Record Store Day 2018 Was A Blast!

Record Store Day just gets bigger and better every year, and as is now the tradition, we team up with Derricks Music on Oxford Street for the day.

Derricks kindly give us some floor space to play some of our Rega turntables and let me play my music all day, and once again we were giving away one of the RSD Rega Turntables to one of the lucky RSD customers in a FREE prize draw.

On the day it was once again an early start for the staff at Derricks, in at the crack of dawn to get all the stock ready and prepare for the customers. But - the customers themselves were far keener to get to Derricks and be at the front of the queue with the first customer being outside at 1.30am!

I arrived a while before the store was due to open and the queue was already heading down the street

9am sharp and the doors opened, shortly after the day turned into a blur.... the atmosphere in the shop was fantastic, all sorts of people buying all sorts of records. I was doing my usual job of playing a variety of my own records and winding up Christos the boss by refusing to play any prog (like taking a dummy off a baby!) Time was just flying by but the queue just seemed to stay half way down Oxford Street well into late morning.

We also gave away a few of our Audio T record bags which went down very well..

Dome customers were lucky and managed to get a lot of what they wanted..

Still lots of rummaging going on until later on in the afternoon....

As close of play approached it was time to draw the winning ticket for our prize draw, I always enjoy making the phone call to the winner and this time it was even better as the reaction I got from the winner was hilarious. I can't repeat what he said when I told him, but let's just say he was very pleased!

One happy prize winner....

Nic Forbes on the left, our lucky winner David Mayes and Christos on the right.

Once again we have to say a huge thank you to all at Derricks for such a great day and already looking forward to 2019.

Derricks is celebrating its 50th year this year so no doubt we will get involved in whatever Christos has planned.

Thank you to all that took the time to stop and have a chat and enter our competition.

When you're looking for you next record player or Hi-Fi upgrade to enhance your music listening pleasure, then why not pop in and have a chat with us at Audio T Swansea.

Sublime Performance From Marantz AV8805 Dolby Atmos Processor

We have just had our ears opened up to the absolutely beautiful sound of the top of the line Marantz AV8805 processor. 

This generation of Marantz's line of Dolby Atmos processors go one step further in the sound quality stakes by adding Heos Multi-room capability and the ability to fully utilise the processing power of 13.2 channels including Auro 3D, alongside the Dolby Atmos and DTS X. 

We installed the Marantz AV8805 into our 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos cinema room and have been blown away - no surprise there as we have always been fans of the previous 8802A. 

What really caught our attention was the ability to run extra height speakers (a total of 6) AND Front Wide speakers in a Dolby Atmos configuration. So you can either run 7.1.6 or 9.1.4 in your Home Cinema. 

Naturally, most people would look for a smaller set up, however the Marantz 8805 is at home in standard 5.1 systems as well and will still sound fantastic. 

You can see from the above image that we have configured the Marantz for 7.2.6 Dolby Atmos.

The secret in the sound of the Marantz in our opinion is the inclusion of 32 bit DACS. Marantz take this one stage further by including the 32 DAC's for every single channel in the system. 

The above configuration works well with Auro 3D if you fancy a change! Just ensure you have a very understanding partner when you put all the speakers in the room......

Once you are happy with the speaker configuration, you can further customize the settings to accommodate Large or Small speakers for optimal performance.

If you do not want to use the TV/Projector to set up the unit, you can also do so by looking at the front panel and make changes.

Build quality is top notch and even though it includes no onboard amplifiers, it weighs as much as most AV Receivers which include amps.

The Marantz AV8805 is fully compliant with 4K with HDCP 2.2 copy protection. Dolby Vision and HDR 10 complaint for ultimate performance. 

Built like a tank folks!

Come along have a listen at Audio T Enfield.

Thanks for reading. John, Claire and Mahmoud

Exclusive Interview And Review Of The New Nytech CA352 Integrated Amplifier.

Modern day Hi-Fi is often jam packed with features, wireless streaming, integrated DACs and digital processing abound and that is truly fantastic. However none of these things come close to the importance of the quality of sound itself and if anything can prove this it’s the new Nytech CA352.

