Yamaha AV bargains

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It is no secret that we love Yamaha AV at Oxford.

We are making way for new product in late autumn and have some great bargains available.

The RXA 1010 is now £699 (a saving of £300).

The RXA 2010 is reduced from £1499 to £999

The flagship RXA 3010 has a saving of £700 and is now £1299.

We think these are the best sounding AV amps at there prices (plus they sound great with music too). So give us a call if you would like to buy or listen to one whilst we have stock.

 

New this week.

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New stock in this week are the long awaited new Denon micro system RCD-M39DAB that replaces the RCD-M38DAB from last years range that was so popular.

New Pioneer home cinema receivers are now in stock starting with theVSX range, the VSX-527 and the VSX922 then onto the next range up, the SC range with the SC-2022 and SC-LX86.

 

Small objects of desire

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We have recently added three little gems to our demonstration stock. The KEF LS50, Monitor Audio GX50, and B&W PM1 are all superb examples of exactly what can be achieved with a small "bookshelf" (although that should be more correctly "standmount" speaker.

With the recent trend towards floorstanding speakers their smaller brothers can be easily overlooked, but a small speaker can have a lot to offer, generally improved stereo imaging and definition at the expense of some scale and dynamic range. These three offer this whilst still producing size defying scale and extension.

First up we have the KEF LS50, this is a stand alone model produced to mark the 50th anniversary of KEF and fully utilising their long heritage of making quality monitor speakers. You can find the full run down here http://www.kef.com/html/en/showroom/flagship_hi-fi_series/LS50/overview/

We've been living with these in the shop for a week or so now and are truly impressed by the excellent results that can be achieved with relatively modest electronics. They have a seamlessness and control which totally belies their size which has a lot to do with the use of KEF's proprietary UniQ driver and quite unique looks to boot, these little babies really make music! At £800 a pair these have to be one of the hiFi bargains of the year.

The next of our small wonders is the Monitor Audio GX50, the baby of their Gold range of speakers they again belie their size in performance and have a delicacy and finesse to the treble (thanks to the ribbon tweeter) which isn't often heard at this price point, unlike the B&W and KEF speakers these are not a "one off" matching centre speaker and sub are available which makes them equally at home in 2 channel and surround systems and they really can sing. They are also available in a variety of colour options.They are £949 for a pair partner, them with some of the electronics from our Naim Cyrus or Audiolab ranges and let them do their thing!

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/gold-gx/gx50/#/overview

 

Last but most definitely not least we have the B&W PM1, again a stand alone model within the extensive Bowers and Wilkins catalogue they are an exquisitely made and finished speaker utilising all of the company's expertise and packing it into a small bundle of delight. There is just something "right" about the way these little speakers make music and the better the partnering equipment you throw at them the more they seem to reveal. Like the other speakers here they totally belie their size, close your eyes and you'd be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a floorstander, albeit a floorstander with much better than usual imagery and delicacy. They are £1995 a pair and the matching stands are not only a visual treat but also a very very good stand at £400 a pair.

http://www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/Speakers/Home_Audio/PM1/product-details.html

 

 

So as you can see we're a bit spoilt for choice here at Brentwood, come in and have a listen to these if you're in the market for a pair of quality standmount speakers, actually come and have a listen even if you're thinking of floorstanders you may be very pleasantly surprised!!

 

Streaming is the new disc spinning...

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Over the last few years there has been a flurry of new streaming alternatives hitting our shelves.

Sonos was the firestarter in this new craze starting with the classic ZP80, ZP100 and ZPS5. Allowing you to stream all your music from your PC/MAC with ease, also being able to stream internet radio and the use of Napster and Spotify is an extreme bonus.

Being able to set up playlists for parties or general relaxation and also listening to music you never knew existed!

Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon with Naim bringing out their second era of streamers (Uniti2), Cyrus with their Stream-X/XP/LINE and from Simple Audio with their Roomplayers!

There are many more available on the market but these would be my top 3 if I was looking for a hi-fi solution to streaming.

Another piece of equipment that has been coming thick and fast are DAC's (digital to analogue converters) Simply take a digital output out of any source whether it be a Sonos Connect or a CD Player of your choice, chuck it into a price equilavent DAC and the outcome is normally outstanding. We have had customers who have their stack systems and wanted to add Sonos into it but the quality isn't as good as their generic CD's.

