Hear The Difference That Mains Conditioning Can Make To Your Hi-Fi System

The quality of the mains electricity we feed into our Hi-Fi and Home Cinema systems has a profound effect on sound quality. Moreover, as the electronic devices we use at home continue to grow and the demand for electrical power increases, the quality of the electricity we feed our systems continues to degrade from radio frequency (RF) interference and mains noise.

Visit us at Audio T Oxford on Friday 22nd September (1300 - 1730) and Saturday 23rd September (1000 - 1730) and come and hear for yourself the benefits of mains conditioning in conjunction with IsoTek. 

                                     Your chance to win an IsoTek Premier Mains Cable worth £115 .

IsoTek is a leading brand of power management products for Hi-Fi and Home Cinema use. Its product range includes high-performance mains cables and connectors, plus a range of performance enhancing power conditioners focused on the specific requirements of individual systems. IsoTek have earned numerous accolades from specialist audio and AV publications worldwide. The product ranges comprise of the following solutions:

Mains Cables and Blocks:

The standard black mains leads supplied with your Audio and AV components are designed to do a basic job, no more. They lack the quality of materials and construction needed to protect the integrity of the electricity they feed your system, thereby degrading performance. The first rung on the IsoTek ladder is to replace these leads with EVO3 Premier power cables.

Mains Conditioners:

These are designed to remove noise contamination from both Differential noise that is created by the power supplies in all electronic devices and Common Mode noise in introduced by RFI and the wireless communications.

Regenerators:

These are state of the art hybrid power cleaning systems. They effectively take the mains and regenerate it having taken out all the noise.

                

Click here to view the range of IsoTek Hi-Fi mains products.

Prize Draw

We will put the names of all attendees over the two days into a prize draw giving you the opportunity of winning an IsoTek EVO3 Premier mains cable worth £115. The draw will be made at the end of the event day on Saturday.

This is a great opportunity to hear how much you can improve the sound quality of your system and an affordable and worthwhile Hi-Fi upgrade. If you would like to book a personalised 1-2-1 demonstration please call us on 01865 765961.

Refreshments and snacks will be served over two days and of course we will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. 

We look forward to seeing you. Jon, Dom and Paddy.

The New Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series 2 Has Arrived

The S2 700 series replaces and improves upon the CM Series and benefits from technologies used in the studio-grade 800 Series. Bowers & Wilkins have gone to town on this new range that comprises three floor standers, three stand mounters, a speaker stand, along with two centre speakers and a subwoofer. Available in gloss black, satin white or rosenut.

702 S2

With a Carbon Dome tweeter in a solid body housing on top of the cabinet and a decoupled Continuum midrange and three Aerofoil Profile bass drivers the 702 S2 flagship floor stander is very capable.

704 S2

A slim and elegant floor stander in store that delivers. The 703 S2 sits between these and is available to demonstrate by arrangement. 

706 S2

The 706 is the middle of the three stand mount speakers. The same mid sized speaker as the 705 S2 that benefits from the top mounted tweeter.

707 S2

The smallest of the 707 S2 Series can be demonstrated with our range of equipment in store along with the others, but you are welcome to bring along an amplifier that you own.

Julian, Paul and John at Audio T Brighton 01273 609431

Bowers and Wilkins Speakers are available in the following Audio T stores: 
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Groovy New Wharfedale Diamond 11.0 and 11.1 Stand Mount Loudspeakers

We have just taken delivery of the very lovely little new Wharfedale Diamond 11.0 and 11.1 bookshelf speakers. They have a lot to live up to as the previous models had been our go to little budget designs of choice for a while. The new models have a full front sized grille which magnetically fixes to the gloss black front baffle so no unsightly locating holes will be visible when the grilles are removed for optimal listening! The bigger model also sports a stylish curvy sided cabinet designed to help cut down on internal cabinet vibrations.

Now don't dismiss these because they are inexpensive or small (or both) because these little speakers really deliver the goods. OK they will never deliver that really deep bassy stuff but positioned close to a rear wall or towards the corner of the room and preferably on a nice pair of speaker stands they will give you an amazingly clean and open sound without that tendency of many budget designs to sound bright and a little ragged at the top end!

We have been running them in on a combination of equipment from budget Marantz systems to expensive Naim Uniti Nova and in all instances they are capable of a sweet open and detailed sound that is engaging and easy to listen to for long periods. Our old standard test track "I Don't Care Any More" by Phil Collins sounded full and vibrant with wide left to right sound staging. The bigger model delivering substantially more bottom end welly to make the listening experience more fun! Never would you think in blind tests that you are listening to small or budget designs. Our go to designs for entry level speakers for the  foreseeable future we think.

Anyone interested into little stand mounted speakers needs to add these to their demo shortlist. Once again that bar has been raised in what is a very competitive area of the loudspeaker market! Click here read more about the spec and price of the Wharfedale Diamond 11.0 and here for the Wharfedale Diamond 11.1

Why not come and give them a good listening to!

Thanks for reading. Jon, Farid and Andy - Audio T Cheltenham

Bluesound Hi-Res Music Listening Event At Audio T Portsmouth

On Thursday the 5th of October we are holding a Bluesound Hi-Res listening event. Bluesound is a multi-room high resolution streaming system which allows you to add great sound to any room.

Bluesound also gives you the ability to add music streaming to an existing Hi-Fi system. And with the Vault 2 ripper and streamer you can rip and store your entire CD collection on to the 2TB (terabyte) hard drive, which equates to approximately 2600 CD's - freeing up space in your home if you have your CD stored in racks or towers.

Click on the poster to book your place.

Using the Bluesound app you can stream from a number of music services, such as Spotify, Qobuz, TIDAL and of course any music you have stored on computers or servers, from the comfort of your sofa. Now you have the convenience of millions of tracks at your fingertips.

On the day we'll be recreating the ear opening demonstration that was conducted the Bristol Hi-Fi show earlier this yearA representative from Bluesound will allow you to listen and hear the difference in sound quality between MP3, CD and MQA from the TIDAL Masters collection.

This will be a great opportunity to introduce yourself to the Bluesound range of streaming products, or if you are already acquainted, it will be an excellent chance to ask any questions you may have.

Meet the Bluesound family

Bluesound family

The Awesome Vault 2

In the meantime if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us or pop in.

Click here to reserve your place or drop in on the day between 12-7 pm.

We look forward to seeing on Thursday 5th October.

Nick, Joe and James

Bluesound Hi-Fi is available from the following branches of Audio T:
Manchester, Online, Portsmouth, Swindon

Good Things Come In Small Packages – Naim Uniti Atom All In One Music Player

With the introduction of the new Uniti series (Atom, Star and Nova) all in one music players and streamers, Naim have created a lifestyle product and a premium Hi-Fi in a single box.

Naim has gone to exceptional lengths to truly enhance the sound quality from such a tight, solid and compact all-in-one music system.

Naim Uniti Atom Front Panel

The Naim Uniti Atom boasts precise handmade engineered analogue and digital circuitry - built by and developed by music lovers - and contains a substantial transformer, which ensures that the power supply is continuous, significant and stable and means that it can drive a wide variety of loudspeakers with relative ease.

The full colour LCD display with proximity sensor, that wakes up on approach, is just one of the winning finishing touches Naim have come up with. The compact styling similar to that of the Mu-So range is sleek with a luxurious finish, making it perfect for different living areas or as a high-a stand alone main system which makes it very versatile. Adding to that you have the ability to upgrade by adding a Naim power amp.

This is not just an amplifier with a streamer bolted on, the Atom brings everlasting choice to your music, combining the popular wireless options with reliable premium Hi-Fi. You will only need to look at the list of supported sources and options for connectivity to truly understand its versatility and the new and improved Naim app for both iOS and Android simply brings this all together:

• Google Cast for Audio

• AirPlay

• TIDAL

• Spotify® Connect

• Bluetooth (aptX HD)

• Internet Radio™

• UPnP™ (Universal Plug ‘n’ Play)

• Digital Input (S/PDIF)

• Analogue Output

• Headphones

• Storage

• HDMI ARC (optional)

• Multiroom

• File Formats

• Wireless Updates

Uniti System
The Uniti range is the talk of the town and we couldn't have been more eager to get our hands on the Atom. So as audiophiles do, we have tried, and tried again, with a variety of speaker options to find what works best.

And with our listening test concluded, we challenge anyone to find a better sounding system with the same functionality for under £2500.

This system comprises of:

Naim Uniti Atom → Dynaudio Emit M10 → REL T-Zero

With the above set up, you get an extremely interesting, well balanced, stylish, dynamic and vibrant system that has a wide frequency range, perfect for a small to medium size room. Playing '2Pac – Do For Love' reveals a tuneful, tight bass that underpins the track and makes it really motor along. The snap of the snare, the punch of the kick and the rhythmical percussion are brought to life through this system.  We can not fault it for the money.

Why not come and have a listen and play a few of your favourite tunes and put the Atom through its paces... or come along to our Naim Unit Event on 10th October. You can reserve your place here.

Naim Unit Atom Rear Panel

The Technical Specifications

Dimensions:

• 95mm X 245mm X 265mm (H X W X D)

• 7KG

  Audio Inputs:

• 2 X Optical TOSLink (up to 24bit/96kHz)

• 1 X Coaxial RCA (up to 24bit/192kHz, DoP 64Fs)

• 1 X HDMI ARC (Optional)

• 1 X RCA

• 2 X USB Type A socket (front and rear)

Audio Outputs:

• 1 X Stereo power amplifier

• 1 X RCA sub/pre output

• 1 X 3.5mm headphone jack

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

Cyrus Audio British Hi-Fi Products From Vinyl Replay To Digital Streaming

I recently visited Cyrus Audio's headquarters in Huntingdon near Cambridge and it was quite an experience. The company is run by a very dedicated team and have been producing high quality Hi-Fi components for over 30 years.

Their range now emcompasses everything from integrated amplifiers like the One pictured above, through pre-power combinations, DAC's, CD players and transports, and streaming solutions, plus the fantastic PSX-R2 power supply, which can be added to many of the units to further improve sound quality.

During the visit I watched the technicians build a Cyrus One and a Cyrus Signature Phono Stage (below) with meticulous care. This was followed by extensive quality control testing with a dedicated suite of computer programs.

Everything about their operation showed the great amount of care taken by the people there and the pride they have in the Hi-Fi products they produce. Cyrus also offer extensive upgrade paths for existing owners, always offering attractive pricing to help you get to the latest level of equipment.

Having recently bought a Cyrus Phono Signature for myself I have to admit to being a fan!

So all in all a Cyrus is a great British brand with a lot of solutions for the music lover. Their Signature (sic) half width casework makes them easy to accommodate and they make some very very beguiling music.

Whether you are an existing owner looking to upgrade, or are completely new to Cyrus Audio brand, why not pop in and have a look, chat and a listen?

The New Rega P6 Turntable, It's Planar To See That It's Not Just A New Platter

Audio T Manchester recently held a Rega event showcasing the new Rega Planar 6 and the brand and ever popular Rega Apollo R CD player. 

Chromey took up directorial duties for the event, shooting a video in the process.  

The Rega Planar 6 upon first glance, is noticeably different from the rest of the very successful Planar series. A two tone smoked platter, giving an almost 'floating platter' effect is the first thing you notice. We all think it looks great here at Manchester. Secondly, aesthetics, Rega have opted to go with distinctive matte finishes to identify and differentiate the Planar 6 series.

Under the hood is where the Planar 6 really has come on in development Rega's signature foam filled plinth makes it the lightest deck in it's class and price point, similar to the Rega RP8 & Rega RP10, the foam plinth at this price point really is a feat of engineering.

Using a brand new bearing housing design unique to the Planar 6 has had us excited, a combination of a lightweight aluminium sub platter to a matched hardness with an ultra low friction central brass hub.

Using new upgraded feet with anti resonance rubber soles, it helps to keep vibration at bay.

Rega have used higher tolerance bearings within the RB330 tone arm, so improving an already fantastic arm.

The TTPSU has been completely re-engineered and running version 2.0, it shares similar traits to the RP10, using a hand tuned NEO power supply which matches the 24v engine that drives the platter.

Check out the video below of the days events. The new Rega Apollo CD R is shown along with the new Planar 6.

The new Planar 6 and the new Apollo CD R will be with us imminently, in the mean time we stock a range of Rega products here at Audio T Manchester. Why don't you pop along to the store and take a peep.

Thanks for reading.

Simon, Munir, Mike, Haden and Dave.

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

Experience The New Naim Uniti Range At The White Horse Hotel, Romsey On October 10th

Summer is still with us, just about, but now is a good time to make a note in your diary for an Autumn evening audio extravaganza on October 10th.

We are delighted to announce that Audio T Southampton will be joining up with Naim Audio to host a roadshow launch event to showcase the new Uniti range of music streaming systems.

The venue is The White Horse Hotel,  Market Place, Romsey, SO51 8ZJ

The event is in The Stables at The White Horse and starts at 6.30 pm ending at 9.00 pm.

It's too early for full details of products to be showcased but rest assured you will get the opportunity to see and hear at least Atom and Core and have the opportunity to speak to Naim representatives.  Naim technical staff will be also be on hand to answer any network questions, etc.

A limited number of FREE tickets are available now here so why not book now to secure your chance to see and hear the stunning new Naim Uniti all-in-one music players.  Refreshments will be available and there might even be the chance to enter a prize raffle!

We look forward to seeing you on the 10th October.

Alan and John

The New Naim Uniti Atom Is Here And The Mighty Atom Packs A Punch

The first of the new Naim Uniti All-In-One Wireless Music Player range is in store and on demonstration, and very fine it is too.

We have had to be patient for this complete rework of the Uniti range, with a new streaming platform and much improved performance and functionality, and it has been worth the wait. The Uniti Atom is a seriously solid 7 kg lump that punches way above its weight. Very impressive in so many ways. Beautiful and clever and very technologically advanced. 

With control via the improved Naim iOS or Android app. or the 2 way remote using it is a joy. This modern high quality compact hi-fi system does so much more then ever before.

All you need to do is add speakers. With the quality of sound from Uniti Atom the choice of speakers opens up to a surprisingly wide degree. Come and have a listen and experience Naim Uniti Atom for yourself.

Julian, Paul and John at Audio T Brighton 01273 609431

Naim Products are available in the following branches of Audio T: 
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, 
Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, 
Southampton, Swansea, Swindon   

New - Neat Acoustics SX7i

In addition to our current line up of Neat Acoustics loudspeakers we have now added the top of the Momentum range called the SX7i.

The SX7i delivers the performance of a high end loudspeaker from a room friendly enclosure taking up no more space that a conventional stand mount loudspeaker. The SX7i utilises no less than five drive units. The upper section is effectively a two way infinite baffle loudspeaker housed in its own enclosure. High frequencies are handled via a SXT black anodised aluminium tweeter with a massive ferrite dual magnet assembly offering extremely detailed presentation with no hint of hardness allowing fatigue free listening. The tweeter is flanked by two of Neat's recently upgraded P1/R3 bas mid drivers.

These are then crossed over to the lower half of the cabinet utilising two further P1/R3 drive units utilising Iso-Baric configuration. The first bass driver is located at the bottom of the cabinet firing downwards. This is coupled with an identical drive unit above with a sealed chamber between the two drive units. Both drive units receive an identical signal and operate in phase. These are then housed in their own enclosure that is tuned via a rear firing reflex port.

The first benefit this configuration is that the bass extension achieved is equivalent to an enclosure twice its size, thus offering extremely deep bass from a relatively small enclosure. The second benefit is that as both drivers are driven by their drive assemblies (Magnets) via the effective area of a single cone, which offers extremely controlled extended bass performance.

The drive units are housed in an extensively braced and damped cabinet constructed of high grade 18mm MDF. The cabinet sits on a pair of tri-laminate feet with adjustable spikes offering extreme stability and an overall cleaner presentation of the music.

Listening:
Straight out of the box and with no run in time, we were truly impressed by the musical performance offered - and this will only improve significantly with a few hundred hours run in time! We played 'And the Druids turn to Stone' from the album Universal Migrator by Ayreon via a Naim streamer and amplifier. The level of bass performance was truly outstanding for the cabinet dimensions and at no time became uncontrolled. the level of detail was a good as we've heard and  we heard information that we have never heard before! The sound stage and separation were truly outstanding. We have yet to play any music that has not impressed so far and this can only get better once they are run in.

These are truly outstanding loudspeakers and an audition is highly recommended. We look forward to seeing you.

Farid Andy and Jon - Audio T Cheltenham

Neat Acoustic loudspeakers are also available from following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading

Acoustic Energy Brings Back Some Old Friends

Many years ago there were two best selling speakers from Acoustic Energy the AE109 and the AE100.

Now the company has resurrected those model numbers and having heard them, for very good reason, these two new models promise to be every bit the giant killers that their ancestors were.

The AE100 is a very compact stand mount speaker with a big heart. Like its bigger brother the AE109 they employ trickle down technology from some of the manufacturers more upmarket speakers, most notably the wide dispersion tweeter and rear facing slot mounted port.

The cabinets come in two finishes a rich walnut, or for a small premium in satin black. Coupled with their curved edges, sleek lines and compact dimensions this makes the AE109 and AE100 very room friendly.

Now to the good bit, the sound quality! As the eagle eyed among you may have spotted we've just received our Uniti Atom the wonderful small single box streaming system from Naim. Well what better device to try out some small but perfectly formed speakers with, than a small but perfectly formed system?

The sound from both speakers is surprisingly large and spacious with a richness and scale which completely belies their size. This has been very apparent on our new fave recording Kraftwerk's 3D the catalogue. This recording has subterranean bass notes and crystal clear highs, a perfect test of any speaker/system combo and the little Acoustic Energy speakers acquit themselves masterfully.

Needless to say we're quite excited by both of these products, why not come in and see why?

Paul, Francis, Jason, and Boswell - Audio T Brentwood.

Acoustic Energy loudspeakers are also available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cheltenham, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Swindon

The Naim Uniti Atom Music Player - A Huge Hit In a Small Box!

Naim always had their work cut out following up the highly successful Uniti range. In this months blog we take a look at the all new Uniti Atom which is the replacement to the highly successful Unitiqute. So how have they done? In short…they’ve knocked it out of the park! Welcome to the reign of the new Naim Uniti Atom....

‘All in one’ box music systems are popular these days in the world of Hi-Fi with multiple manufacturers offering up their creations in a myriad of forms, generally throwing some form of streaming and possibly radio in with an amplifier so you only have to add speakers.  There are a lot of very good ones too, so it takes something quite special to stand out amongst them and the Uniti Atom does just that…and then some. With two even bigger and more powerful Uniti units the Star and Nova on the way soon as well, it’s a very exciting time! But before we get carried away let’s have a look at what the Atom is and what it does.

Let’s start off with the aesthetics, the word ‘beautiful’ is not a term that you would generally ascribe to amplifiers but Naim have certainly bucked the trend here, especially compared to their more conservative ‘classic’ range. The first thing that hits you is the large 5” LCD glass display which brightly shows off the album artwork of the music you are currently playing as well as the very cleanly laid out and very easily navigable menu system. The screen even wakes up to show you the metadata of the track you are listening to as you approach it due to proximity sensors. This sits in a stunning brushed aluminium case with finned aluminium heat sinks on either side. The Naim logo is proudly lit up on the base and four lit up buttons on the front allow for some basic control when you don’t have the remote or your mobile device on you. The design of the Atom is perfectly finished off with Naim’s signature volume control, which will be very familiar to anyone who has played with a Naim Mu-so or Mu-so QB and adds yet another touch of class to proceedings.

So, what does it do? The answer to that is…a lot!  There are many ways to play your music through the Atom. Firstly you can wirelessly play your own music collection from a NAS drive, Naim Uniti core, or other UPnP device, it has both Spotify and Tidal streaming services integrated as well as ways of playing other services such as Qobuz via the in-built Chromecast Audio. Internet radio and Bluetooth are included of course, as well as Airplay for Apple users. As far as physical inputs go you will find one analogue phono input, ready for an external CD player or turntable via a phono stage. Digital inputs consisting of two optical, one coax and a USB also feature. There is then of course an Ethernet input and owners have the option of having a HDMI input included to connect a TV too. Finally a pre-amplifier analogue output is also if you wish to upgrade the Atom with an external power amplifier.

The Atoms amplifier is a brand new 40 watt A/B class affair, with technology taken from the Naim’s Nait series of amplifiers. They have included the biggest power supply they possibly could to give the amplifier its best chance as well as top of the range circuitry and premium Burr Brown DAC's. The streaming and Wi-Fi hardware is also brand new to ensure the best possible connectivity and sound quality. You have three options on how to control the Atom; a few buttons on the front give you basic control while the included bi-directional smart remote is a lovely touch. Finally the most convenient way to control the system is by Naim’s newly updated app, which is one of the most user friendly and stable control apps around.

We’ve tried the Atom through all sorts of loudspeakers that we have here in the store, from entry level stand mounts like the Dali Zensor 1’s right up to big floorstanders. The results were surprising, especially when we as an experiment linked the Atom up to a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 804 D3 which by all rights should be out of its league, yet the Atom drove them beautifully even in a big room, defying its size and power!

One combination that we all love is with the Spendor A4 small floorstanders which we set up in our demonstration room. Over a few days we threw all sorts of music at it from electronic to rock to classical and we all struggled to leave the room! The Atom may look small but it certainly doesn’t sound it. It surprises with its incredible depth of sound, it has this ability to seemingly fill the room with music and gets you feeling involved with your favourite tracks in brand new ways. This combined with the warmth and musicality of the Spendor A4 makes for a gorgeous listening experience. This is we think the Atoms greatest asset, as well as being amazing in its looks and functionality its sound quality will give a lot of normal stereo amps a run for their money never mind other all in one boxes.

This really is one of the most cutting edge products around and it really needs to be experienced in person to see why we are so excited to have it in our store. Please get in touch to organise a demonstration, just be warned when you see and hear the Atom we guarantee you will love it!

Naim Products are available in the following stores: Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

New Monitor Audio 6th Generation Silver Series Arrive At Audio T Swindon

Monitor Audio have just launched the new Silver 6th Generation Series. This new range features two stand mounts, three floor standing, two centre channels, a pair of dipole/bipole surround sound speakers and an active subwoofer.

This is the new 6G Silver range:

Silver 50 (two-way standmounters)

Silver 100 (two-way standmounters)

Silver 200 (two and a half-way floorstanders)

Silver 300 (three-way floorstanders)

Silver 500 (three-way floorstanders)

Silver C150 (two and a half-way centre channel)

Silver C350 (three-way centre channel)

Silver FX (two-way surround speakers with switchable dipole and bipole configurations)

Silver W-12 (12in subwoofer with Class D amplification and 500W output)

The highlight of the new Silver series is a completely new version of the company's iconic gold dome tweeter, which has been fine-tuned in the quest for clearer, smoother and distortion-free highs. 
 

Silver 200 Floorstanding Speaker

Silver 200 Floorstanding Speaker

We think that the new Silver range sounds very good, fresh out of the box and after a few days of continuous running in they really shine and sound even better. We played Geiger Counter / Radioactivity (3-D) by Kraftwerk from the 3-D The Catalogue Album and oh boy, these Silver 200's impressed with a big sound and tight bass. Gregory Porter's "Hey Laura" of his album Liquid Spirit proves how emotional music can sound. Nice!

We then swapped them for the smallest of the range, the Silver 50's. Don't underestimate these little speakers by their size. We played the same music and wow, we didn't expect them to sound so big.

Silver 50 standmount/book shelf Speaker

Silver 50 standmount/bokshelf Speaker

As I mentioned before there are two centre speakers in the range, the C150 and the C350.

This is the new Silver C150:

Silver C150 Centre Speaker

Silver C150 Centre Speaker

Please came in and have a listen. Our opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 9.30 - 5.30 and you can contact us on 01793 538222.

Many thanks.

Stefan and Andy - Audio T Swindon

Monitor Audio loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea

Rega Launches New Planar 6 With Neo PSU With Ania Moving Coil Cartridge

Over the last year Rega have relaunched their P1, P2 and P3 turntables, the next new product is the stunning Rega Planar 6. The all new Planar 6 benefits from a single piece machined aluminium sub-platter, a new 24v motor, NEO power supply and a custom drive pulley fitted with white drive belt fitted as standard.

The new Planar 6 is available without cartridge or with the superb Ania MC cartridge. It is now more an RP8 RP10 lite than an RP6!

The Planar 6 is then further enhanced by the following features:

• Custom dual layer smoked / clear float glass platter.
• New single piece aluminium sub platter.
• New custom machined high precision drive pulley.
• Patent pending central brass hub.
• Rega’s double brace technology, with integral custom matched aluminium tonearm and hub pillars to ensure maximum rigidity and accuracy.
• RB330 handmade precision tone arm with custom stainless weight.
• New smoked dust cover.
• New aluminium foot trims and Planar style feet.

One of the best features of this turntable is its external ‘Neo’ PSU. The new Neo PSU replaces the old TT-PSU and features the DSP-based motor control from the Rega RP10's PSU. The end result is that the Planar 6 will spin at exactly the correct speed regardless of fluctuations in the mains’ current that are inevitable from any socket. The Neo PSU also gives you push-button 33 and 45 RPM speed control without having to lift the platter.

We recently had the opportunity to hear the Planar 6 / Ania / Neo combination. We used the new Fono MC and an Elicit-R Amplifier. The results were truly amazing; the Planar 6 presented a very crisp, dynamic soundstage. It had great depth and incredibly low noise floor which ensured that every musician, every note had space to breathe. We found ourselves playing all sorts of music and whatever we threw at it be-it Etta James, Bob Dylan, Daft Punk or Metallica the Planar 6 was just brilliant. 

As you can tell we think the Planar 6 and MC Ania combination represents stunning value for money and we highly recommend you have a listen to it. To complete the package we would also recommend the new Fono MC 2017 pre-amplfiier, a brilliant compact phono stage that shares the same design of housing and case work of the Neo. 

The Planar 6 will be available in stores very soon, if you would like to arrange a personal demonstration please call us on 01865 765961. 

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

Musical Fidelity Encore 225 All In One Music System

When you open the box for the Encore you are presented with an 18.3 Kg beast of a unit! This 225 watt box of musical delights is really solidly built and as such fills you with confidence even before you plug it in.

The Musical Fidelity Encore 225's purpose is to provide a one box solution designed to take away the fuss that usually entails when you take your first steps into streaming. There is no need to have a separate storage unit such as a network attached storage (NAS) drive as the Encore has its own 1TB (upgradeable) hard drive built in. You can connect the Encore to your network and you can drag and drop music onto it. Not only that, but it comes equipped with a CD drive which can work as a CD player but is also a ripper. Copying your CD collection could not be simpler, just put it in the drive and the Encore takes care of the rest. Using the Apple or Android App you then simply find your music and press play. The large high resolution display on the front panel will then show the artwork and track you are currently playing. It's not limited to playing music from the hard drive or CD though, as the Encore integrates the music subscription service Tidal through its App allowing CD quality playback from their large jukebox in the cloud. Also around the back of the unit you will find 3 pairs of RCA inputs, 4 digital inputs and a couple of USB inputs for expanding the units storage. Also on the front panel it has a high quality headphone output.

As previously mentioned the Encore has 225 watts per channel plenty enough for the vast majority of speakers out there and enough to always keep things under control. We have tried it on a number of different speaker makes and models including Dynaudio, Neat, Bowers and Wilkins, PMC and it worked well with all of them so it's certainly not a fussy amplifier. We also tried a variety of music genres. Playing Antonin Dvorak Op. 77 Scherzo performed by the Berlin Philharmonic String Quartet showed just how much grip on the speakers the amplifier has as the dynamics of the performance shone from the first bar onwards. Tippers Gulch from his Backwards Forwards album memorised with the scale of the sound stage and again this showed the amplifiers control as the speakers didn't trip up once as the sounds in the track twisted and turned. It not all about power though, as the Encore is really good at resolving the detail. On Agnes Obel's Aventine you could hear every last nuance in her voice and the strings giving the impression the artists were in the room with you. All in all we think the Encore is a great sounding product and perfect for the modern ways of music consumption. The Encore 225 offers a lot of product for the money. Of course you can come and hear it for yourself, Just give us a call for a demonstration on 0117 926 4975.

Thanks for looking.

Martin, Max and James. Audio T Bristol 

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

New Rega Ania Moving Coil Cartridge →

Rega have been pushing the boundaries of cartridge design for a good number of years, and none more so than the moving coil type.

The Rega Apheta was the first of these in 2005, and that was re-worked and improved when the Apheta 2 was introduced in 2014. The top of the range Aphelion followed in 2015 and demonstrated just how far Rega had progressed the design and manufacture in this highly specialised discipline.

All these turntable cartridges are manufactured by Rega at their UK facility in Southend-on-Sea which is quite an accomplishment.

The Ania is the new addition to the moving coil range which opens up ownership due to the wider compatibility with tonearms and turntables, and of course its price, which offers great value and exceptional sound for the money.

Indeed the Rega Planar 3 combines very well with the Ania, and as you go up through the Rega turntable range greater musical delights become apparent.

Rega moving coil cartridges are the low output type and require a moving coil phono stage. It just so happens that Rega are also introducing the Fono MC that is an obvious partner, although other MC stages will work.

The newly announced Rega Planar 6 completes the perfect package of Planar 6 (inc Neo PSU), the Ania MC cartridge and the recently released Fono MC stage.

The Ania and Fono MC are already the beneficiaries of a fine review by Jason Kennedy in the-ear.net where he extols the virtue of their performance partnered with the Rega RP8 turntable.

We have the Ania, Apheta 2 and Aphelion on demonstration and expect the Fono MC in mid July and the new Planar 6 around the end of July.

So, give us a call to hear the combination of your choice, and we will arrange that for you.

Julian, Paul and John at Audio T Brighton  Tel: 01273 609431

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

Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Loudspeakers Just Add Music!

Taking advantage of their pedigree of designing loudspeakers for the domestic and professional markets Acoustic Energy have now released the AE1 active monitor loudspeaker.

The AE1 active is a two way reflex enclosure utilising an aluminium dome tweeter with a unique WDT wave guide for seamless integration into the room. This is coupled with a pure piston ceramic aluminium cone bass driver developed from the original and legendary AE1 studio monitor. Both drivers are driven by two internal 50W class A/B amplifiers via a fully active filter networks per loudspeaker.

Taking advantage of many products now available on the market the AE1 active can be coupled with any equipment that has a variable pre amplifier output. One of the major benefits is you no longer need multiple Hi-Fi components to achieve high end sound quality. In the age of network streaming, Bluetooth and music streaming services, a fine sounding music system can be achieved of diminutive size. As an active (speaker with an amplifier built in) monitor the AE1 Active can also be used as a loudspeaker connected directly to you computer offering sound quality rarely heard from computer loudspeakers. They are also ideal for improving the sound of from your TV (In fact I don't think there is a soundbar on the market that will come close to achieving the sound quality you can get when using the AE1s).

Below we set up a few different music streaming systems with the AE1 actives.

Arcam rBlink - AE1 Active:

The Arcam rBlink is a Bluetooth receiver that can be connected directly to the the AE1 Actives via the audio out of the rBlink. Any product that is Bluetooth enabled such as a mobile phone, IPad or tablet can then be used to play directly to the AE1 Active.

Sonos Connect - AE1 Active:

Connect the Sonos Connect via its variable pre-amplifier output to the RCA input of the AE1 and you have a system capable of network streaming (music files from a computer / external hard drive), Internet radio and music streaming services such as Spotify Premium, Tidal and Qobuz.

Auralic Altair Pre-amplifier - AE1 Active:

The Auralic Altair is an exceptionally high quality network streamer. This can be connected via the balanced XLR outputs on the Altair to the Balanced XLR inputs on the AE1 Active. This will provide with a system of diminutive size that produces exceptionally high sound quality.

Each AE1 Active is equipped with an independent volume control and +/- 2dB adjustment for both bass and treble. They are available in Piano Black, Piano White and high Gloss Real wood cherry finishes.

Sound Quality:
We connected the AE1 Active to the Auralic Altair music streamer. Playing files recorded in FLAC (44.1 kHz) via an Innuos Zen Mini hard drive and the sound quality achieved was outstanding. Playing Mike Oldfield 'Not of this Earth' the sound stage was expansive with great sense of depth. The high frequencies were detailed with no sense of hardness, mid range detail was excellent and the bass went down to depths you really wouldn't expect from a speaker of this size. We then played 'Fast Cars' by Tracy Chapman. Vocals were extremely clear with a great sense of emotion. All the instruments were clearly defined with great power and attack.

All in all the AE1 offer superb value for the sound quality achieved at the price and is available now for demonstration.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Farid, Andy and Jon - Audio T Cheltenham

Acoustic Energy loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Bristol, Cheltenham, Online, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Swindon

Chord Cable Upgrade Workshop at Audio T Preston Thursday 7th September 12noon-8pm

Join Ian Gavin and Andy at the Preston store as we demonstrate the Chord Company cable range. Come and hear how this cost effective upgrade can bring you even more enjoyment from your music and film collection.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided and there will be exclusive special offers for attendees. If you are uncertain about the difference that cables can make then this is the opportunity to listen and make your own mind up.

Click HERE to reserve your place.

Pioneer Special Edition Monitor 5 Headphones

The Pioneer SE-Monitor 5 headphones are the new closed-back premium headphone from the Japanese electronics company. They compliment the excellent open back SE-Master1.

Great build quality adds to the appeal here, not only do they sound great but look good too. The magnesium alloy frame and the leather headband secure the headphones firmly to your head. Maybe a tad weighty, but very comfortable all the same. The copper ring on the capsules and copper coloured plugs on the braided headphone cable add that extra bit of class to the Monitor 5's.

The elegant new Pioneer SE-Monitor 5 headphone.

This beautifully constructed headphone exudes quality. The headband adjustment is reassuringly solid. Magnesium alloy and leather!! Lovely.

Enter Chromey!!. Those velour headphone cups look really comfy Chromey, and did you know they also come with an extra set of leatherette cups to go with your tight leather pants. splendid.

The leather headband looks and feels great.

The 3.5mm jack allows to you disconnect the headphone cable and use a highend aftermarket cable.

Sound Quality
The SE-Monitor 5's sound like a £1000 headphone should, well defined bass that doesn't bloat and stays in check is welcome for a closed-back headphone. The midrange is very well controlled and isn't shouty at all, meanwhile the treble is also lush and well detailed with a hint of warmth. Overall, the stereo image produced by the SE-Monitor 5's can't be faulted and is very accurate.

Fancy a try ? well, why don't you do like Chromey, and zip into Audio T Manchester and give the Pioneer SE-Monitor 5 headphones an audition. We have a dedicated area for our headphones where we use a headphone amp, you can also plug the Pioneer's directly into a portable device such as a phone or a portable audio player if it's how you roll.

Munir, Mike, Dave, Simon and Haden will be on hand to help.    

The Legendary Bowers and Wilkins 800 Series Return To Cardiff.

With a 35 year history and an iconic place for a long time in such institutions as Abbey Road Studios, it’s safe to say the B&W 800 series is one of the most renowned speaker ranges in the world. We are ecstatic to have the newest version of the entire range here at Audio T Cardiff.

The Bowers and Wilkins 800 series has a long and illustrious history, the original 801 was released in 1980. The idea was to give engineers absolute free reign to come up with the very best loudspeaker they could without the usual restrictions placed on them. In fact in the original 801 manual there is a quote that says:

‘‘the first commercial effort to develop and produce a loudspeaker that would reflect the highest standards attainable without regard to any of the so called “practical considerations” that inevitably compromise conventional designs.’’

This is exactly what they did, the use of ultra-rigid Matrix cabinet construction and the idea of separate enclosures for high-frequency drivers or Flowport bass-reflex tuning was brand new innovative technology at the time and was filtered down through the generations of 800s over the years. The new series, 800 D3 to be precise has followed that same philosophy of their forebears but with the very most up to date cutting edge technology that ensures they are on the top of their game.

Words can’t explain how excited we are to now have the vast majority of the new 800 range in store including the HTM1 centre speaker, the stand mounting 805 D3, the more traditional looking floor standing 804 D3, the most compact of the classic 800 look the 803 D3, the immense 802 D3 and the astonishing head of the family the 800 D3.

There is far too much incredible technology that goes into these speakers to cover everything in this blog but let’s go through at least some features. B&W claim that their diamond tweeter technology that they have been using since the beginning and has continued to be improved, provides the most realistic treble possible. The use of diamond means that the tweeter is both as light and rigid as possible which is a very difficult balance to achieve. On these newest versions the tweeter sits in an all new solid body housing which brings even further advances to performance.

A big development in the new range is the abandonment of the iconic Aramid Fibre cone for the new Continuum cone. These are essentially the next stage of evolution in B&W’s cone technology being able to ‘deliver pristine mid-range performance by effectively negating the break-up behaviour that can adversely affect this all-important part of the spectrum.’ The fact B&W have done this when the Aramid Fibre cone was already so innovative and unique show just how much they are striving for perfection.

We are still getting to grips with the whole range but what we have found out so far is that everything B&W are claiming about the sonic properties of this series is absolutely true. The ability to bring out the performance of the music you are listening to is exceptional the clarity and realism of these speakers make you feel like the musicians are right there in front of you. This is true for both stereo and home cinema settings, we have the 800’s, HTM1 centre and the 805 stand mounts setup in our cinema room with Dolby atmos and the result is nothing short of mind blowing.

We have several pairs of the range setup and ready to go for demonstration, so please get in touch if you would like a listen to what are frankly some game changing speakers.

Bowers and Wilkins 800 Series are currently only available at Cardiff store.

All other Bowers and Wilkins Speakers are available in the following Audio T stores: Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon