clearly defined with great power and attack.

All in all the AE1 offer superb value for the sound quality achieved at the price and is available now for demonstration.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Farid, Andy and Jon - Audio T Cheltenham

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

New Rega Ania Moving Coil Cartridge

Building on the success of the Apheta 2 and Aphelion moving coil cartridges Rega have introduced the new Rega Ania.

Rega's design approach is unique for moving coil cartridges using an undamped ultra low mass generator with a rhomboid pivot for the cantilever coupled with an exclusively designed neodymium magnet system. This approach requires a cartridge body that has virtually zero tolerances to allow exact positioning of the magnet system relative to the pivot mounting hole. This is achieved in the Apheta and Aphelion models by machining ultra high grade aluminium to achieve the tolerance levels required (Within one thousandth of a millimetre).

Rega Ania

The process of machining aluminium to this tolerance level is exceptionally expensive so when Rega decided to design the Ania moving coil cartridge their solution was to use a moulding process using an unusual poly/glass combination called 'Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS-Forton). The special attributes of this material are its hardness and stability in shape and dimension after the moulding process. Rega have designed and built a new production mould tool to enable this extremely complex body shape to be achieved to the exacting specifications required.

To achieve the performance of the Ania cartridge they have combined the PPS body with an elliptical tipped diamond stylus and cantilever with an iron cross and micro coil assembly (one of the smallest MC generators). Special three point stainless steel inserts have been used for secure three point coupling to the tone arm.

Three Point Mounting System

Sound Quality:

With the Ania MC cartridge firmly fixed to a Rega Planar 3 my first impression was that it shouldn't be able to do that for the money. It wasn't just good, it was astonishing. I first played Crazy Love by Poco off the album Legend and even though I thought I knew this one inside out the Rega combination laid out the harmony vocals and acoustic guitars within a huge soundstage ....one of those "shivers down your spine" moments! To make sure this wasn't a fluke, on went another demo fave in the shape of Faron Young by the rather wonderful Prefab Sprout and sure enough everything was bigger more open and more detailed than I have ever heard a Planar 3 before. The Thomas Dolby production work really coming alive with great deep but tight and fast bass allied to a wide open mid-range and a sweet top end.

Appetite whetted we then decided to put the Ania in the RB808 arm on the Rega RP8 turntable where it really excelled. The Poco and Prefab Sprout tracks opening up to reveal yet more detail. This really is one of those items of Hi-Fi that makes music fun to listen to and that will have you rooting through your record collection to hear what delights it will reveal next. In fact we were so impressed that Jon has ordered one for himself and I am thinking that my Rega P7 turntable may be paired up with one when my Dynavector wears out!!

The unique design concept of the new Rega Ania MC cartridge has produced a market leading cartridge with exceptional musicality, speed, clarity and detail retrieval not before achieved at this price point (£499.00 Inc VAT).

We have fitted our demonstration Ania to the Rega RP8 and have coupled it with phono stages from the Rega Fono MC, Arcam R-Phono and Rega Aria with outstanding results. If you are looking for a new moving coil cartridge that does not cost the earth a demonstration of the new Rega Ania is highly recommended. 

Almost forgot Kung Foo Hamster

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Farid, Andy and Jon - Audio T Cheltenham

Rega 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

Acoustic Energy AE100 Series Loudspeakers Return To Audio T Cheltenham

Acoustic Energy have been producing class leading loudspeakers for the past thirty years. Many speakers such as the Classic AE1 have been born from the demanding studio environment. Twenty years ago the AE100 series of loudspeakers were introduced and effectively redefined the budget domestic speaker market - especially in the form of the original AE109 floor standing loudspeakers. After many months of development Acoustic Energy have now re-introduced a new and much improved version of the original AE100 series loudspeakers.

AE100
The AE100 is a classic two-way compact stand mount / bookshelf loudspeaker. The AE100 has been designed to achieve high sound pressure levels from a compact enclosure. Utilising a 4 inch paper cone bass driver with a high power long throw motor system., This is coupled with a 25mm soft dome high frequency drive featuring Acoustic Energys' wide dispersion technology. The drive units are housed an ultra rigid cabinet manufactured from 18mm MDF. To avoid noise created by air travelling through the reflex port a rear mounted slot design has been used. This also allows for very easy room placement.

Acoustic Energy AE100

AE109
The AE109 is a 2.5 way bass reflex floor standing loudspeaker akin to the original AE109. Housed in a elegant slimline cabinet the 109 has been designed to offer effortless room filling performance. The AE109 utilises two 4 inch paper cone bass drivers coupled with a 25mm high dispersion dome tweeter. Extreme care has been paid regarding the phase and time alignment of these drivers to produce the most cohesive musical performance possible. Again the cabinets have are constructed of 18mm MDF resulting in a very rigid enclosure and with the use of a rear mounted slot reflex port room placement is very easy

Acoustic Energy AE109

Both loudspeakers are available in Satin Black Ash or Walnut finish.

Listening
Equipment used: Rega Apollo CD Player, Rega Brio 2016 Amplifier, Rega Couple interconnect, Chord Sarsen Speaker Cable.

AE100
In a world populated with so many little bookshelf speakers do we really need another? Well the answer is a resounding yes! Acoustic Energy have well and truly moved the goal posts with these little £200 stand mounters. First I thought I would test them out with Get Miles the first track off the first Gomez album Bring It On and the sound-staging on them was surprisingly large and the deep rolling bass guitar really did plumb depths not normally reached by speakers of this size and price. I then fancied trying something a little more acoustic and found a copy of David Sylvian's Brilliant trees that I have not played for a while and again the AE100's acquitted themselves beautifully. I got the real sense that I could hear everything in the mix and they did not get shouty or boxy and I didn't want to stop the music playing at all. After a while I played a little classical music courtesy of the Allegri String Quartet with added Clarinet from James Campbell. This album was released on the Naim label and was mastered by the legendary Julian Vereker and on the AE100's sounded lush and engaging. All the instruments clearly distinct from each other yet intertwined with each other to perfection! It is great to have Acoustic Energy back and sounding so good......move over Wharfedale and Q Acoustics I have a new favourite entry level speaker!  Oh and they look gorgeous too with their curvy top corners and bases..... a must listen to at or around this price! Satin black finish is £230.00 a pair and Walnut wood effect are £200. 

AE109
After the very pleasant surprise of the AE100's I was expecting great things of these £500 floor standing speakers (£550 in satin black). They do not disappoint having all the good attributes of the AE100 but offering a much bigger sound. The Gomez track (Get Miles) sounding really juicy! Classical also benefited from the extra scale that the AE109 articulate with it's larger cabinets. The Allegri String Quartet bounced along with extra everything!! A great speaker with more than a cursory nod to the legendary Acoustic Energy speakers of old. Nice to have them back!

A demonstration is highly recommended.

We look forward to seeing you. Bring some of your favourite music and sit back and relax in our dem room and we'll bring you a cup of your favourite beverage.

Audio T Cheltenham - Jon, Farid and Andy

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

New Ruark MR1 MKII At Audio T Cheltenham

Updated in 2017, the Ruark MR1 MKII are a compact active high fidelity loudspeaker designed and can be used in different ways.

The MR1 MKII are a two-way bass reflex speaker system utilising a 20mm treated textile dome tweeter and a 75mm long throw bass driver with a powerful neodymium magnet. Power is provided by a 20W Class A-B linear amplifier incorporating a high quality switch mode power supply. Most compact active loudspeakers available today use digital amplifiers, which in many cases give an artificial sound when compared to the Class A-B amplifier used in the Ruark MR1 MKII.

Ruark MR1 MKII

The Ruark MR1 MKII offers a Line audio input and a digital optical input. They also incorporate Bluetooth APTx for wireless CD quality playback from Bluetooth enabled devices (Phones, Laptops, etc) They also offer a subwoofer output for connection to an active subwoofer enabling increased bass response.

