Owners Manual for Men! - Monitor Audio Airstream S300

/

Another new toy has arrived with us - the Monitor Audio Airstream S300.

Opening the box you will see the "quick start quide"... at this point I thought: here we go another simple guide to nowhere! but I was soon to be proved wrong....

 

As you can see, it looks too good to be true.... again being the cynic I still didn't believe it was going to be this easy..... but following the isntructions (as most blokes will only use as a last resort)... it was up and running in minutes...

Hard wiring the device of choice to the rear panel as instructed... a few more button presses and we were away...

So.. how does it perform?

I had just perched the Airstream on an easy to access shelf in the shop to set it up which was obviously not the best place for it, but the Airstream has a brilliant setup feature called APC - Automatic Position Correction. Test tones are output by the Airstream which are measured by it's built in microphone and then setting the equalisation of the Airstram - genius!. Again, so simple to operate so that if you do move the Airstream to different locations around the house you know it will perform to the best of it's ability.

I used our iPad via Airplay which worked perfectly, but if you don't have wifi or it will be placed in a location that has no wi-fi available then it can also be set-up to play directly "point to point" as they call it so no need for wi-fi which would be ideal for the kids in their bedroom for example...

Sound quality is fantastic for it's size! probably the best thing about it was it's off axis performance, a lot of airplay devices or docks can often sound great only when you are head on to them whereas the Airstream sounds great when you are way off centre, and for the headbangers it goes plenty loud enough!!

It is available in black and white too! Click here for more details and specs on the Monitor Audio Airstream S300 You can also read more at the Monitor Audio site

It's permanently wired up in the shop so just ask for a demo next time you call in.....

more new toys coming soon...

A First For Audio T Cardiff, A First For The U.K.

/

This week, Audio T Cardiff became the first UK dealer to sell the stunning Project Signature Turntable.  This superbly engineered and crafted turntable weighing in at a massive 75Kg when packed in it's wooden crate was expertly set up at the customers home by ourselves and Duncan Quemby the Project representative.

 

The lid off, showing the ample packaging with the arm and suspended feet.

The top packaging removed allowing plenty of space to lift the turntable carefully out of the crate. 

Out of the box! The twin drive motors, the heavy inverted bearing assembly and arm pivot can clearly be seen along with the LCD display.

Next the turntable placed on the stand and the platter carefully placed on its bearing. The flywheel pulley and the three drive belts were then fitted.

Next the arm was placed on the uni-pivot bearing and the signal leads connected. The arm height was then checked and adjusted accordingly.

The Ortofon Cadenza Black MC cartridge was then fitted to the headshell using the supplied alignment jig.

Them came the setting of the tracking weight using the supplied electronic guage. A recomended tracking force of 2 - 2.5 grams for this cartridge.

Phew! it's done. Record on, glass of wine and feet up! Perfect!

 

Classic Album Evenings 2nd & 3rd of December Featuring KEF Blade

/
Following the success of our eighth Classic Vinyl Evening, we are pleased to announce Classic Vinyl Nights number nine.         

They will be on  Monday 2nd & 3rd of December and once again will be held at the Fusion Room restaurant, 80 Friargate, Preston, PR1 2ED, at 6.30pm 7pm start.

Click the link to find where we will be http://www.fusionroom.co.uk/


We are doing this over two evenings as we know demand will be very high,and we have limited seating available,so confirming via email is essential.

When confirming please let us know how many places and what night you will be attending, Monday 2nd or Tuesday 3rd.

The equipment we are using

Speakers                      KEF Blades
Amp                             Yamaha  a-s3000
Turntable                     Rega rp8 inc apheta moving coil cart
Speaker cables             Chord Sarum
                                   Chord Sarum links
                                   Chord Sarum phono to phono

We have decided not play a complete album,but to play a selection of tracks from previous evenings along with others,to show off the speakers.

