Chromey Takes A Trip Along The i35 With Primare.

For those of you that may already know of the Swedish Hi-Fi manufacturer Primare, you will know that they have been around for over thirty years and have produced some of the best looking Hi-Fi to come out of the Scandinavia.

So when we got introduced to the new i35 integrated streamer amplifier from Primare, it wasn't a surprise to see a stunning looking piece of Hi-Fi. The only question was, will it sound as good as it looks.

So without further ado, here it is and it doesn’t disappoint…

Interestingly our favourite bespoke men’s clothing retailer also stock one of the best Swedish tie and shirt designers in Sweden, Eton. So, for our blog we needed some pictures and we thought why not take the photographs over at Doherty Evans & Stott and keep the Swedish theme going.

Right then, to the sound quality, 150 watts into 8 Ohms of class D amplification, delivered through ultra-short signal paths. Primare have built their theories into metal and circuity, utilising ultra-short signal paths thus reducing the signal to noise ratio, lowering the noise floor and giving way to cleaner sounding musica. So the result is an impressive open sound that doesn’t disappoint.

To give you an example, we have the i35 running on the our ground floor at Manchester store. A gentleman popped in and asked to listen to the Naim CD5si CD player. Our demonstration room was busy upstairs, so we connected it to the Primare i35 on the shop floor, which was driving a pair of Dynaudio Contour 60’s. The results were stunning, we played Solid Air from John Martyn via the standard RCA output from the CD5si into one of the analogue inputs on the i35. All we can say is that as a regular Hi-Fi amplifier with analogue inputs the i35 is more than capable of holding its own against other £3k+ amplifiers. (and the customer purchased the CD player!).

But that’s not all, remember the Primare i35 is also a very capable network streamer and DAC, and as good as it is with the RCA inputs it’s even better with its digital streaming duties. Using the slick looking Prisma app we directed the i35 to our ever-burgeoning collection of hi-res music files and pow!!. The i35 takes another leap forward in sound quality. With insane amounts of detail the Primare just plays music with aplomb.

Around the back we have an array of inputs. Multiple optical and electrical co-axial inputs with USB. 2 balanced XLR analogue inputs for those high end sources. Throw in a few RCA inputs and outputs and even network LAN in and out and you have a full compliment of connections.

For those of with a keen eye you may have noticed the gold plated threads for attaching a Bluetooth and wireless aerials. (we didn’t have those connected in as we had our unit wired via an ethernet connection). So you can cast your music straight from an Apple or Android device, be it a tablet or PC or phone.

Now, as we mentioned earlier, we took the photographs at Doherty Evans & Stott in order to snap a few shots with other products from Sweden. In this case beautifully crafted ties and shirts from Eton. And it looks like Chromey is keen on those lovely ties too, but at 43mm tall his only option is to tuck himself in…

…ah well. (bless him)

Primare have the finest selector switches, the impeccably polished chrome selector switch offers such a satisfying clunk as you change inputs, just oozing quality. “yes my selecta”

Everything in this picture is designed in Sweden, the shirt, the ties, the Primare i35. However, Chromey was hewn out of solid steel somewhere in the Empire.

The Prisma app running on our Ipad.

The front display on the Primare i35.

Right then, that just about covers it. The rest is up to you, does the Primare i35 streaming amplifier tickle your fancy? If it does, why don’t you arrange for Audio T Manchester to demonstrate it to you.

Our demo model is up and running on the shop floor at the moment.

Munir, Dave, Simon, Mike and Haden are waiting on standby and ready to help!.

Primare Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Bristol, Cheltenham, Manchester

Brentwood Comes Of Age 21st Birthday Week & B&W 800 Event

It’s hard to believe but the store is 21 years old in a couple of weeks. In that time we’ve seen brands and formats come and go but in all that time our core beliefs have remained the same; by offering home audio and visual equipment, that will give people the maximum enjoyment and pleasure from listening to their music or watching films.

So to celebrate turning 21, and to show off our newly decorated store, we’re going to have a birthday week celebration!

The main event will be on Thursday the 29th with Bowers and Wilkins and Chord Electronics.

We will be showing off the 800 series speakers, which have recently arrived in the store plus some goodies from Chord Electronics for source and amplification. There will be food and drink supplied and music to suit all tastes.

For the rest of the week we’ll be happy to see you, give you a cuppa and maybe even a slice of birthday cake! Ask us about our special Birthday Offers and fill in an entry form in our FREE prize draw.

1st prize - A personal guided tour of the B&W 800 production facility - Priceless!

2nd prize - B&W P5 wireless headphones worth £229.

3rd prize - B&W umbrella

Four 4th prizes - of Audio T record bags worth £49

Book your tickets for the Thursday event here

There’s no charge, but it helps us predict the space and catering requirements!

No Boswell is NOT a prize!

So there you have it, 21 years is a long time but we hope to be going for many more.

Come in and say hi and help celebrate with us.

Paul, Francis, Jason and Boswell - Audio T Brentwood

New Rega Planar 8 Record Player At Audio T Brighton

We enjoyed hosting our Rega Planar 8 launch and Diverse Vinyl ‘pop up shop’ on Saturday 3rd November, as it gave us and a good number of customers the first opportunity to experience just how good the new Planar 8 is.

Planar 8 with Neo power supply.

The rather beautifully formed new Planar 8 was inspired by the ultimate Rega turntable, the Naiad. The 8 is full of innovation and clever solutions to engineering issues, with improvements over its predecessor in many areas.

The skeletal Planar 8 excluding felt mat and acrylic cover.

It can be chosen without a cartridge or configured with Ania MC or Apheta 2 MC with a price advantage. The Planar 8 inc Apheta provides a very fine performance for the price and is likely to prove very popular, with the Planar 8 inc Ania also punching well above its weight.

At our launch event, we had two Planar 8’s with the cartridge options on demonstration and it was interesting that everyone could clearly hear a substantial difference. We have of course chosen to keep the Apheta 2 version as our demonstrator, so come along with a few records and give it a good listen. So, if you haven’t yet had the chance to hear it, we think you will like it!

The exciting box opening…

Join us at Audio T Brighton

Rega products are available are available from all branches of Audio T.

New Rega Planar 8 Turntable And Aria Version 2 Phono Stage Available At Audio T Swindon

The new Rega Planar 8 turntable and the Aria Version2 MM/MC phono stage have arrived here with us and we can’t wait to have a listen to them!

The Rega Planar 8 is the newest member of Rega’s turntable range and it is available without a fitted cartridge or with two factory-fitted cartridge options (with Ania or Apheta2).

Let’s take a closer look at the Planar 8.

A deconstructed Rega Planar 8

The ultra lightweight plinth (Tancast 8 polyurethane foam - a material developed for the aerospace industry) with a double brace mounted between the tonearm and main hub bearing. It prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonance.

Planar 8 plinth and new RB880 tonearm

Rega Planar 8

The super flywheel effect triple layer glass platter

The Planar 8 is powered by the supplied Neo PSU . It offers a smooth power supply and electronic speed adjustment.

NEO PSU

NEO PSU (Rear)

Our demonstration Planar 8 with the factory fitted Apheta 2 moving-coil cartridge.

Rega Apheta 2 cartridge

But there is one more thing!

What about a lid/cover? No problem. There is a nice lid in the box.

Before we connect it up to our system, we have a look at the Rega Aria phono stage. This is the newer version that matches the design of the Rega Apollo-R CD player and Brio-R integrated amplifier.

The Aria has two entirely separate high performance phono stages, a fully adjustable moving coil and a moving magnet stage. Each stage has its own input sockets and input pre-amplifier circuitry.

The MC input allows to select resistive input loading of 70 ohms to 400ohms and capacitive loading of 1000pF to 4200pF. The input sensitivity can be changed by 6dB.

Rega Aria Phono Stage

With both , the Planar 8 and the Aria, connected to the award winning Rega Elicit-R amplifier and a pair of Spendor A4 floor standing speakers we started listening to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memory.

Straight out of the box, the Planar 8 turntable sounds fantastic. The detail and rhythm are amazing, there is groove and it makes you want to listen to more vinyl.

Next on the list is Nirvana’s Album Unplugged in New York. I watched this concert live on MTV many years ago and listening to it on the Rega Planar 8 brings back memories. Voices and instruments stand out into the room with so much depth and space around them. Fantastic!

Planar 8, Aria, Elicit-R, Neo PSU

Come in and have a listen and bring some of your favorite records. We will provide tea and coffee. Thanks for reading Stefan & Andy - Audio T Swindon

Rega Hi-Fi products are available at all branches of Audio T.

Audio T Bristol Welcomes Primare Prisma Range

Primare have been making quality Hi-Fi for over 30 years and their equipment is incredibly well engineered which isn’t just for appearance as it sounds great. The move to streaming has not passed the guys at Primare  by. Their streaming system, called Prisma, is a very capable media solution offering Airplay, Bluetooth, Spotify and Chromecast built in. This allows a seamless solution for all your streaming and multi-room needs.

Primare i35 Range

The Primare i35 streaming amplifier is a cleverly thought out piece of audio engineering. It’s modular design means it can function in any which way you want. So you could buy it as a standard Hi-Fi amplifier which provides ample power, 150w per channel, just add the matching high quality Primare CD 35 CD player. If you already have a streamer you can buy the amp with a card installed for high quality digital playback. If you don’t have a streamer all is not lost as you can buy the i35 with the previously mentioned Prisma solution. If you have an amplifier and need a CD player but you also want to delve into the world of streaming you can buy the i35 CD with Prisma and away you go. I think Primare have all combinations covered here.

Primare i15 Range

The Primare i15 amplifier and DD15 CD player s is similar to the i35 range but in a small package. The amplifier is only available with prisma installed so you could buy that for a complete streaming solution or as part of a muiti-room system. It will drive most speakers with its 60 watts per channel output. If you need CD playback there is a matching CD transport and if you just need a CD player come streamer then it is available with Prisma built in.

We have tried all the above with different speaker combinations and genres of music. We think they perform admirably in terms of the sound they produce and functionality they offer. The streaming side of things is a pleasure to use, which means you can simply get on with listening to music.

As always we say don’t take our word for how good the Primare is, come along and have a listen and judge for yourself. Martin, Max and James - Audio T Bristol.

Primare Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:

Bristol, Cheltenham, Manchester

Quad ERA-1 Planar Headphones

I must profess that I am not a regular headphone user. I have always preferred the more natural presentation that you tend to get with a good Hi-Fi with the acoustic subtleties, caused by the room acoustics. However, the new Quad ERA-1 may well change my opinion.

The ERA-1 features a 20-Ohm impedance,m108dB sensitivity and a 10Hz~40kHz frequency response. It comes with two sets of ear pads (one synthetic leather, one genuine sheepskin) a fitted case and detachable (socket-fitted) two-meter cable with 3.5mm jack and 6.3mm adapter included.

Build quality is excellent, with the ERA-1 featuring a comfortable headband and a healthy dose of metal-alloy and plastic throughout its chassis.

The ERA-1 fits comfortably and snugly. Having the choice of pads is surprisingly useful, personally, I preferred the comfort of the sheepskin pads.

The sound of the ERA-1’s is classic Quad: Warm and musical. Possessing superb bass control and extension, combined with tremendous detail and spatial separation. £599 is by no means cheap, however, anyone looking for a pair of high end headphones, should give these Quad ERA-1 headphones some serious consideration.

We have a demonstration pair here at Audio T Oxford, so please do come and have a listen for yourself.

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

 

Can You Get Excited By A Loudspeaker Stand? SolidSteel Stands To Reason!

I cannot remember ever being excited by a loudspeaker stand as much as this (apart from that time I bought a pair of Linn Sara stands for my …..err ….. Linn Sara’s)

These little beauties come courtesy of an Italian company that I’ve not come across before called Solid Steel. Now it transpires that they have been making speaker stands and Hi-Fi supports varying shapes and sizes since 1990 with a mission “To serve music and nothing else”

When their rep turned up at the store with what we thought was just another pair of speaker stands to say we were a little sceptical was a bit of an understatement! When he took our little Acoustic Energy AE100 off their Atacama stands and put on the Solid Steel SS6 the sound was totally transformed. We just looked at each other with open mouths and promptly ordered some!

Now they are not what you would call conventional looking stands . They are three legged which makes them really easy to rigidly fix them to your floor. The nice chunky spikes help too!

They are made from tubular stainless steel and have a special anti-resonant coating. They have height adjustable spikes and it is possible to add mass loading too for that little bit of extra performance. The really clever bit is the decoupling between the stand and the top plate. This is achieved through three high precision ball bearings upon which the top plate sits and is held in place by a metal tube which itself is de-coupled by a rubber “o” ring…….all very clever! This effectively means that the loudspeaker will be effectively locked rigidly in space which will result in a much cleaner and more open sound.

They come in three different heights to suit whatever bookshelf design of loudspeakers you might have. Different top plates are also available for that extra bit of customising to your speakers. Heights available are 525mm, 625mm or 725mm.

They are designed to be used with the single column at the rear which Solid Steel claim gives them improved rigidity but if you really prefer the look of them the other way round then ….. hey rules are made to be broken!

For the purposes of this blog I set up a system comprising of Rega’s rather lovely Planar 3 turntable with an Elys cartridge running into Rega’s Elex R amp (both recent What HiFi award winners by the way!!). I chose to partner them with the ATC SCM11 loudspeakers and to start with I put them on a pair of the HiFi Racks stands which are no slouches in their own right!

I chose an LP that I am familiar with, the rather lovely new album by a band called Lump. Lump basically consists of Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay normally part of the band Tunng.

Lump have been described as a heady blend of wonked-out guitars, Moog synths and pattering drums set against droning colliding clouds of flutes with lyrics inspired by early 20th century Surrealism and the absurdist poetry of Edward Lear and Ivor Cutler, slicing through the apparent emptiness of contemporary life. My copy is pressed on lovely translucent green vinyl!

This album has some great vocals and wonderful deep low bass and when I swapped the HiFi Racks stands for the Solid Steel stands the difference was just staggering. The bass that was already lush and lovely became deeper and tighter and within the bass was revealed lots of deep growly detail. The mid range became more open revealing tiny vocal nuances that just were not there before. Rhythms clashing and colliding off each other become hypnotic. The ATC really need this type of platform to perform of their best.

This result has been repeated in store with every pair of speakers that we put on them making these a must listen to upgrade if you want to get the best out of your bookshelf speakers. Pop in to Audio T Cheltenham store to arrange either a home demo or a demo in store….you will be amazed!!

SolidSteel stands are available at the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Cheltenham, Manchester

QUAD Artera Solus and ATC Loudspeakers New H-Fi At Audio T Portsmouth

We have recently taken on the New Quad Solus from the Artrera range and ATC loudspeakers. We were hugely impressed by the Solus when first we heard it, and likewise with the ATCs.

When both products arrived on the same the same day we thought why not run them in together. One of the first speakers we received from ATC where the SCM11 and we thought they would be a good match for the Quad Solus. We think we were right.

The Solus features a CD player, Bluetooth, accessible DAC including 3 digital coax, 2 optical inputs and an Asynchronous USB. There are 2 analogue RCA inputs as well. You are also spoiled for choice when it comes down to outputs. There are 2 analogue pre-outputs, RCA's and Balanced allowing you to add the Artera Stereo power amp should you wish. Finlay there is also an optical out should you need. A very well spaced product for a one box solution offering some serious upgrade options.

ATC SCM 11

Moving to the other end of the system, the ATC SCM11. A beautifully designed infinite baffle (closed box) two way speaker, offering 4 finish options. Black ash, Cherry (featured) Satin black and white.  Made in Britain I might add.  We mounted them on the Custom Design FS104 signature stands, as everything seems to work well on them, connected them with Chord Rumour speaker cable, popped in ''Long Road Out of Eden'' by the Eagles and pressed play. Straight out of the box the SCM11s sounded pretty good if not a little restrained as one might expect. We left them to it for a couple of hours and unboxed the rest of the ATC speakers that had arrived. Such as the SCM7 SCM19 and the SCM40.

We sat down for a listen and even after a relatively short running in period they had already opened up and where starting to sound more engaging. As good as they sounded, we knew there was more to come, and to form an opinion then and there would be unfair so we left them running for the rest of the day and over night. Towards the end of the following day we sat down again and put them through their paces. By this time the Solus had plenty of time to sound at its best, and overall performance was vastly improved from the previous day, by that I mean almost a totally different sound. The bass extension was great, dynamic, tight and fun. To let the bottom end show off a little, we played Newton Faulkners version of Massive Attacks “Tear Drop”. Newton’s slightly gravelly vocal characteristic really came through, but the really fun bit happens right at the end. There is a huge bass tone that can sound either flat or overblown on a lot of systems. Not this one. A good test for clarity and separation for vocals is Blood Money by Tom Waits ''Misery is the river of the world'' specifically. With Waits distinctive vocal style, it is not always easy to understand what he is growling on about. Having said that even when every word is crystal clear one can still be left none the wiser. The lyrics were well defined and easy to make out. The overall sound from the system is well detailed without being analytical, well defined in the bottom but most importantly really good fun to listen to. As cliche' as it sounds the Solus SCM11 combo really brought the music to life, it gives spaciousness and real presence allowing you to fully immerse in whatever you are listening to.

We had a quick play with the DAC side of things using the Sonos Connect. We used a Chord Company Clearway Digital coax interconnect  and Clearway Analogue so we could switch between them. We simply repeated what we had previously listened to through Spotify. The difference was quite clear. The Solus dac made a really good account of itself improving the Spotify source no end.

To conclude, the Quad Artera Solus is versatile, solid great build quality and is fun and engaging to listen to. A grate value product that punches above its price point. We can't wait to spend more time with the SCM11 and rest of the ATC range.  The SCM11 aloud the Solus to really stretch its wings, they are responsive, engaging, fun with great tonal balance. We can't find a bad word to say about them and are really looking forward with more electronics in the future.

Come and hear for yourself.

We look forward to seeing you at Audio T Portsmouth.

Nick Joe and James

ATC Loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Portsmouth

Don't Be Afraid To Catch Feels: The Arcam SA20 Amplifier

Arcam aficionados and Hi-Fi buffs with good memories will recall Arcam's previous series of amplifiers (the A29, A39 and A49) had a clever output stage design (Class G), whereby it ran Class A for the 1st 20 watts or so, then kicked in Class A/B when more power was required; the cannon and kettle drums at the crescendo of the 1812 Overture, to use a worn-to-the-point-of-transparency example. This gives it a generous soundstage, and a very solid, clean, open, grown-up sound.

The Arcam A-series of amplifiers was so well received and successful, that they've kept the design idea for the new HDA range, (currently 2 amplifiers and a disc/network audio player) plus given it a thorough re-working. So much so, the current baby model - the SA10 now has better performance than the old A29 and our eponymous hero the SA20, better performance than the old A39. In addition to the considerable performance upgrade, Arcam have added a very useful DAC (I shall expand on this in a later blog) derived from their work with the famous irDACMk2. Taken with the moving-magnet phono stage, this is very much the modern amplifier.

Customers demand lots under the hood these days.

That's all well and good, shiny toys for all the good boys etc, so what?

Well; I recently had a gentleman walk in with a couple of LPs tucked under his arm and ask me
about suitable turntables for him. After a bit of chat (*highly* skilled sales technique surely?-ed), we settled on the Rega Planar 3 Elys2. It's a cliche for a reason - there's not much to touch it at the price.

"May I have a listen?" says he, raising his vinyl (very nearly an armful*)

"Of course" says I, "Can you give me a minute to take it up to the demo suite?"

"Please take your time" (What a nice man.)

Casting about for an amplifier with a phono stage, my eye settled on the SA20: nice amp,
got a magnet phono stage, not terribly expensive, will drive these Monitor Audio Silver 200s I've got upstairs already, it’ll put the Planar 3 under a microscope, chap's got M.A. speakers at home, happy days.

*couldn’t resist

We settle in with a cup of tea (thanks Chris!) and after a couple of piano concerto snippets (all very nice, the recordings aren't exactly brilliant but it doesn’t diminish our enjoyment) things are going pretty well. After twenty minutes and everything's warmed up, my gentleman pulls out an album featuring Yo-Yo Ma (hey! I've heard of him) and the pianist Katherine Stott....

...and he asks me to play Le Cygne (The Swan) by Camille Saint Saens.

Wow!

Four bars in and I turn to look if he's getting what I'm getting. He's all glassy-eyed and pulling a tissue out of his jacket pocket, whilst I notice my throat has gone a bit thick.

"Ieusu Mawr" he says, "That's got me where I live"

I nod in agreement and mouth the word "Fantastic".

Thanks for reading. You’re all very welcome to pop in anytime for a listen and chat - Nic, Chris and Adrian (blogger). Audio T Swansea.

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

Legendary Hi-Fi Brand Linn, Is Now Available For Audition At Audio T Swindon

We are proud and extremely excited to announce that we are now an official Linn dealer at Audio T Swindon. In this blog we will introduce you to some of their fantastic Hi-Fi products and we hope it will encourage you to come in and have a listen.

Linn, based in Glasgow, Scotland, is one of the oldest and most revered British manufacturers of Hi-Fi equipment. They make turntables (the legendary Linn Sondek), loudspeakers, amplifiers and digital network music players. They’ve always been an innovator and were the first Hi-Fi company to stop CD players in 2009, so they could focus on the development of their digital music streaming and network players.

Let’s start with the range of turntables, the iconic Sondek LP12. Every person who has bought a Sondek LP12 from 1973 onwards has been able to fully upgrade their turntable to the very latest specification and every single Sondek LP12 is made by hand and signed by the person who builds it.

The three ranges are Majik LP12, Akurate LP12 and Klimax LP12.

The choice of plinth finishes are oak, cherry, black ash, rosenut and walnut. The Majik LP12 includes the Majik sub-chassis, Solid Base base board, Majik power supply, a Pro-Ject 9CC carbon tonearm and the Adikt moving-magnet cartridge.

Majik LP12 in oak

Majik LP12 with Adikt Cartridge

Majik LP12

We also have an Akurate LP12 ready for demonstration.

This LP12 comes with an external Lingo 4 power supply, Kore upgraded sub-chassis, Trampolin suspended aluminium base board, Akito tonearm and the Krystal moving-coil cartridge.

Akurate LP12 in walnut

Akurate LP12 with Akito Tonearm and Krystal Cartridge

Linn Krystal Moving-Coil Cartridge

Lingo Power Supply

Linn Network Music Systems:

There is a range of four systems and we would like to show you the entry level Linn Majik DSM.

It is a true one-box two-channel music system (available in black or silver) with a powerful 90W per channel amplifier, 15 digital (HDMI, coaxial, optical ) & analogue inputs, a built-in phono stage (MM) for connecting a turntable, Tidal & Qobuz lossless streaming, streaming form a NAS, Internet radio and much more.

Linn Majik DSM

Linn Majik DSM

The system can be controlled via iOS/Android app and a computer desktop option is available, too. A remote control for convenience is supplied.

The Linn Majik DSM is a very versatile system that allows you to connect a turntable, TV, set-top box or a games console - No problem. There are 3 optical, 3 coaxial, 4 HDMI and 4 analogue inputs (one of them for a turntable).

The Linn Kazoo control app is well designed and works really well. Choose your source, select your music and turn it up - That’s it.

Here is a screen shot of the Linn Kazoo App and what you can choose to listen to.

But there’s one more thing.…

To complete the system we have added a pair of Linn Majik 140 loudspeakers.

This is a 4-way floorstanding loudspeaker and only one out of 3 in the range. There is a pair a bookshelf speakers (Majik 109) and a centre speaker (Majik 112 for a home theatre system) as well.

Linn Majik 140 speakers

Linn Majik 140 speakers

Linn Majik 140 speaker terminal

The Linn system in one of our demonstration rooms:

This is a great music system, with plenty of detail, rhythm and groove and it makes us want to listen to more music. Whether you want to play your favourite records or stream your music digitally it’s fantastic! So come on in and have a listen to one of the best British Hi-Fi brands around!

Thank you for reading. Andy & Stefan Audio T Swindon

Linn products are available at the following branches of Audio T:

Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Swindon

Classic Album Sunday Hi-Fi System

On the 14th October we supplied and set up a hi-fi system in Pie and Vinyl for an event called Classic Album Sunday.

Classic Album Sunday describe themselves as: “the world's most popular and respected album listening event with satellites in four continents.”

The event was hosted by a great local record shop called Pie and Vinyl, and this is just one of many such events that are put on around the UK that “tells the stories behind the albums that have shaped our culture and in some cases, our lives.”

The album chosen by Classic Album Sunday for the event was Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth. For anyone not familiar, it’s a very raw sounding, indie-rock album from the late eighties, not exactly an album we would choose to show off a high quality hi-fi system so we were a little apprehensive. We wanted to use some of our favourite kit, but some hi-fi can be very unforgiving of “low-fi” recordings like Daydream Nation so we had to choose our system carefully. We wanted the sound to be raw and live sounding, without being so warts-and-all that it was unpleasant to listen to.

After some experimentation in the shop, this is the system we decided on, and it surpassed our expectations on the night.

Rega RP10 with Aphelion Cartridge

Rega RP10 with the Rega Aphelion Cartridge British company Rega make our favourite turntables and they play everything well. They are especially engaging for rock music, and are hand made in their factor Colchester in Essex.

Rega Aria

Rega Aria Phono Stage is a high quality phono stage for Moving Magnet or Moving Coil cartridges.

Naim SuperNait 2

Naim SuperNait 2 Naim Audio make world class hi-fi from their factory in Salisbury, UK. Many people get hooked on their outstanding musical presentation and never look back.

PMC Twenty5 24 Speakers

PMC Twenty5 24 Speakers With their heritage in making professional monitors for recording studios, these speakers will get you as close as any to how the artist intended the music to sound. PMC are another British Hi-Fi companyand are based in Bedfordshire in the UK.

REL S3 SHO

REL S3 SHO Subwoofer REL, based in Bridgend in Wales, are a specialist subwoofer manufacturer and we think they are the best, especially good with stereo music systems, which they were originally designed for. Home cinema was a bonus!

Other components in the system include Naim FraimLite rack, Naim NACA5 speaker cable, Chord Epic Interconnect, various power cables including Naim Powerline, Chord Signature and Shawline. Silent Mount SM7. All contribute to the performance of the system.

The people that attended, we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did and if you’re reading this, please feel free to come and listen to any of the above hi-fi equipment in one of our comfortable demonstration rooms.

Till next time - Nick, Joe and James - Audio T Portsmouth

Rega Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T

Naim Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T

Chord Co cables are available from all branches of Audio T

REL sub bass systems are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Bask In Splendid Isolation With Meze Audio Classic & Neo Headphones

With the clocks about to go back, and the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing well underway, you may feel that it’s time to consider an antidote in the form of a pair of headphones.

Here in store we have a selection of headphones of the closed and open back varieties, and in this blog we thought we would focus on a couple of models which might help you through these difficult few months.

MEZE AUDIO 99 CLASSIC

Antonio Meze’s company is based in Baia Mare, Romania and has been making headphones since 2009. The 99 Classics were launched in 2015 and have been making waves in Head-Fi circles since then, for a number of reasons.

99 Classic

For a start, they are very nicely made from good quality materials and are assembled using old school techniques, which means that any maintenance or repair is a straightforward process – no glued components to separate.  The ear cups are beautifully turned from solid walnut which gives a touch of class; rare for any headphone, let alone those which sell for such a reasonable price.

The self adjustable mechanism means they are very comfortable on heads of all shapes and sizes; they come with a useful set of accessories and, most importantly, sound extremely entertaining.

99 Classic

They are a closed back design so isolation from ambient noise is good; sound staging is a little more restricted than one would expect from an open back pair but there is still a pleasing openness about the midband and plenty of treble detail without the upper frequencies becoming painful or intrusive.

Bass (particularly the lower mid bass region) is particularly potent which makes these ‘phones really good for lovers of music with oodles of low end, and it also gives a pleasing richness to classical and acoustic music.  In reality, pretty much anything sounds fun and engaging through these wooden gems.

99 Range

They sell for the princely sum of £269 and are available in either Walnut/Gold or Walnut/Silver finishes. To make the deal even more impressive, if you buy a pair from us you will receive a free pair of Meze 11 Neo in-ear monitors which retail at £49. We currently have stocks in both finishes.

MEZE AUDIO 99 NEO

If you would like the function of the very impressive 99 CLASSICS at a lower price point, the 99 NEO might fit the bill. They are very similar in construction but are made from ABS plastic to keep weight and costs down.

99 Neo

Although not quite as natural sounding as the Classics, they are really impressive with more modern and electronic music as the low end has even more heft so you have a choice of flavour.  They come with a similarly good quality case and set of accessories, and sell for just £189. Again, we have stocks in store.

Both these sets of cans have a low-ish impedance and 103dB efficiency so work perfectly well connected directly to a phone or a digital audio player (DAP). However, to really get them singing, you could think about partnering them with the fabulous Chord Electronics Mojo DAC/Amp. This little marvel will drive these (and indeed most other) headphones to perfection, and you will thus be insulated from anything the TV can throw at you. Turn it up loud enough and you might be able to ignore all the Brexit arguments too.

Come on in and have a listen - Simon, Gareth - Audio T Reading.

Meze headphones are available at the following branches of Audio T:

Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Online, Reading, Southampton, Swansea

Naim Audio Heavy Weight Music Network Players ND5 XS 2 And NDX 2

The new Naim streamers have landed! We have been extremely excited about the arrival of the ND5 XS 2 network player and we have been enjoying our initial listening while running-in this neat little box.

Naim ND5XS2 with control app displayed on a smart tablet.

This is the entry level network player from Naim and has a perfect partner in the Naim NAIT XS 2 amplifier. This 2 box power house is a sublime introduction into the streaming world.

Built in, is the new Naim streaming platform with an expanded feature set to the previous model. These features include high-res UPnP streaming, Airplay, Chromecast built-in, Bluetooth aptX HD, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Roon compatibility, internet radio and multi-room streaming. That’s a lot of streaming features!

Naim ND5 XS 2 rear panel

Whether you are running a NAIT 5Si entry level amplifier or the more powerful NAIT XS 2 the new ND5 XS 2 is a must when looking for a new digital music source for your system. When partnered with the NAIT XS 2 a control cable can be run between streamer and amplifier allowing full control over the volume from the app, so no need to pick up that remote control when you need to adjust your listening levels.

This entry level network player does not have a large colour screen like its slightly older sibling the NDX 2 so all functions are controlled from a smart device such as a smart phone or tablet using the Naim Audio app available for free download from the app store.

Naim NDX2 front panel.

Part of the Classic series, the Naim NDX 2 is an upgradable network player offering you all that the ND 5 XS 2 offers and more. This unit incorporates a large 5” colour display, first seen on the new Uniti range including the Nova, Star and Atom.

Naim NDX2 5” colour display on front panel.

Now this beast has really had a leap forward in its performance over its predecessor the NDX. You can pair the NDX 2 with an XPS DR Power supply for upgraded performance and if you’re feeling really flush why not add the 555PS but we will touch on that another day.

Naim NDX2 back panel.

We think the ND X 2 is highly immersive and will get your foot tapping. Its output is lively and energetic with bags of detail to draw you into the stereo image.

Naim NDX2 bi-directional ZigBEE remote control.

If you are looking for a simple yet powerful and sophisticated system, then maybe consider partnering with the Supernait 2 for a two box power house.

If you would like to have a listen we’d be pleased to set up a demonstration for you.

Hefin, Nick and Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff.

Naim Audio Hi-Fi equipment is available at all our Audio T shops.

Rega Product Rega Planar 8 Reveal Diverse Vinyl Pop Up Shop.

It's here, the event all vinyl lovers have been awaiting. A chance to buy your records from Diverse Vinyl and get an idea how good it can sound on a brand new product from Rega.

We are hosting an extensive record fair with Diverse Vinyl. Paul will be on hand to discuss pressing, grooves and music. We also have our representative from Rega here as well, Paul who will be demonstrating, answering questions and talking about the new Planar 8.

And yes, that’s two Paul’s just to confuse you.

Paul from Rega will have some other Rega goodies and news to be revealed at the event, obviously we cannot give too much away, but let's not pretend you have more important matters to attend to on your day off!

Paul from Diverse will have a his mini fortress of Vinyl set up on the shop floor for you punters to have a peruse at his wares, and with the possibility of having a listen on a brand new Planar 8 in the same transaction! Happy days.

We are very, very excited about this event. As vinyl and Rega turntable lovers we are supposed to be running the event, but we’ll probably shirk duties to have a browse through all of those boxes of lovely records.

You can reserve your place here or just feel free to turn up on Saturday the 27th of October, speak to the experts, Hi-Fi lovers and the masterminds behind the repressing of analogue music.

We don't have the all the details regarding the changes to the Planar 8 as of yet hence why we are as eager as you for the 27th to come around. But while you wait to see it in the metal, you can admire all these amazing pictures!

So come and join Dave, Munir, Mike and Simon at Audio T Manchester on Saturday 27th October and come get your Vinyl on.

Shine Bright Like A Diamond: The Bowers And Wilkins 800 Series Now At Audio T Brentwood

We are delighted to report that we have the new 800 D3 series from Bowers & Wilkins running in at the moment and we are all very excited!

These most prestigious of speakers are something we have been lusting after for some time. Now we have the chance to demonstrate them to you. These stunning speakers have go to be heard to be believed!

This is the array while we’re running them in, from left to right 802, 803, 804, and 805 Prestige Edition.

So much has been written about the 800 series that there is no real need to regurgitate facts, figures and specs, lets just say they are the pinnacle of B&W’s research and expertise. From the diamond tweeters through the continuum cones to the beautiful fit and finish these speakers ooze quality and most important of all is that they sound spectacular!

The largest floorstander we have is the 802 although there is the 800 above that in the range.

Then the 803

The 804

And finally the 805. Ours are in the Prestige finish which is a beautiful high gloss Santos rosewood and comes with a price premium over the standard finishes.

Needless to say we’ve been trying them out with all sorts of partnering equipment and music. So far they have worked well with everything we have tried and with all genres. Stay tuned for a more detailed report on this next time and for news of an 800 inspired event coming sometime before Christmas.

For now I’m just going to leave you with more pictures of these beauties and get back to listening to them!

And the obligatory Boswell picture…….he most definitely approves.

Come and have a listen! Paul, Jason & Francis - Audio T Brentwood

Bowers & Wilkins 800 loudspeakers are available for demonstration at our Cardiff & Brentwood branches.

All other Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers can be heard at the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

The All New Cyrus One HD Integrated Amplifier With aptX Bluetooth

New into Preston store this week is the brand new Cyrus One HD. Based on the award winning Cyrus One, the One HD is housed in the same size cabinet but features much more on the inside.

With an impressive 2x 100 watts per channel and featuring (SID) speaker impedance detection, which automatically matches the amplifiers output response to the electrical load of the loudspeakers.

We paired it up a pair of Neat Acoustic SX2 speakers and the legendary Rega Planar 3 with Elys 2 cartridge and were blown away with what we heard from such a compact unit. It filled our demo room and drove the Neat SX2 with ease!

Unlike the Cyrus One, the One HD relies on the Cyrus ONE HD control app, so there is no IR remote supplied in the box. This is a free app that is easily downloaded from the Apple or Android app stores and works great.

If headphones are your thing, the on board class AB headphone amplifier will not disappoint. When the headphones are connected, a large toroidal transformer is switched just to power the headphones, giving a presentation that is on par with most standalone headphone amplifiers we’ve tried.

For the audiophile that likes to stream their music, the built in aptX® HD compatible Bluetooth will allow you to stream at better than CD quality straight from your phone or tablet, or connect via the asynchronous USB 2.0 input for even higher resolution files.

The Cyrus One HD has three line level inputs, (one of which is an optional AV integration option for the movie enthusiasts out there). An Optical Toslink digital input perfect for TV audio and a Coaxial SPDIF digital input. With dimensions at just 85mm high x 220mm wide x 390mm deep, the amplifier will integrate with any existing equipment perfectly.

We look forward to playing it for you. Ian, Gavin & Andy - Audio T Preston.

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

Powerhouse PMC Reference And Marantz Home Cinema System

Music and Movies are two passions of ours. Having one system that does both justice is something we strive for when specifying systems for our clients, who also share the same passion.

With this in mind, our large cinema room has been upgraded with the pre-power from Marantz and reference PMC Twenty5 26 speakers.

The Marantz 8805 AV processor is fully compliant with all the latest sound formats as well as being ready for 4K Ultra High definition sources.

The sound quality of the 8805 is improved vastly by the use of 32 bit DACS on all channels which means more enjoyment for you. Most processors use 24 bit DACS which do not sound as good.

The 7 channel power amp driving our PMC speakers is the beautiful Marantz MM8077 which supplies 7 x 150w of power to the PMC speakers.

High current, high bandwidth discrete power transistors can handle short term musical bursts with aplomb, even into difficult low impedance speaker loads. The PMC speakers always perform better when provided good juice.

The combination of the PMC Twenty5 26 Left and Right speakers with the matching PMC Twenty5 Centre really make movies and music shine.

For Surround channels at the rear, we have opted for PMC Twenty5 22 speakers which gell very well with the 3 power house speakers up front.

For Subwoofer duties, the REL S5 SHO fills the room with a deep and powerful low end which enriches the sound for stereo two channel and multi-channel enjoyment.

Bring along some of your favourite music and films and come and have a listen!

Thanks for reading. John, Keith & Mahmood - Audio T Enfield.

Denon & Marantz Hi-Fi is available at the following branches of Audio T
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

PMC loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

REL sub bass systems are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Join Us In Brighton For The Rega Planar 8 Launch And Diverse Vinyl Extravaganza

Visit us on Saturday November 3rd between 10.30am and 4.00pm to enjoy some fabulous new Rega equipment and have a rifle through many boxes of high quality new vinyl records!

Rob from Rega will be joining us to feature the Rega Planar 8 turntable, along with plenty of other Rega goodies. We anticipate having the newly announced Rega Planar 8 with Apheta 2 cartridge on demonstration alongside the Planar 8 with Ania cartridge for comparison. 

Paul from DIVERSE VINYL will be doing the heavy lifting (with great support from Paul and John of Audio T of course) bringing many hundreds of records to fill his trestle tables for your delectation! Let us know if you have any special requests you would like to collect on the day and we will endeavour to have them available for you.

The rather beautifully formed new Planar 8 was inspired by the ultimate Rega turntable, the 'Naiad'. The ‘8’ is full of innovation and clever solutions to engineering issues, with improvements over its predecessor in many areas.

The skeletal Planar 8 excluding the removable cover

The superb new Rega Aura Reference MC Phono Stage, newly styled Aria MC Phono Stage and Fono MC.

Our store demonstration RP10 with Aphelion cartridge and Planar 6 with Ania cartridge will be on hand to make comparisons with the Planar 8.

Planar 10/Aphelion

Rega turntables from the Planar 3 upwards are available excluding cartridge but when chosen with the matched Rega cartridge there is a worthwhile saving to be made.

We are very pleased to welcome the mighty 25.6Kg Osiris amplifier back to our demonstration Rega amplifier line up, alongside the Elicit R, Elex R and Brio.

Osiris

To reserve your place click here or turn up on the day and Join Julian, Paul and John of Audio T Brighton along with Rob from Rega and Paul from Diverse Vinyl for an enjoyable day of music on vinyl and great sound from Rega.

Rega Hi-Fi products are available at the following audio T stores:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Acoustic Energy AE300 Series. Great Sound. Great Look. Great Price!

Over the past week we have been playing with some new speakers from Acoustic Energy. The AE300 stand mount and the AE309 floor standing loudspeakers. They are available in three high standard finishes a Black or White Gloss finish and a Satin real wood Walnut veneer. There is also a centre speaker available, the AE307 for home cinema use.

The new 300 series offers some big upgrades from the entry level 100 series in both performance and aesthetics. The new mid bass drive units have been designed together to achieve a seamless tonal balance and the aluminium dome tweeter features wide dispersion technology which provides a greater sweet spot in your room making placement within a room easier.

Internal bracing inside the cabinet improves rigidity and reduces colouration of sound, and in the case of the AE309 (Gloss Finish and £1099 for walnut) they come mass filled which greatly improves stability and gives solidity allowing for a cleaner and more open performance. There is also a slot shaped port at the rear as found in the 100 series which allows for greater bass control and the ability to position them closer to a wall than most rear ported loudspeaker designs.

We thought we would use the same electronics for both speakers to keep a level playing field and we opted for the Rega Planar 3 with the Rega Elex-R integrated amp. Of course the AE300 at £599 for the Gloss finishes and £649 for the walnut are not strictly the right speakers within that system but we wanted to see just what they could do so we put them on the Custom Design FS104 stands mass filled and dug out a record. We kicked of with the second album from London Grammar, ‘‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’’ and played it all the way through side one. Impressed… they handled Hannahs powerful vocals and the some time ridiculous bass London Grammar like to employ. They sounded very present in the room without being forced and still allowing plenty of space around the vocal, giving loads of depth to the soundstage an offering a really enjoyable listen. I have a feeling that the AE300’s will work really well with anything within reason.

Next of course we moved up to the AE309. The extra drive unit and cabinet provided far greater bass extension and presence. In some cases when a stand mounted speaker sounds so good the first floor stander in a range can sound a little bloated, uncontrolled and can lose clarity. Not a bit of it. The AE309 just sounded bigger, as you might expect, all the improvements you would hope for when moving up in a range were apparent. We have since had them running in the foyer of the shop, a far bigger area, and they do not shy away.

In short they are hugely versatile and fun to listen to, We really cannot fault them at their price point and we look forward to playing with them in the future.

Remember, if you would like to borrow them for a home demonstration we can arrange that or simply get in touch with us and we will set them up in store for you.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Nick Joe and James - Audio T Portsmouth

Acoustic Energy loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:

Brentwood, Bristol, Cheltenham, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Swindon

Much Like Buses, You Wait Ages For A High End Blu-ray Player and...

Then two come along at once! Not only has the long awaited Panasonic DP-UB9000 arrived, but we also have the eagerly anticipated Pioneer UDP-LX500 too, and, the flagship UDP-LX800 is due in store any day now!

Both Panasonic and Pioneer disc players are beautifully built with elegant alloy front panels and a luxury feel befitting their price points.

Panasonic’s DP-UB9000 is the slimmer of the two but still weighs in at a reassuring 7.8kg. Equal attention has been paid to video and audio performance with exceptionally detailed images and fluid motion on all material. Upscaling of 1080P discs is handled impressively too.

Balanced outputs and separate analogue power supplies ensure that audio performance is up to the highest standards too. A mightily impressive machine easily justifying the asking price of £849.00.

And in the red corner… we have the Pioneer UDP-LX500. It’s more of a heavyweight, hitting the scales at 10.3kg and substantially chunkier than the Panasonic, albeit with an equally pretty face!

The capacious casework allows for a double layered chassis incorporating a 3mm steel plate which provides an inert and stable platform for the disc drive, thus minimising errors. Power supply, drive, digital processing and analogue audio sections are partitioned to further eliminate mechanical and electrical interference. Every effort has been made to maximise both audio and video performance from all types of media. It’s a tremendous universal disc player for £999.00!

So ladies and gentlemen, all is not lost now that Oppo are no longer in the ring. We present two strong contenders from Panasonic and Pioneer. You are welcome to come and judge the winner for yourselves, or maybe you would like to wait for Pioneer’s top of the range UDP-LX800?

Watch this space. It will soon be here!

Alan, John and Wayne - Audio T Southampton

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

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