Throw a DAC into the mix and the response is positive. My combination at the moment which I am very fond of is the Audiolab M-Dac (pre-amp on board) paired with one of Audiolab's many power amps.

Simply plug in my Macbook Pro and I'm away! Including hi-res 24/96khz files! Paired with speakers of your choice. Personally either KEF LS50 or Monitor Audio GX100's and the results are fantastic!

If you like the idea of having the convenience of having all of your music stored on your PC/Mac or nas drive in another room and being able to control it in another and not lose that outstanding quality then do call us for a demonstration!

 

Naim NDS Network Audio Player Available

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As promised last month, we're delighted to advise of the expansion of our demonstration line-up.

The biggest news has to be the new range topping Naim NDS Network player. Those of you that have eagerly been waiting for a player to challenge a high-end CD player no longer need to, this my friends is the one you've all been waiting for. Coupled to the PS555 power supply it's nothing short of astonishing.

Naim NDS Network Audio Player

 

 

 

 

 

To compliment the much acclaimed range of Rega electronics we've now added the equally well received range of floorstanding loudspeakers in the form of the RS7, RS5 and RS3 the 5 & 3 in the gorgeous piano black finish.

 

RS7

 

RS5

 

RS3

From strength to strength...

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The Pro-Ject Debut goes from strength to strength and the latest incarnation in no exception.

The original Pro-Ject Debut was released in the late 1990’s during a time when CD was king, and the vinyl format was presumed to be all but gone. But well over a decade later the model still stands.

The Debut symbolises all that is good about the vinyl market; it is easy to set-up and fantastic to listen to, with the right mixture of user-friendliness and opportunity to tweak and upgrade.

  • 8.6" one-piece carbon fibre tonearm, adding stiffness and reducing resonance around the pick-up cartridge (rarely found on budget turntables, due to high production costs).
  • Sorbothane-damped counterweight - helping further reduce unwanted resonance.
  • Two isolation 'feet' made from sorbothane, used to decouple the motor from the plinth.
  • 12" platter.
  • Junction box installed, allowing for the easy upgrade of turntable interconnects.
  • New power supply.
  • Ortofon 2m Red pre-installed.
  • Various gloss-coloured finishes available.

All this for just £300!

So if you're looking to get yourself a turntable that doesn't break the bank or just wanting to spin a few of your old LP's then make the NEW Pro-Ject Debut Carbon top of your listening list!

The new KEF LS50 Speakers Have landed...

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The all new KEF LS50 speakers have arrived here at the Swindon branch and have been running in for a few days now.

They are displaying all the qualities that you have come to expect from a KEF Uni-Q Driver array, Wide soundstage with great detail.

Rarely the case in such a compact design, the LS50 monitor delivers a rich, multi-dimensional ‘soundstage experience’ that is out of all proportion to its size.  Patent-pending acoustic designs, together with state-of-the-art technologies from KEF’s latest flagship Blade loudspeaker, provide the ultimate studio experience – even in the smallest of spaces.

Stop by the shop today and listen for your self.

I think you'll be amazed at how capable these small £800 speakers are.

 

Onkyo TX-NR818

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We have received our brand new Onkyo 818 av amplifier. It has all the usual Onkyo features and also adds Instaprevue technology which means you can see what is on another HDMI input onscreen while watching a movie on another HDMI input.

4K Upscaling is built in.

The 818 also adds Audyssey XT32 room eq technology which helps yo get the best from your speakers in your room.

To increase performance, you can add extra power amps for all the channels for the ultimate in Home Cinema performance.

It can also be controlled via an iphone or Andriod phone, via apps.

We have the Onkyo 818 set up in our main demo room in a 7.1 configuration with speakers from KEF.

To book a demo of what this amp can do, please phone us on 01277 264730 or email us at brentwood@audio-t.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Come and here a Chord Electronics System

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Chord Electronics have kindly loaned us some of their wonderful equipment.

We have on demostration in store the CPA3000 PRE-AMPLIFIER, SPM 1050 POWER AMPLIFIER AND THE QBD76 DAC. They are running a pair of Totem Acoustics Mani-2 loudspeakers, with an Olive 4HD and Michel Gyro-SE turntable at the front.

Lots of customers are already telling us that it is one of the best sounds they have heard in the store, so please feel free to call in with a couple of your favourite CDs or LPs and have a listen for yourself, it is simply stunning!

We will only have the equipment here for a few weeks so don't delay! 

Wait ! Don't replace that AV amp just yet! Let me show you another way..

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So you've got a nice AV receiver that has all the HDMI outputs you need, it even has 3D capability as well and will decode all the latest surround formats.

You've spent a lot of money on this amp but have the desire to upgrade to something better in order to get even better sound......

Normally many people would look at replacing the av amplifier altogether and get another one box solution.

There is another way to get better sound and keep your existing av receiver......Add Power Amps!

This can be achieved by using the Pre Out terminals on the back of the av receiver and adding separate power amps to drive the main speakers.

Q Why would you want to do this?

A In short - Better sound quality with increased dynamic range and more impact from movie soundtracks at any given volume

Many av amplifiers have preout terminals (Please check the rear of your unit or with the manufacturer if your amp has the preout terminals for all channels) that enable the user to increase the performance in their system by adding external power amps to drive the speakers instead of using the amps built into the receiver. So what you are doing is using the receiver as a 'processor' and bypassing the internal amplifiers built into your av amp.

While the amplifiers in the receiver serve a purpose in a basic system, the ultimate system upgrade would involve using external power amps to drive all the speakers in a 5.1 or 7.1 system. Subwoofers (unless they are passive) will not need a power amp as they are internally powered.

There are many ways to add power amps to your existing system -

1  Use a multichannel power amp to drive all the speakers. Something like an Audiolab 8200X7

 

2   Add Stereo power amps to power the main L/R speakers and then, as funds allow, add more amps for the other speakers such as the centre speaker and surround speakers. This could be starting with single Audiolab 8200P for instance and adding more when the time is right

3   Add Monobloc power amps for the ultimate in performance. One amp per speaker. Audiolab 8200M or Audiolab 8200MB for even more performance.

Audiolab 8200M

 Audiolab 8200MB

 

 

Doing any of these options above will increase the performance of your system. If you would like to hear what these amps can do, please contact us on 01277 264730 or email us on brentwood@audio-t.co.uk and we will be glad to show you what can be done to improve performance in your surround sound set up and still enable you to keep your current AV amplifier/receiver.

 

 

Clean, Controlled & Focused. Ideal for getting the best out of your Movies!

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The Pioneer SC-LX56 AV Receiver does just that & more. Revealing subtleties & creating space in even the busiest  movie scenes, this is just one of the great strengths of Pioneer. Batman : The Dark Knight was a real treat with a Open, Unforced & Fast presentation. Movies shine and are somewhat Airy & Spacious in character. The Pioneer SC-LX56 is one of the most exciting AV Amps we've heard at this price point.

Book a demo today!

Audio-T Enfield

Tel:0208 367 3132

Email:enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Onkyo TX-NR818

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The first thing that strikes you as you unbox the Onkyo 818 is how big it is, but the front is clean and rather smart compared to other AV receivers. The remote is typically full of buttons, but the few buttons you are likely to use are in intuitive places and labelled logically. The amp is furnished with every feature you are likely to expect at this price point although you do need an optional dongle to connect to the internet wirelessly. A decent quick start guide is provided and the rest of the manual in on a disc.

Once you have connected all the speakers you can start the auto set-up process. The set-up process is one of things that they have improved over the older model. It attempts to guide you through the set-up with better explanations and pictures, and it is a lot better than than previous models, but it still isn't perfect. There are areas where a little more information would be useful.

The sound from the 818 is excellent in both home cinema and stereo, detailed and open, but not fatiguing. We used the KEF Q700 as the front speakers and were impressed with the overall performance. One thing we weren't so impressed with is the Onkyo remote app, which is awkward to set-up and use, but the internet features are reasonably easy to use when viewed through the TV if a little sluggish to react to commands.

Conclusion: Great sound and features with only a couple of minor gripes.