Old v New - Can I find a sound like my trusty old Hi-Fi?

/ Audio T Bristol/

Vintage. A nostalgic word that fuels the heart more than the head. Nostalgia was first coined as a term of diagnosis by the Swiss physician Johannes Hofer in 1688. Derived from the Greek nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain), this mysterious disease was a kind of pathological homesickness. High-Fidelity sound does not stand still, so why have I?

Keith Jarrett, talking about The Köln Concert live album from 1975, complained that the album had become nothing more than a soundtrack when it was used in a film. He also said that “We also have to learn to forget music. Otherwise, we become addicted to the past.” Indeed, Jarrett was asked by pianists, musicologists and others to publish the music transcript. For years he resisted such requests since, as he said, the music played was improvised “on a certain night and should go as quickly as it comes”.

The Back Story

This is a little extreme diagnosis, but I have worked here at Audio T for over six years, and still I cling to my trusty, slightly rusty, Rotel 930AX from 1997. Younger me clung to a front cover of What Hi-Fi? magazine that featured the Rotel paired with a Technics PG480 CD Player and Mission 731i speakers. It was carefully cut out and Blu-Tacked to the wall of my student hovel.

The system took me 18 months to save for and put together — trawling through deals, weighing up alternative ex-dem possibilities. What about the Arcam Alpha 7, Mission Cyrus 1 or the Pioneer A400? I thoroughly read all reviews to make sure this perfect starter Hi-Fi system was the right choice.

I remember buying the amplifier from SuperFi in Nottingham — ex-dem and a bit battered. The guys in the shop must have been sick of me, or sorry for my distressing yearning. The Rotel 930AX purchased, it sat under my bed for six months, now and again carefully unwrapped, placed on my desk, powered up, and stared at.

Then came the Mission 731i with Cambridge TalkTalk 3.1 speaker cable and Cambridge Audio Arctic yellow interconnects. And the source was my Matsui Walkman and Technics portable CD player that needed a deft piece of divine intervention to position a CD to play without skipping. Until six months later — the venerable Technics PG480 with MASH technology. I dreamed of Tannoy Mercury M2s, KEF Cresta 2, Linn Axis with K9, Mission stands.

The upgrades were: in 2002, the Mission 731i changed out for Mission m71i (much in this Stereophile magazine article), and a Bluesound Node 2i brought streaming to my antiquity.

There is nothing wrong with the photo — I prefer their sound upside down on 500mm stands than the right way up on 700mm stands.

Fast forward to now, and the back story is the problem. The emotional connection to a hard-fought first system. Like a faltering old dog, I won’t put it down. But how does it compare to the same budget corrected for inflation? What will the same money buy me now, and am I converted to take the plunge?

The Budget

First, let’s put some 1997 figures, inflation-adjusted to today’s prices, and keep it simple to just a CD-based source:

OLD
CD Player: Technics SL-PG480 - £130
Amplifier: Rotel 930AX - £250
Speakers: Mission M71i Speakers - £199
Total: £579
Adjusted to today’s price: £1,137.87

So, what is the cream of the crop of today’s Hi-Fi that would come in around that price?

NEW
CD Player: Marantz CD6007 - £400
Amplifier: Rega io - £440
Speakers: Acoustic Energy AE100² - £279

What’s interesting is that the Rega io and Rotel come in at the same wattage — 30W. So there has been no wattage inflation adjustment.

The Marantz CD6007 is leaps and bounds ahead of the 1-bit MASH technology of the 1990s. A proper Red Book spec CD player, with a USB input too.

The io uses the same power amplifier and phono stage as its larger brother, the multi-award-winning Brio. The class A/B circuit shares its DNA with the rest of Rega’s amplifiers: Sanken output transistors, an Alps volume potentiometer, and a linear power supply that enables an output of 30 watts per channel into 8Ω. Two line-level inputs and a high-quality moving magnet phono input are available as sources. A newly redesigned mini remote handset is included — a major upgrade. I haven’t had a remote control for my Hi-Fi for 28 years! Cheltenham have a fine blog on the io this month, which you can read here.

The Acoustic Energy 100² need no introduction. They are the entry-level speakers that everyone tries to beat. They made my Missions sound like a Harris Tweed factory — woolly.

Listening – Which Should I Change First?

It is a question that we get asked the most. Our answer is: garbage in, garbage out. Always start with the source first.

Changing out to the Marantz from the Technics was a big improvement. And just to prove the point, I tried the ATC CD2 at £1,850 — and there it was. Even better soundstage, more detail across the board and a really enjoyable experience. The old Hi-Fi given a new lease of life.

It was only when I changed the amp out for the Rega io that I realised that I was wrong. My forgiving nostalgia had destroyed the objective listening process. The heart ruled the head. What should I change first? The answer is actually everything.

Hi-Fi moves forward. Our emotional engagement with the music that most moves us, at its core, is nostalgia. What changes, I think, is the appreciation of quality. My student self would have been quite happy with baked potatoes with cheese and beans, a four-pack of Stella, and Trainspotting as the epitome of a quality night in. That has its place, but there are better things in life — and great Hi-Fi is so rewarding.

Incidentally, I’ve settled on my next system as the ATC SIA100 with the matching CD2 and SCM11 speakers — but I’m still reviewing…

Thanks for reading!

Justin, Max & Paul - Audio T Bristol

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

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*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE

The Annealing Way: The Dynavector 20X2A

/ Audio T Cardiff/

This month, Matt from our Cardiff store returns to the analogue side of things once more. Following on from last month’s look at his new Cyrus 40 series phono stage and Dynavector’s moving coil range — particularly the 20X2A — Matt’s been chasing even greater sonic perfection from his turntable. Much like swapping pickups in an electric guitar, changing your cartridge can transform the character of your system. As Matt puts it, less noise equals more music — so let’s find out what he’s discovered this time, and whether it’s led to his next upgrade…

dynavector 20x-2a low output

Why am I looking at a new cartridge ?

te kaitora rua low output moving coil cartridge

Well, this comes down to something that has always excited me in Hi-Fi — the advancement and development of components, especially when it comes to cartridge design. As you all know, I’m a big fan of Dynavector cartridges. I currently own a Dynavector 10X5 Mk2, which is fitted to my Rega Planar 6. One of my real favourite models in the Dynavector catalogue is the Te Kaitora RUA, but to me that cartridge is somewhat out of reach — until now! By God, I think I’ve found the answer for my wallet and my ears: the Dynavector 20X2A.

This all-new model has now landed at Audio T Cardiff, replacing the long-running 20X2 XX2. The big question is — what does the “A” stand for? It stands for Annealing. In this case, the cartridge has an annealed magnetic circuit.

Before we talk about this fantastic cartridge’s spec and how good it sounds, let’s take a deep breath and dive into what the annealing process is — and, more importantly, what the guys at Dynavector have to say about this process and what it does for this marvel of a cartridge.

“An exceptional vibration system is essential for a high-performance MC cartridge. We emphasise the critical role of the magnetic circuit. The cartridge’s output signal is intricately tied to the movement of the vibration system within the magnetic circuit, where electricity is generated as the coil vibrates amidst the magnetic flux. To ensure optimal output, it is imperative that the magnetic flux maintains high density and stability. We employ pure iron for our magnetic circuit due to its high magnetic permeability and exceptional stability, resulting in a distortion-free output. However, the processing of metal parts often distorts the crystal structure at the atomic level, leading to a loss of magnetic permeability.

Magnetic annealing is a process of heating and cooling processed parts. It is crucial for restoring the distorted metal crystal structure and regenerating magnetic permeability. However, a generic magnetic annealing cannot fully restore distortions in the crystal structure. The magnetic annealing conditions vary depending on the parts’ material, size, shape, etc. Our recent development focused on finding the best magnetic annealing process, including temperature, environment, duration, and heating and cooling rates. This meticulous approach has enabled us to unleash the full potential of pure iron’s unique magnetic performance.

The new magnetic circuit has significantly enhanced sound quality, delivering unrivalled resolution, smooth wide-range expression, and an expansive sound field. Experience the natural and dynamic sound of the Dynavector 20X2A cartridge, where an exceptional vibration system harmonises seamlessly with an optimised magnetic circuit.”
— Dynavector

the annealing process

Let’s talk a little spec.

High output and low output models available.

The high-output model, 20X2A-H, achieves an output voltage of 2.8mV by using Dynavector’s legendary coil technology. A Micro-Ridge stylus is used for the stylus tip. Although the part that contacts the record groove has a minute radius curvature of only 2 microns, the band-like shape of the tip makes it resistant to abrasion and will provide ideal performance over a long period of time. By winding the coil many times with ultra-fine wire, the cartridge can obtain a high output equivalent to an MM cartridge, thus allowing the MC cartridge to be connected to a phono terminal for MM input without the need for a head amplifier or step-up transformer.

The low-output model, 20X2A-L, has a 0.3mV output voltage, using the same PCOCC wires as the higher-end models for the coil. The recommended load impedance of the head amplifier is 30Ω or more, making it compatible with most head amplifiers and MC step-up transformers.

Special annealing magnetic circuit

The magnetic circuit, which is the core of an MC cartridge, uses pure iron that has stable magnetic properties with minimal distortion. Furthermore, by performing special annealing that focuses on optimising the magnetic annealing process — such as temperature, environment, heating duration, and heating/cooling rates — we have succeeded in delivering expansive, resonant sound without distortion and with unrivalled resolution.

MC cartridge basic structure diagram

Neodymium magnets

The series employs patented softened magnets developed to reduce distortion and harsh, irritating, edgy sounds caused by rare earth magnets, while still achieving high output from powerful neodymium magnets. While taking advantage of the powerful magnetic force of neodymium magnets, the cartridge achieves a clear separation of sound.

close up 20x-2a

Hard pipe aluminium cantilever

The hollow hard aluminium pipe cantilever reduces the vibration system mass, achieving a wide bandwidth with clear high frequencies.

Micro-Ridge stylus

A Micro-Ridge stylus is used for the stylus tip. Although the part that contacts the record groove has a minute radius curvature of only 2 microns, the band-like shape of the tip makes it resistant to abrasion and provides ideal performance over a long period of time.

Specifications

  • Output Voltage: 2.8 mV / 0.3 mV (at 1kHz, 5cm/sec.)

  • Channel Separation: 25 dB (at 1kHz)

  • Channel Balance: 1.0 dB (at 1kHz)

  • Frequency Response: 20–20,000 Hz (±2dB)

  • Compliance: 12 mm/N

  • Tracking Force: 1.8–2.2 g

  • Impedance: 150 ohms / 5 ohms

  • Recommended Load Impedance: 1,000 ohms / >30 ohms

  • Cantilever: 6mm length hard aluminium pipe

  • Stylus Tip: Micro-Ridge nude diamond

  • Weight: 9.2 g

The Listening

But before I talk your ears off about how good the cartridge sounds — what records and tracks did I use?

  • Jerry Cantrell – Afterglow – “I Want Blood” (2024)

  • Living Colour – Love Rears Its Ugly Head – Time’s Up (1990)

  • Mr Big – “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” – Lean Into It (1991)

Before I sat myself down to listen, I switched out my Dynavector 10X5 high-output cartridge for the new 20X2A low-output. Then I set up my Cyrus 40 PPA — which, by the way, this is the first time I’ve set this phono stage up for a low-output moving coil cartridge — which is really easy to do via Cyrus’s remote control. My settings on the phono stage, if you guys want to know, are as follows: 1000 Ohms loading, 55dB gain, 100pF channel balance, also with the warp function set to “on”.

cyrus 40ppa settings

Now I’m all set up — amplifier warm and coffee at the ready — let the listening begin. One thing to add: before I changed the cartridge out, I listened to each record with my 10X5 fitted so I could familiarise myself with how each track sounds, and so I could hear the difference between the two cartridges and how they perform sonically.

Okay, back to it. First up, of course, Jerry Cantrell’s track Afterglow. This track in itself is quite atmospheric and open in its performance. With the 20X2A, I had a greater sense of this — there was better placement of Jerry’s vocals, rhythm, and lead guitars, which were a lot less muddled — clean and precise (as much as distorted guitars can be).

The second track, I personally feel, is where this cartridge really stood out from the crowd — Living Colour’s Love Rears Its Ugly Head. Will Calhoun’s drums were nothing short of astounding; I really got the feeling of his drum kit in the room. Vernon Reid’s cleaner guitar on this track really stood out — usually he’s flying up and down the neck with his amplifier cranked, but this track is a little more bluesy, which I really got a sense of.

Last but not least, Mr Big’s Green-Tinted Sixties Mind. In comparison to my 10X5’s performance with this track, it was streets apart. Paul Gilbert’s guitar riff had more presence, and Billy Sheehan’s bass seemed to have more feeling — and dare I say it — more groove.

In Conclusion

I really feel that I was right to be excited about the Dynavector 20X2A. It really comes close to performing like their legendary Te Kaitora and is a huge improvement on its predecessor. I do feel it’s an endgame cartridge for me, and I highly recommend trying one out. But if you don’t want to stretch to the 20X2A, Dynavector have used the same annealed circuit in the new 10XA — which also sounds pretty phenomenal.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog -

Matt Aaron - Audio T Cardiff

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

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How much? Seriously? The Rega Carbon Pro Stylus Upgrade

/ Audio T Swansea/

Hoo boy! No brainer right here! Probably the most cost-effective upgrade you could ever make. If Carlsberg did Hi-Fi etc., etc...

Our hero. so much joy from such a little package..

Superlatives aside, we think this is a brilliant move from Rega. A company that built its formidable reputation on beer-budget hi-fi that squeezed every gram of performance from every penny spent has, in recent times, brought us some spectacular (if a little spendy) components. The outrageously good Naia turntable at £11k* (without a cartridge) and the soon-to-be-revealed Mercury and Solis pre/power combination, set to be circa 14k, may have had long-term Rega fans wondering about the direction the company is taking. Worry no more!

If you recall, the new Mk7 Brio amplifier (£799*) launched last March, and the new range of Nd Moving Magnet cartridges (starting at £175) launched in June, reassuring us that Rega hasn’t forgotten its roots. But what about customers just starting out with a Planar 1 or Planar 1 Plus?

The Planar 1 has long been viewed as a “fit-and-forget” turntable — a doddle to set up, simple, reliable, and sounding every bit of its £329*. But it’s still a product with limited scope for upgrade that isn’t half the cost of the deck itself. We didn’t really think much about it — but someone at Rega did.

As soon as the Carbon Pro Upgrade hit social media, we were fielding orders. We went through our initial drop in an afternoon (!) and half of the next (much larger) batch over the weekend. It was the same across the estate, as we all scrambled for stock to fulfil orders — we’ve rarely seen such demand. Happily, our stock levels have now stabilised, and we’ve plenty to go around.

took me ages to get that shot.

What is it and what does it do?

Simply put, it’s all to do with the shape of the stylus itself.

The standard stylus is conical and made from titanium. Looking rather like a chubby chocolate ice cream cone, it’s easy to manufacture, inexpensive, and does a decent enough job of reading the groove — sounding perfectly pleasant in the process.

There are, however, better alternatives. The Pro stylus is also made from titanium but shaped elliptically — rather like the part of a sailing yacht’s hull that sits below the waterline. This shape allows the stylus to run a little deeper into the groove, retrieving more detail and, crucially, reducing the contact area on the surface. That means less surface noise entering the cartridge.

180g vinyl. oooh: suits you sir.

The result? A blacker background, wider dynamic range, and more colour from instruments and voices than before. And it’s not subtle either — as the stylus hit the groove of our Peter Gabriel So album, the quieter backdrop was immediately obvious, as was the extra bite and shimmer in the opening blast of rasping brass and plunging basslines from that notorious floor-filler, Sledgehammer.

Grins all round at Chez Swansea then…

Simply put, if you have a Rega Planar 1, Planar 1 Plus, or Planar 2 with a Rega Carbon cartridge, this is unreservedly the most cost-effective upgrade you can make. You don’t need any tools, setup knowledge, or even a steady hand — it’s literally a plug-and-play swap. Just remove the old stylus, slide on the new Carbon Pro, and you’re done. The improvement is instant and obvious, even to casual listeners. You’ll hear a cleaner top end, tighter bass, and an overall sense of clarity and control that just wasn’t there before.

If a loved one has a Planar 1 or 2 at home that still has the pale grey stylus on it — buy them one of these. It’s the perfect stocking filler or birthday treat for anyone rediscovering vinyl or just starting out. For the cost of two albums, you’ll gift them their entire record collection again — every familiar track suddenly more detailed, more open, and just more alive. It’s the kind of upgrade that reminds you why you fell in love with vinyl in the first place. And honestly, it doesn’t get better than that.Thanks for reading.

Words by Adrian, images by Adrian and Rega (tea and biccies by Nic & Andy) – Audio T Swansea

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

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

*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE

Crossed wires – Making sense of cables and the difference they make to Hi-Fi

/ Audio T Portsmouth/

If there’s one topic that divides hi-fi enthusiasts, it’s the subject of how big a difference, if any, cables can make to our systems. In this blog, we will try to shed light on the technical attributes of cabling and offer advice on how and why to upgrade.

Siltech Master Crown speaker cables retail for around £70,000 for a 2m pair

There are two extremes in the cable debate. On one side, there are those in the cables-are-just-wires camp who believe that any half-decent length of copper will do, and all the rest is basically snake oil.

On the other, there are the cable connoisseurs for whom the more exotic a cable’s materials and construction methods, the better. And they may be right.

But the majority of us hi-fi mortals lie somewhere on a spectrum between those two points.

Certainly, most of us will not be looking at the top-of-the-range cables made by the likes of Nordost, Siltech, Audioquest or Chord, some of which cost tens of thousands of pounds.

And neither will we be looking to wire up the £10K system we’ve worked hard to build with some generic copper cable sold online for 50p a metre.

But how are we meant to judge how much to spend and what’s the ‘right’ cable for our system?

Some basics

To start, it might help to understand how a cable works – hopefully without this turning into a school physics lesson!

Every cable – whether interconnects, speaker or power cables – can be thought of as a single circuit with the following properties:

  • R (Resistance) – caused by conductor material and cross-section. A high-resistance cable will tend to reduce an amplifier’s control over the speakers, especially in the bass region, leading to softer or less defined low frequencies.

  • L (Inductance) – created by the cable geometry (i.e. the physical design of the cable) and spacing between conductors. High-inductance cables can cause a gentle roll-off in high frequencies. Twisted or parallel geometries reduce inductance, which helps preserve transient accuracy.

  • C (Capacitance) – determined by the dielectric (i.e. shielding) material and conductor proximity. Excessive capacitance in cables can cause high-frequency loss or even instability in some amplifiers.

Each of these influences the signal.

It might seem counterintuitive at first to think of a cable having ‘moving’ parts. But the signal in the cable interacts with and is affected by the materials that make up the cable, and not just the wire itself.

  • Conductor material: Copper is standard, but higher-purity or silver conductors can lower resistance and improve high-frequency detail.

  • Geometry: Twisted, braided, or solid-core designs reduce interference and manage impedance more effectively.

  • Shielding: Shielding type (braid, foil, or hybrid) helps mitigate radio frequency interference, which can raise the noise floor and lead to a loss of silence or space between notes.

  • Dielectric quality: The insulation around conductors affects capacitance, effectively interacting with the signal. Better materials can maintain signal integrity and timing.

Hi-fi cable manufacturers strive to balance these variables to produce cables that lower the noise floor in your system and allow as much of the music signal from each of your components to pass with minimum interference to the next.

Choosing cables

The first rule of buying cables is to accept that they cannot perform miracles. They will not change the innate performance limits of your system – the sound from a modest system will not suddenly be transformed into high-end by adding a pair of very good cables.

But, and it’s a big but, the right cables can help your system reach its full potential. Or, to put it another way, many of us are perhaps unwittingly handicapping our systems by using unsuitable cables.

Which makes it especially sweet when, by upgrading our cables – interconnects or speaker cable or power cables – we realise what our hi-fi systems, whether entry-level or high-end, are truly capable of.

We are fortunate in the Portsmouth shop in having a variety of cables we can swap in and out of systems, and anyone who tells you all cables are made the same and make no audible difference in a system have probably not taken the time to make the number of comparisons we have.

The next thing to consider is matching the quality of your cables to your system through some common-sense price matching. It would make little sense to run a £3,000 pair of RCA interconnects between a £600 CD player and a £600 amp. Or, conversely, using £5-per-metre speaker cable in a £50,000 system.

In terms of total spend, the old rule of thumb was to allocate 10 per cent of the total cost of your hi-fi components to cabling. It’s not a bad rule, but you may get better results if you think of your cables as another component.

So, for example, if your amp, CD player and speakers cost £1,000 each, then consider spending around £1,000 on your cabling – before you panic, that’s not per cable but in total on all of your cabling, e.g. interconnects, digital cables, speaker cables and power leads.

Of course, if you say to a non-hi-fi person that you spent £1,000 on some cables, they will think you’ve totally lost the plot. But if you treat your cables as another component, then you stand a good chance of matching the quality of your cables to your system.

Think of it this way: we wouldn’t buy a £3,000 pair of speakers to stick on the end of a £500 amp. You would most likely get sound, but it would be a waste of the speakers’ potential. The same holds with cabling.

Once you’ve accepted that your system deserves decent cabling, and the cost that comes with it, then there is matching the sonic characteristics of a cable with the sound signature of your system.

If you like a brighter, more forward sound and you feel your existing system could do with a bit more sparkle, then consider silver-plated copper cables.

And high-quality insulation, such as the Taylon material used by Chord Company in some of its cables, will give you a more open and detailed sound.

Or, if your system is a little forward, try a good-quality, high-purity OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) cable and steer away from silver.

silver-plated and taylon covered Chordmusic Phono cables

Or, if your system is a little forward, try a good quality, high purity OFC (Oxygen-Free Copper) cable and steer away from silver.

To XLR or not XLR

That’s a question we get asked a fair amount.

An XLR cable is a balanced cable, which means that it carries two signal cables and a ground conductor. One of the signal cables carries an in-phase signal, the other an equal and opposite out-of-phase signal. These cancel each other out, meaning a balanced and clean signal at the other end.

naim Signal interconnect 2XLR to 4 pin din

They are especially useful for long cable runs and are used in professional settings because the in- and out-of-phase signals are always balanced, no matter how far along the cable they must travel. An unbalanced cable may lose phase integrity over long runs.

But, for all practical purposes, with the very short interconnects used in most home settings, there is likely to be little, if any, audible advantage in using balanced. You may even find you get better sound buying shorter runs of the best unbalanced interconnects you can afford.

The bottom line

Upgrading cables is not about adding colouration to your system. It’s about removing distortion that obscures the signals from your system.

Good cables should preserve the timing, dynamics and harmonic integrity from source to loudspeaker. They should let you hear what your system is truly capable of, free from as much distortion and interference as possible.

Sometimes the difference a cable makes can be fairly dramatic; other times it is more subtle. But as every hi-fi enthusiast knows, the small improvements are worth the effort.

Thanks for reading,

Alan - Audio T Portsmouth

Check out Audio T’s range of cables online and give us a call on 0239 266 3604 or email at portsmouth@audio-t.co.uk, or simply drop into the Portsmouth shop.

Not local to Portsmouth? You can find your nearest Audio T store here.

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

Revisiting the Rega io Amplifier – Small Amp, Big Sound

/ Audio T Cheltenham/

This little beauty from Rega Research has been around for five years now (zoinks… where did that go!). In that time, it’s quietly become a bit of a legend here at Audio T Cheltenham — our go-to budget friendly amplifier and quite possibly the single item we sell the most of. The Rega io has earned a reputation for doing what Rega do best: delivering genuine hi-fi performance without breaking the bank. It’s simple, musical, and built with the same care and attention to detail as their more expensive models. Time for a re-visit, just to remind everyone why this unassuming little amp continues to win so many hearts (and ears)!

what’s in the box?

Distinguished History

Rega have been going since 1973 and have a long and distinguished history of making quality hi-fi products at affordable prices. The io is their current entry-level amplifier, and though it is small, it packs a punch from way above its weight.

from the front

The Best Things Come In Small Packages

The io uses the same power amplifier and phono stage as its larger brother, the multi-award-winning Brio. The io delivers exceptional sound quality in a smaller and more cost-effective package. Its Class A/B circuit shares its DNA with the rest of Rega’s amplifiers, and as usual, great care has been taken in component selection.

that’s a lot of high quality amplifier for the money

Sanken output transistors, an Alps volume potentiometer, and a linear power supply deliver an impressive output of 30 watts per channel into 8 Ω.

around the back

No Degradation Here

Two line-level inputs and a high-quality moving magnet phono input are available as sources on the rear. There is also a great-sounding headphone output provided on the front of the amp for powering standard hi-fi headphones; this is driven from the power amplifier stage of the unit through relays to avoid signal degradation when headphones are inserted or the product is muted. I also adore the fact that the amp will not self-power down after it thinks you have gone out!

A specifically redesigned mini remote handset is included.

A Great Entry Level System

We tend to match the io amp up with Rega’s own Planar 1 turntable and the stonkingly good Acoustic Energy AE100² loudspeakers to make an entry-level system the envy of many other manufacturers. This wonderful little system has to be heard to be believed.

the best entry level system there is!

A Tactile Joy

The sound that this combination can deliver is truly amazing. I have not heard a better system for the money. The Rega Planar 1 turntable has the ability to get so much detail from the record grooves you would not believe. It is solidly built, easy as pie to set up, and a tactile joy to use. Sending the signal to the Rega io amp gives it all the impetus it needs to let the Acoustic Energy AE100² create a huge soundstage with a crystal-clear top end, gorgeous midrange, and a bass quality that truly belies their size. Whatever your choice of music, you can rest assured that it will sound dazzling!

Shrunken Elvis

psychedelic artwork by max kinghorn-mills

Just to make sure that things were working just as they should be, I thought I would test out the system with the new Shrunken Elvis LP, and I was not to be disappointed. This album is a crazy, beautiful mashup of Kosmische Krautrocky dreaminess mixed with a large spoonful of 1970s ECM Pat Metheny-ness. Into this mix, they have majestically melded Spencer Cullum’s angelic pedal steel guitar.

On top of that, I will add that the album is wonderfully produced and recorded, and when played on the aforementioned system, it sounded just as though the speakers had disappeared and the music was dancing in the air in front of me. One of those goosebump moments. The pressing is perfect too, with not even a single click or pop on either side. Fave track? Probably “Marina Pt2”, but trust me, they are all lovely.

Thanks for reading. If I have whetted your appetite and you’d like to book your own demo, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham.

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

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Can versus Can: The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 Vs Px8 S2

/ Audio T Southampton/

Can you believe it’s time for another Audio T Southampton blog? This month, I’ve got a treat — I’m diving into a question we get asked all the time: “What’s the difference between the new Bowers & Wilkins headphones?” With several models now in the lineup, it’s easy to wonder which one is right for you. So, I decided to put them head-to-head, testing comfort, sound quality, features, and real-world usability to see how they stack up — and which pair might best suit your listening style.

B&W Px7 S3 (left) & Px8 S2 (right)

Overview

Headphones are a fascinating way to experience music, delivering sound directly to your ears instead of relying on speakers to fill a room - yet the best ones can still create an immersive, room-scale atmosphere that rivals a hi-fi or AV system.

I started this session with no strong expectations. I’d owned and reviewed the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e, so I knew what the Px7 S3 would be measured against. I’ve always held the S2e in high regard (especially for its price). But how much further could Bowers & Wilkins push things? And more importantly — does the Px8 S2 justify its higher premium? Let’s get into the details.

the px7 s3 in canvas white look cool (pardon the pun)

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3

Design & Comfort Upgrades

From the outset, the B&W Px7 S3 impresses. B&W has slimmed down the profile slightly and refined the finishes to make the headphones feel more premium. According to B&W, they’re about 10 grams lighter than the previous version, and the memory foam padding in both the earcups and headband has been upgraded to a more responsive, luxurious feel. The headband and sliding arms have also been reworked, improving robustness and smoothness of adjustment.

Fit-wise, the clamp is still on the moderate-to-firm side, but the softer padding helps. I found them comfortable for extended sessions, though those with a large head size might want to try them in-store first.

Technical Specs & Features

Here’s what’s under the hood:

  • Drivers: Dual 40 mm bio-cellulose full-range dynamic drivers

  • Signal Path & DSP: Dedicated DSP and amplifier/DAC chains, enabling “True 24-bit” audio over USB/Bluetooth

  • Bluetooth & Codec Support: Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX Classic, aptX HD, AAC, SBC

  • Noise Cancelling / Ambient Modes: Hybrid active noise cancelling with ambient (pass-through) mode and an updated wear-sensing system (auto-pause when lifted)

  • Battery & Charging: Up to 30 hours of playback with ANC on. A 15-minute fast charge gives around 7 hours of listening time.

  • Controls & App: Physical tactile buttons on the earcups and full control via the B&W Music app, including EQ (5-band), wear sensor settings, and transparency mode customisation.

Sound Character & My Impressions

From my listening sessions, the Px7 S3 maintains a lively, engaging character. Bass is punchy and satisfying without overpowering the mix. Mids (vocals, guitars, etc.) stand out cleanly, and highs remain controlled and non-fatiguing, even on finer details. The 5-band EQ gives you room to tweak, but I preferred the factory tuning for most tracks.

When I played Put Me To Work by Big Data, the bass hits were tight, the rhythm locked in well, and the synth layers had space and clarity. Moving on to tracks like Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead), Girl With Golden Eyes (Sixx:A.M.), and Kiss in Blue (Yello), the Px7 S3 stayed composed and expressive.

The improved ANC is noticeable — it handles ambient noise (air conditioning hums, distant chatter) effectively without being overbearing, though in very noisy environments it can’t completely block everything. It’s a fair trade-off to preserve musical integrity.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2

Design, Build & Comfort

The B&W Px8 S2 aims even higher. B&W describes it as their most “considered and comfortable” over-ear design yet, with a slimmer profile than the original Px8 and finishes in Nappa leather with die-cast aluminium arms. The exposed, nylon-sheathed cable detailing is a stylish touch, and though the cushions are the same cup size as the Px7 S3, in practice they feel a little roomier thanks to improved isolation and shell design. With a listed weight of around 310 g, they’re still comfortable for multi-hour listening sessions.

The px8 s2 in onyx black are simple yet elegant

Technical Specs & Features

Here’s a deeper look at what makes the Px8 S2 tick:

  • Drivers: 40 mm carbon-cone custom drivers — a step above the bio-cellulose units in the Px7 S3

  • DSP & Signal Chain: 24-bit DSP processing, discrete amplification, and refined signal path tailoring to extract greater detail from the drivers

  • Bluetooth & Codec Support: Bluetooth with aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and high-resolution audio — supporting up to 24-bit / 96 kHz over Bluetooth

  • Noise Cancelling / Mic Array: 8-microphone setup — 2 for measuring driver output, 4 for ambient cancellation, and 2 for calls — providing refined control over ANC and voice clarity

  • Battery & Charging: Also rated for 30 hours with ANC on. A quick 15-minute charge yields around 7 hours of playback

  • Wired / USB Modes: Supports USB-C audio for wired high-resolution playback, plus a 3.5 mm jack fallback

Sound Character & My Impressions

Putting on Kiss in Blue, I was immediately struck by how much richer and more authoritative the bass felt compared to the Px7 S3. The mids were lush and transparent, while the highs had sparkle without harshness. The soundstage felt wider and more three-dimensional — instruments and vocals felt naturally placed in space rather than simply layered.

When I listened to Dvaledraumar (Wardruna), Fear Is Not My Guide (Demon Hunter), and Fell on Black Days (Soundgarden), I noticed more detail in reverb tails, more control in dynamic crescendos, and a fuller sense of ambience. With Dvaledraumar in particular, it felt like I was in the track itself, surrounded by the music. The Px8 S2 seemed to breathe more freely, painting a larger sonic canvas.

On technical measurements, reviews indicate that the Px8 S2 maintain lower distortion at sub-bass frequencies (below ~50 Hz) compared to comparable models, giving cleaner slam and better extension.

The ANC on the Px8 S2 is robust but, interestingly, slightly gentler than some of the most aggressive rivals — seemingly intentional, to avoid compromising sound quality. Reviewers often praise how the music remains largely unaffected with ANC engaged.

Call clarity is solid and reliable, though not class-leading — perfectly fine for everyday use.

Verdict – Which One to Choose?

Now that we’ve explored the specs and sound differences in detail, here’s where I land — and what I’d recommend depending on your priorities.

Px7 S3 Pros & Trade-offs

Pros:

  • Excellent value — performance that punches above many in its price range

  • Lighter build and improved comfort over the S2e

  • Strong codec support and DSP architecture

  • Versatile connectivity via USB-C and Bluetooth

  • Effective ANC for everyday use

  • Easier on the wallet compared to flagship options

Trade-offs:

  • While powerful, the sound isn’t quite as expansive or ultra-refined as the Px8 S2

  • ANC is good but not class-leading

  • Premium finish, though not at flagship luxury levels

Px8 S2 Pros & Trade-offs

Pros:

  • Stronger driver design (carbon-cone) for greater authority, clarity, and resolution

  • Spacious soundstage, richer tonality, and more composure at dynamic extremes

  • Full support for wired hi-res playback and Bluetooth hi-res

  • Premium materials and refined design give a true “flagship” feel

  • Robust noise cancellation with advanced mic array

Trade-offs:

  • Significantly higher price — the improvement is justified if you want to stretch to it

  • ANC is excellent but intentionally balanced, not overpowering

  • The difference over the Px7 S3 is noticeable mainly in side-by-side listening with high-quality sources

My Take

If your budget allows, the Px8 S2 is clearly the top tier — if you care deeply about that final layer of musical richness, resolution, and scale, it delivers.

The Px7 S3 hits a sweet spot: it’s technically sophisticated, musical, and offers tremendous value for the price. For most listeners, it’s a best buy.

My personal verdict remains: the Px8 S2 are the “ultimate” choice if you want to invest, but the Px7 S3 are still outstanding performers and represent brilliant value for money. Either way, visiting one of our stores and listening for yourself is the best way to decide which pair suits you best.

Thanks for reading,

Tiago - Audio T Southampton

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

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

REL Classic 98 vs REL T/9x: Two Very Different Subwoofer Alternatives

/ Audio T Swindon/

At Audio T Swindon, we’ve been fortunate to experience two of REL’s most talked-about subwoofers side by side — the Classic 98 and the T/9x. On paper they may seem similar, but in reality, they represent two very different approaches to bass reproduction. One looks back to REL’s heritage, inspired by the legendary Strata III of the late 1990s, while the other showcases everything the brand has learned since. In this comparison, we explore how these two models differ in design, technology, and sound — and which one might be the best fit for your system.

REL: A Legacy of Innovation

From its inception, REL Acoustics has been driven by a singular purpose: to deliver uncompromised audio excellence. Founded by Richard Edmund Lord (the "R-E-L" of REL), the company’s journey began with dissatisfaction. Richard, a huge fan of classical organ music, found that no loudspeaker available could reach low enough to reproduce the deepest organ pipes. Frustrated by the subwoofer offerings of the day, he decided to build his own. What began as a custom-built design integrated into a bay window in his home quickly became a phenomenon.

Richard’s first groundbreaking contribution — the High-Level Input — revolutionised the industry. Unlike conventional subwoofers that rely on preamp signals, REL’s High-Level Input connects directly to the main amplifier’s speaker outputs. This ensures that REL subwoofers blend seamlessly with loudspeakers, delivering a sound as cohesive and natural as the original recording. This innovation became the cornerstone of REL’s legacy and remains a defining feature today.

Another major breakthrough followed soon after: the addition of a dedicated .1/LFE input with its own gain control. This allowed a single subwoofer to handle both music and home cinema without manual adjustments — an elegant, forward-thinking solution that perfectly embodied REL’s engineering ethos.

REL Strata 3

REL has always focused on how an entire system integrates, not just the bass. Early models such as the Strata 3 and Stadium set the stage for REL’s reputation, offering solutions that were both musical and technically innovative.

The R-Series, introduced in 2005, embraced modern Class D amplification. Compact yet powerful, these designs paired beautifully with piano black lacquer finishes, showcasing REL’s ability to combine performance with style. This range laid the groundwork for today’s Serie S.

In the early 2000s, the Britannia Series introduced forward-firing designs, while the T-Series (launched in 2007) brought in a cube-style cabinet, simplified crossovers, and refined aesthetics — the blueprint for the current Serie T/x.

Between 2015 and 2020, innovations such as PerfectFilter™ and LimitLess™ limiters gave REL unprecedented control and precision, allowing their subwoofers to deliver powerful, deep bass without losing speed or definition. REL’s ongoing refinements — including reducing driver moving mass by 20% — have resulted in even faster and more dynamic performance, ensuring every nuance of music or film is faithfully reproduced.

The REL Classic 98

The early REL models — Strata, Stadium, and Stentor — introduced the brand to the world, but the Strata III (1998) was the product that truly put REL on the map. The latest Classic No. 98 is an homage to that legendary design, updated for today’s systems.

Rel T9X and Classic 98

The original REL concept was a sealed enclosure with a low-power Class A/B amplifier driving a long-throw bass driver. Where many subwoofers use ports to extend low frequencies, Richard’s idea was to use a large, sealed cabinet for cleaner, more controlled bass. Both the Strata III and Classic 98 use a 250mm driver. Back in 1998, that was a VIFA unit. REL could have repurposed the driver from its T/9x, but instead designed and built a bespoke paper driver specifically for the Classic 98.

top views

In the late 20th century, using a low-power Class A/B design was more of a necessity than a choice — powerful Class D amps weren’t yet viable. Building several hundred watts of Class A/B power into a Strata III would have been extremely heavy, expensive, and hot-running. However, by 2023, REL had perfected its Class D technology and equipped the Classic 98 with a new 300W amplifier, providing ample power without the need for external heat sinks that would spoil its retro design.

Aesthetically, REL returned to its roots. After years of black and white finishes, the Classic 98 revives the deep matte walnut veneer and rounded edges that defined its heritage. The polished REL badge on the top plate and square feet subtly distinguish it from the original, while the rear panel remains faithful in spirit. It’s a superb fusion of past and present — modern engineering wrapped in timeless style.

rear views

Early REL subs were a revelation for music lovers wanting to add depth and warmth to their systems, though by modern standards they weren’t the deepest or most neutral. The Classic 98 successfully bridges that gap — retaining some of the original warmth, but with the speed and precision of modern designs.

There’s still a hint of that classic REL warmth: a touch of richness that gives the midrange more presence. However, the Classic 98 sounds more direct and extended than its 1990s ancestor.

More speed!

The Classic 98 delivers the speed expected from modern REL subwoofers. Its paper cone driver moves air quickly and cleanly — far faster than its predecessors. It’s less warm than the originals but still fuller and more characterful than the T/x range.

The warmth of older REL designs often came from limited cabinet control. The Strata III used an unbraced enclosure with light wadding and as much grip on the driver as the amplifier could muster. The Classic 98 retains an unbraced cabinet but adds thicker wadding, a more dynamic driver, and far more power, resulting in a tighter, deeper, and faster sound — with just a trace of that vintage smoothness.

Bass reinforcement follows REL’s long-standing principle: underpinning the entire system rather than overwhelming it. This allows the midrange and treble of the main loudspeakers to shine through naturally.

While the Classic 98 can certainly deliver bass impact, that’s not its primary goal. Like the Strata III, it’s about musical integration and natural reinforcement — and that’s what makes it such a joy to listen to.

Classic 98 driver

REL T/9x: Modern Power and Precision

T9x showing active and passive drivers

The T/9x sits at the top of REL’s T-Series and could be considered the company’s best-value all-rounder. It’s capable of filling larger rooms and delivers deep, fast, and agile bass.

While the Classic 98 exudes vintage charm, the T/9x represents REL’s modern engineering at its finest. Available in black, white, and grey (with optional bright colours in the T/9x SE for an additional £150*), it’s as stylish as it is capable.

Despite a similar price to the Classic 98, the T/9x is a very different beast. Its 300W amplifier is a Class A/B design, not Class D. The Classic 98 uses a single 10-inch down-firing paper cone, while the T/9x features a pair of 10-inch drivers — a forward-firing fibre alloy driver and a downward-firing passive radiator. Both models have similar overall cabinet volume.

The Classic 98 offers softer, warmer bass; the T/9x excels in speed, clarity, and soundstaging. Both are rated down to 27Hz, but in real-world performance, the T/9x likely digs a little deeper.

T9x back panel

Conclusion: Which REL is Right for You?

The Classic 98 is ideal where space or style is a consideration — its smaller footprint and walnut finish make it perfect for vintage systems or retro-inspired rooms. Its smoother, warmer presentation suits music lovers seeking natural integration rather than sheer impact.

The T/9x, on the other hand, offers greater speed, precision, and scale. If you prefer a more modern look and your room allows for it, the T/9x is the one to go for.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Jon and Andy - Audio T Swindon

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

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

Stylus Switch-Ups – Rishi at Audio T Reading Experiments with Interchangeable Styli

/ Audio T Reading/

If, like us at Audio T, you are deep into all things music and hi-fi and have an incessant urge to connect to your tunes just that little bit more, there’s a good chance that the upgrade bug has bitten you a number of times. If you’re also into spinning vinyl, maybe you’ve looked at making improvements to your turntable setup – perhaps a cable upgrade, or say exchanging your felt mat for a cork one, or maybe you’ve even thought about jacking your whole turntable up onto an isolation plinth? But what if you currently own a moving magnet (MM) cartridge with an interchangeable stylus? Have you ever wondered if there is scope to wring out some extra performance there?

Amongst those who may not have explored or tried to swap out their stylus, there might be some scepticism as to how much difference this change can make. It would be a perfectly reasonable reservation – I mean, after all, look at the size of the actual needle. With my glasses off, I’m not always able to see the stylus. But then again, I might struggle to see the whole turntable with my dodgy eyes! Self-mocking aside, changing out something so minuscule surely cannot amount to a difference of any meaningful note? I’m typically up for a challenge though, and recently I’ve been experimenting with exchanging styli on a couple of different cartridges to see if there is any mileage in it. One of these styli is a new entry to the charts, so if (like me) you’re a ‘diamond’ geezer (someone who likes record player needles) please do keep reading…

 

REGA RELOAD – CARBON STYLUS VS NEW CARBON PRO

Ah, the humble Rega Carbon – this cartridge and stylus combo has been around for over a decade, and it’s considered by Rega as not only of the required spec to mount to their entry-level Rega Planar 1 turntable, but also good enough to proudly perform on their next-model-up Planar 2. Is the Carbon among the best tracking styli available? Well, courtesy of its modest conical stylus profile, not really. Perhaps the Carbon is up there when it comes to retrieving oodles of detail from the grooves of your records? Erm, not so much either. What the Carbon is good at, though, is being impressively balanced throughout its frequency range, as well as sounding tonally very believable for a budget needle.

However, new on the scene as of now (autumn 2025) is Rega’s Carbon Pro Stylus – the very first Rega upgrade pathway for owners of the standard Carbon cartridge. But is swapping over to this Carbon Pro worth it at the current price of £35*? From my initial tests, yes, I think it is. Whether you’re a Carbon cartridge owner courtesy of a Planar 1, a Planar 2, or perhaps rocking a Carbon on a similarly appointed deck, the Carbon Pro stylus sounds comfortably more dynamic, airier, and that bit clearer when compared to the stock Carbon.

How is this so? It’s just a teensy needle change, right? Well, it’s almost entirely because the elliptical shape of the Carbon Pro’s needle is contacting more of the record groove than the Carbon’s rounded stylus is capable of. Not even Superman with a vitamin A jab would be able to see just how tiny that extra contact is. But it’s worth mentioning that the musical signal formed by that needle contact as it makes its way through the record groove, is being amplified by at least a thousand times before it reaches the speakers. That tiny delta of contact matters – it’s one of those rare occasions when doing very little amounts to a lot!

 

ORTOFON OVERHAUL – 2M BRONZE STYLUS VS 2M BLACK

An Ortofon 2M stylus-based comparison is one of those that feels like it’s been done more than any other in the hi-fi universe – the 2M Red vs the 2M Blue… the 2M Bronze vs the 2M Black – but it could well be because the experiment is so much fun. Here, I went with the Bronze vs the Black. I’ve owned a 2M Bronze cartridge and stylus for many years, so have gotten very accustomed to its sonic presentation. Changing it out not only gave me a chance to enjoy and learn about the virtues of the 2M Black, but it also helped me to understand my own 2M Bronze that little bit more.

To my ears, there was certainly a higher level of detail retrieval on offer from the 2M Black, but it didn’t come across in a forensic way. If anything, the 2M Bronze sounded just that bit more analytical by comparison, although I’m very keen to point out that I wouldn’t label the 2M Bronze as analytical when listening to it in isolation. I thought the 2M Black made my music sound bolder, more dramatic and atmospheric, and perhaps not quite as lit up in the upper frequencies as the 2M Bronze. For me, the 2M Black has some character and colour, with basslines coming across with more mass and authority. In contrast, the bass from the 2M Bronze presented with more tautness and definition. If anything, I could associate the 2M Bronze with a more ‘reference’ type of sound, despite the 2M Black being the one that is marketed as such... how interesting.

If you’ve already got a 2M Bronze (or even 2MR Bronze) cartridge, is it worth switching out the 2M Bronze stylus for a 2M Black one? Well, the decision will likely hinge on how you like your music presented to you, and it may depend on what turntable you have and how it inherently offers up its own sonic signature. To my mind, rather than the 2M Black being outright better than the 2M Bronze, both styli imbue the music with a different flavour, with each having its own merits. It’s worth knowing that both the 2M Bronze and 2M Black have high-performance stylus profiles, Nude Fine Line and Nude Shibata respectively. Both will make excellent contact with your vinyl, and both will track the tighter inner grooves of your records without contributing much in the way of distortion. Both styli will also track deeper in the record, therefore bypassing most of the surface noise if any is present.

 

OUTRO – STICK OR SWAP

These stylus ‘swapsies’ are something that I’ve experimented with before on other cartridges, for example with the VM95 range from Audio Technica, and to quite astonishing effect when moving from an Audio Note IQ1 stylus to the sensational IQ3. This one really has to be heard…

To offer some concluding thoughts, a big takeaway here is that changing out something as negligible as a stylus on a cartridge can make a remarkable difference to the sonic output of your turntable, which consequently can have a positive impact on your musical enjoyment. While going for a cheaper replacement stylus (those typically found with a conical or elliptical profile) can save money in the short term, it may be worth considering a ‘line-contact’ (i.e. microlinear, microline, Shibata, etc.) type of replacement stylus – these particular styli have the ability to track the record much better, while having a longer expected lifespan than conical or elliptical types.

In addition, line-contact styli tend to distribute pressure more evenly on your vinyl, leading to reduced record wear. If you would like to know more about changing out your stylus, or if you would like to hear the difference it can make, please do get in touch with us. We’d be happy to help, needle-less to say.

Thank you for reading

Rishi - Audio T Reading

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

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

Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores

Ortofon can be found at the following Audio T stores

Audio Technica can be found at the following Audio T stores

Audio Note can be found at the following Audio T stores

*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE

The new Quad 3 integrated amplifier - we're all four it!

/

Hello all, and welcome to the October blog from Audio T Brighton! Quad has been making a name for itself for decades, with many of its amplifiers and speakers being inducted into the “Audiophile Hall of Fame”. Bringing things up to date, following on from their recent pre/power products, Quad 33/303, they have introduced the Quad 3 integrated amplifier. As with many product releases, the Quad 3 is a retro-styled and well specified piece of kit, so let’s have a look and a listen to see what it has to offer.

Quad 3 retro integrated amplifier . . . .

Quad Electronics is a brand that goes back for decades - their Quad ESL63 electrostatic loudspeakers and Quad 33 pre/303 power amp are legendary in the hifi world, just to name a few.  Their British heritage has more recently been acquired by the IAG audio group, and to be fair, they have worked hard to maintain the Quad name, releasing modern products that pay homage to the styling and sound qualities of yore.  As can be seen in the picture above, the traditional orange accents of Quad equipment have been kept, and one has to say, there is a certain old-school, nostalgic charm whenever I see them, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so your mileage may vary.

Quad 3 - features and functionality . . . .

rear of the quad 3 integrated

Starting at the rear and working our way forward, the Quad 3 amplifier is endowed with the usual amplifier features plus some additional functionality:  3 analogue inputs, including a MM phono stage for turntables, an analogue pre-amp out for adding an external power amplifier; 1 x Bluetooth aerial for wireless connectivity; 4 digital inputs, including 1 x USB, 1 x co-ax, 1 x optical and 1 x HDMI eArc to utilise it’s inbuilt DAC functions; 2 x 12V trigger input/output for remote control across different manufacturers.  The HDMI ARC functionality is becoming more popular these days, with one-box integration with TV replay in mind being a nice touch.

Adding DAC functionality and digital inputs to integrated amplifiers seems to be all the rage at the moment, and Quad have followed suit in this regard.  The DAC section is armed with a fairly up-to-date ESS9038Q2M 32-bit DAC chip, handling up to DSD512, 768kHz via the USB input and up to 24-bit, 192kHz via co-ax and optical inputs.

The amplifier section offers 65W into 8ohms and 100W into 4ohms and should drive most modern speakers comfortably. Our shop speaker selection, as you will read later, were all driven comfortably by the Quad 3 integrated.

An unusual and unique feature that may “tilt” your buying decision in favour of the Quad 3 integrated, is the tilt tone control feature.  Standard tone controls are available for bass and treble if desired, but the tilt feature is one that is a hangover from earlier Quad products and not one that has caught on with other manufacturers.

Altering the tilt control has a unique frequency response effect whereby the tilt control pivots around a central frequency, typically around 700Hz. Frequencies around this point remain relatively unchanged.  When you adjust the tilt control, you're essentially "tilting" the frequency response curve.  Turning the control in one direction increases the treble frequencies while simultaneously decreasing the bass frequencies. This makes the sound brighter and leaner.  Turning it in the opposite direction increases the bass frequencies while simultaneously decreasing the treble frequencies. This makes the sound warmer and fuller.  Another thing to mention is that these adjustments are all relatively subtle, making poor sounding recordings easier to tame, and in our experience, works better than the usual tone control implementation, which we are generally keen to avoid using because it is often detrimental to sound quality.

Finally, the ubiquitous remote control is also included, so it can join the army of remote controls you have filling your drawer in the lounge cabinet - the one saving grace is that one should at least be able to single it out more easily because of the orange accent buttons that nicely match the Quad 3’s illuminated front panel.

quad 3 integrated amp and matching remote

So how does the Quad 3 sound?

quad 3 integrated and wharfedale linton speakers

We have tried the Quad 3 integrated amplifier in various combinations here at Audio T in Brighton, and in all cases, the performance was nothing short of excellent!

Under the IAG distributor umbrella, we’d recommend the Quad 3 with the Wharfedale Linton or Wharfedale Super Linton speakers, but it also sounded very good with our Proac Response DB1’s, with the DAC section sounding clean and detailed, very much in line with how we are getting used to with the ESS chipsets.  A better quality streamer/DAC, Naim’s ND5XS2, or Audiolab’s 9000N, played through one of the analogue inputs, did provide the expected improvement in sound quality but given this unit is around double the price of the Quad 3 alone, the Quad’s internal ESS DAC stage held up very well.

The Quad 3 MM phono stage is a nice addition and didn’t disgrace itself in the company of our in-house Rega Planar 3 with Rega ND3 MM cartridge.

Retro with a modern twist . . . .

inside of a quad 3 integrated

We’re always excited when new products arrive on the scene here at Audio T in Brighton, and we’ve been delighted with both the looks, construction, and sound of the Quad 3 integrated amplifier - it certainly stands out from the crowd, offers good value, and comes recommended from us.

As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating — so get in touch to book a demonstration and hear for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John, Paul, Kevin & Jake - Audio T Brighton

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

Quad can be found at the following Audio T stores

Wharfedale can be found at the following Audio T stores

Audiolab can be found at the following Audio T stores

Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores

ProAc can be found at the following Audio T stores

Roon Service - Gareth at Audio T Reading Gets Us ‘Roon Ready’…

/ Audio T Reading/

Back at the turn of the century music servers were beginning to make their mark on the musical landscape. Things really began with Napster, which enabled peer-to-peer music sharing, and started taking off when Apple introduced the iPod and iTunes store — no streaming as yet, but the seeds had been sown. At this time these services utilised MP3 files — a compressed format which played nicely with the low available bandwidths at the time — and pretty soon there were additional services such as Last.fm and Pandora that started collating information about listening preferences.

As the choice of software and facilities proliferated, the UK digital pioneers Meridian introduced a system called Sooloos around 2006. This was a ferociously expensive system comprising hardware and software which rather set the template for music server systems in the future.

The talented team behind Sooloos moved on to establish Roon Labs in 2015, which took the concepts forward and streamlined them to create what we now know as Roon. These days we've moved way beyond the constraints of MP3 and Roon now deals with even the highest-resolution files available.

SO WHAT IS ROON?

Roon is a unified, interactive software system which allows a single interface to be used for all your streaming hardware and also integrates your own local music library with your external music streaming services. There are a number of components to Roon.

Roon Homescreen

Firstly, you will need a hardware box on which to run the Roon ‘Core,’ which is the heart of the system and acts as your local Roon server. This can be anything from a Raspberry Pi up to a dedicated PC or Mac; there are some devices, such as from the Innuos family, which include a Roon Core as part of their OS (operating system), and Roon actually make a device called the Nucleus which is effectively a single-use NUC (a dedicated small form factor computer) that runs the Roon software.

The other components required are endpoints to which Roon will serve the requested music files. This is where we start to see how advanced Roon is. You may have seen the phrase 'Roon Ready' or 'Roon Tested' attached to streaming equipment or DACs; this means that the item in question will be seen by the Roon Core, which will then adjust its output to ensure compatibility with the endpoint hardware (e.g. music player). This means that you could, for example, have a Naim streamer in your main rig with a Bluesound Node in the office and a Wiim speaker in the kitchen, and Roon would see them all and give you a simple switcher to move between the devices without needing to use any of the proprietary apps — all through the excellent unified Roon interface.

roon homescreen including the side menu, showing options to access

The software contains a powerful suite of DSP-related functions which can be applied to these endpoints — I'll touch on these later. You can also hand volume control over to Roon if you wish, along with the usual transport controls.


WHAT ABOUT THE TUNES?

So we now have our streaming devices connected up to our networked Core ready to receive some music, and this is where Roon really starts to pull ahead of the pack. In short, the rich interface gives you unprecedented access to details about the album or track you are playing and allows you to deep dive into the details of a particular artist. Here are some screenshots to illustrate the wealth of info available:

standard artist screen - what you see when you select an artist

standard album screen - front page for a specific album

further down the album page - shows list of roon recommendations based on specified album

front screen for composer page

front page for a specific composer - selected from previous composer screen

selection of a specific album from the earlier composer list

front page for the embedded tidal front page within roon

front page for the embedded qobuz front page within roon

One of the strongest features of Roon's music management is the way in which it treats music from external streaming services as though they were local files. If you see something interesting on Qobuz or Tidal, you can tell Roon to add it to your library. This will not physically bring the files into your library, but they will be treated as though they were, which means it's easy to curate your listening without being overwhelmed with albums you are not interested in. This has another upside when it comes to one of the absolute standout functions — Roon Radio.


ROON RADIO

I must confess that getting to grips with Roon Radio has completely revitalised the way I listen to music. It's essentially an intelligent random play facility; 'seed' it with a playlist then, once the playlist (or album) has finished, Roon will kick into Radio mode and start playing tracks it thinks you might be interested in. This in itself is not particularly interesting — Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify all have this facility — but the difference with Roon goes back to the way you can 'virtually' add albums to your library.

a ‘now playing’ screen

I have a very large and carefully tweaked collection of classical music. If I seed with (for example) a Sibelius symphony, Roon Radio will take over and play symphonic or other orchestral music from the same sort of era (with occasional detours to add interest), and will also (assuming the metadata is good) play complete works rather than individual movements à la Classic FM, which is not the best way to listen to classical music. There's a switch in Roon which limits the selection for Roon Radio to your own library, and this for me is the icing on the cake. I can take interesting recordings from Tidal and Qobuz, add them to my library, then get Roon Radio to play them along with my local files. Perfect.

playlist screen showing roon queing complete classical works

All of the above good stuff also applies to other music genres, and each one seems to be just a bit better thought through than other similar facilities. For example, seed it with some electronic music from 2020 and the radio selection seems to stay fairly close in date, which tends to minimise the slightly jarring stylistic effect of jumping from electronic music in 2020 to tunes from the same genre in say 2005.

Of course, you could turn off the 'only play from library' switch, in which case Roon will go to your streaming service of choice and select from there — so you have the best of both worlds.



ROON DSP

I mentioned earlier that there is a powerful suite of DSP functions (called MUSE) included in Roon, and this has proved to be more useful than I imagined. If you have an older legacy DAC that you love (or use something like an Audio Note DAC which uses an older chipset), then you might find issues with trying to send higher-resolution files to the endpoint. The resampling function in MUSE will allow you to downsample any Hi-Res PCM or DSD files to legacy sample rates so they play seamlessly on a DAC equipped with an older chipset. Conversely, I have recently been experimenting with upsampling. I have a Bricasti DAC which sounds great with DSD files, so I have been running Roon in DSD upsample mode, which is a breeze to set up and has some serious potential in my setup.



OTHER GOODIES IN ROON

The MUSE suite has some extra facilities which can be very useful, and perhaps the main one of these is the comprehensive set of headphone EQ curves. Anyone who is interested in Head-Fi will know that there are many headphone users out there who like to apply EQ curves to their 'phone rig in an attempt to even out a headphone’s stock frequency response — Roon makes it very easy to do this. There are a multitude of preset curves built into the MUSE software; for some of the most popular headphones there are even multiple curves available, and switching between them is very easy. This means that you can experiment to your heart’s content with other people’s idea of a good headphone response, or indeed create your own with equal ease.



CONSIDERATIONS FOR ADOPTING ROON?

There are, of course, a few considerations that may be drawbacks, or at least may present some challenges for the adoption of Roon:

  • You need a machine to run the Core. This could be a laptop or desktop which is used for other things, but for a serious Roon implementation a dedicated machine will work best, especially if you have a number of zones in use simultaneously or make use of the MUSE functions. The hardware doesn't have to be hugely powerful, but lots of RAM helps considerably. Perhaps the best option for the new user is the pre-built Roon Nucleus, which is ready to go out of the box.

  • On top of the hardware costs you also need to factor in the cost of the software itself. There are two ways to do this: you can either pay a monthly subscription or you can stump up for a lifetime license and be done with it. At this time of posting, the monthly cost is $14.99 billed monthly or $12.49 billed annually, and the lifetime cost is $829.99. Free trials are available at this time if you want to try before taking the plunge.

  • Since fairly recently, the software requires an active internet connection to work.

  • Currently Roon only plays nicely with Tidal or Qobuz (or KKBox if that's your bag), so no integration with Spotify. This may be on the roadmap for the future now that Spotify has finally implemented its 'Hi-Res' tier.

There are a number of other niceties with Roon, such as the way it will communicate with devices which are not Roon Ready by switching to AirPlay, the availability of Roon Remote interface for pretty much all hardware platforms, a dynamically updated home page with playlist recommendations, and Roon ARC which allows remote access to your own library. But the package really makes it easy and enjoyable to experiment with all this stuff — and it's really reliable and robust by now as well.


THE BOTTOM LINE - TO ROON OR NOT TO ROON

This piece was quite difficult to write as Roon is such a fully featured and unique package, and I'm aware that it all comes over a little bit dry and techy. What I should really say, though, is that from bitrate tweaking to discovering the music of unfamiliar artists, it makes the whole process fun and there is something for everyone — I’m still discovering new features that Roon has to offer after many years of use.

The interface is second to none (it looks particularly good on a tablet) and the functionality is really comprehensive. There were a few raised eyebrows when Harman took it over some while back, but so far they have been pretty good at rolling out small bug-fix updates and keeping the core functionality intact, so the future looks bright for Roon. In case you were wondering, it also plays nicely with Chromecast, MQA and even Sonos!

If this blog has piqued your interest, please do come in to Audio T Reading for a demo of the Roon software and a chat about how it can help you rediscover, or indeed further, your love of music.

Thank you for reading

Gareth - Audio T Reading

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

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Power, Precision, and Passion: The Hegel H600 Lands in Bristol

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image: Hegel hd600
““Nothing great in the world was accomplished without passion.“”
— One of the most famous quotes from the German Philosopher, Hegel.

Suffice to say, this Hegel HD600 feels solid, crafted, and with a meaty sound philosophy. Hegel has been on our radar here at Audio T Bristol for a while. Bill at Auden Distribution has been impressing the visitors to the Bristol Hi-Fi Show for many years.

We are really pleased to have Hegel here for our customers.

History

The story begins in 1988. Bent Holter, a student at the Technical University in Trondheim (NTNU), decided to do a thesis on the original design of the transistor used in amplifiers. He was aiming to cure the Hi-Fi world of distortion. No one can doubt the young Holter’s ambition. After many years, and R&D investment, the breakaway from classical amplifier design was completed and patented in the early 1990s with the SoundEngine Technology that still exists today. Like any self-respecting student looking to pull, increase street cred and get free beers, Holter was in a rock band — the name of which was Hegel.

Hegel HD600

HD600 is Hegel’s reference integrated amplifier — 303 watts in 8 ohms, a damping factor of 4000, and 2 ohms drive capability. The amplifier is a dual mono design, the preamplifier has a precise volume attenuator found in their reference P30A amplifier.

image: Hegel DAC close up

The onboard DAC is a bit-perfect design, with no upsampling or resampling. It has a large, dedicated power supply that ensures uncontaminated and stable performance. This design is then thoroughly shielded by a thick steel plate, so there is no interference from other electronics inside the amplifier.

image: Hegel Heft

The design is pure Nordic Noir, Scandi minimalism. At 22kg, this is quite a beast, with thick, pin-accurate machined panelling, perfectly finished. Obviously, having a power switch on the front would upset the aesthetic of two control knobs (input/menu select and volume), so it’s located underneath the front panel. A large lozenge affair, that gives a reassuring clunk when brought to life.

Round the back, left and right mono channels are about as far apart as you can get, without disappearing around the sides. There is huge spacing between connections and quite an array of digital and analogue inputs.

Specifications:

Analog inputs: 2 x Balanced (XLR), 2 x Unbalanced (RCA)

Digital outputs: 1 x Coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF - 24/192

Digital inputs: 1 x Coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF - 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x; 1 x Coaxial (RCA) S/PDIF - 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x; 3 x Optical S/PDIF - 24/96, MQA 8x; 1 x USB - 32/384, DSD256 (DoP), MQA 8x; 1 x Network - 24/192, DSD64, MQA 8x

Line level outputs: 1 x Unbalanced fixed (RCA), 1 x Unbalanced variable (RCA)

Streaming: Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Google Cast, Roon Ready, Tidal Connect, Airable Internet Radio and Podcast, UPnP, JPLAY Certified

Streaming formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSF, DFF, AAC, PCM, MQA, Ogg

The clever digital link ability allows for the connection of the Hegel D50 dedicated external DAC — outputting from the BNC and back into a selected input. A very significant feature and a great upgrade.

Setup

Sometimes it is quite refreshing to just plug in an integrated and hang a couple of speakers off it, knowing that the system has an amazing DAC, fully network connected with Roon, Qobuz Connect and other streaming services. The Hegel control app for iPad worked seamlessly and another lesson to others in minimalist true functionality.

This powerhouse of an amplifier can drive any speaker with confidence and ease. To begin with we tried the Acoustic Energy Coriniums, moving onto the ATC SCM40, SCM50. But a very interesting phenomenon developed. This amplifier really got into its stride powering the ATC SCM100. These beasts, with the active modules containing 350W, in passive crossover mode only the Hegel H600 could grab hold and really show what these speakers can do.

The ever-evolving Audio T Bristol Hi-Fi Experience Qobuz playlist got a real hammering this time, because the Hegel was able to really get hold of the most challenging tracks and still provided real energy and beauty without too much edginess.

Conclusion

The Hegel H600 is an exceptional integrated amplifier — effortless at any volume. The DAC can easily rival many excellent external DACs. The H600 isn’t cheap, but to find another combination of integrated amplifier and DAC, whether as one or two units, that could outperform it would be a very difficult task.

Hegel is a welcome addition here in Bristol and as always — book an audition and hear for yourself.

Thanks for reading!

Justin, Max & Paul - Audio T Bristol

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You want style, simplicity and performance? We’ve got it. The Hegel Music Systems H400 Integrated Amplifier

/ Audio T Swansea/

We’ve been looking forward to this for a very long time. Bill of Auden Distribution (the UK importer of Hegel equipment) has been a chum of the store ever since his KEF days, twenty #cough# years ago, and has been hinting about Hegel at us since pre-Covid times. Happily for us (and, one imagines, Bill too), the powers that be have decided that the time is now right for us to stock some of Norway’s finest music replay electronica.

hello handsome.

In 1988 an engineering undergraduate called Holter wrote his thesis on overcoming distortion in transistors used for amplifiers. We are reliably informed that fighting distortion without affecting other areas of performance is no easy feat, and this task required designs that broke free of ‘classical’ schematics. The project became the basis for what is now known as Hegel’s ‘SoundEngine Technology’. Around the same time, Holter’s band, ‘The Hegel Band’, needed amplifiers for their gigs, and the industrious Mr Holter thought they should probably build their own. A completely natural thing to do, of course, when you’re an electronics designer. With help and funding from Telenor (a major player in Norwegian telecommunications), Hegel was able to achieve commercial success with their amplifiers in the early 1990s, which led to further success with DACs and CD players in the late 1990s, until they grew into the company we see today, exporting Hi-Fi to over 60 nations across the planet.

jolly neat work, fair play

Design

All of Hegel’s integrated amplifiers have in-built network audio players which allow for streaming of digital audio. The most basic facilitate AirPlay, UPnP and Spotify, whilst the units further up the range are Roon Ready and also provide Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and Google Cast. They are all controllable via the Hegel app, and the H400 is the one we’ll concentrate on today. The fascia is a Spartan Scandi affair, with just volume and source control knobs flanking an attractive pale-blue dot matrix display. These are the same controls as on the more expensive H600, and can be pressed in to activate the menus, mirroring the functions on the remote control. The power button is easily discovered underneath the front of the fascia and cycles between on and stand-by with a satisfying clunk.

User Experience

The business end of the hegel app

In response to demand for a more modern user interface, Hegel has done something they previously said they would never do, and created an app. Called Hegel Control, it’s free to download and works with both iOS and Android. The app only needs to be connected to the same network as the amplifier, and you can control playback, volume and settings from your mobile phone. It’s straightforward to use and so far has been very stable. (We are informed that the Hegel app replaces a web-based interface previously used on the predecessor H390 unit.) It has built-in radio and podcasts with Airable, and UPnP only. Accessing our store Innuos Zen music server with UPnP was an absolute doddle, lightning fast and sounded great. The amplifier can stream just about anything you want (especially now that it is equipped with Chromecast), but from outside of the Hegel app. We are told it keeps the app much more stable to arrange things this way and, in use, it’s straightforward enough and causes very little grumbling. This is the first time a Hegel product has used Google Cast (Chromecast), a feature that users have been (apparently) clamouring for, for years. The answer to “why now” is that this feature no longer requires a Bluetooth connection, which is where Hegel draws the line, because they believe it adds too much noise to the signal. Hegel went on to say that the new platform makes it much easier to expand the functionality and access more services in the future. Fair enough.

Development

scrolling down reveals the rear panel inputs

Hegel says their engineers learned a lot during the development of their H600 variant and used this knowledge in the development of a new DAC for the H400. The chipset is new, an ESS 9038Q2M, which according to Hegel provides higher resolution and a particularly fluid musicality compared to the AKM AK4490 chip in the H390. Part of the explanation for Hegel’s move from AKM to ESS may well arise from the catastrophic AKM fire a few years ago, after which Hegel and many other manufacturers had to design new circuits adapted to competing DAC chips. A happy by-product is the ability to play high-resolution files. The H400 extends its range all the way to 32-bit/384 kHz. Although the selection of such files is currently thin, it’s considered prudent to be forward-thinking about such things. The fact that the new DAC has better MQA support than before doesn’t feel quite as relevant. Tidal, which was the only streaming service to really embrace MQA, has now officially dropped the format, although the word on the street is that Lenbrook of Canada (NAD & Bluesound) has acquired MQA and is planning to launch a Hi-Res-only music streaming service of their very own.

Setup and Ease of Use

Setting up the H400 is surprisingly easy. It connects to your network via Ethernet cable, and it automatically appears in the new Hegel Control app, which you will have installed on your smartphone or tablet. As mentioned earlier, the app gives you full control over volume, input selection, and various settings. Controlling internet radio and podcasts from Airable is a nice experience and it sounds very enjoyable, but the Chromecast integration is really cool. Not only is it easy, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the sound quality! This, combined with support for Roon, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect and AirPlay 2, makes the H400 a true all-rounder when it comes to streaming. It has yet another trick up its sleeve, which is a new one on us. Hegel make an extremely capable DAC called the D50. Hegel owners who wish for a sound quality upgrade to the music streamer built into their amplifiers can use the BNC digital out socket on their H400 to connect to a D50 DAC for some seriously enhanced number-crunching. The signal is looped back into the H400 for amplification via its XLR sockets, once you have selected Hegel’s ‘DAC-loop’ feature. Very neat indeed, and preferable to buying an offboard streamer when you don’t have to. The rear panel features just about all the connections you could reasonably wish for (although there is no HDMI eARC socket, alas—but they bring their own qualitative and stability issues, we are reliably informed).

spartan looks once again, but generous enough for most of us. fixed analogue out is pretty unusual these days

Sparkling sound

really rather wonderful. have someone pour you a manhattan and melt yourself into this

disco baby yeah!

for when ‘the man’ becomes simply insufferable

Connecting the H400 to our current favourite floorstanders – the ATC SCM40s – and seized by an urge to hear some Rage Against the Machine (I cannot fathom why), I play Killing in the Name from their eponymous debut album. Tom Morello’s infamous guitar riff 40 seconds in blazes away with enough gunpowder to spray your morning coffee up the walls. The instruments are separated very well, Brad Wilk’s frenetic drumming forming a solid wall of sound. His drums have plenty of room to unfold with a granite batholith of a soundstage that sees his kit sit back just enough to allow space for de la Rocha’s furious vocals to create a wonderfully menacing atmosphere. What a start to the day! A happier mood is created by the overlapping bass rhythms on Lizzo’s disco hit About Damn Time from her 2022 album Special. Clearly a very modern production, it’s as clean as a whistle, well-lit, never overly bright, and insistent that you put that Mai-Tai down right now, get up and shake that money-maker. This is enormous fun – you can only imagine what the effect will be, post that second Mai-Tai. Switching to Melody Gardot’s Deep Within the Corners of My Mind from her album Live in Europe, we find Ms Gardot’s prettily etched vocals floating in front of us, all the while underpinned by an extremely convincing double bass in an acre of space. You can feel the audience hold its collective breath, unwilling to make any noise at all, in case it disturbs the fragile poise of the performance.

Conclusion

The Hegel H400 is a smartly capable amplifier that will drive any speaker within its own price range and many that are well beyond it. This means you can enjoy fantastic sound, whether you favour playing loud or soft. There’s something about the control and calmness of the Hegel that is rather beguiling. That it has an excellent network audio player on board as well as a versatile DAC is almost an aside. If you want a modern, powerful amplifier approaching the high-end, it can hardly be done much better than this—and even then it’ll be the senior model, Hegel’s own H600. More about which in another blog...

Thanks for reading.

Words by Adrian, images by Hegel and Samsung (tea and biccies by Nic & Andy) – Audio T Swansea

Hegel can be found at the following Audio T stores

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

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Can you say PPA? The Cyrus 40 PPA phono stage, that is!

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This month’s blog comes from me—Matt at Audio T Cardiff. Yes, I’m back on the upgrade path, but this time it’s a proper case of that old saying in music: once you’ve heard it, you can’t un-hear it. The component in question sits very close to the source—in fact, it boosts the source. And my favourite source? Vinyl (not chilli!). Without a phono stage, you’d be turning the amp up far too much and it just wouldn’t sound right. So yes, you’ve guessed it—it’s a phono preamp. But not just any phono preamp: the Cyrus 40 PPA.

Vinyl Obsession: Less Noise, More Music

As many of you know, I’m always on the hunt for the perfect sound. I love vinyl, but replay can be noisy at times. The odd pop or crackle is fine, but what I want is to hear those extra details that sometimes get buried—the scratch of a guitar string, the buzz of a Marshall JCM 800, the breath on a mic, or the subtle rhythm on a hi-hat. That’s what led me to upgrading my phono stage: bringing the noise floor down so those details come through.

This all started at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show earlier this year…

Cyrus 40 PPA

Bristol Hi-Fi Show: First Glimpse

Back in February, I’d already placed my order for the Cyrus 40 Amp, and I had a good idea a new phono stage was about to arrive in the Cyrus 40 line-up. At the show, I met Nick Clarke, Cyrus’s Managing Director, and we had a great chat about all things Cyrus—past, present, and future.

Nick showed me the new PPA phono stage. It was still pre-production and not ready to demo, but it instantly caught my attention. Any new gear is exciting, but when it involves vinyl, I’m like a red rag to a bull—or maybe just an excitable nerd! I remember saying to Nick, “I can’t wait to hear the phono stage, plus I know it’ll look great next to my new amp.”

Nick compared it to the original Cyrus Phono Signature, which is still regarded as one of the very best ever made. He explained how the new low-noise DC power supply would help lower the noise floor even further, delivering more dynamic range and, most importantly, more musicality. Sadly, I didn’t get to hear it then, but that moment was coming…

Cyrus 40 ppa - rear panel

Our Cyrus Evening in Cardiff

In June, we held a Cyrus evening at our Cardiff store, and we were joined by Jason Saxon from Cyrus Audio. The highlight? Jason brought with him the finished Cyrus 40 PPA.

The event itself was brilliant—plenty of music and chat about the 40 Series—but for me, the PPA was the real star of the show. Compared with the already excellent classic Cyrus phono stage, the improvements were clear: lower noise, more musicality, more detail. The front panel made adjustments simple, but the biggest surprise was how much more alive the music felt.

I remember listening to Sweet Soul Sister by The Cult, and I’d never heard Billy Duffy’s Les Paul Custom sound so good. The separation and definition between notes was outstanding. And then Jason added the matching Cyrus 40 PSU… let’s just say my wallet wasn’t impressed, but my ears were! By the end of the night I was sold: “Can I order a Cyrus 40 PPA, please?”

A Quick Look at the Specs

Here’s what the Cyrus 40 PPA offers:

  • Four turntable inputs, all MM and MC compatible

  • Configurable gain, load, and capacitance settings on MC inputs

  • Stereo output meters with peak hold

  • Warp filter to tame bass from warped records

  • Balanced XLR and RCA outputs

  • Ground lift switch to eliminate hum

  • Remote control included

  • Compatible with the 40 PSU

  • RJ45 Ethernet for firmware updates

Pretty serious, right? But specs only tell part of the story.

Listening Time: The Real Test

You know me—coffee in hand, records at the ready. This time I lined up:

  • Skid Row – Subhuman Race (1995), “Into Another”

  • The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards (2024), “Wilted Rose” ft. Lainey Wilson

  • Soundgarden – Down on the Upside (1993), “Pretty Noose”

Nytech cdp122 vs Cyrus 40 PPA

matt’s own gibson & black crowes : Happiness Bastards

With the phono preamp switched over and the 40 PPA set to moving magnet (my Dynavector 10X5 is a high-output moving coil), I was ready to go. The first track was Into Another by Skid Row. Straight away, I noticed a substantial drop in the noise floor. Rob Affuso’s drums had more space around them, and Snake Sabo’s Stratocaster had extra bite and definition.

When the chorus kicked in, I tried the Warp filter on the PPA—despite my record not being warped. All I can say is wow. The bass tightened up, giving the track more drive and a wider, more open soundstage. This was especially noticeable on the Black Crowes track that followed. Towards the end, as the percussion and Rich Robinson’s slide guitar on his ’68 Goldtop Les Paul (with those ultra-rare P90 pickups) really kicked in, there was more separation, clarity, and even a touch of extra emotion in the performance. Chris Robinson and Lainey Wilson’s duet was also better placed in the mix, making the vocal interplay more engaging.

Both Skid Row and the Black Crowes sounded superb, but the star of the evening was Soundgarden’s Pretty Noose. Kim Thayil’s opening riff leapt out, Matt Cameron’s drumming was thunderous, and Chris Cornell’s vocals were locked in and focused. It was so good, I had to spin the track again.

Matt’s rack in black

Conclusion: My Endgame Phono Stage

For some, the Hi-Fi journey ends once the system’s complete. For others (me included), it’s about chasing the next improvement, the missing detail. With the Cyrus 40 PPA, I feel like I’ve reached an endgame component—one I don’t plan to change.

It’s not just the sound that impresses me, but also how flexible and easy it is to adjust for different cartridges. And yes, a cartridge upgrade is on the horizon—that’ll be next month’s blog, where I’ll talk about a new Dynavector.

One last note: Cyrus are running a trade-up scheme from 1st October to 31st December 2025. Trade in your old kit and get a discount on new 40 Series units, unfortunately the 40 PPA is excluded from this promotion due to it being so new. Ask your nearest Audio T for details.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Matt Aaron - Audio T Cardiff

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Cyrus Audio can be found at the following Audio T stores

World Exclusive: Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary Loudspeaker Premier at Audio T Cheltenham

/ Audio T Cheltenham/

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening, we were proud—and indeed somewhat privileged—to host the world premier of the final production version of the brand-new Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary loudspeakers.

gloss walnut wood finish looks great

The Legend Continues

The event was organised into six forty-five-minute sessions, giving plenty of opportunities to hear the new loudspeakers and chat with the Acoustic Energy team: Mat Spandl (Managing Director & Designer) and James Luce (Creative Director).

also available in gloss black

So It Begins

Mat and James brought along their own Rega Aethos amplifier, the very amp the AE1s were designed around—and one of our personal favourites in the shop. As sources, we chose the Rega Planar 10 turntable and the Rega Saturn CD player, just in case anyone fancied spinning those old-fashioned CDs!

mine is this big!?

The new AE1s were perched upon a pair of original heavy-duty Acoustic Energy stands, once manufactured for the very first AE1 model. These stands are now quite sought-after and collectable, adding a touch of nostalgia to the occasion.

ae1 40th anniversary in action

Things kicked off earlier than expected when an eager attendee arrived with a boxed pair of original AE1s, keen to compare them side by side with the new model. Naturally, we obliged—setting up for a direct shootout.

mat spandl (at the back) holding court

An Impressive Demo

Demo favourites included Lump’s debut LP, London Grammar’s first album, and the timeless Mezzanine by Massive Attack. I’ll admit, when we first played the old AE1s, I was slightly concerned—they still sounded rather good! But relief quickly followed when we switched to the new 40th Anniversary model.

The sound instantly became sweeter and more open. Most striking was the quality and depth of the bass—already respectable on the originals but now genuinely impressive for such compact cabinets. The new AE1s combine detail, speed, dynamic drive, and exceptional bass extension in a space-saving design that we believe will prove very popular.

how does this work again?

A Look Back

I’ve already written a previous blog that dives into the technical specifications of the new AE1 40th Anniversary loudspeakers. If you’d like to read more detail, you can find it here (saves me repeating myself!).

do we think this banner is big enough?

It Was Acceptable in the ’80s

As the original AE1s launched in the 1980s, Mat and James brought along a selection of albums from the decade: Joan Armatrading, Chris Rea, INXS, Billy Idol, Roxy Music, Tracy Chapman, and of course, the ubiquitous Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits.

All of them sounded glorious through the new AE1s. Some attendees even stayed on for a second session—not just because of the music, but thanks to Mat and James’ passion and infectious enthusiasm for all things Acoustic Energy and Hi-Fi.

Shiny Shiny

A Big Thankyou

The premier was both well-attended and great fun. We’d like to thank everyone who joined us and helped make the day so memorable. We’re confident the Acoustic Energy AE1 40th Anniversary loudspeakers are destined to be a huge success, just like the originals were 40 years ago.

And yes—the pizzas afterwards were delicious. Thanks, Duncan (hope you kept the receipt!).

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to book your own demo of these little marvels, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham.

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

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AC/DC – How current can affect the sound quality of your Hi-Fi

/ Audio T Portsmouth/

Direct Current (DC) contamination of our AC electrical supply is growing, and that’s bad news for hi-fi fans. This blog explores the rise in DC and what can be done to minimise its impact on our listening enjoyment.

We’ve spoken before about noise floor and its impact on the sound quality of your hi-fi.

In short, it’s the base-level noise that’s present in your system the moment you turn it on without playing any music. The higher the noise floor, the less you hear of your music.

It comes from the electrical and mechanical noise (see our July blog for more on mechanical noise) that is generated by our systems themselves, and that which leaks in from the world outside.

And in recent years, there has been a significant rise in one particular noisy culprit – direct current (DC).

As most know, our electricity supply is alternating current (AC). AC can be noisy, and hi-fi manufacturers have spent lots of time and money trying to minimise this noise both within components and by developing equipment like mains conditioners for the home audio market.

A diagram of the difference between AC and DC in the electricity grid. Source: PEguru

But while all the attention has been on AC, DC has quietly encroached into our electrical supply in recent years, causing additional issues. And it’s not just in our homes, but throughout the electricity grid.

Growing problem

Unfortunately, our modern gadgetry is largely to blame for introducing more DC into our homes and our hi-fi.

Common culprits include:

  • Switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) – what used to be called “wall warts” (plug-in chargers) found on laptops, chargers, TVs, LED lights and smart devices. They convert AC to low-voltage DC.

  • Energy-efficient appliances – fridges, washing machines, and HVAC systems often include motor controllers that can introduce DC.

  • Electric vehicle chargers and solar inverters – EV chargers convert AC to DC, while solar inverters convert the DC from solar panels into AC—both of which introduce noise.

  • Dimmers and LED drivers – modern lighting solutions can distort the AC waveform and leave residual DC and high-frequency noise.

  • Green energy sources – while these are good for the planet and the UK’s energy security, decentralised generation sources like wind and solar mean the grid needs clever electronics to balance demand and supply which, you guessed it, introduces more DC noise into the system.

The problem is that AC is supposed to be a clean waveform. Okay, it never truly is—but DC imbalances AC’s switching between positive and zero volts by introducing a small but steady voltage that shouldn’t be there.

The rise of evs is increasing dc in the ac system

The result? Noise.

How does DC affect our hi-fi?

Well, as mentioned, it increases the noise floor in our systems.

Imagine putting a record, CD, or streamed track on your system, sitting down and waiting for the sound to wash over you in glorious stereo.

And then a neighbour starts up their lawnmower.

The lawnmower may not be particularly loud indoors, but the quiet, persistent background noise takes the edge off your listening pleasure. It may mean you can no longer hear subtle musical details as clearly.

So the lawnmower has raised the ambient noise floor, with much the same impact as DC raising the electrical noise floor in your system. Okay, electrical noise rarely creates a lawnmower-like buzzing from your speakers (if it does, you have a serious noise floor problem!), but the noise is there and it does affect the sound.

Most high-end audio components use linear power supplies. These use a transformer to step down AC to DC to provide a smooth power supply for your equipment.

If DC is present in the AC line, it can cause an asymmetrical signal in a component’s power transformer. This reduces efficiency, generates more heat, and introduces more distortion.

And then there are ground loop issues. Every hi-fi enthusiast has a healthy respect for ground loop issues. These are the hums and/or buzzes that appear because different devices around your home earth in different ways, which can cause voltage imbalances and current flows.

Unfortunately, DC imbalance in an AC line can exacerbate ground loop issues, giving you more hums, buzzing, and even mini pops.

In worst-case scenarios, DC voltage on audio signal lines—such as pre-amp outs or headphone jacks—can damage equipment over time by causing heating in speaker drivers and voice coils.

How to protect your system from DC

There are a number of ways to mitigate the effects of DC distortion:

  • Use a DC Blocker - DC blockers (or DC offset eliminators) are devices that filter out DC from the incoming AC line, for example the Isotek V5 Syncro Uni 10 DC Blocker. Some high-end power conditioners have this feature built in.

  • Power Conditioners and Isolation Transformers - quality power conditioners can filter out both DC and high-frequency noise. Isolation transformers go further, creating a “clean” local AC supply.

  • Dedicated Audio Spur - install a separate electrical circuit for your audio system, ideally with its own breaker. Use high-quality cabling and avoid sharing this line with noisy appliances.

  • Measure and Monitor – a power quality meter can tell you how clean or dirty your electrical supply is. Even a standard multimeter can tell you if you have too much voltage emanating from the speaker terminals on your amp (plenty of info online on how to do this safely). Or ask an electrician to help you out.

Isotek v5 synchro uni 10 dc blocker

DC on the AC line may not sound like a big deal—and most of us live with it.

But feeding our hi-fi dirty electricity is a bit like putting a sportsman or woman on a fast food diet and expecting them to perform at their very best.

So, in our quest to get the best sound out of our hi-fi systems, let’s not forget our noisy electrical supplies, especially the growing problem of DC.

You can explore a range of mains and signal conditioners here. You may be surprised at how much better your system performs with cleaner power.

If you want to find out more about mains conditioners, or you’ve got a noise problem you just can’t get to the bottom of, you can contact us at portsmouth@audio-t.co.uk or on 0239 266 3604.

Not local to Portsmouth? You can find your nearest Audio T store here.

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Listening Lab: Hands-On with the Innuos Stream1 Modular Network Streamer & Music Server

/ Audio T Southampton/

At Audio T Southampton, we’re lucky to be the first store in the company to receive the brand-new Innuos Stream1 Modular Network Streamer/Music Server. This was our first real chance to live with it, and I was keen to see how this compact but powerful little box would perform.

What Is It?

Like the rest of the Innuos range, the Stream1 is designed and hand-built in Faro, Portugal. It’s a flexible piece of kit, purpose-built to work as either a network streamer or a music server.

The starting price is £2,100*, and at that level it’s deliberately stripped back. There’s no DAC or output modules included, and it will only act as a music server once you add SSD storage. From there, though, the real fun begins: you can customise it with optional modules at different performance levels, such as DAC boards, a digital output card, internal storage, and even the new PhoenixUSB reclocker.

It’s also fully Roon ready, so it can act straight away as a Roon endpoint. Alternatively, you can step it up into a full Roon server, giving you control of your library and streaming services from one hub. There’s even an experimental feature that lets it run as both a Roon Core and a dedicated streamer at the same time.

Visually, it’s understated. Apart from a discreet touch-sensitive power button, everything is handled through the Innuos Sense app, which manages playback, your library, and system settings.

First Impressions

Unboxing the Stream1, my first thought was how small it looked compared to what I’d imagined. That said, both the unit itself and the optional LPS1 power supply (£1050*) felt solid and well put together. The packaging was secure, giving me confidence this is a product built to last.

Getting it running was quick and painless. Once connected (system details below), I powered it up and opened the Sense app. The interface struck me immediately: clean, modern, and intuitive. It showed me all the essentials at a glance — file format, bit rate, sample rate — and even highlighted high-resolution tracks with a bold gold “HD” badge.

Listening Time

With everything ready, I linked our store’s Qobuz account and sat down with a coffee to play one of my go-to demo tracks: Mexicana by Opal Ocean. It’s just two Spanish acoustic guitars, but it’s perfect for testing soundstage, tonal accuracy, and separation.

The Stream1 floored me. The depth and clarity were astonishing — every pluck of the strings and every percussive hit on the guitar body sounded vivid and lifelike.

I kept pushing it with other favourites: Put Me To Work by Big Data, PANIC! by Smith & Myers, and a mix of genres beyond. Whatever I threw at it, the Innuos handled it with confidence and musicality.

The Chosen System

To give it a proper workout, I slotted the Stream1 into a system some of you might remember from my blog on the Cyrus 40 Series:

This pairing felt like a natural fit, and it allowed the Stream1 to really shine. Every nuance came through, with nothing lost in translation.

Conclusion

The Innuos Stream1 left a strong impression. It combines seamless software, superb sound, and the flexibility to grow as your system evolves. You can start small, then expand with storage, DAC upgrades, or output boards until you’ve built something truly reference-level.

What really appeals is its sense of longevity. With Roon support, modular upgrades, and a well-designed app, this isn’t a box you’ll outgrow in a hurry. It’s as easy to live with as it is enjoyable to listen to, which makes it a compelling choice if you’re looking for a streamer or server that can adapt to you over time.

Of course, nothing compares to hearing it in person. So if you’re curious, come down to your local Audio T and give the Stream1 a listen. I think you’ll be just as impressed as I was.

Thanks for reading,

Tiago - Audio T Southampton

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*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE

REL Serie S Subwoofers – Meet the New S/850 and Black Edition Range

/

Rel S850 with Airship wireless

After a hugely successful few years, the REL Serie S range has been completely redesigned and replaced with a brand-new lineup. Four new models have been introduced: the S/550, S/850, Carbon and 212 Black Label Editions.

The Serie S models sit firmly in REL’s mid-to-high-end range. While REL subwoofers are often associated with home cinema, the surprising truth is that the majority end up in two-channel hi-fi systems. That’s because engineering a subwoofer that integrates seamlessly with stereo playback is far from easy — our expectations of musical bass are far more critical than with film soundtracks.

Key Benefits

Extension and Depth
Deep bass enhances all types of music. With the ability to reach 20Hz (and in some cases lower), the Serie S allows you to hear fundamental notes that many speakers cannot reproduce, or struggle to deliver convincingly.

Speed, Transient Response, and Low Distortion
More important than outright depth is timing accuracy. A subwoofer that cannot time correctly will never integrate with your main speakers. REL designs are fast, clean, and articulate — qualities that only improve as you move up the range.

Musical Precision and Tonal Neutrality
Instead of adding artificial boom, REL subwoofers aim for an even tonal balance. Their sealed cabinets minimise resonance and colouration, and with no ports, there’s no unwanted port noise.

S850 back panel with Airship receiver attached

Seamless Integration
With flexible connectivity, plus control over gain, crossover, and phase, the Serie S can effectively disappear within your system. Bass feels like it comes from the same soundstage as your speakers, rather than the subwoofer itself. Set up properly, you don’t just hear deeper bass — you also get improved clarity, imaging, and vocals.

Build Quality and Flexibility
The cabinets are robust and extremely heavy, with finishes of the highest standard. The optional (or standard, depending on model) wooden grille adds a touch of elegance. The latest Airship wireless system also makes cable-free setup a flexible option.

Airship transmitter and receiver

Model Line-Up

All four Serie S models feature upgraded drivers (active and passive), more powerful amplifiers, and improved cabinet design over the outgoing generation. They are sonically superior in every respect.

  • S/550 – 10-inch drivers, 550 watts of power

  • S/850 – 12-inch drivers, 850 watts of power

  • Carbon Special Black Label Edition – 950 watts, advanced drivers, larger cabinet for greater speed and depth. REL deliberately reins in amplifier output so they operate effortlessly, even when pushed.

  • 212 Black Label Edition – The flagship model. Incorporates all the improvements of the Carbon Special but with even greater amplifier power, additional drivers, and a configuration that delivers many of the benefits of a line array — without the need for multiple subwoofers.

Auditioning the S/850

Before the official launch, Rob Hunt from REL brought in an S/850 for us to audition. We set it up with a Rega Aethos amplifier, Arcam ST25 streamer, and Sonus Faber Lumina II Amator loudspeakers. One of the joys of our work is discovering new music, and on this occasion Rob introduced us to Francine Thirteen’s Queen Mary — incredible!

We spent a long time putting the S/850 through its paces across a wide range of music. While we didn’t have the outgoing model on hand to compare, I have no doubt that REL’s claims are accurate: this new generation is faster, tighter, and goes deeper than before.

Queen Mary

Summary

I’ve owned REL subwoofers as part of my own hi-fi for many years, and I remain convinced of the benefits. Adding a suitable REL brings deeper, more natural bass to any system — regardless of how large the speakers are. Bass that enhances music, remains tight and controlled, minimises colouration, and integrates seamlessly.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Jon and Andy - Audio T Swindon

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

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Iconic or what! The Bluesound Node Icon Reference Streamer

/ Audio T Brighton/

Hello all, and welcome to the September blog from Audio T Brighton! Bluesound has been making a name for itself in recent years, with its streamer range undergoing a revamp, so we thought it was time to shine a light on what is increasingly becoming an iconic brand (pun intended) by getting all platonic with their best streamer: the Bluesound Node Icon Reference.

Icon by name, Icon by nature...

The Bluesound Node Icon is the company’s current reference streamer. We’ve long been fans of its sibling, the Bluesound Node Performance, which is a less well-specified model, and its junior, the Bluesound Node Nano, the brand’s entry-level offering.

The offerings of an Icon...

The Bluesound Node Icon reference streamer distinguishes itself from its siblings by offering striking improvements in connectivity, sonics, and visual appeal.

The most obvious difference is the addition of a 5-inch LED screen, which is a nice visual touch, albeit not a touchscreen. Users must rely on the Bluesound app if advanced settings need adjusting. However, just like its juniors in the range, there’s a control panel above the screen for altering volume, skipping tracks, and other basic functions, should your phone or tablet not be to hand.

Although the Bluesound Node Icon is primarily a streamer, it can be used as a digital hub for a sophisticated home audio/AV setup. Utilising a dual-mono DAC design with 2 x ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M DAC chips, it promises top-level performance from the latest ESS chipsets on the market.

Additionally, it offers THX AAA™ headphone amplifier technology with 2 x 1/4" jacks, providing a notable step up in headphone playback performance over earlier Bluesound products — perfect for private or late-night listening.

For those wanting seamless integration with movie playback, HDMI eARC connectivity is included, allowing a single remote to be used during your film sessions.

High-quality balanced XLR outputs, RCA, coax, optical, and USB outputs are also provided for those who prefer a hard-wired setup, while Apple AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth* are on the menu for wireless streaming. As you can see, both input and output options are very well catered for — one of the reasons you may opt for the Icon over its junior siblings.

The Bluesound app

One of the major selling points of Bluesound products in recent years is the user interface offered by the Bluesound app. Solid, reliable functionality is a staple of Bluesound, and not all manufacturers have been as successful in this regard. This explains why some brands have chosen to license the Bluesound app rather than design their own (often clunky) software, which risks losing customer trust. NAD and Cyrus are two manufacturers that come to mind, having decided to take this route rather than invest in developing their own apps.

The Bluesound app is a breeze to use. It allows users to set up the Bluesound Node Icon exactly how they like it and is consistently updated to iron out issues and provide additional features via regular firmware updates. We’ve certainly found it a pleasure to use.

Sounds iconic!

Straight out of the box, the Bluesound Node Icon Reference sounded smooth and detailed, with good definition and texture to instrumentation. In this regard, it’s a step forward in performance from the Bluesound Node Performance and the Bluesound Node Nano. No doubt the dual-mono DAC configuration plays its part here, providing better separation and a more expansive soundstage. Certainly, when passages became more complex, the improved clarity made it much easier to follow individual players and instruments.

Bluesound node icon paired with a rega brio mk7 and wharfedale linton speakers

Here at Audio T in Brighton, we’re always careful when waxing lyrical about a single product. Last month’s blog looked at system hierarchy and the importance of every component in the chain — you can read that blog here. In short, the purchase of a component has to be considered alongside what surrounds it, especially if you want to build a satisfying hi-fi system for long-term enjoyment.

The system shown above — Bluesound Node Icon streamer, Rega Planar 3 with ND3 cartridge, Rega Brio Mk 7 amplifier, and a pair of Wharfedale Linton speakers — gives what we believe to be a balanced and musically satisfying sound, without breaking the bank.

Of course, you shouldn’t just take our word for it — that will never do. Give us a ring to arrange a demo, get your playlist ready, and let your ears do the deciding.

As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating — so get in touch to book a demonstration and hear for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

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Bluesound can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores -

Wharfedale can be found at the following Audio T stores

Chromey Gets Cosy with the Meze 105 Silva Headphones

/ Audio T Manchester/

Meze Audio is a high-end headphone and earphone manufacturer based in Baia Mare, Romania. Founded in 2011 by industrial designer, Antonio Meze, the company has built a reputation for combining reference-level sound with craftsmanship and striking design aesthetics.

Here at Audio T, we’ve been proud to stock Meze headphones for a number of years, and they’ve quickly become favourites among our customers. Some standouts include the Meze 99 Classics, the Empyrean, and the Elite.

Now, at Audio T Manchester, we have the brand-new Meze 105 Silva headphones in store — and naturally, we’ve been putting them through their paces. Chromey, our trusty silver Lego Stormtrooper, even got involved.

Silva on chrome

Comfort and Fit

Comfort is a real strong suit here. The auto-adjusting headband and suede velour earpads provide a plush, secure fit, with plenty of space inside the cups to avoid pressure points, even during longer sessions.

Clamp force is moderate, and if needed, can be adjusted by gently bending the rods — though we didn’t find this necessary. The open-back design adds breathability, which helps keep your ears cool and comfortable during extended listening.

The general consensus online highlights all-day wearability, and we agree. The pads are supremely comfortable and minimise ear fatigue. The only caveat is that, as open-backs, they don’t offer much in the way of noise isolation, so they’ll shine brightest in quieter environments.

Build Quality and Accessories

Meze has always carried a strong reputation for exceptional build quality, and the 105 Silva certainly lives up to it. Premium materials such as polished walnut wood and aluminium accents make the headphones feel every bit as high-end as they look — stylish without being overly showy.

where did I leave the amp?

At just 354 grams, they’re lightweight for their class, which ties back nicely to that excellent comfort we mentioned earlier.

The Silva also comes well-equipped with accessories: a semi-hard carrying case, a dual-twisted Kevlar-wrapped OFC cable (with dual 3.5mm TS jacks), and a custom 3.5mm to USB-C adapter. That last addition is particularly handy, as it lets you connect to your phone without needing a separate dongle — a thoughtful touch for mobile use.

witness the Transmogrification of chromey, ok now that’s enough!!!!!

Sounding Out the Silva

Meze products are often praised for their musicality, and the 105 Silva continues that tradition. They lean toward an engaging, natural presentation rather than a purely analytical one — these aren’t designed as studio monitors but as headphones to enjoy music with.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 50mm dynamic driver with a bio-cellulose composite dome and titanium-coated torus. With a frequency response from 5Hz to 30kHz, an impedance of 42Ω, and a sensitivity of 112 dB SPL/mW, they’re easy to drive straight from a smartphone or portable player, though they really sing when paired with a good headphone amp.

  • Bass: Punchy and impactful, extending deep into the sub-bass without losing control. Robag Wruhme’s Advent from Venq Tolep is a great example — the Silva nails those low notes without descending into bloat.

  • Midrange: Detailed and natural, making them superb for classical, jazz, and film scores. Vangelis’s Blade Runner soundtrack feels vast and atmospheric, with Harrison Ford’s dialogue sounding warm and nuanced. You could happily watch a film late at night with these on and still feel fully immersed.

  • Treble: Smooth, airy, and free of harshness or sibilance. The Silva’s treble balances detail with listenability, avoiding fatigue even after hours of play.

The soundstage is impressively three-dimensional, with excellent separation and imaging that rivals pricier headphones, such as Meze’s own 109 Pro. The overall tonality is warm, natural, and consistently musical across all genres.

Sustainable Through Longevity

Meze has also been very vocal about sustainability and product longevity. Here’s what they have to say directly from their website:

“As our choices of today can greatly impact the world of tomorrow, we design products that last. We believe that a longer product lifespan means a smaller footprint. Following this philosophy, 105 SILVA can be taken apart and serviced endlessly if needed, making it as perennial as the forests it alludes to.”

It’s a philosophy that puts Meze firmly in the mix with the best headphone manufacturers globally — not just in terms of sound, but in value too.

The spring steel head band works a treat, all head sizes welcome

Conclusion

We’re not really ones for lengthy pros and cons lists, but here’s a quick take.

Pros:

  • Solid build

  • Striking style

  • Comfortable fit

  • Engaging sound

  • Strong value for money.

Cons:

  • Being open-back, they’re not suited to every environment.

That’s it, really. The Meze 105 Silva is simply a compelling choice for anyone seeking style, comfort, and superb performance at a very accessible price point. They excel at delivering a natural soundstage with punchy dynamics, making them an excellent step up from entry-level open-back headphones.

If you prefer engaging, musical listening over clinical precision, the Silva is hard to beat in this bracket.

We have a pair ready to demo at Audio T Manchester, so why not pop by, give them a listen, and see if Chromey’s new favourite might just become yours too?

Thanks for reading.

Munir, James and Dave - Audio T Manchester

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

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Meze Audio can be found at the following Audio T stores

A Magical Evening of Music with Glaswegian Hi-Fi Legends, Linn.

/ Audio T Cardiff/

This month, Matt from our Cardiff branch is sharing his love of two things: Audio T Hi-Fi events and turntables.

The event in question was our Linn listening evening, held at the BAWA Health & Leisure Club in Bristol, organised by our Bristol store in collaboration with the Swindon and Cardiff teams. Let’s hear what Matt has to say about this magical evening of music and all things Linn.

the introduction to the event

Passion for Hi-Fi Events

As most of you know from reading my blogs (for which I’m extremely grateful), I’ve always loved working at and organising exciting new Hi-Fi events. This particular Linn evening was put together by our Bristol store manager Max, alongside our host and Operations Director Tony Revelle – one of the company’s founders. For those who remember our store’s original name, Audio Excellence, Tony started it all. Tony and Linn go back a long way, and he still overhauls and builds Linn LP12 Sondek turntables today.

Alongside Max and Tony, Nick (our store manager), Andy (our Swindon store manager), and I were invited to collaborate with them and the Linn events team. When Nick mentioned it, I jumped at the chance – especially with Linn turntables involved!

A Linn Legend in the Room

Linn also sent down their brand ambassador, Mr Gordon Linch, who co-hosted the evening with us. Gordon brought along some of the latest and greatest Linn equipment, which I’ll come to shortly.

But before diving into the gear, let’s take a quick look at Linn’s history – something Gordon kicked off the evening with.

IVOR Tiefenbrun in 1973

Linn’s Legacy

Linn Products was founded in 1973 by Ivor Tiefenbrun, to produce the Linn Sondek LP12 turntable. Unsatisfied with the Hi-Fi system he bought shortly after getting married, Ivor experimented and discovered that the turntable was being affected by sound pressure from the loudspeakers. By simply putting the turntable outside the room, running the signal leads under the door, and listening, he found the sound was far more accurate and involving.

At the time, Ivor worked at his father Jack Tiefenbrun’s engineering company, Castle Precision Engineering Ltd. With his father’s help – Jack designed a very quiet-running central bearing – and a team of skilled colleagues, Ivor succeeded in building a record player immune to acoustic feedback from loudspeakers. The deck, eventually named the Linn Sondek LP12, looked like many other turntables, but almost every component served a unique purpose.

Most importantly, the suspension was optimised for acoustic isolation rather than shock resistance. With it, Ivor proved that a better turntable improved the sound of any Hi-Fi system. The principle “garbage in, garbage out” – also known as “source-first” – was radical at the time, though it’s obvious today.

Fast forward to today, and the LP12 is still going strong in the Linn range, alongside streamers, integrated amps, and active loudspeakers – allowing you to build a Linn system from the ground up, exactly as Ivor intended.

The Equipment on the Night

Let’s talk about the gear we had on the evening – starting with the sources.

We had two, almost identical, Linn Selekt-spec Sondek LP12s, with one crucial difference…

Turntable No. 1

  • Standard Linn wooden plinth

  • Kore aluminium sub-chassis bonded to a CNC-machined armboard

  • Trampolin suspended aluminium baseboard

  • Lingo hybrid internal/external power supply

  • Linn Arko 7075-grade aluminium gimballed tonearm

  • Linn Kendo moving coil cartridge

Linn selekt lp12 with Bedrok™

Turntable No. 2

  • All-new Bedrok™ plinth

  • Kore aluminium sub-chassis bonded to a CNC-machined armboard

  • Trampolin suspended aluminium baseboard

  • Lingo hybrid internal/external power supply

  • Linn Arko 7075-grade aluminium gimballed tonearm

  • Linn Kendo moving coil cartridge

A fun fact: LP12s are not built on a production line. Each one is hand-built by a single technician, who signs the back on completion. If you visit the Linn factory, you might even meet the person who built yours – how cool is that?

On the digital side, we had the superb Linn Selekt DSM with their flagship Organik DACs, feeding the mighty Linn 150 floorstanding active speakers. And no, you don’t need a subwoofer – these floorstanders really deliver.

linn selekt dsm

How Did It Sound?

Linn 150 speaker

We began with vinyl on the standard Selekt-spec LP12. Gordon chose a track by The Teskey Brothers – Let Me Let You Down. Its early ’60s blues feel, with hints of Motown soul, had a natural swing that pulled you right in. On the Linn system, the dynamics were incredible, and the Linn 150s opened everything up. Definitely a foot-tapping moment.

Switching to streaming, Lana Del Rey’s Henry Come On really shone. Linn’s streaming module and the Organik DACs captured her vocals perfectly – close your eyes and it felt like she was standing centre stage. That’s the magic of a well-engineered system.

The Bedrok™ Plinth: A Vinyl Nerd’s Dream

The part I’d been waiting for: the Bedrok™ plinth. As a vinyl fanatic, this was the highlight.

Before the demo, Gordon explained the thinking behind Bedrok™: eliminate unwanted vibrations from the turntable. Vibrations in the room can cause acoustic feedback and distortion when playing records.

Bedrok™ plinth close up

The Bedrok™ plinth is made from orthogonal layers of beech, compressed under extreme pressure and heat to form a dense, acoustically “dead” material. The result? More music, less noise.

The demo spoke for itself. Gordon played Bonny Light Horseman on the standard LP12, then on the Bedrok™ version – and wow. The noise floor dropped, vocals gained energy, and the guitar came alive.

My favourite moment? Shake It Baby by John Lee Hooker on the Bedrok™ LP12. The raw tone, the bridge pickup detail, and Hooker’s gravelly voice – combined with the groove – made it magical.

In Conclusion

As I said at the start, I always enjoy events like this – especially when I get to help organise them. While I can’t take credit for this one, the evening was a real ear-opener. Sonically, the star of the show for me was the Linn Bedrok™ plinth – one of many Linn upgrades absolutely worth exploring.

If you’d like to hear Linn upgrades like the Bedrok™ plinth, or others such as the Karousel bearing, contact your local Audio T store for details.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Matt Aaron - Audio T Cardiff

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Linn can be found at the following Audio T stores