Come And Hear The Difference That Mains Conditioning Can Make To Your Hi-Fi

Join us on Friday 30th September (4pm - 7.30pm) and Saturday 1st October (10am - 5.00pm) when in conjunction with IsoTek we will be running an event highlighting the benefits of mains conditioning and how that it can bring you closer to the music. The IsoTek team will be on hand to answer any questions you have.

IsoTek Mains Conditioning
The quality of the electricity we feed into our Hi-Fi and AV systems has a profound effect on its performance. The first input into any system is the mains electricity, it flows through the system components which in turn creates a signal that eventually moves the loudspeaker cones. The mains supply is distorted by numerous factors as it travels from the power station eventually to be distributed throughout our homes. The noise created in the mains supply can and does have a substantial effect on the performance of any high quality audio / AV system. The escalation of mains borne noise created from items such as kitchen appliances, computers, games consoles and airborne noise from wireless networks mobile phones, etc is having a significant effect on the quality both our Audio/ AV systems.

The Solution
IsoTek is a British company making award winning products to optimise the mains that is being delivered to our Hi-Fi / AV systems. The product ranges comprise of the following solutions:

Isotek EVO3 Aquarius

Mains Cables and Blocks
The standard black lead supplied with most equipment and the off the shelf extension blocks are designed to do a basic job. They lack the materials and construction needed to protect the integrity of the electricity they feed into your system. We will have a range of solutions to overcome these effects available for demonstration. These will include:

IsoTek EVO3 Initium replacement Mains Cable - £65.00
IsoTek EVO3 Premier replacement Mains Cable - £99.00
IsoTek EVO3 Elite 2 Metre replacement Mains Cable - £325.00
IsoTek EVO3 Polaris 6 Way mains Distribution Block - £295.00
IsoTek EVO3 Sirius 6 Way Distribution Block with central filter network that removes both differential and common mode mains noise by 40dB - £495.00

Isotek EVO3 Initium

Mains Conditioners
Designed to remove noise contamination from both differential and common mode mains noise. Differential mains noise is created by the power supplies in all electronic devices. Common mode noise is introduced by RFI and wireless communications (Internet / mobile phone) that is becoming increasingly common. We will have the following products available for demonstration:

IsoTek EVO3 Sigmas - Provides six mains outlets (2 High power 16A outlets for power amplifiers, etc and 4 medium power outlets 10A for CD Players, Pre Amplifiers etc) £2195.00

IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius - One of the most cost effective upgrades for any system. (2 High Power outlets nad 4 Medium Power Outlets) - £1195.00

IsoTek EVO3 Titan - Designed for use with high power components such as power amplifiers, Active loudspeakers, etc - £2695.00

Isotek EVO3 Titan

RegeneratorsThese are state of the art hybrid power cleaning systems. They effectively take the mains and regenerate it having taken out all the noise. Available for demonstration will be:

IsoTek EVO3 Genesis one - Designed for single front end components. Multiple Genesis ones can be used from a single mains outlet.

IsoTek EVO3 Mosaic - Designed for system use offering three medium power outlets and two high power outlets - £5900.00

We will be demonstrating the IsoTek Products on the following system:

Clearaudio Master Innovation Turntable - An outstanding high end turntable from Clear Audio

Clearaudio Master Innovation Turntable

Quad Atera CD/Pre Amplifier                                                                                                             Quad Atera Power Amplifier

Quad Atera

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum Loudspeakers. An outstanding loudspeaker from the Dynaudio stable.

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum

We will also have available for demonstration the new Clearaudio Innovation Basic turntable.

Record Cleaning
We will also have available the Clearaudio Smart Matrix and Double Matrix record cleaners. If you have any records that you would like cleaned we can show you how effective these record cleaners are at bringing your records back to their original performance. (We can't take scratches out though!!). This service will be limited to three records per person.

Prize Draw
We will put the names of all attendees into a prize draw giving you the opportunity of winning an IsoTek EVO3 Premier mains cable worth £99.00. The draw will be made at the end of the event day on Saturday.

This is a great opportunity to hear how much you can improve the sound quality of your system and an affordable and worthwhile Hi-Fi upgrade.

Refreshments and snacks will be served.

Jon, Farid and the team from IsoTek look forward to seeing you.

The Arcam Solo Music. One Box To Rule Them All!

When it comes down to it, nothing beats a good separates system in terms of maximising your options in sound quality and upgradeability. Unfortunately not all of us have the inclination or space for all those boxes and cables...and that's where the Arcam Solo Music comes in.

Arcam Solo Music

Arcam's Solo range has been around for over a decade now and has always been well received and the third generation, including the Solo Movie and Solo Music, are no exception.

The Solo Music lies in between the worlds of Hi-Fi and home cinema and is genuinely fantastic at both. Its big selling point being its huge array of functionality and connectivity all crammed into a one box solution, just add a pair of speakers to taste and you are away!

A multitude of ways to play music are presented to you, including a CD drive that will also play SACD (Super Audio CD), wired/wireless streaming, FM/DAB/DAB+ radio and aptX Bluetooth. This is topped off by a plethora of physical inputs such as USB, phono, optical, coaxial and four HDMI. The Arcam Solo Music also features a headphone output for those late night movie or listening sessions.

Arcam Solo Music Rear View

The array of HDMI inputs are coupled with a HDMI output for your TV or projector, meaning the Solo Music can be the central hub of a TV set up with Blu-ray players, game consoles, set top boxes and so on all working through it.

This is all powered through 160 watts of class G amplification, similar to that which can be found in the high end FMJ amplifiers, so Arcam certainly hasn't skimped there. We are huge fans of Arcam's FMJ range in store and as soon as we started playing London Grammar's 'Hey Now' we were impressed with the familiar punchy, detailed and instantly enjoyable tonality of the Arcam Solo.

The Arcam Solo Music is available in store, please contact us to arrange a demonstration.

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

REL T Series Ti Subwoofers Get Even Better

REL builds on the already solid T range which brings us to the Ti series. The line up consists of 3 new models, the T5i, the T7i & the T9i.

Both 8" and 10" bass engines have been redesigned using a AlloyFibre driver, not only is this lighter, but stiffer than its predecessor. As a result the cabinets have been made stronger to allow the more powerful engines to work without colouration. The active driver on the T7i & T9i are now forward firing, which gives even greater punch and agility.

The new range uses workhorse Class A/B amp designs coupled to REL's lightening fast signal filters allowing them to integrate seamlessly into any Hi-Fi or Home theatre system.

To make installation even easier the Ti series can be upgraded to become wireless using REL's own Arrow wireless system, meaning only a power cable is needed to connect to the back of the sub.

The Ti series offers greater depth with even tighter control over its predecessor (the T series) and even greater improvements can be heard when compared to alternative brands.

Book your demo today
Audio T 159A
Chase Side
Enfield
EN2 0PW
Tel: 0208 367 3132 enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood.

REL Subwoofers and Sub Bass systems are also available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Breathing New Life Into An Old Michell Focus One Turntable

The Vinyl resurgence over the past few years has seen an enormous amount of old turntables being dragged out of the loft or garage, once cherished but now in a terrible state and left to gather dust. Sadly many of them can only ever head towards the landfill site, but every now and again a gem comes out of the woodwork.

A couple of weeks ago a customer called in with a turntable in a bag asking if we could have a look and see if we can get it going again. It had not seen the light of day many many years apparently. Opening up the bag we were amazed to see one of the all-time classic turntables - the Michell Engineering Focus One! Launched in the late 1970s it was Michell's first entry level turntable, shortly before the famous Gyrodec was produced.

With a very quick dusting it was clear that this was going to be quite easy to get going again. That thought was short lived. With a new drive belt fitted it was clear that there was a slight problem somewhere as the speed was nowhere near accurate. Further investigation revealed that the bearing and the bearing guides was in a very poor state indeed. A quick phone call to Michell and it was off in the post to see the doctor. It now looked in quite a sorry state but I knew it could be back to working order and looking great again in a matter of days.

Serious clean up needed!

A few days later the re-worked bearing arrived in the post in beautiful condition!

And whilst it was in as a dismantled state it gave me a chance to give it a spruce up.

Re-fit the bearing.......

It was now time to fire it up.......

As soon as the motor switch went to the on position it fired straight up to speed, I was certainly glad to see that! The bearing repair had worked a treat and everything was spot on. Considering it has a very modest cartridge fitted it sounded fantastic.

And now for the best part which is calling the customer to tell them that it is ready to go home.

Michell Engineering Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Manchester, Swansea

Pro-Ject Classic And VT-E Two Marvellous Pieces of Hi-Fi Goodness!

Here at Swindon, we are big fans of the round plastic discs of goodness and we'd like to highlight two turntables for you, namely; the Pro-Ject Classic and Pro-Ject VT-E.

THE PRO-JECT CLASSIC

The Pro-Ject Classic - as its name suggests - is a turntable with beautiful simple lines which has taken its design cues from the past (notably the 50's and 60's), and it's apt this turntable should be released to celebrate Pro-Jects 25th Anniversary.

Its elegant design means it will blend in with any manner of Hi-Fi and furniture making it a splendid addition to your other equipment.

Pro-Ject Classic Walnut

So, for some technical specifications:

• 33 and 45 rpm manual speed change
• 9" carbon/aluminium tonearm with MM & MC capability
• Ortofon 2M Silver Cartridge
• Metal/MDF sandwich chassis floating on TPE suspension
• Classic wooden chassis in 3 matt finishes (walnut, rosenut and eucalyptus)

Pro-Ject Classic

How does it sound then? We find the sound to be emotive and engaging here, we'd recommend coming in or booking a demonstration and having a listen.

We priase Pro-Ject for using materials like TPE (Thermo Plastic Elastomers) to dampen the exact resonance points created within a turntable to help minimise listening interference in this manner.

THE PRO-JECT VT-E

To the Pro-Ject VT-E; what a interesting design! Equally, this is designed squarely as a Hi-Fi tuntable.

This is a fantastic turntable for those who also love the theatre of watching your vinyl record spinning whilst listening to your round disc of goodness, it's mesmerizing!

This can be positioned on a shelf or on a wall mount so it's great if you have limited space in your listening environment.

Pro-Ject VT-E black

So, some of the technical specifications on this turntable:

• 33 and 45 rpm manual speed change
• Pro-Ject 8.6" EV tonearm
• Ortofon OM 5E cartridge
• available in black, white and red

Pro-Ject VT-E black (angled)

This turntable has a fixed counterweight and Cartridge so it makes this deck a breeze to get up and running and enjoy those beautiful picture discs!

Pop in and see or book a demonstration to see this turntable and we will talk you though this interesting and flexible product.

For all things Swindon branch, keep up to date with us on our socials: Facebook, and Google+.

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

There Can Be Only One! The Cyrus One.

The brand new (pre-production model) Cyrus One makes an appearance in Audio T Manchester Our Cyrus representative, Nick, popped in to see us with the brand new Cyrus One tucked under his arm.

In what can only be described as a totally new way of thinking in the way Cyrus may design their future products, this was certainly a welcome surprise from the 30 year old company from Huntingdon.

The New Cyrus ONE Integrated Amplifier (Pre-production model).

A new angular looking Cyrus ONE in high gloss black marks a change in styling from Cyrus. 

The built in moving magnet phono stage will let you connect a suitable turntable.

Bluetooth Enabled, the aptx version.

You can stream music from your phone/tablet or computer via a wireless Bluetooth connection, providing maximum flexibility without the need for a home network or any complicated set up. This allows everyone in the family to enjoy their music from their portable devices quickly and easily.

The ONE is hand built in the UK at the Cyrus workshops in Huntingdon. Yes that ONE Chromey.

The built in Class AB headphone amplifiers are automatically activated when the headphones are plugged in, with the heavyweight toroidal power supply that usually powers the main amplifiers instantly switching all its power to the headphone circuits. At the same time, the volume is automatically returned to zero to protect the user’s hearing and headphones,and in turn,the volume reverts to zero when the headphones are removed.This specifically designed headphone amp circuit has exceptionally good signal to noise performance and is incredibly fast and agile, performing better than many stand alone headphone amplifiers.

We did manage to have a quick listen to the Cyrus ONE.

Very impressive indeed, this diminutive box packs a punch. Played with our new PMC twenty5 22 speakers it showed composure and poise. It seemed unfazed with electronic music, jazz from John Coltrane came across lush and musical,  classical music from Vaughan Williams sounded open and wide, filling our shop floor with sound of the Larks ascending., even Mike's punk and ska sounded fast and gritty. 

So potentially, Cyrus could have a winner here.

We will be getting our own Cyrus ONE demo unit very shortly, we have a few on order. 

Watch this space for updates or alternatively keep an eye on our Audio T website. 

See you Audio T Manchester.

Munir, Mike, Dave, Simon and Haden

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

Neat Iota Alpha, It Appears Good Things Do Come In Small Packages

We had been waiting to get our hands on a pair of these since the Sound & Vision, The Bristol Show in February, we knew they were small but when they arrived....it was oh! That small!

Neat Iota Alpha Floorstanding Loudspeaker

We should have guessed really as we have stocked and sold the diminutive Iota, a great performer for anyone that has a small  space and hooked up with something like the Naim Unitilte makes for a great all in one system.

Once we had run this pair in for a week we hooked them up to a Naim Superuniti to see what they could do, and we weren't disappointed, these are a very musical speaker and despite their small size the addition of the downward firing bass driver below, they can certainly fill a decent size room, whether it's a string quartet or dub reggae that's your bag... these will get your toes a tapping.

Like its smaller brother this speaker uses a ribbon tweeter and bass/mid driver, these are positioned on the front of the speaker at the top and are angled upwards helping to project the sound up into  the room from such a low floor standing speaker.

As mentioned earlier this is now all underpinned by a downward facing bass driver and some large floor spikes to lift the driver to the required height for getting a tuneful and rhythmic bass output which once positioned correctly for the room is in no way woolly or boomy.

These really are a great speaker, writing this and listening to some great music on them using  a Naim CD5xs and Naitxs2 they are still growing on me even more, and for anyone who has a problem with big floorstanding speakers dominating their living room or for those who love music but would like something discreet these are the boys or gals!

Test drive a pair today.....come in and see us and prepare to be wowed.

Neat Acoustics Speakers are also stocked at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford, Portsmouth, and Reading

ChordMusic Arrival Leads To Summer Fever At Audio T Southampton!

We are thrilled that our much anticipated ChordMusic demonstration cables have just arrived!

ChordMusic Cables

Just out of their luxurious packaging we have a 1m stereo RCA pair at £3800, a 1m RCA digital interconnect at £3500, a 1m 4DIN to 1XLR for Naim NAP250 at £3500  and a 3m pair of ChordMusic speaker cables retailing for £6600.

These aren't insignificant sums but once we'd heard how much ChordMusic raised the performance of high quality systems we just had to have it.

We will now get on with running in our demo ChordMusic cables.  It's a tough job but...

Watch this space for our thoughts once everything has settled in and for details of forthcoming events which will feature the stunning ChordMusic range.

In the meantime please feel free to phone us or call in to arrange a demo or home loan of ChordMusic, just give us a week or two to run them in.  It won't take us too long!  Whatever the weather this summer we will be happy to stay in and listen to the ChordMusic!

Alan and John

Hear PMC's New twenty5 Series At Our PMC Listening Event

To celebrate the arrival of the new twenty5 series from PMC we're having a day devoted to these wonderful new speakers.

There will be a variety of speakers on demonstration, a chance to chat to a representative of the company, and some drinks and nibbles available.

Why not come along on Saturday the 20th of August from 10am and enjoy some great sounds and feel free to bring some of your own music along! Plus there will be some exclusive offers to all attendees.

We'll look forward to seeing you.

Paul, Jason and Francis

The Importance Of Selecting The Right Cables For Your Hi-Fi

The cables you choose play a vital role within any Hi-Fi system. It can turn a tired old system into a rejuvenated energetic one and vice versa, if poorly chosen.

As with any investment, cost is always a key consideration and you could find yourself spending as much on a cable loom (Speaker cable, interconnects and power leads) as you do on some of your Hi-Fi components. However you may also find that after careful selection and testing, that you settle for something more cost effective because it just works. At the end of the day, if it makes your toes tap, your hair stand on end and makes you smile then it is the right choice. There are a wide selection of products available from our shops, suitable for all systems and all budgets. So if you're considering an upgrade or a new system just ask and we will be more than happy to help.

Recently while purchasing a new Hi-Fi for myself I tested a number of cables from different manufacturers and budgets. One suite of cables in particular really impressed me with its value for money: The QED Reference Range, consisting of XLR, RCA, Digital and Speaker Cables.

QED Reference 40 RCA Interconnects

QED is an award winning British company with over 40 years of experience. They make a vast array of cables for all manner of budgets. Over the last 3 months I have had QED Reference 40 RCA £100 + XLR £150 Interconnects and XT40 Speaker Cable £10p/m in my system and quite frankly they are brilliant. I have given a short review below:

QED Reference 40 XLR Speaker cables

The QED Reference 40 XLR

XLR 40 is designed primarily for low capacitance as this has been identified by QED as a major factor in leading to a high fidelity experience. Steps have been taken to eliminate minute timing errors in the cable by the use of a special floating zinc ferrite jacket alongside use of QED's 'Tri-Conductor' technology (reducing signal to ground capacitance to vanishingly low levels).

The Build quality is excellent and so in the Sound. I found them to have great timing and tight bass. The cables delivered excellent detail with everything from Choral music to heavy Dubstep. The connectors on both the XLR and RCA cables are easy to fit, and the locking collars on the RCAs offer a firm connection. I have a vary varied taste in music and no matter what I played on my system it just sounded right. After testing I would be happy to say it is one of the best Interconnects on market under £200.

The QED Reference XT40 Speaker Cable

QED All Plugged in nice & neat

Acclaimed by What HI-FI? Magazine; this 'Five Star' award winning pure copper loudspeaker cable boasts QED's X-TubeTM technology and has a 4mm2 cross sectional area. Resulting  in a cable that delivers a flat frequency response within the audio band.

As soon as I had plugged these cables in I just thought they were a bargain. Easy to strip and prepare, flexible and have quite a small profile. In my system they delivered great depth and scale, and in combination with the Interconnects they were superb. They have a smooth delivery with an expressive & open midrange. Whatever I played, be-it Simon and Garfunkel, Rimsky-Korsakov or Chase & Status, they just delivered. I compared them against similarly priced competition and just found myself wanting to go back to the QED cables.  

I would be foolish to say they are perfect for my system as there are better cables out there but none that I have found at this price point.  This series of cables would be perfect for the first upgrade to an existing system or as a purchase with almost any Mid-Level system. The Speaker Cables would also be brilliant for use within an AV / Home cinema system. 

I will be testing more cable suites at higher end price points in the months to come and will report back on my findings, but at the moment I am happy..

I would strongly recommend that if you are in the market for an upgrade or just want to see what your system is capable of, do like I have done, borrow and listen to cables at home on your system, in your own time.  

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

Russell K Speakers Now Available At Audio T Enfield

"With a combined Hi-Fi industry experience of more than 50 years the Russell K team introduces loudspeaker systems designed to sound like the real thing at affordable prices"

Russell K RED 50

Russell K does many things differently, unlike most speaker designs Russell K chooses to use no internal dampening and thin cabinet walls with internal bracing shelves instead of a more commonly used thick MDF body with lots of internal dampening. The crossover circuit is particularly interesting, in that it uses only a single coil on the mid/bass driver and a single capacitor in line with the tweeter. All of which creates a sonic performance like no other.

Russell K RED 50

The range starts with the RED 50 bookshelf speakers pictured above, which uses a 5" bass/mid driver & 25mm soft dome tweeter. The sound is unique, without coloration & transparent which allows the speaker to truly disappear. A must on anyone's audition list, for £1,000 high quality small bookshelf speakers.

Russell K RED 100

The RED 100 standmount speaker pictured above follows, which uses a bigger 6.5" bass/mid driver but shares the same 25mm tweeter, it also features a forward firing bass port which helps with speaker placement close to rear walls & helps to produce an even tighter bass response. The RED 100 builds on what the RED 50 already achieves, a bigger more effortless presentation is unlocked with the RED 100.

To complete the range the RED 150 floorstanding speakers have been painstakingly created & designed to achieve even greater depth in bass frequencies whilst retaining the speed & agility of a smaller one. 

We currently have both the RED 50 & 100's on demonstration, so book your demo today of these unique and great sounding speakers.

Many thanks

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood.

Audio T
159A Chase Side
Enfield
EN2 0PW
Tel: 0208 367 313

Russell K Loudspeakers are also available at Audio T Portsmouth

Rega Planar 2 Returns

The Rega Planar 2 returns to Rega's turntable lineup and it's looking and sounding good.

Rega planar 2 turntable

The Planar 2 is made up of a light weight acrylic laminated plinth which is available in gloss black or gloss white finishes, which features a hidden power switch underneath. The plinth is then supported by newly designed rubber feet to isolate and help prevent unwanted vibrations traveling through the turntable.

rega planar 2 feet

The motor, hub bearing assembly and platter are all new designs. A low noise 24v motor, a 11mm self securing brass bearing assembly and a 10mm float glass platter ensure a very smooth operation.

rega planar 2 glass platter

The tonearm used is the new Rega RB220 pre fitted with the Rega Carbon MM Cartridge. An aluminium tube is used which incorporates new zero play ball bearings and an automatic bias feature, making it not only sound fantastic but easy to setup too.

Rega planar 2 carbon cartridge

The Planar 2 sounds excellent, is easy to setup & even easier to live with. What had surprised me most is the jump in performance versus the RP1, despite both turntables using the same Rega Carbon cartridge.

Book your demo today!

Many Thanks

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood.

Audio T
159A Chase Side
Enfield
EN2 0PW
Tel: 0208 367 3132

Rega Hi-Fi products are available from also from: 
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, 
Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Dynaudio Emit M10s at Bristol

So, Dynaudio, from the land of fine bacon and cheese come this fine speaker brand.

We are impressed with the Dynaudio range in general (including Emit and Xeo ranges) here at Audio T in Bristol.

So, what can be said about these speakers?

dynaudio emit m10 standmount loudspeaker

The Emit M10 is the spiritual replacement for the much loved Audience 42 albeit with many generations of newer technology inside.

They have a classic design - elegant as Dynaudio state - leaving frills aside; they have a beautiful solid finish to them with a good substantial weight when lifting them.

They’re available in two colours: Satin Black Lacquer and Satin White Lacquer.

Dynaudio emit m10 standmount loudspeaker (rear)

So, to the technical specifications…

Sensitivity: 86 dB into 6 ohms. These is reasonable when partnered with a good amplifier in the same range like the Rega Brio-R for example.

2.8cm diameter soft dome tweeter (high-range) driver for precise highs whilst not sounding in any way edgy.

14cm diameter MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) squawker/woofer (mid-range/low range) driver for a solid, transparent mid-range and a fast and a tight low range performance.

What does it sound like?

I use Our Shadows by Deatoni Parks for low-range and accuracy, Barney Rubble by The Twang for high-end and control, River by Joni Mitchell for soundstage, King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar for low range and detail, Not Above That by Dawn Richard for low range and musicality, So what by Miles Davis for resonance and a breathing sound and the Third Movement From The New World by Dvorak (Decca) for top end control.

With all the above, it performs well…

The throbby low-range on Our Shadows was full-bodied for a stand-mount speaker without sounding flabby, equally, when the breaks come in, it presents them with pace keeping everything in check.

With the wrong setup the high-end can sound piercing and hard on Barney Rubble and From the New World, not so with the Emit M10s, on both, the high-end was well controlled by the soft dome tweeter which made the tracks enjoyable whilst maintaining realism, even when reaching a crescendo during From the New World.

There are two bass lines on King Kunta which only a well-defined system that is able to dissect sound can pick out, these speakers do a great job.

Not above that starts with a low-range ‘bomb’ with a slow build-up, this buildup loses its tension if the sound isn’t involving, not so with these speakers, it has you sitting forward until it reaches the top.

So What is a great old recording and the Dynaudio speakers just breathe as you’re listening to them.

Overall, we’re very impressed with the Dynaudio range (which also includes larger floor-mounts as well as wireless speakers).

We’d love to demonstrate these speakers to you so get in touch or come in and have a listen to these great standmount loudspeakers.

Dynaudio loudspeakers are available from Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swindon

New PMC Twenty5.23 Loudspeakers Arrive at Audio T Swindon

We have always liked PMC speakers and so we were really excited when these new Twenty5 23 arrived. This is just one of 5 new speakers in the range. So what is the difference compared to the previous Twenty23? Quite a few things...

PMC twenty5 23

The first thing that you notice are the newly designed plinth bars including spikes. When you look up to the drive units you notice the shiny surround of the bass/mid driver and a new tweeter. 

Turn the speaker around and you see a new even shinier back plate (or I would call it a mirror, good for checking your looks when connecting your speakers!) with newly designed 4mm speaker binding posts.

So far so good but what do they sound like? In a few words - Superb, excellent, outstanding! We noticed a controlled greater deeper bass with a nice smooth top end. Due to the advanced transmission line (ATL) concept with the new Laminair vent technology, these PMC Twenty5 23 rock but not only with rock music. They are a very nice listen.

There is a choice of 4 real-wood veneer finishes in oak (our pair), walnut, amarone and high-gloss diamond black. The retail price is £2970 for all finishes.

Please come in for a listen and and don't forget to bring your favorite music with you. CD's, records or some great tunes on a usb stick . We are sure you will enjoy the time here as much as we do.

See you soon

Stefan and Andy

PMC Hi-Fi loudspeakers are available from:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Clearaudio Turntable Event 2nd & 3rd September Audio T Portsmouth

We are delighted that Clearaudio are joining us on Friday 2nd (2pm - 7pm) & Saturday 3rd (10am - 5pm) September for an exciting event to showcase Clearaudio turntables.

Clearaudio will be bringing their amazing Master Innovation turntable (from £16,100) with special Parallel tracking Tonearm. Other than hearing one of the coolest turntables available, here are 3 additional reasons to attend:

1. FREE goodie bag for all customers coming to the event

2. Get your favorite record cleaned for free on the awesome Clearaudio record cleaning machine (1 record per customer).

3. FREE prize draw for one of two Professional Record Care Kits worth £120 each.

Clearaudio Concept

On demonstration throughout this two day event will be the following turntables from this premier German manufacturer:

Concept (from £995) - pictured above

Performance DC (from £2495)

Clearaudio Performance DC

Master Innovation (from £16,100) with Parallel tracking Tonearm

Clearaudio Master Innovation

Everyone is welcome to this fun event, so give in to curiosity and pop down for a listen.

Audio T Southampton Summertime Store & Hi-Fi News!

We may have been quiet on our store blog for a while but we have certainly been busy!

We have just finished a makeover of our store.  It's now looking clean and bright with freshly painted walls and new carpet throughout. 

Here's part of the shop front with walls resplendent in crisp Atlantic Surf, white with a hint of blue, replacing tired old magnolia! The new carpet tones in with both the new shop colour and the dem room.

The dem room walls are painted in soft grey, befitting the lower light conditions required for home cinema.

To go with our new shiny shop we have a lot of new products to show you.

Here's a taster!

Sony VPL-VW320ES 4K Projector

Our new Sony VPL-VW320ES 4K projector is producing spectacular images to complement the great sound in our Dolby Atmos dem room. 

Dynaudio Contour S 3.4LE

With the demo room in music mode we have been wowed by the awesome sound of these stunning Dynaudio Contour S 3.4LE speakers, in beautiful high gloss Bubinga finish.  Running from a Naim NAC N-272 streamer/pre-amp into our brand new NAP300DR power amplifier, with mains conditioning courtesy of an Isotek Sigmas this system is truly spectacular.  IsoTek's Titan and Mosaic Genesis mains regenerator are currently on hand for those who want to push audio performance to even greater heights!

Interest in vinyl continues to grow and we have some new turntables in store to suit all budgets.  

TEAC TN-300

Teac's TN-300 is a well engineered and beautifully finished record player for £299.95.  Ours looks great in lacquered cherry, one of five superb finishes available.

Rega Planar 2 

Rega have impressed us with both the superb build quality and performance of the new   Planar 2 and Planar 3 models. Fantastic sound at affordable prices as always from Rega.

Michelle Gyro SE

We thought it was time to offer another great British turntable brand so now have a magnificent Michell Gyro SE. Currently fitted with a Dynavector 10X5 it's not just beautifully engineered but sounds superb.  It looks good on our new carpet too!

Moving from source to speakers, we are delighted we now have some of the new PMC Twenty5 range on demo.

PMC twenty5 21

The Twenty5 21 look splendid in oak.  The cabinets are even better quality than the Twenty 21, our previous favourite compact speaker, and improvements in all key areas have really raised the audio performance to great effect.

PMC twenty5 23

Twenty5 23 looks set to overtake Twenty 23 as our most popular floorstanding speaker, building on the strengths of the earlier model whilst maintaining the all important compact, domestically acceptable, cabinet.

PMC twenty5 24

The Twenty5 24 is a revelation, sounding markedly superior than it's predecessor.  Our demo pair look splendid in Amarone finish.  Twenty5 22 and 26 will be in store soon.  We can't wait!

So, we have lots of new products for you to see and listen to in our newly refreshed store.  We look forward to welcoming you into our comfortable demo room very soon.

Alan and John

P.S. Watch this space for exciting news of a very exclusive product range arriving imminently!

New Rega Planar 1 2 & 3 Set The Benchmark For Entry And Mid Priced Turntables

New revised Rega Planar turntables are setting the standard for other manufacturers to follow. The most recent addition is the all new Rega Planar 1 inc Rega Carbon cartridge £248, joining the Rega Planar 2 also with Rega Carbon cartridge £375, and the Rega Planar 3 inc Rega Elys cartridge £625 or excluding cartridge £550.

All three Planar models have been thoroughly reworked, and set new performance levels at their price points. Available in either a gloss black or gloss white plinth they look pretty fabulous too! The red mat is an optional extra.

Just come along to Audio T Brighton with a favourite record or two and have a listen. Make  comparisons between them, and understand just how crucial the record player is in the great scheme of enjoying your music played on vinyl. It is vital, as once the signal leaves the record player that is what you get. So make sure you audition thoroughly to ensure you get the performance and sound you're looking for.

Buy the best you can realistically afford and then sit back and really start enjoying your music. It could be a real ear opener as a better record player can often give you what seems to be an entirely new record collection when you revisit the music and albums you thought you knew well. There is a lot of music in those grooves!

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

Quad Artera Play CD Player & Pre-Amplifier and Stereo Power Amplifier Arrive

The Quad Artera Play is a compact up to date CD and pre-amplifier that is not just stylish to look at but packed with connections and features that will enable you to enjoy your music from many sources and in many formats.

View fullsize

Ian unboxing the Quad Artera System

So, what connections are we talking about?

When we take a look at the inputs, of course we have the 2 RCA analogue inputs but this being a new QUAD product it also comes complete with a very competent Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) that has optical, coaxial and USB inputs. This means that you can connect a wide variety of components to great little box of tricks. The DAC will decode through the optical and coaxial inputs from 44.1KHz up to 192KHz and the USB input will decode not only from 44.1KHz all the way up to 384KHz but also comes fully loaded with the ability to deal with DSD files up to DSD 256. This makes this pre-amplifier a very versatile box indeed.

THE QUAD ARTERA SYSTEM

This Artera play also comes with a very good quality cd player built in with a front loading no tray mechanism for a stylish clean look product.

It also has a variety of output connectivity for connecting to other media devices via digital optical and coaxial as well as RCA analogue output and balanced XLR for a solid performance as well as connection.

The Artera play comes with an easy to use remote control but also has limited touchscreen functionality on the display panel keeping the look clean and uncluttered. A quality Hi-Fi product for the modern age!

There is also a matching partner power amplifier being the QUAD Artera Stereo. This power amplifier is very straight forward. Input connectivity gives you the option of RCA analogue and balanced XLR. It has had Quad's patented current dumping technology applied to it, teamed together with a somewhat modest 140 watts per channel means that this is not an amp that you have to be picky when it comes to matching speakers to your amplifier. It will drive the majority of speakers on the market and all without breaking the bank.

All told, we find this new Artera system to be stylish and sleek, easy to use and most importantly offers great sound. A fantastic effort by a reputable manufacturer offering sleek looks, quality sound and great versatility.

Quad Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swindon

PMC twenty5 22 Standmount Loudspeakers Arrive At Audio T Manchester

Introducing the new PMC twenty5 22's in Oak.

For those of you familiar with the ever popular PMC twenty range, the visual similarities between the new twenty5 range should be instantly recognizable.

However, that's where those similarities end. The new twenty5 range has had major improvements. And in all the right places too.

We have taken some pictures below and added a little information on the new and current tech PMC have employed in new twenty5 range.

Yes Chromey!!  that's right, it's like a Formula 1 style diffuser baffle. Excellent.   

Laminair Aerodynamic vent for better air flow through the transmission line. Derived using formula one technology, the Laminair vents offer improved air flow through the advanced transmission line. This reduces resistance, increases efficiency and eliminates air noise.  

Really Sweet Tweet!

 A new improved tweeter gives better dispersion for a wider sound stage. New bass driver using G-weave technology, which helps to achieve increased low frequency, improved mid-range clarity and better linear response.

The wood finish, here in oak, now has an improved veneer. The floorstanders also get new feet and spikes for improved stability and ease of installation.

Oh!  and they are made right here in UK.

So, how do they sound? well for a starter they sound faster, deeper with cleaner bass with greater definition, dynamics and timing. There is sense of space in the reproduction of music and they have a greater ability to handle power. 

But that's our opinion, come along and try them for yourself, we have the 22's and 24's on demonstration at the store.

We hope to see you at the store.

Munir, Mike, Simon, Haden and Dave

PMC Loudspeakers are also available from the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, 
Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon