A WINNING COMBINATION? NAIM UNITI ATOM & RUSSELL K 50

All jobs have their perks. At Audio T ours is that we get to play with some of the finest Hi-Fi & AV products on the market. If it can fit in the car, chances are that we’ve taken it home to have a play. 

This opportunity, whilst being fantastic, can be troublesome at times and raise the bar of what we consider to be the norm. Then when we get our heads out of the clouds and return to planet earth to test more modestly priced systems we can find the results to be a disappointment. But not this time!

Good things come in small packages…

The Naim Uniti Atom, combined with the Russell-K Black 50 speakers could be perceived as a modern day version of the entry-level micro system that introduced many of us to the world of Hi-Fi. To some, an all-in-one solution may not be the go-to when thinking about high-end audio, but this small, British made setup defies all expectations.

Naim Uniti Atom

The Uniti Atom is a box of tricks. It’s stylish, easy to use and superbly built. Despite its tiny stature, (4” x 9” x 10”) it weighs-in at a over 7Kg. The youngest sibling in the Uniti range packs a real musical punch.

The Uniti Atom handles music-streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and Qobuz – plus it offers easy Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, Bluetooth and Internet Radio. On top of all of this you can connect other sound sources such as your turntable (with the addition of a phono stage), CD player or USB music storage. You can even make it the centre of your home entertainment system by connecting your TV via HDMI. You can control the Atom with the included remote or through the Naim App for Android & iOS. You’ll also find voice-control support for Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri.

Russell K Black 50  

The Black 50 is a fairly new product. Introduced to the market just as lockdown set-in, preventing any hope of a marketing campaign or for that matter, any in-store demonstration. The Black 50 is the same speaker as the well known and loved Red 50, so why call it black? Well the speaker is finished in a new black texture, so no wood veneer of the original. Anything else? Well yes! Surprisingly, they’re actually more affordable than their predecessor!

Some loudspeaker systems seem to think music is something to be endured in the pursuit of stark, drab fidelity, but not these. The Black 50 has a delightfully well-judged balance with low colouration, spacious stereo imaging and vigorous dynamics. They sound unusually coherent, especially through the vocal range, and are therefore remarkably good at communicating the musical message.  

Pace Rhythm and Timing 

Right from the start of listening, the general feeling is that this is not a modest system. Sure it won’t fill the biggest spaces or shake foundations. However, it sounds grown-up and sophisticated with rock solid timing. This system has real agility, the ability to stop, start and change direction on a pin head.  

Music just flows.  

It’s clear to us that there is a synergy with Naim and Russell K. It is something that is hard to quantify, but when you hear it you know. When a Hi-Fi system works, it just makes you smile and motivates you to play the next track and get lost in the music. This system has all that and more. 

For the purpose of the demonstration we used Naim NAC A5 speaker cable and the Naim Powerline Lite mains cable, that comes included with the Uniti Atom.

It’s all about taste…

Speakers interact differently with the room, other equipment and even our brains; there is no perfect “one-size-fits-all” solution. Some will love the Black 50 as if there are no other speakers to choose from, whilst others might ask ‘why the fuss?’ In our experience Russell K is not afraid to turn convention on its head in pursuit of its design goals.

A good example is that most of the speakers in our store have damping materials inside the cabinets to absorb energy radiated from the rear of the bass unit. Russell K does the opposite - no dampening, no attempt to kill the unwanted sound. Russell Kauffman, the designer, contends that dampening materials and thick cabinet walls store energy causing the cabinet to effectively play out of time. The resulting sound is smeared, the timing compromised and the music just doesn’t gel. His solution is thin-walled cabinets with small internal partitions controlling the energy to keep the enclosure sound in time with the bass unit. When this happens the cabinet becomes inaudible.

But don’t take our word for it. Why not come in store and have a listen for yourself? Here at Audio T we want the best for our customers, your opinion is the one that matters. So we ask you to be willing to try this where you can relax, no pressure and just ask yourself. Do I enjoy my music? Do I want to listen a bit longer?

If so you have made a good choice, if not we can help by suggesting alternatives that will help get you to your sonic destination.

Thanks for reading.

Himesh, Jason & John - Audio T Enfield

Russell K can be found at the following Audio-T stores

• ENFIELD

• PORTSMOUTH

• READING

Naim Uniti can be found at the following Audio-T stores

• BRIGHTON

• BRISTOL

• CARDIFF

• CHELTENHAM

• ENFIELD

• MANCHESTER

• ONLINE STORE

• OXFORD

• PORTSMOUTH

• READING

• SOUTHAMPTON

• SWANSEA

• SWINDON

Keep up to date with everything that’s happening at Audio T by following us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

Cyrus ONE Cast Integrated Streaming Amplifier Arrives At Audio T Enfield

We welcome the new Cyrus ONE Cast streaming amplifier that includes amongst other features it offers you, voice control by Alexa, Siri and Google! All you need to do is connect it to your Wi-Fi network and just add the speakers of your choice to enjoy your music.

The Cyrus ONE Cast also is a fantastic streamer with Google Chromecast built in, Apple Air Play 2 and Bluetooth audio so no matter which way you want to connect to it, you can!

Turntable fans are catered for as the Cyrus ONE Cast has a built in MM Phono stage. So there is no need to buy an outboard phono stage which will save you money.

The Cyrus ONE Cast is so flexible, you can also connect your existing CD player and TV to it as it has 4 Digital Inputs.

There is a dedicated headphone amplifier when you want to hear your music with a little more intimacy.

No need for another App and let’s face it, there are probably more apps than you currently need on your phone.

If you subscribe to any of the following, you are good to go without another app to use. This includes Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer or whatever streaming app you use.

If you want a multi-room whole house audio system, just add more Cyrus ONE Cast units around the house with speakers and the same music track will play in all rooms.

Just two taps and the music on your phone will play. Simples!

If you want to hear the Cyrus ONE Cast- pop into Audio T Enfield and we’ll show you just how flexible this little unit is.

The Cyrus ONE Cast is available at all branches of Audio T.

Cyrus Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T: Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Southampton, Swindon

Monitor Audio Gold Series Arrives At Audio T Enfield

We are very excited to take delivery of the fantastic Monitor Audio Gold series speakers at Enfield. We have always been fans of Monitor Audio and the Gold Series of speakers are very close to the world renowned Platinum series but at a much lower price point.

The Monitor Audio Gold speakers we have on demonstration are a mix of 2 channel stereo and Home Cinema speakers which can all be mixed and matched with each other.

We have in store two floorstanding models on demo :

Monitor Audio Gold 200

Monitor Audio Gold 300

These big boys will shake the floor boards and are suited for large rooms and also where you are looking for a massive sound stage.

We also have a fantastic Centre Channel. This is THE MOST important speaker in a Dolby Atmos Home Cinema system. Up to 70% of the on screen action arrives into this speaker, so it always pays to have a good centre channel and the Monitor Audio C250 does not disappoint.

Monitor Audio Gold C250

And for the bass freaks there’s the

Monitor Audio Gold W12 Subwoofer

So come on down to Audio T Enfield and experience the Monitor Audio Gold series of speakers in a stereo Hi-Fi or Home Cinema system.

Monitor Audio loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Rega Planar 10 Product Launch And An Exclusive UK Premiere Of The New Russell K Red 150SE

Attention music lovers! join us in store on Saturday 12th October for a feast of music and exclusive new Hi-Fi product launches, which promises to be an event not to be missed!

Rega and Russell K will be here to demonstrate their new products and we are very exited with what is in store! Diverse Vinyl will also bringing their pop up shop and showing off the latest and greatest releases on vinyl! Read on for more details….

Rega is one of our favourite British Hi-Fi brands and they are bringing in the following:

UK Launch of the Aethos Integrated Amplifier: This new amplifier sits between the Rega Elicit-R and Osiris amplifiers. This is a power house of an amplifier with a dual mono design and provides 125w per channel into 8 ohms. So it can drive your speakers with ease and the new pre-amplifier stage uses an excellent Class A design.

UK launch of the new Rega RP10 Turntable. Rega always build all of their record players at their factory in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex England with care and attention and if the previous turntables are anything to go by, it will be pretty special. Click here to read more about it in our news item.

Russell K (Chief designer and owner of Russell K Speakers) will be in the shop as well with new models.

UK Premiere of the new Russell K Red 150SE

Russell will be here to explain and demonstrate his new upgrades:

• New tweeter with metal faceplate

• Modification to Red 150 tweeter crossover

• New sub bass coil

• New plinth and spikes

All of which enhance the sound quality!

Reserve you place here, or come along on Saturday 12th Oct at 10:30 until 6pm to enjoy a great day of music and Hi-Fi!

John, Mahmood, Jason - Audio T Enfield.

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

Russell K loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Enfield, Portsmouth, Reading

What's DAC All About? Chord Electronics Qutest DAC

With the rise of digital devices as source components, the DAC or (Digital to Analogue Converter) has moved from being a rather niche audiophile item to being an important component of a good sounding Hi-Fi system.

The original outboard converters such as the Arcam Black Box and Musical Fidelity Digilog were not particularly versatile devices, but then they didn't really need to be. Back then (in the late Eighties), the input to such devices was mainly provided by CD transports (or CD players) with the occasional requirement to decode the output from a DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recorder so the sampling rates that they could handle were limited to 44.1/48 kHz, and if you were lucky you got a phase invert switch – and that was pretty much it.

As digital technology moved onward and upward, some manufacturers started putting digital conversion circuitry in their amplifiers (thus providing digital inputs alongside the analogue ones) but this approach is generally not optimal as it means it is not usually possible to upgrade your DAC electronics separately from the main amplifier – some amps have DAC boards that can be swapped out but the practice of putting digital circuitry alongside relatively high powered analogue components can be problematic. For the best and most consistent results, moving the digital circuits out to a separate unit is a good thing - even though it does mean that an additional interconnect is required (and digital interconnects can make an audible difference).

Chord Electronics Qutest

So now in 2019 we have a plethora of DAC units available at various prices from a few pounds to a few tens of thousands of pounds and one of the companies which have forged a fantastic reputation in this area is Chord Electronics. This British company (based in Kent) has been gradually getting more and more recognition for its innovative devices, and one of the most lauded products in their fine catalogue is the Hugo 2 portable headphone amplifier which has quickly become a standard recommendation for headphone addicts. It also sounds superb in a static implementation, but as the feature set is largely focussed on portable use, it isn't the perfect unit for use at home. Enter the Chord Qutest.

Qutest - Rear View showing inputs and outputs

I will refrain from regurgitating the raw specs here; suffice to say that the digital conversion goodness of the Hugo 2 is fully recreated here but some of the features more applicable to portable use such as battery power and adjustable cross-feed processing are removed. This means that the unit has all the essential features and nothing unnecessary.

Qutest - Top View

Physically the Qutest is an unassuming black box (in a rather nice machined aluminium) with a couple of gaily coloured plastic balls inset (the colours change with function but you'll soon get to learn the sequence). Power is provided by a 5v USB power supply and the main feature of note is a switchable filter which you can use to adjust the sound and is entirely dependent upon your own personal taste – there's no right or wrong. One other very useful facility is the ability to set the line output level to 1, 2 or 3 Volts which is a major boon for system matching. Multiple switchable inputs are provided (on optical, BNC or USB connections) and finally the Qutest is compatible with the Chord Electronics M Scaler which can utilise the dual BNC connection to allow sampling rates of up to 768 kHz at 32 bit depth if upsampling is your thing.

Qutest in Full Colour

So that's the boring stuff – how does it sound? If I were to sum up the sound of this little box in one word, that word would be 'precision'. It is masterful at placing musical events in context with everything else which makes it superb rhythmically – if you love music which relies heavily on subtle interplays of timing and rubato then this box will delight you. It's no slouch tonally either – the beauty and emotion of Miles' playing on 'My Funny Valentine' is there in full effect – and the tightness and rhythmic acuity of the DAC means you can fully appreciate the mind-boggling brilliance of Ron Carter and Tony Williams in the rhythm section too. The acoustic of Philharmonic Hall is very nicely rendered making for a really engaging experience.

Qutest - connected to power

In short, whether you need an upgrade for an ageing transport unit, or a state of the art switching device for multiple digital sources which will play all your Hi Res files (including DSD), consider the Chord Electronics Qutest. It can even be set up as a Roon Labs endpoint – but that's a subject for a future blog.

Come along and have a listen and we’ll take you step by step how to set it up and integrate it within your own Hi-Fi system,

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

Innuos Zen And The Art Of Digital Music Library Maintenance

For those of us who have digital music collections, the venerable compact disc is only part of the picture these days. Apart from legacy collections of music on such discs, we now have higher resolution PCM music files available along with even larger DSD files (the equivalent of SACD) all of which are now readily available and which add a whole new dimension to the enjoyment of music reproduction.

This means that a CD player alone is no longer enough to allow access to all these delights – we need a new kind of up-to-the-minute digital device that will deal with everything we can throw at it. Enter the Innuos Zen family.

These British designed and Portugese manufactured units have been around for a while but they have recently been updated to Mark 3 spec, so the time is right for a reappraisal of these innocuous looking but supremely versatile boxes. The reason they are so versatile is because of the way the four main functions have been integrated.

1. RIPPER
All the versions have a built in CD drive which, although it cannot be used to play CDs, will allow ripping of an inserted disc to either .flac or .wav format files. This process can be carried out whilst you are using the device for playback as well, so you can start ripping your existing CD collection as a background task whilst still using any other functions as required.

2. STORAGE
These ripped files are then stored on an internal 3.5'' hard drive which is available in a range of capacities from 1Tb to 8Tb; the higher range models can be fitted with solid state drives up to 4Tb.

3. SERVER
Once the files are stored on the unit, and the unit is connected up to a network, the files can be served out to any network attached device that needs to access them.

4. PLAYER
Last but not least the unit can be connected to your system as any other source component would be, and this will allow you full playback access to the contents of the drive. In addition to this, any of the units will give you full internet radio functionality along with access to external streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz.

To access these functions, there are two methods used. Firstly, once the unit is connected to your network, accessing 'myinnuos.com' on any browser will take you to the setup and config pages. These have options to control disc ripping and file imports, view your existing library, set up backups etc. Most of these pages are 'set and forget', so once you have configured your unit as you like, you shouldn't need to revisit them very often. What you will need for day-to-day use is a method by which you can access your library to view and play, and this is accomplished with an application. There are excellent options available for iOS, Android and Windows platforms and any one of these will allow you to start interacting with your music collection, as well as giving you access to all the other built in features.

One of the things we often hear from customers as that they like the idea of an actual item such as a CD which they can pick up and handle, but what people often don't realise is that using one of these superb control applications will, to a degree, keep the tactile and visual part of browsing your collection alive. As long as you take a small amount of care over ensuring that the downloaded track data and artwork is accurate and free of errors, the apps will give you a very nice, customisible browsing experience which in many ways is superior – no more stiff neck reading the spines! With regard to storage space, a 2 Tb drive will enable you to store around 3500 albums in their entirety, and of course if this is insufficient then you can specify the internal drive up to 8 Tb at purchase time. This should be enough even for King Crimson completists.

The Zen range consists of four models. The Innuos Zen Mini (1-8Tb, pictured) is the base model; the Mini Mk 3 now includes stereo analogue outputs alongside the USB and S/PDIF outputs so you can get it up and running with full functionality straight out of the box – of course the addition of an outboard DAC will really make it sing (we recommend the Chord Electronics Qutest as an ideal partner). This version comes with a switch mode power supply as standard but Innuos also sell an upgraded linear power supply to improve its performance; if you buy a Mini with a upgraded power supply you will get a £50 discount on the combined price. The next model up in the range is the Innuos Zen Mk. 3 (1-8Tb standard or option of Solid State drives) which comes in a full width case with an integrated linear power supply. Bear in mind that neither this model, nor any models further up in the hierarchy have any analogue outputs; they all require the addition of an external DAC or amplifier with a USB digital input to make sounds. There are also dual isolated Ethernet ports (remember this is network connected but does not include Wi-Fi so requires an Ethernet connection) along with other mechanical improvements over the Mini. Next up is the Innuos Zenith (1-8Tb) which includes a trick PSU, Mundorf capacitors and a custom solid state drive and at the top of the tree is the mighty 2 box Zenith Statement (2-8Tb plus Solid State Drive option) which turns everything up to 11 for the best possible reproduction of your precious files.

The tried and tested server underpinnings of this unit mean that once it's properly configured and set up on your network, you no longer have to worry about file formats and such like. PCM up to 192 kHz? No problem. Native DSD files? No problem. Tidal masters with MQA encoding? No problem. All you have to do is connect it up to your network and your playback system, and the world is your oyster.

Why not come and have a listen to it in our newly refurbished demonstration rooms.

Innuos Music Servers and CD rippers are available from the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Melody Maker Marantz M-CR612 Arrives At Audio T Enfield

We’ve just taken delivery of the new Marantz M-CR612, better known as Melody X. This has now replaced the M-CR-611, which was a similar device, but boy is this 612 better!

The features on offer are varied and cover almost every aspect of streaming, CD replay and radio listening. The new device now features Apple AirPlay 2, together with Bluetooth capability. DAB/FM is also featured, along side internet radio, so you can listen to a wide range radio stations. The remote handset is supplied as pictured, but the unit can also be operated via an app for Apple and Android for added convenience.

Plenty of Connectivity here!

Around the back, we have speakers connections A & B. These can be set to play music in more than one room, so you can pump things up in the main room, whilst listening at a lower level in the second room. We also find 2 optical inputs which are handy for both TV and games machines and a spare analogue input for connection to external devices such as a phono stage for use with a turntable. One other feature which merits special mention is the ability to form part of a Heos multi-room network to connect with other players that are suitably equipped to run music throughout your home. As expected, this new product also has Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri and will integrate with those products to control volume and input selection.

In action in our demo room

Here we have the Marantz M-CR612 connected to a pair of Dali Spektor 1’s a very neat and accomplished system making great music!

Come along to our store for a demo and do feel free to bring along some of your favourite music!

Marantz 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

DALI Loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Cardiff, Online, Swindon

Audiolab 6000 Series Integrated Amplifier And CD Transport Arrives At Audio T Enfield

We have always been fans of Audiolab electronics. With that in mind we are very happy to announce we have the Audiolab 6000A Integrated amp and Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport on permanent demonstration for your aural pleasure.

Starting with the Audiolab 6000CDT CD transport first, you will notice that this now sports a slot loading mechanism instead of the standard tray loading mech. This ensures almost silent operation, together with excellent disc reading accuracy. The large front display can be switched off to further enhance not only the signal purity but also the sleek styling.

Moving on to the Audiolab 6000A integrated amplifier, this pays homage to the classic Audiolab styling but brought bang up to date. It now has an inbuilt phono stage (Moving Magnet only), Bluetooth receiver, onboard DAC (4 Digital inputs) and a headphone input.

Moving to rear of these beauties, the CD Transport has both optical and co-axial outputs. The amp has the aforementioned 4 digital inputs and an additional 3 analogue inputs along the MM Phono stage.

Finally, we connected these up to a variety of loudspeakers and have had excellent results with brands such as Acoustic Energy and B&W among others. We found an ideal partner for vinyl replay in the shape of the Rega Planar 3 / Elys combination.

Audiolab Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:

Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Southampton

''Incredible!'' ''Wow!'' ''Fantastic!'' ''Better than going to the Movies!''

These are just some of the words and sentences that customers have said to us when they have experienced the Audio-T Enfield demo rooms with our Dolby Atmos Home Cinema systems. 

Audio-T Enfield has now added a second Dolby Atmos room to complement the main big demo room.  We are now one of the very few dealers in the UK to have two Dolby Atmos Home Cinema rooms.

Our main demo room comprises of a complete Home Cinema system comprising of the following components :

Dolby Atmos Room 1

JVC 7900 4K compliant Projector

Grandview Fixed Frame 106’’ Cinema Screen

Panasonic UB820 4K UHD Blu-Ray Player

New JVC 7900 4K UHD projector

For your auditory pleasure we have :

Speakers in a Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 System are

PMC Twenty5 26 Left/Right Speakers

PMC Twenty5 Centre

PMC Twenty5 24 Surround Speakers

B&W CCM 665 x4 In Ceiling Dolby Atmos Speakers

REL S5 Super High Output Subwoofer

Marantz AV8005 13.1 Channel Dolby Atmos Processor

Marantz MM8077 7 Channel Power Amp

Pop over to Audio-T Enfield and save the money going to the cinema. We guarantee you will be impressed.

Powerhouse PMC Reference And Marantz Home Cinema System

Music and Movies are two passions of ours. Having one system that does both justice is something we strive for when specifying systems for our clients, who also share the same passion.

With this in mind, our large cinema room has been upgraded with the pre-power from Marantz and reference PMC Twenty5 26 speakers.

The Marantz 8805 AV processor is fully compliant with all the latest sound formats as well as being ready for 4K Ultra High definition sources.

The sound quality of the 8805 is improved vastly by the use of 32 bit DACS on all channels which means more enjoyment for you. Most processors use 24 bit DACS which do not sound as good.

The 7 channel power amp driving our PMC speakers is the beautiful Marantz MM8077 which supplies 7 x 150w of power to the PMC speakers.

High current, high bandwidth discrete power transistors can handle short term musical bursts with aplomb, even into difficult low impedance speaker loads. The PMC speakers always perform better when provided good juice.

The combination of the PMC Twenty5 26 Left and Right speakers with the matching PMC Twenty5 Centre really make movies and music shine.

For Surround channels at the rear, we have opted for PMC Twenty5 22 speakers which gell very well with the 3 power house speakers up front.

For Subwoofer duties, the REL S5 SHO fills the room with a deep and powerful low end which enriches the sound for stereo two channel and multi-channel enjoyment.

Bring along some of your favourite music and films and come and have a listen!

Thanks for reading. John, Keith & Mahmood - Audio T Enfield.

Denon & Marantz Hi-Fi is available at the following branches of Audio T
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

PMC loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

REL sub bass systems are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

JVC LX UH1 4K Projector Arrives At Audio T Enfield

Here at Audio T Enfield, we love our movies. No normal sized TV can beat the grand scale of watching films on a large projector screen at home. So, if you think your 65" TV is good, you really ought to see how films are meant to be experienced on the big screen. 

With the above in mind, we know that not everyone has deep pockets, so if you are looking for a fantastic value for money solution, we present to you the brand new JVC LX UH1 4K projector.

NICE AND COMPACT JVC POWERED UP IN OUR DOLBY ATMOS DEMO SUITE

This small and compact projector, has the power to bring your movie watching to life. It's a 4K compliant Home Cinema projector that accepts UHD sources such as 4K Blu-Ray and SKY Q. It is equally at home with HD sources such as Sky HD. 

The JVC LX UH1 is small enough and light enough to be installed anywhere. Shelf, ceiling or table top. Attach your HDMI lead into the HDMI input on the rear and you're in business. 

NICE COLOURS FROM THE JVC UH1 

Having fantastic images is key on any display, however one of the most important features to look for when choosing a Projector is lens shift. Why is this important? Lens Shift allows you to position the JVC LX UH1 and gives you flexibility for where you position the unit. 

We have our JVC firing onto a 105" Grandview Screen and are very impressed with the results. Whilst it is not as good as our reference JVC DLA X595900BE projector, this dinky little unit will do nicely for people who want to watch movies on the big screen with a more modest budget.

A BIT OF LENS FLARE - JJ ABRAMS STYLE......

As with any home cinema equipment, proper set and calibration is key to get the JVC LX UH1 looking at its best. The combination price of the JVC LX UH1 and our Grandview Fixed Frame 106" 16:9 ratio screen is £3220. That is 50% of the price of a 77" OLED TV. 

however you will be very surprised at what we have been able to achieve watching 1080p content. Just check out these screenshots!

Naturally the best source for watching movies on the JVC LX UH1 is UHD Blu-Ray and 4K content

So if you fancy seeing what your favourite films look like AND sound like in our Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 equipped cinema room, bring them into Audio T Enfield and we'll show you whilst you sip a nice cup of tea or coffee. No sales pressure, just good old fashioned service by people who love what they do.

THe JVC UH1 IS 4K AND HDR COMPLIANT

Arcam FMJ AV 860 and FMJ P429 Reference Home Cinema Comes To Enfield

Audio T Enfield we love music and film. Sometimes the challenge is finding a system that is good with both. Let's face it, if you are a movies and music fan you probably wouldn't say no to a system that handles both passions with equally superb sound quality. 

Enthusiasts and audiophiles will know that separate components almost always sound better than their all in one counterparts. Well, we think we have a system that does the job admirably.

Introducing the Arcam FMJ AV 860 Processor and Arcam P429 Power amplifier combo. 

Arcam AV860 and 2 x Arcam P429 Power Amps

The Arcam 860 is a reference class home cinema pre-amplifier that handles both music and films with aplomb. As it has no power amps on board, the signal path is cleaner with no interference and this adds greater dynamics and separation. The Arcam P429 4 Channel Power amplifiers take the signal from the AV 860 processor and then on to the speakers. 

Pre Amp outputs supply audio to the Power Amps.

The 860 Processor features balanced outputs which provide a clean signal path. A custom power supply was designed for the AV 860 for even better sound quality. It has 7 4K compliant HDMI inputs and 3 HDMI outputs for zone 1 and zone 2. 

Send 4K Goodness to different rooms.

Each P429 Power amp has 4 Class G amplifiers on board and we have two of these to power our Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 Home Cinema. So a total of 8 channels of power are available.

Back connections and Front of the Arcam P429

As our REL S5 subwoofer is already powered, so we have a spare amplifier channel unused. However this does not mean that we cannot use it!

You see, the beauty of the Arcam P429 amplifiers is that it is highly configurable and whilst it comes out of the box as a 4 Channel amp, we can bridge either of the two amplifier modules together and use it as a 4, 3 or 2 channel amplfiier as well. 

You can see in the image above that Channel 3/4 in the Power can be configured individually.

ST = Stereo / DM = Dual Mono / BR = Bridge

Home Cinema fans will know that the single most important speaker in a cinema system is the centre channel so as we have a spare we bridged 2 amplifier channels on one of the P429 amps to supply our PMC Twenty 25C centre channel with the required power it deserves. 

Our resident PMC Twenty5 Speaker package has never had it so good!

The 860 features world class room correction is also provided by DIRAC to add the icing to an already fantastic cake....

When it comes to the 860 Processor, Arcam takes things very seriously.....

So if you fancy taking your music and movie enjoyment to the next level, please call us to arrange a time to come and experience a truly wonderful home cinema and stereo system.

John, Keith, Mahmood - Audio T Enfield

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

Sublime Performance From Marantz AV8805 Dolby Atmos Processor

We have just had our ears opened up to the absolutely beautiful sound of the top of the line Marantz AV8805 processor. 

This generation of Marantz's line of Dolby Atmos processors go one step further in the sound quality stakes by adding Heos Multi-room capability and the ability to fully utilise the processing power of 13.2 channels including Auro 3D, alongside the Dolby Atmos and DTS X. 

We installed the Marantz AV8805 into our 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos cinema room and have been blown away - no surprise there as we have always been fans of the previous 8802A. 

What really caught our attention was the ability to run extra height speakers (a total of 6) AND Front Wide speakers in a Dolby Atmos configuration. So you can either run 7.1.6 or 9.1.4 in your Home Cinema. 

Naturally, most people would look for a smaller set up, however the Marantz 8805 is at home in standard 5.1 systems as well and will still sound fantastic. 

You can see from the above image that we have configured the Marantz for 7.2.6 Dolby Atmos.

The secret in the sound of the Marantz in our opinion is the inclusion of 32 bit DACS. Marantz take this one stage further by including the 32 DAC's for every single channel in the system. 

The above configuration works well with Auro 3D if you fancy a change! Just ensure you have a very understanding partner when you put all the speakers in the room......

Once you are happy with the speaker configuration, you can further customize the settings to accommodate Large or Small speakers for optimal performance.

If you do not want to use the TV/Projector to set up the unit, you can also do so by looking at the front panel and make changes.

Build quality is top notch and even though it includes no onboard amplifiers, it weighs as much as most AV Receivers which include amps.

The Marantz AV8805 is fully compliant with 4K with HDCP 2.2 copy protection. Dolby Vision and HDR 10 complaint for ultimate performance. 

Built like a tank folks!

Come along have a listen at Audio T Enfield.

Thanks for reading. John, Claire and Mahmoud

Project Tube Box DS2 Phono Stage Arrives at Enfield

We have just taken delivery of our new Pro-ject Tube Box DS2 phono stage. It features variable loading impedance 10-1000 ohms, variable capacitance and gain settings and it can drive two separate turntables!  It has a valve output stage (2X ECC 83/12AX7) and a dual mono design. It makes your music played on vinyl sound lovely!

After a few hours of running we connected this beauty up to our resident Rega Planar 6 (fitted with Rega Ania cartridge).

Pro-ject Tube Box DS2 Phono Stage

Sound
First impressions were of a very stable image, coupled with the unmistakable mid range clarity which is a signature trait of valve phono stages.

What make this different to other phono stages at the same price point?
Having a variable adjustment for impedance and gain means you can tailor the sound to your particular tastes and equipment. By using the controls on the front of the DS2 - which you can alter during use means can instantly hear the difference and arrive at the sound you like.

Other phono stages do not provide these controls and limit the user to whatever the manufacturer believes to be right. So the Pro-ject DS2 phono stage can suit a wide variety of vinyl replay music systems at very different price points and ears!

Come in and have a listen at Audio T Enfield or borrow it and try it at home using our home loan service.

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

Epson TW7300 Home Cinema Projector Brings The Big Screen To Your Living Room!

We have just taken delivery of the new Epson TW7300 Home Cinema projector. This fantastic projector has everything you need to enjoy movies and TV shows on a grand scale in your home.

Let's have a look at some of the features :

• The Epson TW7300 will accept 4K UHD movies from a UHD player or 4K Streaming services such as Netflix as well as provide enjoyment from your Blu Ray collection
• High Dynamic Range capability to bring out the best from UHD content
• 12v Trigger to enable automatic drop down of electric screens
• 3yr Warranty provided by Epson UK
• Back lit remote control for use in Cinema rooms
• 3D Playback from Blu Rays with optional glasses
• Motorised Lens Shift, Zoom and Focus to aid quick set up in any room
• Calibration controls for fine tuning of the picture in any given room
• Lens Memory function for 2.35:1 ratio cinemascope screens if you have one
• Available in White finish so you can even use this beauty in a living room environment
• Quiet operation of the fan in Eco mode so you hear the soundtrack and not the Projector when watching your favorite movies and TV shows

We have hooked up the Epson 7300 to our resident Oppo UDP 203 Ultra High Definition blu ray player. At first viewing our jaw was on the floor with the image we saw on screen - so much so that we had to double check we had not ordered a more expensive model by mistake! The image got even better after we had calibrated the projector to our 8ft wide 16:9 ratio screen and cinema room.

The Epson TW7300 projector comes in at a retail price of £2,200 and we feel that you will not get a better projector for the money. 

It has all the features of more expensive projectors such as motorised lens shift, zoom, focus and calibration controls. The high brightness of 2300 lumens helps provide an excellent image in either a living room or cinema room environment. To a certain extent you can enjoy this projector with ambient light however the best results will be displayed in darker environments.

The Epson 7300 is not a 'native 4K' projector, however Ultra HD Blu Ray content still be enjoyed as the unit will use its' own 4K enhancement to provide an image to 3840 x 2160 resolution.

So why would you want to have a look at the Epson?
Well, if you love watching movies and TV shows from Blu-ray, Netflix, Amazon or are starting to dip your toes into Ultra High Definition movies then one of the best ways to do this is to have a projector, or if you have a Sky Q package, the Epson will help you enjoy the subscription service even more.

We have our projector set up on a 106'' diagonal screen. Bear in mind you will not get a 106'' TV screen for less than £15,000 - which is why we feel that the Epson 7300 along with an 8ft Screen is a bargain of epic proportions. 

We are seeing many clients who are now looking to enhance their viewing enjoyment and choosing projectors by utilising spare bedrooms and converting garages into cinema rooms. You can also use the Epson in a living room environment as mentioned previously.  

The Epson 7300 has absolutely fantastic colours and when calibrated, a Ultra HD Blu-ray will really bring out the best from this projector - see the screenshots below.

Come in and we'll show you what the Epson TW7300 is capable of in our Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 demonstration suite. 

John, Keith, Claire and Mahmood - Audio T Enfield

Yes - this is from a Projector...

'Yes CAPTAIN, projectors are a very good way of enjoying movies'...

Epson Projectors are available from the following branches of Audio T: Cardiff, Enfield, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Naim Uniti Nova Music Player Shines Brightly

The long awaited Naim Uniti Nova has finally arrived. Joining its little brothers the Uniti Atom and the soon to be released Uniti Star the flagship of the Uniti range has a stellar (sic!) performance and it is beautiful too.

This is effectively the replacement for the Superuniti, but it is a completely revamped streaming system. With an 80W Naim class A/B amplifier it sounds amazing. We've been playing it with PMC and Russell K speakers to great effect. It will stream music across your network, has Tidal and Spotify built in, plays internet radio and has a USB input that will allow playback from an external drive.

The build quality is superb borrowing the beautiful silky volume control we first saw on the Naim Mu-So devices and as for the display...

This high quality LCD screen, with its built in proximity sensor, is easily visible from a distance and displays album art with great flair. There is also a bi-directional remote whose styling mirrors the unit and its volume indicators. Of course the Naim App can be used to control the Uniti Nova as well. There will be a version with DAB/FM radio in the near future as well and we will be able to retro fit that for you if you wish to upgrade the unit in the future.

So if you want an elegant one box system with that wonderful Naim musicality, battleship construction, ease of use, and the ability to drive almost any speaker, you really don't need to look any further than the Naim Uniti Nova

Why not come in and have a look and listen or join us as one of our many Naim Uniti events over the next couple of months.

Naim 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

New Russell K RED 120 Floorstanding Speakers Available

Discover a new world of music with Russell K RED 120 floorstanding speakers. They bring a fresh new sound to music that we thought we already knew!

The RED 120 join an already strong family of loudspeakers, the RED 50 bookshelf, RED 100 standmounts and RED 150 floorstanders.

The Russell K RED 120's are a compact floorstander which are closely related to the RED 50 as they share the same drivers and crossover. Despite the RED 50 and RED 120's shared components, extended low frequencies have been achieved by a carefully calculated cabinet design over the RED 50 bookshelf speakers, that deliver amazing results. 

High quality speaker binding posts are used to ensure performance isn't lost. 

The spikes to level the speaker is a solid straight forward design, which are adjustable from above. Also you may see that you can't see internal wool to dampen the inside of the cabinet... don't worry this is a very deliberate design decision. Russell K speakers don't follow many other designs, very simple crossovers, no internal damping and bitumen damped thin cabinet walls are just a few things that are done differently. 

We love them!

But come down and hear the difference for yourself

Many Thanks

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood

Audio T Enfield - 0208 367 3132

Russell K loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Enfield, Portsmouth, Reading

Sonos Playbar vs Sonos Playbase

We are going to take a closer look at the new Sonos Playbase and compare it to the established and accomplished Sonos Playbar. Does the Playbase leave its older brother trailing behind? Read on to find out...

So to start with the Sonos Playbar has been designed to either sit in front of your TV or to be wall mounted whilst the Playbase sits underneath your TV.

You will need a rack or TV stand 72cm wide & 38cm deep to fit this BEAST.

The Playbar's is 90cm wide (which is very close to the width of a 40" TV to look uniform) and 14cm deep to house comfortably.

The Playbase features newer style controls as seen on Play:5 Gen2. Touch control volume -, + and Play/Pause/Skip Track can be found in picture 1. The Connect button is shown in picture 2. Whilst the Sonos Playbar in picture 3 uses buttons towards one side, allowing for the same level of control as the Playbase.

The connections are still very similar between the 2 products. Uncomplicated and straight forward. You can find power, ethernet in (or out, to feed other devices with an Internet connection.) and optical in (to take the sound directly for your TV or Sky/Virgin box).

So what do they sound like...?
We love our job and we are fortunate to have comfortable demonstration rooms, which we can use to evaluate Hi-Fi products and so that our customers can hear the product for themselves so they can make an informed choice when buying.

After our comparative listening session we found that both are not surpisingly excellent performers. The Sonos Playbar gives a wider more detailed sound presentation whilst the Sonos Playbase has better depth of bass, However this is just our opinion, what matters most is yours, so why not come and listen and find out for yourself.

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

Many thanks.

Simon, John & Claire - Audio T Enfield

Tel:0208 367 3132

New Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon Headphones

Audioquest's Nighthawk headphones have been tweaked and enhanced...and have been reborn as the Carbon edition! We are going to take a closer look at the headphone and what you get as a package and give you some indication of the sound. Let your own ears be the judge!

Above shows the case with front cover. On the back shows main features and specifications. Full specifications can be found here. The travel case looks and feels well made.

Inside everything is kept safe and secure. Once opened you will find the user manual, pre-flight guide, cable (1.3m), 3.5mm adaptor, x2 ear pads and the headphones.

The pre-flight guide provides useful information like running in time (150 hrs), different tuning methods using either the leather (improved treble) or suede (enhanced bass impact) ear pads, cable button functions and best practice for looking after the silver plated plugs.

Above shows both the protein leather and ultra suede ear pads.

Here we have the 3.5mm to 1/4" adaptor & high performance long grain copper Audioquest cable (1.3m) with mic and smartphone control, terminated with silver plated plugs.

This picture shows the comfortable leather headband and deep ear pads which equates to long lasting comfort, you can even forget you're wearing them! The styling is beautiful.

The Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon headphones are exceptionally comfortable, with a more exciting sound when compared with the original Nighthawk's.

Bring some of your favourite music and come and have a listen!

Many Thanks

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood

Audio T Enfield Tel: 0208 367 3132

Audioquest Headphones are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon.

Arcam rPlay Music Streamer Unboxing And Set Up

We have taken delivery of the DTS Play-fi driven Arcam rPlay music streamer and we're going to show you all the components and tell you how it works. 

The rPlay comes in a neat box with general information on the back. Everything is securely packed inside> Inside you will find the rPlay streamer, PSU (with 4 interchangeable plugs), ethernet cable, Wi-Fi antenna, stereo Interconnect, digital coaxial cable and user manual.

The styling is slick and uncomplicated, with just 2 LEDs and 2 Buttons on show.

On the back you will find a power input, power switch, Wi-Fi antenna input, ethernet input, reset button, WPS button, USB + Micro USB upgrade ports, Digital Coax output, Stereo (variable volume) output and a Stereo (fixed volume) output.

We have decided to use Chord's Clearway Analogue Interconnects with Chord's C-Stream Ethernet cable to get it connected.

Setup was very easy, just download the DTS Play-Fi App, Plug in the Arcam rPlay with ethernet cable and the device was found. The app even prompted an update, which was completed with no issues. (we would recommend restarting by switching on and off after the update has completed).

After you have selected the Arcam rPlay as the speaker, you will see the below showing the available streaming services and functions.

Tidal is neatly included into the Play-Fi app without the need to exit into the dedicated Tidal app.

Spotify Connect enables you to use the Spotify app to control your music.

Below shows the Hi-Res button engaged, which is referred to as Critical Listening Mode to enable up to 24bit/192KHz file playback.

The Arcam rPlay music streamer offers a great step up in performance (including 24bit/192khz file support) over its closest rival the Sonos Connect, with excellent control via the DTS Play-Fi app.

Book your in store or home demo today at Audio T Enfield

We look forward to seeing you.

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood.

Arcam Hi-Fi Products are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, 
Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon