July 19, 2021

STREAMING & MORE - INTRODUCING THE NAIM UNITI ATOM HEADPHONE EDITION

July 19, 2021/ Swindon

The Naim Uniti Atom is an award winning, high quality, all-in-one streaming solution. All you need to do is add a pair of loudspeakers - Job done! But not everyone wants or has the space for speakers, or perhaps they prefer the more intimate listening experience of headphones. What then? Introducing the Naim Uniti Atom Headphones Edition.

Whilst the conventional Uniti Atom HDMI does feature a built-in 3.5mm headphone socket, its main purpose is to serve more as a central hub for all your entertainment needs. Now, moving away from the standard version, the headphone edition removes the built-in stereo amplifier in favour of a dedicated, high quality, discrete headphone amplifier which utilises technology from the company’s flagship range, the Statement Series. Whilst you may think that the Headphone Edition could be slightly restrictive in its functionality, you’d be wrong. If you’re already familiar with Naim and its very user friendly app, you’ll be no stranger to its multi-room functionality, meaning you could include the Atom to your existing set-up. On top of this, with the inclusion of an optional external amplifier, this system can be used as the streaming source to your Hi-Fi system. But first and foremost, the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is designed to turn any space in to your own personal audio cocoon.

FEATURES

The Uniti Headphone Edition offers three headphones connections - On the front panel you’ll find a 6.3mm and balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn connection, on the rear is a balanced 4-pin XLR. This plethora of connections gives you the flexibility to keep up to three headphones plugged in at any time and switch sets depending on what you’re listening to and when.

You’ll also find a pair of balanced XLR and RCA pre-amplifier outputs so you can connect the Uniti to a power amplifier or even directly to active speakers. There are three digital (two optical and one coax) plus a USB-A socket to add more sources to the system.

Uniti Atom HE on the left ( two headphone sockets ) and the Uniti Atom

Uniti Atom HE on the left next to the Uniti Atom

SO MUCH CHOICE - WHAT TO LISTEN TO?

There is so much choice with these systems as to what to play. Stream music from services like Tidal Hi-Fi, Qobuz or Spotify, play music wirelessly via AirPlay2, Bluetooth or Chromecast from your smartphone, tablet or computer. Copy your entire music collection to a pocket drive and plug it in to the front USB socket. Not enough? Select from thousands of Internet radio stations via the Naim control app and listen away.

Perhaps you would like to connect a turntable via a phono stage? No problem. There is an analogue input on the back.

SOUND QUALITY AND APP CONTROL - HOW GOOD IS IT ?

For the purpose of our test we used quite a few pairs of very good sounding headphones. Sennheiser HD800S (open back) and HD820 (closed back), Beyerdynamic T1 (openback) and a pair of Grado RS2 (openback).

You don’t have to have the expert ear of a musician or studio engineer to hear the difference a headphone amplifier of this calibre makes. It’s the control at higher volume levels, more spacing between instruments and more punch with the right timing - Just to name a few benefits.

The Naim Audio Control App is fun and easy to use, plus we find it to be one of the more stable apps available in the Hi-Fi world. This free download is available on both iOS or Android.

It allows the change of the source layout, style (app background) , inputs can be renamed and pre-amp & headphones maximum volume levels can be set individually.

Reading is one thing and believing is another - So please come in and have a listen for yourself . Bring some music on a memory stick or enjoy browsing a vast catalogue from Tidal or Qobuz here in the shop.

We look forward to seeing you in store soon - Andy & Stefan - Audio-T Swindon

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Naim Uniti can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 16, 2021

DYNAUDIO EMIT 10 - A REVAMP ON A FIRM FAVOURITE

July 16, 2021/ Oxford

Dynaudio speakers have been a popular choice at our Oxford branch. So much so, that each member of the team have, at some point, owned a pair whilst on our Hi-Fi journey. So, as I’m sure you’ll understand, we were very excited when Dynaudio announced the latest addition to their range.

The replacement for the very recently discontinued Emits, Dynaudio's entry level speaker range, were announced just a few weeks ago, so it was a genuine surprise to receive (quite unexpectedly and so quickly) our brand new demonstration pairs of the new Emit 10 stand-mounts and Emit 30 floor-standing speakers, late last Friday afternoon. The Emit 10s, the focus of this blog, are priced at around £630* a pair and are available in the standard Satin Black or White, but also a more contemporary Walnut Wood finish. Both the Black Satin finish and the Walnut Wood have a beautifully machined and finished, matt black front baffle with the white baffle naturally being white - as you might expect!

Our demo set arrived in the Black Satin finish and as with the stylish front baffle, the vinyl wrap has been applied with care and attention to detail. The fit and finish is exemplary and under the right light, the black wrap shimmers, yet to the touch it is clear this is a robust finish. The first impression is one of a carefully designed and well made product, there is a real sense of perceived value with this new iteration. Despite being the entry point to the extensive Dynaudio range, the new Emit range also offer a significant step up over the outgoing models; and this is no small feat as the original range were multiple award winners, and a long term favourite to us here at Oxford. Whilst the outgoing Emit M10 were a serious bargain for just around £500, these replacements are a definite step over and above, and for such a small price increase, a genuinely delightful surprise.

Both drive-units have been significantly improved, with the mid-range/bass Driver utilising a double-stacked magnet assembly which delivers stronger mid-range performance with improved dynamics as well as a significantly deeper bass response than the specs imply, or that should be realistically expected from a speaker at this price point; particularly from such a diminutive cabinet. But that is not the best of the improvements Dynaudio has undertaken with this new range. The new Emits sport the Cerotar tweeter which was developed for the Evoke range, the next step up the Dynaudio ladder, delivering much more refinement and fine detail.

As it was a Friday afternoon, any distraction is a welcome one and as this was an unexpected delivery, we didn’t need too much persuasion to dispense with the admin and we didn't wait for a second to unpack the Emit 10s. As we had a suitable set-up left over from our opening demo of the day, they were quickly slotted in to a novel system, comprising the new Bluesound Node as source, a Quad QC24 Pre-Amp and the Quad Artera Stereo, a potent power amplifier with more than enough juice to control the Emit 10. With just a few moments allocated to the set-up, we went headlong into a good hour of listening and cutting straight to the chase, what a speaker. Straight out of the box and the sound was beyond impressive, particularly when we reminded ourselves of the cost. I've already alluded to the surprising bass response but these new Emit 10 speakers image well, expose fine detail and with that Cerotar tweeter in effect, they deliver a warm yet sonorous vocal regardless of the track that was chosen. Naturally the Quad Pre and Power aren't really price commensurate, and are less likely to be partnered with these speakers. So we thought we would try something much more appropriate and slotted in the ever-popular Rega Brio, a far more natural partnership and one that I think may well be frequently paired with the new Dynaudio in the future. Any reduction in performance was far from obvious. Maybe a slightly reduced stereo image, but no less sparkle to the performance and the bass was still as present and as apparently impressive as before the change. However, closing time caught up with us quicker than we had anticipated and while these new Emit 10 speakers were proving to be a serious distraction! It was time to close for the day so we set the Node to a random radio station - a junglist heaven of some description - and gave the Emit 10s a 16 hour run-in overnight.

Arriving the following morning, even before we had made the tea, we sat down again for a further listen, and as you might expect, the Emit 10 demonstrated they are capable of doing more of everything they had indicated they could the day before. Same full bass but with a more relaxed mid-range and a clearer and smoother top-end. I have no doubt that these speakers will just keep getting better and better once they’ve exceeded the average run-in time of 30 plus hours. I've got a sneaking suspicion these new Emits will be a very popular range, bringing a level of performance and refinement you rarely find at this price point.

While we have concentrated on the Emit 10s, very much in the context of a stereo set-up, the new Emit range comprises of five speakers with as much focus on home-cinema as stereo application. This new Emit range comprises five speakers with dedicated centre speaker, the Emit 25 Centre, a larger stand-mount, the Emit 20 and two floor-standing models. The Emit 30, a slim floor-standing speaker and the larger Emit 50. If these are even half as good as our first impressions of the 10s, this will be a range of speakers absolutely worthy of auditioning.

We now have the Emit 10s on permanent demonstration at the Oxford branch. And as I mentioned at the beginning of the blog-post, the Emit 10 were also delivered with our demo pair of the smaller floorstanders, the Emit 30.

Please feel free Contact Us to schedule a demonstration either in store or at home.

Andrew, Jon and Luke Audio T Oxford

Be sure to keep up with all that is going on at Audio T Oxford by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Dynaudio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

(*Please Note: Any prices mentioned are subject to change)

July 07, 2021

BUDGET BEAUTIES THAT PUNCH WELL ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT - MONITOR AUDIO BRONZE 100

July 07, 2021/ Cheltenham

I had fleetingly mentioned the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 in a previous blog where they were being used to demonstrate other parts of a Hi-Fi system. Over the course of the past few lockdowns it has become very apparent that for their size and price, these little beasts are actually rather special and truly are a bargain!

The entry level Bronze range by Monitor Audio have always been admirable performers and fun to listen to, but these new 6th generation bookshelf/stand mount designs with their killer combination of bass weight, delectable highs and gorgeous new contemporary styling guarantees that they will win plenty of admirers.

The Design…

These budget beauties have a price tag of around £360, but don’t let that put you off, there is nothing budget about the solid build quality and the sound these speakers can produce. The star attraction here is the 200mm bass/mid driver. This is the same driver as used on the range topping Bronze 500 floorstander, and is a rare find in a speaker at this price in a market dominated by small drive units. Made from Monitor Audio’s bespoke C-CAM composite material it also features Damped Concentric Mode (DCM) technology, which is designed to reduce distortions and break up in the drive unit…. It looks rather sleek too! These chunky drive units are bolted in to the cabinet by a large rear mounted bolt designed to decouple the diver from the front baffle, this also has the added benefit of providing much greater cabinet rigidity too .

C-CAM is once again used for the Bronze 100’s ‘Gold Dome’ tweeter (same as the Silver range). The honeycomb patterned Uniform Dispersion Waveguide is there to improve off axis dispersion from the recessed tweeter. This also improves the time alignment between the bass and the treble. Monitor Audio also supply a rounded cloth covered grille, should you not like the look of the uncovered drive units.

A nice chunky set of gold plated binding posts allow for bi wiring and will also take 4mm banana plugs.

A flared and patterned rear mounted bass port reduces spurious chuffing noises that a port can sometimes produce. There is a foam bung provided to block up the port should the bass ever prove to be too overpowering. This may be beneficial if the speakers are to be sited on cabinets or in the corner of a room. It goes without saying that for optimum performance the ideal mounting for them is on top of a decent pair of loudspeaker stands.

The proof is in the listening…

Sound wise there is so much that these Monitor Audios do that will amaze you for the money. I decided to put them through their paces with the track Deep Elem Blues by The Grateful Dead from the mainly acoustic live album Reckoning. The Bronze 100’s produced a big open and expansive out of the box stereo image that really does belie their price. The treble sounds detailed and open, making vocals and harmonies sound entirely natural. The real surprise here though is that bass! Fast and deep yet still tight and totally controlled. The live acoustic comes flowing out of the speakers and drags you into the performance. The dual acoustic guitars of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir perfectly framed within the soundstage.

Next on the playlist was something a bit different. Synthesiser poppy weirdness from the Yello album Toy. The track Cold Flame featuring the vocal talents of Malia chugs along rather well with Malia doing her best Grace Jones! Synth bleeps ooze effortlessly from the speakers, all underpinned by a rock solid bass groove sent from outer space. Here all the instruments and vocals are just hanging free in the air as if the loudspeaker cabinets are totally invisible.

Finish options for these speakers are more varied than usual with Black, White, Walnut and a new ultra trendy Urban Grey to choose from. There is also a two tone approach to the styling to, with the front panel coming in either satin dark grey (for the Black and Walnut) or satin light grey (for White and Urban Grey). The gold coloured tweeters visible behind the UD Waveguide also add a level of visual charm that is rare at any price!

The Bronze 100s are easy to drive and do not seem to favour any particular genre of music over any other. At this price (did I mention that they sit around a mere £360 a pair) they are something of a bargain. A great all rounder with sonic charm and modern styling…a killer combination.

Demonstrations can be arranged in store and are thoroughly recommended.

Andy, Jon and Farid in the Cheltenham Store.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store

Monitor Audio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 02, 2021

“X” MARKS THE SPOT - THE NEW REL T/X RANGE ARRIVE IN MANCHESTER

July 02, 2021/ Manchester

REL Acoustics have just released the new range of the brilliant award-winning T series, the T/x, and we proudly have them on display here at Audio T Manchester. We just wanted to see how they stack up against our other subs in the shop… Bah doom tish’… I’ll get my coat…

So the honest truth is we haven’t really put the new Serie T/x through their paces. Since welcoming you lovely lot back in store we’ve had a busy old time at the shop and not really had an afternoon to work our way through this terrific little trio of subs.

Luckily you for you, Aga and the lads at our illustrious Portsmouth Store have had a sit down with the range and put together a cracking review of the new T/x range. Check it out here.

Chromey floats between the space of two subs. Bass heaven.

Meanwhile, we can show you some beautifully detailed pictures and quickly discuss some design changes to the new range as well as answer some of the questions our customers often ask us about the LFE and High Level connections as both are used on the Serie T.

Why the RCA low level connection?

Well, this simple tried-and-true method connects using a low level signal and is used on the vast majority of more modestly configured systems. It takes a very small signal from the .1/LFE subwoofer output on the rear of your receiver and outputs, typically, a theatre-centric signal to your new subwoofer.

In other words the .1 (point one) is the subsonic thunderous bass you get when a tank rolls by Saving Private Ryan or a F16 does a fly over in Top Gun.

It uses the ubiquitous RCA cable and plugs in similar to how tuners or CD players have done so for decades. It’s easy and works fine for relatively short runs of, say, 25’ or so. So why would anyone use anything else? Quality of sound and quietness, or the ability to keep the signal robust and the noise down to a minimum are the reasons to move up from this basic standard.

Why would I use the high level connection?

This connection method has been used by REL Acoustics for over thirty years and offers several performance benefits. Many of the most experienced listeners strongly prefer the performance gains available from this type of design.

I always thought High Level was about music and LFE for movies?

This is true when music is the preferred art form you’re taking in. BUT and it’s a big but, when movies are being played, the High Level does this wonderful trick of improving every single sound in the movie, not just the special effects but the music and the dialog, creating a richer and more full theatre experience .

So movies need both High Level and .1/LFE?

Ideally yes. You see, all the sounds we hear in films, even including the fictitious altered reality of movies taking place in the future, are more than often things that we naturally hear in the everyday real world. To recreate the real-life listening experience of these full-range sounds, you require a full-range system that isn’t restricted by the frequency response of your speakers. With this in mind, you will always benefit from a high quality subwoofer that extends your systems frequency response. Having both connections means that the High Level input will perform a kind of sonic restoration of movie soundtracks, enhancing all the rich, dynamic sounds. You will find that voices sound more natural and don’t suffer from that bright hard shallowness that makes many movies difficult to get through. Music scores convey the full emotion of the moment. The bottom line is that spatial qualities are conveyed by a full range sound, and hearing this full range properly rendered in movies makes them so much more enjoyable – just like watching a film at the cinema (remember those?).

Hopefully that answers some questions you may have had about the way both these connections work? If not, feel free to contact us for more information.

Now let’s take a look at the range -

REL T/9x

The largest of the three new subwoofers -

Rel T/7x

The middle sibling in the trio -

Rel T/5x

The baby of the family -

As you can see REL have softened the design of the new T/x series, giving the subwoofers a beefier, shorter and squat look, which we feel really adds to the stealthier appearance. It’s really nice, you have to see them in the flesh to appreciate it.

The rounded corners perfectly follow the lines of Chromey’s dome.

The front grill follows the same sleek lines as you can see below. Very elegant.

And there you have it folks, a quick look at the brand new Serie T/x from REL Acoustics.

We now have these subwoofers on display and ready to demonstrate at our Manchester branch, so why not contact us and book an appointment today?

Thanks for reading.

Munir, Dave, James, Mike and Haden - Audio T Manchester

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

REL can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 01, 2021

RECORD STORE DAY BACK WITH A BANG!

July 01, 2021/ Swansea

RECORD STORE DAY DROP 1 - 2021 was back with a bang once again! Restrictions meant that it was not going to be the usual open house affair with a system playing away, thankfully that did not deter the crowds and RSD was a cracker!

As with previous Record Store Days, the excitement really starts to ramp up in the days leading up to RSD when stock starts to arrive in stores, and it’s no different at Derricks Music. Photos of the limited edition releases start to appear on their social media, our posters advertising our fabulous free prize draw to win a Rega Turntable start to plaster the walls. Customers calling in our store start asking what records I’m hoping to get and vice versa. Of course there is another Elvis on my list - Anyone who knows me could have guessed that one!

So….. as per usual, a few days before hand people start asking the question of what time the doors are opening and how long do we expect the queue to be. We had been hoping that the restrictions would have been slightly eased by the time of the first drop but there was no need to worry, as come the morning of RSD it was clear that the support was still there and as strong as ever.

The morning had arrived and I made my way down to Oxford Street (Swansea) to be greeted by the queue that was already halfway down the road at 8.30am (past Reeds Bakery if you know it) so we knew we were going to be in for a busy one once again. Doors were to opened at 9am and it was all systems go!

I have to say that I was a bit gutted that we couldn’t stop and chat as we always have done, but it was necessary to keep the flow of customers in and out of the shop to allow for proper social distancing. We had anticipated this might be the case, so instead of the old pen & paper method of entering our giveaway, we had managed to get a very quick QR code scan for entry into our competition which worked a treat. Definitely how we’ll be doing things in future.

As always, we had some of our Audio T Record Bags to give away at random, but how to decide who gets one? I hatched a cunning plan…. Being a huge Prince fan myself, I told the crew of Derricks Music (Christos, Sian and John) that the next person to ask for the Prince album would get one. Low and behold, a few minutes later the shout went up “WE HAVE A WINNER!”

Normal service resumed, with lots of people managing to get hold of what they had been patiently queuing for. Luckily the weather held up for the day!

We approached the end of the day and it came to the time for us to pick our prize winner at random. The name was chosen and I made the phone call… Straight to answerphone! This is in fairness the first time we haven’t gotten an answer straight away, but literally a couple of minutes later we had an ecstatic return call. It’s always such a pleasure to hear the surprise in the winners voice every time, let’s face it - it’s a brilliant prize to win!

As I’ve said; it was a shame that we were restricted as to what we could do on the day and were not able to spend time chatting all things music and Hi-Fi but it really didn’t dampen the day at all. It was great to see so many faces we know and meet lots of new friends. Once again we have to say a huge thanks to all at Derricks Music for having us along for the day and having such a blast. RSD drop 2 is just around the corner so no doubt we will be seeing lots of you again in store.

To find out more about Record Store Day 2021 click here.

Thanks for reading.

Nic, Chris and Ade - Audio T Swansea

Be sure to keep an eye on what’s happening in the Swansea store by following us on instagram and Facebook.

Here’s a couple of my own RSD purchases along with our very happy prize winner receiving their Rega Planar 1.

Record Store Day is official partners with Rega and Bowers & Wilkins. Both manufacturers can be found at the following Audio-T stores -

June 29, 2021

THE NEW BLUESOUND NODE 3

June 29, 2021/ Cardiff

That’s right, the new Bluesound Node 3 has arrived with us here in Audio T Cardiff. It features an upgraded DAC as well as a festoon of extra buttons! But what else is lurking beneath this cool, stealth-like exterior…?

For those that aren’t familiar with the Bluesound Node series, they are, in our humble opinion, one of the best choices for streamers in terms of value for features. They are controlled by a fantastic user friendly app via smartphone or tablet and are constantly being improved upon with firmware and software updates, not to mention they have a remarkable sound quality considering the price tag. Realistically, if you wanted to significantly better the performance of the Node, you would have to spend well north of £1000.

Same Chassis, new tricks…

Superficially it looks no different to its predecessors, that is of course until you turn it on. Upon closer inspection you find that the top panel no longer consists of solely transport buttons, but now has five presets buttons and a volume slider control.

While at first I thought to myself “I’d never use a preset or volume control” I quickly found out I was wrong. The ability to have your favourite radio stations available at the touch of a button, allowing you to quickly throw some background music on without having to pull up a smart phone app was a incredibly refreshing experience. I also found the volume slider to be surprisingly responsive for a simple touch panel. It also gives a nice visual indication of how much volume you have to play with.

The Node 3 also now includes a HDMI ARC port, which really brings this streamer into the modern fold. This addition allows you to route all audio from your TV, Sky box or games console through the Bluesound’s new and improved DAC, giving a nice bump in quality while combining your Hi-Fi and TV in to one multi-media set-up.

So what’s under the hood?

Regarding DACs, the new Burr-Brown featured inside the Bluesound Node 3 gives a much more natural and smooth sound. Due to it’s differential output design it also has a much improved harmonic distortion reducing it to 0.002% THD, less than half it was before. Simply put this is a fantastic improvement to an already great sounding bit of kit.

The new processor has been bumped up to a 1.8Ghz Arm A3 and while the extra speed is not currently a noticeable improvement it could pave the way for an expansion of features in the future.

What we see here is Bluesound solidifying their position in the market and making an even more compelling product for the price. It would take a lot for anyone else to catch up and has been our go to streamer in this range for a long time now.

If you wish to listen to the new Bluesound Node 3 you can find them available for demonstration here at our Cardiff store or your local Audio-T which you can find here.

Thanks for reading.

Hefin, Nick & Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

Keep up to date with everything going on at Audio T Cardiff by following us on Facebook and Instagram

Bluesound can be found at the following Audio-T stores

June 29, 2021

THE ALL NEW REL TX SERIES

June 29, 2021/ Portsmouth

As many of you may know, REL are a company that specialise in subwoofers and subwoofers alone. For them, this is a passion. They are on an endless mission to redefine their creations and like many manufacturers in the world of Hi-Fi, are constantly aiming to achieve perfection.

REL Series T - Where ‘’T’’ stands for Tasteful!

REL’s main idea behind the ‘’T’’ series, was to create a range of subwoofers in such a way, that not only they could look stylish and delicate enough to fit in almost any home, but to also offer the right model for the right space. And if you ask me, they deliver in spectacular fashion.

REL’s latest entry to the family, the “T/x” range is set to be a huge improvement on its award winning predecessor, as well as offering an affordable alternative over their flagship ‘’S’’ series.

Let’s go over their latest entries and get ourselves familiarised with the subs.

REL T/5x

“Perfect for small and medium rooms, T/5x seats perfectly into any décor. Floor-firing is part of its secret; bass energy strikes the floor and spreads uniformly throughout the space making it perform like a larger model.

Slightly larger in volume than its predecessor, it actually appears to be smaller due to subtle design changes to minimize it’s visual presence. Finally, 5 hand polished coats of lacquer, in your choice of High Gloss White or Piano Black, add lustre to the softly rounded cabinetry.”

— REL Acoustics

The REL T5i had always been a firm favourite at Audio T Portsmouth, so we couldn’t wait to put this latest incarnation to the test. Needless to say, it really delivers!

We’d consider it to be the perfect subwoofer for most small rooms. It gives an extra level of performance that you may be lacking from your existing loudspeakers, but didn’t even know.

The undercarage of the t5x — The UNDERCARRIAGE of the t5x

A common misconception is that a subwoofer will just add extra bass to your system, but what it does is expand the sound stage not only horizontally, but also vertically, creating extra depth and detail to your listening experience.

We paired the REL T/5x with the Naim Uniti Nova streamer amplifier and the ATC SCM7 loudspeakers. By no means an “entry-level” system, but one that we know well.

Using TIDAL hi-res streaming service through the Naim App, we auditioned Uncle Lucius – Keep The Wolves Away track as a reference. We find it’s a brilliant test piece due to it’s fantastically mixed performance of bassy lows and detailed highs.

We started our listening experiment without the subwoofer and then, whilst the track was in full swing, we flicked the switch... Words cannot describe what I felt when I started listening to that big floor tom resonating around the room. Bass was travelling around the space so smoothly and discreetly, giving the experience of an actual live stage performance. You wouldn’t expect such an influence on the overall sound experience out of an 8’’ driver, however due to the floor-firing process the sub just gives it a warmer; and at the same time punchier approach.

Like I said before, this was not an entry-level setup, so to experience such a difference in performance with the inclusion of a subwoofer makes you think what you could achieve with lesser systems.

REL T/7x

“T/7x is, without reservation, one of the most-balanced REL’s of all time. T/7x manages to make it all seem easy. Quick and delicate for a perfect blend, it can pound out exceptionally deep, tuneful bass that belies its size and plays louder than most will ever require.”

— REL Acoustics

no, this isn’t a wood finish. that’s the incredible gloss black reflecting our wooden wall.

This is where things start to get a little bit more serious. With the T/7x we still get the same 8’’ floor-firing driver, but it is accompanied by an additional forward firing 10’’ passive driver. This combination delivers a clean and a well timed performance.

We conducted the same method as we did with the T/5x. Again, with the Naim Uniti Nova streamer, the ATC SCM7 loudspeakers, using the same track to give both subwoofers an equal comparison. As before, we were stunned by the precision and detail of the sound. The way this subwoofer hugs the surroundings is beyond any words. So much deeper than it’s ‘’little brother’’, making a clear statement: this is one of the best, medium-scaled subs if not the best in it’s category. It filled the room with a deep sound, however leaving enough room for the rest of the frequencies to breathe, making it an incredible listening experience.

REL T/9x

“The job of any range topper for REL is to deliver more of everything, particularly output and dynamics. The 9x is no different in this regard, as it delivers the goods in both music and theatre applications. 9x, however, delivers a level of intimacy, clarity and speed that means there are no longer trade-offs between the sonic balance of smaller models weighed against the power and scale of a model 9.”

— REL Acoustics

As REL say themselves, the T/9x delivers more of everything. It basically does everything that the T/7x is capable of, just bigger and better, with its 300W output. So we put the T/9x to the test, however, we didn’t feel that the size of our demo room allowed us to witness it’s full potential as a Hi-Fi sub. This time, we decided to connect the T/9x to a home cinema setup, just to see what we could get from some dramatic action sound effects. It’s safe to say it delivered a full, punchy, vivid sound that easily filled our room without having to turn the volume up high. I really wish we could have had the opportunity to give it a go in a larger room and explore its full capability.

Our Verdict

An overall impressive experience. We enjoyed every little bit playing around with these three subs, tweaking the crossover knobs to effortlessly find the sweet spot, or fine tuning the hi/low level knob which would provide a more colourful approach on the bass.

All three subs performed beyond our expectations. Any one would be an incredible addition to any Hi-Fi or Home Cinema set-up. The only real factors to consider when choosing which one you’ll go for is room size and budget. I’d would strongly recommend to anyone looking to buy a subwoofer, to book an appointment and have a listen.

Thank you for reading - Aga, Luke, Jake and Nick - Audio T Portsmouth

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with what’s going on in store.

REL can be found at the following Audio-T stores

June 26, 2021

QUAD ARTERA SOLUS PLAY VS LEAK STEREO 130 & CDT

June 26, 2021/ Brighton

For some of us, the names Leak and Quad will bring back memories of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. You’d be right in thinking that they are older names, but they were once at the forefront of the British hifi scene. While both companies were known for high quality audio products, and innovative design, Leak had stopped producing new products by the late 70s, and Quad went through to the mid 90s before going through a couple of changes in ownership. Thanks to the IAG Group, both names are alive in the modern world! While Quad has had a fairly consistent set of products over the past couple of decades, Leak has long been gone… until now!

We’ll start off with one of our favourite products from Quad, the Artera Solus Play If you are the owner of an original Linn Classik, the Solus Play will be a familiar product to you. It’s one of those ‘do-it-all’ boxes, and one of the best ones around, especially when you factor in cost per feature. Quad themselves refer to it as their “Wireless Streaming Integrated Amplifier / DAC / Preamplifier / CD Player”. This is a pretty impressive list as it is, but have a look at this list of features and see for yourself just how versatile the unit is.

Wireless Streaming via DTS Play-Fi app
Built in FM radio
Hi-Res Audio capabilities - up to 24bit/192Khz using ‘critical listening mode’
Standard mode is 16bit/48Khz, more affectionately known as CD quality.
Onboard CD player
Multiroom
Dedicated headphone amplifier circuit
Bluetooth

These are just a handful of our favourite features, but when you dive in you will find that it has a lot more in its arsenal.

Rear panel of the Quad Artera Solus Play

“But how does it sound?” I hear you ask… well, the short answer is it sounds great. It’s not necessarily going to blow you away if you’re used to a very high end system, but if you’re after one box to do everything well, then you’re in the right place. It has a smooth and detailed sound, but still manages to be quite musical, and when paired with the right speakers, it sings. It handles everything from orchestral music, to punk, to house music and everything in between, and showed little sign of struggling. It will drive pretty much any sensibly matched speakers, with the exception of the larger harder to drive types.

A customer recently tested the Solus Play against a Naim CD5si and Nait 5si combination, and although he agreed that the Naim sounded a little better when playing CDs, the difference wasn’t so big that he wanted to turn down the extra features of the Quad, and to be honest we weren’t surprised. Of course, the Quad and the Naim system aren’t equally matched in terms of build quality, and they definitely sound different. Quad is much smoother than Naim in general, some people don’t like this smoothness, and some love it! It’s all subjective and there is nothing wrong with preferring one over the other.

Streaming apps all differ from each other, and some people will have their favourites. The DTS Play-Fi App that is used with the Quad is not as slick as some, however, there is a big update promised at some point in 2021 which should address this..

If you are in the market for a versatile one box solution or you are one of those using an older Linn Classiks you should give this Quad some serious thought. (Linn Classik are becoming dated and a lot of parts are now obsolete, which means that when things start to go wrong, they are no longer fixable).

What about the Leak?

The Stereo 130 amp will bring back memories of their original Stereo 30 (famously pictured with Jimi Hendrix!!). It certainly looks the part, and it fits the bill of looking ‘vintage’. I mean, just look at the Art Deco ‘LEAK’ logo, that is a huge throwback. When you pair it with the CDT, you get a pretty nice looking system. Sure, you wouldn’t have had a CD player in 1971, but in 2021, some of us still love our CD collections. Of course, this does mean having two boxes, but when they look this cool…

Let’s not get too carried away though, you won’t find any valves present in this one. To be fair, at this price point, there was never going to be a chance of any valves lurking in the back.

So what does it sound like then?

Well, it certainly needs a bit of time to run in, as straight out of the box the sound was a bit bland, but we find that there isn’t a single piece of electronic equipment that doesn’t need to run in for some amount of time. When you look at the unit, you may be coerced into believing it will sound “vintage”, which really doesn’t mean all that much. Sure, it isn’t going to sound like that old valve amp you had back in the day, but it isn’t designed to. What it does have is a clear, open presentation with no undue emphasis on different frequencies. With the direct button engaged the sound opens up even more, while still remaining controlled.

Rear panel of the Stereo 130 showing all available inputs and outputs.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Stereo 130 is that it leans more on the side of pristine, clean and smooth, rather than the sonic richness one might expect from vintage style gear. I personally think this is a plus point for the Leak, but one could be forgiven for being a little disappointed if you expected the old Leak sound.

At only 45 watts a channel (63w at 4ohms), it isn’t going to drive every speaker out there, but it handled all of the stand-mounted speakers we threw at it, from Rega, ProAc and Dynaudio. If you take a little bit of time to pair this amp well, it will form the centre of a very respectable system.

In terms of features, it falls short of the Quad, but it isn’t limited by this. It has an MM phono stage built in, as well as two additional RCA aux inputs, and 3 digital inputs. The addition of the phono stage is a huge plus compared to the Quad if you’re a vinyl fan. The CDT being a transport - as indicated by the ’T’ - means that it can only be plugged in through a digital cable, but this does mean you get to keep all of your RCA’s free for extra boxes. It also has a handy little usb socket on the front,which gives you the ability to play your music stored from external usb drives, if correctly formatted.

So there you have it, two interesting products with a different approach to hi-fi pleasure. When factoring in the Quad’s streaming capabilities, it might make it more difficult to choose between them. Both units are great, but not exactly comparable, so it really comes down to the features you think you want most!

Give us a call and arrange to come in and hear them for yourself, as with all hifi, it’s always best to hear things for yourself!

John, Paul, and Chris - Audio T Brighton

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Quad and Leak products can be seen at the following Audio-T stores

June 18, 2021

CHORD BURNDY CABLES NOW AVAILABLE AT OUR SOUTHAMPTON STORE

June 18, 2021/ Southampton

As long term fans of both Chord Company cables and Naim Audio we are pleased to announce that we have added the Chord Burndy cables to our demonstration stock.

Anyone who has aspired to the level of Naim Classic or 500 systems, using Burndy cables for power supply connections, is already seriously committed to achieving music performance of the highest quality.

The full range of Burndy cables are now available from Chord and represent an intriguing alternative to owners of any high end Naim system.

The Chord Burndy Cables come in a SLEEK stealth-like packaging

These Burndy cables utilise Chord Company’s highest quality silver plated conductors and flagship Taylon insulation with special attention paid to screening with an acoustic braid, plus an anti-EMF braid. Chord believe this brings better resolution and transparency, without affecting Naim’s famed Pace, Rhythm and Timing. But why take their word for it? If you’d like to demonstrate the cables at home with your Naim equipment, contact us today.

Alan and Wayne - Audio T Southampton

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Naim can be found at the following Audio-T stores

June 11, 2021

MCINTOSH AND SONUS FABER - FIRST LOOK & LISTEN AT SWINDON

June 11, 2021/ Swindon

Here at Audio-T Swindon we carry a wide range of Hi-Fi products, none the less it would be an understatement to say that we were a little more than excited when Matt Peddle from Fine Sounds UK visited us to show us some McIntosh amplifiers and Sonus Faber loudspeakers.

McIntosh and Sonus Faber

McIntosh Laboratory, founded in 1949, is an American manufacturer of high-end audio equipment, based in Binghamton, New York. Known globally for offering distinguished home audio systems brandished with their iconic blue Watt output meter.

Sonus Faber, founded in 1983, is an Italian manufacturer of high quality, handcrafted loudspeakers which are quickly becoming a favourite throughout many of our stores.

McIntosh - MA352 & MA12000

There are three Hybrid design integrated amplifiers in the McIntosh range and we had the chance to listen to two of them - The MA352 and MA12000. So what does Hybrid mean? Well, put simply they combine a vacuum tube preamp and a solid state power amp and wow do they look good.

Blue and Green should never be seen?

The iconic blue VU meters and green glowing McIntosh logo and valves are visually stunning, They hit your eyes straight away and we certainly like it. Now we know this won’t be to everyone’s liking, luckily the VU meter backlights lights and the green LEDs under the tubes can be switched off as well as the overall display can be dimmed.

McIntosh MA12000 integrated amplifier - 17 inputs ( 10 analog &7 digital ) plus MC/MM phono stage on board

Just to give you a quick idea of what we are dealing with here - The MA12000 offers 350W per channel and due to McIntosh’s Autoformer technology, this is guaranteed whether the speakers have 2, 4 or 8 Ohm impedance - This allows your Hi-Fi system the control it needs to play music at the highest quality. Unlike many contemporary amplifiers, the MA12000 features a details 8-band EQ for tonal control as well as built-in Moving Magnet/ Moving Coil phono stage.

McIntosh MA352 Hybrid integrated amplifier

The next amplifier in the range is the MA352. This little beast sits below the MA12000 and looks stunning but in an entirely different way, offering a slightly stripped back experience. The power output is rated at 200W per channel into 8 Ohm or 320W into 4 Ohm speakers giving enough power to drive most loudspeakers. It features a MM phono stage, 5-band EQ and a built-in headphone amplifier. Obviously it features the iconic VU meters for that retro style of output monitoring.

McIntosh MA352 - Moving Magnet Phono Stage is built in

Sonus Faber - Olympica Nova 3

Previously we listened to the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova1, a two-way monitor that impressed us with both its build and sound quality. On this occasion we had a chance to listen to the bigger Olympica Nova 3 and we couldn’t wait to set them up.

The asymmetrical shape of the cabinets looks great and the aesthetically pleasing integrated slotted reflex ports on the rear, run all the way down the speakers to allow the ports to be aimed inside or outside, depending on your room.

Listening

For the audition we used a Bluesound music streamer and a Linn LP12 Akurate and were incredibly happy with what we heard. It’s safe to say that both amplifiers and the speakers are a brilliant pairing that work really well together. A truly fantastic performance with bags of detail, detailed timing and controlled bass. Wow, we could really go on and on but we think you should really contact your local branch to see about trying them out yourself.

Thanks for reading - Stefan & Andy - Audio-T Swindon

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Sonus faber can be found at the following Audio-T stores

June 10, 2021

ACOUSTIC ENERGY AE1 - LEAD A MORE ACTIVE LIFESTYLE

June 10, 2021/ Bristol

In order to maintain a healthy body we really should aim to do 10,000 steps a day, eat your five a day, consume less meat, drink less alcohol and generally be more active.

So with that in mind, I thought it time to visit an active speaker - The Acoustic Energy AE1. The rise in Hi-Fi devices equipped with pre-outputs, particularly streamers, make this a compelling choice…

One could argue that the ever changing technologies of sources, particularly digital sources, means that if you decide that minimising box count is the way, it's more sensible to lock the amplifier/speaker and free the source, thus future proofing a minimalist system.

Why Active?

When a manufacturer designs a passive speaker, they have to consider a plethora of amplifiers with performance specifications and notably varying outputs.

If we take a source, integrated amp and two way speakers (a tweeter and a mid-woofer - otherwise called drivers). The traditional source signal, for example, from a CD player, streamer or vinyl is fed to the integrated amp which in turn amplifiers the signal. Integral to the passive speaker is the passive crossovers, the most common type of audio crossover located in the speaker. They use a network of passive electrical components (e.g., capacitors, inductors and resistors) to split up an amplified signal coming from the amplifier, so that it can be sent to the two loudspeaker drivers. In our example, that may result in relevant frequencies to the tweeter - that handles high frequencies, around 3.5Khz - 20,000KHz and the Mid-range from 42Hz - 3.8Khz.

With an active speaker, the source signal is directed to the crossover first, then there is an amplifier stage after that then sends those relevant frequencies to the driver.

For a speaker designer, there are clear advantages to this. The ability to tune the amplification and crossover relationship to get the optimum out of the cone design. By doing away with a lot of the passive crossover components, theoretically the source signal is cleaner and the pursuit of perfect phase alignment and less distortion more achievable.

History of the AE1

The AE1 had its first incarnation in 1987, since then has drawn many plaudits and awards. Over the years, the constant refinement has resulted in a very well sorted speaker with a sound and presentation that defies belief from such a small cabinet. In 2014, a wholesale redesign debuted at the Munich High End Show and this went into production in 2016. A few more tweaks and today, here we have 34 years of finely honed development.

Rear features - IEC power input, XLR or RCA inputs, trim control, Bass and Treble +/-4dB fine adjustment

Design & Technologies

Each speaker contains two 50W Class A/B amps, 3.5kHz 4th Order Linkwitz-Riley crossover, with RCA and XLR inputs. Key to the success of the AE1 Active design is its unique pure piston ceramic aluminium cone technology. Now in its fifth generation, this 125mm ceramic hard-anodised spun aluminium cone offers exceptional stiffness at low weight. This negates the cone flex and break-up nodes at frequencies typical of paper and plastic cone designs. The tweeter is an all-new Acoustic Energy designed 27mm metal done unit designed to work in harmony with their Wide Dispersion Technology (WDT) waveguide. Because the design team have control over the crossover and amplification the drivers can be tuned to perfect phase and control over how the dome flexes.

Larger than the passive, the 27mm metal dome unit designed to work in harmony with the Wide Dispersion Technology (WDT) waveguide.

The surrounds are a foam like material, rather than the usual rubber. This allows for a dampening of any reflected frequencies. The cabinet is HDF construction, braced with a 7 lacquer finish. Again less bracing and cabinet dampening is needed because of the active driver control.

Main driver with foam surround - 125mm ceramic hard-anodised spun aluminium cone offers exceptional stiffness at low weight.

System & Sound

Actives have a reputation for being overly analytical, cold sounding & dry. That is why their design is favoured by recording studios of the pro audio world where neutral flat response is crucial for sound production. Whilst this is a presentation that many Hi-Fi Enthusiasts and ourselves really seek out and enjoy, it can be fatiguing where the main aim of a good Hi-Fi system is to intrigue - a sound profile that invites you to explore Music/Film and presents it in a way that emotionally involves us listeners.

We started off with the Bluesound Node, 3m Chord RCA interconnects, Audioquest NRG power leads. Setting up was a breeze. The trim controls and the bass/Treble fine adjustments on the AE1's allow for a wider setting with placement much closer to the walls. Very satisfying results were achieved.

How far could we push the source? So, we connected the Chord Dave to the Bluesound optical out. Over £8k worth of Chord Electronics digital superiority attached to a pair of speakers around the £1k mark is like putting an Aston Martin V12 engine in a Ford Focus, not a setup we would normally advise, but then in a feat of chameleon-like change the AE1 revealed the detailed resolution and Chord signature sound with great gusto.

Saucy sources. Chord Dave, Naim Heaphone amp, Bluesound node

Coming out of fantasy land got us thinking about the typical customer for active speakers. With the advent of the new Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition amp - this represents a great entry to the Naim experience for those who enjoy headphones and will happily drive the accomplished Sennheiser HD660s to very high end models, such as the Focal Utopias. Usefully, the Naim HE comes with pre-outs both XLR and RCA. The AE1's really shone with great timing. We had to trim the bass by -2db, but the sound stage is properly 3D, locked and deep with dynamics that would drive a smile across the face of the most critical listener.

Conclusion

Overall, with extremely wide and spacious imaging, deep bass, unmuted clarity with a truly engaging sound the Acoustic Energy have achieved with the AE1. So, while you chew through your salad, know that your music has meat.

You can have a listen to the music we used in all our demonstrations, test systems and fill our listening rooms with over at the constantly evolving Audio-T Bristol Qobuz Playlist - Here.

Max, James & Justin - Audio T Bristol

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Book an Acoustic Energy AE1 demo at the Audio-T Bristol store.

Acoustic Energy can be found at the following Audio-T stores

May 28, 2021

A WINNING COMBINATION? NAIM UNITI ATOM & RUSSELL K 50

May 28, 2021/ Enfield

All jobs have their perks. At Audio T ours is that we get to play with some of the finest Hi-Fi & AV products on the market. If it can fit in the car, chances are that we’ve taken it home to have a play.

This opportunity, whilst being fantastic, can be troublesome at times and raise the bar of what we consider to be the norm. Then when we get our heads out of the clouds and return to planet earth to test more modestly priced systems we can find the results to be a disappointment. But not this time!

Good things come in small packages…

The Naim Uniti Atom, combined with the Russell-K Black 50 speakers could be perceived as a modern day version of the entry-level micro system that introduced many of us to the world of Hi-Fi. To some, an all-in-one solution may not be the go-to when thinking about high-end audio, but this small, British made setup defies all expectations.

Naim Uniti Atom

The Uniti Atom is a box of tricks. It’s stylish, easy to use and superbly built. Despite its tiny stature, (4” x 9” x 10”) it weighs-in at a over 7Kg. The youngest sibling in the Uniti range packs a real musical punch.

The Uniti Atom handles music-streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and Qobuz – plus it offers easy Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, Bluetooth and Internet Radio. On top of all of this you can connect other sound sources such as your turntable (with the addition of a phono stage), CD player or USB music storage. You can even make it the centre of your home entertainment system by connecting your TV via HDMI. You can control the Atom with the included remote or through the Naim App for Android & iOS. You’ll also find voice-control support for Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri.

Russell K Black 50

The Black 50 is a fairly new product. Introduced to the market just as lockdown set-in, preventing any hope of a marketing campaign or for that matter, any in-store demonstration. The Black 50 is the same speaker as the well known and loved Red 50, so why call it black? Well the speaker is finished in a new black texture, so no wood veneer of the original. Anything else? Well yes! Surprisingly, they’re actually more affordable than their predecessor!

Some loudspeaker systems seem to think music is something to be endured in the pursuit of stark, drab fidelity, but not these. The Black 50 has a delightfully well-judged balance with low colouration, spacious stereo imaging and vigorous dynamics. They sound unusually coherent, especially through the vocal range, and are therefore remarkably good at communicating the musical message.

Pace Rhythm and Timing

Right from the start of listening, the general feeling is that this is not a modest system. Sure it won’t fill the biggest spaces or shake foundations. However, it sounds grown-up and sophisticated with rock solid timing. This system has real agility, the ability to stop, start and change direction on a pin head.

Music just flows.

It’s clear to us that there is a synergy with Naim and Russell K. It is something that is hard to quantify, but when you hear it you know. When a Hi-Fi system works, it just makes you smile and motivates you to play the next track and get lost in the music. This system has all that and more.

For the purpose of the demonstration we used Naim NAC A5 speaker cable and the Naim Powerline Lite mains cable, that comes included with the Uniti Atom.

It’s all about taste…

Speakers interact differently with the room, other equipment and even our brains; there is no perfect “one-size-fits-all” solution. Some will love the Black 50 as if there are no other speakers to choose from, whilst others might ask ‘why the fuss?’ In our experience Russell K is not afraid to turn convention on its head in pursuit of its design goals.

A good example is that most of the speakers in our store have damping materials inside the cabinets to absorb energy radiated from the rear of the bass unit. Russell K does the opposite - no dampening, no attempt to kill the unwanted sound. Russell Kauffman, the designer, contends that dampening materials and thick cabinet walls store energy causing the cabinet to effectively play out of time. The resulting sound is smeared, the timing compromised and the music just doesn’t gel. His solution is thin-walled cabinets with small internal partitions controlling the energy to keep the enclosure sound in time with the bass unit. When this happens the cabinet becomes inaudible.

But don’t take our word for it. Why not come in store and have a listen for yourself? Here at Audio T we want the best for our customers, your opinion is the one that matters. So we ask you to be willing to try this where you can relax, no pressure and just ask yourself. Do I enjoy my music? Do I want to listen a bit longer?

If so you have made a good choice, if not we can help by suggesting alternatives that will help get you to your sonic destination.

Thanks for reading.

Himesh, Jason & John - Audio T Enfield

Russell K can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Naim Uniti can be found at the following Audio-T stores

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May 18, 2021

ZEN AND THE ART OF TURNTABLE MAINTENANCE

May 18, 2021/ Brighton

There is certainly an art to maintaining a Linn LP12, and it really is a labour of love. What follows is a brief [okay, fairly brief…] dive into the process!

We recommend that you have your LP12 serviced every five years or so. Think of it more like maintaining a car. If you keep up with regular maintenance, your deck won’t need to be completely stripped like the one we are going to describe below.

(This is only an insight into a typical full service, and not an instruction manual. Always have your LP12 serviced by a Linn authorised service agent with plenty of experience.)

But what about that faithful LP12 on the shelf, that sees regular use but hasn’t been looked at in a decade or more? Or maybe you’ve inherited an old one that could use some TLC… we’ve even had reports of people finding them in skips after a house clearance (never happens to me…)!

Well, even if the deck has never been looked at and is in pretty bad shape, it’s not the end. All but the most extreme damage can be rectified. Here we have a typical example of that, a customer’s old deck with a decent spec, but in need of a service - so we got the camera out!!

What happens first?

Firstly, the turntable is fitted to this contraption they call a jig. The jig is essential to servicing LP12s, as it allows access to the inside of the turntable from underneath as well as having height adjustable feet to allow us to get the deck perfectly level, which is essential when adjusting the suspension.

Next we remove the outer platter, followed by the inner platter and block off the bearing hub, to stop dust and dirt getting inside.

You can see dirt on the top plate quite clearly here. This will be years of dust, fingerprints, things that come with general day to day use. This is actually relatively clean compared to some we see, but we’ll still clean it up regardless.

Inside the turntable from below, this particular deck has a Valhalla power supply.

Then we inspect the inside from below, to determine; what power supply, whether the sub-chassis is glued or welded, and just a general check on what condition everything is in before we start. In this case we have a Valhalla power supply, attached to the wiring strap.

You can usually determine what power supply is inside just by looking at the power switch, but what this does confirm is whether there are any burnt components or signs of it needing a service.

Time to start removing bits!

Once we’ve had a thorough check inside the deck, and now have a feel for it, it’s time to start dismantling.

First to go is the tonearm, in this case a Linn Ittok (rarely seen in black!). Once the plug has been removed from the bottom of the arm, and the bolt on the side [pictured] has been sufficiently loosened, the arm will lift out leaving only the collar on the armboard.

Valhalla PSU being removed - note the wiring strap it is bolted to!

Even if the Valhalla board doesn’t need to be sent away for service, it still needs to be removed for us to be able to strip the deck right back to the plinth.

Having a Valhalla serviced can bring an old turntable back to life, and as it’s no longer a current product, a service is the best way to keep your turntable the same spec.

This Valhalla is in great condition and functions perfectly so we set this aside for now.

Turntable after removing the sub-chassis.

Removing the sub-chassis is a bit more complicated than everything else so far. We remove the nuts, washers, rubber grommets and suspension springs, and set them aside as we’ll need them when rebuilding.

Sometimes on older decks the rubber grommets start to perish, becoming either too soft or too hard. If this is the case they’d need to be replaced when we come to rebuilding the deck.

The condition of these parts tells us quite a lot about the history of the deck and how it’s been looked after in the past. This is helpful when the deck is new to us

Once everything is removed, we’re left with the bare plinth!

Next to come off is the top plate. This is secured by two screws on the top (Newer turntables have a third fixing bolt to tighten the top plates connection to the internal bracing.). It comes off last because everything else is assembled around it.

While it’s off, it gives us the opportunity to clean it throughly. We also get the chance to check the fittings inside the plinth, and tighten any internal screws. All these small tweaks add up, and do make a difference.

Once the plinth is cleaned up and looking nice, it’s time to put it all back together again… this is where the attention to detail starts!

Putting it back together means just doing all of that in reverse, right?

Well, sort of. Not exactly. There are certain things we’ll look out for when reassembling. For example, the bolts that hold the springs could have a very slight bend, and that alone would be enough to stop the suspension from being 100%. Normally we’ll also change the nuts for newer ones to be sure they’re not going to slip!

First thing to go on is the top plate. What you see below is the big affect a light clean can have on the look of the turntable!

We also always clean the pulley with a bit of isopropyl alcohol. Over the years, the rubber from the belts transfer a small amount of residue to the pulley, which can affect the way the pulley and belt interact with each other.

By cleaning it, we limit the chances of the belt slipping or sticking on the pulley, which will ultimately result in much more accurate speed, therefore your records will sound the way they’re supposed to!

Sub-chassis, armboard and inner platter replaced.

Now the guts go back in. This includes the sub-chassis, the wiring strap, with Valhalla in this case, the inner platter, and the arm. We put the sub-chassis in without balancing the springs for now, as this is the last part to be adjusted.

This means we are able to fit the inner platter and set the correct overhang.

Valhalla board with arm cable visible at the back.

The Valhalla wires are then reconnected. The arm cable [pictured right] still needs to be secured into position, but we’ll do this after the suspension is set.

The arm goes back on… the eagle-eyed among you will notice the cartridge change. This isn’t necessarily part of the service, however if you haven’t had the deck looked at in over 5 years, there is a strong chance you’ll need to think about changing or updating the cartridge.

Now is where it gets even more intricate, aligning the cartridge!

For this, we use the Linn Protractor [pictured right]. It’s important that the tip of the stylus is aligned properly on the protractor, so we minimise tracking error distortion across the whole side of a record.

The Linn protractor is also how we adjust the speed of the motor. You see those lines on the outer edge of the protractor? More on that later…

As well as aligning the angle of the cartridge within the arm, you have to adjust the height of arm at the bearing end to set the vertical tracking angle (VTA) of the cartridge. Usually the best setting is for the arm to be parallel to the record on the turntable. Using a square edged pencil, or a business card with parallel writing, on top of a record (don’t worry, it’s an old record we use for this exact purpose!), you can clearly see when you look along the side whether the arm is parallel to it.

This has to be done carefully as a very small adjustment in height can make a very big difference along the length of the arm.

One of the three suspension points from below (taken from another deck due to photo from the original black deck being far too dark)

The next step is to balance the suspension. A lot of effort goes into this part, and you need a huge amount of patience. Once the outer platter has been put on, the arm is secured and the belt is on correctly, we can start.

What we aim for is that when you ‘bounce’ the platter gently, that it bounces only up and down, and not side to side in any way. It can be hard to achieve, but when it is bouncing perfectly you can certainly see it. A very small adjustment to each suspension spring underneath can make a massive difference to the bounce. There are three suspension springs, and in order for the weight to be distributed evenly each spring will be at a different tension. Some springs bounce differently, and sometimes changing one of the springs is the difference between 98% and 100%. Another thing to note is that when you adjust one spring, it will interact with the others as well, so it can start to feel like you’re never going to get there. Very occasionally, you can only get to 98%, and you need to compromise. For example, this could be down to even the tiniest twist in the plinth that may not be visible to the naked eye. 98% is definitely enough for the turntable to perform really well, however, we strive for 100% every time.

Once the suspension is bouncing nicely, we start dressing the arm cable. There are some things to note when dressing the arm cable. Linn say that the cable should be “neither too taut, nor too loose. The position of the armboard should not change whether or not the cable is plugged into the arm, as this would indicate that the arm cable is pushing or pulling on the suspension”.

When we’re happy that everything is set where it needs to be, the bottom goes back on the deck and it’s nearly ready to listen to!!

How we measure the speed - The outer ring measures 33rpm, and the inner ring measures 45rpm.

Finally, we adjust the speed. This is where we get the Linn protractor out again. Using the lines visible on the outside edge we are able to measure the speed.

When the turntable is spinning and is up to speed, we look at the way these lines react inside the light emitted from the green LED, and this tells us whether it’s running too fast or too slow. When not using a Lingo 4 or a Radikal PSU, we are able to adjust the speed manually.

As with all things, there’s a certain amount of compromise needed between the two speeds, for example you have 45rpm set exactly right, but this puts 33rpm fractionally out. As the majority of us are probably mostly listening at 33rpm, we tend to make sure 33rpm is as close as it can be, and accept that 45rpm might be fractionally out.

So what does it sound like now?

This is where we cross over into the dark side a little bit… believe it or not, the deck sounds different depending on the position of the belt. So we ‘listen to the belt’, and then turn it inside out and listen again. Then we turn it upside down and listen again. There are very small differences here, but enough that it’s worth getting it right! So we’ve got our belt on how we want, how does it actually sound? We want to make sure it’s consistently running at the correct speed and make adjustments if we need to. Always good to use an album you know very well at this point.

When setting the “VTF” - Vertical Tracking Force - for the cartridge, manufacturers usually have a minimum and a maximum tracking force. We’ll set it right between the two and adjust from there after listening. This is really down to the customers personal taste, and often they’ll want to adjust this themselves in their own room. We’ll generally play through both sides of a record, and listen out for oddities. In the event something is out, we’ll adjust accordingly and carry on listening. Once we’re happy that everything is working great, you’ll get the call to say the deck is ready!

*Please remember that this is only an insight into a typical full service, and not an instruction manual. Always have your LP12 serviced by a Linn authorised service agent with plenty of experience.

What about upgrades?

There are several excellent upgrades available for the LP12, and it can be confusing knowing which to do next. So the whole way through this process we’ll be thinking about what your next few logical upgrade steps would be, and we’ll always let you know our recommendations.

If you think your LP12 might be in need of a service, or you’re thinking about upgrades, then give us a call and we can have a chat about it!

See you soon,

John, Paul & Chris - Audio T Brighton

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You can have your LP12 serviced at the following stores:

May 18, 2021

SOME BEAUTIFUL ITALIAN MODELS IN STORE AT AUDIO T CARDIFF

May 18, 2021/ Cardiff

The lovely leather and wood design of Sonus Faber screams Italian heritage and brings a little style here to our Cardiff store, and whilst they are beautiful speakers to behold, they aren’t just a pretty face.

With the arrival of four pairs in their range we gleefully went straight for the big guns and had a listen to the Olympica Nova IIIs. As you’d expect with a speaker of this calibre they needed a good amount of power to tame but with that came an abundance of musicality that easily deserves the price tag. For smaller rooms the Nova I are fantastically smooth and are happier with lower powered amplification.

Sonus Faber have a silky smooth top and a thunderous low end that brought the bass into to ‘Brothers In Arms’ by Dire Straits to life with their huge depth of range. The Sonetto IIIs with Hans ZImmer’s ‘Time’ from the Inception soundtrack showed their prowess at orchestral arrangements and that’s really where I find the Sonus Fabers shining, real instruments are convincing and powerful. After I listened to Yosi Horikawa’s ‘Bubbles’, I found myself even doubting the need to ever own a surround sound system with the width and depth almost as expansive without the need for rear speakers.

Sonus Faber aren’t afraid of innovation with a few interesting design choices, the Olympica Novas have an asymmetrical profile with the rear port firing out at an angle meaning you can either aim them into the rear wall or the corner opening up possibilities with room placement. The grills on the Novas are very intriguing, being constructed out of elastic they don’t obstruct the view or performance of the drivers while still giving protection. The Sonetto IIIs have a downwards firing port which makes them incredibly easy to place and are happy almost anywhere with a lovely tulip body profile somewhat akin to the classic B&W 800 series.

We found ourselves pairing Sonus Faber with Nytech Audio and Leema amplification to good effect and would make for a great combination with Naim.

It’s not very often I find form and function so perfectly balanced, but here I found myself with an abundance of both that was thoroughly enjoyable! If this sounds like a speaker that would be right for you, be sure to give us a call and book a demonstration.

Thanks for reading.

Hefin, Nick & Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

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Sonus faber can be found at the following Audio-T stores

May 17, 2021

RECORD STORE DAY - THAT'S NOT ELVIS!

May 17, 2021/ Swansea

Record Store Day is less than a month away, and once again we are looking forward to spending the day at Derricks Music on Oxford Street. We are hoping to see lots of you there again this year and some new faces no doubt.

What is Record Store Day all about and why do we enjoy it so much?

Record Store Day is the one day of the year (or actually two this year) when over 200 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion. Thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar.

Having a close relationship with Derricks Music for many years, we came together with the idea of making RSD a little bigger by partnering with them on the day and doing a little something special for our customers.

For the 2014 event we were lucky enough to have the vacant upstairs of Derricks available, so we decided to take down a really nice system to play vinyl all day and maybe try to coax customers into playing their brand new purchases. In the weeks leading up to the day, the buzz had started that this was going to be a rather special Record Store Day. Lots of our customers were unfamiliar with the event and once they had learned all about it they were quite excited about the opportunity to get hold of some rare and special recordings.

Record Store Day publishes the list of forthcoming releases every year approximately two to three months in advance just to whet the appetite. But with some recordings having as low a pressing number as 500 it can be hit and miss if you will be able to get what you want on the day.

It’s the day before RSD2014 and time to set up our display. We had been lucky enough to get lots of goodies from Rega, including tonearms in various states, from the original bare casting through to the finished product along with a cut away tonearm showing all of the internals. We had motors and power supplies, basically everything that goes into making the turntable that you cannot see with the finished product.

With the Hi-Fi all set up and singing along and everybody happy, it came down to the plan of attack for the day. Christos (Mr Derricks) said “I think we’d better make an early start – there’s gonna be a big queue!”. It was agreed that I would be there for 8.30 am ready to open the doors at 9am. At home that evening I had great pleasure in picking a selection of my own records to play to show off the system.

The day had arrived, I headed in early to get parked up and walk across town. As I made my way down Oxford street, the main street through the City centre, I could not believe the sight that greeted me! We had expected a queue, but to have a queue that went out of sight and quite literally around the block was amazing. Christos opened the door to me, I pointed at the queue and said “look at that!”, “that’s not it” Christos replied “it’s almost up to the Kingsway”. We knew right then that this was going to be one busy day.

I made my way upstairs, got the system nice and warm and laid out my collection of Joe Bonamassa albums (just to wind up Christos, who is not the biggest fan shall we say) and awaited the opening of the doors. The buzz outside was fantastic, lots of people eager to get their hands on their wish list. The doors opened and the young man at the head of the queue was on his way to the counter. Managing to get all of the records he had wanted was just reward for the 3am start to be first in line! The stream of customers picking up their RSD goodies then coming upstairs to see our set up didn’t stop for hours, I nipped back down stairs at eleven o’clock and the queue was still down the road. It would be early afternoon before we could take a well earned tea break, the boxes and boxes of RSD records had been decimated to just a handful being left on the counter. Safe to say the day had been a roaring success.

The collection of Joe B’s albums has grown quite a lot since then!

After such a fabulous day, playing and talking music and Hi-Fi to lots of lovely people we were obviously going to keep this day in the calendar for the next RSDs.

Fast forward to 2015, plans in place to take some of our wares down to Derricks for the day. There was an extra special treat in store for the attendees this year. Rega had announced that they were going to make a limited edition RSD turntable based on the famous RP1. So, we thought what better way to reward all of the dedicated music lovers, some of which will be queueing up from the early hours of the morning than to give them a chance to win one of the RSD Rega turntables in a free prize draw. It wasn’t too long after that when we had our promotional posters up detailing the special prize and the buzz had started once again.

The day went off as predicted, a huge queue with lots of happy customers introducing each other to new bands and music and entries piling up for the chance to win “the Rega”. We were going to make the draw at four o’clock in the hope that we could get the winner back to the shop before closing time to be able to present it to them, and so it was soon time to pick the winner…...

We asked one of the customers in the shop at time to pull the lucky slip out of the box and it was up to me call the winner.. Ring… ring…. “hello”…… “it’s Nic here down at Derricks”… the next reply is not suitable for printing but let’s say the winner was very very pleased! We were all creased laughing at the reaction, made all our work and effort worth while. It seemed that the prize draw was going to be another fixture for Record Store Day that would continue, and it still does…

For 2016, another limited edition RSD turntable from Rega. The press release read: “The artwork on the Rega RP1 turntable has been designed by iconic Sheffield artist, Pete Mckee, most well-known for his work with Oasis, Teenage Cancer Trust, Warp Films and Arctic Monkeys. The turntable will go on sale in Record Store Day participating stores and Rega dealers on Saturday 16th April. Only 500 RP1s with the ‘Club Rega’ design have been made, making it a very limited and much-desired collector’s item.” This was definitely going to be a fabulous prize for one lucky person!. After the success of the 2015 event, the word was getting out about what we were doing, so much so the local newspaper ran an article about the upcoming event.

As we had come to expect, the day was a roaring success. Another fun packed day with hordes of people, panic set in at one point as we had run out of our competition entry forms! Perhaps one of the funniest parts of the day was when I threw a curve ball with my music choice. As I mentioned, Christos is not the biggest fan of my taste in music but very generously gives me free reign as to what I play through the day, as he would say “not another woman and a guitar!”. It was around about 2pm and we could see that Christos was getting withdrawal symptoms from his old men with Les Pauls, so…. sneakily I put on a Shirley Bassey record…… “THAT’S ENOUGH” Christos shouted! as he scrambled to find one of his choices to put on before he had a meltdown. Then the penny dropped that it was a set up, Sian and myself had planned it all along - it wasn’t nasty …. honest.

Some images of the day..

On to 2017… and by far my favourite Record Store Day to date.

This was going to be the 10th Anniversary Record Store Day so we felt big plans were needed. After the success of the 2014 system upstairs at Derricks, the plan was to do the same again but with a monster system with the flagship Rega RP10 turntable as the star of the show and play my own RSD records from previous years. The now expected start of the day was the manic rush of eager beavers queueing from silly o’clock in the morning, smoke coming from the till and boxes of records emptying at a rate of knots and all to the sound of music from upstairs, beckoning people like an ice cream van to a six year old!

Having played quite a few of my favourite RSD purchases from previous years, I thought it time to give Elvis a whirl. A 2016 release I purchased was “Elvis – I’m Leavin’” - This special Record Store Day release includes masters from Elvis’ sessions at RCA Victor’s Studio B in Nashville in May 1971, a period in which several folk writers’ material surfaced spontaneously amid gospel and holiday recordings, plus others with similar provenance: from Dylan’s “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” in 1966, to then-contemporary pop-folk such as “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues” in 1973, this is Elvis in an introspective mood, masterfully creating definitive versions of iconic compositions that resonated with him for his friends in the studio – and for us. Limited to 5,000 copies.

After the first play of it in 2016 I was amazed at the voice I was hearing, it sounded like nothing you would hear on the radio of his, I guess it’s much like the current Tom Jones recordings of songs that the artist really loves rather than songs the record companies pushed upon them.

After playing only a couple of tracks on the big system a few people came upstairs asking who it was that they could hear from downstairs, and after I had told a few that it was Elvis and seeing the surprise on their faces I decided to put the cover out of sight and give the volume a bit more grief. Some more people came upstairs with the same question … “who is this?…. it’s great”, so I told them to have a guess and nobody guessed correctly! I showed them the album cover and the reply was “that’s not Elvis!”. Another Elvis album that had the same effect was the 2015 RSD release of “Elvis - Sings”, a collection of songs written by various other artists and perhaps the best “that’s not Elvis” is his version the Ray Charles classic “What’d I say”. Roy Orbison was the most popular guess at that one! This became a theme for the day as it was such a crowd puller so to speak, every time I played it the same thing happened, and from there on in it has been known as the “That’s not Elvis day”.

My Elvis RSD release colelctin so far. More to come this coming RSD fingers crossed.

Of all the RSD days I have had the pleasure of at Derricks this really is the stand out day for me. The fact that what people could hear drew them upstairs to come and hear more and find out who it was spoke more to me about why we all love music so much, and to a greater extent why I got into the Hi-fi industry in the first place. Hearing something that suddenly makes you want to hear more and find new artists (even though the artist wasn’t exactly new) is what I love to do, I have always said that I could not bear to hear the same record over and over for thirty years. We often get people calling into the shop and asking me to play them some music that they may not have heard before, and ask where I heard it. Mainly I get to hear the majority of new music on the radio, especially the late night Radio 2 shows like Bob Harris and Paul Jones. But, the other great thing is getting to know the lovely people in your local record shop -your hi-fi will thank you for it!. Chris and Sian at Derricks have a standing joke with me now - “there’s a new album by a woman playing a guitar, do you want it”, or I may walk in - and from behind the counter appears a new album by an artist they know I like knowing I will want it. Perhaps the best example of this was quite recently when there was a release of “Prince-One nite alone” on vinyl had been released that I didn’t know about. As I walked in Christos pointed to it and said “be wanting this then” - uh…….ooooh yes! So, wherever you live please make sure to go check out your independent record shops, they are often cheaper than the mail order people and big shops and what’s better than having your new LP in your hand and not waiting for the postman?

As RSD 2021 approaches (June 12th) we really hope that this one will go with a bang once again. We will of course be offering a Rega P1 turntable in a free prize draw and have some goodies to give away on the day to some lucky customers. With the possibility of Covid restrictions still being in place we may not have the chance to have a big system playing again but we will be there to take all your competition entries, answer any questions about your systems and of course talk about Elvis.

To find out more about Record Store Day 2021 click here and we hope to see you at Derricks on June 12th. You never know - you may be the lucky winner of a Rega P1 turntable.

Nic, Chris and Ade - Audio T Swansea

Be sure to keep an eye on what’s happening in the Swansea store by following us on instagram and Facebook.

To finish, here are some images from previous years and some of my own cherished RSD records.

May 13, 2021

AUDIO NOTE MEISHU TONMEISTER 300B VALVE AMPLIFIER

May 13, 2021/ Bristol

For over 25 years the Sussex based Hi-Fi manufacturers have been at the forefront of audio systems development - from wall plug to speaker. There aren't many who could also claim to have such a rarefied fan base and near cult status when it comes to highly ambitious Hi-Fi enthusiasts.

Proper rack needed, as the meishu weighs in at 20KG & measures 50CM(d) X 40CM(w) X 20CM(h)

The Philosophy

Just like fans of the brand, Audio Note remain committed to obsessively focused engineering, circuitry and material science designs that converge in the best possible jaw-dropping sound reproduction. From the tip of the turntable’s cartridge, through to cables and amplification, right down to the drive units in the loudspeakers, everything is designed and produced by Audio Note (UK) in their factories in the UK and Europe.

Central to this philosophy is the Audio Note Level system that runs from -2, -1, Zero, 1-5. The minus categories are reserved for anything that's transistor type amplification. I won't enter into the conjecture that surrounds such opinion - religious wars have started based on much less! If you would like to know more check it out - "Are you on the Road to Audio Hell?” by Leonard Norwitz and Peter Qvortrup of Audio Note is well worth a read.

According to Audio Note, the majority of the high-end audio marketplace is occupied by ill-conceived low efficiency loudspeaker systems. Audio Note believe their designers are blinded by the dogmatic quest for high sound pressure levels and flat response. They say, what of the other factors which are essential for emotionally involving music reproduction? What about coherence, full natural micro - as well as macro - dynamics, inner detail?

4 inputs, tape loop, outputs for 4 ohm & 8 ohm speakers

The MEISHU Tonmeister Line is specifically engineered for sonic performance rather than technical specification, and fulfils all Audio Note (UK) Level 3 criteria: - Pure Class A operation, Zero Negative Feedback, Single Ended Output Stage, Valve Rectification, Directly Heated Triode operation, high quality materials and components.

The valve compliment consists of 1 x 5U4G, 2 x 300B, 2 x 6X5, 2 x 5687,2 x ECC83, 2 x ECC82, and 1 x 6SN7

The circuitry is elegant - a pure Class A design with zero feedback and a single-ended output stage, using one directly-heated 300B triode valve per channel to produce a power output of 8W per channel into 4 or 8ohm loads.

System & Listening

Highly efficient speakers, anything above 90dB, are an absolute must with a low wattage valve system. We chose the Audio Note An-E Speakers. But, also experimented with Audio Note An-Ks and Spendor Classic 3/1. We fed the Tonmeister from an Audio Note DAC 0.1x, though the DAC 2.1x signature would be even better, and, using an Innuos Zen Mini MkIII in Roon mode. Also, on occasion we hooked up the Linn Akurate LP12 with a Rega Aria phono stage. The Audition room measures 7m x 4.5 x 3m high. We found that positioning the speakers wider apart, nearer the wall and corners provided the best listening experience.

You can have a listen to the music we demoed on the Audio-T Bristol Qobuz Playlist - here.

Fabio Biondi Vivaldi Four Seasons has an openness of sound stage, exquisite timing, layer upon layer of detail with an amazing sense of timing. Moving to Bob Marley’s Exodus vocals soar, supported with rich & solid base. The effervescent sound of the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is incredible on his album Sotho Blue.

The Tonmeister leaves you with an emotion - no matter what you’re listening to. Music is reproduced to a different level of expression. This is the single malt equivalent of Hi-Fi.

Suffice to say that the proof is in the listening - no amount of waxing lyrical is going to describe an Audio Note system experience. Note also, there is a treasure trove of Audio Note's Hi-Fi knowledge and expertise that can be read here.

Book an Audio Note demo at the Audio-T Bristol store.

Max, James & Justin - Audio T Bristol

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Audio Note can be found at the following Audio-T stores:

May 10, 2021

A CAREFULLY CURATED HEADPHONE SELECTION......

May 10, 2021/ Reading

There are times when we want to listen to music in peace, or when others don’t want to listen to our music! Perhaps you like to listen in your office, or work from home or maybe you live in a flat with thin walls? Well, there is a way you can still listen to the full emotional and sonic magnificence of your music collection. High fidelity headphones are the answer. So, with that in mind we have carefully curated a selection of headphones, the ones that our resident expert on the subject, Gareth, thinks hit the sweet spot at each price point.

CLOSED BACK OR OPEN BACK?

What does this mean?. Basically, closed back headphones do not leak much sound from the ear cups, open backed ones can leak sound to those close to you, which others may find it intrusive. so, you have been warned!

THE SELECTION

In cost ascending price order we have…

Meze Audio 99 Classics

The Mezes are well built and sturdy with a precise assembly. The closed back ear cups are made with a satin finished wood, each with its own individual and unique grain. Real luxury here with CNC carved wood ear cups, cast zinc alloy hardware with electroplated coating, stamped manganese spring steel headband, memory foam and soft PU leather are the materials your hands, eyes and ears will enjoy. All the parts are completely serviceable.

The mezze audio 99 classics & Sennheiser 660s

Put them on, sit back, and enjoy your favourite sound of strings, upbeat grooves or thumping beats, with stylish good looks to boot. As one of our colleagues has already said, “pretty much anything sounds fun and engaging through these wooden gems"

Sennheiser HD 660s

The HD 660S have been created so that you can enjoy music in supreme quality and from many different audio sources. Accordingly, it comes with a choice of cables for just about any occasion. All cables are made of highly conductive OFC copper, featuring very low handling noise

The open-backed 660S is strong yet lightweight in construction. The elliptical ear cups are shaped to follow the anatomy of the ear, while thick padding on the headband and the replaceable ear cushions guarantee hours and hours of listening in supreme comfort. Uncompromising craftsmanship combined with a high-end aesthetic

The sound is pure and effortless, with a crisp bass, excellent mid-frequency response, and a gentle, pleasantly natural treble, the HD 660S has a musical expressiveness that stays exceptionally accurate and transparent.

Beyerdynamic Amiron (Wired)

The Amiron has Tesla technology to make your living room sound more like a real concert hall. This is a cutting-edge innovation from Beyerdynamic, employing a much stronger magnetic field than standard headphones.

The beyerdynamic T1 & T5 V3, together with A beyerdynamic A20 Headphone amplifier

These open-back headphones produce a spacious three-dimensional sound, allowing you to experience music of incredible closeness and transparency. It feels like you are in your own personal concert hall. The Amiron combines a very precise bass with transparent mids and pleasantly clear highs, with a real concert hall feel.

Beyerdynamic T1 and T5 V3 Headphones

The Beyerdynamic T1 and T5 headphones look very similar at first glance, especially considering they both currently sit at the same price point. The T1 is semi-open backed and the T5 is a closed back headphone. Both are designed for hi-end sophisticated music enjoyment, including high resolution music. Again they employ Tesla technology giving an unrivalled richness of detail and spatiality.

So how are the T1 and T5 different? Well, the heart of the third generation T1 has a gently intensified bass to give the very neutral, spatial sound signature even more warmth. The third generation T5 achieves better, more natural reproduction of high mid-range frequencies. This means the sound signature is even more realistic.

Fit quality, comfort and materials standards are as you would expect. High-end through and through.

Sennheiser HD 800S

The latest HD800S offers a more natural and balanced sound compared to its predecessor through the inclusion of an acoustical absorber. This gives an extended and smoother frequency response with fewer "peaks", resulting in a more natural sound throughout the frequency range.

At the bass end, improvements have yielded a headphone that sounds more balanced and cohesive as a whole when compared to its predecessor. Rather than just increase amount of bass, with a consequential detrimental impact on sound quality, Sennheiser have instead opted to extend the useful output of the phones allowing them to dig deeper at the bass end. Clever.

Generally, the 800S majors on exceptional sound quality, design, and comfort.

The sennheiser HD800s & HD 820 with the beautiful Chord Electronics HUgo TT2 DAC/headphone amp.

Sennheiser HD820

The sound field of the HD 820 is wide open, which is not what you would expect from closed back headphones. So, you can listen to your music without intruding into the sound space of those close to you.

The signature breakthrough to such a transparent performance had been achieved by the legendary Ring Radiator transducers being fitted with unique glass covers. This visually striking feature was actually developed wholly in service to the sound. The concave glass reflects the sound waves from the rear of the transducer to an absorber, which results in minimal resonance. Thus, the sound waves are effectively “gone”, as they would be in open backed headphones.

SUMMARY

Headphones are very much like speakers – a matter of personal preference and taste. They are similarly affected by the conditions in which they are expected to work and need to be right for that situation. Another variable to consider is how will the music be delivered? It could be a hi-res mobile player, a preamp or integrated amp, a specialised headphone amplifier, a streamer or a DAC (digital to analogue converters).

We will be happy to help you make the right choice to match your requirements, whether it be for the delightful aesthetic of early renaissance Italian choral music, the sonic charms and signature changes of Nitin Sawhney, or the immense dynamics of Massive Attack. Whatever floats your musical boat.

As we said earlier this is a curated selection and we can also obtain other headphones for you to hear from across the Audio T range.

Happy listening!

Rob & Gareth – Audio T Reading

Be sure to keep an eye out on what’s happening at the Reading store by following us on Facebook.

A selection of headphones can be found at the following Audio-T stores -

May 07, 2021

THE NEW OPHIDIAN MINIMO 2… SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL!

May 07, 2021/ Cheltenham

Ophidian Audio is an award winning UK based loudspeaker manufacturer. Founded by design genius Gareth James in 2011 with the goal of creating loudspeakers with outstanding performance. Gareth likes nothing more than ignoring conventions and by thinking outside the box has designed some wonderful sounding loudspeakers over the past decade.

The newest loudspeaker to spring forth from their home on the Wirral are the rather small but perfectly formed speakers they like to call the Minimo 2 Micro Monitors. Measuring just 21cm high by 13.2cm wide and 19cm deep with their grilles on. Weighing in at 2.6kg each, the Minimo 2 is a complete reworking of the award winning Minimo micro monitor. A compact 2-way design suitable for use on bookshelves, desktops, wall mounts or on stands. The secret to its impressive sense of scale is the combination of a midbass driver with a powerful long throw motor system and the unique Aeroflex bass topology; a method of extracting the most clean and accurate bass out of any cabinet size - be it a full size floorstander or one the height of a CD case.

The MINIMO 2 features a 115mm midbass unit with a 65% greater surface area than the previous model, which allows greater power handling. Aeroflex technology enables this tiny speaker to produce deeper and more controlled bass notes than its size would suggest, by keeping port velocity to a minimum and ensuring the midbass unit is properly supported throughout its excursion. Complimenting the midbass is a 27mm tweeter with a Sonolex coated fabric diaphragm and low distortion neodymium motor system. The excellent dispersion characteristics combined with close placement within the small cabinet allow a seamless integration of the drive units and incredibly lifelike, realistic sound reproduction.

By building the port systems directly into the cabinet structure the outer walls are braced and strengthened minimising panel resonances. Integral rear inserts allow for easy wall mounting - especially useful for surround or background systems. Don't be fooled by the size though - MINIMO 2 is more than capable of powering most living room systems.

The Aeroflex technology very cleverly controls internal air turbulences, to dissipate any unwanted resonances and smooth out the airflow through the rear port of the cabinet. It is easy to test this by placing your hand over the rear port whilst playing music at a decent volume level. It was surprisingly noticeable how much the airflow and turbulence was reduced. In some designs that have a port, a chuffing sound can sometimes be heard as air rushes backwards and forwards through it. Many methods have been used to try and control that effect, drinking straws stuffed into the port tube being one – or dimpled port exits flared in shape. Some manufacturers like to partially block ports with foam bungs, an approach that I don’t personally like. Gareth’s design works really well though.

Let’s get down to some serious listening and put these things through their paces. I connected them up to a tried and trusted combination of Rega Apollo CD player and Rega Brio amplifier all joined together with a Rega Couple phono to phono lead and Chord Company Rumour X speaker cable. A combination that I know really well, so I will be able to tell exactly what the little Ophidians are adding to the sonic stew.

**The music is as spooky as the cover art.**

I thought I would be really cruel and play my three favourite bass monster tracks, to see what they can do. Firstly the gorgeous and very ambient (Psybient?) track called Evolution 1:1 by the beautifully named Connect.Ohm from the enigmatically titled 9980 album. This track has some deep low-end right from the start, but around half way in the bassline drops out for a few seconds, and when it comes back in they drop the bass down even lower. All the while gorgeous sounds waft across the background creating what is quite possibly the trippiest piece of electronic music this side of prime time Boards Of Canada. The first thought that came to mind was just WOW!

How do these little boxes manage to sound so big?

Being a small box means that the speaker becomes more of a single source point and with less cabinetry comes less colouration, meaning that these little wonders produce a big open stereo image that would shame many a bigger and more expensive design. The depth of bass is just staggering for such a tiny box.

**This copy is a little beaten up…but then it does get a LOT of use because it is so lovely.**

Next on the playlist is an album that has become my go to demo disc for the last couple of years. The wonderful band that goes by the name of Lump.

Lump consist of Laura Marling on vocals and Mike Lindsay from the band Tunng on instruments and stuff. The recording quality is to die for and the music is gloriously wonky and off kilter but catchy and engaging at the same time. On the Ophidians things sounded big, open and detailed, with sounds coming from way left and right of the loudspeaker placement which is just how I like it. Although the speakers are teeny weeny little things they can really shift some air. By the way Lump have just released a new track called Animal which is totally ace. Listen to it now!!

Oh…and the cover art is rather far out too. — **Oh…and the cover art is rather far out too**.

Finally I played the song Brujo off the album Volition by avant garde jazz destroyers Krakatau. This track again has subsonic levels of bass and being on the fabby ECM label has dynamics that are off the scale. The Minimo 2s again fought valiantly, with another top quality performance. Height, width and depth all there, almost like you can hear around the back of all the instruments…..uncanny.

If you have a small room, or perhaps you are looking for a great little near field speaker for the desk in your office, then look no further. The Ophidian Minimo 2 should be the perfect loudspeaker for you. A great option to consider when thinking about upgrading your speakers, and it would integrate well in a wide range of home systems. The well balanced nature of the speakers offers a versatility when it comes to pairing with almost any amp. I have even used them as a great upgrade on the little Denon DM41 Micro System, which as a combo really works (rules were made to be broken I suppose). This little speaker system realiy can sound amazingly good and they’re not afraid of performing in a larger room too with their surprising bass response.

Give us a call in the Cheltenham store to arrange a demo. Bring in some of your favourite music too. See if you love them as much as we do.

Thanks a lot for reading. Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store

Ophidian Audio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

May 07, 2021

FIRST LOOK AT DALI EPICON 2 & 6 LOUDSPEAKERS

May 07, 2021/ Swindon

The letters in the word “Dali” stand for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries. We here at Audio-T Swindon have been Dali dealers for a few years now. With a growing number of enquiries from our customers we have decided to take on the top range, the Epicon Series. The range comprises a standmount, a centre speaker and two pairs of floorstanders. The Epicon 2 & Epicon 6 have now arrived here with us and we couldn’t wait to check them out.

Unboxing and our first impressions

Where do we start? We are blown away just by looking at the immaculate finishes of both speakers and the quality of the supplied bi-wire speaker links. Even the supplied spikes for the Epicon 6 are extremely solid and well machined.

In the box with the Epicon 6 you’ll find a plinth which has been designed to give the speaker a larger footplate as a necessity for the EU safety tilt test. Interestingly, according to Dali there is no audible benefit , so if you decide not to use them, you won’t lose anything on the performance.

Dali Epicon 6 packed with care with all accessories

Attention to detail : The underside of the Epicon 6

Dali Epicon 2

The Dali Epicon 2, the smallest model in the Epicon range, is a two-way rear ported design. It features a soft dome tweeter and a mid/bass paper-cone woofer, made with wood-fibre reinforcement . This adds stiffness to the very light paper cone for top-class behaviour.

Dali Epicon 2 in Walnut High Gloss Lacquer

Dali Epicon 6

The Dali Epicon 6 is a two-and-a-half way design with two rear bass ports. There are two mid/bass drivers ( same size as the driver used in the Epicon 2 ) but here is what is special about this model - The hybrid tweeter module.

The Hybrid Tweeter Module - The Job Share

The double tweeter design, a soft dome and a ribbon tweeter is usually featured in the company’s larger speakers. The idea is that the ribbon tweeter takes over at a threshold where the soft dome tweeter starts to struggle (at the top of the higher frequencies). This end result is better control and a more detailed sound.

This could have been included with the Epicon 2 but only at the expense of a much bigger cabinet, not to mention cost. Some might remember the Dali Helicon 300, which was unusually tall for a standmount speaker.

Dali Epicon 6 in Ruby Macassar High Gloss Lacquer

What do they sound like?

We left both pairs of speakers running for a few days before we sat down and gave them a proper listen. The result was absolutely fabulous, in every way.

These speakers are extremely well balanced. Big sounding but not boomy, crisp & rich but not bright or harsh, warm and engaging but not mellow.

Unlike usual speaker set-ups, Dali suggests positioning them straight ahead towards the listening position. We’d suggest taking this as a recommendation as every listening environment is different. We decided to move the speakers and toe’d them slightly inwards, which we found gave the best results in our listening room.

Our Verdict

Both, the Epicon 2 & Epicon 6 are excellent and we can’t wait to get our hands on a pair of Epicon 8. We will do another comparison once they are here with us - promise.

Please come in and listen for yourself and feel free to bring some records or your favourite CDs. Just remember to give us a call first to make an appointment.

And one more thing...

You can save 20% on Dali Epicon when you trade in your old speakers
and this promotion runs until the 31st July 2021.

Thanks for reading - Stefan & Andy - Audio-T Swindon

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Dali can be found at the following Audio-T stores

May 06, 2021

THE CHORD TRILOGY BREAKS THE BOX OFFICE AT OUR MANCHESTER STORE

May 06, 2021/ Manchester

Yes the Chord Hugo TT, M Scaler and TToby have made a huge impression here at the Manchester store. So let’s start with a quick look around this triple threat from Chord Electronics.

A Totem Pole of Power

At the top we have the Chord Electronics Hugo TT2, which is your DAC and preamplifier.

Below that we have the M Scaler, which is the magic ingredient in this set up.

And finally, the engine room, the power house which is the TToby amplifier.

The M Scaler

The M Scaler takes a digital feed from a source of your choice, CD player or streamer, and upscales it using Chord’s proprietary filter technology. It simply takes a 44.1 kHz signal and upscales it to 705.6 kHz. We used a Naim NDX2 as our source. So it can upscale your 96kHz and 192 audio as well. Adding a sense of depth and cleaner backgrounds to your audio, no mean feat when your source is already the spectacular Naim NDX2.

Hugo TT2

Next up, the now legendary Hugo name from Chord makes it’s 4th appearance as the Hugo TT 2. The internal DAC’s are multi award winning and designed by Rob Watts (also legendary in DAC design). Using the preamp design from the “DAVE” DAC the Hugo TT2 delivers a nice clean signal to the TToby, and I know you’ve probably heard this before but, this is what makes the difference with lots of space between the instruments and an open soundstage.

Chord Electronics, manufactured in england since 1989

The TToby brings the muscle to the red carpet, with 100 watts of power and a very clever method of keeping things cool by using forced air-cooling through the casework, it seems unfazed whatever speakers you use with it. Our system was running with a pair of Dynaudio Contour 60is and for a period with our Dynaudio Confidence 20s.

So, to summarise this trio of boxes from Chord Electronics are astounding. The term box office used in the title is exactly what you get from this combo from Chord Electronics.

Our Dynaudio Contour 60is never sounded so good, pushing the volume up never fazed the TToby. Winding up the wick just sounded cleaner and more composed, urging you to turn up the volume even more.

It always surprises me how you start to look for tracks to play when a new hifi system gets your attention, digging up old Funk classics, German Electronica and even a bit of Punk. We had a blast, and this is just our day job 😏

So, considering how many different, great sounding, Hi-Fi systems we have at the store, the Chord Trilogy is a certified hit.

We have the Chord Electronics M Scaler, Hugo TT2 and TToby on demonstration at our Manchester store.

Please ring us for an appointment if you would like a demonstration of this Chord Electronics trio (or any other product for that matter).

Dave, Munir, James, Mike and Haden will be around to help - Audio T Manchester

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Chord Electronics can be found at the following Audio-T stores

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