Looking For An Easter Gift For The Music Lover In Your Life? Then Arcam rPlay Is An Eggcellent Choice

If you love music then you are literally spoilt for choice these days with a multitude of different formats, such as vinyl, CD and streaming, which allows you to listen to your music stored locally on a hard drive or from an Internet subscription service such as Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify. 

Streaming has been around for a while now and provides a great deal of convenience in how you listen to your music. When streaming music, you can choose from music stored on a computer or network attached storage device (NAS) - a hard drive accessible on your home network) - the files held on your local network can either be downloads from the Internet such as iTunes or CD rips (copies of a CD held locally on the network hard drive) or an Internet music subscription streaming service such as Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer or Spotify. 

Many people want more choice and like to listen and discover new music, or listen to music that hasn't been listened to for a while. This is what Arcam's rPlay music streamer does really well and is simple to set up and use.

Let's take a closer a look at it.

The rPlay can be set up wirelessly or directly connected to the router. Once connected download the DTS PlayFi App for iOS or android. There are fixed outputs for connecting to an integrated amplifier or variable outputs if you want to connect the rPlay to a power amplifier. There is also a digital output for connecting it to a DAC - digital to analogue converter - which can further improve sound quality.

This is a where the fun begins. You first select media server from the app and it searches for the network drives with your music on. Choose the drive and play music - it's that easy. You can then select Tidal HiFi from the app and start browsing through the vast catalogue of music and you can start discovering more music than you ever dreamed of. It sounds very nice indeed and it supports high resolution (Hi-Res) high quality music files up to 24bit/192kHz. 

The Arcam rPlay also allows you to stream Spotify, Deezer, Internet radio and will connect to devices with Apple AirPlay.

Another DTS PlayFi feature is multi-room playback. Put another rPlay into another room and control it through the same app, you can even name the room so you know which one you want to control, which is nice. Please have a look at the image below.

We think this little box of tricks sounds very good indeed, it is very easy to set up and use and can be integrated into any 2-channel stereo or multi-channel home cinema system. 

Please come and have a listen here in our shop in Swindon and we'll make you a nice cup of tea or coffee, while you listen to a few of your favourite tunes!

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Stefan and Andy

Arcam Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, 
Swansea, Swindon

Audio T Swansea Celebrates The 10th Anniversary Of Record Store Day On 22nd April

Record Store Day is now less than a month away, and with it being the 10th Anniversary we will once again be teaming up with Derrick's Music of Swansea to make it the best event yet.

The 22nd April will be the day where we once again see hundreds of people descend on independent record shops across the country to snap up some very exclusive and rare recordings that have been published on vinyl just for this one day.

The master list of LPs, 12" and 7" singles that are being produced was published this week, yet again after browsing through it I realise that I am going to have to raid the piggy bank again!

To see the full list on the Record Store Day website click here.

World renowned manufacturer of turntables and Hi-Fi products Rega Research are once again producing a very limited edition version of their Planar 1 Turntable, which we will be giving away to one lucky customer at Derricks Music on the day in a FREE prize draw.

We will also be giving away a copy of the new book by Rega "The Vibration Measuring Machine"

As we get closer to Record Store Day we will be posting more about what goodies we will be playing etc, so keep an eye on the Audio T Swansea Facebook page.

Here's last years lucky winner receiving his new Rega RSD turntable.

Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 Streaming/CD System Has Arrived At Audio T Swindon

We have just received the Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 all-In-one music system and it is a brilliant Hi-Fi product. It has a built-in CD player that also acts as a CD ripper (recorder).

It comes shipped with either a 1TB (about 2500 CD's) or 2TB hard drive and if that's not enough storage space, you can fit your own 2,5" HDD or we can fit it for you. The M6 Encore 225 is available in black or silver .

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

The M6 Encore 225 Music System is supplied with a remote control, power cable, a network cable and a start-up guide. There are many tutorials on Musical Fidelity's website about how to use it and what it can do.

All you have to do is connect the Encore 225 to your network via a network cable (ethernet cable), connect up your speakers and then power it on - that's it.

This is a standalone music system with a built-in amplifier of 225W per channel. It has a CD player, CD-ripper, Internet radio, and a built in streamer which can stream up to 32bit/384kHz. If you would like to play a CD, press the home button on the front. You can set the CD to copy the music to the built-in hard drive so that you can stream it.

Music is stored and played back from the Encore's own built in hard drive. Music is easily imported from a network drive, usb drive or a computer. It is very easy to use and we are happy to show you how it works. The reason why Musical Fidelity wants all music to be stored on the internal hard drive is for speed of playback. It also reduces the chance of common network drop-outs and it means that there are no delays when playing a track or an album - I mean access is superfast. You can skip through the songs or fast forward with no delays.

It has analogue inputs, so you can connect a turntable with an external phono stage/amplifier; digital optical and usb. It is really versatile and it very easy to use. An additional bonus is that the music stored on the M6 Encore 225 can be accessed from existing UPNP music players in the house.

The Musical Fidelity Encore has a control app is free to download for both Apple iOS and Android.

Also available is Internet radio and Tidal (music streaming service).

The Encore can be controlled via the supplied remote control, the front buttons or via iOS and Android app. All information is displayed on the front colour display. As with all network products there are software updates to deal with but again thanks to Musical Fidelity, this is be done automatically over the network.

WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
We think it sounds fantastic and it will certainly drive most speakers easily. We connected the Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 to our Martin Logan EM-ESL that we have recently received (more about them in our next blog) and we were blown away with the resulting sound.

There is absolutely nothing we don't like about this music system. Please come in and have a listen and you are more then welcome to bring your own CD's to listen to and you can then compare the CD transport with the sound of a ripped and streamed CD. 

We look forward to seeing you - Stefan & Andy.

Musical Fidelity home audio and Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T: 
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Southampton, Swansea

The Brilliant And Gorgeous Hana EL Cartridge

Audio T Manchester have just added a new range of Hana cartridges to our collection. This relatively new brand of cartridge from the land of the rising sun is causing quite a stir amongst people who have already heard them, and although first introduced in 2015 the company behind Hana, Excel Sound Corporation, have been producing cartridges for over 50 Years. We took in the Hana-EL and SL as our first foray into this new range.

Today's blog will take a quick look at the beautiful moss green Hana-EL MC cartridge and at the slick black Hana SL Shibata and maybe a few puns from a galaxy far far away.....

Hana in Japanese actually means "brilliant and gorgeous" which, for all intents and purposes is exactly how it sounds. Tested with our own Michell Gyro'SE' the Hana EL didn't let us down.  it gets you a lot of bang for your galaxy credits.

Stereophile magazine also took the Hana EL "low output" for a test drive and said "the EL's basic sonic character was highly musical and exceptionally non mechanical." (Vol.39 No.8 WWW)"

Excel Sound Corporation have being making cartridges for other manufacturers for over 50 years now and only recently have they decided to put their own name to a range of cartridges called Hana, which are hand made in Tokyo Japan.

All Hana cartridges have a highly rigid aluminium cantilever and a diamond stylus.

Ok, so our opinion on the Hana twins. Dave our manager and turntable jedi wanted to give the pair a whirl. He tested both the EL and SL Shibata on a Linn  LP12, Ekos arm with exceptional results. To begin with, the EL low output did an admiral job of sounding musical and detailed, certainly worth the admission fee.  

Then the Hana SL Shibata, is equally impressive, but is much more open, the extra height in the soundstage just lifts everything out and away of the speakers. What's more, the very low surface noise just adds to the detail, more than you would expect from just a Shibata upgrade, very good and again great value.

Hi-Fi Choice, Hifi World and Hifi Pig all gave the Hana cartridges glowing reviews.

Headshell Chromey! Headshell!! Thats a half inch mount....not your headshell mate...ahh never mind, come on now move along, move along and put your helmet back on, there's nothing to see here. 

The Hana SL Shibata mounted on our Michell Gyro SE.

The Hana cartridges are both on demonstration at our Manchester store and we have the Michell and Rega turntables on standby ready to show off the Hana's capabilities.

So please do pop along to our store on Bridge Street in Manchester and just ask Munir, Dave, Mike, Simon or Haden (on a Sunday) if you're interested in listening to the Hana, they will be more than willing to help.

Oh, and may the vertical tracking force be with you, all 2 grams of it.

Hana products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Manchester and Reading

New Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon Headphones

Audioquest's Nighthawk headphones have been tweaked and enhanced...and have been reborn as the Carbon edition! We are going to take a closer look at the headphone and what you get as a package and give you some indication of the sound. Let your own ears be the judge!

Above shows the case with front cover. On the back shows main features and specifications. Full specifications can be found here. The travel case looks and feels well made.

Inside everything is kept safe and secure. Once opened you will find the user manual, pre-flight guide, cable (1.3m), 3.5mm adaptor, x2 ear pads and the headphones.

The pre-flight guide provides useful information like running in time (150 hrs), different tuning methods using either the leather (improved treble) or suede (enhanced bass impact) ear pads, cable button functions and best practice for looking after the silver plated plugs.

Above shows both the protein leather and ultra suede ear pads.

Here we have the 3.5mm to 1/4" adaptor & high performance long grain copper Audioquest cable (1.3m) with mic and smartphone control, terminated with silver plated plugs.

This picture shows the comfortable leather headband and deep ear pads which equates to long lasting comfort, you can even forget you're wearing them! The styling is beautiful.

The Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon headphones are exceptionally comfortable, with a more exciting sound when compared with the original Nighthawk's.

Bring some of your favourite music and come and have a listen!

Many Thanks

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood

Audio T Enfield Tel: 0208 367 3132

Audioquest Headphones are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon.

Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show 2017 An Audio T Cardiff Perspective

It is the merry month of March and spring is in the air and last month was the 30th year of the Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show, organised by Audio T in association with What Hi-Fi? So this month we thought we would take take a look at a few of our favourites from the UK's largest and longest running Hi-Fi Show.

First up is Leema Acoustics, who were show casing their new 5 star award winning Tucana Anniversary Edition integrated amplifier. What a fantastic sounding amp.

In the same room we were also treated to our first listen of the soon to be available Quasar. The Quasar is the first product from the new Leema Stellar range. This is an integrated amplifier sporting many features such as DLNA and Bluetooth enabled streaming with a 24 Bit/192KHz DAC. If you would like to take a closer look at this amplifier it will be on demonstration in Cardiff Audio T in the next couple of weeks.

Next up on our list is the Japanese brand Esoteric. The system on show sells for nearly £72,000 and consists of the K-01x SACD/CD player, C-02 power amp, N-05 network player and the G-01 Master clock. What a superb sound we heard from this super system teamed with the ProAc Response K6 Loudspeakers.

The Bristol Show was also our first chance to listen to the partner for the Chord Electronics Mojo portable DAC, the Chord Poly. This piece of kit will turn your “on the go” DAC into a high quality wireless network music player, streamer and SD card playback device. What a great product!

Coming from a DJ background and remembering the days of lugging hundreds of records to gigs, I was very excited to see (and touch) the new Technics SL1200GR. This is the more affordable sibling to the previously released SL1200G.

Well, that's a round up of our personal favourites. The Bristol Show happens just once a year, but there are of course many Hi-Fi delights to be experienced all year round at Audio T Cardiff from Tuesday to Saturday 9:30-5:30!  029 2022 8565 and a warm welcome awaits all that visit. We look forward to seeing you. Hefin, Nick and Gareth.

New Dynaudio Contour Range Arrives At Audio T Oxford

The new Dynaudio Contour range has arrived in our Oxford Store. Consisting of four models Contour 25c Contour 20 Contour 30 and the mighty Contour 60. In this blog I will be concentrating on the Contour 20's stand mount loudspeaker.

Dynaudio is a Danish loudspeaker maker, founded in 1977 with a pedigree. Dynaudio builds exceptional quality loudspeakers for home systems, professionals and cars. Products from its professional division are used as studio monitors in recording studios across the world.  

The Contour 20 speakers are a large rear-ported design stand mount speaker, with a solid machined aluminum front baffle set into a beautifully finished multi-layer cabinet. Each speaker has completely new woofers, designed especially for each model, while all the speakers use Dynaudio's Esotar 2 tweeter, previously found on the company's flagship speakers.

In store we have tested the Contour range with multiple electronics brands. We found they really start to sing when partnered with high end, high current amplification. However you don't need to spend a fortune to get a great sound from them. We loved the sound the Contour 20's produced when partnered with the Quad Artera Pre/Poweramp combination. You can easily spend many times that amount on electronics and you will continue to release more detail, clarity and enjoyment from these amazing speakers.

The Contour 20 faces stiff competition at this price point from the likes of the Focal Electra 1008 BE  and the Kudus Super10. All three of these speakers are superb, however, in our opinion, the Contour 20's deliver class leading stereo imaging, substantially better depth, bass control and a fantastic mid-range that the competition cannot match. 

The Contour range are available in the following finishes: Walnut Satin, White Oak Satin, Piano Black, Piano White, Rosewood High Gloss and Bubinga High Gloss. Dynaudio offer a matching stand for the Contour 20's that are available in Black and silver.

As you can tell we love the speakers, and think you will too. If you would like to have a demo please call us on 01865 765 961 and talk to Jon, Dom or Paddy.

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

ARCAM's New rPhono Switchable Phono Stage Is The Latest Contribution To The Vinyl Revolution

In this months blog we take a closer look at Arcam's new rPhono switchable phono stage. We'll cover what it does, how to set it up and tell you which Hi-Fi system we tested it with.

Arcam have recently launched the rPhono. A potent switchable small case phono stage generously priced at £399. The rPhono is a compact and solidly built little unit satisfyingly heavy and well damped with a rubber base for extra isolation. A simple and subtle design that should blend well with most systems.

Being switchable means you can  either use a moving magnet or moving coil cartridge. Both inputs are adjustable allowing you maximize the performance of your favourite cartridge. As the rPhono supports both MM and MC you could (if you so desired) run two turntables, one of each, remembering of course to select the correct input when swapping from one to the other. The adjustment key in the bottom right of the picture resides in a little slot in the back of the unit making any setting adjustment a doddle.

On the back of the Phono stage are the switches to adjust the capacitance, load and gain to match the suggested specifications of the cartridge. Of course there is the input switch to choose between MM and MC on the far right and to its left is a rumble switch. What we found was when it was on it the sound was a little cleaner but not necessarily as musical. This may differ in different systems and racks. The settings are clearly mapped out on the back panel so no need to endlessly search through manuals to make sure you have got it right. On the whole we found it easy to set up, but of course we are happy to do this for you. 

SYSTEM
We ran the rPhono with a Rega RP8 and Exact cartridge and then a Rega Apheta 2 MC . Connecting the rPhono to the Rega Elicit stereo amplifier where a pair of Chord Company Epic phono leads and Chord Company Rumour speaker cable running to a pair of Spendor A5R's. The track used was Brose and Butter from Songs of Robert burns by Eddie Reader. It's a well recorded album with a lively quality and on a good system sounds open and fun. Although the system was quite highly specified compared to the price of the rPhono, we wanted to put it through its paces and on that level it did not disappoint.

If you would like to arrange your personal demonstration or home loan, including leads, please get in touch Nick, Joe or James at Audio T Portsmouth Tel: 02392 66360

Arcam Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T: 
Brentwood, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, 
Swansea, Swindon

Tiger Paw Tranquility Linn LP12 Turntable Bearing Upgrade

As the saying goes good things often come in small packages and in this instance they are not wrong! Yesterday a small cardboard box measuring 20cm x13cm x7cm found its way into our shop from Tiger Paw.  It was with some excitement, after reading lots of good things about it, that we opened it to reveal two metal discs with a unique array of rare earth magnets in them.

Tiger Paw Tranquility LP12 Turntable Upgrade Kit

There is nothing new about about magnetic levitation in fact it is used by some other small exotic turntable manufacturers and has been on the news recently showing a floating platter, in fact we can remember this technology dating back to the Pickering Gyropoise from the early 1960s'.In this instance, though, it doesn't actually raise the inner platter from its thrust pad but it does dramatically reduce the force and friction between the two surfaces by up to 90%.

Disc 1 friction fit around Linn LP12 inner platter

Another major advantage of this upgrade is the fact that no changes to the original turntable are required and the 2 sections fit around the existing bearing spindle and inner platter with no screws or bolts required. It is also fully backwards compatible with pre Cirkus bearings and standard sub chassis, so no matter what level of LP12 you have everyone can benefit.

Disc 2 fitted around the Linn LP12 bearing

We started our listening test with Bjorks' early Gling Glow album, a close miked and slightly forward recording, and straight from the off the differences weren't small, in fact, it was dramatic, the control on the bass, unveiling of the top end and the drop of the noise floor all contributing to an overall spatial effect creating a more natural feel to the tracks, less like a record more of an experience. Record after record went on everything from the newly re-issued Paul Weller Wild Wood all the way back to lesser well recorded albums such as the The Allman Brothers live A&R studios recording from 1971. Whilst it can't make a bad recording great, they can become a whole lot more believable meaning you can just relax and listen to the music rather than getting hung up with the limitations of the recording.

Full spec Linn Klimax LP12 with Ekos tonearm, Kandid cartridge and Radical power supply. MC Billy Blaster can't wait to jump in, spin some discs and throw some shapes!

This is a must have for those treasured vinyl discs, it is  easy to hear to why and in our opinion a big upgrade for a small investment. So don't delay, bring in one of your favourite LP's and have a listen for yourself.

Join Julian, Paul and John in the Tiger Paw Tranquility of vinyl replay and give us a call on 01273 609431 to arrange your personal demonstration.

Tiger Paw Hi-Fi products are available in our Brighton, Reading and Oxford stores.

RNLI Music And Hi-Fi Evening - A Big Thank You!

A big thank you to all who attended the RNLI Hi-Fi and Music Evening at The White Horse Hotel, Romsey on 28th February.  We are delighted to report that the evening was very well attended and a great success, raising over £1300 for the RNLI from ticket sales and the raffle.

Many thanks to all from Naim Audio, Dynaudio and The Chord Company for their enthusiastic support of this event, and to The White Horse for generously providing such a superb venue to showcase a stunning hi-fi system.  

It would have been impossible to set up this system in the limited time available without the skill (and muscle!) of all involved.  The Dynaudio Evidence Platinum speakers are over 6 feet tall and weigh nearly 150kg each!  Naim's Statement amplification is no lightweight either!  The multiple lengths of all ChordMusic cable variants was a significant contribution to the great sound, not to mention the £250,000 system value!

Thanks for all the positive feedback since the event.  It was always going to be an impossible task to cater for everyone's musical tastes but we hope we were able to give a flavour of what is possible with such an aspirational system, truly bringing music to life with realism and scale.

Nearly £500 was raised from the raffle, mainly due to the high quality of the prizes generously donated by Naim, Dynaudio and Chord.  Congratulations to the lucky winners of a Naim Mu-so QB, Dynaudio Xeo 2 and Chord Shawline especially!

We would also like to thank Mark Wills from Hundred Records, Romsey, for his enthusiastic support and donation of all record sale profits on the night to the RNLI.  Thanks Mark.  (Watch this space for details of our Record Store Day 2017 link up with Mark coming very soon!)

One of our customers commented afterwards: 

"Thank you for the excellent demo on 28th Feb. It was the best set up I have heard and it was good of you both to give up your time - the contributions from Dynaudio , Chord and Naim were much appreciated".

Finally here's a list of key contributors to the success of the RNLI event on the day, with apologies to anyone overlooked:

Chris Green (RNLI Romsey and District Chairman and event organiser) and RNLI volunteers

Daniel and Mark Raggett (Naim Audio)

Bill Livingston and Kala Lingham (Dynaudio)

Alan Gibb, and daughter Angela, Matt Peddle (The Chord Company)

Staff of The White Horse Hotel

and us at Audio T Southampton (Chandlers Ford).... Alan and John, plus John's brother in law, Mike

Thank you

How To Take Care Of Your Precious Records In The New Age of Vinyl

With vinyl sales soaring and turntables becoming ever more popular it's important to care for your records and record playing equipment so here's a few tips and products that we'd recommend for seasoned vinyl addicts and newbies alike.

The Bear essentials for great sounding vinyl replay!

KEEP IT CLEAN!
There are many products out there to help with this but first and foremost is a humble duster! If you keep the area around your turntable free from dust there will be less to build up around your stylus and on your records, remember records tend to generate static so they'll attract dust. This is where the humble anti-static brush comes in very handy like the one from Audioquest in the picture above. There is also a similar product for cleaning your stylus (also pictured above) It's not uncommon to have a major build up on a stylus which can make it sound like the cartridge is failing.

For cleaning records with a heavier level of grime Pro-ject make two great products. The Spin Clean is a manual "wet cleaning" system for only £90 and if you want your records restored to sparkling brilliance try the fantastic Project VCS machine, which removes dirt and grime brilliantly. Then store your records in anti-static sleeves to help maintain their condition.

Boswell is the original vinyl care bear and says that "Vinyl hygiene is imperative for the best sound reproduction".

CAREFUL SET UP
This is where we come in. Getting the set up of your turntable right will give the most rewarding musical experience, whether you're a Dire Straits or Ed Sheeran fan. We can adjust and set up almost any turntable here in store and are always happy to help you do this.

For those of you who like to tweak and play, and there are many opportunities for this with turntables, we have a wide range of mats, stylus force measures, and pucks and clamps available.

One other essential accessory to keep your precious vinyl safe in transit, is our wonderful limited edition Audio T 50th Anniversary record bag and teddy bear carrier modelled here by Boswell.

It's available from all our Stores (bear not included!)

THERE'S ALWAYS AN UPGRADE PATH
No matter what turntable, as long as it's working and of a decent standard, it is always possible to improve its performance. You can change the cartridge, sometimes the cables, and the phono stage as well. At Audio T we have always prided ourselves on our knowledge of turntables and getting the best performance out of them. Why not come in and see us, or give us a ring and have a chat about how we can do that for you.

We look forward to seeing you. 

Paul, Francis and Jason

Project Classic Turntable Arrives At Audio T Cheltenham

The Cheltenham Branch have just taken delivery of the new Project Classic Turntable. Designed by Project for their 25th Anniversary the aptly named Classic has taken design inspiration from 1960/70s classics such as the Thorens and Linn.

The Classic is a two plinth design allowing the motor to be well isolated from the main bearing and arm greatly reducing the transfer of mechanical and electrical energy produced by the motor. Rather than using springs for the suspension (renowned for causing set up issues) the Classic utilises Thermo Plastic Elastomers to isolate the two plinths. This not only offers excellent isolation and anti resonance properties but also allows easy set up straight out of the box. We had our demonstration deck up and running and sounding fantastic in two minutes.

Kung Fu Hamster hasn't seen a spinning wheel like this before!

The deck is supplied with a newly designed tonearm with some radical design concepts. The arm tube is constructed of a composite sandwich material comprising of carbon fibre and aluminium. The carbon fibre offers excellent rigidity and reduced mass while the aluminium provides excellent damping. A new ultra low friction bearing assembly is used enabling excellent tracking. Even the the nickel counterweight is TPE damped to reduce resonances. The arm has full VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle) and Azimuth adjustment allowing easy cartridge change / upgrade.

Kung Fu Hamster takes a closer look at the Pro-ject Classic platter

The deck is supplied with an Ortofon 2M Silver moving magnet cartridge. This allows the Classic to perform to a very high standard out of the box but with the quality of components utilised in the deck a cartridge upgrade is a great opportunity in the future.

LISTENING
To audition the Project Classic we set it up with a Rega Elicit amplifier using its excellent on-board phono stage and coupled this with a pair of Neat acoustics SX2 Loudspeakers. We played a wide range of vinyl and achieved excellent results with all types of Music.

Phil Collins - I don't Care Anymore (Hello I must be Going Album):
The Classic provided excellent bass weight and control. The drums were extremely tight and fast and at no time did the sound become confused. Information retrieval was  very good with an excellent soundstage. At no time did the deck become confused.

Helen Watson - You're not the rule (Blue Slipper Album):
The Classic offered a great sense of timing. The sound was exceptionally tuneful and for such a complicated piece of music at no time did the classic get confused or appear to lose detail. The vocals were portrayed with excellent realism and emotion.

Stanley Jordan - Eleanor Rigby (Magic Touch Album):
This gave a superb sound stage with a great sense of openness and clarity. The attack on the strings was easily heard and again we were surprised how a deck at this price point held everything together. In fact my biggest problem listening to this track was concentrating on the deck rather than the music as the Classic made it sound so involving.

CONCLUSION
Overall this record deck offers outstanding sound quality for such an affordable price. It offers superb build quality and standard of finish. It is easy to set up and integrate into virtually any hi-fi system. It also offers the opportunity to upgrade with the addition of a better cartridge. The Ortofon 2M Silver offers great sound when purchased with the deck but a future upgrade will reap great benefits. Overall we cannot recommend this record player highly enough and would strongly advise a demonstration if you are in the market for a turntable at this price point.

We look forward to seeing you in the near future and be rest assured if you come in for a demonstration you will be given a warm welcome. (And tea and coffee).

Jon, Farid and Andy

Click here to read more about the Pro-ject Classic Turntable tech specs and customer reviews.

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

A New Look For Audio T Preston Showcasing Naim Rega & KEF

We've been busy creating a new look at Audio T Preston. We hope customers old and new like the new record decor!

Phase one, a blank canvas

By far, our most popular products at the moment would have to be the turntables, so we wanted to create a display to show off the range we keep.

We also wanted to have a great sounding Hi-Fi stereo system to show off what's possible, and by partnering the Naim Audio & KEF Reference together we have definitely achieved that.

With just a little help from Ike ....who knows his stuff!

So come and have a listen, we have Tidal ready to play any genre of music you like on a world class Hi-Fi Naim NAC-N 272.... Naim NAP 250DR.... KEF Reference 3 speakers.... Chord Company Sarum cables

The Naim NAC-N 272 is a state of the art streaming pre-amplifier, which has features such as Spotify, Tidal, UPNP, Internet radio and Bluetooth all built in as standard for all your streaming needs as well as the conventional analogue and digital inputs for connecting other devices to it.

This Naim NAC-N 272 pre-amplifier can also be controlled by the remote control supplied but, for ultimate control you can download the free Naim control app for sit down palm of your hand convenience. We have connected this to the Naim NAP 250DR power amplifier which provides plenty of power whilst being able to deliver the level of finesse that Naim electronics is known for world wide.

We then added a pair of KEF Reference 3 floorstanding speakers in the stunning copper black finish which looks fantastic and delivers a very detailed and big sound stage. A great partner for the Naim system.

Finally we added the Sarum cables by The Chord Company which when connected to your Hi-Fi of any ilk lifts veils and uncovers layers of music that you didn't know was there!

Naim Hi-Fi and home audio products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, 
Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

KEF Hi-Fi products (Preston reference only) are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, 
Swindon

Chord Co Cables are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, 
Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon
 

Dynaudio Re-Contour The World

The new Dynaudio Contour range has arrived. Consisting of four models Contour 25c Contour 20 Contour 30 and the mighty Contour 60

Contour 60

We have had tremendous fun with this range since they have arrived especially with a track called Suck my Bass by Bass Mekanik. The frequency range of these speakers really must be witnessed.

WARNING!! THIS TRACK IS NOT SUITABLE FOR MOST SPEAKERS.

The Contours cover everything you could want from a loudspeaker stunning appearance that is finished to the highest standard and of course a truly remarkable sound offering vast amounts of detail wonderfully deep and controlled bass and amazing imagery.

In short you have got to hear them.

Contour 20

At Portsmouth we have the 20s 30s and 60s on constant demonstration. Either book a time for a demonstration or just pop in and be wowed.

We look forward to seeing you at Audio T Portsmouth

Nick Joe and James

Dynaudio Loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swindon

Arcam rPlay Music Streamer Unboxing And Set Up

We have taken delivery of the DTS Play-fi driven Arcam rPlay music streamer and we're going to show you all the components and tell you how it works. 

The rPlay comes in a neat box with general information on the back. Everything is securely packed inside> Inside you will find the rPlay streamer, PSU (with 4 interchangeable plugs), ethernet cable, Wi-Fi antenna, stereo Interconnect, digital coaxial cable and user manual.

The styling is slick and uncomplicated, with just 2 LEDs and 2 Buttons on show.

On the back you will find a power input, power switch, Wi-Fi antenna input, ethernet input, reset button, WPS button, USB + Micro USB upgrade ports, Digital Coax output, Stereo (variable volume) output and a Stereo (fixed volume) output.

We have decided to use Chord's Clearway Analogue Interconnects with Chord's C-Stream Ethernet cable to get it connected.

Setup was very easy, just download the DTS Play-Fi App, Plug in the Arcam rPlay with ethernet cable and the device was found. The app even prompted an update, which was completed with no issues. (we would recommend restarting by switching on and off after the update has completed).

After you have selected the Arcam rPlay as the speaker, you will see the below showing the available streaming services and functions.

Tidal is neatly included into the Play-Fi app without the need to exit into the dedicated Tidal app.

Spotify Connect enables you to use the Spotify app to control your music.

Below shows the Hi-Res button engaged, which is referred to as Critical Listening Mode to enable up to 24bit/192KHz file playback.

The Arcam rPlay music streamer offers a great step up in performance (including 24bit/192khz file support) over its closest rival the Sonos Connect, with excellent control via the DTS Play-Fi app.

Book your in store or home demo today at Audio T Enfield

We look forward to seeing you.

Simon, John, Claire & Mahmood.

Arcam Hi-Fi Products are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, 
Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

RNLI Music Event update

With just a few days left until the Music & Hi-Fi Evening at The White Horse Hotel, Romsey on Tuesday 28th February we are delighted to say that there is now another very good reason to attend this unique event.

Not only will you get the chance to hear a £250,000 hi-fi system featuring Naim's awesome Statement amplifier, Dynaudio's magnificent Evidence Platinum speakers and The Chord Company's spectacular ChordMusic cables, but thanks to Naim Audio's generosity you will now have the opportunity to win a Naim Mu-so QB!

The Naim Mu-so QB is a deceptively compact cube packing a 300 watt punch and a whole host of features including AirPlay, Bluetooth/aptX, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, UPnP, Internet Radio and USB, analogue and digital inputs, all fully controllable via Apple IOS and Android App.

This magnificent prize, worth £650, could be yours!  Raffle tickets will be on sale only at the event with all proceeds going to the RNLI.

Other prizes may well be available on the night, subject to confirmation. There's still time to buy tickets from Audio T Chandlers Ford, Hundred Records, Romsey, or direct from RNLI Romsey, tel: 01794 323602, email: romseylifeboats@yahoo.co.uk so come along, give your ears a treat with this unique opportunity to hear a truly aspirational hi-fi system, whilst supporting the RNLI.  Surely the most noble of causes and an essential charity.  Tickets are just £10 each...

You might even go home with a superb raffle prize too, maybe a Naim Mu-so QB!

We look forward to seeing you at The White Horse Hotel, Romsey on the 28th February.  The event starts at 7.30pm but you are welcome to arrive an hour earlier to meet representatives from Naim, Dynaudio and The Chord Company, ask them questions, and admire the music system!

We are very much looking forward to this event and will both be there!

Alan and John

P.S.  More great news!  The Chord Company are supplying a Shawline Analogue Interconnect worth £200.00 as a raffle prize at the RNLI event.

Yet another good reason to come along on Tuesday!

Not wanting to be left, out Audio T will contribute three of our 50th Anniversary record bags worth £50 each to the prize raffle too.  Just what you will need for the new vinyl you can buy from Mark from Hundred Records during the event!  Mark is also generously supporting the RNLI with contributions from record sales so please don't forget to bring your wallets!

AURALiC Aries, Aries Mini, Polaris And Altair Streaming Products Have Arrived!

The AURALiC range are highly specified streaming products supported by an outstanding control app. The sound quality that is possible and the convenience of accessing your music collection by streaming is a joy to behold. 

We are expecting our first delivery from AURALiC this week, and arriving very soon will be the Aries Mini Network Music Player. Aries Mini can stream high-resolution music extremely fast over WiFi signal at virtually any sampling rate, even for the latest Quad-Rate DSD and DXD. 

AURALiC Mini Linear Power Supply

This PSU is based on AURALiC Purer‐Power™ technology with an advanced AC filter and very low noise circuit design. It is identical to the external power supply that comes with the AURALiC Aries High End Streaming Bridge.

Auralic Mini Linear Power Supply

Aries Network Music Player

The AURALiC Aries serves as a “bridge” between music files on network storage or high quality online streaming services and your DAC. The Aries is essentially a Digital transport that enables your DAC via the various digital outputs included to stream high-resolution music quickly and wirelessly in virtually any sampling rate

Altair Wireless Streaming DAC Preamp 

The AURALiC Altair is a perfect single-box music source. It combines a High-End DAC with world class wireless streaming solution.

Polaris Streaming Amplifier

AURALiC Polaris is a wireless streamer, a music server, a DAC, a pre-amplifier and a stereo power amplifier – the ultimate solution for music lovers seeking high quality streaming from a single, compact audio component.

AURALiC Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Reading, Southampton

QUAD Z1 Stand Mount Loudspeakers At Audio T Cheltenham

New to the Cheltenham branch, the QUAD Z1 stand mount loudspeaker. The new QUAD Z1 utilises the latest generation of their ribbon high frequency drive unit.

Designed using a unique sandwich formation the new tweeter retains the delicate sound associated with conventional ribbon tweeters but is also exceptionally robust, offers very high power handling, high sensitivity and increased dynamics allowing it to seamlessly integrate with the bass/mid drive unit.

The ribbon tweeter is paired with a woven Kevlar bass/mid drive unit. This utilises a unique double roll surround especially designed to control the edge break up of the cone. This allows the drive unit to offer exceptional bass performance but also gives smoothness and transparency in the mid frequencies. This allows it to seamlessly integrate with the ribbon tweeter.

The drive units are housed in a beautifully curved bass reflex cabinet with high gloss one piece wrap around veneer. The 4 high quality gold plated binding posts allow for single or bi-amplifier connection.

Listening:
We paired the QUAD Z1 with a Rega Elex-R and streamed from an Innuos Zen Mini hard drive (FLAC) via a Sonos connect and Rega DAC. Firstly we played 'Lontano Mystery' from Pacific Coast Highway by Christopher Franke (Tangerine Dream). The QUAD's gave an exceptional level of detail and clarity with no hint of harshness at the top end. The sense of space in the mid-range and top end was excellent and the integration with the bass was seamless. Playing 'Just a little loving' by Shelby Lynne showed how well the vocals are portrayed, every nuance of her vocals where apparent giving a truly life like performance. We the put the bass performance though it paces by playing 'And the Druids Turn to Stone' by Ayreon' The extension to the bass was outstanding for a speaker of such a compact cabinet. Integration between the bass and midrange was excellent and the speakers never appeared to struggle with the quantity of bass even at extended levels.

These truly are an outstanding compact loudspeaker for the money. If a high quality compact monitor loudspeaker is on your list, I cannot recommend the QUAD Z1 highly enough. 

Specifications:

Enclosure Type                                  Bass Reflex

Bass Driver                                         150mm Woven Kevlar

Tweeter                                               90mm x 12mm True Ribbon

Sensitivity                                           86dB

Power Handling                                  40 - 150W

Peak SPL                                             102dB

Frequency Response (+/- 3 dB)         56Hz - 20kHz

Dimensions                                          283mm Depth x 219mm Width x 383mm Height

Available in High Gloss Piano Black, High Gloss Piano White and High Gloss Piano Rosewood.

Available at the Cheltenham branch for demonstration.

QUAD Hi-Fi products are also available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Preston, Southampton, 
Swindon

The Queen Is (Not) Dead' And Neither Are The Smiths!

We are delighted to have on display in the shop, some outstanding music related photographs from one of our regular customers, none other than the photographer Stephen Wright!

'The shot' The Smiths 

Stephen's most famous shot is arguably that of the Smiths, taken outside the Salford Lads Club for the 1986 classic album, 'The Queen Is Dead', gracing the inside gatefold. (see above).

Prince

Other artists that Stephen has photographed include: Prince, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, U2, John Lydon, James Brown, Madonna, Stevie Wonder and many more.

Miles Davis

James Brown

John Lydon of PIL

Madonna

Nina Simone

U2

Stevie Wonder

Many now grace our upper showroom display area and demo room for all to come and see. These are also available as limited edition photographs and you can see more of Stephen's work at http://www.smithsphotos.com

Below is a collection of Smiths shots from that cold winter day session plus some live performance photos of the band.

QUAD's 80th Anniversary Brings A Modern Twist To An Old Classic

In this month we are going to take a good look at a brilliant system made up of QUAD’s Artera play, QUAD Artera stereo and QUAD Z1 loudspeakers. We’ll look at each component separately and then give our overall thoughts on the system as a whole.

Artera Play

The Artera play is a pre-amplifier with an in built CD-player and DAC, making it a great compact system.  The Play has a strikingly unique design, certainly helping it stand out from other pre-amps in its price range. It features a touch sensitive display on the front that allows for some limited controls, although it does come with a remote which is much more convenient to use, it’s still a nice touch.

Both the play and the stereo features a recessed top which means you can easily stack one upon the other and has been designed so there is no effect on the sound, both also have a lovely glass plate included in the box which can sit in this recess if nothing is sat on top of the unit. All in all this makes for eye-catching aesthetics.

The Play boasts an impressive array of inputs including two RCA phono inputs, two coaxial inputs, two optical inputs and a USB-b to connect a laptop or similar device to. All the digital inputs are then fed through the ESS Sabre32 9018 chip, this is a very good choice by QUAD as it supports files up to 32-bit/384kHz as well as DSD 64/128/256 meaning the unit is well feature-proofed for high resolution digital files. To finish it off the Play features both XLR and Phono outputs which brings us on to the next part of our system.

Artera Stereo

While the Play could be partnered with a large range of power amps the Artera Stereo is the natural choice. It produces an impressive 140 watts per channel RMS, more than enough to drive even fussy speakers. Indeed in the shop we have tried the Artera with a huge range of speakers from small stand mounts to large floorstanders and didn’t have any problems with any of them.

The Stereo uses QUAD's famous ‘current dumping’ technology, which in basic terms comprises of two separate amplifiers, one very high quality class A low-power amp which provides the details of the signal, while a high-power current dumping section provides the grip to keep the speakers under control. This helps the amplifier produce an astonishing signal to noise ratio of 115dB, furthering the accuracy that QUAD is renowned for.

Z1’s

The first thing that strikes you about Quads new Z series is the absolutely gorgeous design and finish. The speakers come in gloss black, gloss white or Rosewood and have a unique ‘cone’ shape that really makes them stand out from other speakers in their categories.

The Z1 is a two way bookshelf speaker with a 150mm woven Kevlar bass driver and a 90x12mm ribbon tweeter. QUAD has been using ribbon tweeters for a very long time and they are very good at it. On the Z1 the ribbon really helps give a large dispersion in the sound stage, it is made from a composite of materials which really helps it be very durable and is suspended in a strong magnetic field to increase sensitivity. The Z1 has a typical frequency range for a compact bookshelf speaker of 56hz to 20Khz, a recommended amp power of 40 to 150 watts and a sensitivity of 86db.

The Verdict

We settled into our demo room after setting the system up and sat back and enjoyed Jo Harman’s newest album People We Become on CD, playing directly from the Artera Play. ‘Enjoy’ is really the definitive word here as this system is detailed without being clinical and still offers a warmth and musicality that make the listening experience very enjoyable. The single ‘When we were young’ is a particular highlight, helped by the expansive soundstage of the QUAD system, helped by the ribbon tweeters. The guitar and background organ are easy to point out while still staying cohesive and Jo Harman’s soulful voice really sounds like she’s in the room with you.

The Piano led ‘Lend me your love’ is another that stands out, the combination of the DAC in the Play and then the power in The Artera Stereo bring out all the details in the piano, pushing that sense of realism that is oh so important when it comes to piano. Yet at the same time this track feels so relaxing, as the instruments wrap around and envelop you, it helps that it has such a wide soundstage as it allows you some room in the listening position to sit back and relax.

We have been very impressed with Quad’s latest outings, in both the electronics and speakers but as always don’t just listen to us, get in touch and we can set up a demonstration.

QUAD Hi-Fi products are also available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Preston, Southampton, 
Swindon