Bowers & Wilkins CM6 S2's arrive at Audio T Enfield

B&W's new CM series 2 range gains another rather special speaker. Much like the CM10's, the CM6 S2's share technologies used in B&W's 800 diamond series to elevate their performance to new levels.

The CM6 S2's use a 6.5in woven Aramid Fibre mid/bass driver to deliver extremely accurate & natural sounding mid range. Not only do the CM S2 range sound clean they look it too, with not a single screw or bolt in sight.

The decoupled double dome & on top tweeter design is the finishing touch in creating an effortlessly spacious & natural image.

Rediscover your music as the CM6 S2's dig deeper & reveal more of the subtleties hidden within your favourite songs today.

Give us a call or email to arrange a demonstration

Best wishes 

Simon

Audio T 

159A Chase Side

Enfield

EN2 0PW

Tel: 0208 367 3132

Email: enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Happy New Year!!

Firstly we would like to wish all our customers, past and present, a Happy New Year.

2014 was a great year for us and our suppliers with a host of fabulous new

products, many achieving awards.

Highlights include:

Two new products from Rega, the Elex-R amplifier and of course their new flagship turntable, the RP10.

Naim Audio introduced their first ever all-in-one music player, the mu-so, by far the best sounding product of its type and already a big success.

They have also now added Spotify Connect on all their network players and Uniti products which also now feature Bluetooth connectivity.

Chord Electronics Hugo has been a true ‘game changer’, a remarkable product which has been applauded the world over. Now available in black.

Chord Hugo, now also available in silver.

Neat Accoustics loudspeakers, especially the Motive range, has proven to be one of our best sellers last year, a perfect complement to our amplifier range.

The Well Tempered Versalex turntable. A truly awesome product thanks to its fresh design and engineering.

 Well Tempered Versalex

So, what can one expect from us in 2015?

Well, firstly we are delighted to announce the introduction to our loudspeaker portfolio of Shahinian Loudspeakers from the USA. These highly exclusive speakers offer a somewhat different perspective from the norm that we know many will enjoy.

We  intend a more detailed blog post soon.

Shahinian Compass 2

Compass 2

Shahinian Arc 2

Arc 2

There are a few other significant announcement coming soon, we’ll keep you posted.

Simon

Quad Vena Integrated Amplifier and Audio Technica AD900x/700x/500x

Quad Vena

This great new product from Quad features a 45watt per channel amplifier and oodles of connectivity options. You get coaxial, optical, Bluetooth(aptX) and USB inputs which are dealt with by a high resolution 24 bit 192 khz dac. You also get the usual RCA analogue inputs plus a pre out (which you could use to feed your old quad power amp bringing it into the modern age). It sounds great and looks the part especially in the red vaneer, gloss black and gloss white finishes. These finishes retail at £699.95. It is also available in Lancaster grey for £100 less. It is a great buy whichever finish you choose.

Audio Technica ATH AD900x, 700x and 500x.

These are very reasonbly priced for the level of performance you get £315, £195, and £150 respectively.

These open backed audiophile headphone are delightful to listen to. They sit extremely comfortably on the head feeling like they are not there. Well worth auditioning if you are after a set of headphones at this price point.

Cocktail Audio becomes Nova Fidelity

We fell in love with the Cocktail Audio products last year for their versatility and quality, now the company has changed its name to Nova Fidelity and have produced two new models. The little X10 has been replaced by the X12 with improved connections on the back and a disc tray rather than a slot loader, with improved performance all round this is going to be a litle star.

But the model which has excited us the most is the new X40, a source component without amplifier which can be slotted in to any existing system. It has all the great features of the Nova Fidelity range with some new refinements, the graphic interface is improved, there are XLR connections on the rear along with a phono stage. This will allow you to record your vinyl straight to its hard drive. I can also be used as a pre-amp and connected directly to a power amp.

There is also FM radio on board which can also be recorded direct to the hard drive (different sizes of drive are available) and an HDMI connection so you can see its display on a TV

The best thing is it sounds great! We've been playing it into the little Audiolab M40 power amp and having fun with it.