Rear of MR1 MKII Master Loudspeaker

The MRI MKII is capable of providing great sound throughout your home and can be used in several different ways:

TV
Connect the MR1 to the audio out (Line or Optical) to provide HiFi quality sound far beyond the capability of the built in TV loudspeakers. Attach a subwoofer and get true movie sound from your chosen movie. (We have found that the MR1 will outperform most reasonably priced TV sounders / Sound bases on the market).

Turntable
Connect a turntable to the line input via a phono stage and experience the outstanding quality of vinyl through a truly compact system.

Sound On The Move
Add a BP2 battery pack (Optional Accessory) to the master loudspeaker and you have a truly portable HiFi system. Get graeter sounds when you are having a Barbecue or take it on holiday to provide a true HIFi system in your Caravan. If you travelling you can disconnect the stereo loudspeaker and the Master will revert to an active mono loudspeaker which you can take with you when you travel.

Other features provided include a compact remote control for source, volume and function selection. Auto standby is also built in (Ideal when using with a TV as the MR1 will turn on when the TV is switched on and turn off when the TV is switched off).

Sound Quality
Christopher Frank - Latano Mystery (Pacific Coast Highway) - Playing via Bluetooth the high end detail is very impressive and is coupled with a very open and expansive midrange. For such a compact loudspeaker there was no hint of boxiness and the bass extension was extended and tight. We then added a REL T-Zero Subwoofer to the sub out socket and were amazed at the results. We now had a compact system that was performing as well as a well integrated full size Hi-Fi system.

Sade - Hang On To Your Love (Diamond Life) - Sade's vocal was extremely realistic and lifelike. Again detail retrieval was extremely impressive and the MR1 offered a very good sound stage. The bass was extended and very tuneful. (We then added the REL T-Zero we again got outstanding results.)

KungFu Hamster listening to Sade... he's a smooth operator!

The MR1 MKII are available in Rich Walnut and Soft Grey Lacquer finishes. If you are looking for a affordable compact active (doesn't require an amplifier) loudspeaker system the Ruark MR1 MKII really should be on your audition list. 

Ruark Audio lifestyle and portable Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:

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

Project Classic Turntable Arrives At Audio T Cheltenham

The Cheltenham Branch have just taken delivery of the new Project Classic Turntable. Designed by Project for their 25th Anniversary the aptly named Classic has taken design inspiration from 1960/70s classics such as the Thorens and Linn.

The Classic is a two plinth design allowing the motor to be well isolated from the main bearing and arm greatly reducing the transfer of mechanical and electrical energy produced by the motor. Rather than using springs for the suspension (renowned for causing set up issues) the Classic utilises Thermo Plastic Elastomers to isolate the two plinths. This not only offers excellent isolation and anti resonance properties but also allows easy set up straight out of the box. We had our demonstration deck up and running and sounding fantastic in two minutes.

Kung Fu Hamster hasn't seen a spinning wheel like this before!

The deck is supplied with a newly designed tonearm with some radical design concepts. The arm tube is constructed of a composite sandwich material comprising of carbon fibre and aluminium. The carbon fibre offers excellent rigidity and reduced mass while the aluminium provides excellent damping. A new ultra low friction bearing assembly is used enabling excellent tracking. Even the the nickel counterweight is TPE damped to reduce resonances. The arm has full VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle) and Azimuth adjustment allowing easy cartridge change / upgrade.

Kung Fu Hamster takes a closer look at the Pro-ject Classic platter

The deck is supplied with an Ortofon 2M Silver moving magnet cartridge. This allows the Classic to perform to a very high standard out of the box but with the quality of components utilised in the deck a cartridge upgrade is a great opportunity in the future.

