New Monitor Audio 6th Generation Silver Series Arrive At Audio T Swindon

Monitor Audio have just launched the new Silver 6th Generation Series. This new range features two stand mounts, three floor standing, two centre channels, a pair of dipole/bipole surround sound speakers and an active subwoofer.

This is the new 6G Silver range:

Silver 50 (two-way standmounters)

Silver 100 (two-way standmounters)

Silver 200 (two and a half-way floorstanders)

Silver 300 (three-way floorstanders)

Silver 500 (three-way floorstanders)

Silver C150 (two and a half-way centre channel)

Silver C350 (three-way centre channel)

Silver FX (two-way surround speakers with switchable dipole and bipole configurations)

Silver W-12 (12in subwoofer with Class D amplification and 500W output)

The highlight of the new Silver series is a completely new version of the company's iconic gold dome tweeter, which has been fine-tuned in the quest for clearer, smoother and distortion-free highs. 
 

Silver 200 Floorstanding Speaker

Silver 200 Floorstanding Speaker

We think that the new Silver range sounds very good, fresh out of the box and after a few days of continuous running in they really shine and sound even better. We played Geiger Counter / Radioactivity (3-D) by Kraftwerk from the 3-D The Catalogue Album and oh boy, these Silver 200's impressed with a big sound and tight bass. Gregory Porter's "Hey Laura" of his album Liquid Spirit proves how emotional music can sound. Nice!

We then swapped them for the smallest of the range, the Silver 50's. Don't underestimate these little speakers by their size. We played the same music and wow, we didn't expect them to sound so big.

Silver 50 standmount/book shelf Speaker

Silver 50 standmount/bokshelf Speaker

As I mentioned before there are two centre speakers in the range, the C150 and the C350.

This is the new Silver C150:

Silver C150 Centre Speaker

Silver C150 Centre Speaker

Please came in and have a listen. Our opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 9.30 - 5.30 and you can contact us on 01793 538222.

Many thanks.

Stefan and Andy - Audio T Swindon

Monitor Audio loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea

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 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

Musical Fidelity And Dali Making Beautiful Music Together

We have two Hi-Fi brands which are new to the shop this month Musical Fidelity electronics and Dali loudspeakers. As we have found, they are capable of making beautiful music together.

An array of Dali speakers and Musical Fidelity electronics.

Musical Fidelity is a well established British Hi-Fi company who have been exciting and innovating for many years.

Shown here are the M3si integrated amp, the M3s CD player and the M6si integrated. The M6s CD player will follow soon. All of these components follow the Musical Fidelity ethos of making accurate, but exciting music.

We're also having a lot of fun exploring the M6 Encore 225

Encore 225

This amazing one box system is a music store, CD player, streamer, and amplifier all in one incredibly intuitive and easy to use package. It sounds wonderful too!

Dali are a Danish loudspeaker manufacturer who have been going for over 30 years producing everything from budget to high end speakers. We're still discovering what these can do but we have representatives from the Spektor, Zensor and Opticon ranges plus the beautiful little Menuets and the rather stylish Katch portable bluetooth speaker.

So far we've been throwing all sorts of music at the various pairings, the M3 components with the Opticons loved the new Anathema album "The Optimist" (check it out if you like intelligent melodic rock) 

Both brands seem to major on creating large believable soundstages; a recording of the Tallis Scholars singing Tallis anthems filled the room with the sense of a cathedral, while the perennial "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd was huge!

We'll report more as we get to know these components, but suffice to say we're excited and looking forward to the discovery. Why not come and have a listen yourself?

And finally all components in this blog have the Boswell seal of approval!

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

Neat And Tidy Loudspeakers

We're are delighted to announce the arrival of Neat Acoustics loudspeakers, which are now in store for demonstration or available for home loan.

The Iota Alpha is a small floor standing speaker with a height of only 45cm with a down firing bass driver. We have found this such an easy speaker to work with as far as positioning goes and doesn't disappoint with timing and imaging, giving a very well balanced presentation. This is a small speaker that offers a big room filling sound.

Neat IOTA Alpha

Also in the range we have the Neat Motive SX2 at 76cm high a slightly taller floor standing speaker but still very compact and easy to place, we tried these with various electronics and they performed well with all, a very open sound with a controlled bass.

Neat Motive SX2

The last, but no means least the tiny Neat Iota, a very flexible in terms of positioning, measuring just 13cm high the Iota's can be placed almost anywhere, although a dedicated stand can be purchased for them if needed. We were very impressed with the imaging they gave, and the tight controlled bass gives this tiny speaker a room filling sound.

Neat IotA

If you're in the market for new loudspeakers why not come and have a listen. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Ian, Gavin & Andy

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

New Naim Uniti Atom, Chord Electronics Hugo 2 & Russell K RED 120 Arriving Soon

After quite an extended period of having little new product to blog about; just like the proverbial bus, three come along at the same time... well nearly.

After numerous delays Naim has finally given a likely manufacturing date for the first of the superb Uniti products, the entry level Atom which will commence shipping by the end of this month, we can't wait. I first heard it at the official launch back in November partnered with a pair of Focal Sopra 1s. What seemed like a most unlikely pairing turnout to be a revelation and breaking most system building rules. This promises to be a top seller.

Naim Atom

Not wishing to rest on the laurels of their success, Chord Electronics have launched Hugo2. The original Hugo set the standard for portable a Dac/Headphone amp but they have been beavering away to produce what on paper promises to be a true bar-raiser...again; such is the genius of their designers and Bob Watts in particular. Due this month though we understand the first shipment is already completely sold out but we will have a permanent demo unit so don't delay.

Chord Hugo2 in silver and black

Missing from the line-up in the Russell K loudspeaker range is a slim, affordable floor stander which is by far the most popular speaker type at present. Well, the wait is over. Due to arrive in 2-3 weeks, the all new Red 120. A 2.5 way compact floor stander with a massive heart. We heard these a month back and were taken by them immediately. The competition better look out because these are seriously good!

Russell K Red 120 Shown here in walnut, other finishes available. 

Naturally I will be blogging about these three exciting additions and any others as soon as they arrive so watch this space as they say.

Simon & Marc - Audio T Reading

KEF Reference Loudspeakers Now At Audio T Swansea

The eagle-eyed and bat-eared amongst you may recall that Arcam chose KEF Reference loudspeakers for their astonishing home theatre installation that toured the serious Hi-Fi shows of Europe, including our very own Sound and Vision Show in Bristol.

Nic, Chris, myself (Ade) and a number of the Audio T Swansea faithful heard them in action and were impressed enough to want to hear more. We persuaded the lovely Alex from KEF to lend us a pair of their delightful Reference 3s for evaluation. We were very reluctant to let them go, even though we did have them here for quite a while...*cough* (Thanks Alex!).

Hooked up to our Chord Electronics Dave DAC, CPA3000 pre-amplifier and SPM1200 power amplifier we bathed in their lush, glossy, even, wide and deep soundstage. Virtually every track we played we looked at each other puff-cheeked in admiration and realised we really had to stock them. Fast-forward a few weeks and we're the proud owners of a pair of KEF Reference 1s and a pair of KEF Reference 3s. (Yay!)

As you can see in the picture above and below, the Reference 1's look a million bucks in Gloss Rosewood with that brushed aluminium front baffle. Fitted with the latest iteration of KEF's speciality, the UniQ combined tweeter/midrange unit - here in 125mm (5 inch) - it's designed to provide a common point source for high and mid frequency sound. This gives us a better sense of integration, yielding a much larger sweet-spot and a more natural sound. The all-new 165mm (6.5 inch) alloy woofer that KEF is rather proud of, are beautifully finished and look very pretty too.

Around the back are what can only be described as luxury Bi-Amp/Bi-Wire terminals. In case you were wondering, the centre wing bolts connect the low and high frequency terminals together should you choose to single wire them. (We happen to be using Black Rhodium Encore Bi-Wire in this instance, so have them wound out.)

Initial listening is pretty encouraging as the soundstage is wide open, but they clearly need running in. After a couple of hours they'd fleshed out a fair bit, but are nowhere near their potential yet. We're going to give them a run overnight and report back in the morning. We need to get them singing soon as we've had our first request for a home demonstration - that didn't take long!

KEF Reference loudspeakers are available from Audio T Swansea and Audio T Preston

Acoustic Energy 100 Series Return to Audio T Bristol

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

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

AE100

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

The AE109

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

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

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

ProAc Loudspeakers Now Available At Audio T Brighton

We are really pleased to have added ProAc loudspeakers to our portfolio. A very well respected manufacturer with decades of experience in loudspeaker design.

They are well made and nicely finished, and sound rather good too, suiting all styles of music and presentation.

Proac Tablette 10 Maple

The Tablette 10 is the tenth generation Tablette and begins the range with an excellent small sealed box loudspeaker, that is suited to positioning close to a wall.

The same dimensions as the classic BBC LS3/5A and Linn Kan models of the past, the Tablette 10 is a fine, communicative performer.

Proac Response DB3 Oak

The Response DB3 is the next model we have on demonstration. This new loudspeaker is a stand mounter that needs a bit of space around it to give a nicely balanced result. Capable of a big sound from a compact size.

Proac Response D2 Ebony

The Response D2 is another stand mount design, a bit bigger and rather more able.

Proac Response D20R Cherry

The Response D20R is an updated D20 and utilises the ProAc ribbon tweeter that the more upmarket Proac speakers use. 

This floorstander is refined and capable, and we hope to have the Response D30RS alongside soon.

The quality cabinets are available in Black, Cherry, Mahogany, Maple, Oak and White as standard, with extra cost finishes in Ebony and Rosewood.

Other models in the ProAc range are available for demonstration by arrangement, so please contact us to listen to them.

Julian, Paul and John

ProAc loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Preston

Martin Logan Electrostatic Loudspeakers The Definition of Clarity!

We're really excited to have Martin Logan hybrid electrostatic speakers we have. These beautiful speakers are a hybrid electrostatic with a transparent panel handling the mid and high frequencies and a traditional cone driver for the bass. And boy do they offer astonishing insight into the music!

We have two models for demonstration although others in the range can be booked by contacting us and giving us a few days notice. The Martin Logan Electromotion  (pictured above on the left) is something of a bargain in the world of electrostatics, it's a single wired panel with a single bass driver mounted in the base.

On the right is the Martin Logan Electromotion X which has a bigger electrostatic panel for wider range, and two bass drivers mounted fore and aft, it also has bi-wire terminals.

As you can see there is quite a difference in size between the two.

Being an electrostatic speaker they need a mains supply as well as speaker cables. Fire them up and the results are breathtaking.

The first thing you notice is the clarity!

Put some female voice like your favourite Sarah McLachlan or Agnes Obel disc on and you're literally faced with the singer in the room. The imaging, detail and subtlety is nothing short of superb. They're not restricted to simple recordings however, we've been having a great time with some Yello and Boris Blank albums and they've even revealed details in Metallica recordings we hadn't heard before!

For those of you who want a lot of bass the bigger Electromotion X are ideal filling our big dem room with sound. The smaller  will, as you would expect, suit smaller rooms better.

Jean Claude van Boswell couldn't resist getting in on the act!

Often people who hear electrostatic speakers for the first time fall in love and won't go back to traditional box speakers. Why not come in and find out if you are one of those people. The designs and look of them is also a great talking point!

Paul, Francis, Jason and Boswell

Martin Logan Electrostatic speakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Audio T Brentwood, Audio T Cheltenham and Audio T Swindon

The New Ruark MR1 MK2 Speakers Have Landed In Oxford.

Over the last couple of years if a customer asked for inexpensive desktop speakers, our recommendation had always been the brilliant Ruark MR1 speakers. These compact speakers were fantastic value for money and could not be bettered for the price. The MR1 desktop Bluetooth speakers are now four years old, so Ruark has decided to update them and here we will review the new MR1 MKII.

The drivers are the same as before, but Ruark has made changes to the crossover to help give the MK2 version a bigger more open sound.  Style wise Ruark have done away with the removable grilles of the MK1s and in their place is a fixed version. There is no denying that the appearance and quality of finish is a marked improvement over the Mk1s.

The MR1 Mk2 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. The MR1s have a built in 20W Class A-B linear amplifier incorporating a high quality switch mode power supply.  

The MR1 Mk2s now have an optical input so you can connect external devices such as  your TV or Chromecast Audio etc, to improve the sound. They also offer apt-X Bluetooth for CD-quality streaming from compatible devices (Laptops, Phones, some TVs etc) and an analogue input for connecting a turntable.

To complete the package and to offer a great upgrade path they also have a subwoofer output for connection to an active subwoofer.

The Mk2 Speakers provide a sound quality and scale that belies their price and size. We listened to a variety of music from Ella and Louie singing “Summertime” to more testing music from the likes of M83s “Hurry up we're dreaming” and the Mk2s never skipped a beat. The performance was superb without any hint of boxiness and the bass extension was deeper than expected for such a compact design. These speakers may not be able to fill a large room but if required you could partner them with an external powered subwoofer to provide a great compact speaker solution.

The MR1 Mk2s are available in Rich Walnut and Soft Grey Lacquer finishes. An optional BackPack II power pack is available to free the MR1 Mk2 from the shackles of mains power (the slave speaker can be removed completely for ease of portability).

We have them on active demonstration in store, so please come by and have a listen.

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

A Compact Entry Level Desktop Vinyl Based Hi-Fi System

If you don't have space for a full size separates Hi-Fi system but you want to dust off your record collection or to experience the wonderful world of music on vinyl the answer is here...

Lets start with the TEAC TN-300 record player.

It has a removeable headshell allowing experimentation with various cartridges so there is an immediate upgrade path available to those who like experimenting; a speed control switch making swapping from 33 to 45 simple and it comes in a wide range of finishes. The most important element in relation to this set up is the integrated phono stage, which means you can plug it straight into an amplifier and away you go. The USB port also gives you the option to digitise your vinyl collection if you wanted to.

TEAC TN-300 rear view

From the red and white audio output we used an Audioquest Evergreen 2RCA to3.5m Jack interconect to connect to the amazing, and i do mean amazing, Ruak MR1 MK2. We will take a quick look at the main features of the MR1s then we'll get to the sound.

MR1 Rear view

A hugely versatile pair of active (amplified) desktop size Bluetooth speakers with an optical input, so you could plug your television into them or any other device that has an optical output. In this system it is the Aux input we used, which is next to the Subwoofer output, a nice touch if you want to upgrade the sound with the addition of a subwoofer. The far right connection is the output to the left hand speaker, a quality 1.5m lead is supplied. There is also a battery pack available making them portable, for use in the garden on a fine summer's day or at least if mains power is not available you can still listen to music. Operation is straightforward, using either the multifunction button on the right speaker or the simple remote.  Linking your phone via Bluetooth is fast and easy.

Performance! For a system that comes in at £660 including the interconnect it is really quite remarkable. We used Georgia Ruth "Fossil Scale" as our dem disc, a great album, well produced and will give your system a good workout, with plenty of bass. How did we hear this you may ask, as the speakers are so small. Don't let that fool you, what these little speakers can do is quite astonishing. So much detail and control, every nuance and internation was revealed a really well balanced sound and thorough delight to listen to. One might expect them to get a little fatiguing after one side but this was not the case. In fact the only reason we didn't keep going after the first listen was it was home time.

The TEAC TN-300 and Ruark Audio MR1 MKII are a perfect combination to create a compact and great sounding vinyl system. They are on demonstration in our main showroom, so just pop in, bring an album with you or we can put Ruth back on.

We look forward to seeing you at Audio T Portsmouth.

Nick, Joe and James

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

RNLI Music And Hi-Fi Evening - A Big Thank You!

A big thank you to all who attended the RNLI Hi-Fi and Music Evening at The White Horse Hotel, Romsey on 28th February.  We are delighted to report that the evening was very well attended and a great success, raising over £1300 for the RNLI from ticket sales and the raffle.

Many thanks to all from Naim Audio, Dynaudio and The Chord Company for their enthusiastic support of this event, and to The White Horse for generously providing such a superb venue to showcase a stunning hi-fi system.  

It would have been impossible to set up this system in the limited time available without the skill (and muscle!) of all involved.  The Dynaudio Evidence Platinum speakers are over 6 feet tall and weigh nearly 150kg each!  Naim's Statement amplification is no lightweight either!  The multiple lengths of all ChordMusic cable variants was a significant contribution to the great sound, not to mention the £250,000 system value!

Thanks for all the positive feedback since the event.  It was always going to be an impossible task to cater for everyone's musical tastes but we hope we were able to give a flavour of what is possible with such an aspirational system, truly bringing music to life with realism and scale.

Nearly £500 was raised from the raffle, mainly due to the high quality of the prizes generously donated by Naim, Dynaudio and Chord.  Congratulations to the lucky winners of a Naim Mu-so QB, Dynaudio Xeo 2 and Chord Shawline especially!

We would also like to thank Mark Wills from Hundred Records, Romsey, for his enthusiastic support and donation of all record sale profits on the night to the RNLI.  Thanks Mark.  (Watch this space for details of our Record Store Day 2017 link up with Mark coming very soon!)

One of our customers commented afterwards: 

"Thank you for the excellent demo on 28th Feb. It was the best set up I have heard and it was good of you both to give up your time - the contributions from Dynaudio , Chord and Naim were much appreciated".

Finally here's a list of key contributors to the success of the RNLI event on the day, with apologies to anyone overlooked:

Chris Green (RNLI Romsey and District Chairman and event organiser) and RNLI volunteers

Daniel and Mark Raggett (Naim Audio)

Bill Livingston and Kala Lingham (Dynaudio)

Alan Gibb, and daughter Angela, Matt Peddle (The Chord Company)

Staff of The White Horse Hotel

and us at Audio T Southampton (Chandlers Ford).... Alan and John, plus John's brother in law, Mike

Thank you

A New Look For Audio T Preston Showcasing Naim Rega & KEF

We've been busy creating a new look at Audio T Preston. We hope customers old and new like the new record decor!

Phase one, a blank canvas

By far, our most popular products at the moment would have to be the turntables, so we wanted to create a display to show off the range we keep.

We also wanted to have a great sounding Hi-Fi stereo system to show off what's possible, and by partnering the Naim Audio & KEF Reference together we have definitely achieved that.

With just a little help from Ike ....who knows his stuff!

So come and have a listen, we have Tidal ready to play any genre of music you like on a world class Hi-Fi Naim NAC-N 272.... Naim NAP 250DR.... KEF Reference 3 speakers.... Chord Company Sarum cables

The Naim NAC-N 272 is a state of the art streaming pre-amplifier, which has features such as Spotify, Tidal, UPNP, Internet radio and Bluetooth all built in as standard for all your streaming needs as well as the conventional analogue and digital inputs for connecting other devices to it.

This Naim NAC-N 272 pre-amplifier can also be controlled by the remote control supplied but, for ultimate control you can download the free Naim control app for sit down palm of your hand convenience. We have connected this to the Naim NAP 250DR power amplifier which provides plenty of power whilst being able to deliver the level of finesse that Naim electronics is known for world wide.

We then added a pair of KEF Reference 3 floorstanding speakers in the stunning copper black finish which looks fantastic and delivers a very detailed and big sound stage. A great partner for the Naim system.

Finally we added the Sarum cables by The Chord Company which when connected to your Hi-Fi of any ilk lifts veils and uncovers layers of music that you didn't know was there!

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

KEF Hi-Fi products (Preston reference only) are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, 
Swindon

Chord Co Cables are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, 
Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon
 

Dynaudio Re-Contour The World

The new Dynaudio Contour range has arrived. Consisting of four models Contour 25c Contour 20 Contour 30 and the mighty Contour 60

Contour 60

We have had tremendous fun with this range since they have arrived especially with a track called Suck my Bass by Bass Mekanik. The frequency range of these speakers really must be witnessed.

WARNING!! THIS TRACK IS NOT SUITABLE FOR MOST SPEAKERS.

The Contours cover everything you could want from a loudspeaker stunning appearance that is finished to the highest standard and of course a truly remarkable sound offering vast amounts of detail wonderfully deep and controlled bass and amazing imagery.

In short you have got to hear them.

Contour 20

At Portsmouth we have the 20s 30s and 60s on constant demonstration. Either book a time for a demonstration or just pop in and be wowed.

We look forward to seeing you at Audio T Portsmouth

Nick Joe and James

Dynaudio Loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swindon

Kudos X2 Speakers Small And Perfectly Formed At Audio T Brentwood

We've just taken delivery of our Kudos X2 speakers for demonstration and wow! This tiny pair of floorstanders is having no problem filling either of our dem rooms with music.

They're only 780mm x 166mm x 206mm (hwd) but boy do they produce the goods. Put them on the end of a Naim system, or a Rega Saturn/Elex and they really sing. We've also had great results on the end of the Unison valve amplifiers.

The Kudos X2 drive units are specially designed by SEAS and the cabinet is cleverly tuned to produce a big expansive and, most importantly musical performance.

Boswell for scale!

They're at home with all types of music from the expansive electronica of Malia and Boris Blank's album "Convergence" to the acoustic blues/country sound of Chris Jones' "Roadhouses and Automobiles" two of our favourite dem albums of the moment.

So, tiny speakers, room friendly, huge sound, and available in a variety of finishes: what's not to like?

Their bigger brothers the Kudos X3 will be arriving shortly as well.

Visit us at Audio T Brentwood and have a listen, we think you'll be very impressed.

Kudos Loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Portsmouth, Reading, 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.

Compact Neat Iota Alpha Floor Standing Speakers Need To Be Heard To Be Believed

We take a closer look at the Neat Iota Alpha compact floor standing speakers. Aesthetically, we think these are a great looking pair of speakers, which are available in four finishes: American walnut, black oak, natural oak and satin white.

They sport three drive units consisting of a ribbon tweeter a mid-range and a downward firing bass driver. The tweeter and mid-range driver are angled upwards, which give them the ability to produce a wonderfully wide soundstage and a surprising room filling capacity for a speaker that stands only 48cm high. Yes that's right 48cm, 480mm just under 19''. No matter how you measure it, that's small! Whatever you do, don't dismiss them based on their diminutive size, because the Neat Iota Alpha is a discrete speaker that still produces a big sound!

They are an ideal match with the new Naim Uniti Atom Cyrus ONE  the Rega Apollo, Brio-R,Elex-R  combination and many others.

If space is limited and discretion is paramount but you don't want to compromise on sound quality, then the Neat Iota Alpha's priced at £1,385 offer a very neat (pardon the pun) solution. They must be heard to be believed!

Give Nick, Joe and James a call at Audio T Portsmouth on 02392 663604 to book your personal demonstration and prepare to be amazed.

Neat Acoustic Loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading