Come And Hear The New Cable Ranges From The Chord Company

Join us on Friday 30th September (12 noon - 5pm) and Saturday 1st October (10am - 4pm) at Audio T Oxford, when we will be running a music event featuring the new cable ranges from The Chord Company.

The Chord Company has been designing and producing cables for Hi-Fi and home cinema systems since 1985. Recently The Chord Company completely restructured its cable line-up, with new ranges, new additions and a simplified grouping system.

The Chord Company’s product portfolio now comprises seven distinct ranges, from the entry-level C-series, to the flagship, ChordMusic cables. The new ranges make it easy to discern between price points and performance levels and offers consumers a high-quality Chord cabling solution, regardless of budget.

So come and join us to take a trip through the new Chord Company cable ranges and see how this most cost-effective of upgrades can work wonders with your system.

We will be demonstrating new Interconnects, speaker cables, power leads and digital audio cables (coax & ethernet) from the C-Line range through to the Signature Range.

This is a great opportunity to hear how much you can improve the sound quality of your system in a friendly and informal way. It really is one of the most cost effective upgrades you can make to improve the sound quality of your Hi-Fi system that will have you rediscovering your entire music collection. Refreshments and snacks will be served. Over the two day event we will be more than happy to answer any questions you have and also you will be able to borrow the cables to try at home in your own system. There will be exclusive special offers for attendees in over the two days.

We look forward to seeing you....Jon, Dom and Paddy.

One For And All For One! Join Us For A Musical Evening Featuring Chord Cyrus Project

Join us on the evening of Thursday 29th September between 4-8pm and see the following from Chord Co, Cyrus and Project.

Chord Company will be showing the new line up of cables from the C- Series, Shawline, Clearway and Epic. Also you can have a chat with Matt from Chord on future upgrades and also to arrange to borrow cables if you want to try them at home.

Cyrus have brought back the Cyrus One which was a classic in it's day and was the first amp I sold when I started 27 years ago. We also have the full Signature series with the Signature Phono hooked up to a Project Signature 10 turntable.

Project will be showing the Signature 10 and also the Classic deck which I am sure will bring back memories for those of you who remember the Thorens/Linn decks. We will also have the Project VC-S record cleaning machine which we will offer to clean five LP's for free on the night for vinyl lovers.

Refreshments and snacks will be served.

Andy and Stefan look forward to welcoming you on the night.

The Well Tempered Royale 400 Turntable, 50kg of Sheer Musical Joy!

The Background.

A little over two years ago I waxed lyrical about the Well Tempered Versalex turntable, you can read that blog here: and ended up buying one myself.

Everything I wrote back then I still stand by and much joy I have had, as have those customers who purchased one.

However, despite his age, Bill Firebaugh is an industrious fellow and has been working hard on what he would no doubt call a statement product. A deck designed without constraints to realise the maximum potential of his design philosophy. Read that in full here.

The design; in detail.

Enter the Royale 400. 400? Well that refers to the length of the tonearm in mm, which is roughly 16’’. That’s not a typo, sixteen inches! Why so long? Well, for starters, the cartridge will trace a larger arc across the record but Bill says more important than that is that it’s offset angle is now so minimal that there is almost no vector force to require any bias.

Naturally with an arm so long a larger plinth is required and that is the very first thing anyone will notice when they clap eyes on the Royale 400, its size; 63.5x55.5cm. However, in practice, this is only a little larger than a Quadraspire SVT table (59.5x47.5cm) for example. However a custom built 3 tier table the exact size to match is also available. It too uses birch ply for the shelves and features anodised extruded aluminium columns inside which is a one inch diameter steel rod running the entire height of the table and threaded at both ends to facilitate a compression method of tightening. It’s extremely rigid.

As before, the plinth is solid birch ply but instead of the Versalex’s 30mm it is 65mm and this is sandwiched between two 14mm solid aluminium sheets between which is a proprietary rubber damper which is also used under the arm collar and motor mount. Naturally the use of squash balls is out of the question due to the sheer weight of the deck so Bill has designed a unique solution for the Royale 400; four fully adjustable machined aluminium feet that incorporate three ceramic ball bearings, a smaller but identical version of those made for the custom rack. 

Speaking of weight, this deck weighs in at a not inconsiderable 50kg and this along with the whole construction accounts for its immense structural rigidity and self-damping. Indeed, when mounted atop the custom rack one can even thump the top of the plinth and barely a sound is heard through the loudspeakers let alone upset the tracking of the cartridge!

The rest of the design follows previous methodology though beefed up somewhat. The main bearing remains as before, a round spindle in a triangular aperture but of wider diameter and a higher level of machining as can be seen in the images. The oversized platter also remains but increases from 25mm to 38mm in height and therefore much heavier too.

The DC motor is retained but now speed change from 33 to 45 is available via a rear-mounted switch and a speed tuning knob replaces the small rear aperture requiring a screwdriver of the Versalex. Drive, via the polyester thread stays the same as with all WT turntables.

Speed adjuster and 33-45rpm selection

The tonearm is identical to that of the Versalex bar the increased length of course and the replacement of the connection block for the plinth mounted Lemo socket. The two output phono sockets are now mounted on the rear of the deck.

Output options

Our new benchmark in vinyl replay quality is established.

As I said, everything I wrote back in 2014 regarding the Versalex’s performance stands but every now and then something changes that forces one to recalibrate one’s appreciation of quality or performance, whether it’s the new iPhone, the latest Ferrari or the latest turntable design.

This is exactly what the Royale 400 was designed to achieve and oh boy does it achieve it?

Let's start by stating the Royale 400 is clearly recognisable as a Well Tempered. This is no total rethink or contrary design. It is the design principles of a forward thinking turntable designer taken to a whole new level. I was going to say the max but who knows what else Bill may one day envisage?

I could allude to all its hi-fi and audiophile characteristics, which is has in spades and without which, the Royale 400 would no doubt not do what it does.

What this turntable does do though, and far, far better than any in my previous experience is convey the performance of the piece. That’s what strikes one first, the sheer believability of what’s before you. Never before has the emotion of a singer or of a guitar player been so well delivered. The grip and control, of the entire spectrum, macro and micro dynamics is breathtaking and challenges your understanding of your most beloved music. For example; I played ‘’Since I’ve Been Loving You’’ from Led Zep III first pressing and heard bass lines and drum patterns I didn’t know where even there with Jimmy’s searing guitar sending shivers down my spine whilst all along Robert Plants soulful smooth tone remained, that is until he belts out in falsetto.  

Listening to Sonny Rollins’ play ‘’Blue 7’’ on the album Saxophone Colossus one can so clearly hear the reed emanating from the horn in front of you.

I could go on with many such examples but I feel I could never truly do justice to the experience.

After living with the Royale 400 for two whole weeks my only disappointment was the following two weeks getting over its return.

Now, where did I leave my tape measure?

Simon

SPECIFICATIONS

• Multi-layer “baltic” plywood central layer.
• Switchable 33 to 45 RPM
• Anodized aluminium top and bottom layers.
• Proprietary rubber damping material between layers, motor and tonearm coupling.
• Isolation feet capable of supporting the heavy plinth.
• Electronic servo speed controlled motor.
• Refined platter assembly and zero clearance main bearing.
• The now purely mechanical LTD tonearm with 16” (400mm) arm tube.
• Symmetrex tonearm configuration with golf ball suspended in silicone fluid for optimum variable damping
• “Zero Clearance” platter bearing
• 0.004” polyester thread belt
• Easy azimuth adjustment

Well Tempered Royale 400 £10995, Custom Rack £2995

Our New Dynaudio's Emit A Lovely Sound, The New Emit 10's That Is!

The title 'entry level' has only been bestowed upon the Dynaudio Emit 10's (£499)  due to its price, however they are not remotely 'entry level,' nor budget quality in any sense. Dynaudio have delivered a diverse and very capable high fidelity loudspeaker, which is both hard working and delightful to listen to.

The Emit 10's feature Dynaudio's infamous soft dome 28mm diameter tweeter (those extra millimetres do count) and a 14cm magnesium silicate polymer bass driver.

An impeccable stereo sound stage can be achieved easily with the M10's and you don't have to break the bank with the amplifier you choose to drive them with either. The sensibly priced Rega Brio at (£548) works like a dream.

For more on the Emit 10 speaker's and how good they actually sound take a peek at the review the guys at Audio T Bristol have written here.   

The Dynaudio Emit 10

The now legendary silk dome tweeter from Dynaudio has been a stalwart component over the years for the Danish company.

The Emit 10s have been designed and built in Denmark with a neutral approach to blending in discreetly to the modern home. 

Chromey's just checking to see if the the Emit 10's are still built in Denmark. Yes there are.

The Dynaudio Emit 10's are on demonstration at our Manchester store. The Emit 20 and 30 are also available to listen to.

Pop in say and hello to Dave, Simon, Mike, Haden or Munir and we'll play you a ditty or two with Dynaudio's.

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

The New Project Classic Turntable Has Arrived At Audio T Brentwood

We've just taken delivery of our Project Classic turntable in a very attractive walnut finish.

It looks and sounds superb!

Project have taken visual design cues from such venerable turntables as older Thorens, Ariston, and of course a certain famous Scottish deck.

But don't be fooled by the looks, this turntable is full of modern materials and tech. The top plate is a sandwich construction resting on tpe isolation/damping balls, the motor is also damped. There is a new iteration of the project carbon fibre tonearm which is a sandwich construction with aluminium and it comes fitted with an Ortofon 2m silver cartridge. The upshot of this is a very clean and rhythmic sound.

We think our Project Classic looks very distinguished in its dark walnut finish, but it also comes in rosenut and eucalyptus . All in all fit and finish are excellent and the sound is lovely.

Boswell enjoys the Pro-ject Classic.

We have the Project Classic on dem in the shop so why not pop in and see how much of a new lease of life it can give to your records.

Pro-ject Hi-Fi products are also available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, PrestonReading, Swansea, Swindon

Upcoming Musical Events at Audio T Oxford

We are running a whole series of musical events over the next few weeks:

Chord Company: Friday September 30th & Saturday October 1st.

Chord have introduced their biggest changes to their range of interconnects, speaker cables and mains leads. A representative from Chord will be on hand to guide you through the new ranges and offer advice on how best these can be utilised to transform your existing system. More details to follow shortly.

IsoTek Mains Conditioning: Friday November 4th & Saturday November 5th.

Are you hearing your Hi-Fi at its best? The answer is probably no. IsoTek will be showing you how to transform the sound quality by ensuring that the quality of the mains feed is uncorrupted. More details to follow.

Vinyl and Valves: Friday November 18th & Saturday November 19th.

Henley Designs will be bringing a selection of gorgeous Unison Research valve, valve hybrid amplifiers, CD spinners, plus some of the more exotic Pro-ject turntables. If you really like your music, you really should come along for a listen. More details to follow.

Yamaha RXA-1060 Home Cinema Receiver

Yamaha have maintained a high level of performance at the £1,099 price point with the new RXA1060. This stunning home theater amplifier has all the features you would expect to find at this level including, Dolby Atmos, Spotify, DTS-X 4K Ultra HD and Bluetooth aptX.

It also supports Musiccast, Yamaha's own multi-room streaming system. With the addition of Yamaha's wireless speakers such as the ISX-80  and the WX030 in separate rooms the RXA1060 can become the heart of a multi room system allowing you to fill your house with your favorite music.

Yamaha RXA-1060 AV Home Cinema Amplifier

Musiccast Products - ISX80 & WX030

All of these great features are easily controlled with Yamaha's slick Smart App. The Smart App is clearly laid out and responsive and unlike some smart apps it gives the user full and complete control through all the amplifiers features.

The RXA1060 is not only engaging and exciting when in home cinema mode but is extremely capable when being used in two channel stereo situations offering great imaging and depth of sound not to mention clarity.

RXA1060 Rear

At £1099 this amplifier comes highly recommended, give us a call to book your demonstration. 

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

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