August 28, 2021

MUSIC’S FINEST CONDUCTOR & THE ORCHESTRA - AUDIO NOTE FACTORY TOUR

August 28, 2021/ Swansea

As you may have seen on some of our latest social media posts, or if you have called into the shop recently – we have been giving our old Cinema room a major refurbishment to get it back to its former glory and feature high-end two-channel systems. Of all the brands we stock, Audio Note is top of our list to feature in the new room. So with that in mind we were invited down to the Audio Note factory in Brighton to see how it’s all made.

Seven of us from Audio T arrived in Brighton on the Sunday afternoon to be greeted by Peter Qvortrup, founder and owner of Audio Note, Peter’s son Daniel and Peter’s right hand man, Micky Seaton.

Quickly we were split into two groups and whisked off in seperate directions, so off we went with Micky and Daniel to start our tour –

Stop 1: The infamous Audio Note “shop” where it all started…

The “shop” window - peter is proud the inside has never been cleaned!

We pulled up at a small row of shops at the end of a terraced road with a corner shop and a run down shop front next door, hang on….. there’s an Audio Note sticker on the door? “Here we are!” exclaims Micky, while the rest of us look at each other with dumbfounded faces -

On closer inspection the shop window featured some very old electronics. Some vintage radios along with valves of all shapes and sizes that clearly have not been touched in a very, very long time.

Micky opened the door and it was quite literally a “Narnia” moment! There in front of us was a vast collection of vinyl from floor to ceiling and a stunning system set up in the middle of the room.

Obviously we had to ask the story of what this place was all about. Micky told us of how this was the start of Audio Note with Peter working from the two small rooms. He regaled us with a story of how he had been walking past the shop one day and heard music coming from a slightly open door. Being a bit of an enthusiast himself and on a personal journey to upgrade his existing system, he was coaxed by his wife to knock the door and see what it was that was making the noise. From there, a busy Peter was sat at his desk and didn’t turn his head away from his work, and yelled to a bewildered Micky, “SIT DOWN, HAVE A LISTEN”… From here on in, Micky became a customer of Peter’s and bought into the Audio Note brand. It wasn’t too long after this that Peter had persuaded Micky to come and work for him. The company expanded and moved to its current location. However, Peter still rents the shop to this day, mainly as a more intimate demonstration facility. And the rest as they say is history…

We listened to a wide selection of vinyl and CD through the Meishu integrated amplifier and AN-E signature speakers, and it’s safe to say that it sounded fabulous. Even with Daniel’s avant garde taste in music, we all managed to hear something we like… And some questionable Japanese noisecore. Regardless, We could have quite happily stayed there all evening playing music and chatting, but soon it was time to go over to Peter’s house and join him on the second listening stop to see his system.

On arrival at Peter’s we were instantly made to feel at home, into the front room to be greeted by walls of Vinyl and CDs and “the system” in the bay window. Having a pretty good idea of the Audio Note line up of products I could see that this was pretty much the best of everything, and why wouldn’t you have it all at home if you’re the boss eh! Instantly my eyes were drawn to the Gaku-on power amps, having never seen them in the flesh before I had to have a closer look and as expected they are absolutely stunning.

So….drinks poured from Peter’s stunning collection, it was time to get some music on. The first record Peter played us was Bonnie Raitt – The Lost Broadcast, one of the very first recordings she ever did at a radio station. I know it was to be expected, but breathtaking was an understatement. As with subsequent tracks we heard it was almost hard to get your head around what you were listening to, almost to the point of not being able to explain how “in the room” the artists were – you would have to hear it to believe it.

Peter played us some really “out there” music at bonkers volumes and bass like I have never heard without the addition of a subwoofer. It was incredible what the system was capable of and instantly dispelled any misgivings we may have had about what a valve based system was about. Peter then took great pleasure in pressing stop on the CD player and exclaiming “8 watts!!” and laughing.

After the listening experience we were full of questions which Peter took the time to answer in great detail, it was an opportunity to pick the mind of a legend in the industry which we were not going to miss.

It wasn’t too long before we had to head off to the hotel and then out for dinner. We were whisked off to one of Brighton’s more eclectic establishments, an Indonesian restaurant with some fairly questionstionable karaoke. We had a great time chatting about music, Hi-Fi and Mercedes (Peter has a collection of old Mercedes which I was also quite excited to see).

On to the following morning and off to the main factory. On arrival we met Peter in his office, and to no surprise there were racks and racks of vinyl once again. The fine line between collection and obsession came to mind, but most of these were the AN Music records that are cut by Audio Note themselves and available on their website.

First stop on the tour was over to another building where a vast amounts of components are stored, along with a lot of Mercedes – For myself, kid in a candy shop springs to mind! Micky has his office situated in the upstairs of the building where he has a very nice system playing away while he works. At the centre of this workplace setup was the Cobra amp running his laptop as a streamer through one of it’s digital USB inputs. Hopefully this one of the products we will have for demonstration in the shop quite soon.

Back over to the main factory where we would see the build process from start to finish and also the R&D department affectionately known as the “ideas pit” where we saw the research going in to the Field Coil high frequency drivers that we had heard at Peter’s house the previous evening. Seeing the process and the amount of very expensive raw materials that go into making just one pair of these was giving me some understanding of how the product line up of the AN-E speakers can go from the entry model construction to the top of the range construction using what from the outside looks like the same “thing”. A pair of AN-E alongside another pair may look the same but certainly don’t sound the same. We then moved on to see the transformer and capacitor production. Again, seeing all of the different reels and grades of materials the system level approach all made sense.

Essentially there was the same production process, but the materials used to make the capacitors for example will vary dramatically in price and performance.

Silver wiring was another process I had not fully understood. Whereas with a very basic green plastic circuit board with tracks that we are all familiar with can be used in the base models, the silver wiring means just that – everything is wired with silver wire. Rather than plastic boards, their own ply type board is used and instead of thin solder tracks they use silver wiring to every component as you can see from the image.

Further down the process we could see things starting to take shape, from TT-3 turntables almost complete in their build stage to all sorts of amplifiers in late build stages. Some of the images below show the incredible quality and attention to detail that goes into each product. The Legend amplifier in particular was just stunning, and considering that what we could see was the underside and the end user will never see what is there made it even more special.

Perhaps the best part of the tour was to be shown around the valve stores. Thousands upon thousands of valves in very secure storage. Some very old and some very rare in very small quantities, and then there were some in their thousands! Peter admitted that sometimes he spends hours upon hours in there just sifting through them a bit like looking through his record collection. Aladdin’s cave on steroids you could say!

Last but by no means least was final assembly and packing where every product is meticulously checked and then packed ready to wing it’s way to a new home. Seeing where the pallets of products were destined for reminded us that this is really is a Global company.

Soon enough it was time for us to say our goodbyes and wing our way back along the M4.

We had a fabulous weekend and certainly an eye opener as to what actually goes into the research, development and production of some of the finest hi-fi produced world wide.

As many of you who would have read about Audio Note, Peter makes no apologies for saying that his Hi-fi is all about the musical performance and not about measurements.

Audio Note’s tag line is “ Music’s finest Conductor”, all I can say is that if Audio Note is the finest Conductor then the people that make up the Audio Note family are the Orchestra behind the performance.

Huge thanks to Peter and the whole team at Audio Note for such a warm welcome and fantastic couple of days.

Hopefully we will have some demonstration units in the new demo room very soon, so keep an eye on our social media and website for updates.

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.

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

August 28, 2021

Linn Vs Naim - The Great British Duel...

August 28, 2021/ Brighton

A few weeks back, during those customary ‘end of July showers’, we had a customer brave the elements and walk through our door to enquire about upgrading his streamer. He asked us “If money was no object, should I buy the Klimax DSM, or the ND555?”… While we’ve heard and experienced both units individually, we’ve never sat down and compared them side by side in one sitting… so we thought we’d do just that, and now we’re going to tell you about it!

Here at Audio T Brighton, we consider ourselves to be incredibly lucky to have both a Klimax DSM and an ND555 available for demonstration. Those familiar with Naim and Linn will know the heritage of the two companies, and you’ll no doubt know how they differ in terms of design. To make the comparison as fair as possible we’ve put them up against each other in the exact same system. The only component being changed are the streamers themselves, so this should give us a clear picture of the differences between the two units.

The system* comprises of -

We’re using Naim Super Lumina Speaker cables. The ND555 is hooked up with a Naim Super Lumina interconnect, and the Klimax is using a Linn Silver interconnect which comes in the box with the Klimax).

*We’re fully aware that using a full Naim system is going to compliment a Naim streamer well, but that’s not to say you can’t plug anything else in and expect excellent results. The main thing to remember that the only part we’re changing is the streamer itself.

Two streamers, two looks…

Those familiar with Naim’s Classic series will recognise the box straight away from the olive green LED logo. The 500 series is incredibly similar in design, but the big difference is the smooth black anodised case, which Naim themselves refer to as the ‘500 series finish’, as opposed to the slightly rougher black powder coat on the Classics.

The Klimax DSM is a slightly different beast. The DSM design is fairly familiar, at least in recent years, as the Klimax is in a similar box to the Selekt DSM and the Majik DSM - although the Majik doesn’t have the volume knob on the top. However, the big difference here is the material. The Klimax DSM is machined out of one solid block of aluminium. It really is a piece of engineering art that happens to translate music to the highest of calibres.

So which one sounds better?

It’s safe to say that the world of Hi-Fi is truly a subjective one. One person’s ‘audio bliss’ could be another’s ‘nails on a chalkboard’, so it’s really impossible to give a definitive answer on which one is best. However, we’ll give you a descriptive picture of what they both offer.

We all know that there are a ton of “go-to” test songs out there. Well, we’ve used absolutely none of them for this comparison. “But why?” we hear you cry. To put it simply, we believe that in some circumstances that test songs can be redundant if you don’t listen to that song or artist. The best test songs for any system are whatever you’re going to be listening to regularly. Sure, test songs have their place in testing the response of a system, but to determine your own preferences, stick to your favourite albums and build the system around those.

For this purpose we’ve picked one song that is immaculately produced - Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves - and one that is a bit more rough around the edges - Steady as She Goes by The Raconteurs. Both are award winning tracks, but they are almost at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of engineering. This is a big part of why we’ve chosen these two tracks, as will be revealed! We’ll be chatting about both tracks individually.

First up, Slow Burn from Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour album -

Every track on this album is remarkably well produced, even winning Album of the Year at the 61st Grammy Awards. This particular track is a firm favourite though. It starts with some acoustic guitars, followed shortly by Kacey’s vocal. As soon as the guitar starts, you feel as though you’re in the room with the guitar. At this point the difference between the two units is fairly negligible, with the Naim having maybe a tad more of an edge on the vocal. The biggest difference so far is the soundstage, which is a touch more 3D on the Naim, but it isn’t until the bass and drums come in during the second verse that the difference becomes more obvious. The Linn is very clean and clear, and the high production of this track really starts to shine. It has a real “direct-from-desk” feel, as if you’re listening back to a newly finished track in the mastering studio. Each instrument has its space in the track, and the vocal remains clear throughout, even when the track does get louder. On the Naim, the bass and drums almost leap out of the speakers at you, with a real significant punchy feel. The separation between instruments is still there, but the guitars have an edge that isn’t quite so apparent on the Linn.

Next, Steady as She Goes from The Raconteurs debut album Broken Boy Soldiers -

Anyone familiar with Jack White and his style of ‘analog only’ engineering, will enjoy this album immensely. The collaboration with the rest of The Raconteurs means that things are kept a little in check, especially compared to some of the White Stripes records, but as a result we get some fantastic songs. This one starts with a punchy drum and bass intro, followed shortly by a very crunchy guitar. This is where the Naim really shone for the first time in the test, the edge in the upper mids produced by the ND555 grabs hold of that guitar and brings it right to the front. When switching to the Linn, the drum and bass intro doesn’t leap out of the speakers in the same way. You don’t feel that air move as much with each kick drum hit, and the crunchy guitar doesn’t have the edge, like on the Naim. However, when the vocal comes in, the story changes a bit. The Linn grabs that vocal and thrusts it right to the front of the mix, and even through the tape saturation of the vocal, it remains clear through the entire song, including the loud fuzzed out guitar chorus. The same chorus on the Naim remains punchier but the vocal isn’t as clear and up front. There does feel like a bit more of that 3D soundstage we mentioned earlier. It’s especially noticeable on this track, more so than on the earlier Kacey Musgraves track. You can really cling on to each instrument and vocal part separately, whereas with the Linn it feels as though the individual instruments have been fitted in and around the ever present vocal.

Our closing thoughts…

The most interesting part of this test was how much difference there was in the units with the Raconteurs track compared to the Kacey Musgraves. It has led us to conclude that if you’re looking for the most accurate representation of an album, and don’t want an overly punchy, particularly forward presentation, the Klimax DSM might be the streamer for you. If you want all the detail, but a bit more in your face, then the ND555 might be your preferred path.

Both the Naim ND555 and Linn Klimax DSM will be worthy streamers that will serve you admirably, but as always, listen to them both for yourself! It’s not a small investment for either unit, so you’ll definitely want to be sure you make the right choice.

Thanks for reading.

John, Paul, and Chris - Audio T Brighton

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Naim can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Linn can be found at the following Audio-T stores

August 10, 2021

BEYERDYNAMIC AMIRON HOME OPEN BACK HEADPHONES.

August 10, 2021/ Manchester

Much like shopping for a new set of speakers, headphones can be just as daunting. There is such a huge range of manufacturers and models that it is difficult to know where to start. So we thought that as we’ve only just started to stock Beyerdynamic here at Manchester, and the fact that Amiron Home have been a staple product of theirs for the last few years, we would take a look at the Amiron, and with the help of our store mascot “Chromey”, put them through their paces and see if they can still hold their own against the competition…

Right then Chromey, lets get these headphones plugged in, there shoud be a headphone amp lurking around here somewhere.

The Comfort

One thing that is unique about shopping for headphones compared to speakers is that not only do we take sound quality into consideration, but also the comfort and fit. The Amiron have you covered… They feature a super soft headband, made from alcantara microfibre, a common synthetic fabric with a texture similar to suede. You’ll actually find this plush pile used in automotive interiors, so not only is it comfortable, but durable too. So it’s good to know that the ear cups are made from the same materials as well.

Combine this with a construction of other lightweight materials, and you have a pair of headphones that you can wear all day long without discomfort. They truly are extremely comfortable around the ears… Very cosy!

The Build

The fit and finish of the Amiron Home exceed what you’d expect of a pair of headphones around the £500 mark, which is excellent.

There are little design touches, such as the way the earcups connect to the headband, that are of the highest quality. Even the smallest detail has been meticulously thought through. When you have a product of this calibre, there is a certain sense of longevity to their design. Components are easily replaceable, which is a good thing, especially if you’re on the clumsy side and end up sitting on them… that could happen to the best of us!

The Sound

The drive units utilise Beyerdynamics’ own Tesla technology. They employ a much stronger magnetic field than standard headphones, Beyerdynamic claim this technology is responsible for the improved sound quality. I can certainly confirm that they help reduce unwanted vibrations and rein in any annoying treble resonances. These open-back headphones produce a spacious three-dimensionality, allowing you to experience music of incredible openness and transparency.

Listening

Listening to “In Rainbows” from Radiohead, Thom Yorke’s voice is sweet and concise on the track “Weird Fishes”. The bass response of the headphones hit low enough to complement the exceptionally well recorded basslines, as well as provide definition and clarity between the guitars and keyboards in a clear and defined manner.

Bonobo’s “Black Sands” album is one of our favourites here at Manchester. The first track, “Prelude”, mainly consists of strings. And yet again, the Amiron Home sound rich and detailed. The bass response is powerful but doesn’t overpower the mix, something that we have experienced with other brands and models.

Hand Made

It goes without saying that here at Audio T we love handmade products of a high quality. Just look at some of the impressive brands we stock and you’ll see what we mean. So it’s great to know that Beyerdynamic are no exception, making their headphones by hand at their factory in Heilbronn, Germany.

“The “made in Germany” seal of quality not only applies to the product development side of the business but, for the overwhelming majority of products, also to the manufacturing side: the designs created by the beyerdynamic engineers and designers in Heilbronn are subsequently crafted, largely by hand, by around 300 highly qualified employees in Germany.”

— Beyerdynamic

The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home are available for demonstration, along with a collection of other models from the Beyer headphone range, here at the Manchester store. Please feel free to contact us and arrange a time to pop in and have a demonstration.

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.

Beyerdynamic can be found at the following Audio-T stores

CARDIFF
MANCHESTER
SWANSEA
PORTSMOUTH
ONLINE STORE
OXFORD
You can see the specification credits below.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Transducer type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dynamic
Operating principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . open
Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - 40,000 Hz
Impedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Ω
Nominal SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 dB (1 mW / 500 Hz)
T.H.D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < 0.05%
Nominal power handling capacity . . 200 mW
Max. SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 dB (200 mW / 500 Hz)
Sound coupling to the ear . . . . . . . . circumaural
Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 m / double-sided
Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gold-plated mini stereo

July 30, 2021

SPEAKERS WITH CONFIDENCE… THE LATEST RANGE FROM DYNAUDIO

July 30, 2021/ Manchester

Here at Audio T, we’re proud to say we now have Confidence! Well, to be honest we’ve always had confidence in our ability to provide great service and bring you some of the best sounding equipment in the industry, but now we can stick our chest out with pride and declare that the Confidence Range from Dynaudio will blow you away… Read on…

DYNAUDIO CONFIDENCE 20

Firstly, we’ll take a look at the Dynaudio Confidence 20. Finished in a stylish modern smoke grey, paired with their bespoke floor stands in a matching colour scheme. There is an elegance to their design that defies convention.

The Confidence 20 features a two-way reflex port design which utilises a downward firing system that is cleverly controlled by the dome shaped plinth on the top plate of the stand. Although they are the smallest speaker in the range, they are in no way small sounding, providing a huge soundstage. There is no doubt that performance would be optimised when paired with equipment of a matching or higher quality. To put this theory to the test, we paired them with Naim, Chord Electronics and Linn, brands that we particularly favour here in Manchester. We were not left disappointed and found excellent results every time.

As they have a minimum 5 Ohm load and a sensitivity of 87dB/w, they can be driven by any good amplifier of similar quality to an optimal level.

These speakers incorporate the latest Esotar 3 28mm silk dome tweeter, which has improved dispersion due to the new Dynaudio resonance stabilising Hexis inner dome technology.

The Hexis inner dome has replaced the felt ring design Dynaudio used to favour behind the tweeter diaphragm. The new design maximises control over resonant frequencies, whilst at the same time smoothing out the speaker’s high frequency response.

This is paired with the new 18cm NeoTec msp woofer, which as you’d come to expect from Dynaudio features a vented voice coil and utilises a neodymium rare earth magnet, (as does the tweeter). These have greater magnetism than conventional magnets and are also far smaller and lighter, giving the speaker a higher performance.

Designed in Dynaudios Jupiter lab, absolutely nothing has been left to chance with the new Confidence range. This amazing facility allows Dynaudio to simulate all sorts of different scenarios from real world domestic settings to unnervingly absorbent properties of an anechoic chamber. This allows them to achieve their trademark sound as quickly as possible and with more accuracy than ever before.

Performance wise, they have a refined high frequency response with controlled and authoritative bass. Having switched over to them from the much larger Contour 60i, the amount of low frequency produced from such a small cabinet is astounding. With a soundstage as high as it is wide the Confidence 20 will fill your room with detail in all three dimensions.

With a range of musical tastes from punk to jazz and folk to drum and bass all present within the store, we were able to put the Confidence 20s through their paces in every conceivable way, loud, quiet, fast, slow, clean and dirty. They impressed at every turn.

Play a simple recording of just voice and piano, such as the Citizen of Glass album by Agnes Obel, and the confidence allow the emotion of the voice to flow through them, somehow effortlessly placed above the perfectly ringing strings of the piano.

At the other end of the spectrum, they take nothing away from the ferocity of Zach De Le Rochas vocal on Rage Against the Machine’s Sleep Now In The Fire, while still portraying the huge riffs behind him.

Both the Dynaudio Confidence 20 and Confidence 50 are on demonstration in our Manchester store.

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.

Dynaudio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 30, 2021

THE POWER OF TELEPORTATION - REL T5/x SUB-BASS SYSTEM & ARROW WIRELESS TRANSMITTER

July 30, 2021/ Swansea

One of the many conversations that has dominated in-store communication over the past couple of years has been one similar to "I like the sound of my Hi-Fi, I don't want to change its character, but can it give me more?" Our answer increasingly includes the phrase "Have you considered a subwoofer?" which very often is met with raised eyebrows and a slew of expressions on the theme of "Do I look like I spend my weekends listening to repetitive electronic music in abandoned warehouses?"

Hello handsome! The new REL T5x with Arrow receiver peeking over the top.

So bear with me for a moment whilst I explain what I’m talking about…

A couple of memorable subwoofer installations I've had in recent times have included a setup for an elderly lady who was partial to a bit of Wagner, but my favourite has to be a soon-to-be-retired nurse who listened to Choral and Baroque music. Not your stereotypical Bass junkies by any stretch of the imagination - So why did these customers choose to buy a subwoofer? Because the right subwoofer (or as REL Acoustics would have you call it, a “sub-bass system”) will keep the character of your existing system, but expand the range in which it operates, opening up the perceived soundstage to allow us to hear the performance as a whole.

THE PROOF IS IN THE LISTENING

The moment of revelation for our choir loving nurse came whilst demonstrating a REL T5x subwoofer and listening to the popular Welsh song, "Myfanwy". The CD was recorded in Swansea’s prestigious concert venue, Brangwyn Hall and performed by our very own Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir. This particular piece held a very sentimental place in our customer’s heart as it featured her own, dear old Dad.

The track opens with the huge, black silence of this revered venue, the choir take a first great breath, it reverberates in the space and in a heartbeat we're transported right to the middle of the Hall.

"Paham mae dicter, O Myfanwy, Yn llenwi'th lygaid duon di?"

("Why so the anger, Oh Myfanwy, That fills your dark eyes?")

The remarkable massed sotto voce fills the room and envelopes you in sound, like sliding into a warm swimming pool. Absolutely jaw-dropping stuff and if you're Welsh, you probably just found the room inexplicably dusty and you’re reaching for your handkerchief…

"Oh! you must think me a sentimental old woman", to which I replied - "No, no don’t worry; happens all the time."

A Rega Brio for scale - it’s neat bit of kit

Press pause, switch off the sub, settle back, restart the track and......nothing. The choir breathes in and starts to sing. And where's the Hall? Where's the drama, the scale, the sensation of space? The tension? All of it has simply disappeared. Desolation. Was it really ever there? Is this some trick?

Pause again, switch the REL T5x back on, sit down, take in a meaningful glance from the customer - (clearly I'd better return 'it') - start the track again... a heartbeat… and we're spirited back to Dad and the boys in the Hall, all those long years ago…

"Do you mind if I hang on to your subwoofer until mine comes in? Sorry to be cheeky Ade bach*, but I don't think I want to be without it now..."

*“Bach” being the Welsh for 'little' or “small”, used mostly by the older generation as a term of endearment, especially towards a younger person.

The business end. Arrow draws it’s power from the T5x which helps cut down on cabling considerably.

The latest version of the REL T/x Series subwoofers has far greater scale and presence than before, rather like the effortless character of the flagship S Series. In fact, i would go as far to say that they are far more like a smaller S series than a supercharged T/i series; a great improvement without a huge inflation on cost.

The T/x Series retain the extremely useful and easy-to-use optional wireless connection kit, the REL Arrow, which enables effective placement without the worrying logistics of how to hide a cable all the way around the room. During this demonstration I realised that my own personal T7i is starting to look somewhat undergunned...

If you're worried about wireless reliability and sound quality - as Rob from REL said to us: "Did Prince worry when he used wireless tech performing in front of 20 million people during Super Bowl XLI's Halftime show?" Well, quite!

Look at all the spaghetti you won’t have to deal with! As you can see, Arrow will ship .1 LFE as well as High Level (full range) audio.

CONCLUSION

I think it’s safe to say that for those of you out there that assume a subwoofer’s sole purpose is to bring hard thumpings lows to your set-up, you’re mistaken. The right subwoofer has the ability to help replicate a real world listening experience that is almost impossible to achieve with just stereo speakers alone.

We have the entire T/x series available in Swansea for demonstration right now. Why not book a demonstration and experience what all the fuss is about?

Thanks for reading.

Ade, Nic and Chris - Audio T Swansea

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

REL can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 29, 2021

THE GRAND SELECTION - REASON VERSUS THE SENSES

July 29, 2021/ Bristol

Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher, believed that the senses are the only reliable sources of information. He famously rejected Plato's ramblings of "Reason" as a reliable source of knowledge about the world and was bitterly opposed to the Skeptics, who not only questioned the ability of the senses to provide accurate knowledge about the world, but also whether it is even possible to know anything about the world at all. Here at Audio T Bristol we believe that the senses are very much the only source when it comes to comparing speakers…

The Grand Selection before you are the finest stand mount speakers for around £1,000. Each one of these speakers is worthy of a write up of their own, indeed, consider reading our previous reviews of the ATC SCM7 and the Acoustic Energy AE500 series.

NEW to Audio-T Bristol are the much lauded creation by Italian craftsmen, Sonus Faber Lumina II, the larger sibling to the entry level Lumina I.

To Placate the Platonic readers - here's how they "measure up" -

So, the Platonic winner here is the Acoustic Energy AE500. The largest speaker by a sip under a pint, the broadest frequency response, the most sensitive and they weigh the most - all important £/KG factor. Done - next review... The Skeptics have decided that this is pointless and have returned to their caves to make fire.

"Not so fast!", cries the Epicurious. It's all about savouring the sound, What do they taste like? Well, all are made from HDF - woody? But, then the Sonus Fabers are leather clad - so beefy?

THE SETUP

To put these speakers to the test we matched a fairly typical system -

Integrated amps: Naim Supernait 3, Rega Elex-R,

Source: The NEW Bluesound Node with Chord Qutest,

Cables: Chord OdysseyX, Chord Shawline 2RCA - 2RCA 1m, Chord Epic X coax Digital Interconnect.

Streaming service: Qobuz

Turntable: Rega P3 with Elys cart

HOW DO THEY SOUND?

There is no getting away from the fact that these are astounding stand mount speakers in their own right. All have first class build quality, remarkable bass performance for their size, low distortion at high volumes, crisp treble and superb voicing. The ATC SCM7’s have a musically revealing, monitor-like quality performance - the benchmark for the price and size. The AE500 from Acoustic Energy have the widest dispersion, thanks to the waveguide and deeply sunken drivers. Surprisingly the Italian Lumina II’s are the best of both worlds. The revealing mid/upper mid clarity akin to that of the ATC combined with the low depth of the AE500’s thanks to the Sonus Faber front firing bass port. The final decision is a matter of personal choice…

The ancient Greeks were also pioneers of astronomy, and with today's opinions, views and review ratings, stars are as plentiful as in the night sky (or a What-HiFi review). It is extremely difficult to make a truly informed decision. Which is why the Epicurean feasting of your ears on this Grand selection and listening for yourselves is really the only way to decide - So why wait? Book an audition with us - All philosophers welcome.

Thanks for reading.

Max, James & Justin - Audio T Bristol

Be sure to keep up to date with what’s going on in store by following us Facebook and Instagram.

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

ATC can be found at the following Audio-T stores

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

July 21, 2021

TRICKLE-DOWN EXCELLENCE - THE NEW DYNAUDIO EMIT RANGE.

July 21, 2021/ Reading

Here in our Reading store, we have taken delivery of the recently announced Dynaudio Emit range, the latest iteration of Dynaudio’s entry-level model of two-channel and surround-sound speakers. We’ve decided to concentrate our efforts on evaluating the Emit 10 and Emit 20 bookshelf and the Emit 30 floor standers, exclusively in stereo music mode.

The recently discontinued predecessors of the current iteration of the Emits had developed an excellent reputation as high value, dynamic and musical entry-level speakers. To say we were sorry to see them go was an understatement. When the old models ceased production and their successors were inevitably delayed by the Covid -19 shutdown, there was still some pent-up customer demand for the outgoing range which we could not fulfill. The new Emit range certainly has some big shoes to fill. So let’s check them out…

The Technical Stuff

So, what do we have here that is different? Well, the new Emit range is the result of trickle-down technology developed from Dynaudio’s premium Evoke speakers. It's the same team working on all the products, so they can utilise their expertise to bring high-calibre product performance to people taking their first steps in real quality hi-fi.

The cabinets

What impresses is the attention to detail and finish. Everything is thought through and made to count. This is about look and feel, and you can’t help but be impressed at how well everything is put together. The cabinets have a stylish, clean, minimalist design, all with a selection of finishes that would sit comfortably in most domestic settings. Available in Black, White and Walnut finishes complete with detachable fabric grilles

From left to right - the Emit 30 and stand-mount Emit 20 and 10. Note the tweeder protector on the Emit 20!

Both the bookshelf and the floorstanders are solid & sturdy and sit securely on stands and the floor respectively. The speakers each have a removable yellow magnetic tweeter protector to guard against unwanted little fingers or paws pushin in the cerotar tweeter. Just be sure to take them off when listening to music, or you might wonder where all the high-end has gone!

Detail of the flared bass reflex port on the emit 20

The 2021 Emit loudspeakers all feature 18mm MDF custom laminate finished cabinets sporting a new dual-flared bass-reflex port, optimised to reduce air turbulence and minimise unwanted 'chuffing' with deep notes rifling the air outwards.

Each separate speaker in the range features a a bespoke level of acoustic dampening material to achieve the optimum level of openness without any compromising resonant frequencies.

Dynaudio Emit Drivers

It is apparent that thoughtful attention to detail has been paid at each level of the design and manufacturing process. Handling the upper-frequency range is Dynaudio's Cerotar tweeter, which has quite a lineage. As mentioned before, tech has been borrowed from the renowned Evoke series. The Cerotar is derived from the Esotar Forty tweeter developed for the renowned Special 40 speaker. Boasting a custom “AirFlow” magnet made from exotic materials and a 28mm voice-coil, formed from aluminium with a clever Hexis inner dome controlling airflow. The idea behind all this is to reduce unwanted resonances behind the coated fabric soft-dome diaphragm thanks to advanced airflow optimisation in the rear chamber. The aim is to produce cleaner, sweeter high frequencies.

The Emit's midrange units and woofers are also based on those found in the Evoke range. These are bonded directly to the copper-clad aluminium voice-coil assembly, which promises to give more control over their movement. They utilise dual-stacked ferrite-ceramic magnet systems - using more magnets is about achieving greater control over the driver's movement and excursion for increased sonic precision. It also helps to improve dynamics at lower frequencies, whilst maintaining impressive midrange performance.

Dynaudio Emit Crossovers

Dishing out the drivers’ duties are hybrid design crossovers, using varying combinations of first, second, and fourth-order topologies. According to Dynaudio, the reason for this is simply because “one size doesn't fit all”. So instead, each speaker in the range is given its own combination of crossover designs to ensure sonic unity across the series. At the same time, this approach is said to enable the company to optimise each individual speaker's performance for the job it has to do.

How do they sound?

One of the most outstanding attributes is the consistent sonic picture across the range. Given the laws of physics, you will understand that the smaller drivers of the Emit 10 will not project the same way as the floor standing 30, but the point is that there is a signature “family sound” across the range. So, all that deep and considered engineering seems to have successfully worked.

All the models get to the core of the music, its dynamics, nuances and timing clues. There is a standout agile bass, a focussed midrange and insightful treble. Altogether, they project a cohesive and deep sound field.

They certainly don’t lack excitement and are superb for long-term listening sessions, as you will find when you get delightfully lost in the performance!

What do they work with?

Whilst Hi-Fi in it’s very nature is subjective and mostly modular, you’ll find that certain configurations just gel together. During our listening sessions we found the Emit 10 worked well across a range of systems. They truly complimented our trusty go-to vinyl system comprising of a Rega Planar 3 and Brio, but also performed above our expectations in a higher-end compact digital system on the end of a Naim Uniti Atom. After this, we thought we’d mix it up a little and set-up a streaming system comprising of the Leak Stereo 130 and Bluesound Node, which was deeply satisfying. Moving on from here we placed them with several higher end streaming systems and the Emit 10 proved to be a real chameleon that responds well to system upgrades. Whatever the level, they always produced a sonically cohesive sound, with a tight but deep bass.

The emit 20’s in their element in the dem room, with the Rega/Innuos system

Next we put a pair Emit 20 on the end of a Rega Elicit- R, Innuos Zen Mini, and Rega Planar 6 with Exact MM cartridge. What we got was a rich and immersive sound that took us to the heart of the performance. We tried this combo with a range of music, from jazz to heavy dub with excellent results. What was particularly impressive was the way it grabbed the true essence of that reggae/dub sound of Lee Scratch Perry, allowing all the dynamics bass through, but keeping the mid and upper ranges under control, a well balanced mix. These speakers performed really well in our large demo room, whereas some speakers of a similar size can be easily lost.

The Emit 30 performed astonishingly well on the end of a Linn Majik DSM, proving that the Emit series are more than capable to up their game with better amplification and front-end music services. A real standout system for myself was the Emit 30, Rega Elicit-R, Innuos Zen Mini and Rega Planar 6. A setup that I can only describe as “simply epic”

In conclusion

So, a spectacular and flexible “entry” level series of products, high quality in their own right, whilst giving a taste of what is achievable higher up the Dynaudio range.

But why just take our word for it? Come and experience it for yourself in a well curated system built around your needs. Contact us to book a demonstration.

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.

Dynaudio products are available in these stores:

Music Used

You might want to try some of these…….

· Nubya Garcia – Source

· Morcheeba – Blaze Away

· Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen

· The Orb (feat. Lee Scratch Perry) – More Tales from the Observatory

· Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself

· Lee Scratch Perry – Double Seven (Red vinyl)

· Various Classical (streaming)

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

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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

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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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