Dynavector DV-10X5 MK2 Moving Coil Cartridge Just Gets Better

I know it’s not really been that long since my last blog but I just have to tell you about the marvellous little Dynavector DV-10X5 MK2 moving coil cartridge.

The 10X series high output moving coil cartridge has actually been around since 1978 and has won so many awards it is getting embarrassing. Over the years the 10X series cartridges have become widely accepted as the benchmark for high output moving coil cartridges at this price point and way beyond.

With the introduction of the Dynavector DV-10X5 MK2 there is no doubt that Dynavector will retain this enviable position for the foreseeable future.

Dynavector are world famous for their their capability of winding the finest coil assemblies and have been able to minutely increase the number of coil windings to achieve even better sound quality.

The head block is made from aluminium to provide a rigid platform for the cartridge motor and to provide a really rigid fixing to the tonearm.

It also sports a nude diamond Shibata 3 line contact stylus tip and hardened cantilever to ensure superb tracking over even the most torturous record grooves while still achieving extended high frequency response and enhanced musical resolution avoiding the harshness or irritating edginess that can occur in other moving coil cartridges.

I recently had the pleasure of listening to the Dynavector 10X5 MK2 fitted to a Rega Planar 3 turntable and the quality of replay produced by the pairing was just gorgeous. Being played through the Rega Elicit integrated amplifier (which was fine because the Dynavector is high output and will work into a moving magnet input) and a pair of the new Acoustic Energy AE509 floorstanding loudspeakers the system was delivering a quality of sound that was way above what is normal for this price! First on was the Nils Petter Molvaer album Khmer. This has only just been released on vinyl for the first time, although it first saw the light of day in 1997. Better late than never though eh? Stunningly recorded with some of the deepest bass in recorded music history. It is a wonderful pressing and recording produced by the wizard at ECM that is Manfred Eicher.

Massive beats and throbbing grooves underpin the Norwegian trumpeter’s fiery solos in a project that forms a bridge between ECM’s improvised soundscapes and the brave new world of trip-hop, drum and bass, ambient/illbient, techno, industrial, electronica and samples. Genius and should be in every self respecting audiophile’s collection.

Next on the playlist was the rather excellent album called Baby from electro boffins Yello. Played on the Dynavector and Rega P3 combination, this produced the kind of soundstage that was so large that the walls of the room just melted away and the music was left hanging in the air in front of me. It was one of those goose-bump inducing moments that meant I just had to play the whole album!

Time and again while playing this album I was left astounded by just how good this whole system was performing. The stand out tracks being Who’s Groove and Capri Calling both sounding lush and mesmerising. I am sure that this system combination will make the most of pretty much whatever it is asked to play. I listened to some classic Blue Note jazz some beautiful old Decca classical and a bit of the good old Grateful Dead and all were portrayed with that effortless ease that is the trademark sound of a great system working really well. All in all this sparkling little cartridge proved to be the icing on the cake for this particular vibration measuring machine!

Call us or pop in if you’d like to have a listen.

Dynavector phono cartridges are available from the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Manchester, Online, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea

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

Acoustic Energy loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T: Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Online, Portsmouth, Reading, Swindon

Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister Integrated Amplifier Teaser!

Eagle-eyed customers who pop their heads in our lower demo room door may notice a new entry in our tube amp portfolio.

Spot it? You can’t miss it!

I am reliably informed by those lovely people at Audio Note (UK) that we are in possession of the very first sample of the new Meishu Tonmeister integrated amplifier on demonstration in a UK dealer; and what a handsome beast he is.

This is first of three variants available and represents the entry into Audio Note pure class A directly heated triode operation, 300B SET, (single ended triode), zero-feedback design amplifiers and a significant upgrade from the existing Meishu. Ours includes a tube phonostage.

Our unit is currently undergoing our usual in depth running in program i.e. we’re playing loads of fab music through it often at ridiculously loud levels ;-)); and oh-boy are we enjoying the process! With Audio Note high-efficiency loudspeakers it’s just staggering what 8wpc can do!

I will cover this and the other variants in a future post when it’s fully run in (though feel free to drop in for a sneak listen anytime) but in the meantime here are some juicy pics to drool over.

It's Time To Take A Stand On Isolation! Let’s Have A Look At What IsoAcoustics Have To Offer.

One of the more commonly heard statements that leaves the lips of our loyal customers when discussing their Hi-Fi is “I’m happy with my speakers, but…”

Now, many people may think that the next step might be to look at changing the amplifier, the sound source or perhaps adding a subwoofer to improve things. Whilst these are all good options, they’re not the only ones to consider…

Whether you’re rocking a pair of mighty floor standers or the humble bookshelf equivalent, there is something to be gained from the inclusion of an isolation solution, and luckily for you, IsoAcoustics have got lots of options for you to consider.

Since 2012, IsoAcoustics have been at the forefront of acoustic isolation solutions, working at improving the sound quality within professional audio market (recording and production studios) and for the consumer home audio market.

So what do they do? Well, if you were to assume that the implementation of an isolation stand would give you tighter bass response, then you would be correct! But, it might shock you to know that they also greatly improve the upper-mid frequency response to give you a noticeably enhanced clarity and openness.

