New Marantz Micro Hi-Fi System

The M-CR610 is the latest all in one system from Marantz. Modern looks and a great sound make this Micro system a formidable opponent for any other compact Hi-Fi system.

Like its predecessor it offers CD playback DAB/FM radio, internet radio and networking. You can also plug an ipod into the USB socket on the front. In addition, this new model offers wireless internet connectivity and Spotify.

Marantz have an ipod/ipad app that allows you to control the unit. The app is obviously made for the ipod and works reasonably slickly, although a dedicated iPad app would be nice.

Bewitching PMC Fact 8 and Bryston System Revisited

Every now and then we put together a combination of products in the store and are reminded of how the sum of the parts is even greater than the merits of the individual components.

We've been big fans of the PMC Fact 8 since we first heard them over three years ago.  The elegant and beautifully crafted cabinets enhance any domestic environment. Even the most die hard hifi-phobics are won over by the aesthetics of these beauties.

This is not just a case of 'nice cabinet, shame about the sound' though; far from it. The Fact 8 carves a solid three dimensional image out of the air with effortless ease.  The transparency of the sound has to be heard to be believed with the splendid cabinets effectively disappearing.  

The other essential ingredient to this spell-binding performance is our Bryston system. No surprise that it gels with the PMC speakers, as PMC distribute Bryston in the UK, and design their speakers using Bryston amplification, but the BCD-1 CD player, BP26 pre-amplifier and 4BSST power amplfier really make the Fact 8's sing!  

The Fact 8 is an efficient design utilising PMC's Advance Transmission Line which does not need huge power to generate real low end extension but driving them with the 2 x 300 watts of the 4BSST adds a whole extra dimension of control and ease to the sound making the combination totally magical!

Please feel free to share this magic with us. Give us a call to book a listen and come along with your favourite CDs or LPs.  'When the spell is broken' by Richard Thompson seems appropriate, or maybe 'Witchcraft' by Frank Sinatra.... you choose.

Another Trip to the Darkside

For those who came to our Classic Album Evening and even for those who didn't. In fact for any and all Pink Floyd fans out there.

Tune into BBC R2 or R6 on Monday at 8:00pm as Tom Robinson invites listeners to compile The Ultimate Pink Floyd Playlist. See the link for details.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038zlll

Followed by Darkside , a play for radio by Sir Tom Stoppard incorporating The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038xr3n

It sounds like a good evening of listening.

Sennheiser Create The Right Balance With The CH800S

We've just received Sennheiser's new balanced cable for the HD800 headphones plugged them into the HDVD800 headphone amplifier and even though the cable is new, it sounds incredible. 

Much more open and musical. If you have a pair of HD800's I urge you to come and check out this fantastic combo.

A Trip to the Darkside

Many thanks to everyone who came to our Classic Vinyl Evening on Tues 20th.

Many of the regulars were there and great to see many new faces also.

Thanks also to Johnathon from KEF who came to assist.

We are now planning the next one, please send us you suggestions and ideas for what we might play.

You can follow us on twitter @audiotgroup

We look forward to hearing from you :)

Welsh International & Lions Rugby Star Visits Audio T

It was an exciting day here at Audio T Cardiff when Lions hero Leigh Halfpenny picked up a brand new Project 6 Perspex turntable.

Leigh finds listening to his favourite vinyl records helps him get into game mode and with his superb try-scoring and kicking exploits, who are we to argue!

With its suspended magnetic sub-chassis, a carbon fibre tonearm fitted with an Ortofon Blue MM cartridge the turntable gives an impressive performance with good detail resolution, composed sound and stable presentation.

A 5 Star What Hi-Fi winner, this turntable never fails to thrill giving an authoritative sound underpinned by a low frequency performance that is weighty and powerful.

Aother happy Audio T customer as Leigh Halfpenny is handed his new Project 6 Perspex turntable.

Leigh takes up his new position in the "Audio T front row" with the thrilled Cardiff staff, giving the perfect opportunity of a snap for the 'family album'. 

Read more in our news section 

Sony 4K Has Arrived

We have now taken delivery of the new Sony KD55X9005 4K Television.

As you can see from the photo below we have wall mounted it in a prime location in the store for you all to be amazed at the image this TV is capable of.

Currently we are using a hard drive to stream content to the set. 4K Blu-Ray discs are on the way.

This TV is also capable of upscaling any video content to a 4K image. So you will get the benefit if you are watching normal input such as digital terrestrial TV, SKY, DVD and Blu-Ray

Not only does this TV offer outstanding picture quality but with the use of magnetic fluid loudspeakers developed by NASA the sound quality achieved by this TV is truly incredible.

The links below will take you directly to Sonys promotional video and the dedicated web page for the Sony KD55X9005 so you can see the full specifications of this outstanding TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYmiZRjkqHc

 http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/4k?cpint=homeB

Please feel free to come into the store so you can see the future of TV.

Sony KDL55W905 55'' LED TV, The best TV since the Kuro?

Here at Reading Audio T we've always believed in having the very best TV available and I mean that in the singular.

We don't have the space for a whole lot of TVs, we never have had so we are keen to show our discerning customers the very best technology can offer and this season is no exception. 

The Sony KDL55W905 is the flagship of their range after the 4K TV, indeed it has the same if not better picture than that for 1080p content which of course if the highest native resolution available at present of course.

With a few minor tweaks to the settings this TV gives the best non-calibrated picture we've ever seen with the deepest blacks and accurate colours from an LCD yet, yes you get the fantastic '3D pop' like the best plasmas. By that I mean depth of field rather than full 3D with glasses which it also does superbly well AND has 4 pairs of lightweight comfortable active glasses included, bravo Sony!!

Available in 40'', 46'' & 55''

Still not convinced? Then check out AVForums rave review of the 40'' version

...and their short video review:

REL Habitat 1 and Neat Iotas Sub-Sat system

With so many people put off by the size of some high quality loudspeakers it, the benefits of high quality sub sat systems are often overlooked.

It is however entirely possible to have your cake and eat it! The Rel Habitat and Neat Iota combination is a perfect solution that really should be auditioned, should you want the best of both worlds.

The Habitat 1 is the nearest thing to a revolution in sub woofer design that I have come across in my 25 years in this industry. Habitat 1 is a brilliant new concept that takes sub bass to new levels. Descrete, wall mountable and with a small wireless transmitter so no unsightly cables need be seen. A sophisticated crossover optimises sound for both music and movies. Perfect, deep bass that emanates almost invisibly from somewhere hidden within the room.

Two 6.5" divers and a 10" passive driver provide the bass necessary for this sub woofer to reach down to 25Hz.

The price is just £1299.

Click here to watch the video and read more about the Habitat

Neat Iotas deliver amazing performance from a tiny cabinet. they are intended to be used very close to walls or on desktops or bookshelves etc.

The cabinet is well damped allowing the 100mm polypropelene and 50mm ribbon tweeeter to do their thing.

5 colours are available to match almost any decor.

The price is £695 per pair.

Click here to visit the Neat website

If you would like to hear this combination for yourselves we would be most happy to demonstrate them.

Sony's VPL-HW50ES Projector Shining Bright in Bristol

What can we say about Sony's HW50? Well quite a lot actually.

It's whisper quiet, setup is a breeze with vertical and horizontal shift, it has excellent brightness, probably the best in it's class for 3D.

2D is stunning, deep blacks with excellent shadow detail, massive amount of control with a deep menu system (if you want it). The superlatives keep coming.......and you can count brilliant colour reproduction, gobsmacking detail on images on close ups to boot! Best of all is that it comes at under £3000 (£2798).

It represents fantastic value for money, but don't take our word for it, give us a call and come and have a look for yourself.

Linn Akubarik Loudspeakers

 Our demonstration pair of new Linn Akubarik Aktiv loudspeakers in Gloss Cherry.

Coupled with a Linn Akurate DSM Digital Stream Player / Preamp creates an elegant and

outstanding music system.

View the Linn Akurate Range 

 OK, so who is the guitarist ?

Fancy Winning Your Money Back??......

PMC are coming at you with another sensational promotion.

Purchase any Twenty series speaker between 1st August and 31st October then register it online within 14 days of purchase to be in with a chance of winning your money back!!

They will be announcing winners in September, October and November!!

There are no exclusions to what speaker you buy out of the Twenty Series whether you looking to upgrade your tired speakers to a new set of beasts or have had your eyes on these beauties for a while then this is the time to buy them!!

We have the full range here at Audio-T Brentwood as you can see below, and have facilities to demonstrate the complete range for you also. So bring some music along. Even your current speakers if you want to see what you're getting for your money.... or even free if you're really lucky!

You've got to be in it to win it!

What Hi-Fi? Visit & Tour of £1M Test Facilities

Earlier this summer, we went to meet with the What Hi-FI? team to see their £1M state of the art test facilities, where they test and review the latest and greatest consumer Hi-Fi products.

 

What Hi-Fi? are extremely supportive and are the main media partner of the Audio T Sound & Vision Bristol Show, the UK's No1 Hi-FI show and the defacto place to be if you're a manufacturer or an enthusiast!

What H-Fi? give the Bristol show extensive coverage in the magazine and online in the run up to, during and after the event and are ever present at the show providing live demonstrations of cutting edge Hi-Fi technology as well as offering great prizes for the show competition. 

Jerry Lewin, Audio T's CFO and Hi-Fi industry veteran, film lover and serial gigger (tell us about the Stones at Glasto Jezza!) had never seen the test facilities before (*Ed. I already made the visit having been involved in a WHF reader test) so it was an opportunity to review the review facilities, so to speak and see where the plethora of equipment is put through its paces.  

There are six testing rooms, the main four being: Hi-Fi, Home Cinema/AV, TV and MP3, which is a small room for testing ermmmmmmm MP3 players, mini and all in one systems, headphones and phones etc. You can read more about the facilities here Though I have been reliably informed that this is due for a bit of makeover. 

Andy Clough Projecting himself in the Main AV Test Room

We will be running a competition in July and four lucky Audio T customers will win a trip to WHF to see the test facilities, and a three month FREE subscription to the electronic or print version of the magazine. 

Our visit was very informative and productive. The upshot of this is that we will be further raising our profile by making use of several What HiFi? services including the weekly e-mail service when we need to communicate major sales, special offers, promotions and events. We will also be joining the What Hi-Fi? Shop, so that anyone searching for products through What HiFI? will see the premium Hi-Fi products that are avialable in store and online. 

We look forward to our continued associatiion with What Hi-Fi? and continuing to bringing the best in Hi-Fi to Audio T customers old and new. 

Passing the test? Phil (Ed) and Andy talking HiFi

New Spendor A6R and D7

Spendor A6R

The A6R is a major uprade on the original A6 loudspeakers. The new design incorporates a a new 18cm main driver that has been derived from the development of the new D7 loudspeakers. The X-over has been completely redesigned and has a gold x-over network and monoblock construction.

On listening we have found these speakers offer a massive sound stage, sweet detailed top end and excellent bass extension for a cabinet of modest proportions.

A Huge improvement on the old A6. A demonstration is highly recommended.

Spendor D7

The D7 is a completely new design from Spendor.

They incoporate the new LPZ tweeter, a polomer mid bass driver and a bonded Kevlar bass driver.

We have had these speakers in our main demonstration room for over a week now and have found the sound to be very open and detailed with an expansive sound stage. The top is amazingly sweet and intergrates seamlessly with the smooth midrange. The the bass extension is tight and fast and goes down seriously low for a speaker of this size.

The finish on our premium dark speakers is outstanding.

Being a Spendor end user already I am tempted to take these home. When I do I don't think they will be coming back.

Get your white socks ready. We're having an Eighties-fest!!

Hi everyone

Thanks to a recent haul at a local charity shop, we've been indulging in Eighties music all week. We've had a choice from the sublime to the quite frankly terrible, but we'll let you decide which is which.....just have a look at some of the sleeves below the system!

The records have been rotated on our trusty Michell Gyrodec equipped with an Ortofon Rondo Red cartridge. This running through the superb Project Phono Box RS into the gorgeous Chord Electronics CPM 2650 integrated amp, and finally bombarding our ears through the Focal Electra 1028 Be loudspeakers.

This system sounds just wonderful! It's been giving us a healthy dose of enjoyable nostalgia all week, why not come along and bring something you'd like to hear.

Audio-T Reading 'Diversify'...a little.

Following the success of our Vinyl Roadshow back in June we proud to offer customers a range of 180g audiophile vinyl releases from Diverse Vinyl in Newport, South Wales on their own label, Diverse Records.

These very high quality records are manufactured form the world renowned Pallas pressing plant in Germany with the exception of the Cowboy Junkies Nomad Series which are pressed at he equally impressive Industry Records in Holland.

Come in and browse.

All titles cost £20 for Single albums  and £25 for doubles.

Treat Yourself To Some R&R with KEF Reference and Rega Reference.

Jonathan from KEF has very kindly loaned Audio T Manchester a pair of KEF Reference 203/2.

Connected to our Rega Reference CD system the 203/2s are sounding exceptional.

Finished in glorious Racing Red using a special piano lacquering technique the KEF 203s do look stunning

Even the binding posts, although out of sight, are impeccably engineered.

The KEF 203s even come with their own luxurious accessory case. Tasty.

Attention to detail is as expected from Reference quality products. 

Remember you can't miss them, there right in front of you as you walk in the front door, just feel free to call in to Audio T Manchester for a demonstration...

..and if you're lucky, you may even spot our Chromey lurking in the shadows.....

Just don't step on the little guy !

 Call Audio T Manchester  on 0161 8398869 for a demonstration.

Dave, Munir, Kevin and Mike will be there to help.

In the meantime here are a few links to whet the appetite.

KEF Website

The Absolute Sound

Ultra Audio

Rega Aria - as good as O Sole Mio?

If you do a Google search for Famous Arias then you will probably see O Sole Mio or Un Bel Di and the good old Nessun Dorma....but it won't be long before the search will show the Rega Aria!

We have had time to give it a good workout today, and (not to our surprise) it is a cracker!

Using a Rega Brio-R amplifier and a pair of B&W CM1 speakers (as we used for the customer demo) we first used a RP3 straight into the Brio-R which itself has a great internal phono stage. The next comparison was then the RP6 which was clearly a big step above the 3....... then came the Aria......  "where did all that come from?" was the reaction!..

You could expect the Aria to be used in systems of far greater value than this but the question was "what would a good phono stage do to this system?" so that's what we tried.... and it worked a treat. So much so that if this is similar to your existing system then such and upgrade should certainly be considered before maybe upgrading the speakers for example. I can't wait to try it with our RP8 when that arrives!

Using a few Blues tracks and then a bit of Elvis Costello to cheer ourselves up we found it just had a brilliant groove (sorry about that one)... all the normal improvements you would have expected are there but the biggest thing is the foot tapping factor - just great (not on the Costello of course - that was far more dangerous - remove all sharp objects from the room!)...

I have left the system plugged in upstairs so that you can hear it for yourself....

Please feel free to call in and have a listen..... I won't play Elvis Costello if you bring doughnuts!

PMC Fact 12

We were fortunate to have a visitation by Tom Barron yesterday, our man from PMC. He brought along a pair of the new PMC Fact 12 loudspeakers, which we duly connected to our better Naim system in store. This system comprises the Naim NDS, 555PS, NAC252, Supercap, NAP300 all on Fraim, along with our Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, with Keel, Ekos SE, Akiva, Radikal and Urika.

We have long been fans of the PMC Fact 8, and as you would imagine, the Fact 12 is more of the same & then some ! They are a very capable performer, and whichever music we played they coped manfully.

Incorporating fine tuning switching on the crossover, the Fact 12 can be tailored to suit your system and envoiroment, with subtle adjustment of bass and treble cut or lift.

They look good too !

A New Arrival And It Has A Naim

There was great excitement at Audio-t Cardiff last week when we took delivery of a new baby.

It was delivered in a pristine white box with a shiny label.

It was of course the long awaited new Naim Supernait 2. Stripped of all its digital inputs it is now left to do what it does best and that is play music.

With a muscular 80W per channel power amplifier, six analogue inputs and employing the latest DR techniques in its power supplies the Supernait 2 is conceptually as close as it is possible to get to separate pre and power in one box.

Including a Class A preamp output section which also doubles up as a headphone amp similar to the one found on the award winning DAC V1, the Supernait 2 does not miss a trick or a beat.

First impressions? WOW! Detailed, dynamic, engaging and emotional. Takes you straight to the heart of the music. 

 

While George will not be king for a while, this new Naim can certainly wear its crown with pride.

Pop in and have a listen. We have it hooked up in our dem room with a pair of Spendor D7 loudspeakers and like William and Kate, its a perfect match!