The Naim NPX 300 - The Difference Is Not Discrete

/ Audio T Cardiff/

With the new Naim classic range settling in nicely and securing its place within the industry, I thought It’d be the perfect time to take a look at Naim’s optional NPX 300 Power Supply. With the simultaneous release of the NSC 222 and NAP 250 the NPX 300 could easily have been overlooked but its performance demands I take a deeper dive!

What’s in the box?

The NPX 300 consists of eight discrete regulator ‘DR’ modules in a linear power supply configuration, a classic Naim design staple. Although it is no longer labeled as DR the new classic range very much is, lorded as one of the best upgrades you could make to classic Naim kit - We’re glad it’s here to stay. Although the basic idea of the power supply may not have changed from past designs they have brought it into the present with system automation. The power supply will switch on in sync with the NSC 222 and even matches the logo brightness between units automatically.

In terms of setup the NPX 300 is very simple, plug the provided Burndy cables from the NSC 222 into the power supply and disconnect the original IEC power cable and away you go.

The Difference

In terms of sound quality, it’s simply astonishing. As you might imagine, the NSC 222 and the NAP 250 are no slouch but as soon as you wire up the NPX 300 it becomes an entirely different animal. The most noticeable change is a smoothing of the upper registers, a tightening of the bass and an improvement in the instrument spacing. You tend to find this effect in higher quality amplifiers, where the distortion levels drop. It allows and almost encourages you to play at louder volumes, as the normal problems at high levels disappear. It’s only when someone else enters the room to complain about the noise that you realise how loud it really is! It’s honestly a good sign that I’m enjoying a system.

I found during my listening that it improves every genre I could think of. I threw everything at it from Chopin’s Nocturnes to Aphex Twin and Polyphia. Because it improves so many aspects of the sound simultaneously nothing was left out of the improvement. I find the vast majority of our customers are real music lovers who will enjoy almost everything so this is a really important factor.

Test Setup

Naim NPX300

Naim NSC 222 Streamer / Preamp

Naim NAP 250 Power amplifer

Spendor D9.2 Speakers

Naim NAC A5 Speaker cable

Chord shawline XLR Interconnects

Solidsteel S5-4 rack

The Theory

So that we can really appreciate why these changes happen, I’ll go back to the design board. The ‘DR’ modules simply take a voltage from the transformer and ‘regulate’ it to a reliable and steady voltage. What makes it ‘discrete’ is that Naim have taken a standard tiny regulator and blown it out into its base components. This allows them to really control the specifications to their high standards. Typically those ‘tiny regulators’ would cost about 70p but the time and effort that Naim have gone through to redesign and perfect them costs far more. Normally you would try and remove as many unnecessary parts as possible to increase the profit margins. Thats certainly not what Naim do when they install a DR module into a design. They have prioritized the quality of sound!

Casting a glance back to an older XPS DR power supply it’s clear that Naim have updated the DR modules from previous designs. They now have individual regulators for both the positive and negative voltage rails where before they were a dual output. It’s a nice and elegant change that lets Naim have a more modular design, while also reducing crosstalk and noise on the power lines. These regulators are also individually fed via their own rectification diodes and filter caps to create a better level of isolation between each module. What this really boils down to is the refinement of a classic design and that it’s still the same Naim sound and character that we love, just more of it!

I was very skeptical when first trying out Naim power supplies. The first time I heard their 555 PS power supply being added to a NDX2 streamer it literally took seconds for me to realise I was completely wrong. However, there is a problem when I take the power supply out of the system. It’s like splitting a mother and child, they are genuinely meant to be together, the fine picture that the three units paint together, becomes less clear as a pair. It’s certainly very hard to go back…

Thanks for reading

Kerrin, Matt and Nick - Audio T Cardiff

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Naim can be found at the following Audio T stores

#naim #npx300 #nsc222 #nap250 #audio #music #burndy #discreteregulator #spendor #solidsteel #audio #hifi #naca5

The ProAc Speaker Shootout - Response DT8 vs the Response D20R

/ Audio T Oxford/

What do we have here?

Gorgeous craftsmanship - the dt8 on the left and the D20r on the right

On the face of it we have two similarly sized boxes, at different price points, with different driver technology.

The build quality of both is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ProAc. That is solid, blessed with crisp edges and with superb quality wood veneers, available in a range of finishes to enhance any home. 

So, how do they differ?

The ProAc Response DT8 

The DT 8 is the entry point for ProAc floor standers. The speaker cabinets are cleverly designed, heavily braced, and damped to give the drive units a solid, low-noise foundation to work from.

The drive units are arranged in what is known as a D’appolito design, with two mid bass drivers one each side of the single dome tweeter. Treble is provided by a SEAS tweeter, manufactured to ProAc’s specification.

However, ProAc has approached the D’appolito format differently from most by using different mid bass drivers working in tandem, to get the best of all worlds - a polypropylene cone in the top unit shoots for natural mids, and a stiff poly mica diaphragm in the lower to deliver powerful-but-articulate bass. This is further supported by a ported cabinet with the bass loaded via side vents at the base of the speaker, making the speakers less fussy about room positioning than conventional rear-firing ported alternatives tend to be, but they will need some space around them. 

As a result, this speaker delivers ProAc’s design criteria of an exceptional extended low frequency response along with their signature natural sounding midrange and pinpoint imagery.

Despite a nominal impedance of just 4ohms, the DT8 aren’t overly demanding of an amplifier. They’re pretty sensitive at 90dB, so there shouldn’t be an issue getting to high volume levels but, they need to be driven by an amplifier with good grip, control, and dynamics, such as the Rega Elicit, or even better, a Naim Supernait 3 or Rega Aethos.

ProAc Response D20R 

The D20R is the second up entry point in the Response range, after the DT8. It carries a similar sized cabinet but uses a quite different design philosophy. 

Here there is a single bass/midrange driver, featuring a glass fibre weave cone, Excel magnet system and a unique acrylic damping phase plug. The speaker here also features the optional ProAc ribbon tweeter, which is lighter than human hair, along with a rear chamber damping and alnico magnet. As with the DT8 this is further supported by a ported cabinet with the bass loaded via side vents at the base of the speaker.  

All this is directed to meet the design criteria of an open and expansive midrange, with substantial bass and sweet and detailed high frequencies.

Again, they are pretty sensitive at 88dB, so there shouldn’t be an issue getting to high volume levels but, they need to be driven by an amplifier with good grip, control, and dynamics, such as the Naim Supernait 3 or Rega Aethos. Even better something like the Naim NSC 222 Streaming Pre-Amplifier and matching NAP 250 power amplifier.

How do they sound? 

In our demonstration room, both were positioned about 0.5 metres from the rear wall and well away from the sidewalls, angled slightly towards the listening position to focus the stereo imaging.

We tested both with a Rega P10 record deck and Apheta 3 MC cartridge, Aria phono stage, Aethos integrated amplifier and Innuos Zen Mini streamer. Both speakers were in their element with this system as the amplifier provided with them with really good dynamic power and vice like control.

The demo room - The DT8’s on the end of the rega system showing great dynamics and finesse

Both speakers can be described as agile, articulate with expressive dynamics, with an insightful midrange and a taught punchy bass. Exactly what your music needs. Where they differ is that the DT8 was more upfront, but still delivers the essence of the music. The DT8s are exciting, particularly with rock and dance music. The D20R also delivers all of this but is more articulate, with greater insight, the instruments and voices having more shape and expressed micro-dynamics, so that you can delve deeper into the performance. The bottom end is tight and deep. Overall, a richer experience surely helped by the fantastic ribbon tweeter and wider soundstage.

You just get more.

Next the D20’s in situ - looking and sounding great

Conclusion 

Both promise long-term listening pleasure, but they occupy different price points. In this context you would expect the D20R to be better overall, but the DT8 is good in its own right. So, there we have it. The more time we spend with the Response range, the more we like what they do. 

Important Notice

On Saturday 16th September in the morning and afternoon we are holding a ProAc event at our Oxford store. We’d love you to come along. Details here

 If you would like to listen to ProAc loudspeakers, please get in touch. We think you will be impressed, just like we are. We have a wealth of experience. We are all about the music and working with you to get the result you want.

What do you think of this kit? Would you like to listen to it? If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

Thanks for reading.

Rob & Jon - Audio T Oxford 

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

ProAc can be found at the following Audio T stores -

Celebrating 50 years of Rega with a reimagining of the award winning Rega Planar 3 turntable

/ Audio T Brighton/

Hi all, and welcome to this month’s Brighton store blog. This month we’re going to be taking a close look at a special edition of an old stalwart, one that has been a homie for the best part of five decades. The Rega Planar 3 turntable 50th Anniversary Edition (Exact MM Cartridge).

Planar 3 Walnut effect plinth with aluminium custom 50th badge

Form is temporary, class is permanent...

I’m finding myself in somewhat of a comfort zone as I start to write this month’s blog. Why? You ask…

my vintage 1980’s rega planar 3 in use at home.

Well, just take a glance at this photo to witness my set-up, including ownership of an early 1980s Rega Planar 3. As a long time owner of the Rega Planar 3, I can vouch for its qualities.

Barring some minor aesthetic and engineering changes (small, but significant) the Rega Planar 3 hasn’t changed all that much over five decades. Unless of course you are an aficionado of the brand’s decks, you may not even notice.

The many faces of the Planar 3…

The Rega Planar 3 turntable has appeared in several award winning iterations over the years, with minor cosmetic changes, such as the power button being moved from the top, to the underside of the deck. There have of course been engineering changes to the turntable throughout the decades, with changes in materials and components.

Currently the standard Rega Planar 3 is available as: Rega Planar 3 (no cartridge), Rega Planar 3 (Elys 2 MM cartridge) or Rega Planar 3 (Exact MM cartridge) all in 3 different colours; Gloss Black, Gloss White or Gloss Red finishes.

However, to celebrate the 50 years since its founder, Roy Gandy, set up Rega, a special version has been created to mark the event.

50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 Edition...

The 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 edition is only available with a Rega Exact MM cartridge factory fitted, sporting a rather fine walnut vinyl wrap finish, so if your colour choice isn’t walnut you’ll have to go via one of the three colour options mentioned above, I’m afraid! The 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 edition does take things a step further though, with the inclusion of an upgrade via the external Rega Neo Mk 2 power supply.

Rega Neo Mk 2 external power supply/speed change

rega neo mk 2 power supply

Normally the Rega Neo MK 2 power supply is an additional purchase which improves sound quality further, by externalising power with a beefier power supply, whilst keeping the noise further afield by housing it in a separate box. As a bonus, one can also change speeds between 33/45 by selecting a button, rather than having to remove the glass platter and manually change speeds via a rubber belt being repositioned. For some people, this feature alone will sway them towards this version.

The fact that the Rega Neo MK 2 power supply is included as a “freebie” when purchasing the 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3, makes it almost a “no-brainer”. But to add to that, the included Neo MK2 PSU is hand tuned to the motor to accurately set speed and minimise vibration (same method as used on the PL6 & PL8).

Rega Exact MM cartridge

rega exact mm cartridge fitted as standard on the 50th anniversary rega planar 3

The 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 edition comes fitted with a Rega Exact MM cartridge. This is currently Rega’s finest moving magnet cartridge, offering a smooth and refined performance, matching well with Rega’s Fono MM phono stage or the phono inputs on their Rega IO, Rega Brio, Rega Elex Mk 4 or Rega Elicit Mk 5 integrated amplifiers.

Rega turntable EBLT reference drive belt

rega turntable Eblt reference drive belt

Last but by no means least, this turntable comes included with the Rega turntable EBLT reference drive belt. The research that Rega put into developing this drive belt are astonishing and the improvements in speed stability and noise reduction are tangible. The best analogy I can come up with is that you wouldn’t put cheap tyres on a racing car, it’s as simple as that. The fact that the EBLT belt is fitted as standard on the 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 edition just seals the deal, in my opinion!

Summing up the 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 edition...

testing three 50th anniversary rega planar 3 decks at our audio T store in brighton

The 50th anniversary Rega Planar 3 Edition is a remarkable sonic package for the money. Here’s a recap of the main features of this incredible product -

  • Walnut effect plinth with aluminium custom 50th badge.

  • Neo Mk2 PSU included - Hand tuned to the motor to accurately set speed and minimise vibration (same method as used on the PL6 & PL8).

  • Exact MM factory fitted.

  • Reference drive belt fitted.

  • RB330 precision tonearm.

  • 24 V low noise motor fitted with CNC’d Planar 6 drive pulley.

  • Double brace technology.

  • 12mm float glass Opti-white platter.

  • Smoked dust cover fitted with custom aluminium 50th lid badge.

Given the additional upgrades included in this package I would urge you to consider one before Rega cease manufacturing this limited edition product at the end of 2023.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Dynaudio Confidence 50 - Now at Audio T Portsmouth

/ Audio T Portsmouth/

As the newest member of the Audio T family, It’s not every day that I get to listen to speakers costing just over £24K, so it was with a sense of excitement that we took delivery of a demo pair of Dynaudio Confidence 50 at Audio T Portsmouth.

Arriving in wooden crates weighing around 80kg apiece it was clear that these were something pretty special. No cardboard here, thank you very much.

Unscrewing the crates and lifting tops off revealed glossy, 5ft long monoliths of impeccably lacquered Raven Wood (also available in Midnight High Gloss, Blonde Wood, Ruby Wood High Gloss and Smoke High Gloss) housing the trademark composite baffle fitted to Dynaudio Confidence range comprising the 20, 30, 50 and 60 models.

Sans crates the Confidence 50 weigh in at a relatively modest 50kg, nonetheless moving them out and standing them up is still a two-person job.

As with most floor standing speakers, the Confidence 50 are supplied with rubber feet for hard surfaces and substantial spikes for carpeted floors. Using the spikes in our recently carpeted demo room, we achieved a rock-solid stance for the big Dynaudio pair.

It started with a tweeter…

Bill Livingston, the UK Dynaudio Sales Manager, talked us through the design process for the Confidence and their 28mm Esotar3 tweeter. It was developed from scratch and its multi-component construction shows Dynaudio’s obsession with research and development.

“The design of the Confidence range began with the design of the tweeter. We knew if we got that right then the rest of the speaker design would follow,” said Bill.

Where it all began… Esotar3 soft-dome tweeter

The tweeter is set into a proprietary Dynaudio Directivity Control (DDC) lens which was developed, along with the tweeter and the rest of the drive units, using the company’s bespoke acoustic test facility, named Jupiter, which is based at their HQ in Skanderborg, Denmark.

Dynaudio Jupiter testing facility

The dynaudio confidence ddc lens

The DCC is designed to reduce sonic reflections from the ceiling, floor and furniture. Its shape means that it can do this while preserving the width of the soundstage (more of which later).

The tweeter and its DCC lens sit in the middle of twin mid-range units and woofers, all featuring single-piece magnesium silicate polymer (MSP) cones driven by robust yet light weight motor assemblies. These sit in the acoustically-sculpted composite baffle which is set into the beautifully finished cabinets which taper towards the rear, rather like the leading edge of an aircraft wing.

Let the listening begin…

None of the technical preamble quite prepares you for the sound that these speakers can produce. We had them hooked up to our demo Naim NSC 222 streaming pre-amp, a Naim NAP 250 power amp and a Naim NPX 300 power supply.

The first thing that hits you is the scale of the presentation. Of course, you’d expect any large three-way floor stander worth its salt to give you convincing musical scale. But the Dynaudio Confidence 50 give you full throttle Albert Hall meets Red Rocks Amphitheatre scale when the music demands it. Width is matched by depth and height.

Treble, midrange and bass (there is no shortage of low bass in these speakers, thanks in part to the downward-firing bass ports) are, individually, beautifully presented. But it is their combined effect that contributes to the Confidence 50 party piece – as realistic a musical presentation as I have personally ever heard.

While good speakers can deliver detail and micro dynamics in spades, the Dynaudio 50 take this to a new level. Whether reproducing a live symphony recording or a close-mic’d studio track, the Dynaudio Confidence 50 deliver levels of fidelity and insight that make the music sound immediate, present and organic. They convey a real sense of the musical intentions, techniques and emotions of the artists along with the nuances and imperfections of their recording environments.

Our Naim system worked brilliantly with the Confidence 50 but, as the Dynaudio cost more than all three Naim boxes combined, it makes me wonder how these speakers will sound with the new Naim 300 series pre and power amplifier being launched soon. It also leaves me wondering exactly how the bigger, pricier Dynaudio Confidence 60 manage to top their performance.

The good news is that we’ll have the Dynaudio Confidence 50 on demonstration for a while yet in the Audio T Portsmouth demo room and we’d be delighted to welcome you to drop in and have a listen for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Alan, Luke and Stephen - Audio T Portsmouth

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Rega makes it clear that the P6 rocks. Chromey needs clarification.

/ Audio T Manchester/

Rega have a long history of improvement and development. Never a company to fit around fads or fashion, their products cut their own groove when it comes to product development. In the 1980's they redefined the performance levels offered by an affordable turntable; the classic Planar 2 and Planar 3 models both introduced revolutionary arm technology, with unheard of arm rigidity for the price. The RB250, and its more refined brother the RB300, became the stuff of legends.

I CAN see the death star from here!!

Over the last generation, Rega have hugely improved on these two landmark products, the introduction of the absolute reference 'NAIAD' turntable showed what Rega could do with a virtually unlimited budget, and further advanced Rega's knowledge and understanding of turntable design. Rega now offers a well-thought-out and carefully orchestrated range of turntables ranging from the introductory P1 through to the reference NAIAD. But still, a commonality runs through their ultra-low mass and high rigidity designs, even in the entry model P1, making them instantly recognisable as a Rega deck in both sound and style.

The P6 sits quite squarely as the 'mid-range' deck in the Rega range. The deck's plinth borrows technology from the High-End P10 model, with its use of its aerospace technology incorporated in the ultra-low mass foam core and HPL laminated plinth. The plinth is fully braced top and bottom with a pair of alluminium braces, linking the base of the arm to the precision main bearing housing. As standard the deck comes with Rega's NEO MkII electronic turntable power supply, which, as well as providing a convenient method of speed change, enhances the AC drive signal for the decks motor, providing an improvement in noise and speed stability. The result is a much clearer and defined sound. The 24V hand-tuned motor is coupled to the single-piece, precision-machined sub-platter via a reference EBLT belt. The main platter uses a substantial double-float layered traditional Rega glass-type design. This gives an increased fly-wheel effect, giving greater speed and pitch stability.

The CIRCLE of chrome, completes chromey.

The arm fitted is shared with the next model up in the range, the P8, the arm being the RB880. Technology in metal casting has been hugely improved from the days when the RB300 was state-of-the-art. The '880 features a thinner die casting, to reduce arm mass, and features a tapered arm tube, to reduce arm resonance and substantially increase strength. The RB880 also features exceptionally strong and low friction bearings, counterbalanced with a stainless steel counterweight. This all helps to capture all of the smallest of vibrations from the record, providing the most stable of structures for the cartridge to resolve every exact detail. The standard cartridge supplied is the well known three bolt mounting moving magnet the 'Exact' - with the option of a factory fitted Ania or Ania Pro moving coil.

All of this technology enables the Rega P6 to outperform rival decks at double the cost. A refined and detailed performer, offering a level of audiophile quality normally unheard of at this price point. Taking a classic album track such as Fleetwood Mac and 'The Chain', the improvement in bass definition, and the ability to clearly hear the precise changing of the notes is something that lesser decks leave muddy and fuddy. Vocals open out and the singers fill the room, sounding less like they are being reproduced via a pair of loudspeakers, but simply more real. The high quality arm bearings give the deck freedom and power in the bass & treble registers, when the drums kick in, you really feel it!

Rega has correctly always put performance as paramount over aesthetics. For the last few years, the latest P6 came from the factory in a finish described as 'polaris grey', fitted complete with a smoked lid, plus a frosted edge to the double float glass platter. As you can see from our pictures, the latest revision features an all white plinth, the grey polaris does remain, an all clear polished edge to the platter, plus an all clear lid complements this lovely new light white look, giving the deck an air of design and lightness of touch.

Thanks for reading,

Haden, Munir, James, & David - 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 our social media channels below…

Do Hi-Fi cables make a difference?

/ Audio T Cardiff/

This month, Matt from Audio T Cardiff takes a deeper look into speaker cables and interconnects, and how different qualities make a difference to the sound of our wonderful Hi-Fi systems, and the big question of price.

On my long personal journey through the wonderful world of Hi-Fi, building up my own Hi-Fi system, one of the things I’ve found intriguing throughout is cables. I’ve always felt it’s important to have good quality cable. Going back to my pro audio days, depending on which instrument cable I used this would show up in my sound. Especially using clean tones on my guitar amplifier, which is all valve so this would show up a bad cable, and in some cases it would feel like my guitar is being strangled, eg. overly compressed and not enjoyable to the ear, whereas a good instrument cable would fix this.

Some people say it’s very much smoke and mirrors with cable and they doubt if all the marketing information is true. I believe any good manufacturer will do their research, test their products and bring their ideas to the table, then offer a range of cables which they feel has certain sonic benefits to our Hi-Fi systems’ sound. There are lots of variations in the way cables are manufactured, high purity copper, solid core or multi stranded, silver plating, how the cable is shielded and the material used to cover the cable, the type of plugs; all these things can affect how a cable performs.

Every company has their own idea of what sounds right, but what’s most important in all of this is to use our own ears, we all have our own taste when it comes down to our system set up, as I keep saying there’s no wrong answers.

Before I dive into cable companies, let’s look at the different ways you can connect your system and types of plugs used and maybe a little history. One of the most common interconnect plugs used, the phono plug (which is short for Phonograph) is associated with the connection of turntable tone arms. The phono plug is also more commonly known as an RCA plug. As we know, RCA is an acronym of the Radio Corporation of America, which became their standard connection in the US.

The other connection used quite often in a balanced set up is the XLR plug/socket which stands for X Latching Resilient connector. The XLR plug was originally invented by the Cannon electrical company.

And finally, the banana plug, which as we know is used on our speaker cables. There are few types out there solid core like Chords Ohmic plugs, and one of the most common designs, the simple but very useful Z plug. The main focus of this article is on RCA interconnects and Banana plugs on speaker cables.

CHORD COMPANY

First up is Chord Company.

Chord has been a well known brand in the industry for a rather long time. The Chord cable company started way back in 1984, with a conversation over dinner with the guys from Naim. The founders of Chord went away and came back with their first prototype cable, the Chrysalis RCA. The rest, as they say, is history.

Chord co. factory terminated epic speaker cable with chord ohmic speaker plugs

Chord Company has been building groundbreaking and award winning cables ever since with some of our favourite product lines such as Clearway, Shawline and Epic.

So how do Chord cables perform?

Throughout Chord’s lineup they seem to have the same lineage in sound in a good way. From the C series, such as their C screen speaker cable and RCA interconnects, right through the rest of their ranges - Clearway, Shawline and especially Epic.

Personally, I have always found Chord Cables to be a great brand to rely on as they seem to get it right pretty much every time. The main cables in their lineup that particularly shine for me are Shawline and Epic. Both have great sonic benefits. The Shawline RCA interconnects with their Array technology and silver plated conductors, fitted with their Chor-Alloy plugs, are a constant for me in any set up and they seem to bring great detail, accuracy, and control over bass to the sound. Whether it’s a turntable setup, CD or streaming I feel these are a great choice.

chord co. shawline analogue rca to rca

On the EpicX lineup, the speaker cable is where it’s at for me, again Chord’s great combination of copper and silver plating and high-frequency shield translucent PVC jacket for an improved performance, combined with Chords Ohmic banana plugs makes this a truly great speaker cable. For me, the sonic performance of this speaker cable offers detail, well controlled bass, and I even feel it improves timing between instruments.

BLACK RHODIUM

Black Rhodium’s origins date all the way back to 1975, when Graham Nalty began in the hi-fi industry, selling loudspeakers that he would demonstrate in customers’ homes. Later he put his vast knowledge into designing and building groundbreaking audio cable.

The Introductory level is the gateway to their wide range of products, I believe these cables perform way above their price point. The RCA interconnects Copper core construction, good shielding and gold plated RCA plugs make a great interconnect. Sonically I regard these as a very honest sounding cable, while being clean and precise, they don't colour the sound.

black rhodium intro speaker cable

Their Intro speaker cables have twin copper conductors and a large Ferrite core. The cable is sheathed with an expandable braid which reduces mechanical vibrations within the cable. These cables come fitted with gold plated Z plugs.

How do Black Rhodium cables perform?

Again, I feel that these speaker cables perform way above their price point, they have been our go-to cable for lower to mid priced systems for some time now. They have a clean and precise, well balanced sound, and good overall control.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND ON CABLES?

This really depends on the type of Hi-Fi system you have. A smaller system like a Rega Brio amp, Rega turntable and a pair of Dali Oberon 1 speakers is perfectly happy with something like Black Rhodium Intro, whereas if you put the same cable on the Naim NSC 222 with NAP 250 combination, the system will not perform at its best. So a better cable from Chord or Naim would be in order. It’s all about finding the right cable for the job, but do aim for the best cable you can afford within your budget.

We strongly recommend trying out different cables, listening to the differences they make to your system. To assist you with this take advantage of our home loan scheme, and see what you think and what difference cables can make to your sound.

Thanks for reading

Matt, Nick and Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Chord Company can be found at the following Audio T stores

Black Rhodium can be found at the following Audio T stores

Celebrating 50 years of Naim Audio with the limited edition NAIT 50

/ Audio T Cheltenham/

As Naim Audio celebrate their 50th anniversary this year, the audio sommeliers from deepest darkest Salisbury had the brilliant idea to create a limited edition run of the NAIT 50 integrated amplifier as a homage to the Original NAIT 1 that was introduced in 1983 and helped to forge the legend for them all those years ago.

Open That Box…..Quick!

Can you tell what it is yet?

Totally Redesigned

Every part of the new Naim NAIT 50 has been redesigned. Naim very proudly boast that it is a ‘big box’ audiophile Naim integrated amp but in a small box.

The original NAIT is certainly one of the most recognisable pieces of hi-fi equipment ever made and personally I have loved this diminutive marvel in (almost) all its forms over the years (I personally wasn’t so keen on the MK3 version though… I feel they lost their mojo a little there!), and I have been really looking forward to seeing if this new version sounds as good as I remember the old ones used to especially the MK1 and MK2 which were my most favourite.

Small amp with massive attack

Just Wow!

Even fresh out of the box the new NAIT 50 delivered that trademark Naim sound and was really enjoyable but after a few days worth of running in the sound blossomed and became instantly recognisable with that typical NAIT like fast, rhythmic, dynamic and detailed presentation that I was hoping it would do. I picked out my CD copy of Mezzanine by Massive Attack an album that I adore and know inside out and gave it a play. The sound was immediately just wow! The soundstage was huge with instruments seeming to just hang in the air totally free of the speakers and it was so easy to follow all the strains of the music all at the same time… No mean feat for this small 25 Watt’er! I very quickly began to realise that this was a rather special little amp and was an addictive listen. I found myself listening to the whole album as I was able to hear things within the NAIT’s almost holographic, exciting presentation that I was sure I had never heard before and I love it when that happens.

There is also a headphone socket on the front panel to access the very same new discrete transistor headphone amplifier that is to be found in Naim’s new super duper Classic series. There is no remote control but then that would spoil the retro appeal now wouldn’t it?

1973 And All That..

This is indeed a special little monster and other manufacturers now have a serious competitor, albeit only for a limited period because there will only be a total of 1,973 NAIT 50 produced, so don’t hang around too long as they are likely to sell out very quickly and will almost certainly become a bit of a collectors item! And for those of you that ask, it’s 1,973 units to commemorate the year Naim was founded, not the year the NAIT 1 was released - That was 1983.

What’s Round The Back

Even looks great from the back

On the rear there is a dedicated MM Phono stage for your turntable and streamer and auxiliary inputs on Naim’s preferred 5 pin din sockets. The loudspeaker outputs are banana sockets. Mains is via a 3 pin IEC socket and Naim supply one of their own superduper Power-Line Lite mains cables for superior electrical contact. The instant on switch when in the “on” position will keep all the sensitive audio circuits permanently powered up for optimum sound quality.

Conclusion

The NAIT legacy lives on in the limited edition NAIT 50. I am actually so impressed with this latest regeneration I may just want to purchase it myself! It is practically perfect. And if your interest has been piqued and you would like a listen to the amazing Naim NAIT 50 for yourself then please feel free to contact us at Audio T Cheltenham, the kettle is always on and we always have biscuits too!

Thanks for reading

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Don’t You… Forget About Me! Hi-Fi We Miss When It's Not Around…

/ Audio T Reading/

Don’t you… forget about me… Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t you ever wonder why a song line randomly pops into your head, then naggingly plays on repeat internally for an eternity? Well on this occasion, there was surely a reason that the Simple Minds classic, along with other addictively good (and addictively bad) bangers, had infiltrated every part of our subconscious; Recently at Audio T Reading, we took our superb Sennheiser HD 820 closed-back headphones to Audio T Swindon for a customer demo, and literally as soon as they’d left us, we were yearning to have them back! The HD 820 just wouldn’t let us forget about them, because here in the shop they have become one of our ultimate can’t-bear-to-be-without products. We thought this would be a great opportunity to share more of our other most-missed items, and if you’d like to know why we cry into our pillows at night when these audio dependables leave the shop, then please read on…

SENNHEISER HD 820 – HOW I WISH… HOW I WISH YOU WERE HERE

It would be mischievous to keep you all in suspense having already mentioned the Sennheiser HD 820, so let’s get into why these headphones have become one of the go-to reference tools in the shop and why it induces panic every time they go missing... First of all, it’s hard to assign a sonic character to these cans and we find their great strength lays in largely telling it as it is. They are unerringly accurate. When we want to know how a particular piece of equipment in a system affects the overall sound, out come the HD 820. If we want to block out the ambient noise in the shop by way of best-in-class passive isolation, then we can count on the HD 820 – there have been times when the wearer of these headphones hasn’t heard the phone ringing right next to them, even with no music playing through the Sennheisers! Nevertheless, for a while now, the primary use for the HD 820 headphones within the shop has been to check the resulting sound quality from turntables after a cartridge fitting has taken place, or when various alignments and general turntable fettling have been performed. If, say, the vertical tracking angle of a tonearm isn’t quite right, or when trying to find the sweet spot for the cartridge tracking force, then the Sennheiser HD 820 are the headphones we regularly rely upon to hear exactly what’s happening and to fine tune the sound. Whenever these sweet cans leave our shop, we can’t help but wish they were here (à la Pink Floyd)…        

SOLIDSTEEL SS-6 – NOTHING COMPARES 2 U

It was unfortunately more than seven hours and fifteen days (thanks to the late & great Sinead O’Connor) since someone took our lovely SolidSteel SS-6 speaker stands away. When these beauties temporarily escaped our clutches, a collective sigh could be heard from us (as well as from our standmount speakers!). We’ve grown really fond of the SS-6 stands, especially in the raw metal finish, which just look so mightily fine with every speaker that they regally hold aloft. These stands aren’t just style over substance though – the solid yet lightweight design means that they store very little acoustical energy, helping the speakers to project with trueness and almost as if they’re not on stands at all. Their tripod design means that, unlike a boxer that’s gone twelve rounds with Muhammad Ali, they never rock or sway even a micrometre and maintain a sure footing at all times. This makes the SS-6 a demo-room dream, speaker stands that we can set down quickly and confidently, with full trust that they’ll do the job right. Quite simply, very little compares to them, and if anyone takes these away from us, we’ll most certainly get another demonstration pair…

NAIM UNITI ATOM HEADPHONE EDITION – AIN’T NO SUNSHINE WHEN SHE’S GONE

We’re still anxiously awaiting the return of our demonstration Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition (HE), and this time we are wondering if she’ll stay (Bill Withers, we salute you). Can there be a more complete solution for headphone listening than the Uniti Atom HE?

  • Balanced and single-ended outputs? Check.

  • Oodles of glorious Naim power to drive all but the most ridiculously inefficient of headphones? Check.

  • High quality on-board streaming? Yes.

  • Elegant design as well as robust build quality? You bet.

  • Multiple connectivity options such as Bluetooth and Airplay 2, Roon Readiness, Tidal and Qobuz streaming platforms… yes, yes, yes!

The list goes on! This is currently our go-to audio product for demonstrating the quality and potential of various different hi-fi headphones. There is something about the sound of the Uniti Atom HE that is just right… clarity and insight, dynamics and fullness, speed and finesse, sheer musicality – it’s all there waiting to be tapped straight into your favourite cans. It even makes for a wonderful preamp when paired with, say, a set of powered speakers, like the excellent Acoustic Energy AE1 Active. When we need a headphone amp that can pretty much do it all, the Naim Uniti Atom HE is what we turn to. And when we walk to the spot where it normally resides, only to find that it’s gone AWOL, we can be sure there is only darkness every day…

 

I AIN’T MISSING YOU AT ALL - A HAPPY ENDING

While (like Aerosmith) we don’t want to close our eyes, prefer not to fall asleep, and definitely don’t want to miss a thing, the good news is that you don’t have to miss anything at all (just ask John Waite). And if you would like to know of many more great hi-fi products that we would miss like crazy, but would be equally happy for you to take away for demo or procure for keeps, then please don’t you… forget about us… and please do get in touch with your nearest Audio T store. We’re always looking forward to seeing or hearing from you. For now, we’re off to search all around the world for our beloved demo audio equipment, our babies… (Lisa Stansfield).

Thank you for reading. Rishi and Gareth – Audio T Reading

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

SolidSteel can be found at the following Audio T stores

Forgotten Gem? The Dynaudio Emit 10 Loudspeaker

/ Audio T Swansea/

It’s a hard fact in life that if we’re not occasionally reminded of the existence of a thing, that thing will fall out of the day-to-day consciousness. This is sometimes the case when you’re surrounded by so many Hi-Fi and Home Cinema goodies day-to-day… We have one or two such items in our shop that through no fault of our own, or indeed their own, have perhaps become not actually invisible, but now occupy a blind spot. So let’s refresh our minds and take a look at a beloved favourite…

THEY’RE EMIT 10S! WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT IT? here mounted on solidsteel ss-6 stands

A DYNAUDIO SPEAKER, BUT WHICH ONE?

There is nothing in their appearance to suggest they warrant a snub. The Dynaudio Emit 10 are attractive enough, with their plain and neat little cabinets, made of 18mm thick MDF have a chamfered baffle and a vinyl finish which is available in black, white or walnut. This is a step up from the painted finish of their predecessor, the Emit M10. They’re designed to be played in a small room, and their proportions reflect this.

Maybe it’s the components?

The star of the show here is Dynaudio’s own Cerotar tweeter, which derives from the extremely well received tweeters in their Confidence range. A great deal of Dynaudio’s 40 year long high reputation is built on their tweeters and one finds Dynaudio HF units in a great many other loudspeaker brands spread across the planet.

The midrange/bass unit is a highly damped design with its dust cap bonded to the voice coil behind and two magnets driving it – all the better to control the magnetic flux, we are reliably informed. The crossover was designed by the team behind the wildly successful Heritage Specials. No complaints here about that.

THE INEVITABLE CLOSE-UP WITH BOKEH SHOT.

The Emit 10 aren’t particularly difficult to drive, the 6 Ohm rating might suggest they may be, but when paired with modest amplification like the dinky Rega iO, they fill out the space they’re in very happily, creating a credible soundstage that does not suggest that more power is required. Listening to them in smaller rooms with modest amplification is a delight.

With this environment and partnering equipment the Emit 10 reward you with a beautiful, authentic and organic sound, filled with detail and with very little artifice. The decay of strings and cymbals is particularly natural and satisfying. Their nearest competitor, the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2, might go louder and have more high frequency sparkle, but we feel that they can’t match the Emit 10s engaging and involving nature that allows you to melt into the music.

THAT REGA IO AMPLIFIER with a limited edition walnut rega planar 1

In conclusion, the Emit 10 deserve to be on everyone’s (who has a modestly sized space in which to play) short list of speakers under £800. In terms of transparency and authentic reproduction they have few peers at this price. They do have a limitation however – if you want to play music loud, look at the larger sibling the Emit20s.

in their preferred habitat of our music salon, rather than on a shelf, weeping softly because they’re all alone.

To experience what I mean I implore you to come over and listen to them. It’s the only way to be sure...

Thanks for reading

Ade, Andy & Nic – Audio T Swansea

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Bowers & Wilkins can be found at the following Audio T stores -

What is Future-Fi™? Exploring the Options at Audio T Bristol

/ Audio T Bristol/

Back in 2016 the Venerable Bede of Hi-Fi reviewers, John Darko, coined the term “Future-Fi™”… 7 years on, where are we now? And what are the options? Traditionalists and hardcore audiophiles, look away now... This blog may not be for you!

Broadly speaking, traditional Hi-Fi consists of a source → amplifier → loudspeakers. The source may include a Turntable, CD Player and/or Streamer; The amplifier may be split into a preamp and a power amp – sometimes with associated power supply units for those modules and not forgetting the tagliatelle of cabling and interconnects. Every unit has its own unique job to do and this uncompromising approach, by its modular nature will deliver the highest audio quality and is robust. Any future improvements in DACS, preamp options or a better source can be easily plumbed into this Hi-Fi arrangement with the associated benefits easily appreciated.

However, unless you have a large space, dedicated listening room or have a penchant for a living space to resemble a recording studio, this approach may be visually intrusive. Also, there is the all important PAFF (Partner And Family Factor) - we are not all fans of black monolith obelisks, rack fulls of equipment and prefer our tagliatelle squid inked with mussels, calamari crackling and mozzarella purée, not laid out on the living room floor.

“Beam me up Scotty” - Marching onwards, let’s breakdown Future-Fi™ into back end integrations; Super Integrated amps, JAS and All-in-ones and front end integrations; active and streaming speakers…

The Super Integrated Amp

An integrated amp will have the pre and power stages in one box and usually includes a headphone output, phono stage and a pre out, which enables the connection of a power amp to upgrade the performance, bypassing the power stage of the integrated - just using the pre of the integrated.

Now, the Super Integrated has a DAC. This is normally in the form of a optical and/or COAX input. This allows you to connect a TV, streamer or CD directly to the amp. Invariably the DAC in the integrated is tuned to the amplifier, thus you get a sound profile of the integrated for all your sources and ONE volume control. Examples of this include the Rega Elicit, Rega Elex & Leak Stereo 130 to name but a few.

The JAS Hi-Fi

This is a new term that we’ve coined at Audio T Bristol - JAS (Just Add Speakers). Surprisingly, this can be as simple as a Bluetooth input like the new Rotel A11 tribute. This is the late Ken Ishiwata’s final design for an affordable great sounding amp. Many of our customers have started there Hi-Fi journey with this Rotel and a pair of Acoustic Energy AE100², and stream via a phone or ipad directly to the amp and then add a better source at a later date.

The likes of the Audiolab 9000A and the Roksan Attessa Streaming Amp both have four digital inputs and Bluetooth Receivers with the Attessa adding streaming by way of the BluOS streaming from Bluesound. The Marantz Model 40n utilises the Denon & Marantz streaming platform, HEOS. The JAS sector arguably tops out with products such as the Naim Uniti series Atom, Star and Nova and then the truly amazing Linn Selekt DSM with its myriad of modular design features, as reviewed earlier this year.

All-in-One

Sometimes our living spaces and our listening objectives do not allow for two channel speaker setups. For example a kitchen area, dining room or art studio/craft space where ambient listening that takes up very little space is needed.

Ruark Audio, a brand with a heritage founded in true hi-fi speakers, offer a range of all-in-one solutions from the compact R1 MK4 to the larger R5 and more models to come later in the year.

Naim also offer all-in-one solutions in the form of the Mu-So 2nd Generation and the more compact Mu-So QB 2nd Gen. Whilst these models are superb stand-alone products that feature Focal speaker drivers aligned for room filling detailed audio, they can also be integrated in to larger, multi-room Naim systems via the bespoke Naim app.

Another notable Hi-Fi manufacturer that is also known for a popular all-in-one product is Bowers & Wilkins. Now in its second generation, the Zeppelin has become an iconic item in the lifestyle and interior design world.

The Active Lifestyle

We’ve looked at the amp combining input source functionality, now let’s look from the business end. Speakers combining amplification is nothing new, but lately technologies have allowed speaker manufacturers to finely tune the speaker performance.

Theoretically, this is the perfect scenario - the speaker designer tunes the amplification and crossover to achieve maximum performance out of the speaker design. And certainly, in our opinion comparing active and passive versions, such as the ATC SCM40A or Acoustic Energy AE1 active, that is the case. Indeed, beautiful combinations of the AE1 active with a Bluesound Node as the source and preamp or the ATC SCM40As with a Naim NSC222 as the source and preamp are a marvel.

The Super Actives

Combining a streamer, DAC and source inputs into active speaker now gives a complete system that consists of just two stereo loudspeakers, doing away with need for any boxes of electronics. The new Dynaudio Focus range is the benchmark for this implementation. An absolute breeze to set up, an intriguing deep and detailed sound, a plethora of streaming services integration, Roon ready and Hi-Res streaming at your fingertips and we look forward to reviewing these very soon. The range consists of: Dynaudio Focus 10, Dynaudio Focus 30,Dynaudio Focus 50

In Summary

Low box count does not necessarily mean Lo-Fi. Future-Fi™ is here to stay and the options are becoming more compelling than ever with excellent Hi-Res streaming services cheaper than ever. Whatever your flavour of Hi-Fi, Audio T is here to help!

Thanks for reading.

Justin, Max & James - Audio T Bristol

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Bluesound Node X Anniversary Edition.

/ Audio T Manchester/

It's incredible to think Bluesound has existed for ten years now. Streaming High Definition audio has transformed the way we audiophiles listen to our digital music choices. For the past few years, the Bluesound NODE has been without doubt the best introduction to this, and at a very budget-friendly price. Over the years Bluesound has increased the fidelity with every new version of the NODE introduced, and now to celebrate the 10th anniversary, they have released the ultimate limited edition to celebrate; The NODE X.

Chromey has X wings, finally.!!

Resplendent in it's limited edition silver finish, to mark it out from the standard NODE streamer, the NODE X has had it's audio performance turbocharged; the on-board DAC has been upgraded to a reference levels ESS Sabre DAC.

And headphone users take note, as symbolized on the front panel where the standard model's convenient headphone socket has been upgraded from a 3.5mm socket to the larger 6.35mm connection, hinting at a much more serious thought given to headphone amplifier quality. Behind the upgraded socket lies an upgrade in amplifier, with no lesser technology than from the World famous THX Labs, and their AAA (Achromatic Amplifier Technology) ensures what THX Labs claim to be the ultimate in a no-compromise headphone audio experience, with the highest levels of fidelity and the lowest distortion. The other handy little extra is the included remote control for the NODE X, a further upgrade in practicality.

The NODE has always been a bit of a 'Swiss Army Knife' in its approach. Especially given its ultra-compact dimension. Download the BluOS app to your mobile device, and you have a full-blooded streamer capable of accessing all your local audio files on your network, your PC, or via a hard drive or pen stick plugged into the rear of the unit. Even without the BluOS installed, the NODE's can stream from any Bluetooth-enabled device, up to 24-bit resolution is supported with the latest coding.

Apple users can enjoy the latest AirPlay, for lossless play from any Apple device. It is even possible to add other digital and analogue sources to the unit, handy if you have more than one Bluesound device, enabling easy multiroom set-up. The in-built DAC can even be used to upgrade your TV sound, with an up-to-the-minute HDMI channel for audio interfacing. Every streaming service is catered for within the Bluesound BluOS app, Spotify, and the higher quality master quality Tidal and Qobuz. MQA audio support has been native on Bluesound products since its introduction and of course 24 BIT 192Khz playback resolution. Comprehensive analogue and digital outputs are fitted too. If you can find a DAC to improve on the ESS Sabre fitted to the 'X... Internet radio is also embedded into the BluOS operating system. Did we say this really was a Swiss army knife!

The original NODE never fails to impress sonically. Given its low entry-level price, it is a real bargain. But the upgraded limited edition X takes the fidelity even higher, with more precision, and weight. Cleaner cut sonic details and a much more precise sound image. The normal NODE is a seriously amazing piece of kit for a very modest price, but the limited edition X takes it to another level.

Our Node X is on demo, so pop along to our Manchester store to take a look and have a listen.

Thanks for reading,

Haden, Munir, James, & David - 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 our social media channels below…

Bluesound can be found at the following Audio T stores -

CDs are back in fashion! - A trio of Marantz Players to consider; The SA10, CD60 AND CD6007

/ Audio T Brighton/

Hi all, and welcome to this months blog. The vinyl revolution has long been underway, with new record pressing plants opening up all the time and record stores re-purposing their shelves to accommodate this revitalised interest and make room for additional stock. Even the humble compact cassette has been given a new lease of life, with artists such as Metallica and Taylor Swift releasing their latest albums on tape. So what about the venerable compact disc? There are definitely signs of life for CDs and we are going to take a look at three players from the mighty Marantz.

Unless you’re into music playback in a big way you may not have noticed that music stores have changed beyond recognition in recent years. The shelves saw records diminish in number during the 80s and 90s in the wake of the compact disc era, almost to the point of extinction. Now, the opposite is happening and CDs are being replaced by records once again, with sales of vinyl massively increasing, along with the interest in record players and their ancillary equipment; cartridges and styli. Streaming has become all the rage and the majority of listeners are adopting this new technology for its portability benefits, choice of music and the reclaiming of domestic shelf space!

Why the CD resurgence?

Despite all of these changes and numerous benefits, CDs have once again started to become popular, with sales increasing during the post lockdown period. From a personal point of view, I hadn’t stopped buying CDs on a frequent basis, with second-hand bargains in charity shops and record stores to be had.

$ music format sales from 1973 - 2021. CD sales are in orange

So the next obvious question is why? I’ll briefly mention a few of my thoughts below, but there are many more than I’ll highlight here.

Firstly, playback and purchase habits have changed for several reasons. The most obvious being cost, with vinyl being very expensive compared to new and especially second-hand CDs. The cost of living crisis is making many people rethink how they spend their money and CDs are a good alternative to streaming services, especially if you’re selective about your music playback. CDs give you the chance to make a one-off payment for your music rather than effectively paying for it every time you play it.

Secondly, like with records, folks enjoy the physical ownership and tactile experience of putting on a CD, with album art and information available in sleeve or booklet form. There is also slightly less of a tendency to flick through tracks and actually listen to an album in its entirety.

Thirdly, you are not subject to the whims of artists or record companies removing music titles from online streaming services. Neil Young is notorious for removing his catalogue from Spotify, which is of course his right to do so, but it doesn’t help the Neil Young fan, unless you own a CD or record of your own. I’ve seen many copies of Neil Young albums available on the second-hand market at bargain prices.

Finally, the quality of the source of the music is pre-determined by the CD master you own and the information printed on the disc. All too often, streaming services have several versions of the same album available at different levels of Hi-Res playback quality. What this numerical data doesn’t tell you though, is how good it sounds. This can vary hugely depending on the choice of stream you select. With your own CD you know what to expect!

I have spoken at length about the virtues of streaming services in one of my earlier blogs. If you would like to read this to ponder the “CD Vs Streaming” debate, click here.

CD player choices...

One of the problems with the decline in CD sales was that manufacturers failed to continue to support older players. CD mechanisms and laser assemblies went out of production and replacements were harder to obtain or ceased to exist. Unfortunately this has meant that some very good older CD players are no longer supported, forcing owners to replace or upgrade an existing model in order to continue playing their precious CDs.

Annoying as this is, some manufacturers have continued to see CDs as an ongoing source of music playback and this is where Marantz comes in as one of the leading players, pun intended, in providing the hardware to do so.

Long-standing Marantz...

Marantz audio consolette circa 1953

Marantz has been around for seven decades as a major Hi-Fi manufacturer, producing some of the most highly regarded equipment, including CD players from the inception of the CD format during the 1980’s.

the original marantz model cd-63 from 1982

For the remainder of this article, we’ll look at three of Marantz’s current range of CD players and see what they have to offer…

From top to bottom: marantz CD6007, CD60 and SA10

Marantz CD6007...

marantz cd6007

The Marantz CD6007 is the baby of the current Marantz range. Stemming from a line of previous iterations of award winning CD players, the CD6007 inherits their established qualities.

rear of the Marantz cd6007(top) and Marantz cd60(bottom)

The CD tray is a pretty standard affair of good quality and has a smooth action when opening and closing. The back panel of the Marantz CD6007 is fairly similar to the Marantz CD60 in terms of inputs, albeit with a slightly different layout. Build quality on the entry-level CD player is very good for the money but the Marantz CD60 is clearly a step-up in construction quality, with visibly more sturdy bracing via additional bolts in the rear and a more hefty feel, which inspires confidence. Manufacturers often talk of building to a price point and the look and construction certainly reflect that.

Marantz CD60...

marantz cd60

The Marantz CD60 is a very elegant CD player with a nice pearlescent effect on the sides of the front panel when the light catches it right. A design style that Marantz is planning on expanding to other ranges. The CD60 is dimensionally slightly taller and considerably deeper than its younger sibling and this needs to be factored in when putting it on a shelf, so buyer beware and make sure you measure your space.

marantz cd6007(top) and Cd60(bottom)

From the front, the button layouts are slightly different but ergonomically they feel of reasonable quality, albeit slightly too small for my personal taste. The senior generation may enjoy bigger, clearer function buttons, or perhaps I’m just speaking for myself?

From a sound quality point of view, they both perform very well but there are clear sonic differences that your hard-earned pounds pay for. In isolation, the Marantz CD6007 is a smooth sounding player that doesn’t do a lot wrong, leaving out sonic aspects that would highlight its failings. You can hear why it is a What Hi-Fi? award winner in its price class, being a great all-rounder. Not Ian Botham quality but you get my drift.

The Marantz CD60 is a less murky affair, with added extension, detail and dynamic impact. Worth the extra outlay I’d say.

Marantz SA10...

marantz sa10 sacd player

Introducing the Marantz SA10 Super Audio CD Player. Now this is in a completely different league in terms of both construction and playback performance.

You’ve only got to lift the thing to get an idea of what I’m on about. In the previous paragraph I mentioned the great cricketing all-rounder, Ian Botham, and it may not be cricket to say this, but it’s like lifting him!

The copper chassis is a thing of beauty and designed to reduce the interference that can detract from audio performance.

marantz sa10 rear inputs

There are a plethora of inputs on the rear of the Marantz SA10 including; balanced or single ended outputs, USB playback via external storage or laptop, optical and coaxial inputs, so the Marantz SA10 can form the hub of a high quality digital playback system.

Conventional audio playback can be through normal Red Book CDs or via the SA10’s coup-de-gras, SACD playback. Via the medium of SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc), which is clearly shown on the display when playing, sound quality improves dramatically. The gains in detail, dynamics and warmth are massive. Realism is on another scale.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Marantz SA10 is no slouch in normal CD playback either, but if you’re going to make the sort of outlay financially required for this player, you need to have a system commensurate with its price/performance and a pretty significant collection of SACDs to make it worthwhile.

We played the Marantz SA10 through our Naim NSC222, Naim NPX300 and Naim NAP250 system into both Proac DB1 standmount speakers and more recently, the Proac D30RS floorstander speakers, to great effect.

proac d30rs through a naim nd5xs2 and naim supernait 3

Summing up the Marantz power trio...

The Marantz CD6007, Marantz CD60 and Marantz SA10 are a great trio of CD/SACD players and offer customers a good choice at various price points. Well made and sonically at the forefront of their respective price classes, the Marantz range continues their reputation for making excellent CD players since the dawn of the CD age.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

ProAc can be found at the following Audio T stores -

Audio T Cheltenham And The Linn Majik LP12

/ Audio T Cheltenham/

It’s the week that Linn have announced the new super duper 50th anniversary £50k Jony Ive (of Apple fame) tweaked redesign of the iconic LP12 and I have just rediscovered my love of the entry level version that Linn call the Majik LP12 and it shaves an absolutely massive £46,300 off the cost of the new anniversary version LP12-50!

Falling In Love Again

The Linn Majik LP12 With Krane arm and adikt cartridge

Of late here in Cheltenham things have tended to centre around the Rega turntables and it has been a while since this little beauty has been taken out for a spin. I thought it was time to change that. The Linn Majik LP12 comes complete with a Krane tonearm, and Adikt moving magnet cartridge, Majik power supply and the rather amazing new Karousel bearing. Owners of older Sondek would do well to look into upgrading old Cirkus bearings to this chunkier, better made version!

At Audio T, we understand the importance of a seamless turntable setup experience, which is why we go the extra mile for our customers. As with all Linn turntables the Majik LP12 will be assembled, set up and installed by one of our Linn trained staff for no extra charge.

Get Into The Groove

Adikt and krane ready for action

Part of the secret to the performance on offer here is the Krane tonearm. This is made to Linn’s exacting specification by the analogue boffins at Clearaudio and it locks that Adikt cartridge in the record groove rock solidly. The record I was playing at the time of re-discovering this groovy vinyl spinner was one of my all time favourite demo albums… Khmer by Nils Petter Molvaer.

Brave New World

such an amazing recording

This has only fairly recently been released on vinyl for the first time, although it first saw the light of day in 1997. Better late than never though eh? Stunningly recorded with some of the deepest bass in recorded music history. It is a wonderful pressing and recording produced by the wizard at ECM that is Manfred Eicher. Massive beats and throbbing grooves underpin the Norwegian trumpeter’s fiery solos in a project that forms a bridge between ECM’s improvised soundscapes and the brave new world of trip-hop, drum and bass, ambient/illbient, techno, industrial, electronica and samples. It is total genius and should be in every self respecting audiophile’s record collection. Played on the LP12 Krane and Adikt combination, this produced the kind of soundstage that was so large that the walls of the room just melted away and the music was left hanging in the air in front of me. It was one of those goose-bump inducing moments that meant I just had to play the whole album! I really do think that for what it was doing this punchy little entry level package was performing way above it’s pay grade. The music was sounding natural, unforced and portrayed the emotion and expressive detail in the music supremely well. The deck was tonally accurate with amazing detail retrieval, making this record a real joy to listen to.

Close up of the adikt

Any Colour You Like…

The Majik LP12 is one of those products that punches way above its weight and provides an ideal entry point into the wonderful world of Linn turntables. A definite improvement over old versions and a great taster for what the LP12 is capable of should you wish to take advantage of any of the myriad upgrades that are available. Unlike the new 50th anniversary deck this one is available in pretty much any colour you like for a little extra money!

Los Endos

If your interest has been piqued and you would like a listen to the amazing Linn Majik LP12 for yourself then please feel free to contact us at Audio T Cheltenham. The kettle is always on and we always have biscuits too!

Thanks for reading…

The three musketeers - Andy, Jon and Farid

Andy, Jon and Farid -

Audio T Cheltenham.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Linn can be found at the following Audio T stores

It all started with a love of Dynaudio…

/ Audio T Oxford/

This month’s blog is something a bit different from our usual fare. Here we explore the front to back process, interaction, relationships and issues involved in a successful and happy customer transaction. Our customer, Rob, has contributed to this article and given his own input on how it went from his point of view… 

Introductions 

Rob got in touch with us at Audio T Oxford as he had recently moved into a new house and knew we are an authorised Dynaudio dealer. He wanted to discuss options on the best system he could have (active or passive), all whilst incorporating his enthusiasm for Dynaudio products.

The Brief and Its Development

High ceiling space - addressed by tuning in The focus 50’s and REL s/512’s

From our initial discussion we qualified Rob’s needs as these are key to a happy customer. We discussed his musical tastes, current music library and his passion for streaming and exploration of new music.

Something that a lot of people underestimate is the discussion around his physical home environment, room dimensions, technical requirements, and any challenges to be overcome to get a great system, matched to his home; both in terms of décor and sonic excellence. Within this we had a clear challenge to drive what is a very large horizontal and vertical space.

We started with a menu of choices and, as luck would have it, we had a Dynaudio Event at Audio T Oxford on 9th November 2022, which Rob attended. The intention was to enable him to get some ears-on experience of the active Dynaudio Focus 50’s that he had already extensively researched on paper, as well as ask some questions and get feedback from the Dynaudio experts on hand. We could then start to establish and formulate a closer approximation of what he was looking for.

Working within the context of a demonstration and/or musical event is one thing, but Rob correctly decided that he needed some time on his own with the system so that he could explore its technical and flexibility of settings, the DSP options and whether he could get an emotional connection with the music and sound quality of the system.

We arranged for Rob to come back in-store and set-up the Focus 50’s with a Innuos Zen Mini MKIII acting as a Roon Core. He spent most of the morning listening to a variety of music, some from his personal collection and some new, courtesy of Roon’s “deep dive” AI suggesting suitable music alternatives. 

The Order

To cut a long story short, Rob placed his order that very same day for a system comprising the Dynaudio Focus 50s, two REL S/812 subwoofers (to be connected via wireless Airships), and an Innuos Zen Mini MKIII (2TB SSD) as a Roon platform and to enable him to download his considerable music collection. The large twin subs were required to shift the air and engage with what is a very large space. 

The décor requirement was achieved by ordering light colours with the ability to hide equipment away in a cupboard where necessary, and with wireless sub connections. The Wireless Speaker and Audio Association (WiSA) connection between the Focus 50s adding to the minimalist look.  

view From the drivers seat - Innuos Zen Mini s and Airship Senders in the white cupboard. WISA wireless connection between the speakers ……..now Unleash the music!

Rob was also interested in a WiSA connection to his television and longer-term enabling DIRAC Live room tuning, both of which can be accomplished through the Focus 50’s. 

Planning & Installation 

Like any project, the idea is to bring things together at the right time, make sure the customer, all the team members and external experts are in the communications loop, test all assumptions are correct and build in a margin for unexpected surprises through consistent due diligence. The aim of all this is to get things lined up and tested so that they can be right first time, wherever possible. All of this was particularly important as we had the skill, but I personally had no actual previous experience of bringing together such a diverse and flexible system involving this relatively new form of technology.

The installation team comprised of Bill Livingston from Dynaudio, our own Kevin Starkie (Audio T Sales and Marketing Director) and Rob from our Oxford store. The installation took the best part of a morning, which included setting up the Focus 50s for room positioning (left master speaker in corner, right in open space), installing, and configuring the Innuos Zen for Roon and installing the two wireless subs and then tuning them to their local environment. And last, but by no means least, getting the music into the room!

Finished Installation - birds eye view from the upper gallery. showing the positioning of the two REL s/812 subs.

Robs Customer Comments

Rob has now had the system for a few months, and these are his comments on his musical and hi-fi journey, how he found the experience of developing and installing the system, and how it fits his lifestyle and sonic requirements…  

1. Can you give us some details of your various music and AV systems and musical journey?  

Started way back in 1979 when my grandparents bought me a radio. I discovered Radio 1 and was hooked! There are too many components to mention but my first ‘proper’ amp was a Rotel receiver with a beautiful analogue radio dial. My first ‘proper’ record player was a Dual CS505. Then university beckoned so it was a real mish-mash of hi-fi. Much later, when I could afford it! I bought second hand Dynaudio Audience 62 speakers, which were already 10 years old but sounded great. Next was a Naim XS2 amp and the synergy was fabulous. I was hooked! My love of Dynaudio has existed ever since. I have always been intrigued by active speakers, to me it just makes sense that the manufacturer finds the best synergy between amp and speaker and does it all for you. When Dynaudio released the Focus series it was a bit of a ‘no brainer’ as it also incorporates streaming capability, Dirac Live, sub-out and is Roon Ready.  

2. What range of music do you like and how has it developed? 

Electronic music will always be my mainstay. My mum used to listen to Vangelis when I was very young and it has clearly influenced me ever since. I still rate Vangelis as an early pioneer of electronic music alongside of course Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and the like. Now my musical taste is very broad, from jazz (big fan) to classical and almost everything in between. So a tough ask for any system to get them all right!  

3. In what way is music important for you? 

In so many ways. I will pretty much always have music playing and definitely whilst travelling. I’d be lost without my headphones as I travel a lot! But I am also a big fan of just sitting down and listening to an album, from start to finish and uninterrupted. I think this has been lost to a certain extent and would advise anyone to give it a go. I am a huge fan of Classic Album Sundays for this very reason, so check it out.  

4. What did you think about the process we developed to help define your system? 

I think the key part was being able to meet Otto and Bill from Dynaudio and with Rob’s input it became clear that my living room would need to ‘go large’! It is a huge space, so we wanted to ensure we could adequately fill it with sounds, hence the Focus 50s and two REL S/812 subs. 

5. How did you find the support throughout?

Exemplary. To have all these experts on hand to discuss requirements and set up was extraordinary, and I know I was very fortunate to have the Dynaudio team on hand. On the day of installation, I had Rob, Kevin and Bill all setting up the system in my living room, you cannot wish for a better service.

6. How happy are you with your end system? 

In short – Very. As this is a new house it has taken a long time to complete the furnishings, which I knew would also make a difference to the sound, in a good way. Now that this is finally complete, I can tweak and find the best balance. Next steps will be sound treatment, and then Dirac Live on the Dynaudio which is a fabulous feature to include. I was new to Roon too and I love it. It has so much functionality and has introduced me to new acts and artists, and all in a beautiful interface on a tablet device.  

7. What could we have done better? 

Nothing of note 

8. Any other comments? 

Just to say a huge thanks to all involved with this setup at Audio T and Dynaudio.

Summary

So, thanks go to Rob for trusting us to do this system and for agreeing to and contributing to this article. We know how busy he is and we really appreciate the time he has given from his very hectic schedule. 

Also, thanks to Bill and Otto from Dynaudio for their close support and experience, and to REL and Innuos for their technical support and insight. 

If you would like to know more about these products and how they work together, or for anything else, why not give us a call at the Oxford Store? We will be happy to work with you to get the outcome you are looking for.  

Thanks for reading.

Rob & Jon - Audio T Oxford 

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Dynaudio can be found at the following Audio T stores

· BRIGHTON

· BRISTOL

· CHELTENHAM

· MANCHESTER

· ONLINE STORE

· OXFORD

· PORTSMOUTH

· READING

· SOUTHAMPTON

· SWANSEA

· SWINDON

Innuos can be found at the following Audio T stores

· BRISTOL

· CARDIFF

· CHELTENHAM

· MANCHESTER

· ONLINE STORE

· OXFORD

· PORTSMOUTH

· READING

· SOUTHAMPTON

· SWANSEA

· SWINDON

REL can be found at the following Audio T stores

· BRIGHTON

· BRISTOL

· CHELTENHAM

· MANCHESTER

· OXFORD

· PORTSMOUTH

· SOUTHAMPTON

· SWANSEA

· SWINDON

· ONLINE STORE

· READING

· CARDIFF

PLEASE NOTE: Both Roon and DIRAC software require a personal direct customer purchase, subscription and licence. In the case of DIRAC we recommend the use of a certified DIRAC installer which may include a separate fee. Only Roon was used in this install, DIRAC is an option that the customer may wish to undertake in the future.   

"£2K Tone Monsters" - The search for a new Hi-Fi Amplifier

/ Audio T Cardiff/

Thank you for once again joining me on my long sonic journey through the world of Hi-Fi and once again I am looking to make a change to my own Hi-Fi system. This time I’ll be looking to change my amplifier…

One of the most wonderful advantages of me working for Audio T is being able to search for that perfect sound in my own system and in-turn help others on there on their respective high-fidelity journey.

Within the Hi-Fi industry we often say that the source is the most important part of the system. As we know, this is where the music starts. But I, like many others, feel equally passionate about the important role the amplification plays. I always refer to the amplifier as the heart of the system. Every different amp brand bringing a different character to the sound coming from the speakers. Amplifier brands can be categorised in three or more ways like sounding forward, laid back or even neutral; some amplifiers out there defy all of these characteristics. You could say it’s searching for the holy grail, the thing we all hope to find in our HI-Fi systems - that tone, that perfect stereo image and the system synergy between source, amplifier and speakers. You may have heard me say this before, but I want a record to sound like a live band in my living room. To sit back and close my eyes and picture where all the band members are on stage putting a smile on my face or bringing a tear to my eye, truly engaging me in the music and the performance.

The Search Begins…

Like we all do, when we start looking for equipment we set ourselves a realistic budget. In this case I have set my sights at £2000, which as we know there are many worthy amplifiers out there that fit the bill at this price point. But, not only should the amplifier sound right to my ears, like many of us out there, we must also think think about how it’s going to affect our pockets and how to achieve near perfection within a price point. I have luckily narrowed the list down to three contenders which I will tell you all about very shortly but before I do, I’ll tell you about what led me to this dramatic change in my system.

the three contenders

My last change to my system was my loudspeakers. I went down the Danish route with Dynaudio and now proudly own a brilliant pair of Evoke 10’s in stunning walnut. My current amp driving these speakers is a Rega Elex-R which is a fantastic bit of kit but there is a slight problem in that the the Evoke 10’s like a fair amount of drive from the amp to hear them at their best. The Evoke 10’s are a 6 Ohm speaker with 84db sensitivity which means turning the Elex-R up to a fairly high volumes. Now, as much as I enjoy my music at higher volumes, I don't feel my neighbour's would be too happy with that.

So, this brings me to the next big change in my system, the amplifier. So, as I was saying a little while back, what I am looking for in a new amp is as perfect a sound as possible, but I want great performance at lower volumes too.

The Contenders

So, after some deliberation, I was able to whittle down the selection to three contenders:

To help me along choosing an amplifier I have pretty much replicated my system at home…

The Setup

Who will win the race? Let’s dive in ears first and join me on this journey see where I end up!

The Shoot out

Starting with the Audiolab 9000A, this amplifier has been one of the most talked about and well reviewed amplifiers in its class since its release last year. Audiolab as we know has great lineage in Hi-Fi history, going right back to the early 80s with the original 8000 series. Many years down the line it’s now time to replace the 8000 series with the all new 9000 series. The 9000 follows in true Audiolab tradition being class AB design delivering 100 watts into 8 Ohms and 160 watt into 6 Ohms so this amplifier is no slouch. As well as having many analogue inputs it also caters very well in the digital department where I feel the amp really shines with Audiolab’s ESS 9038PRO flagship 32 bit digital to analogue convertor (DAC) chip on board. This makes the Audiolab 9000A amp something rather special, especially the many filter settings on the DAC like Audiolab’s M DAC+ it gives you plenty of scope to set the DAC to your own taste. Whether your source is CD or streaming this amp is certainly capable. Sound-wise the amp had great detail in its sound, well controlled with warmth of tone and full of character. I feel this amp is a bit of a swiss army knife of amps a great do it all machine for sure.

audiolab 9000a rear panel

The 9000A feels right at home with the Dynaudio’s with plenty of power to drive them especially listening to tracks like Led Zeppelin's - No quarter off the Houses of the Holy album. With John Paul Jones’s organ part at the start of the track I could hear fantastic definition with the chorus effect he uses leading perfectly into the rest of the track, drawing me in and enhancing my listening experience.

rega elicit mk5 speaker terminals

To me, the Rega Elicit MK5 is like putting on my favourite pair of Vans trainers. Being a proud owner of a Rega amplifier I feel this is very familiar amplifier and the Elicit certainly has that Rega amplification sound. It’s a true class AB monster of an amp borrowing it’s FET based preamplifier circuit from its big brother the Aethos. The Elicit MK5 also has a very capable DAC on board the tried and tested Wolfson 24 bit DAC giving fantastic warmth and easy going analogue feeling tones on the digital side. I do feel the Elicit MK5 party trick is analogue reproduction, when a turntable is connected this amplifier really comes alive. As I said, this amp has a very familiar sound which I am very comfortable with but certainly does have its surprises, such as its ability to drive some of the most demanding speakers out there including my Dynaudios. The Elicit MK5 will deliver 127 watts into 6 ohms which is plenty of power. This amp sounds great at low volumes as well as cranked up but it made me want to turn it up! It just gets better and becomes more alive and one with the music, especially when I put the new Extreme album “Six” on the track being their big single “Rise”. Nuno Bettencourt’s guitar tone was just soaring as well as every detail in the band. In short this amp seems to have it all, so far so good. I feel the Elicit is a superb analogue amp, that’s warm with a hint of vintage Hi-Fi tones as well as forward sounding, near perfect to my ears.

cyrus classic amp rear panel

The Cyrus Classic AMP is up next and thinking back two years ago when I first started working here at Audio T Cardiff the XR range from Cyrus was first released. I vividly remember being blown away by the sound of Cyrus. Shortly after Christmas that year I took home the Cyrus i7 XR and CDi XR and wrote a blog about them which you can read here. It’s safe to say that they certainly left an impression on me.

When we think about Cyrus as a company and how far they go back in the world of Hi-Fi, right back to 1984, they are a true heritage brand. Always striving to perfect the sound in our Hi-Fi systems, as well as delivering great value for money. Moving forward to late last year I had the opportunity to listen to the new Cyrus Classic AMP, and let’s just say, in my very humble opinion, Cyrus has definitely unleashed a game changing amplifier here. They’ve taken some of the tried and tested technology from the XR range and brought it to the newly revamped classic integrated amplifier. The Classic is a great example of an AB amplifier, packed with great simple features with more than enough power to drive the thirstiest speakers out there with 91 watts into 6 Ohms. This amplifier has tricks up its sleeve, such as DB level adjustment so you can match the input levels.

pink floyd - “division bell” lp playing on the REGa planar 6

This amplifier has a vastly improved lower noise floor, especially when using analogue inputs such as the turntable I'm using today. Other great features on the digital side of things are helped along by Cyrus’s 1st generation Q-XR DAC. Listening to this amplifier is an absolute joy, with a new level of detail in music I haven't heard before; drawing me even further in to the soundstage with the amplifier reproducing a warm yet clean and precise sound. This amplifier gives exactly what I've been looking for when I sit down and listen to a band and close my eyes. I can hear near perfect placement of musicians on the stage, perfect separation and timing, what we all hope for out of a Hi-Fi system. For instance, listening to Pink Floyd’s album “Division Bell” the track I used off the album was “Marooned”. The Delay effect David Gilmour uses on this track is a Tc Electronic 2290 rackmount delay. The detail from that effect is more noticeable on this Cyrus Classic amp and the decay from each note really lasts from Gilmour’s Fender Stratocaster. I know I must sound like a massive nerd listening out for such things in music, but this is one of the things about music I am so passionate about, discovering new things in songs I thought I knew inside out.

The Winner

You may have guessed it, the winner for me is the Cyrus Classic AMP as this amp seems to have everything I need from an integrated amp, simple yet with all the right features and I am now a proud owner of a Cyrus!

the cyrus classic amp is our winner

Even though I chose the Cyrus Classic AMP, the other two amplifiers brought fantastic things to the mix. For instance, the Audiolab 9000A is absolutely packed with great and useful features, not to mention it has one of the best looking front panels in the world of Hi-Fi. The Rega Elicit MK5 for me is still very much a great analogue monster of an amplifier. In short between all three have something for everyone in the £2000 amplifier range. It goes to show between all three brands they have certainly got bang for their buck!

I guess the big question for you all out there is, which amplifier would you choose? Let me know or why not pop in and see us and give them a listen and tell me which one would be the winner for you. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Matt, Nick and Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Audio T Cheltenham and the Lyngdorf CD-2 CD Player

/ Audio T Cheltenham/

Just as the Compact Disc medium decides to fight back with a vengeance Sir Elton John was interviewed on breakfast telly earlier this week in his “record room” as he calls it. He actually said, and I quote “nobody buys CDs anymore do they?” But he is soooo wrong. Talking to the amazing staff at my favourite local music vending emporium they assure me that the CD is healthier and selling more now than it has been for years! And the perfect player to ride that wave of increased enthusiasm is quite probably this little beauty…..The Lyngdorf CD-2.

Pure Audio Drive

the Sleek and beautiful CD-2

Lyngdorf is the sister brand of Steinway, the people who produce the legendary grand pianos and as such shares the same revolutionary company DNA, and the important thing about this little marvel is that it has been designed specifically for Red Book digital audio only. Using this pure audio drive is simpler and better. All players that use a multi-format drive will inherently produce more digital noise and also be clunky and slow in use. Lyngdorf offer cutting edge research and development and boast that this player ranks up there with the very best on the market.

Happy Accident!

We came across the Lyngdorf CD-2 by happy accident really. We really wanted to stock and sell the Lyngdorf range of amplifiers (also lovely by the way), but we were told that in order to sell those we had to stock the CD player too. Initially we were not that keen but said yes anyway! A few days later, after taking delivery and having spent a little time running them in we were gradually coming to the conclusion that whatever we played through it was sounding rather lovely and customers began agreeing with us too. A couple of them even preferring the CD-2 to some very expensive alternative brand disc spinners….mentioning no Naims!

Blues Pills

First Album by blues pills on the nuclear blast record label.

For the purposes of supplying music to this blog I dug out my copy of the first album by Blues Pills. This is another one of those albums that I bought just because I thought that the artwork was so evocative of the hippie era long since lost. I also thought how could a record label called Nuclear Blast not be worth a punt! It hasn’t disappointed either. The combination of great female vocals from Elin Larsson with stinging guitar work from Dorian Sorriaux backed up by a powerhouse rhythm section of Zack Anderson on bass duties and Cory Berry on drums.

cover art by Marijke Koger-dunham

A Time Of Endless Flux

A bit of background here… Marijke is hailed as the mother of psychedelic art. She helped shape the imagery of the sixties as it exists in the nation's collective memory today. She turned the era's music into colours that pop, shapes that ooze and illogical patterns that evoked the creativity blossoming in the time of endless flux. It was the ultimate vision of hippie aesthetics, Koger-Dunham created album art and costumes for The Beatles, painted Eric Clapton's and George Harrison's guitars and painted the mural on the theatre that debuted the musical "Hair." She was enmeshed in both the musical and visual arts as member of "The Fool," a design collective and band, allowing her to seamlessly translate from sound to sight. Her imagery is dripping with freedom and passion. Plants shoot up with reckless abandon only to melt into washes of hallucinatory hues. Everything is growing and changing; mirroring the politics of the time.

Adding To The Vibe

Anyway I think that in this instance the cover art adds to the vibe and helps the music to come to life. I chose the track “Astralplane” and was immediately astounded by the detail retrieval of this player. This track has a double tracked guitar with one in the left channel and the other in the right channel. This combined with the atmospheric addition of organ by Robert Wallin was producing a soundstage that you positively jump into! Lovely bluesy old Fleetwood Mac at their prime kind of sound with power and passion and as for that guitar soloing….just wow! The CD-2 was able to portray both power and delicacy so that the bass drums and guitar never overpowers the passionate vocal performance and it is still easy to pick out and follow the organ part in the background. Nuances that are lost on so many other players.

Lee Morgan’s Charisma

Charisma by lee morgan… quintessential mid-'60s hard bop

Next on the playlist was this lovely slice of classic Blue Note jazz by Lee Morgan who is joined here by the altoist Jackie Mclean, Hank Mobley on tenor, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Billy Higgins is probably most famous for the Sidewinder album but I prefer this one, which was recorded with his band towards the end of 1966 just as Flower Power was beginning to catch on, and a bit of that is reflected in the blissed out summery jazzy grooves on this wondrous outing. One of my all favourite Blue Note albums (and there are lots of them!). Now you cannot go wrong choosing any of the tracks on this album but I decided to go for the aptly named “Somethin’ Cute”. I love this track for its sense of open-ness and space around all the instruments and the way that you can really hear the sheer joy of all the musicians and their interplay with each other. Just gorgeous, and the CD-2 lays bare the exuberance of the piano and bass in the background as the two saxophones and trumpet sparkle and shimmer in between the loudspeakers.

Charisma and then some

Shockingly Good

So on this basis Sir Elton could and should be well and truly proved wrong! This CD spinner is shockingly good. It proves that there is a lot of life left in the old format yet. Indeed this Lyngdorf CD-2 may well be the perfect CD player. It sounds great, it looks great and it is quick and easy to use. None of that clunky bluray/streamer mechanism malarkey that means your CD player takes ages to even twig what kind of disc it has in it and then makes you press the buttons multiple times as it takes an age to respond the button press! It out performs a whole host of CD players that would have cost you an awful lot of money even only going back a few years, let alone older players. Heck, it even out performs a lot of very much more expensive CD players that you can buy today, so on that basis alone you have to put this one on your audition list.

The End Bit

If your interest has been piqued and you would like a listen to the amazing Lyngdorf CD-2 for yourself then please feel free to contact us at Audio T Cheltenham. The kettle is always on and we always have biscuits too!

Thanks for reading…

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Lyngdorf can be found at the following Audio T stores…

Cyrus takes a new stance on a Classic, Chromey investigates!

/ Audio T Manchester/

For those of you who think that change for the sake of change is the way to move forward and keep the Hi-Fi fires burning with "an all-new look", I'd say fair enough, but when it comes to case design from one of our oldest Hi-Fi manufacturers in the UK, Cyrus, the old adage goes: if it ain't broke...

So, fittingly, the Classic AMP has kept the original styling from the past 15 or so years, apart from a small but very welcome change. Gone are the "stick on" rubber feet and in come adjustable chrome feet, giving the Cyrus a "tougher yet sturdier-looking stance".

From Chromey to chrome

For instance, Porsche, known as one of the few car designers that have stuck to their guns for over 50 years, has kept roughly the same shape for the 911, and I personally love the look of the Porsche, as they also look tougher and meaner, even after putting on a little weight. But let’s not digress…

Old school Vs New school

The word “classic” in the new Classic AMP from Cyrus doesn't mean they’ve just reintroduced an old design back into their portfolio; on the contrary, the bods at R&D have completely re-designed the internals with upgraded components that mirror and reflect the new XR lineup, that's making waves for Cyrus at the moment.

What the Classic AMP does is give people with the previous kit and the same casework the chance to change out the engine room in their respective systems, and upgrade at the same time. It also affords the opportunity to fans of the classic styling to grab a great looking integrated amp with a small footprint.

Very Grounded

The Classic AMP has a built-in phono stage of a decent calibre, not ostentatious or showy, but just right. It can confidently hold its own against standalone phono stages priced anywhere up to £500. The 2 phono socket caps in the picture help against interference when not in use, again, a nice little touch from Cyrus.

Heady aspirations!

Hidden around the back you’ll also find a dedicated headphone output, for those moments when you don't want to disturb anyone during a late-night listening session. It's a 3.5mm jack that takes up minimum space on the rear panel and sounds great with most reasonably easy-to-drive headphones.

Its XR rated.

We listened to our Classic AMP at the Manchester store with a pair of Spendor A7 loudspeakers. And to say we're impressed is an understatement.

The Cyrus sounded open and detailed, with the bass control to rival amps way above this price point.

It sounded like "Cyrus", as in the Cyrus of old, clean, and refined, but with the added clout of the new XR range. The Classic feels like a recipient of trickle-down technology from the XR range, which is great.

Interestingly Cyrus is, and has been over the last few years, making up for lost ground that they may feel they've lost to the competition. The recent acquisitions and collaborations are bearing fruit.

We get the feeling that Cyrus's new stance on Hi-Fi is going to be a solid one.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us

Thanks for reading,

Munir, James, & David - 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 our social media channels below…

Cyrus can be found at the following Audio T stores -

Is Bigger Always Better? A look at three little lionhearted loudspeakers...

/

They say that good things come in threes… And that good things come in small packages. Well, recently here at Audio T Reading an opportunity came along for me to audition three high-quality and relatively premium little loudspeakers. This all happened a bit by chance, with all three speakers arriving like buses at the same time!

First up came the peppy Neat Petite Classic, drafted-in for a customer who was very keen to hear them. Then came the gorgeously finished Audio Note AX One, first unveiled at The Bristol Show 2023. And last but certainly no means least, the Harbeth P3ESR XD, kindly loaned by Gareth, our Reading store manager, from his personal collection of hi-fi goodies. Out of curiosity, I packed up the Neat Petite Classic to trial at home, but all the while thinking – “Why am I bothering? There’s no way these little ‘loudies’ can hold a torch to my own larger ATC SCM 11 standmounts”. As it turned out, they didn’t just hold a torch… They drew a sword and jousted with my 11’s all the way! In disbelief, I was left ruminating… “Why haven’t I considered premium smaller speakers before?” Please allow me to share with you more on this newest, most enlightening Audio T adventure…

A bit of backstory

Since acquiring my ATC SCM11 speakers, I’ve been so overjoyed with them that I’ve often wondered what direction I would take if I were to move on from them. How would I bring about an improvement in presentation and overall enjoyment? Just go bigger and pricier, surely. It seems logical that bigger gives you more! Proceeding with this one-dimensional perspective, my attentions turned to one of the best standmount speakers in our shop, the dynamic Dynaudio Special Forty, and also a floorstanding option like the sublime Spendor A7. Both of them sound fab in our main demonstration room… but in my own smaller, more flimsily built living room, the performance of both were hampered and could not reach anywhere near their full potential. With simply arranged acoustic music, they sounded great, but with more rhythmic or propulsive genres I found that both were over-exciting my living room and delivering the dreaded bass boom. Please let me be clear, the fault lays with the limitations of my room and not with the Special Forty or A7 speakers. I highly recommend listening to them as they’re both first-rate. Going back to my tunnel-visioned approach, I had lined up copious other large loudspeakers for audition as surely one of them would give me the ‘more’ factor I would be after. Then, as if by divine intervention, the following three little lovelies interrupted my one-track journey at just the right time…

NEAT PETITE – SHE’S A REALLY SWEET – CLASSIC

With the Neat Petite Classic atop of SolidSteel SS-6 stands and occupying the space in my room where I’m so conditioned to seeing my larger ATC SCM11, the Petite Classic by comparison felt like looking at a piece of paper side-on! On viewing, they just weren’t there. But upon listening, it’s as if they were everywhere – projecting high-quality, clean sound to all corners of my room. The air motion transformer (AMT) tweeter is incredible at conveying high-frequency information. Vocals sound hauntingly detailed and the ambience of the room where the original recording took place is delivered with absolute certainty – be it in a concert hall, or in a studio, all of the electricity and air of the venue came through distinctly, with great height and width. The big surprise with the Petite Classic is the sizeable bass on offer; it went surprisingly deep, was lightning fast, and seemed to belie the size of the speaker cabinets. This bass witchcraft, combined with the Petite Classic’s agility and detail retrieval, made for an engaging listening experience. Taking care with placement and the tuning of the rear ports only helped to make things better. The Neat Petite Classic were brighter than my ATC SCM 11, but not harshly so, and while my 11’s have more scale and authority, the Neats do what they do so well that I was mostly blissfully unaware of anything I was missing.

AUDIO NOTE AX ONE – NO AX TO GRIND WITH THESE

Whilst still buzzing from the previous dinky speaker discovery, these little beauties – the Audio Note AX One – turned up in the shop in a luscious European walnut finish. At first I wondered what that port was doing on the front baffle so close to the tweeter and mid-bass unit. I need not have worried; Audio Note know what they’re doing and take pride in doing things their own way. And without further ado, I took the AX One home… And my gosh what a treat it was to hear this compact communicator. The AX One a little firecracker! If you’re familiar with Audio Note, you’ll be aware of their musicality comes first approach. When listening to Audio Note equipment, three words tend to spring to mind: tone, timbre and swagger. The AX One has all the precision of a studio monitor, but with that beautiful Audio Note tone. They are one of the most informative speakers I’ve heard in my room, and that sweet tone did a great job of distracting me from their unquestionable ability to dissect a recording. Switching to a heavier stand helped with balancing the energetic treble and allowed the AX One to shine. This is a lively, fast and above all musical speaker that can place images in the foreground and background with exactitude. On heavier stands, they weren’t shy in the bass department either – okay, not quite the low-end that had my ornaments rattling! But the bass on offer exhibited texture and substance, if not the outright scale of my ATC SCM 11. I did, however, find the AX One slightly more revealing in my room.

P3ESR XD – NOT A CAR REG PLATE, BUT A SWEET HARBETH

By now, I’d all but forgotten about the existence of bigger speakers and found myself routinely chewing Gareth’s ear off about the joys of little “loudies”. Seeing that I was loving the small-speaker voyage, and perhaps in part to preserve his own sanity, Gareth rocked up with a box containing his very own Harbeth P3ESR XD loudspeakers and kindly offered that I could try them at home. At this time of writing, I still have them and can’t stop listening to them! These are one of the most complete sounding speakers I’ve ever heard. There isn’t a hint of harshness to them, even in my bright and lively living room. And with everything I play they just don’t seem to put a foot wrong. The P3ESR XD convey detail effortlessly, and with a slightly softer outline which brings a sense of organic-ness to their sound. Much like the Audio Note AX One, they image with astonishing aplomb. And with careful placement, they have a way of capturing the shape of instruments and sounds, giving a believable impression of three dimensionality. These little Harbeths have a fullness to their presentation that make them sound much bigger than they are. Compared to my bigger ATC SCM11, again outright scale is appreciably not as extended, but the P3ESR XD produce bass with definition and nuance, and in the lower midrange there’s a surprising amount of slam, ensuring kickdrums can be satisfyingly felt as well as heard.

Lasting impressions from the small speaker expedition…

It’s safe to say that I’m currently smitten with premium little loudspeakers. All three of the speakers featured are thoroughly entertaining in their own way and the key lesson learned here is that it’s possible to gain improvements in many areas of sound quality and overall enjoyment by going for a dinkier design. Perhaps the measurements, construction and acoustics of my living room dictate that a top-notch small speaker may yield better results than a bigger one? But on auditioning the Neat Petite Classic, Audio Note AX One and Harbeth P3ESR XD, it’s been encouraging to discover that all three sound way bigger than their physical dimensions suggest, and they don’t mind playing louder too. If I were blindfolded and asked to listen, I’m not confident I’d be able to correctly identify them as diminutive speakers. Which one of them is best? Well, it’s a matter of system matching, room integration and acoustics, and of course personal sonic and visual preference. All of these miniature marvels have their own unique musical boons. If like me you’re intrigued to discover more, my advice would be to get in touch with your nearest Audio T store. Our team can tell you more about these as well as other superb little offerings that we have. I’m now off to reluctantly pack up and return Gareth’s little Harbeths…

Thank you for reading. Rishi and Gareth – Audio T Reading

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

The incredible equipment in this blog can be found or enquired about at the following Audio T stores:

A customer’s journey to audio nirvana with Naim in 222 words…

/ Audio T Brighton/

This month we are going to focus on a customer’s system journey through time, not wanting to Naim names, of course. Just think of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, only more exciting! Our chronological journey will be heard through the ears of a long standing customer of Audio T Brighton, who has waxed lyrical about the performance of his newly acquired Naim system. It may take a few more than 222 words though, 250 or 300 perhaps! (See what we did there?)

An itinerary of our Naim journey...

Let’s have a brief look at the components we’ll be focusing on... the Naim NSC 222 streaming preamp, Naim NAP 250 stereo power amp and optional Naim NPX 300 power supply.

naim nsc222 streaming preamplifier

naim nap250 power amplifier

naim npx300 power supply

Not wanting to step on the toes of my colleagues, but an in-depth look at the new Naim 200 series has been written by Audio T Bristol, which you can read here.

Let the journey commence...

Naim 200 series with a Naim classic nap250dr

Paul is a regular visitor to Audio T Brighton and has waxed lyrical about his Naim and Linn kit over the past forty-or-so years he has traversersed through the hi-fi rabbit hole. He recently decided to purchase some new gear from Audio T as part of the Naim 200 series, including the Naim NSC 222 streaming preamp and Naim NPX 300 power supply.

I will let Paul tell you his story in his own words:

I bought my first Naim kit around 1981, getting a 42/110 with moving coil boards to use with my then LP12, Syrinx PU2 and Asak and shortly afterwards got a pair of Linn Kan speakers. It sounded great and I kept it for around 15 years pretty much as was, except for changing the PU2 to an Ittok and replacing the Asak in the later 80s with a cheaper cartridge, as at the time I could not afford another Asak level cartridge. There was also a change of speakers due to an ex-partner preferring bigger speakers with a fat woolly bass, one of my biggest regrets was selling the Kans but I did get a good price through the for-sale board in Jefferies Hi-Fi (now Audio T Brighton) and got a bargain Meridian 104 tuner from the shop, that I still have.

In the mid to late 90s I upgraded the 42/110 to a 32.5 with 72 boards, a 140 followed soon after with Hi-Cap. I also upgraded a Rotel CD to a Marantz CD10. I also got a pair of Rega Ela Mk1s. The Linn LP12 stayed as is, probably serviced a couple of times by John at Audio T Brighton as I had a cartridge fitted, again cheapish cartridges as money was tight then and the LP12 became very much a secondary source as I was buying and listening to CDs mostly. This system lasted until 2014, when my cancer prompted me to simplify my system and I bought a Unitilite to use with my existing speakers, but soon upgraded to a pair of Rega RX3s. I also had some work done on the LP12 and I got a Dynavector 10x5. I kept the Unitilite when I bought the Uniti Star in about 2018, having two good systems. At this time my intention was to stay with the Star/RX3 for the long term. 

Prior to the pandemic, I had vaguely considered upgrading to a separate system as the NAC-N272 with a power amp would have sounded better, against this I would have lost the benefits of the Star ripping and functionality so stuck with what I had. Then the pandemic happened and I found myself at home a lot more and listened to a lot more music again, mostly ripped CDs but Vinyl was being played more. Audio T started selling lots of ex-dem products, which I saw from the monthly email, and I spoke with John about getting a 250DR as a first step, with the expectation of the 272 replacement arriving sooner than it did. Shortly afterwards a pair of SCM40s were available ex-dem, so I jumped at them. 

naim uniti star and rega rx1 speakers

This system worked really well in my old home and in some way buying the speakers before I moved was a bit of a risk. Fortunately, they work as well if not slightly better in my new room. After moving I was listening to music more and getting back into listening to LPs more. Once the NSC 222 was announced I soon ordered one with a NPX300 to use with my existing 250DR. Around the same time I finally went for the upgrades to my LP12 that I had been talking about with John for a while, initially I was going to do the upgrades in two stages but fortunately decided to do them all at once. 

The upgraded LP12 arrived back slightly before my 222 was ready. It was so much better that I began listening much more to LPs again. Once the 222/300 arrived, the MM input and preamp stage improved the sound quality even further. The 222 is a significant improvement over the Star as you would expect. The SQ in all aspects is improved. In the 70s the concept of “musicality” was formulated and the system did become more musical. In today's terminology, “PRaT” was improved. The system 6 weeks in is still improving and I am listening to Rips and LPs much more than I did and listening to Radio 6 less. TV hardly gets a look in these days.

Atc scm40’s on the end of a naim nsc222, npx300 and nap250dr.

Summing it all up...

We would very much like to thank our customer, Paul, for providing us with such a detailed hi-fi history for this blog. There are many positives to be taken from this, including system satisfaction, sound quality and good customer service from Audio T. Once again, I hope that our future potential customers can see the value in dealer service over speculative purchases from online retailers, where the personal touch and face-to-face conversation still offers a better and more rewarding experience.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

Audio T(akeover) with Audio Note at Bristol: Hi-Fi versus Real-Fi. Music's Finest Conductor and a Concert Cellist

/ Audio T Bristol/

What if you could listen to an accomplished passionate and energetic musician, with an original artistic vision, filled with warmth and depth simultaneously with a Hi-Fi system dedicated to the quest of re-creating that performance with maximum realism, emotion and intensity?

I refer to Robert Harley, editor in chief of the Absolute Sound magazine - “High-End audio is about passion – passion for music, and how well it is reproduced”. Here at Audio T Bristol we did just that with an unusual event...

The Contenders

Vincent Bélanger hails from a prominent family of musicians, many of whom have contributed greatly to develop the musical scene in Quebec, Canada. He attended Master Classes with Yo-Yo Ma (Lyon, 2001) and Catalonian master, Lluis Claret (Montpellier, 2001). With grants from the "Fondation des Jeunesses Musicales du Canada" in 2002, he went on to study with renowned French cellist, Yvan Chiffoleau and won First Prize in the Cello Master Class. He premiered as a competitor at the Young Artists Show, presented by CBC, Canada national network, in 2004. His album "Lâ", launched in Spring of 2011 (Fidelio label), won the "coup de coeur" of Radio-Classique, Quebec and Montreal before its official public release. It also received praise from the press and the public in Canada and overseas. It was ranked as best seller for several weeks on the USA's audiophile download website HDtracks.

The Audio Note system hails from Brighton from a prominent family of engineers, many of whom have contributed greatly to the High Fidelity world of tuned audio circuits.

Audio Note’s product range is built around a series of ideological and technological performance platforms from which they have developed a wide and comprehensive product range.

The platform levels are created to demonstrate that increases in price are consummate with suitable improvements in sound quality. Typically, this means using silver in key areas of signal path, uprated materials and tighter tolerances of components.

The Equipment

Audio Note TT3

The turntable is fitted with an Arm Two, IQ 3 cart and PSU 1 power supply, Our colleagues at Reading reviewed the Audio Note TT3 - read here and we have to concur - a stunning turntable. It’s hard believe that this is an MM setup given the amount of detail retrieved and the smoothness. Comparing to other turntables - the TT3 has the punch of a Rega Planar 10 and the airy-ness of a Linn LP12, but a musicality that is very difficult to describe. It feels revealing and complimentary to any musical genre almost regardless of quality of recording.

Digital Done right - CD 3.1 CD Player

The CD3.1x/II is the first model of integrated CD player in the Audio Note range to feature the highly regarded Analogue Devices AD1865 digital to analogue converter chip, the same device that they use in there more costly stand alone DACs. This 18bit device has consistently outperformed every competing chip they have tested regardless of specification or price.​

The transport is an in house modified Philips CD mechanism, designed purely to read true Red Book CD, which Audio Note believe is still the best possible Digital music format currently available.

The analogue output stage features two ECC88 dual triode valves and custom designed and manufactured Audio Note (UK) copper foil capacitors. Tantalum resistors are also used in critical areas, offering a quite remarkable level of performance.

Audio Note Meishu Phono Tonmeister Silver

We reviewed the level 2 Meishu Tonmeister back in 2021 (you can read it here). It’s hard to explain, but the Tonmeister leaves you with an emotion - no matter what you’re listening to. Music is reproduced to a different level of expression. This is the single malt equivalent of Hi-Fi. At Level 3, the amplifier is Class A single-ended directly heated no feedback triode, The Silver upgrades over the standard version specification with AN HiB C-core output and interstage transformers, AN silver (AN-V) and copper internal wiring, a combination of AN Standard and AN KAISEI Electrolytic Capacitors, 1W AN Ni-Chrome and 2W AN Tantalum Resistors in selected places. The most notable improvements over the standard Tonmeister is the depth of sound stage, timbre and transients - faster and tighter.

Speakers - AN-E SPE

Again, level 3 Speakers are the AN-E SPE Hemp in a Birch burl piano gloss finish. These speakers have a 1” tweeter & 8” high efficiency Hemp bass driver with Silver voice coils, 97.5 dB efficient, AN-SPe internal Silver cable, internal crossover, copper inductors.

The Session

Beginning with an introduction from Daniel Qvortrup, Director and son of founding Director Peter Qvortrup, Daniel explained the setup and the system. I was intrigued by the speaker placement, very different from many setups. The Audio Note AN-E benefit from being close to the corners of a room and near the walls. I expected the soundstage to be recessed and boomy, but not at all. The soundstage was quite forward and truly three-dimensional. I have never experienced a system capable of this and what is even stranger - move around the room a little and the soundstage stays locked between the speakers. This off-axis response is astonishing.

Vincent Bélanger then took over the reins, with an intriguing repertoire that had us captivated. It is a very special experience to be that close to a cello and see and feel the performance. Truly magical was a moment when Vincent played with an ensemble, the other instruments played by the Audio Note system. Listening to the difference between the real life instrument of the cello and the Audio Note system, which seemed to blend so perfectly, was a beguiling experience.

Consonance, the second album by Vincent Bélanger has his arrangement of Ravel’s Bolero, the centerpiece of the album and an “act of revenge for cellists and double bassists” as the original work neither has cello of double bass playing the melody. The album is a celebration of the expressive richness of the cello and is well worth seeking out.

All in all this event was an intriguing and highly enjoyable experience. Thank you Vincent, thank you Audio Note & a big thank you to all who attended and we look forward to welcoming you again - stay tuned for the next Audio T Events by subscribing to our newsletter.

Justin, Max & James - Audio T Bristol

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…

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