Don’t believe me? Why don’t you contact your local store to book a demonstration? Let’s have a look at the range….

The GAIA Series

Available in three different sizes to ensure the best fit for your speakers - GAIA I, II and III

Designed to replace the existing spike or rubber foot of your floor standing speakers, the GAIA are a carefully engineered master-stroke. The patented design allows the speaker to resist lateral movement and oscillations whilst maintaining alignment with the ideal listening position. Any internal reflections from the hard supporting surface are attenuated resulting in greater sound clarity and openness. You can read more on the GAIA series as well as watch some original videos here.

Three GAIA models tuned and optimized for each weight range

“When a speaker is placed on a hard surface, secondary internal reflections result. Any artifacts of this smear found in the stereo image is perceived to be in the center, causing the sound stage to collapse. The GAIA series of isolators eliminates this smear resulting in a larger 3-dimensional sound stage.”

The Aperta Series

Available in a modern aluminium finish or classic black, as well as three different sizes, the Aperta is the best option for any bookshelf speakers whether they sit on a stylish living room sideboard or dedicated speaker stands. Not only do these patent designs give you the separation and acoustic isolation you’d expect from a bespoke stand, but they also allow you to adjust and angle the speakers to ensure that you are firing the sound to the best listening position possible. The patented IsoAcoustics isolation stand Aperta, which means ‘open’ in Italian, allows the speakers to float, eliminating reflections from being conducted back into the structure that create bass smear and resulting in a lack of clarity and openness. Trust me, you will hear the difference immediately.

Which option is best for me?

The fine folk at IsoAcoustics have even created a handy calculator for you to see what is the best choice of isolation for your speakers here.

But, “Brad! I’ve already isolated my speakers. Is there anything else you can show me from IsoAcoustics?” I hear you cry! Well, luckily for you, the answer is yes. Perhaps you want to up your isolation game on your audio components or turntable? Well then you should look at the stylish Orea Series. “But Brad, my turntable is my pride and joy! I love it more than I could have ever thought! Is there anything dedicated for it that is better than the sleek Orea?” - Never fear, IsoAcoustics have you covered yet again! They say that no man is an island, but they didn’t say anything about your turntable. Feast your eyes on the aptly named Delos - The Floating Island. I think it is safe to say that these products are so mammoth that they need a blog dedicated just to them… Perhaps next month we’ll have something for you… Stay tuned to find out!

In the meantime be sure to follow the Portsmouth store on Instagram and Facebook for more original content, and don’t be afraid to message us with your suggestions and comments.

IsoAcoustics isolation products are available from all branches of Audio T and are available to buy online. You can also ask to try them out in your own system before you buy, using our home loan service. Call or ask in store for details.

A System Mixed To Perfection! PMC twenty5 23, Naim Supernait 3 & Project Extension 9

Having worked in audio production in the past, I have always had a thirst for absolute precision and control in a music system and with that in mind I went out to set up a Hi-Fi system that would happily suit a sound engineer or a home audio enthusiast!

Starting with the delectable PMC Twenty5 23s

Going for that “studio sound” the PMC Twenty5 23s are the natural choice with superb dynamic range and clarity. Being transmission line and with their famous studio heritage , provide particularly ‘flat’ frequency response that I find refreshing and familiar, but with a loud and proud immersive listening experience that you wouldn’t achieve from a studio monitor. Simply put, they offer the best of both worlds, giving benefits from a true Hi-FI speaker and a studio monitor.

I knew the new Naim Supernait 3 was a perfect match for the PMCs the moment I put them together!

The control of the new Naim Supernait 3 keeps the PMC’s perfectly in check delivering beautiful low end stability that stunned me when I played ‘2049’ from the Hans Zimmer Blade Runner Soundtrack. The depth and spacing of the track was incredible and something that I hadn’t even heard in the cinema when it was first released in 2017.

Project Extension 9 with moving coil Quitet Black Cartidge

Bringing the heart into the system is the Project Extension 9 Superpack turntable that comes with the Ortofon Quintet Black cartridge and to back it up the GoldNote PH10 phono stage. When I first assembled this turntable for our display it felt like engineering perfected. It comes with three feet matched and labeled for each thread to make a perfect fit and four counterweights to give you a huge range of cartridge choices. The sheer weight and stability of the turntable leaves nothing to be desired.

What this all results in is me feeling giddy as a child to listen to music again (and spending far too much time in the demonstration rooms than I ought to). I think I’ve just decided to start saving so I can have this very system at home…

Kerrin Beckwith - Sales Consultant at Audio T Cardiff.

All Items are available for demonstration at our Cardiff Store

System Synergy! Creating A Great Sounding Home Hi-Fi System Using Naim, Rega & Acoustic Energy

According to Wikipedia, Synergy, is the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. At Audio T we have a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from working over many years, with a multitude of different Hi-Fi manufacturers and their products. This collective knowledge means we can suggest and created great value, balanced and musically satisfying home audio systems. We also know that partnering a series of 5 star award winning products doesn’t always make for a great sounding Hi-Fi system!

So, with that in mind, we thought it would put together a complete mid-level Hi-Fi system for small to medium sized rooms, that would cope equally well with reproducing vinyl, but also introduce the option of entering the world of high quality music streaming. We wanted to put together something that would straight away get to the heart of the music and the artists performance, in a thoroughly enjoyable way.

To meet our brief, we have put together some new outstanding products with an old but good favourite. So what have we lined up?

·      Naim Nait XS3 amplifier

·      Naim ND5XS2 streamer

·      Rega Planar 6 with Exact moving magnet cartridge

·      Acoustic Energy AE500 bookshelf speakers

The talented individuals - but do they excel as a team?

Naim Nait XS3

The new Naim Nait XS3 amplifier makes a simple, elegant and powerful music playing solution. The amplifier is all analogue, with a wide and flexible range of inputs; the moving magnet phono stage is a new introduction for this model to reflect the resurgence of vinyl. It makes a great low-box pairing with the matching ND5 XS 2 streamer

Sideways glance..

Naim ND5XS2

The ND5XS2 uses the latest innovative new streaming platform from Naim with an expanded feature set. This is a versatile player giving access to a full range of streaming options including Tidal, Spotify, Internet radio etc. Naturally you can additionally install a server should you wish to stream local files; ripped CDs, Hi-Res downloads etc. It’s also Blutooth and Chromecast enabled. The Naim software can be operated from a mobile phone or tablet. The ND5XS2 can form part of a multi-room setup with other Naim streaming products too. The quality and versatility of the Naim streaming app is very good indeed.

Rega Planar 6 and Exact MM

The Planar 6 benefits from the trickle-down technology derived from ongoing research at Rega. It follows the Rega design ethic of a low mass but rigid structure, to minimise unnecessary distortion. It comes with an advanced anti-vibration motor circuit powered by a separate NEO power supply, tuned to each individual deck. Regas’ attention to rigidity is further enhanced by a double brace between the tonearm and the hub pillars to further accuracy in playback. It is clear that a lot of thought and engineering detail had gone into this simple but elegant package.

Planar 6, Exact and Aswad!

Acoustic Energy AE 500

The AE500 is a new compact stand-mount loudspeaker from the flagship AE 500 Series. It features a newly developed carbon fibre tweeter and mid/bass drivers, to enhance musical power and accuracy, but with improved self-damping for a smoother, more transparent sound. It is an attractive speaker, well put together and surprisingly heavy, given its size!

Showing the carbon drivers

Well, the important bit is how does the system sound?

It sounds very balanced and dynamic, able to easily convey the depth, richness and dynamics available from vinyl. The voicing and phono stage of the XS3 amplifier and the Rega combine to provide a very convincing and immersive sound.

The ND5 XS2 benefits from classic Naim engineering and fastidious attention to detail ensuring that it delivers natural, engaging sound quality from all streamed digital sources. Its musical and technical performance is highly satisfying and informative.

Throughout all this the XS3 provides a solid, powerful and musically coherent, tonally accurate foundation, to allow the system to really breathe and unleash the music.

The AE 500’s more than hold up their end of the bargain being rich, dynamic, insightful and faithful to the intensity of the performance. Given their size they cannot defy the laws of physics and produce prodigious bass, but they nonetheless give a very solid foundation to the music.

Together, it is a great system that makes you forget what kit you are listening to and instead become immersed in the musical performance. Everything works well together to produce an exceptional result. That is true Synergy.

If you are looking for a system built around compact speakers, you need to have a listen to this!

All items are available for demonstration at Audio T Reading.

Rob - Sales Consultant.

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

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

Acoustic Energy HI-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T: Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Swindon

The Deconstruction (No pun intended) Of Queen's 'Somebody To Love' Used By A Customer Choosing His New HiFi.

The other day, we had a customer, who happened to be a both a huge Queen fan and an ardent drummer. During conversation, he admitted that when listening to music, he always tuned into and appreciated the drums. if the drums weren’t doing it for him, then the system didn’t either!

I’m a big fan of radio or TV programmes that ‘dissect’ classic (normally) rock tracks and I love to hear how they were created and assembled. It occurred to me, that it might be a useful exercise to listen to how exactly Roger Taylor plays the drums. It is, however the only time that I have listened to one such piece as part of a customer demonstration

Christian James Hand is a Californian DJ who does just that. He runs a whole series of radio programmes that analyse classic rock tracks and one of these looked at the composition of ‘Somebody to Love’ (Freddie’s favourite Queen song). We listened, in isolation, to Roger’s hard hitting, repetitive bass drum beats, ending with that great crescendo and used this as a reference point for when listening to the track as a whole.

We started off with a mid-price Japanese separates system but this just wasn’t cutting the mustard. After a couple of changes, we decided to up the budget and focus on a system that really majors on timing: Settling on the new Naim Nait XS3 amplifier with the Naim ND5 XS2 Network Streamer as a source, accompanied by Dynaudio Evoke 30 speakers.

Wow! suddenly the separation of each instrument became clear, but with all of them (along with Freddie’s amazing voice), both gelling and timing perfectly. For the customer, it was a revelation, and one that he could not do without. The system is now ordered and waiting to be installed in his home.

Whether you are a musician or not, you may well find Christian Hand’s programmes interesting. Please click on the link to hear how the song that we used, sounds, when it is stripped down to its very bare essence.

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

Dynaudio loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Join Us For A Delicious Day Of All Things Vinyl With Two New Products From Rega & Diverse Vinyl

Join Manager Andy Day and an as yet unspecified special guest from Rega on Saturday 2nd November for a very special musical event showcasing two exciting new Rega products.

The long awaited Aethos amplifier, that we are presently awaiting the arrival of with baited breath……..and the new Rega Planar 10 turntable which will be coupled with the outstanding Rega Aura reference phono-stage; we expect the shop to sing, and swing, like never before!

Click the image to reserve your place or come along on the day!

We have had our new demonstration Rega Planar 10 on constantly since it arrived, just over a fortnight ago and beleive us, it sounds even better than it looks. And it seems, reading our other branches recent blog posts that the concensus is unanimous, so rather than add another superlative review to the an already crowed field we decided our time was better spent just listening to the deck!....But please check out our other branches blog posts and discover just how good this fantastic turntable is - a great way to whet the appetite before paying us a visit on Saturday 2nd November; without wishing to mix the metaphors too much.

In addition, we will also be hosting our good friend's, Diverse Vinyl, who will be bringing more vinyl treats with them than you could possibly flick through in a single afternoon, who will be operating a "pop-up" shop at Audio T, Swindon, just for the day, so you can browse and by the latest and greatest releases on vinyl.

We hope you can join us for a fantastic day of music and Hi-Fi showcasing two exceptional new products. We look much look forward to seeing you then - Andy & Andrew - Audio T Swindon.

Stop it You're Kiln Me! The New Rega Planar 10 Turntable With Ceramic Platter And Brace.

Sorry, we just couldn’t help that pun, but it was well intended. More to the point though, we have now received our spectacular new Rega Planar 10 record player.

We are also pleased to announce an official launch of the Rega Planar 10 on the 19th October 2019 at our Manchester store on Bridge Street. Click on the poster below to reserve your place or come along on the day!

And if that wasn’t exciting enough for all you vinyl heads, Diverse Vinyl will be bringing their pop up vinyl store to Manchester on the 19th too. So you can peruse the record store after you have demonstrated the some of the best turntables on the market.

And now we are thrilled to introduce the new Rega Planar 10.

Here’s a series of unboxing photos for those of you that are curious and can’t wait for our official launch event!

What’s in the box???

Take a quick shot for Instagram.

DB Technology (Double Brace Technology)
“Mass absorbs energy - lost energy equals lost music.” A super lightweight plinth combined with a ceramic top brace and phenolic resin bottom brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing) forms a structurally sound, “stressed beam,” assembly.

Ceramic Platter
The P10 uses a custom ceramic, flywheel effect platter. The platter is produced from ceramic oxide powder which is compressed, fired and diamond cut to ensure perfect accuracy and flatness across the surface. The latest platter features a modified construction with improved coupling to the sub platter.

Aaaahnd relax….

Ultra-lightweight plinth
The Planar 10 is the third Rega turntable constructed using our latest technology the ultra-lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core (a material developed for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin and extremely rigid. This new construction makes the new Planar 10 skeletal plinth 30% lighter than the original RP10 while offering increased rigidity over the previous model.

The Planar 10 features the new RB3000 tonearm fitted with an improved, low mass, precision bias housing.

The beautifully machined bias adjuster.

The Rega Apheta 3

Make a note of Saturday 19th October in your diary. Records,refreshments and turntables are the order of the day.

We look forward to seeing at the store. The Rega Planar 10 will be on display and playing and we hope to have the new Rega Aethos amplifier available for you to listen to as well!

Come along and ask Dave, Munir, Mike, James and Haden at Audio T Manchester and we will more than happy to spin you some vinyl.

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

Bowers & Wilkins 800D3 & New B&W Formation Music Evening At Audio T Bristol

Join us on Thursday 24th October at 7pm at Audio T Bristol and hear Bowers & Wilkins legendary 800 D3 Series, one of the most iconic and revered loudspeakers in the world today!

The sleepy coastal town of Worthing might not seem to be a hot bed of Hi-Fi innovation, but in the 1960s one man lead the way - John Bowers. For over half a century Bowers and Wilkins has been at the forefront of music experience - to savour every nuance and detail in its purest form as the artists' intended. Then again Worthing defined from the Old English personal name Worth (meaning "valiant one, one who is noble", so maybe destiny was at work…

The iconic 800s series is the flagship class that stretches back to the late 1990s beginning with incorporating nautilus technologies, the separate top mounted tweeter housing and the synonymous yellow Kevlar woven speaker cone.

Change, evolution and relentless innovation in acoustic design and engineering are the cornerstones of B&W and today's 800 series diamond have gone further than before with B&W embarking on one of their most ambitious R&D projects ever undertaken - to re-imagine an icon from the ground up, while expanding the range and maintaining the musicality. Starting with the 805’s two way bookshelf, 804’s three way floorstanders, with material quality, cabinet finish, driver size, frequency response and overall sound stage performance rising through 803’s, 802’s & the top of the range 800’s

B&W product range continues to grow, with their audio expertise finding it's way into BMW, Maserati and McLaren cars, headphones and their Formation range, a whole home audio meshing solution.

At the Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 Music evening at Audio T Bristol you will also be able to experience the new Formation wireless speaker range from B&W, bringing high level speaker innovation, seamless synchonisation with allowing to play your music from whatever source you have digital or analogue. The product line that began with the award winning Zeppelin has now evolved into an array of wireless solutions providing minimalist multi-room musical bliss.

For some people it's enough to hear music, but for some it's a life long journey an all encompassing hobby, others have just never heard the difference. Join us on THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER FROM 7:30PM at Audio T Bristol with Matt from B&W as he guides us through the Formation series and 800 range and enjoy an evening experience new levels of music performance.

Click here to reserve your place at this not to be missed event or come along on the day.

We look forward to seeing you. Max, James & Justin.

Essex Appeal! The New Rega Aethos Amplifier Arrives At Audio T Brighton

Hot on the heels of our Rega Planar 10 turntable fitted with the new Apheta3 cartridge, comes another new product from those clever and ingenious people from Southend-on-Sea.

Rega Planar 10 with Apheta 3 cartridge

Rob Noble and Phil Freeman from Rega arrived on Saturday 5th October with the shiny new Aethos amplifier and what an amp it is!

Rega Aethos

The newest amplifier in Rega’s range has been designed to fill the gap between the Elicit R and the Osiris

Rega Aethos rear view

This is a serious amplifier and went down a storm with all who attended on the day and was demonstrated with our Planar 10 turntable and the Saturn R CD player

RB3000 tonearm with Apheta3 fitted

The biggest disappointment of the day was having to put it back in its box to continue its journey to some of our other branches for more lucky customers to hear it.

Regas’ new addition to the family has arrived

Our demonstration model is due in the next 6 to 8 weeks at which time we can do a more in depth review but for now we’ll have to make do with the memory and look forward it its arrival in due course.

Keep an eye on our blog or the Audio T website and as soon as you see it, we should have one available here for you to take a listen to, we know you’ll not be disappointed and we will look forward to demonstrating it to you.

We look forward to seeing you soon. Julian, John & Paul - Audio T Brighton.

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

The Rega Has Landed! NEW Rega Planar 10 with Apheta 3 At Audio T Portsmouth Now

Ladies and Gentlemen, the wait is over. You can now come in to our Portsmouth store to experience the new Rega Planar 10 with Apheta 3 cartridge ahead of the dedicated launch event next month.

The Rega planar 10 on display in the portsmouth store

The eagerly awaited Rega Planar 10, inspired by the Naiad, possibly their most definitive turntable, is now with us.  Rega decided early on that instead of an evolution of the previous RP10, the new Planar 10 was to be developed and engineered to encapsulate the essence of the Naiad at a more affordable price.

The PL10 boasts a new RB3000 tonearm which implements an enhanced, low mass, precision bias housing, complimented by a central hub bearing assembly with improved mechanical integrity. All of this brought together by the new Apheta 3 cartridge using Rega’s most advanced "Fine Line" diamond profile.

Apheta 3 cartridge

…But don’t take our word for it…

Should you want to come down and talk to the fine folk from Rega as well as peruse the latest offerings from Diverse Vinyl, the official launch roadshow will be in our store on Saturday 16th November

Click here or the poster above to reserve your place or come along on the day!

We look forward to seeing you in store!

Brad, Nick and Joe - Audio T Portsmouth

Be sure to keep an eye on whats happening in the Portsmouth store by following our Instagram and Facebook

Rega products are available in all Audio T Stores.

Exclusive Rega Planar 10 And Aethos Amplifier Product Launch & Vinyl Event At Audio T Cardiff

If you love your music played on vinyl, then this is an event not to be missed! We are proud to be hosts for the exclusive launch of the NEW Rega Planar 10 turntable and Aethos amplifier.

The Date : Thursday October 10th here at Audio T Cardiff.

Also joining us will be Kellys Records with a pop-up shop. They are Wales’ largest vinyl store, so they will have a great selection of LP’s for you to browse and buy.

To reserve your place click here or come along on the day. Either way, we hope you can join us for what promises to be a fantastic day of music and Hi-Fi from 10:30 am until 5:30 pm.

We look forward to seeing you!

Hefin, Nick and Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

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

"We All Need One Of These 'Suckers!" ProJect VC-S2 Alu Record Cleaning Machine

Over the years there have been so many record and stylus maintenance products brought to market; record cloths, stylus brushes, sticky rollers, carbon fibre record brushes, anti-static guns etc, these ranged from just a few pounds to £50+ with varying degrees of success.

Pro-Ject VC-S2 Alu shown with optional Carbon fibre stylus and record brushes

Alongside these relatively affordable items lurked a number of quite exotic and in some cases hideously expensive record cleaning machines (RCM); many extremely complex in design and difficult to house. Since the ‘vinyl revival’ more and more such products have hit the market, some quite outstanding in performance but beyond the means or needs of many.

However, such products display a distinct advantage over the cloths and brushes, they actually remove all the contaminants from the record rather than merely redistribute them more evenly around the surface of the disc giving one the visual impression of a clean record. Sure, the larger fluff particles are mostly lifted by carbon brushes and their daily use is to be encouraged but such fluff is pretty benign in terms of record and stylus wear.

The real damage is caused but much harder particles of dust, grit and metal. Metal? Yes metal; especially true of new records. How’s that, one may ask? Well you only have to look at a moving coil cartridge under a microscope to see attached to the bottom is what looks like grey dust. This ‘dust’ is actually tiny shards of metal swarf (remember those old toys whereby you rearrange metal to put a beard on a face using a magnet?)

MC cartridge caked in dust and metal swarf.

My MC, arrow marks the ‘bridge’ location

So where do these metal particles come from? Well actually the only possible explanation is the factory where they are pressed; probably created by the machinery itself, which means that the most important records to clean are new ones. It’s not only the record and stylus wear that’s exhibited either. My personal and very expensive moving coil cartridge started to produce horrible distortion in low bass notes on just one channel. The distributor found upon examination that such shards of metal had formed a ‘bridge’ like some species of ants do, from the coils on the armature to the yoke impeding the movement of the assembly. Clearly this is bad news for both record and stylus, indeed many will opine that a well looked after stylus and record collection will mean it’ll be the cartridge’s suspension that will deteriorate before the stylus actually wears out; here’s the solution;

Some years back, Project identified a market for an affordable and compact RCM and thus the VC-S was launched later to become the VC-S Mk2, ironing out a few niggles in the original design.

Switch gear.

Now the design has gone through a serious makeover to make it easier to use, quieter in operation and built to last longer whilst looking sleeker too.

Here then is the Pro-ject VC-S2 Alu, and as the name suggests, it has a very elegant aluminium finish using an aluminium-composite laminate, replacing the rather dated vinyl-wrap MDF casework. This means fluid spills no longer can seep into the casework and cause damage; it’s noticeably smaller too.

Operation is a doddle; place the record (I’ll refrain from calling them ‘vinyls’ if I may?) on to the small foam topped platter and screw down the similarly protecting foam surfaced clamp (the foam is there to prevent any fluid soaking into the label) and switch on the motor which rotates at 30rpm. Apply a generous quantity of the provided fluid and, using the goat hair brush provided scrub lightly to agitate all the contaminates to thus be suspended in the solution then simply position the arm across the disc and with the motor still running and switch on the vacuum. After one or two rotations switch the motor to reverse, allow two more rotations before lifting the arm. Finally stop the suction and then repeat on the other side leaving one with a record cleaner than new!

Pro-Ject VC-S2 Alu in action.

The bottom line is that deploying the use of carbon fibre record and stylus brushes and a Project VC-S2 RCM will not only make your records and cartridge sound better but will significantly increase their longevity for a most modest outlay.

Simon Walker - Audio T Reading

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

Silence Is Golden! Experience ISOL-8 Mains Conditioning & Hear The Difference

Join Andy Day and Mark from ISOL-8 on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th September and experience a comprehensive demonstration of ISOL-8's range of mains cable and conditioning products and hear for yourself how they can improve the sound quality of your existing Hi-Fi or home cinema system.​

ISOL-8 offer a comprehensive range of products starting with the standard Powerline, a 4 or 6 outlet, compact strip with an anodised, 6mm thick machined aluminum top plate that includes dedicated sockets for both low and high power connections to serve your individual systems power requirement. With a range of additional benefits available with the Powerline Ultra and Axis models such as transmodal filtering and DC blocking; ISOL-8 even offer a dedicated strip, the 1080, designed to enhance your Home Cinema's performance. Move up to the MiniSub & SubStation series of full-width components, and experience the benefits that individual filters can have by not only attending to mains-borne noise from connected appliances, harmonic distortion and RFI, but also from noise generated with your own system.​

ISOL-8 offer two types of Power Cables, the Wave and the Ultra, both designed to maximise your systems performance and if you attended our ISOL-8 event you could win one of 3 ISOL-8 Wave power cables worth £120. ​

**Enjoy a 15% Discount for any orders placed during this two day event**

Click here to reserve your place for Friday and here for Saturday or simply turn-up on the day and with a few details we will add you to the draw. ​

The ISOL-8 event starts at 12.00 noon on Friday 27th and at 10.00am on Saturday 28th September and both events will conclude at 5.30pm. We look forward to seeing you in store for a event that promises to yield some surprising and exciting results!

Isol-8 mains conditioning products are available from the following branches of Audio T: Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Online, Oxford, Swansea, Swindon

Rega Planar 10 Product Launch And An Exclusive UK Premiere Of The New Russell K Red 150SE

Attention music lovers! join us in store on Saturday 12th October for a feast of music and exclusive new Hi-Fi product launches, which promises to be an event not to be missed!

Rega and Russell K will be here to demonstrate their new products and we are very exited with what is in store! Diverse Vinyl will also bringing their pop up shop and showing off the latest and greatest releases on vinyl! Read on for more details….

Rega is one of our favourite British Hi-Fi brands and they are bringing in the following:

UK Launch of the Aethos Integrated Amplifier: This new amplifier sits between the Rega Elicit-R and Osiris amplifiers. This is a power house of an amplifier with a dual mono design and provides 125w per channel into 8 ohms. So it can drive your speakers with ease and the new pre-amplifier stage uses an excellent Class A design.

UK launch of the new Rega RP10 Turntable. Rega always build all of their record players at their factory in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex England with care and attention and if the previous turntables are anything to go by, it will be pretty special. Click here to read more about it in our news item.

Russell K (Chief designer and owner of Russell K Speakers) will be in the shop as well with new models.

UK Premiere of the new Russell K Red 150SE

Russell will be here to explain and demonstrate his new upgrades:

• New tweeter with metal faceplate

• Modification to Red 150 tweeter crossover

• New sub bass coil

• New plinth and spikes

All of which enhance the sound quality!

Reserve you place here, or come along on Saturday 12th Oct at 10:30 until 6pm to enjoy a great day of music and Hi-Fi!

John, Mahmood, Jason - Audio T Enfield.

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

Russell K loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T: Enfield, Portsmouth, Reading

Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 Series Update!

We are thrilled to announce that our B&W 800 D3 speaker range is now complete!

Here is 803 D3 in our demonstration room looking ravishing in rosenut and sounding equally magnificent powered by the PMC Cor amplifier.

And now for the icing on the cake…..

The totally stunning 802 D3 looking glorious in their flawless deep gloss black finish. Despite their substantial stature we have been amazed and delighted with the sheer clarity and scale of sound achieved in our modest demonstration room. The PMC Cor has proven itself more than capable of taking full control of 802 D3 to create a totally convincing and beguiling musical experience. Many’s the time we have had to drag ourselves away from extended listening sessions to deal with more mundane duties!

Give your ears a treat and give us a call to book a demonstration in store. All of the 800 D3 speakers are brilliant so don’t forget we also have 805 and 804 in store.

See you soon!

Alan, John and Wayne - Audio T Southampton.

Bowers & Wilkins 800 loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T: Bristol, Southampton.

All other B&W ranges are available the following branches: Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt Portable DAC And Headphone Amplifier "Don't look at the finger, or you'll miss all that heavenly glory" Bruce Lee, Enter The Dragon-fly!

A high quality streaming service such as Qobuz or Tidal delivers high resolution audio heaven! So, why can’t I hear the difference everyone's raving about?

Is this another case of the wool being pulled over our eyes, like serving up a cheap whisky in a heavy glass tumbler and believing that it tastes better?

7 years ago, Audioquest mobilised the world of digital to analogue converters (DACS) with the Dragonfly. While not the first of its kind, Audioquest's work with Gordon Rankin, the digital audio engineer supremo, recognised that most music played via a phone or computer didn’t sound very good. Principally, if the source is digital and you are listening on a mobile device, somewhere in the chain, that information will have to have gone through a low grade digital to analogue conversion process.

DAC circuitry is typically shoehorned into the ever shrinking mobile device - a space measured in nanometres and which is open and exposed to all manner of signal interference which further degrades the sound quality. The Audioquest Dragonfly series is one of the most affordable and portable USB DAC solutions to this problem, whilst offering improved naturally beautiful sound and incorporating a headphpne pre-amplifier all neatly packaged in a USB self powered stick. Just plug in, add headphones and away you go. It’s that simple.

Today, the Dragonfly portable DAC and Headphone amplifier series comprises of the Black, Red and Cobalt. The Black and Red both use the ESS 9010 DAC chip, with the Red employing a higher performance chip and 2.1v rather than 1.2v in the black that allows driving of larger headphones.

The flagship Cobalt has the new, more advanced ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip with a minimum-phase slow roll-off filter that offers an even more natural sound. The Microchip's superb PIC32MX274 microprocessor draws less current and increases processing speed by 33%. Improved power-supply filtering specifically increases immunity to WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular noise.

During testing in all cases and genres of music the sound stage opens up - certainly no sheep involved. The space, clarity and layers revealed make for a more engaging listening experience. The headphone amp in the Cobalt really drives bigger 'cans' effortlessly. Listening to the opening section of Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in B minor the Bassoon (or Bass clarinet depending on recording) played pppppp (that's six pianissimo) is night and day in comparison with directly connecting to the source.

But don’t take our word for it! Pop in to Audio T Bristol and have a listen with your mobile phone or laptop with the Audioquest Dragonfly Editions and experience the improvement in sound quality yourself. We can promise you there’s no wool or cheap whisky to be seen and you should hear a big difference!

Audioquest products are available from the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea

The Flagship Marantz PM10 Amplifier and SA10 CD Player

It is interesting to note, that whilst most Hi-Fi manufacturers are reducing the numbers of CD players that they produce, Marantz still totally support and indeed embrace the format!

The SA10 is proof in the metal and is probably the best disc player that money can buy. Capable of playing CD’s, SACD’s and DVD-R’s and equipped with fully balanced outputs and a high quality DAC for other digital sources, this machine is possibly the finest player that we have ever heard (we would love to compare it to the Naim CD 555). if you think that CD’s are dead, then this might be time to think again!

To accompany this beautiful player, Marantz have produced the equally stunning PM10 amplifier. Whilst technically an integrated amplifier; in reality, inside the box, it is a dual mono pre-amplifier with two monoblock power amplifiers. Capable of 200wpc into 8 ohms and doubling to 400wpc into 4 ohms, there will be few loudspeakers that the PM10 will not be able to drive effortlessly.

So how does this combination sound?

Hooked up to some reassuringly expensive B&W loudspeakers, listening to a wide variety of music, the sound quality is exceptionally refined, detailed and smooth. The bass drive is totally effortless, the noise floor, inky black. We were struck also, by how good the sound staging was. Listening to one particular drum solo, it was possible to place every drum and cymbal that was struck, incredibly impressive.

If you would like to hear them for yourself, please just give us a call.

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

We're In A Spin! The New Rega Planar 10 & Apheta 3 Cartridge Will Be At Our Launch Event!

It is with delight and eager anticipation that we can now reveal the other new product to be unveiled at our Rega Product Launch on Saturday 5th December at Audio T Brighton!

It is the new Rega Planar 10 and optional Rega Apheta 3 cartridge!

The Planar 10 promises to deliver the highest level of performance from a Rega production model to date.

The Planar 10 features the new RB3000 tonearm, ceramic top brace, completely re-engineered central hub bearing and the latest PL10 PSU housed in a custom case to match the latest range of electronics.

All this technology is built around the latest ultra-lightweight TANCAST 8 foam core with HPL skin skeletal plinth.

From launch, you have the option to have the all new Apheta 3 cartridge factory fitted (more details to follow).

How about this for attention to detail!

EBLT Drive Belts
For three years Rega has been researching and developing with chemists the use of a bespoke new rubber compound for drive belts. Using a specialised curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency of modulus (a constant representing the degree to which a substance has a particular property, especially elasticity). These new belts are manufactured on Rega designed, state of the art, super-accurate tools (inspired by working with the manufacturer of high-tech Formula 1 engine parts) which produce 'perfectly round' and 'dimensionally accurate' belts, critical for perfect speed stability

Rob from Rega will lead this launch event, and you will have the opportunity to treat yourself to an album or three from the high quality vinyl selection provided by Paul of Diverse Vinyl.

JOIN US IN STORE IN BRIGHTON ON SATURDAY

5TH OCTOBER BETWEEN 10.30AM AND 4.00PM!

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

Bowers & Wilkins Loudspeakers Are Back At Audio T Cheltenham! Trade Up & Save Up To £600

We’re excited and delighted to announce that we are now stocking both the 600 and 700 Series loudspeakers from legendary speaker designers Bowers & Wilkins.

Both of these ranges use the innovative Continuum bass/mid-range cone technology that has been developed over an eight year period and first featured in the flagship 800 Series Diamond models. This drive unit material is very thin, very light and very stiff which means it can deliver a pure and precise soundscape that will allow you to enjoy all the layers of your favourite music.

The B&W 600 Series uses the latest generation refined and upgraded version of the Decoupled Double Dome tweeter to reveal pristine detail.

We now have in store for demonstration the 603 floorstanders and the 606 and 607 smaller standmount models.

The 600 series offers a lot of loudspeaker for not a lot of money. They are also very easy to drive as well so will suit a wide variety of amplifiers.

The jump up from the B&W 600 series takes you to (surprise surprise) the B&W 700 Series and good though the 600 Series speakers are this is where things get really special. A wealth of state of the art technologies all add up to make the 700 Series truly magical. The 700 Series flagship floorstander the 702s2 and the 705s2 which is the top performing standmount in the range both boast the use of a solid body Carbon Dome tweeter housing, sitting in a pod on top of the cabinet. This is milled from a solid block of aluminium and provides an acoustically optimised housing for the tweeter that is exceptionally inert and resistant to resonances, which translates into clearer and cleaner sound overall and improved sound quality.

All of the B&W 700 Series use purpose built Carbon Dome tweeters to raise the breakup threshold to 47kHz which is well outside the range of dog hearing let alone humans. This enables the speaker to deliver pinpoint imaging and amazing accuracy of detail.

There are soooooooo many technological innovations across these two ranges that it would take too long to write about them all here and it would get way too boring, but many improvements is technology that has trickled down from the flagship B&W 800 series, which are hailed as one of the best sounding loudspeakers in the world! Suffice to say both the 600 and 700 Series are a triumph of design and technology and a real delight to listen to. We have been getting wonderful results matching them up with Rega CD players and amplifiers which are a beautiful match for them giving a huge soundstage with great imaging and super fast timing with great deep and tight bass too.

Here’s the best bit…. right now and for a limited time only, B&W are inviting you to take part in their exclusive “Trade Up To Bowers And Wilkins 700 Series” sales promotion.

All you have to do is bring in any old pair of speakers in any condition, working or not and you will get £600 OFF 702 s2, £450 OFF 703s2, £350 OFF 704s2, £300 OFF 705s2, £200 OFF 706s2, and £150 OFF 707s2. Of course if your speakers are worth more than the value quoted above then we will give you more for them. Just contact us first for a quote. This offer ends on November 30th so be quick!

Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon.