New Linn Majik LP12 + Majik DSM Seasonal Offer until 29th January

Linn have surprised us here at Audio T Brighton by introducing a new Linn Majik Tonearm that will initially be included as part of the Majik LP12 combination, making this an even more attractive proposition as the price remains the same. The tonearm will become available separately in Spring 2019.

New Linn Majik Tonearm

The Linn Seasonal Promotion 2018 is an outstanding offer of Majik LP12 + Majik DSM for £5000, a saving of £425. Simply add speakers and you have a fine system for playing records and streaming. This offer runs until 29th January 2019.

A beautiful new Linn Sondek LP12 in Rosenut with Majik Tonearm and Adikt Cartridge pictured above. This customer chose to upgrade from Majik LP12 specification with the addition of Lingo 4 Motor & Power Supply, and Kore Sub Chassis taking the turntable to another level of music making.

Linn Majik DSM Network Music Player and amplifier in one box with analogue and digital inputs.

Linn Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Oxford, Swindon

Winter Sale Now On! Christmas Hi-Fi Stocking Fillers from Arcam, KEF, Rega, Bowers & Wilkins

If you are finding it hard to find to that perfect gift or stocking filler, DON'T PANIC, here at Audio T Preston, we can help with a few ideas for any Hi-Fi or music lover in your life.

WINTER SALE NOW ON!

First up we have the Arcam mini-Blink at just £99 this is a great stocking filler that will fit into any amplifier and let’s you Bluetooth sound from your phone/laptop or tablet.

Very easy to set up and use, this Bluetooth DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) sounds so much better than connecting through the headphone output even when using a good quality cable, more output and much more dynamic.

The Arcam mini-Blink comes with all the cables and power supply included, so you can be up and streaming in no time. We recommend downloading the Tunein radio app via the Apple app store or Android Playstore, to give you access to internet radio.

Keeping it Bluetooth we have the KEF Muo portable speaker.

At just 21cm wide and 0.94kg this little rechargeable speaker, packs a punch and is perfect for the listener who is on the move.

The Muo has a battery life of up to 12 hours when fully charged (3hours charging time) and 10m Bluetooth range.

Available in gold/silver/blue and grey at £150 it's a great option.

It's been another great year for turntables with sales overtaking CD players again, a great place to start is the Rega Planar 1 at just £249.

NOT SUPPLIED WITH PINK VINYL.

This is a great plug and play record player is easy to set up and it can be up and running in no time, the only thing to check is to make sure your amplifier has a designated phono stage.

NOT SUPPLIED WITH PINK VINYL.

If you don’t have a phone stage, fear not! The Rega P1 Plus has one built in and all you need to do is connect it to any line level input on your amplifier.

Both available in black or white.

If your looking to make that daily commute a little more enjoyable we have the award winning Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones.

These noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones even have their own app to perform updates and settings to match your environment, they are a closed back design so do not leak out sound and annoy your fellow commuters.

With a 22 hour battery life they are perfect for that long haul flight and can be wired, just don't forget the adaptor.

The PX's can be folded up for easy transporting and are supplied with a carry bag/usb charging cable & 3.5mm wired cable.

Available in black or soft gold.

These are just a few suggestions, please call in and we will be happy to chat about other options that would make a perfect gift, especially as our Winter Sale has just started!

On a different note (no pun intended ed) a big thank you to all who attended our Classic album evening on 20th November. Having not done one in a long time it was great to see a few familiar faces...and a few new ones too. Thanks for coming along and supporting the event.

We look forward to seeing you all over the festive period.

Have a great Christmas and New Year!

Ian and Gavin.

Rip, Serve and Play - The New Innuos Zen Mini MK3 Music Server Has Arrived At Audio T Swindon

Innuos, a company that was founded in 2009, offer an easy solution to store your CD collection to its internal hard drive. This can be done by either ripping your CD’s or importing an existing music library via USB. Internal disk storage is available from 1TB up to 8TB.

We were really impressed by the previous model and this new Innuos Zen Mini MK3 is even better.

Innuos Zen Mini MK3 Music Server

Innuos Zen Mini MK3

The new Zen Mini MK3 now features analogue and two digital outputs (coaxial & optical) so it can be directly connected to an amplifier. Another option is to connect the server to a USB DAC via one of the four USB sockets - Nice. A second low-noise Ethernet socket to which one can directly connect a third party Roon Ready / UPNP music streamer.

Set-Up and Connecting it:

We connected our Zen Mini MK3 via an Ethernet cable to our network, applied power to it and switched it on. It was found on the network within seconds.

Once switched on you will see a menu bar and we go straight to settings.

In there, we set the ripping file format to either WAV or FLAC and left the ripping speed set to Quick Mode (and it is quick!) - That’s it We are ready to rip our first CD.

Not long and the correct artwork and information has been found and the Zen Mini MK3 starts ripping the first CD.

Very useful: Missing artwork and CD information can be added or edited if necessary.

As mentioned before existing music libraries can be imported .

For those who have a have a Tidal, Qobuz or a Spotify account, just add your log-in details and the services will be available via the control app.

All in all, the new Innuos Zen Mini MK3 sounds great and is easy to use.

Please get in touch with us here in the shop and we will be happy to give you a demonstration.

Thanks for reading. Stefan & Andy Audio T Swindon

Innuos products are available from the following branches of Audio T

Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon and our Online Store

Lagom & Hygge From Sweden Introducing Primare Prisma

Lagom (“lah-goam”) = Everything in perfect balance. Hygge (“heu-gah”) = The highest expression of living. The deep satisfaction of time well spent.

Two words that permeate through everything that Swedish company Primare make and do. Something that we can well appreciate and understand now that we are the proud sellers of all things Lagom and Hygge!

There is a sense of perfect balance and satisfaction that comes together very neatly in Primare’s new I35 integrated amplifier. As part of the Prisma range the I35 is the latest version of their iconic 30 series integrated amplifiers and is the first one to feature their brand new all analogue Class D amplifier technology, what they call UFPD2. Primare boast that this new power platform fully exploits the potential of Class D amplification.

A big boast. Can they back it up with action!?

According to the official blurb (I love that word) The I35 amplifier can deliver 150 watts at 8 ohms across the entire audible bandwidth and to see (or hear) how this equates into sound quality in the real world we decided to pair it up with the rather brilliant Martin Logan Electromotion X electrostatic loudspeakers and see what occurs!

Now, because the I35 is available in three versions…….

1. Basic amp with no extras

2. Amp with rather nice DAC built in

3. Amp with DAC and Streamer module…….. and we have the third option we can stream as much as we like!!

So first up from Tidal was the totally amazing thing that is the album Khmer by Nils Petter Molvaer on the ECM record label. This is an album that is amazingly well recorded with an especially juicy bass sound. A great one for demo use and for putting speakers through their paces.

As a pairing this combination of amp and speakers possessed that holy grail of hi-fi systems in the way it totally brought the music to life. The sound is fast, clean and agile. Soundstaging was wide and deep. The Primare i35 allowing the Electrostatics to deliver an un-coloured window into the music.

Next through the streamy bit on the Primare was the new helping of Prog Rock genius that is Roine Stolt’s new album called Manifesto of an Alchemist.

Again the Primare showed an ability to be both viscerally exciting and revealing in detail way beyond its price! This is one of those really magical amplifiers that should prove once and for all that Class D really can offer quality and affordability and make you think, do I really need to spend more? It is a fantastic amplifier, a very good DAC and a more than decent streamer! I can honestly say that I have not had this much fun with an amplifier since the days of chrome bumper Naim gear……remember them!!

Prisma provides multi room/multi zone connectivity and control for playback of stored and streamed media. Wired or wireless all managed from any mobile device through a dedicated control app. In addition to Bluetooth, Airplay and Spotify Connect Prisma features Chromecast built in a unique streaming portal allowing effortless direct connection to literally hundreds of streaming applications.

There is also a well nifty matching CD35 CD player should you want to add one to the system …..perhaps more on this at a later blog!!

All of these Primare products be auditioned at the Cheltenham branch! We hope to see you soon - Jon, Farid & Andy

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

Deck Your Halls With The Sound Of Vinyl

Here at Audio T Cardiff we have come up with six excellent value turntables for you to consider for Christmas. A great gift to give for a music loving loved one or to give yourself a treat. We have picked these as we believe at their respective price points, they offer tremendous value and more importantly superb sound!

Project Primary Turntable

First on the list is the Pro-ject “Primary” A simple plug and play unit that is simple to use. Very little set up is needed, you simply place the platter on the spindle, fit the belt, connect it to your amplfier or phono stage, power it up and away you go.

Rega Planar 1

Second on our list is the “Rega Planar 1”. Again like the Pro-ject above it has the same kind of set-up and will having you listening to your vinyl in no time

Project Debut carbon

In third place we have the Project “Debut Carbon”. This is one of our best selling turntables. Fitted with the superb Ortofon 2M Red cartridge a carbon fibre tone arm and a heavy steel platter, it gives the best possible performance for the money. This is also the first turntable on our list that is upgradeable. You can swap the felt mat for a cork one, upgrade the stylus to a 2M Blue or even swap the steel platter for an acrylic one.

Rega Planar 3

The fourth on our list is the iconic Rega Planar 3. The Planar 3 has been around for many years over which it has been steadily improved. With its distinctive glass platter and a superb tonearm that is compatible with many different cartridges both MM (moving magnet) and MC (moving coil), this is indeed a very versatile record deck. It can be supplied without cartridge or as a package with the Elys 2 with considerable saving on the price.

Project Classic Super Pack

In fifth place we have the Project “Classic Super Pack”. Similar in looks to the Linn LP12 or the old Thorens TD160 this record player uses a high quality tonearm a damped heavy steel platter and a very clever sorbothane suspension to eliminate vibrations. Now adding electronic speed selector and fitted with an Ortofon Quintet Red cartridge this deck will give you many years of happy listening. This turntable is also supplied with a leather mat and record clamp.

rega planar 8

In sixth place we have a new kid in town, the stunning Rega Planar 8. Stunning in looks and performance this deck truly deserves all the accolades bestowed on it so far. It has an electronic speed box that is fine tuned and matched to every individual unit. Fitted with the Apheta 2 cartridge this turntable sounds sublime. Certainly the best we have heard for the price for a long while. However just don’t take our word for it, pop in and have a listen. Bring along your favourite vinyl records and pick the turntable that suits you best!

Pro-ject turntables are also available at the following branches of Audio T:

Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Swansea, Swindon

Rega is available at all branches of Audio T.

The All New KEF R7 Speakers Available At Audio T Preston

The original KEF R Series was a very highly regarded speaker range and was popular with both Hi-Fi and Home Cinema enthusiasts alike. For over 5 years each model in the range earned itself many awards and 5 star reviews.

Back in September KEF relaunched and proudly presented the new R Series speaker range promising that they would be even better.

We've been taking a closer look at the KEF R7 floorstanding speakers to see what has changed.

Behind the scenes at KEF... At the heart of KEF's culture lies innovation & creativity. Forever challenging the norm in every element of our work, the all-new R Series advert was no exception...

Well as it turns out they've changed quite a lot. The new KEF R Series has been completely re-engineered from the ground up, with 1,043 changes undertaken during the design process, all done to further improve upon the performance, build and finish of original R Series speaker range.

The R7 is the mid-sized floor standing member of the new R Series. Featuring two 165mm (6.5 in.) hybrid aluminium bass drivers and a Uni-Q combining a 125mm (5 in.) mid-range driver and 25mm (1 in.) aluminium dome tweeter, R7 outperforms all expectations. Equally at home with music and film, R7 proves to be just as flexible as the rest of the R Series range. Placing the tweeter in the acoustic centre of the midrange cone brings the acoustic ideal of a single point source closer to realisation. The new R Series benefits from a new 12th generation of the legendary Uni-Q driver array.

The new R Series also utilises a new internal bracing system called Constrained Layer Damping originally developed for the LS50.

http://www.kef.com/rseries The new KEF R Series has been completely re-engineered from the ground up. Decades of experience and our unbridled passion for music come together in the new R Series.

We unboxed the R7's and immediately put them to work on a Naim Uniti Nova, we then left them playing all day and overnight to help them run in a little. By the time we could sit down for a listen they had been playing for over 48 hours and boy was it worth the wait. The audio separation and imaging they produce is superb and has plenty depth and space. We found the R7's to be both gentle and subtle when required but also commanding and authoritative when the music demands it. So if you are listening to the sweet voice of Agnes Obel or getting a bit heavier with the likes of Muse or The Prodigy, the R7's will hold your attention for many hours.

Also in the new R Series range and available for a demonstration we have R3 and the R5. Or if you are thinking of putting together a stonking home cinema system we have the R2C Centre channel and the R8A Dolby Atmos speakers.

Book your demonstration with us today on 01772 883958, you wont be disappointed.

KEF Loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

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.