So the year looks like its starting off with a bang, with this product and exciting developments from Naim with the addition of Bluetooth and Spotify to their Uniti products....and of course the wonderful Mu-So

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Peaceful and Happy New Year and we'll see you in 2015 ..... after all our Sale is on!!

Paul Francis and Boswell Bear

A Happy Sonoro New Year from Audio-T Cardiff

Brand new and just in for 2015 we have a range of SONORO products. Starting with the DAB/FM radio boasting a functional design features especially for the bedroom, this compact music system will delight you with its superb sound and smart looks. Fall asleep or wake up to music from your favourite radio station, USB connection or even Bluetooth from your smartphone. Its dual alarm function with let you have that extra lie-in at the weekends. Available in a range of colours, it boasts a battery back-up, snooze function and remote control.

The next model in the range has the same functions as the above but adds a CD player. Again ideal for the bedroom with the up firing speaker providing 360 degree room filling sound.

Topping the range we have the Stereo Music System. With powerful sound from its two-way speaker system and high performance sub-woofer the Design Music System provides the perfect soundstage for any event. It boasts room filling sound from its CD player, DAB/FM radio or while  streaming via Bluetooth. Perfect for any music lover and available in a range of colours to suite any decor.

All the above models are in stock at the Cardiff store, so pop in and have a listen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

The new Arcam A39 Integrated Amplifier

Following hot on the heels of Arcam's flagship A49 Integrated Amplifier comes the more affordable A39.

The really cool thing about this Amplifier is the fact that it is Class G. What this means to the listener is that for the vast majority of the time the music that you hear will be pure Class A, with all the beautiful sweetness in the midband that this entails. When more power is needed the amplifier can then bring in up to 120W of class B power. This is done extremely cleverly, avoiding the normal cross over distortion exhibited by Class A/B amplifiers.

If you want to hear this for yourself, let us know.

New at Audio T Cheltenham, Neat Acoustics Loudspeakers

The Cheltenham branch have just added Neat Acoustics loudspeakers to our extensive line of loudspeakers.

After extensive listening we now have the following models available for demonstration.

Neat Iota

The Neat Iota delivers a performance that belies the incredibly small dimensions (h,w,d - 130 x 200x 165mm). Being designed to be used very close to the rear wall they are ideal for locations such as bookshelves, desk tops, etc.

The 2.6L cabinet incorporates a 100mm bass driver and a 50mm vertical planar magnetic ribbon tweeter offering unbelievable bass performance and an exceptionally detailed top end. Due to the diminutive cabinet dimensions and the ribbon tweeter the sound stage is almost holographic.

Available in Satin White, Satin Black, Flame Red, Zinc Yellow and Ultramarine Blue

Neat SX3

The SX3 is a small stand mount loudspeaker designed for smaller spaces or as a rear speaker in multi channel installations.

They incorporate a 25mm inverted anodised aluminium tweeter normally found in much more expensive high end loudspeakers.

In spite of its compact dimensions the MX3 surprises with its astonishing bass extension and beautifully open mid range. The Inverted dome tweeter produces incredible detailed for a speaker at this price.

Neat SX2

At only 76cm tall this is one of the most compact floor standing loudspeakers available.

This is a two way design with the bass driver and inverted anodised aluminium tweeter operating in separate enclosure within the cabinet. The bass reflex port is fitted to the bottom of the cabinet and is vented through a sculptured MDF plinth. Even when the loudspeakers a located near a rear wall the bass is still controlled and extended.

For a floor stander of such small dimensions the SX2 offers astonishing bass, very open midrange and a smooth detailed top end.

Neat SX1

The SX1 utilised a two and a half way configuration. The tweeter and bass mid driver operate within their own sealed enclosure. The sub bass is housed separately in a reflex tuned enclosure below and is vented via a sculptured MDF plinth.

Again the 25mm Inverted anodised aluminium tweeter is used offering exceptional detail. With the inclusion of the Sub Bass driver the SX1 manages to accurately produce genuine low end bass performance.

The Neat SX range of loudspeaker are available in Natural Oak, American Walnut, Black Oak and Satin White.

A demonstration is highly recommended.

Christmas comes but once a year....

.... but our revolving Robins and spinning Snowman each come round 17,518,248 times a year!

... or to put it another way, more recognisable to vinyl lovers, 33.33 rpm!

Our turntable themed Christmas window has certainly attracted attention from all age groups and reflects the popularity and unprecedented demand for record players which we have experienced this year.

We are grateful to Rega for managing to keep up with our ever increasing turntable orders during the very busy run up to Christmas.  So far we have been able to satisfy all of our customer orders.

For those leaving their Christmas shopping to the last minute we still have stock of some Rega models and are hoping for a top up delivery before the Rega factory closes for the festive break.

Please call us or pop in very soon if you want to secure a record player for the vinyl lover in your life in time for Christmas.  We've always got the kettle on and may even have some mince pies to tempt you!

And don't forget our special Christmas promotion below:

 

Don't worry if you can't get to us before we close on Christmas Eve.

We will be open again on Saturday 27th and the week commencing 29th apart from 1st January.

So why not break with tradition and give someone a New Year's present instead, even if that person is you.

You know you deserve it!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our customers,

from Alan and John

Dolby Atmos & REL 3D arrive at Audio T Enfield!

We've never heard our demonstration room sound quite like this before... Dolby Atmos really does take home cinema to a new level. We have opted for x4 in-ceiling B&W CCM665's with the matching BB6C back boxes for maximum performance.

Pioneer's new top of the range Blu-ray player the BDP-LX88 feeds perfect picture & sound into Pioneer's power house AV Receiver the SC-LX88.

Dolby Atmos isn't the only thing that's caught our attention... REL's Shotgun 3D set up really is a must for any hardcore movie lover, the following paragraph has been taken from REL's website.

"For ultimate spatial coherence, a minimum of 3 RELs (1-main L/R, 1-center, 1-surrounds) may be used to fully realize all the performance embedded in movie soundtracks. REL Shotgun unleashes the basic performance possible in a soundtrack. Shotgun 3D™ extends that benefit to all the building blocks of a theater. By extending the low bass performance of the center channel the entire front half of the theater Is opened up. No longer does the center channel struggle to keep up with the mains. By doing so for the rear channels, the theater is completed and the 3 dimensional reality of film soundtracks takes place as one’s theater is transformed into a sort of 3 dimensional aural holograph."

We liked the sound of this, so have decided to order a custom centre stand from our friends at Hi-Fi racks to sit over a T-Zero, T-5, T-7 or S2. Not only does this look right, it aids with the timing between the centre channel & sub, which accounts for seamless integration with each other. 

We're not sure whats more exciting, Dolby Atmos or REL's Shotgun 3D. What we are sure about, is that we've not heard better! We urge you to come down & have a listen to what we believe is the ultimate home cinema solution.

See and hear what you're missing today!

Please call or email us to arrange a demo

Best Wishes

Simon

Audio T

159a Chase Side

Enfield

EN2 0PW

Tel: 0208 367 3132

Email: enfield@audio-t.co.uk

Standing Room Only For Pink Floyd & KEF Blade 2

A big thank you to all that made our last vinyl evening the most attended to date,over 70 music lovers enjoyed Pink Floyd played through the new Kef Blade 2 speakers.

 The system used was entirely British designed featuring KEF, Arcam, Rega and Chord Cables.

•  Blade 2 in Snow White finish (£16,000).
•  Arcam FMJ A49 Integrated Amplifier (£3,750).
•  Rega RP8 Turntable with Apheta Cartridge (£2,198).
•  Rega Aria Phonostage (£798).

·         Chord Epic Reference speaker cable and Chameleon VEE 3 interconnects (£1,500).

The album played was ‘The Endless River’ by Pink Floyd.

This was followed by the first side of ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ by Pink Floyd.

Other tracks that were played included:

Is There Anybody Out There?’ by Pink Floyd from the album ‘The Wall.

Hey Now’ & ‘Nightcall’ by London Grammar from the album ‘If You Wait

Lullaby’ by The Cure from the album Disintegration

Limit To Your Love’ by James Blake from the album James Blake

Walk On The Wild Side’ by Lou Reed from the album Transformer

Barcelona’ & ‘Listen To The Man’ by George Ezra

Six Blade Knife’ by Dire Straits from the album Dire Straits

Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen from the album Jazz & Greatest Hits

Christmas Sale Now On.Come & Grab A Bargain

The KEF LS50s are a bit of all white!...

The multi award winning KEF LS50 is now availabe in high gloss white with a blue drive unit!.... Never let it be said that KEF don't think outside of the speaker box!!

With the love for these great little speakers showing no signs of fading any time soon, KEF have now given you the option of a High Gloss White cabinet with a Blue Uni-Q drive unit as well as maintaining the ever popular option of High Gloss black with an Orange Uni-Q.    

If you've never heard the KEF LS50 then you owe to yourself to book a demo and see for yourself what all the fuss has been about.

Hi-Fi Choice ‘Recommended’ "…the KEF is a snappy thing to listen to. Music bounces along with heady abandon, and so do you!"

To book your demo please give us a call on: 01793 538222 or email us on swindon@audio-t.co.uk

New Audio-Technica Heaphones arrive!

We recently heard the new Audio-Technica range of headphones and could not wait to get them in. They have finally arrived!

The first thing that struck us about them was the comfort and fit. As with all headphones it simply doesn't matter how good they sound if they are uncomfortable and you want to take them off!.

All of the range feature what Audio-Technica call a "total ear fit" design to help with comfort. The capsules almost completely surround the ear so there are no pressure points at all. I have trouble with smaller capsules that put pressure on the arms of my spectacles but these models are perfect! They also very light considering the large construction.

The first in the range are the AD-500X @ £150

The performance on this model is stunning for the cost. Lots of customers who have tried them are very surprised to learn that they are only £150. The thing that everyone has picked up on straight away is the bass response. Because of the large construction and relatively large drive unit (in comparison to alot of other manufacturers) the resulting sound is a very spacious and open sound with a very controlled and deep bass response unlike some other headphones that just can't seem to cope with deep bass or dare I say it ... the Beats that just sound thunderous and horrible! Read more on this model

Next in the range are the AD-700X @ £195

As with the 500 series you can see the same construction so comfort and fit is the same. The improvement with these is the drive unit itself. An upgraded driver gives you exactly what you would expect. Vocal detail and spaciousness is the main improvement I hear but it's also true to say they sound a lot bigger. Read more on this model.

Top of the tree are the AD-900X @ £ 315

Again you can see the improved drive unit in the headphones. These boast a much wider frequency response and greater dynamic range and it's very noticable indeed! A huge improvement over the 700 as you would expect for the increase in cost, but most imprtantly far more impressive than the price tag suggests. They really do sound fabulous. Read more on this model.

They also make some closed back versions which we hope to have in very soon.

Or even better call in and have a listen!

Turntable Stocking Fillers for Christmas

We've got a great range of accessories for the turntable lover this Christmas

From new cartridges to cleaning systems and phono stages

And we're always happy to give advice

Even Boswell is getting into the Christmas spirit!!

call in, or give us a ring, we're bound to have something for you.

mu-so by Naim makes so much music in Manchester.

Meanwhile Manchester Makes Much Amusing Musings at the mu-so...

And what musings they are, what an amazing product ! 

To all those who question the abilities of "soundbars, music boxes, wireless docks or just plain old glorified ghetto blasters"...

...Naim have your answer in the mu-so. Don't believe the hype?? Think we are blowing hot air?? Not-So...

...come along to our Manchester store and take a look and listen for yourself. 

The mu-so has a six speaker array driven by six digital amplifiers.

"mu-so gives so-much for so-little"

Ahh!! well said Chromey, you know, maybe you should speak to the marketing bods at Naim about that little gem.

Apart from Wifi, Bluetooth and Airplay you also get an optical, a USB and a 3.5mm analogue input.  

The all metal body provides great heat dissipation, the elegant looking heat sink runs across the full length of the body.

The beautifully weighted, machined volume knob is a pleasure to use and is a nod to the gargantuan Naim Statement amplifier.

You can find more info about the mu-so here.

Please feel free to call in and ask the staff at our Manchester store for a demonstration.

New Rega DAC-R

We have recently received and tested the new A synchronous Rega DAC-R, what an improvement!

The new DAC-R fitted superbly between the Rega Saturn and the new Rega Elex amp via a digital coax, connected to which where the PMC Twenty23.

We played a variety of music from Mozart, Phantom Limb to Creed. The detail resolution is greater in comparison to its predecessor, which was pretty astounding in its own right, and it quite happily bounced along with what ever we played. The DAC-R is very transparent not favouring one genre of music over another.

 

If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive yet profound upgrade to your system the Rega DAC-R is worth serious consideration.

If you have an existing system Home Loans are available as well as demonstrations in store. We can even give you various cables to try if you want to make a night of it.

REL UK Tour arriving in Portsmouth

Proudly presenting REL Acoustics in our Portsmouth store on Decemeber 4^th

The only way to truly understand the impact a REL subwoofer has on your entire system, is to hear it first hand. We guarantee you’re going to love the way it sounds.

We will be running two separate demonstrations throughout from 11am – 6 pm.

 

Firstly, showcasing the REL Gibraltor Sub Bass System in a Hi-Fi setting & demonstrating the benefits of using LongBow wireless connectivity and Bassline Blue cables, using PMC loudspeakers.

 

Secondly, using REL Serie S Sub Bass Systems in a Home Cinema setting featuring Dolby's stunning new Atmos surround sound technology, giving a true multi dimensional experience.

 

Representatives from REL will be available throughout the day as will light refreshments & free car parking.

Please contact Nick, Joe and James to book your space. We look forward to seeing you & hope you enjoy the Sub Bass experience!

Forget about Santa!... Diverse Vinyl is coming to town!!

Don't forget, On the 6th December Diverse Vinyls & Pro-Ject Audio come to Audio T Swindon with vinyl records & Signature turntables in tow...

As some of you may be aware Diverse Vinyl have been holding a record pop up shop at various locations throughout the Uk over the last few months and on the 6th of December it's our turn!.. 

Diverse Vinyl will be bringing a vast selection of bestselling and new release records 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 one or two of Pro-Ject audios flagship turntables spinning the black stuff.

We already have their stunning £7k Signature turntable fitted with awsome £5k Ortofon MC Anna cartrigde. Making this a £12,000 turntable & cartridge combo!

So if you're looking to buy someone a new Lp for Christmas or maybe one or two new Lps for yourself, Be sure to stop by the shop on the 6th of December!

                           

We look forward to seeing you all then! 

Audio T: 01793 538222

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

Dolby Atmos arrives in Manchester.

Dolby Atmos arrives at our Audio-T store in Manchester...

...but first, here is a quick diary of our trip to Dolby Labs in Soho, London.

After a quick 2hr's and 9 min train journey from Manchester to Euston, I arrive at Dolby Europe in the heart of London. 

Spot the Chrome Trooper..??

The famous Ray Dolby even has a lounge named after him. Did you know Dolby was actually founded in London in 1965.

After tea and biscuits we enter Dolby's custom built cinema.

In all honesty, from personal point of view, I think its probably the best cinema sound I have ever heard.

Dolby Atmos creates an "atmosphere" around you that simply envelopes you and pulls you into what is happening on screen

as well as letting you know what is happening off screen. Truly convincing, Clever stuff!

More so than anything else out there, á la DSP modes found on most surround amplifiers.

The exclusive movie clips that were played to us demonstrates exactly why there is such excitement around this great new format.

Chromey actually got his own private viewing...show off!!

And now!! how to bring this wonderful format to the home, well...

...introducing the all new Pioneer SC-LX88 Dolby Atmos enabled surround receiver.

It's coming back with me, to Manchester.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and back in Manchester we are up and running with our KEF in ceiling CI160 QR.

We have 4 of these installed in the ceiling, giving us the true Dolby Atmos experience.

Our configuration is a true 7.1.4 or a 5.1.4 speaker setup. Click on the links to be directed to Dolby's website. 

Our ever faithful KEF R Series make up the fronts and rears in our set up.

The most excellent Sony VPL-HW55ES projetor takes care of our video duties.

Et voila!! The brand new Pioneer SC-LX88 and Pioneer BDP-LX58 now sit proudly in our demo room working their magic with Dolby Atmos.

Pioneer have gone back to their high end roots with the beautifully built BDP-LX58.

We were also given some dedicated and exclusive footage by Dolby for use in our Dolby Atmos demo room.

Dolby's Silent animated short was made exclusively for Dolby to demonstrate the new Dolby Atmos format.

It's great fun and it's definitely worth popping in to experience it.

There are several Dolby Atmos clips to get your teeth into.

And some informative shorts telling you about how the whole "object based software" helps the Dolby engineers

to get the mix just right.

This is how Dolby explain it on their website.

Here is a small excerpt.

"The limits of channel-based audio"

There’s no question that channel-based audio can produce great sound. But the format is fundamentally limited because it is created to play back on a specific type of speaker arrangement and doesn’t have the necessary information to deliver a fuller, richer sound if you expand your system.

If a movie is mixed in 5.1, for instance, it has just the information it needs to play back to five speakers, set in predefined locations, and one subwoofer. There’s no point in adding more speakers because the 5.1 mix doesn’t know what to do with them. If you don’t place your speakers in the “right” locations, your movies won’t sound quite right.

The fact that it’s object based makes Dolby Atmos much more adaptable because it’s not locked to a certain number of speakers. Instead, the object-based nature of Dolby Atmos gives the soundtrack a wealth of data about the sound in a scene.

In Dolby Atmos, each sound in a movie scene—a gunshot or a woman’s scream, for instance—can be an object. Filmmakers can precisely specify where those sound objects should originate and how they should move.

 

So there you have it, the rest, as they say, is down to you popping into Audio-T Manchester and trying it out for yourself.

Munir (me), Mike, Kevin and Dave will be on hand to give you a demonstration of Dolby Atmos,

in what we believe is the only store in Manchester to have true Dolby Atmos up and running.

See you soon.

New Naim Wall and other November news

We are delighted and grateful to Naim for installing our new wall.  It was well worth the wait.  As you can see it focuses the eye on a prominent shop front position dedicated to showcasing Naim products.

The system running above sounded great on both vinyl using Rega's RP10/Apheta and Aria or streaming via Naim's NDX and DAC.

Both sources were fed through a Supernait 2 driving Focal Aria 926 speakers.

There was no shortage of drive, dynamics and sheer musicality with this set up and it highlighted the merits of the best of analogue and digital music playback.

The arrival of the Naim wall coincided with the much anticipated appearance of our demonstration Naim mu-so.  Having lived with it for a few weeks now we are still marvelling at the room filling ability of this most elegant and discreet wireless speaker system.

It really sounds like a full sized hi-fi system running a decent size pair of speakers.

mu-so is on permanent demonstration in store.  Come and be amazed.  The mu-so app is very intuitive but once you've handled the very tactile control you won't be able to leave it alone!  It's very slick!

Also new in store is Quad Vena.  A compact high quality integrated amplifier with AptX Bluetooth and a good range of digital and analogue inputs packaged in retro style casework harking back to Quad's classic past products, Vena is a very appealing and capable amplifier at a very reasonable £599.95.  

Lancaster grey is the standard finish with piano black or white or wood veneer available for an extra £100.  We look forward to running in this exciting new product and putting it through its paces.

Finally, we are very pleased to now have the new Pioneer BDP-LX58 Blu-ray universal disc player on dem.  We have been awaiting a reference quality disc player from Pioneer for some time, one that matches the performance and build quality of their high end AV receivers.  

BDP-LX58 certainly fits the bill.  It's a reassuringly heavy 9.9kg with an iron chassis and rigid quiet drive mechanism designed to eliminate vibrations. 

The brushed alloy front panel is particularly classy and uncluttered.

We and our customers have been most impressed with both the video and audio performance of the BDP-LX58 through the SC-LX88 AV receiver in our Dolby Atmos dem room.  Atmos soundtracks really come to life and the picture is vivid with superb motion tracking making movies totally absorbing.

If this is what Pioneer can achieve with a £600.00 Blu-ray player we can't wait to see and hear the flagship BDP-LX88 when it arrives very soon!