We are going to start a little earlier, arrive at 6.30pm and start at 7pm

If you are interested in joining us please email the store preston@audio-t.co.uk or call us on 01772 883958 to confirm your place

If you require any additional information, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to seeing you

Ian, Gavin and Andy       

KEF Reference!!

/

The KEF Blades may have gone back home to the factory (boo!) but those lovely people at KEF have left us a beautiful pair of Reference 203/2 for the dem room.

They are finished in an exquisite deep metallic midnight blue and sound every bit as good as they look

 

We've been running them with Chord and Heed electronics and a variety of sources including our trusty Michell Gyrodec. Feel free to drop in and have a listen


 

Give us a call, Paul or Danny on 01277 264730 or email us at brentwood@audio-t.co.uk

Neat Acoustics loudspeakers arrive at Reading Audio-T

/

We are very proud to announce the addition on Neat Acoustics loudspeakers to our range.

These beautifully discrete speakers pack a mighty punch whilst remaining true to the music. Uniquely they imbue the warmth and smoothness often associated with much larger designs and make natural partners with Naim and Rega amplifier among others.

IOTA 

Currently we have the tiny IOTA bookshelf monitor, all three of the new Motive SX models, 1,2 &3 as well as the Isobarik bass loaded Momentum 4i, (they’ve taken pride of place in front-of-house, running in over the last 2 weeks and we’re enjoying every minute of them. It’s a hard life I know but someone has to do it!), which are all now fully run-in and on demonstration.

 

MOMENTUM 4i

We are very excited to have Neat here in Reading and hope you will enjoy them too.

 

MOTIVE SX2

MOTIVE SX3 

You can find full details of specifications and finishes available and the rest of Neat’s range here: http://www.neat.co.uk/

There are nice words written about them here and here too.

Seeing is Believing.

/

We now have the Sony KD55X9005 TV on display at the Preston store and it is a truly amazing television. It is packed to brim with all the latest and best technology that you could ask for in a set. It boasts the next generation 4K resolution of 3840x2160 , add to that Sony's Triluminos display for an even greater range of colours and their X-Reality PRO chip and you are left with the best image quality on a television that we have ever seen.

Come into the Preston store and see for yourself.

http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/4k-promo?campaignId=12003040&s_kwcid=bravia|33006741311

The Blades have arrived!

/

In anticipation of our KEF/Heed/Audioquest event on Thursday the 7th of November the magnificent KEF Blade speakers are now ensconced in our dem room

Resplendant in an amazing orange finish they are making some quite magnificent sounds at the moment.

Come along on Thursday or before if you have the time to hear what these amazing speakers can do!!

Give us a call, Paul or Danny 01277 264730

 

 


Spaces still available for Naim Factory Tour 15th November

/

Are you a Naim fan or interested in how your Naim equipment is assembled, well we have six spaces for a tour of the factory on the 15th November.

 


We have held several tours over the last couple of years which have had great feedback. Customers came away with a sense of pride and understanding of how world class British HiFi is manufactured.

The itinerary for the day is as follows:

  • Arrive at 10.30am for a meet and greet with tea or coffee.
  • Factory tour starts at 11.00am which will be led by Jason Gould a longstanding Naim rep.
  • Lunch is at 1.30pm in the Naim canteen.
  • We will retire to the demonstration room at 2.30pm were Jason will demonstrate various Naim products from the range.
  • Departure is at 4.00pm were you will receive a Naim goodie bag (No they is not a free CD player or Unitilite in the bag).

 

Spaces are on a first come bases so don't hesitate to contact Phil or Andy to book your space on the following number or email address.

 

Tel: 01793 538222

 

Email: swindon@audio-t.co.uk

Focal & Naim Come Together for an Exclusive Offer.

/

Naim have teamed up with their partners, Focal, to offer customers in the UK a special introductory price on the new Focal Aria 906 and Aria 926 loudspeakers with their award-winning NaimUniti 2 all-in-one player.

Both the floorstanding Aria 926 and the more compact Aria 906 are perfect partners for the NaimUniti 2. Together they can create a simple, stylish music system which will deliver high-end sound quality from your network, digital music sources and CDs.

Focal Aria 926 on the left and the Focal Aria 906 above.

Naim Uniti below was revitalised and relaunched as Naim Uniti 2 in 2012.

With a new 70W integrated amplifier (NaimUniti 50W) the NaimUniti 2 can accommodate a wider range of loudspeakers and fill even larger rooms with the extra power. It also a boasts an entirely new CD player section, with improved tray, clamping mechanism and the new Burr Brown PCM1793 DAC.

The new inverted dome TNF tweeter on the Aria 926 and Aria 906. Check out Focal's spec sheet here.

Flax cones are designed and manufactured in France, from french flax fiber. 

France is the main cultivator in Europe of fiber flax, principally in Flanders, Picardy, Normandy and the Pas-de-Calais region. French flax is considered the best in the world.

Take a look at Focal's website here for more information on this new cutting edge material know as Flax.

Fit and finish from Focal on the Aria range is really quite special considering the price.

That's leather on the front and back!

The mirrored glass top plate completes the high quality finish of the Aria. 


The following system offers are available for a limited period from Audio T Manchester.

 

System Offer 1                                           

NaimUniti 2                  £2,795                    

Aria 906                       £898 (gloss black)                      

Normal system price     £3,693                    

OFFER PRICE              £2,995                    
 

System Offer 2

NaimUniti 2                  £2,795  

Aria 926                       £1,998 (gloss black)

Normal system price     £4,793

OFFER PRICE              £3,995

 

System Offer 3

NaimUniti 2                  £2,795   

Aria 926                       £1,798 (walnut)

Normal system price     £4,593

OFFER PRICE              £3,795

 

System Offer 4

NaimUniti 2                  £2,795   

Aria 906                       £758 (walnut)

Normal system price     £3,553

OFFER PRICE              £2,855

 

 

Audio-T Manchester
Tel: 0161 839 8869
email: manchester@audio-t.co.uk
web: www.audio-t.co.uk
We are open Monday to Saturday 9:30 - 17:30
and Sunday 11:30 - 16:30

Arcam, REL & The Chord Company Enfield Store Event

/

  Join us on the 16th & 17th of November as we showcase Arcam's superb 450 & 750 AVRs! If that isn't enough, we will be demonstrating how these two highly respectable systems can be improved further by using Chord Co. Tuned ARAY cables for music & REL Subwoofers for music & movies.

  We will be kicking off with Arcam's AVR450, BDP300 & irDAC partnered with KEF speakers. The Chord Co. Chorus Reference will be replaced with the Signature Tuned ARAY...

  Then followed by REL's Awesome T-7 & the discrete on wall Habitat1.

  We will then move on to Arcam's Flagship AVR the AVR750, BDP300 & D33 partnered with B&W speakers.(where the all New CM10's will be making an appearance!)

  This time The Chord Co. Anthem Reference will be replaced by the Indigo Tuned ARAY...

  REL's R328 will also join the party, followed by the monster that is REL's G-2!

  So whether you're interested in Arcam's new AVRs, what Chord Tuned ARAY is all about, to find out what performance gains come from using REL subwoofers, to listen to the new B&W CM10's, or to nibble on some lovely cheeses & drink fine wine : p book a place and come on down.

  There will be a prize draw for one lucky winner who books and attends the event, for the chance to win the fantastic Arcam rBlink!

  

 Me,John & Jason look forward to seeing you

Please contact us either by phone or email to book a place

The bookable slots on both days are as follows:
11:00 - 12:00
12:30 - 1:30
2:00 - 3:00
3:30 - 4:30
5:00 - 6:00

Audio-T Enfield
Tel: 0208 367 3132
enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Thanks
Simon

New Focal Aria 906 and 926 Loudspeakers

/

Focal have introduced the new Aria loudspeakers. Now available for demonstration are the 906 two way stand mount and the 926 three way floor standing loudspeakers.

Both speakers utilise the new Bass / Mid Cone material using a revolutionary Flax Fibre Sandwich cone material. This achieves a very light and stiff cone enabling extremely fast response and excellent bass extension. The new TNF tweeter is directly derived from the famous Utopia Berylium tweeter. It utilises an Aluminium / magnesiun inverted dome with Poron suspension allowing for greatly reduced distortion at the critical frquencies.

On listening both speakers produce an exremely fast dynamic sound with excellent control. They have a beautifully smooth top end and very neutral voicing. Bass extension for a stand mount speaker is class leading on the 906. The bass extension on the 926 just keeps on going down.

The Arias are available in Walnut and High gloss black finishes. The cabinets feature a High gloss glass top panel and leather finished front panels.

A demonstration on these new speakers is highly recommended. And if you're in the market for a pair there is an incredible package offer that could save you up to £800 when you buy them with the Naim Uniti 2.

Focal Aria & Naim Uniti 2: News is the French love the English and the English love the French.

/

The Naim Uniti 2 probably needs no introduction here but in case you didn't know it is a one box Hi-Fi.

It includes a CD Player, a DAB and FM tuner, internet connectivity to stream music and access Internet radio and music files stored on your computer or home network. It can play music from an iPhone /iPad/ iPod or from a USB stick (all this can be done with files up to 32bit 192khz ).

It has digital inputs for TV playstation etc, and has analogue inputs so you can plug in a turntable and it includes a fantastic sounding 70w amplifier.  Oh and did I say it's made in England. In Salisbury, Wiltshire to be precise.


So there's your amp and sources sorted, what about speakers....

Enter the Focal Aria 926/906. Made in France by one of the worlds biggest and most reknowned speaker manufacturers and these speakers are a perfect match with the Naim Uniti 2.

The bass/ mid drivers are made with the inovotive use of Flax (linseed) fibres sandwiched between two very thin layers of glass fibre. This special technique developed for over 5 years has produced a very light very fast driver with ideal properties for a bass/mid drive unit.

The tweeter has its roots in the famous beryllium inverted domes of the very high end focal speakers. Again it's very fast with low distortion, and being focal, very accurate but at the same time enjoyable to listen to.

 

Perfect so far but can we make things even better...

 

We have a special deal on at the moment which could save you up to £800.

Package 1 - Naim Uniti 2 & Focal 906 two way standmount loudspeaker

Package 2 - Naim Uniti 2 & Focal 926 3 way floorstanding loudspeaker


Just combine the Naim Uniti with a pair of Focals.

There are two speaker models to choose from. The 926 is a floorstanding model and looks very elegant in either black or walnut. It is a three way design and suitable for large rooms. 


The 906 is a standmount and would be suited to small to mid sized rooms.

Both sets of speakers sound excellent coupled with the Naim Uniti 2 but don't take my word for it, book a demonstration and bring along some music, whether it be on CD, your phone, USB stick or even a piece of vinyl, we are sure you will love what you hear.


Click here for more details.

Classic Album Night Number Eight

/

Many thanks to everyone who attended our eighth Classic Album Night on Tuesday 22nd October. It was great to see such a good crowd , with many of our regular fieinds and a few new faces to ,you know who you are :) 

This one had a bit of a twist. A different genre of album being "Moon Safari" by "Air" and we used an Arcam AVR 750 surround sound receiver, which in stereo direct drove the Proac D30R speakers exceptionally well. We lost count of the number of nodding heads and tapping feet so we think you must have enjoyed it to.

We must offer speacial thanks to Mick Neil of Arcam and David Johnston of Proac, Two great representatives who were both present to answer any questions of which there were a few.

On the whole, another successful evening. We are looking forward to Classic album night number nine.

We still have both the amplifier and the speakers for the next couple of weeks so if you require a more personal demonstration of either of these components, please feel free to contact us to arrange a demonstration.

Simply a Bargain!

/

We have a number of ex-dem Simple Audio Roomplayer 1's for sale at the bargain price of £449.

A saving of £150! Nearly the same price as a SONOS Control Amp.

Able to stream at up to 24 bit resolution aroung the home. Connect it to your itune library and able to support MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, and Apple Lossless files. Control it from either your desktop or Apple Device.

Capable of multiroom use. Listen to your stored music, Deezer, and Tune In radio anywhere in the home.

This is a great chance to get high quality streaming at a bargain price.

KEF's X300A Goes Wireless!

/

KEF's X300A gets an upgrade, now wirelessly stream from Android devices using KEF's DMC app & Apple devices using Airplay. While the Hi-Fi purist can still use the mini Asynchronous USB input for use with a computer. 

                                              

KEF use their famous Uni-Q driver array which incorporates a 1" tweeter positioned in the middle of a 5.25" mid/bass driver. A wide, open & detailed soundstage is very much KEF's sonic signature and the X300A Wireless haven't forgotten this either, they sing loud & clear instantly adding to KEF's already strong & expansive product ranges. 

 Not only does each speaker contain two Class A/B Amps! (A 50watt amp used on the mid/bass driver and a 20watt amp used on the tweeter) But they're fed by toroidal transformer power supplies. KEF certainly haven't settled for anything less than the best, all these ingredients scream out serious Hi Fi! 

We really like the size of the X300A Wireless. KEF have really hit the sweet spot between practicality & performance,  their compact size enables these to look at home on most desktop spaces, yet big enough to envelope you in a full range Hi-Fi sound. KEF have also helped over come speaker placement issues by adding an EQ switch (stand or desk) which allows you to control the frequency response, reducing the risk of "bass boom" as being a result of the speakers being too close to a rear wall.

 The KEF X300A Wireless is one of the most tidy, versatile & awesome sounding solutions to use, to achieve the best sound from your computer & mobile devices, that we've had the pleasure of listening to.

 

Book a demo today!



Audio-T Enfield

Tel:0208 367 3132

Email: enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Anthem to launch new MRX AV Receivers at Audio T Manchester.

/

On Thursday 24th October, Anthem will be at Audio T Manchester to showcase their newly released MRX recievers. Anthem's Technical Sales Manager Tom Garrett will be here to answer any questions regarding the new line up of AV receivers.

Using our dedicated AV room, you will get a chance to listen the new MRX710 or MRX510 reciever along with the KEF R Series and if the outgoing Anthem MRX amps are anything to go by the new range should absolutely sing in our demo room. 

 

Enhancements to GEN 2, at a glance.
Superb high-quality amp performance includes Anthem’s Advanced Load
Monitoring to keep a constant eye on output.
ARC 1M, an enhanced version of Anthem Room Correction ensures the
speakers’ award-winning sound isn’t lost in a less-than-perfect room situation.
Outstanding power – 7 channels in MRX 710 and MRX 510;
5 channels in MRX 310 (see Technical Specs section for power output).
More HDMI inputs! 7 + 1 = 7 rear inputs and one front-panel input on
MRX 710 and MRX 510. 7 rear inputs on MRX 310.
Dual HDMI outputs.
4K Upscaling and Pass-Through.
HDMI Audio Return Channel.
Faster HDMI switching.
Up to 20 input configurations.
Software updates via the USB port.
More robust control: IP and RS-232 control drivers for full integration
with automation.
Remote control apps for iOS (Apple) and Android.
Larger, easier-to-read on-screen menus and improved status displays.
Dual speaker configuration.
Speaker crossover now adjustable in 10-Hz Increments.
Optical, coaxial and analog inputs send 2-channel music to Zone 2.
Bi-amp the front Left/Right speakers with MRX 710 and MRX 510.

 

 

The ever popular KEF R Series

Anthem have chosen the KEF R Series as their speaker package of choice.

We are still waiting for the new Anthems to arrive at Manchester so can't wait to listen to them on the 24th October.

Keep your eye on our blog and we will keep you posted on any updates on Anthem's new receivers.

So make note in your diary for the 24th October 2013.

Event timings for the day:

12:00pm to 7:30pm


Audio-T Manchester
Tel: 0161 839 8869
email: manchester@audio-t.co.uk
web: www.audio-t.co.uk
We are open Monday to Saturday 9:30 - 17:30
and Sunday 11:30 - 16:30



 

 

New SONOS Play 1 Makes First Appearance!

/

Yesterday we had the honour of being the first Audio T store to take a look and listen to the new SONOS Play 1.

It was apparent, handling these small but perfectly formed speakers, that no corners had been cut in their construction. They have a reassuringly solid, well engineered feel to them and, as is the norm for SONOS products, a superb finish.  Black and white versions are available as with the other SONOS Play models.

The sound quality certainly didn't disappoint either. The specially developed long throw drive units enable the compact enclosures to punch out surprisingly deep bass and the overall sound is remarkably crisp, open and detailed.  

A single Play 1 sounds very impressive but connecting a pair in stereo mode produces simply stunning results. At £169.00 each the SONOS Play 1 is a real Hi-Fi bargain and a pair for £338.00 is a great alternative to a single Play 5, especially if stereo imaging is a priority.  

We are really looking forward to the imminent arrival of our first shipment of Play 1's. We'll have a pair on demonstration ans as soon we have unboxed them you can pop in for a look and a listen.

Just to make them even more tempting as Christmas approaches a FREE Bridge will be supplied with any Play 1, 2 or 3 purchased before December 31st 2013, or while stocks last.

For anyone still thinking about setting up a SONOS wireless system, all you need now is a Play 1 and a Bridge so why not take advantage of the offer and save £39.00!  It's a bargain!

Annual Naim Factory Tour 15th November.

/

Are you a Naim fan or interested in how your Naim equipment is assembled, well we have six spaces for a tour of the factory on the 15th November.

 

 

We have held several tours over the last couple of years which have had great feedback. Customers came away with a sense of pride and understanding of how world class British HiFi is manufactured.

 

The itinerary for the day is as follows:

  • Arrive at 10.30am for a meet and greet with tea or coffee.
  • Factory tour starts at 11.00am which will be led by Jason Gould a longstanding Naim rep.
  • Lunch is at 1.30pm in the Naim canteen.
  • We will retire to the demonstration room at 2.30pm were Jason will demonstrate various Naim products from the range.
  • Departure is at 4.00pm were you will receive a Naim goodie bag (No they is not a free CD player or Unitilite in the bag).

 

Spaces are on a first come bases so don't hesitate to contact Phil or Andy to book your space on the following number or email address.

 

Tel: 01793 538222

 

Email: swindon@audio-t.co.uk

 

Go Analogue with Pro-Ject's RPM 1.3 Genie

/

Pro-Ject quote "Our newest "BEST BUY" Star – radical design with no compromise on sound quality at the lowest price possible. All ingredients, like the shape of the chassis with decoupled motor, inverted main bearing and newly designed tone-arm all add up to a miracle in sound for the price!" Which is exactly what it is.

Lets start with the cartridge, the RPM 1.3 Genie comes factory fitted with the amazing Ortofon 2M Red worth £85! The 2M Red offers fine detail along with considerable weight & scale to all of your favourite records.

The RPM 1.3 Genie is capable of separating instruments with authority in even the busiest passage of music. It has agility other turntables do not. This in part is because of the silver coated high purity copper cabling used inside the tone arm.

Unwanted vibrations? Not here... The detached motor ensures no harmful vibrations bleed into the main chassis, great!  This is usually only found on high end turntable designs.   

Unlike other turntables at this price, you can easily change the cabling you use to connect the RPM 1.3 Genie to a phono stage, as the RPM 1.3 Genie incorporates gold plated phono sockets and an earth screw instead of captive phono cables.

The Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 Genie is no doubt one of the best turntables we've found at this price point. It's truly amazing value with so many great features embodied.

 

Book a demo today!


Audio-T Enfield

Tel: 0208 367 3132

Email: enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Thanks
Simon