Quad returns to Brentwood with the Vena amplifier

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Quad have come up with something VERY special in the Vena digital amp!

On the surface it looks very much like one of their classic series pre amplifiers, but it is somthing quite different for the venerable British company.

 

The small (midi width) stylish case contains a stereo amplifier rated at 45W into 8 ohms, plus a DAC with optical, co-ax and USB inputs, there is also APTX bluetooth on board alongside traditional line level inputs.

 

We have been playing with this little amp since it arrived, and we are delighted with the sound quality produced, great stereo separqtion and placement and plenty of oomph too.

So far it's been powering speakers from the diminutive Q Acoustics 2010i right up to the Focal Electra 1028 without any hint of strain.

The version pictured here is the standard Lancaster Grey which retails for only £600

£100 more gets you the amp clad in gloss black, gloss white, or a beautiful real wood veneer.

Come and have a listen to this little beauty as soon as you can.

 

Diverse Vinyl & Pro-Ject come to Swindon this December...

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Here's a date for your diary!... On the 6th December Diverse Vinyls pop up record store & Pro-Ject Audio come to Audio T Swindon with vinyl records & Signature turntables in tow...

As some of you may be aware Diverse Vinyl are in the middle of a vinyl roadshow as they stop off at various branches of Audio T this autumn. 

On the 6th of December it's our turn!.. Diverse Vinyl will be bringing a vast selection of bestselling and new release vinyl including 180g Audiophile pressings for you to thumb through and purchase on the day.

Now, If Diverse Vinyl coming to Swindon wasn't a good enough reason to stop by, we will also have the company of Pro-Ject who will be showing off a couple of their rather shiny turntables including the rather impressive Signature turntable for you to listen to your new Lp purchases on if you so wish. 

                           

We look forward to seeing you all then! 

Audio T: 01793 538222

Don't forget, You can now follow us on Twitter - @AudioTSwindon

 

Chord and Arcam Day - Saturday 11th October featuring Sarum and A49 and UDP411

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We will be holding an open day on Saturday 11th October between 11am and 6pm.

Matt from Chord will be here with a comprehensive range of Chord Company interconnects and speaker cables available for demonstration.

The benefits of high quality ethernet cables will be demonstrated, from £40 C-Stream all the way up to £1875 Sarum.  We will be using Arcam's new UDP411 Universal disc player and streamer through their flagship A49 integrated amplifier into PMC's magnificent Twenty 26 speakers.  

We were mightily impressed with the A49 when we first heard it recently so are very excited that James from Arcam is also hoping to bring along the not yet released C49 and P49 pre and power amp.  We just can't wait to hear the A49 again, and maybe C49/P49, with the UDP411 and PMC Twenty 26s!  

To top it all we are delighted that we are now Chord Sarum stockists with audio interconnects, power cables and speaker cables all available for demonstration either in store or at home.

Give your ears a treat!  We look forward to seeing you on October 11th.  

 

 


A Perfect Unity

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Naim Unitilite and Focal Jmlab 906

Focal JMLab have created something special with the 906. A large stand mount which is perfectly proportioned from a design perspective. Large enough to produce a decent amount of bass but not so big as to suffer from cabinet resonance issues. Front ported it can be positioned close to a wall it is perfect for small to medium sized rooms. It comes in 2 finishes, Walnut and gloss black.

 

 

 

 

Naims Unitilite gives you an excellent one box solution offering CD playback, streaming (whether that is internet radio or high resolution audio from a hard drive) and an optional DAB tuner. Lots of devices stream music these days and being able to stream music can liberating because of the convenience it offers though not all products stream like Naim products. This is down to the interface between you and the machine. Naim have really nailed it with their N-Stream App. It's very elegant, uncomplicated and a pleasure to use.

 

 

So two excellent products both worthy purchases on their own but put them together and what you get is a fantastic unity. A tight fast sound with a big sound stage is hard to achieve, most often you find you can have one or the other but this combo achieves just that. The speakers unlike most stand mounts are easy to drive and Naims amplifiers are renown for their excellent dynamics and make no mistake this is a proper Naim amp not an afterthought. Join them together and you get an effortless sound that doesn’t lose anything at lower volumes and will happily play loud without harshness or compression.

 

The icing on the cake is that until the end of October we have an offer on this combo. You can save over £500. We have them both here at the Bristol shop and invite you to come and hear for yourself.

Give us a call for a demonstration and dig out your favourite CD or put a file or two on a USB stick.

Astell and Kern AK100mk2 and AK120

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High end portable players at a bargain price.

  

We have new stock of the AK100 mk2 and the AK120 at half the price of the current versions. If you are looking at the latest version and feel they are price inhibitive then either of these could be your ticket to high quality playback on the move. Both offer incredible resolution from high quality Wolfson dacs and high quality headphone amps. They can both play back 24bit 192KHz files and offer large file storage facilities. These will not be with us forever so come and get yourself a bargain.

 

Linn Kandid Linn's Best Cartridge Yet?

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Every now and then something comes along that completely changes the previous set reference.

The Kandid is one of those moments.

 

For Years fans of the Troika have been waiting for something to come along and make them feel there is a real significant improvement over their much used and loved cartridge,indeed many are still using Troika's over a decade or more later,well the wait is over the cartridge you have been waiting for is here.

It's not that what followed...The Arkiv, Arkiv B & Akiva weren't great cartridges they were and out performed the Troika in many area's but they weren't the complete deal, this is ,with clarity depth detail and realism in abundance.

 

The best the shop system has ever sounded according to more than one regular. 

Now on dem so bring one of your favourite albums and hear for yourself. I have!

Introducing the Simple Roomplayer with Amp.

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"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"  Leonardo da Vinci

 


Well, we are in full aggreement with old Leo's now famous quote, especially in regards to the Simple Roomplayers.

Our Simple Roomplayer with Amp has been playing in it's own little space on the shop floor and much to the delight of our customers, it's not let us down yet.

Using Deezer's streaming service has opened up endless possibilities of mixing up musical genres, it gives us an opportunity to put the amps in the Roomplayer through it's paces.

From Jazz to Hip-Hop and Folk to Americana even movie soundtracks and classical music the room player has impressed us on how it just seems to control the speakers with ease.

Hooking up a pair of reasonably difficult to drive Monitor Audio GX50 bookshelf/standmount speakers and the Simple Roomplayer with Amp just plays music.  The ribbon tweeter on GX50's likes to be driven hard with lots of power and yet the seemingly modest 50 watts (4 ohm) on the roomplayer doesn't flinch, playing loud when needed and still presenting the music with detail and space.

Other "all in one" network streamers of the same ilk, albeit cheaper in price, tend to harden up when pushed and get a little shouty at higher volumes, not so with the Simple Roomplayer. 

This is probably because careful attention to design detail keeps all signal paths as short and as direct as possible. This guarantees the highest audio quality with no interference from any other circuitry. We like.

All your music at your fingertips.

Roomplayer apps for your computer, iPad, iPod or iPhone give you a unique view of all your music.

Control what music is playing on any Roomplayer in your home. Create playlists, add music to queues, browse music on streaming services, select radio stations and more.

There is also an Android app in the the works and should be with us shortly.


 Made from premium grade aluminium and tempered glass, the Roomplayer not only looks great, it provides fantastic screening and heatsink capabilities.

 

 

You can pop into our Manchester store and listen to the Simple Roomplayer right now.

Give any of us shout when you call in, we will be more than happy to help.  

Oh..that's Kevin,Mike, Dave or Munir.

In the meantime why not check out some glowing reviews by HiFi Choice and HiFi World here and here

And for some more info on the Roomplayers, just click here and here. 

 

 

 

 

New Product - Quad Vena

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We have now taken delivery of the new Quad Vena. The Vena is a neat one box package that provides 2 x 45 watt amplification to play back your music through a pair of loudspeakers or via the high quality inbuilt headphone amplifier.

The Vena offers analogue, digital and USB inputs. You can also stream any stored music from a blue tooth enabled device via the on board Aptx codec for CD quality music over wireless transmission.

The Unit is supplied with high quality credit card size remote control.

On initial listening we have found the Vena to offer a very clean open sound with no hint of aggressiveness. The high frequencies are very smooth and detailed and the bass is deep and tight. Wireless music via the Blue tooth receiver is exceptionally good for a product at this price. In fact the Quad Vena coupled with a Blue tooth device such as an Apple I-Pad or Android tablet and a suitable pair of high qulity loudspeakers makes a highly capable compact and easy to use music system that you can operate from the comfort of your seating position.

Specifications

 

  • 2 x 45 Watt 8 Ohms
  • 2 x RCA Analogue Inputs
  • 1 x RCA Pre Out Analogue Output
  • 1 x Coaxial Digital Input
  • 2 x Toslink Optical Inputs
  • 1 x PC USB Input
  • 1 x Apple Docking Input
  • Blue Tooth Via Aptx
  • Dimensions 313mm x 93.5mm x 302mm                    

Available now for demonstration.

KEF Reference 5 On Demo...One Week Only!

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In store now for one week only, we are proud to announce we have the latest incarnation of the of the revered KEF Reference range of speakers from our good friends at KEF UK. This generation of Reference speaker really has raised the bar when it comes to performance and imagery combined with elegance and cutting edge technology, this floor standing speaker is more than capable of bringing recordings new and old into your listening environment.

Just a teaser picture to whet your appetite.

So many aspects of this range of new KEF Reference speaker has changed and been improved since the last generation, from the shape of the cabinets and the layout of the drivers, all the way down to the binding posts which have been plated with platinum no less.

 

All these changes large and small come together to make an incredible listening experience. Want to see more? Why don't you dig out your favourite vinyl or CD and give us a call to arrange a listen before this opportunity passes you by.

 

Dynaudio Excite

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The new Dynaudio Excite range has arrived in Pompey. It has been a few years since we stocked any of Dynaudio's normal speakers but we were so impressed with the new Excite range that we just had to have them!

Currently we have the X34 floorstanders (pictured below) running in on our shop system priced at £1999.95

And the X14 stand mounted speakers at £899.95, fresh out of the box, not even run in yet.

Grab yourself one of the last great plasma tv's produced by Panasonic.

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Panasonic TX-P65VT65B Full HD 65" 3D Plasma TV.

On clearance at our Manchester store, now at £2699.00

Our demo unit has no marks or scratches on it and is only ever turned on for quick demonstrations so there are very little hours clocked up on the set.

Come along and take a look at the one of the last of the great plasmas.

Tel: 0161 839 8869

email: manchester@audio-t.co.uk

web: www.audio-t.co.uk

We are open Monday to Saturday 9:30 - 17:30 and Sunday 11:30 - 16:30

Naim mu-so preview!

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Last week I was given the unique opportunity to visit the Naim Audio factory in Salisbury to listen to the new Naim mu-so.

First impressions in Naim’s demonstration room were somewhat dominated by the Statement amplifiers towering in the corner looking truly splendid without their heat sinks fitted, revealing the immense level of detail in the layers of circuitry on display.

My eyes were then drawn to two compact units on a table in the centre of the room. Having only seen pictures of the mu-so in press articles I wasn't sure exactly how big it was going to be, but I was immediately impressed by the discreet cabinet, how elegant it looked and how well built it clearly was.

  

The volume knob and display, the aesthetics of which are borrowed straight from Naim's Statement product, are the only thing to embellish the aluminium top of the unit. A full width rear heat sink keeps the sealed unit cool and doubles up as a substantial wi-fi aerial.

 

On the right hand side I found a USB socket and mini jack input. Behind the side panel is a Bluetooth aerial.

Picking the unit up to examine underneath I discovered just how heavy and well built the mu-so is. It feels weighty and solid despite the compact form. The underside reveals an optical input for use of mu-so to connect another audio component plus an ethernet socket for networking and a figure of 8 mains input.

 

Taking a look at mu-so's stylish speaker grille, it's well formed and curved with a stylish wave shape reminiscent once more of Statement. I saw examples with red and grey grilles. Mu-so will be supplied with a grey grille as standard and alternative colours will be available at an additional cost.

 

Removing the grille revealed an interesting array of drive units, including two bespoke race track units custom made for Naim, two mid-range units and a pair of soft dome tweeters complete the array. Jason from Naim was quick to point out the attention to detail that had been put into the design and construction of the drive units.


 

Jason then rapidly paired up his iPhone via Bluetooth and played me a track by Fink which immediately impressed, sounding detailed and weighty with impressive dynamics.

I wanted to test how easy it was to switch Bluetooth devices as this hasn't always been straightforward on some other wireless speakers. Jason quickly disconnected his phone and the Mu-so was there on my Bluetooth list in seconds and paired equally quickly. This meant I could listen to my own music. So I fired up a couple of my favourite tracks and was immediately impressed that the Mu-so totally captured the essence of the Naim family sound.

The bass line bounded along with rhythmic fun. Vocals were clean and emotionally involving. This really sounded like a baby Naim system, and it was playing mp3s from my iPhone via Bluetooth. I was staggered as to how good this unit was. I threw a couple more tracks at it, trying to trip it up, but the only thing I could detect was that it was creating more than enough energy to fill Naim’s large demonstration room with high quality sound.

Considering the unit I heard was undergoing it's final stages of audio tuning, and that the finished product will be even better, I think Naim have hit the spot with this wonderful piece of kit.


I came away from my morning at Naim thinking that the guys from Salisbury really have cracked it and they are about to release a product that will really raise a lot of eyebrows.

Thanks to everyone at Naim for making me so welcome during my sneak preview of mu-so, especially Jason Gould, for taking the time to demonstrate mu-so and talk me through the development and features of this fantastic product.

We eagerly await the arrival of our first mu-so delivery so all of our customers can share the Mu-so experience.

Watch this space! 

PMC Twenty 26 now demonstrating at Audio T Manchester.

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The latest edition to the award winning Twenty series...

...and as soon as Chromey puts the link bar back, we can continue...ahem..with the blog...thank you.

 

The pinnacle of the Twenty Series...

The Twenty 26

 


A quick quote from PMC...

...the Twenty 26 delivers finesse,delicacy and musicality...

The Twenty series tweeter (above) is the only remaining component from rest of the Twenty series and rightly so because we love how the 21,22,23 and 24's perform.

There is however, a brand new mid range unit (below) and an all new bass driver. 

This quote from PMC makes absolute sense as regards to the new mid range unit and bass unit combined.

"an added ability to convey huge dynamic impact and the sheer scale of any musical performance"


Hmmmm...twin exit ports for the transmission line?? Read on.

Due to the high pressure transmission line within the Twenty 26 they use a larger exit to avoid turbulence and unlike ported enclosures the ATL produces a wide range of frequencies picking up from where the bass driver rolls off all the way down to 25hz.

You can clearly hear this in action as the Twenty 26 can pressurize our large shop floor area with ease.

I mean these speakers are seriously good fun and we intend to prove that at our next Classic Album Evening on the 9th September, yes that's right, the new Twenty 26's  will be our speaker of choice for our 2nd Classic Album Evening. (please be aware though, seating will be limited so book early)

 

We intend to furnish our readers with a little more information on how the PMC 26's sound over the coming months so watch this space for any updates on how they hold up with

some of our Rega, Naim and Linn amplifiers. Happy days!!!

Our PMC Twenty 26's are in the store now and playing.

Come along and ask a member of staff for a demo. 

See links for more info:

PMC

Twenty 26

See you at the store.

Introducing Dolby Atmos.

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This week we were delighted to visit Dolby Laboratory’s European headquarters in London. We were there at the invitation of Onkyo UK to learn about the next evolutionary step in home cinema surround sound , Dolby Atmos.


 

Dolby Atmos uses new sound processing techniques to create audio that can be steered not just front to back or side to side but now with height and depth. This introduces previously unheard dimensions of movie sound and allows complete room coverage. This is easily achieved by adding a minimum of two small upward firing speakers to your existing 5.1 system. More Dolby Atmos enabled speakers can be added to bigger systems to create even more detail and realism. We heard it in Dolby's state of the art cinema and it blew our socks off, its that good.

 

 

We already have stock of Dolby Atmos ready products like the Onkyo TXNR636. Onkyo are so keen to get people going with Dolby Atmos that they are giving away two Dolby Atmos enabled speakers to anyone who buys one of their receivers. Onkyo also have a great website packed with lots of information about new Dolby Atmos, take a look.

 

http://www.onkyodolbyatmos.com

 

 

If you have any questions or need information about how to upgrade your existing home cinema to Dolby Atmos then give us a call on 01772 883958

Classic Album Evening No 13 Tue 21st October..

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Following the success of our twelfth Classic Vinyl Evening, we are pleased to announce Classic Vinyl Night number thirteen.         

This will be on Tuesday 21st October and once again will be held at the Fusion Room restaurant, 80 Friargate, Preston, PR1 2ED, at 7pm 7.30 start.

Click the link to find where we will be http://www.fusionroom.co.uk/

The album we have chosen is Solid Air by John Martyn

 

The idea is simple... just turn up and listen to an album in it's entirety on vinyl with a short break to grab a drink half way in. If you are interested in joining us please email the store preston@audio-t.co.uk or call us on 01772 883958 to confirm your place

If you require any additional information, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to seeing you

Ian, Gavin and Andy   

   

 

Diverse Vinyl Record Day - Saturday 6th September

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On Saturday the 6th September from 10am until 4pm we will have Diverse Vinyls pop up record store in the Cheltenham Branch.

Paul from Diverse will be bringing a range of records from Audiophile pressings, rare vinyl and many popular pressings for you to bowse and buy.  

We will have two Hi-Fi systems available for you to listen to your new purchases or potential purchase. Downstairs we will have a basic level system featuring Rega RP3 Turntable, The new Rega Elex R amplifier and Spendor A3 Loudspeakers and in our upstairs dedicated Hi-Fi listening room we will heve an oustanding Hi End system comprising of the Clear Audio Master Innovation Turntable, The new Primare Series 60 Pre / Power amplifier and the Spendor A9 loudspeakers (Approximate value £50K).

In our downstairs audiovisual demonstration room we will be playing the Arcam AVR750 AV Receiver through the new Q-Acoustics Concept 40 Loudspeakers, Q Acoustics Centre and Rears and the new REL S5 wireless Sub Woofer. The image will be provided by the Epson EH-TW9200 Projector.

We will also have the team from Isotek on hand to discuss and demonstrate their power management products.


*If you want to bring in your turntable in for a service Jon is offering 10% off Servicing and Accessories on the day.

About Diverse Records 
Read more about Diverse Vinyl and their own Record Label, Diverse Records 

Paul from Diverse and Jon and Farid from Audio T look forward to seeing you on Saturday 6th September.

What's your next Pro-Ject?...

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We at Audio T Swindon are pleased to announce that we now stock the NEW Stereo Box S from Pro-Ject.  

Please don't let this amplifiers small size fool you!

This little thing is a very capable amplifier sporting a pocket sized remote control and four inputs including a MM phono input enabling the user to connect the turntable directly into it without the need of an external phono stage.

With the Stereo Box S being so small and slim-line, it makes it the perfect candidate for an office or bedroom system and when partnered with a turntable and a pair speakers, you would have change from £500 (including cable!).

Below are some of features to this amazing little amplifier:

  • 2 x 37 watts @ 4 ohms
  • 2 ohm drive capability
  • Low noise pure analogue audio circuitry
  • Dual mono design principle
  • 3 stereo lines and phono input (RCA)
  • Fixed line level record out
  • Motor drive potentiometer
  • IR remote included 

So if you're looking to revive your old vinyl collection or maybe even start playing vinyl for the first time and don't want to spend the earth, give us a call to book your demo today!

Call and speak to Andy & Phil on Tel: 01793 53822

You'll be amazed at just how good this amplifier is!!