LISTENING
To audition the Project Classic we set it up with a Rega Elicit amplifier using its excellent on-board phono stage and coupled this with a pair of Neat acoustics SX2 Loudspeakers. We played a wide range of vinyl and achieved excellent results with all types of Music.

Phil Collins - I don't Care Anymore (Hello I must be Going Album):
The Classic provided excellent bass weight and control. The drums were extremely tight and fast and at no time did the sound become confused. Information retrieval was  very good with an excellent soundstage. At no time did the deck become confused.

Helen Watson - You're not the rule (Blue Slipper Album):
The Classic offered a great sense of timing. The sound was exceptionally tuneful and for such a complicated piece of music at no time did the classic get confused or appear to lose detail. The vocals were portrayed with excellent realism and emotion.

Stanley Jordan - Eleanor Rigby (Magic Touch Album):
This gave a superb sound stage with a great sense of openness and clarity. The attack on the strings was easily heard and again we were surprised how a deck at this price point held everything together. In fact my biggest problem listening to this track was concentrating on the deck rather than the music as the Classic made it sound so involving.

CONCLUSION
Overall this record deck offers outstanding sound quality for such an affordable price. It offers superb build quality and standard of finish. It is easy to set up and integrate into virtually any hi-fi system. It also offers the opportunity to upgrade with the addition of a better cartridge. The Ortofon 2M Silver offers great sound when purchased with the deck but a future upgrade will reap great benefits. Overall we cannot recommend this record player highly enough and would strongly advise a demonstration if you are in the market for a turntable at this price point.

We look forward to seeing you in the near future and be rest assured if you come in for a demonstration you will be given a warm welcome. (And tea and coffee).

Jon, Farid and Andy

Click here to read more about the Pro-ject Classic Turntable tech specs and customer reviews.

Pro-ject turntables and Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, PrestonReading, Swansea, Swindon

QUAD Z1 Stand Mount Loudspeakers At Audio T Cheltenham

New to the Cheltenham branch, the QUAD Z1 stand mount loudspeaker. The new QUAD Z1 utilises the latest generation of their ribbon high frequency drive unit.

Designed using a unique sandwich formation the new tweeter retains the delicate sound associated with conventional ribbon tweeters but is also exceptionally robust, offers very high power handling, high sensitivity and increased dynamics allowing it to seamlessly integrate with the bass/mid drive unit.

The ribbon tweeter is paired with a woven Kevlar bass/mid drive unit. This utilises a unique double roll surround especially designed to control the edge break up of the cone. This allows the drive unit to offer exceptional bass performance but also gives smoothness and transparency in the mid frequencies. This allows it to seamlessly integrate with the ribbon tweeter.

The drive units are housed in a beautifully curved bass reflex cabinet with high gloss one piece wrap around veneer. The 4 high quality gold plated binding posts allow for single or bi-amplifier connection.

Listening:
We paired the QUAD Z1 with a Rega Elex-R and streamed from an Innuos Zen Mini hard drive (FLAC) via a Sonos connect and Rega DAC. Firstly we played 'Lontano Mystery' from Pacific Coast Highway by Christopher Franke (Tangerine Dream). The QUAD's gave an exceptional level of detail and clarity with no hint of harshness at the top end. The sense of space in the mid-range and top end was excellent and the integration with the bass was seamless. Playing 'Just a little loving' by Shelby Lynne showed how well the vocals are portrayed, every nuance of her vocals where apparent giving a truly life like performance. We the put the bass performance though it paces by playing 'And the Druids Turn to Stone' by Ayreon' The extension to the bass was outstanding for a speaker of such a compact cabinet. Integration between the bass and midrange was excellent and the speakers never appeared to struggle with the quantity of bass even at extended levels.

These truly are an outstanding compact loudspeaker for the money. If a high quality compact monitor loudspeaker is on your list, I cannot recommend the QUAD Z1 highly enough. 

Specifications:

Enclosure Type                                  Bass Reflex

Bass Driver                                         150mm Woven Kevlar

Tweeter                                               90mm x 12mm True Ribbon

Sensitivity                                           86dB

Power Handling                                  40 - 150W

Peak SPL                                             102dB

Frequency Response (+/- 3 dB)         56Hz - 20kHz

Dimensions                                          283mm Depth x 219mm Width x 383mm Height

Available in High Gloss Piano Black, High Gloss Piano White and High Gloss Piano Rosewood.

Available at the Cheltenham branch for demonstration.

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

Martin Logan Electromotion Electrostatic Loudspeakers At Audio T Cheltenham

We are very pleased to announce that we are now stocking the new Martin Logan Electromotion Electrostatic loudspeakers. These use electrostatic panels rather than conventional dynamic drive units to produce the mid-range and high frequencies.

How an Electrostatic Works:
Electrostatic loudspeakers comprise of three basic components - Stators, diaphragm and Spars all assembled as a sandwich structure. The diaphragm is an electrically conductive plastic film that is stretched taught between the stators. The stators are are perforated steel sheets coated with an insulator. When in operation the diaphragm is charged to a fixed positive voltage by a high voltage power supply. (This is why all electrostatics are mains powered). The stators are connected to the speaker outputs of the amplifier via a step-up transformer. This converts the amplifiers output to a pair of high voltage signals of equal strength but opposite polarities. As the positive charge in one stator grows the negative charge in the other grows an equal amount. As like charges attract and negative charges repel the positive charge on the diaphragm will force it to move forwards and backwards depending on the charge. Therefore the stronger the charge the greater the movement and produces the movement of the diaphragm normally seen in a conventional drive unit. To help stiffen the panel and prevent the diaphragm from coming too close to the stators non conductive strips called spars are placed along the length of each panel.

The Benefits of an Electrostatic Loudspeaker:
Conventional loudspeaker drivers use a cone attached to a voice coil; the centre of the cone is only being driven and the rest of the cone is just following along. This means the cones have to be made as rigid as possible creating additional weight. The tweeter however needs to be as light as possible to enable it to achieve higher frequencies. Electrostatics overcome this as the diaphragm is driven across its entirety so it does not need to be rigid and can be made of an exceptionally light material. This enables the panel to produce sonic details with exceptional precision. The panel can operate over an exceptionally wide frequency response which eliminates the need for a crossover network between the mid range and the tweeter. Conventional loudspeakers can have the the problem of cabinet colouration and there will always be an effect on the drive units from the cabinet. This is eliminated in the mid to high frequencies of an electrostatic as there is no cabinet. Another key benefit of an electrostatic is that it operates as a true dipole. This enables them to offer exceptional clarity and an astonishing deep open sound stage.

The only drawback to the electrostatic is that they cannot reproduce the deepest of bass sounds. Martin Logan have overcome this by utilising a hybrid design. The very lowest frequencies are reproduced via a very high quality dynamic woofer. These are crossed over to the electrostatic panel via a carefully tailored cross over network. The critically damped woofers used ensure a seamless transition between the two types of drivers.

Electromotion ESL:
The ESL incorporates an Xstat Electrostatic panel with a total radiating area of 129 square inches. The panel is coupled with an 8 inch high excursion doped fibre coned woofer designed exclusively for the ESL. The lightweight cone achieves remarkably low distortion levels allowing seamless integration with the electrostatic panel. Connection to the amplifier is via high quality binding posts and the speaker is supplied with heavy duty spikes allowing tighter coupling between the speaker and the floor.

Electromotion ESL-X:
The ESL-X features a larger electrostatic transducer and utilises dual 8 inch woofers. The Xstat panel has a radiation area over 50 inches larger that the ESL and is coupled with two 8 inch doped paper high excursion woofers housed in a non resonant bass reflex enclosure. This achieves a frequency response of 41Hz to 22kHz. Offering an easy load of 6 Ohms and power handling of 20 to 400 Watts.

Listening:
We have had the Martin Logans set up with numerous systems. These have included Naim ND5XS Streamer coupled with an Arcam A39 class G amplifier, Clearaudio Performance DC turntable coupled with a Unison Research S6 valve amplifier. In all the systems we have tried the speakers have provided exceptional mid range clarity and high frequency performance. The sound stage provided is almost holographic. There have been instances when you could not tell where the speakers were as the sound stage was so expansive that the speakers appeared to disappear. As a hybrid  the integration of the bass is of paramount importance. To test this we played 'Drones' by Muse and they produced exceptionally deep and tight bass akin to a conventional high end loudspeaker. However at no time did you feel that this was at the expense of the open midrange and top end performance. 'Pacific Coast Highway' by Christopher Franke (Tangerine Dream) again has thundering bass with a very open midrange that at times just sounded truly astonishing. Vocals are also truly lifelike. We played Tracey Chapman 'Fast Cars' and the emotion portrayed in her voice was up there with the best I have ever heard. Classical music is somewhere these speakers really do excel, playing a string quartet the players are so well positioned you can place them to within inches to such an extent that you really do feel that they are in front of you. Full scale orchestra such as Shostakovich Symphony No 8 also has exceptional power and depth.

We really do feel that these speakers are capable of producing certain aspects of music that conventional loudspeakers find very difficult to attain. A demonstration is highly recommended.

Contact Jon and Farid, Audio T Cheltenham 01242 583960 to book your personal demonstration.

Ophidian M Series Loudspeakers At Audio T Cheltenham

We now have the new Ophidian M series range of loudspeakers available for demonstration. The range comprises of the Minimo and Mojo mini monitors offering bass extension that truly belies their diminutive size. We also have the Mambo floor stander, again a very compact loudspeaker that will fill all but the largest rooms with a truly immersive sound.

Technology
A common practice in speaker design is to use the energy produced by the rear of the bass driver to boost the low frequency output of the loudspeaker by venting it out of the cabinet via a tuned port (Known as a reflex loudspeaker). This poses a significant problem as the velocity of the air in the port (Effectively a plastic tube) can limit the control of the bass driver cone movement. This can cause energy from the bass driver to be wasted and can make the port exhibit a problem known as chuffing (A sound caused by the airflow pushing through the port). Ophidian have overcome this with a technology known as AEROFLEX. This utilises much larger and longer port which massively reduces the air velocity. This has the benefit of allowing the the bass driver to work more efficiently and diminishing the possibility of chuffing from the port. An additional benefit is the internal structure of the port increases the stiffness of the cabinet. This allows the use of thinner side walls on the cabinet that require less damping reducing the amount of energy stored. This much improves the quality of the midrange. The crossovers in all Ophidian loudspeakers use audiophile grade capacitors, oxygen free copper cabling and metal oxide resistors. This ensures the signal is preserved from the amplifier to the drive units.

The Ophidian M-Series Range

Minimo - The Minimo is a ultra compact 2-way micro monitor for use on stands, bookshelves or wall mounting. They feature  a 90mm Bass/Mid driver with a deep rubber surround, aluminium diagram and large powerful Neodymium magnet. In connection with the AEROFLEX technology this speaker produces a deep extended bass response that truly belies its size. Complementing the bass driver is a 27mm Sonolex coated fabric tweeter offering seamless integration with the bass driver.

Specifications:

1. Frequency Response  - 53Hz - 28kHz
2. Sensitivity                   - 85dB
3. Power Handling          - 30 to 60 Watt
4. Impedance                  - 4 Ohm
5. Dimensions                 178mm Height  / 122mm Width / 144mm Depth

Mojo - The Mojo is a two-way compact loudspeaker utilising two 90mm aluminium cone Bass/Mid drivers. Designed for stand or wall mounting these speakers offer a room filling sound with extended bass response you would not expect from a speaker of such diminutive dimensions. Again a 27mm Sonolex coated fabric dome tweeter is used. We have had these speakers on demonstration in the showroom next to a pair of speakers thirty times their size. Many customers have assumed that we have been playing the larger speakers due to the outstanding bass capabilities of the Ophidian Mojo's.

Specifications:

1. Frequency Response  - 46Hz to 2kHz
2. Sensitivity                   - 87.5 dB
3. Power Handling          - 50 to 100 Watt
4. Impedance                  - 4 Ohm
5. Dimensions                 - 253mm Height / 142mm Width / 199mm Depth

Mambo - The Mambo is a powerful three-way compact floor standing loudspeaker. It utilises Dual 90mm aluminium coned Mid/Bass Divers in their own sealed enclosure coupled with 4 dedicated 90mm aluminium coned  bass drivers utilising the AEROFLEX technology. Complementing the Mid/Bass divers is a 27mm Sonoflex coated fabric dome tweeter. For such a small floor standing loudspeaker the output from use is truly outstanding. The will play music at realistic volumes in medium to large rooms with no sense of being overdriven.

Specification:

1. Frequency Response  - 38Hz to 28kHz
2. Sensitivity                   - 87.5dB
3. Power Handling          - 50 to 150 Watts
4. Impedance                  - 4 Ohms
5. Dimensions                 - 791mm Height / 142mm Width / 171mm Depth (Excluding Plinth)

Listening
On listening to the range of Ophidian loudspeakers we have been truly impressed with the quality and extension of the bass response from speakers of such small dimensions. Couple this with a very open and uncoloured mid-range and a detailed and smooth high frequency response we would not hesitate to recommend these loudspeakers.

Finishes
The M Series range of loudspeakers are available in Satin White, Satin Black, Real wood Oak Veneer and real wood Walnut veneer.

Come and and have a listen! 

Come And Hear The Difference That Mains Conditioning Can Make To Your Hi-Fi

Join us on Friday 30th September (4pm - 7.30pm) and Saturday 1st October (10am - 5.00pm) when in conjunction with IsoTek we will be running an event highlighting the benefits of mains conditioning and how that it can bring you closer to the music. The IsoTek team will be on hand to answer any questions you have.

IsoTek Mains Conditioning
The quality of the electricity we feed into our Hi-Fi and AV systems has a profound effect on its performance. The first input into any system is the mains electricity, it flows through the system components which in turn creates a signal that eventually moves the loudspeaker cones. The mains supply is distorted by numerous factors as it travels from the power station eventually to be distributed throughout our homes. The noise created in the mains supply can and does have a substantial effect on the performance of any high quality audio / AV system. The escalation of mains borne noise created from items such as kitchen appliances, computers, games consoles and airborne noise from wireless networks mobile phones, etc is having a significant effect on the quality both our Audio/ AV systems.

The Solution
IsoTek is a British company making award winning products to optimise the mains that is being delivered to our Hi-Fi / AV systems. The product ranges comprise of the following solutions:

Isotek EVO3 Aquarius

Mains Cables and Blocks
The standard black lead supplied with most equipment and the off the shelf extension blocks are designed to do a basic job. They lack the materials and construction needed to protect the integrity of the electricity they feed into your system. We will have a range of solutions to overcome these effects available for demonstration. These will include:

IsoTek EVO3 Initium replacement Mains Cable - £65.00
IsoTek EVO3 Premier replacement Mains Cable - £99.00
IsoTek EVO3 Elite 2 Metre replacement Mains Cable - £325.00
IsoTek EVO3 Polaris 6 Way mains Distribution Block - £295.00
IsoTek EVO3 Sirius 6 Way Distribution Block with central filter network that removes both differential and common mode mains noise by 40dB - £495.00

Isotek EVO3 Initium

Mains Conditioners
Designed to remove noise contamination from both differential and common mode mains noise. Differential mains noise is created by the power supplies in all electronic devices. Common mode noise is introduced by RFI and wireless communications (Internet / mobile phone) that is becoming increasingly common. We will have the following products available for demonstration:

IsoTek EVO3 Sigmas - Provides six mains outlets (2 High power 16A outlets for power amplifiers, etc and 4 medium power outlets 10A for CD Players, Pre Amplifiers etc) £2195.00

IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius - One of the most cost effective upgrades for any system. (2 High Power outlets nad 4 Medium Power Outlets) - £1195.00

IsoTek EVO3 Titan - Designed for use with high power components such as power amplifiers, Active loudspeakers, etc - £2695.00

Isotek EVO3 Titan

RegeneratorsThese are state of the art hybrid power cleaning systems. They effectively take the mains and regenerate it having taken out all the noise. Available for demonstration will be:

IsoTek EVO3 Genesis one - Designed for single front end components. Multiple Genesis ones can be used from a single mains outlet.

IsoTek EVO3 Mosaic - Designed for system use offering three medium power outlets and two high power outlets - £5900.00

We will be demonstrating the IsoTek Products on the following system:

Clearaudio Master Innovation Turntable - An outstanding high end turntable from Clear Audio

Clearaudio Master Innovation Turntable

Quad Atera CD/Pre Amplifier                                                                                                             Quad Atera Power Amplifier

Quad Atera

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum Loudspeakers. An outstanding loudspeaker from the Dynaudio stable.

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum

We will also have available for demonstration the new Clearaudio Innovation Basic turntable.

Record Cleaning
We will also have available the Clearaudio Smart Matrix and Double Matrix record cleaners. If you have any records that you would like cleaned we can show you how effective these record cleaners are at bringing your records back to their original performance. (We can't take scratches out though!!). This service will be limited to three records per person.

Prize Draw
We will put the names of all attendees into a prize draw giving you the opportunity of winning an IsoTek EVO3 Premier mains cable worth £99.00. The draw will be made at the end of the event day on Saturday.

This is a great opportunity to hear how much you can improve the sound quality of your system and an affordable and worthwhile Hi-Fi upgrade.

Refreshments and snacks will be served.

Jon, Farid and the team from IsoTek look forward to seeing you.

New Rega Planar 2 Turntable Arrives At Audio T Cheltenham

Rega have been at it again. Following the recent release of the Rega Planar 3 turntable they have now resurrected the classic Rega Planar 2.

The new Rega Planar 2

Over the last two years the new Planar 2 has been developed alongside the new Planar 3. 

Many new design features have been incorporated in the new Planar 2:

Tonearm: The brand new RB220 tonearm has been incorporated. Offering new ultra low friction bearings housed within a brand new stiffer light weight bearing housing. New automatic bias adjustment making the Planar 2 almost completely plug and play. (You just need to balance the tonearm and apply the tracking force).

The new RB220 Tonearm

Hub Bearing: A new 11mm self securing brass bearing is fitted offering extremely tight tolerances.

Plinth: Available in high gloss black or high gloss white the new acrylic laminated plinth offers greatly  improved stiffness and rigidity. The much improved appearance is enhanced by locating the switch on the underside of the plinth.

Platter: A new 10mm glass platter is fitted offering greater accuracy.

Feet: New re-designed anti vibration feet offering increased stability.

The new Planar 2 comes fitted with Rega's Carbon moving magnet cartridge. This is an ideal starter cartridge but the overall quality of the turntable really does deserve a higher quality pick up. We would recommend either the Rega Bias 2 (£79.00) or the Elys 2 (119.00)

Listening - On first setting the turntable up (This took about a minute) it was instantly apparent that the new Rega Planar 2 has set a new benchmark at this price point. Speed stability is excellent, giving great timing to the music. There are excellent levels of detail (Even with the basis Carbon Cartridge) and a very tight extended bass response. The soundstage and imaging are as good as it gets at this level. On fitting a superior cartridge things just got better proving the merits of the Planar 2.

Rega continue to lead the field in turntables at virtually every price point. The new Rega Planar 2 really has set a new standard at its level.

An audition is highly recommended.

Rega 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