We’ve waxed lyrical in the past about Nytech’s fantastic Pre and Power combination the CP202 and CPA402, in fact over the last few years they have barely left our demonstration room, becoming our point of reference when reviewing new loudspeakers and other components. However there is certainly a trend recently of setups having fewer boxes and taking up less space, reducing those two boxes down to one in the form of an integrated amplifier was the next logical step.

The CA352 is not officially released until the 24th of May (more on the launch event later) however as it is developed and built right here in Cardiff we have been lucky enough to hear it a few times through its development and have had it in the demonstration room before its release.

Build quality is excellent with the CA252. It keeps the same brushed black aluminium front panel and simple nicely laid out controls including a motorised volume control. Buyers are treated to some customisation as well, as Nytech offer you a variety of choices when it comes to their signature wooden side checks, which gives a real sense of ownership and uniqueness to your amplifier.

We sat down with Phil Balaam, the designer and engineer behind all of the modern Nytech creations and asked him a few questions about his new product:

When did you first get interested in Hi-Fi and how did you get involved in the industry?

I was interested in Music from about the age of six and I built my first amplifier when I was 12, but it wasn't until I joined Nytech Audio in 1978 and met Richard Hay for the first time that I started to get interested into what makes electronic equipment sound the way it does. I learned an awful lot from Richard about why HiFi sounds the way it does and what factors can influence the sound in what way.

What is your philosophy when it comes to the sound and design of your products?

Music first! - No matter how good your equipment is on paper, it’s not until you start listening to music emotionally on it that you appreciate the difference between equipment. Music is a collection of mathematically related sounds designed to produce an emotional response in the listener. If the emotion disappears in the recording and reproduction of the music then its meaning is lost!

Value for money - Anyone who knows the HiFi business knows there are some very high priced items out there! Some justify their high price but many do not! One of the things I learned from Richard Hay was how to make music without spending a fortune and passing that onto the customer.

Nytech amplifiers are by no means "cheap" but they offer very high musical ability without the astronomically high price tag of some of the more "esoteric" alternatives. It’s up to the customer can decide if they are getting value for money.

Talk us through the new integrated, what was your reasoning behind releasing this product?

The first requirement of the integrated was that we deliver the emotion, detail and focus as would be expected of a modern amplifier but make sure that we kept the distinctive musical sound of the classic originals.

The second requirement was to concentrate every single penny of cost into musical performance.

The whole point about HiFi separates is that you choose the components you want to give you the most enjoyable musical performance

The Integrated amplifier has one job. To amplify and control analogue audio signals. Doing anything else in the box would either have compromised the sound, or made the integrated far more expensive adding features that the customer may not want.

That’s why there are no "add ons" like Phono stages, DACs, Bluetooth streaming or any other gadgets. To add these either the price had to be increased and customers may not want them or we sacrifice the quality of the amplifier to pay for the "extras." We also felt that putting a phono stage inside the box with all the interference and noise from the power electronics would reduce the quality of the music so we decided not to do it.

We set up a system in our demonstration room we felt was appropriate for the price point and function of the CA352. This consisted of a Cyrus Stream X signature into Chord Electronics new (and marvellous) Qutest DAC for our streaming alongside a Rega Planar 6 with Ania MC cartridge through Rega’s Fono MC phono stage as our sources. For our loudspeakers we employed Spendor’s brand new A7 floorstanders (more on those in the coming months) which the CA352 modestly rated 35 watts drove effortlessly.

We spent a lot of time and listened to a huge variety of music through this setup and could provide an essay on our findings but we thought we’d share a few of our highlights. One of the surprising moments came from the intro to Queen’s classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the harmonies at the start of the song are of course instantly recognisable but we were blown away by the separation the SA352 provided. On a song we have between us heard hundreds of times before we could recognise each individual voice as if there were a choir stood right in front of us, it really was staggering detail.

Another standout was Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, the realism with which the orchestra portrayed was incredible with all instruments presented in their proper positions and sounding as close to how they would in a concert hall, and of course when the cannons go off it makes you want to run for cover! The CA352 really showing how it can access that extra power that is needed instantaneously to give you that kind of impact. We know from previous experience that Nytech excel in providing the dynamics and soundstage needed to reproduce classical and jazz but what was surprising about this little amp is how well it well…rocks! Listening to ‘Take the Power Back’ by Rage Against the Machine provided all the muscle the song demands, the slap bass thundered, the drum kit hit you full on the chest and the vocals felt rhythmic and snappy just as they should but quite often don’t.

You don’t just have to believe our opinion though as on the 24th of May at 7pm there will be a great chance to hear the CA352 at our event at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. This fantastic building has hosted plenty of our events in the past and this time we will be showing off the CA352 playing through Spendor’s new A7 loudspeakers. There will be talks from both companies on their new products as well as a live performance from Cardiff based Jazz trio ‘Cool Soup’. This will be recorded and then played back through the system so we can compare between the live and recorded experience.

The bar will be open as we listen to a range of music to really show you what this amazing equipment can do. Entry is free and tickets can be reserved here . All are welcome and we hope to you there, if you can’t make it of course you are always welcome to have a demonstration in the shop any time after the day of the event.

Nytech products are currently only available at the Cardiff store

Refurbishment Sale at Audio T Brentwood Now On!

We are doing some refurbishment work on the Shop which has two benefits for you.

A) You will have a fresher brighter shop to visit

B) Bargains!!

Whether you are after speakers

Or electronics

We are sure to have something that will pique your interest.

We have some bargains in almost all categories of HiFi, so please pop in and look for the yellow price tickets like this:

We are sure we will see you soon and stay tuned for exciting new products in store soon!

Unboxing ProAc Response DT8 Floorstanding Speakers

When we first heard the ProAc Response DT8 speakers we all were blown away by the performance and all agreed that these floorstanding speakers were needed in our product line up...so here they are being unboxed in store.

Supplied with 2x black acoustically transparent crimplene speaker grills and 8 silver spikes. Our demo pair are in the natural oak finish and look fantastic.

The speakers themselves stand at 978mm (on spikes) 193mm wide and 229mm deep, so a nice neat option for a floorstanding speaker.

At 26 kg each they are not the lightest of speakers but when in position the soundstage has to be heard to be believed, with the downward firing bass reflex port they are a joy to position in any room.

The downward firing bass reflex port.

Using the silk dome tweeter the higher frequences have the smoothness you expect from the classic ProAc delivery, being that of a sound you can happily listen to all day long.

The 2x 165mm bass/mid drivers work in tandem together to deliver a bottom end that is tight and quick.

Available in black ash/mahogany/cherry/maple/oak..also available in ebony & rosenut at a slightly extra cost as these are premium finishes.

Coming in at £1950.00 the ProAc Response D8 will be a great addition to any system.

Available to hear now in store at Audio T Preston.

Ian, Gavin & Andy

ProAc loudspeakers are available at Audio T Brighton.

New Spendor A7 Floorstanding Speakers Paired With Naim's NAC -N272 and NAP250 DR Amplifiers

Over the past week we have been putting the new Spendor A7 speakers through their paces, and we are impressed.

Visually they are still in keeping with the traditional design Spendor are known for and come in a range of pleasing finishes such as Black Ash, Dark Walnut, Natural Oak and now for a little extra Satin white.

Classically beautiful A7

The new A7 is a major revision for the award winning A6R, a tough act to follow. With more dynamic range and resolution with elements of D7 technology and changes to the cross over making the A7s a real step up. For full specifications click here

The A2 looking up to its big brother the A7

One element of the new A range that is worth mentioning, is that none of the speakers come with grilles. They are now an optional extra at differing prices depending on the model. The A7 is the biggest in the A-line range but is by no means a particularly big speaker. There are two other floorstanders in the range, in decreasing order of size they are the A4 and A2, which is a very compact and competent floor stander indeed. Last but not least is the A1 stand mounted speaker (A-line range).

Spendor A7 rear

After 5 days of playing the A7s day and night we sat down for good listen. We paired them with a very popular Naim combination, The NAC-N272 streaming pre-amplifier and the NAP 250 DR power amplifier.

 A briliant combination

We started of with Nils Lofgren ''Keith Don't Go'' from the brilliant Acoustic Live album. The A7s really brought the performance to life. We were all tapping out feet and would have been singing along but we didn't want to ruin the experience. The bottom end was big, warm and controlled allowing the vocals to soar creating loads of space around Lofgren which brought all of the emotion out of the track. After a few more tracks we changed to ''The Sound of Silence'' by Disturbed from the Immortalised album. An amazing version of the well known Simon and Garfunkel song. The powerful, rich vocals were clean and well nuanced and again with beautifully controlled bass. After a few more snippets of various tracks we were all in agreement that these are a serious competitor at the price and are very much in our top selection of favourite speakers. In short, the A7s like the rest of the A-line range have managed to retain the familiar sound of Spendor, but added so much more giving them greater dynamics and intricacies, a much more spacious and involving performance able to to cope with all kinds of music comfortably.

We love them and we think you will too. Call Nick Joe and James at Audio T Portsmouth to arrange a demonstration or home loan

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Spendor Loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T: 
Cardiff, Cheltenham, Portsmouth, Swindon

Huge Sonic Rewards Await With REL Acoustics Sub-bass Systems In Stereo And Home Cinema Systems

REL products are not traditional subwoofers, but true Sub-Bass Systems. A REL is designed to augment the performance of full range speaker systems in order to provide, in certain cases, linear response below 15Hz.

A REL will take advantage of the physical room acoustics to provide deep pressurization as no traditional subwoofer can. For optimum results REL's should be placed in one of the corners behind the speakers if possible. Low bass pressurization below 40Hz is best derived from corner placement, where the most linear and efficient bass can be produced because the subwoofer is able to take advantage of the tangential (corner to corner) axis which is typically the longest distance in a room.

REL subwoofers come in different sizes and most are available in a piano white or piano black.

It is not just about bass, as one might think when the word subwoofer pops up. REL's were originally designed for music based stereo Hi-Fi systems which could improve the overall sound quality improving the treble and mid range as well as offering more realistic bass performance. The way it works with either stereo or home cinema system is very clever. Supplied with every REL product is The High Level 'Neutrik' Cable, which is a very special cable and this makes all the difference!

REL High Level Cable

Here is how it works: Connect the red cable to the right-plus speaker terminal, the yellow cable to the left-plus speaker terminal and the black cable to either the left or right minus-speaker terminal on your amplifier.

Now connect the blue end to the REL subwoofer. Please have a look at the photos below

High Level Cable connected to Amplifier

High Level Cable connected to REL

Now the REL subwoofer receives exactly the same signal as the two front loudspeakers, connected to the same speaker terminals. Position the subwoofer in one of the front corners of the room and start setting it up.

There are numerous set-up guides and set-up videos on the REL website and they  are nicely done and easy to understand and of course we can give you a demonstration and show you how to do this first hand when you visit us or any Audio T store.

The first song I listened to was the song Boogie Man of AC/DC's studio album Ballbreaker and the difference is huge. The kick drum and bass guitar sound rich and real, connecting you to the music. I then disconnected the cable from the REL subwoofer and started the song again. This time there wasn't the same depth and richness that I heard before. It is not only about the bass as I mentioned before, a REL sub also improves the vocals and imaging and integrates so well with the main system.

The set-up process is the same for stereo and multi-channel home cinema systems. First complete the high-level set-up then connect the single phono cable from your subwoofer output on your AV receiver to the LOW .1/LFE input on the REL subwoofer.

With both cables connected, this set-up is called REL Theatre Reference. I personally prefer to set the .1/LFE level at around 10 o'clock position, play a scene of a movie with a good punch and then adjust the level to my liking. There are too many good movies to name but I always use the first chapter of a movie called 9. The first 10 minutes will give you everything you need to find the right LFE level. It is also great to help you adjust the level for your rear speakers. Try it and you will be impressed.

Visually impressive too.

There are also wireless options (zero compression) available just in case you don't want to run the cables across the floor. Arrow Wireless (compatible with Serie T/i , except T Zero) and Longbow Wireless (compatible with No.25 and Serie S).

Arrow Wireless Kit for a neat set-up

I recently replaced a 12'' subwoofer (massive cabinet) in my system with a physically smaller REL T9i and I have to say  that his has transformed my system into something that has left me speechless* (*Not possible - Ed). A movie like Bladerunner 2049 makes me want to watch it over and over again. Stunning!

We hope that you have enjoyed our blog and hopefully we will see you in store soon. Stefan and Andy - Audio T Swindon.

REL Sub Bass Systems are available at the following branches of Audio T: 
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, 
Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

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

Visit us at Audio T Oxford on Friday 18th May (12 noon - 5:30pm) and Saturday 19th May (10am - 5:00pm) and hear for yourself the benefits of mains conditioning in conjunction with IsoTek.

The quality of the electricity we feed into our Hi-Fi and Home Cinema systems has a profound effect on how our music and films sound. As the electronic devices we use at home grow and the demand for electrical power increases, the quality of the electricity we feed our systems continues to degrade from RF interference and mains noise.

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.

Prize Draw
We will put the names of all attendees into a prize draw giving you the opportunity of winning an Isotek EVO3 Initium Mains Cable worth £80. 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.

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 Chris. If you would like to reserve your place then you can do so by clicking here or on the poster above. 

IsoTek mains conditioning products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Cheltenham, Oxford, Southampton, Swindon

Pro-ject Jukebox E - Instant Vinyl Replay Hi-Fi System - Just Add Speakers!

Pro-ject audio systems have always strived to make excellent vinyl audio quality as accessible as possible and by creating the Jukebox E take this a step further by providing a everything you need for excellent vinyl sound in just one box.

The business of listening to music on vinyl is one that nearly always involves at least a few boxes e.g. turntable, phono stage, amplifier and speakers and of course all the cables in between! This can sometimes put people off as equipment can take up a fair bit of space which can sometimes be at a premium in front rooms and of course the collective cost of the various components! Pro-ject audio Systems have come up with an elegant solution to this by combining their expertise in high quality entry level turntables, phono stages and amplification to come up with the Pro-ject Jukebox E.

Along with a pair of suitable speakers the Jukebox E is a complete vinyl and Bluetooth playback system. The turntable itself is based on Pro-ject's hugely successful Primary turntable, modified to fit the Jukebox chassis. The arm is a 8.6” and made from aluminium with sapphire bearings with an Ortofon’s excellent OM 5e cartridge pre installed. It is a belt driven turntable with a low-vibration synchronous motor with very reliable speed stability. In the interest of keeping things simple there is next to no setup needed straight out of the box, with only the belt being separate and needing to be installed.

The Jukebox E also features a Bluetooth input, handy for those times you don’t feel like getting out of your chair to turn a vinyl over! Being able to control music through your Bluetooth enabled smart device gives the Jukebox E plenty of versatility. A line level phono input on the back also allows you do add any other sources you would like such as a streamer or CD player, while a line level output means you can add a headphone amplifier or integrate into a larger system.

The system boasts a surprisingly powerful 50w in to 4 Ohms per channel integrated amplifier which has a moving magnet phono stage built in based on Pro-ject's brilliant Phono Box technology. We find the Jukebox E very easy to operate; there is a clear display on the front that has the volume and current input which are controllable either from the front panel or the supplied remote control which also gives you some customisation with the sound by adjusting the bass and treble.

Build quality is also very impressive the sturdy, heavy high gloss plinth, special decoupling feet and removable dust cover all give you the impression of a premium piece of equipment which is only helped by the small details like the high quality display and luxury aluminium pulley.

There are any number of loudspeakers that can be paired with the Jukebox E, though typically keeping with the theme of saving space you will most commonly see them paired with small bookshelf speakers. We have found fantastic results with the Dali Spector 1 and Dali Zensor 1. This is a combination that produces an impressive large sound, a surprisingly deep bass response, plenty of detail and a better sound stage than you would expect from such a small and reasonably priced setup.

If you are just starting out in vinyl or want a ‘second room’ type system but want to keep it small and simple then the Pro-ject Jukebox E is the perfect product for you, the fact that is is an ‘all in one’ system does not mean there is any compromise on the quality you get out of the system, just add speakers and you are ready to listen to some music! The Jukebox E is well worth a listen and is in our store as well as a large range of loudspeakers to pair with it and find the combination that suits you the best, please get in touch to book a demonstration.

Project Audio Systems Products are available in the following stores:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Swansea, Swindon

Naim Multi-room Firmware Update For Uniti And Mu-so Also Improves Sound Quality

This latest firmware update from Naim, not only improves functionality, but also offers a noticeable improvement in sound quality.

The new Uniti and Mu-so are updated Over-the-Air so just update via the Naim app. Please ensure you read the information below before carrying out the update on manually updated products.

The firmware updates will enable you to seamlessly play music between Naim streaming products. This update also includes known bug fixes.  For Mu-so and the new Uniti ranges, the Naim app will notify users that an update is available.

N.B. For legacy streaming products that don't have the over-the-air update feature, Naim will publish the download links as usual on the Naim website and Forum.

Products to be Updated

Over-the-air (App prompted)

• Mu-so
• Mu-so Qb
• Uniti Nova
• Uniti Star
• Uniti Atom

Manual Product Update
Except for Mu-so and the new Uniti ranges that will update over-the-air, all other products will require a manual update. To update the unit you will need a PC or Mac and a USB to mini-b or USB to RS232 cable, depending on the age of the product. A simple step-by-step video on how to update a unit manually can be watched below.

Manual update - IMPORTANT - In order for the unit to perform the update it MUST be 24bit/192kHz capable).

• NDS
• NDX
• ND5 XS
• SuperUniti
• NaimUniti
• NaimUniti 2
• UnitiLite
• UnitiQute
• UnitiQute 2
• NAC-N 172 XS
• NAC-N 272

To identify if the unit is a 24bit/192kHz variant, follow these instructions:

1. Press the ‘Settings’ button on the remote control
2. Scroll and select ‘Factory Settings’
3. Scroll and select ‘System Status’
4. Scroll to ‘BC SW’. If the code starts with ‘3D’ you have the latest hardware and the update can be made. If it displays anything else then the update cannot be made. 

If you have any questions regarding the update or are experiencing any issues installing the new firmware please contact the Naim Technical Support team.

Join Julian, Paul and John in the Brighton store to explore Naim in depth.

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

ROON - One Music Player And Hi-Fi Controller To Rule Them All

Roon is the latest and one of most exciting innovations to Hi-Fi music replay, so what exactly is it? Roon is a music player and control application (software) designed specifically for music lovers. Roon allows you to view all of your music from a single interface and allows you to play from any supported device in any location within your home and offers some fantastic features designed that enhance sound quality. 

One Control App To Rule Them All
You no longer need to keep opening, swapping and closing different system control apps whilst listening to music from different products, sources and places in and around your home. Roon organises all of your music in an attractive, easy to use single interface and like the wizard Gandalf from the J R Tolkien's books it has a few magic tricks up its sleeve that will allow you to enjoy your music even more...

So what can Roon do?
Roon allows you to control various, previously incompatible Hi-Fi brands with just the one control app. For instance, it can control your streamer and music library and play them through, for example, a high end Naim system and a multi-room Sonos system simultaneously. 

Roon is the software brains in your home audio system

Better Sound Quality via Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Room Equalisation / Correction
Roon can both up-sample and down-sample music files, but what does that mean in reality? Well two things; firstly and most importantly, it can improve the sound of your music throughout the home. Secondly (using higher resolution audio and Sonos as an example) when previously playing 24 bit music throughout the home, Sonos would mute, as it could not handle anything above CD resolution. Using Roon, it will down-sample the hi-res files so that your Sonos will play quite happily.

Room correction: Roon has the capability to improve how your music sounds by enabling your speakers to work better in their environment. You can set up distances to the listening position and there is a graphic equaliser so that you can fine tune the sound to your liking within your own listening space.

Musical focus and radio: Roon has the ability to find exactly the sort of music that you want to hear, and when it is finished, will continue to play Roon Radio which will play music of a similar genre.

What about the Roon interface?
Roon is the best music app that we have ever seen. It is totally intuitive and incredibly informative. Discography, bibliography, intelligent links, lyrics and more, are readily available. Learn more about the album, artists, who they collaborated with and discover more music that you like. 

Sorted by Artist

Sorted by date added

Album page view

Discover music!

What do I need?
You will need a Roon enabled product and the list of manufacturers is growing. You can view the current supported brands here.

Internet Radio & Tidal Hi-Fi
You can play any Internet radio station via Roon and if you are a Tidal subscriber it integrates your favourite albums right along side your own record collection. It will also allow the replay of MQA files the high resolution format supported by Tidal.

Roon Core & Nucleus
A Roon Core: it’s the traffic cop, the housekeeper, and the brains behind the operation. A PC or Mac is needed to handle the quite substantial processing. Some ripper servers (Innuos for example) can act as the core as it has Roon software built in. The core manages your music collection from many sources, and builds an interconnected digital library using enhanced information from Roon, allowing you to explore your favourite artists and to discover new music genres.

If your system has multiple players, room correction and a lot of DSP in use, then the dedicated Roon Nucleus Core would be well worth considering. Nucleus becomes the centre of your Roon music system.

Aside from being a powerful, music server, what sets Nucleus apart is that it’s powered by Roon OS – a fast and lightweight operating system optimised to do just one thing: browse and play your music. Roon is a multi-room, multi-user networked audio platform built to the exacting standards for music lovers. For more information on pricing and availability please call Audio T Oxford.

Can I see it working?
Yes you can. Please contact Jon Abson at Audio T Oxford and he will arrange to show it to you in store. If you like it, we can set you up with a FREE trial for a month and if you like it we can organise a subscription for you.

Record Store Day 2018 At Derricks Music Swansea Is Just Around The Corner

April 21st is the day for the 2018 Record Store Day and once again we will be teaming up with Derricks Music just down the road from us.

As has become a tradition for this event at Audio T Swansea we will be giving away a
limited edition Rega Record Store Day turntable worth £265 as part of our RSD FREE prize draw. As usual just come and visit Derricks Music on the day where we will be demonstrating the 2018 RSD turntable with some other Rega electronics and fill in the competition entry form - it's as simple as that! Come and spin some of your RSD purchases!

This years RSD turntable looks very smart indeed being built on the base of the Rega Planar 2 turntable and featuring a white platter which sets it apart from the offerings in the standard Rega line up. Read more about the RSD turntable on the Rega website here

Here some ore images of the 2018 Rega Record Store Day turntable:

And once again there is a huge amount of vinyl being released for Record Store Day, I've already read the list several times and will try and not spend too much money this year!

View the full details of recordings being released.

Last year the queue was around the block when I arrived at Derricks at 8.30am with the first in line arriving at 4am! Hopefully we will see lots and lots of you there again this year.

Nic, Chris and Adrian - Audio T Swansea

Chromey Visits The Darkside With Chord Electronics New DAC. Says, "I'm no longer the Qutest anymore".

Chord Electronics have done it again, developing and extracting atomically accurate detail from a respectably priced digital to analogue converter (DAC).

Utilising the brand new Hugo 2 chip, stripping out the headphone amplifier and battery but leaving the lush sweet sounds we expect from Chord Electronics that will challenge any DAC north of £1000. (But not you Chromey, the Qutest is your friend, read on little guy and we'll explain why).

Chord Electronics have also added a dedicated audio filter and input switch on the front, more akin to the Mojo and Hugo 2, the previous 2Qute had a switch on the rear panel to change your inputs. The dedicated audio filter is for those who like to tweak the audio a little bit. 

Ahhh, you see Chromey, we new you would "opt in" in the end. 

New look, new you! Chord have changed their styling, opting for their signature 'coloured marbles' for the controls, much akin to the Hugo 2 and Mojo, and a much more angular, muscular look. (Yes Chromey, a bit like you).

For our listening test, we took a modest system similarly priced to the Qutest just to see if we could add a little Chord magic dust to it. We implemented a Qutest into a Rega Brio, Dynaudio Emit 10 and a Bluesound NODE 2. 

Connecting the Node 2 via Coaxial out into the Qutest and then RCA analogue into our Rega Brio. Playing a mixture of Hi-Res, MQA and 16bit CD with completely mesmerising results.

Dropping the Qutest into our system immediately opened up the soundstage, detail, bass and just made the music "life like" in comparison to hearing it before the Qutest was introduced, we simply couldn't go back to the Brio and Bluesound without the Qutest. 

You can hook it up to such an array of systems. It sounds amazing with a Rega Brio amp with a pair of Dynaudio Emit's and even better with a Naim Nait XS2 or Rega Elicit-R amplifier paired with Neat Motive SX1's, basically the Qutest is never lost in a system. Moreover, it stands there with it's chest out demanding your attention. 

Come in and have a listen at Audio T Manchester. Chromey has seen the light...will you?

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

Bowers and Wilkins P3, P5, PX, P9 Signature Headphones - The Full Range!

In this months blog, we take a look at the Bowers & Wilkins range of personal and portable headphones. If you're looking for a new pair of headphones then look no further. Whether you're looking for small and compact, the freedom of wireless connectivity, or the ultimate Hi-Fi experience, Bowers and Wilkins have the right set of headphones for you.

Starting with the P3 headphones. These very lightweight on the head, perfect for travel and the daily commute. They are a closed back design, so you shouldn't annoy your fellow passengers with sound leakage, though you may annoy them with headphone envy!

Available in black only, supplied with a hard carry case.

Next in the range we have the award winning P5 wireless headphones, also very lightweight and compact but the big difference here is that there are no cables! Having wireless aptX Bluetooth built in, means these are the perfect travel companion.

Available in black only with a battery life of up to 17 hours, perfect for that long haul flight. 

Here we have the all new PX wireless headphones already winning awards, this is our best selling headphone at the moment. Bigger than the P5 and adding a feature of noise cancelling it is ticking all the boxes for home listening and on the move.

With a battery life of up to 22 hours the flight to Australia just got a lot more enjoyable. Download the app and you can adjust the settings on the active noise cancelling between city/office flight and keep up to date with the latest firmware.

Another great feature would be the built in sensors, put the headphones on and they turn on, take them off and they will go into standby mode, if you take a phone call using the built in microphone the PX headphones will pause the music. They are available in two finishes space grey and soft gold.

The P9 signature headphones are the flagship model of the range and are made using some very luxurious materials, including: saffiano leather, giving a distinctive cross hatch finish and forged foldable aluminium arms for greater durability.

The performance of the P9 has to be heard and is a big step up from the previous flagship model, the P7. The P9 is one of the most comfortable headsets we have tried and more than delivers on performance offering great sound quality.

One of the main changes made to the B&W P9 are the drivers, this design has been angled and when listening, gives a more natural presentation, focused in front of you, rather than to the side.

A de-coupled headband helps stop vibration, giving the P9 a very open soundstage, but not taking away any of the bass.

The P9 also come with a luxury protective case and 5 metre cable as well as the 1.5m that is already fitted.

All of these great headphones are available to demo in-store. We look forward to seeing you soon

Ian, Gavin & Andy - Audio T Preston.

Bowers & Wilkins Headphones are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 Series Event a Resounding Success!

Last Wednesday evening we held a fantastic Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 Series listening event at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff. Colleagues from both Cardiff and Swansea branches were in attendance as well as representatives from Bowers & Wilkins, Chord Electronics and The Chord Company. Over 50 guests attended to hear some fantastic sounds from some of the best Hi-Fi in the world.

The evening began with a presentation from B&W representatives of the progression of the 800 series. Attendees were treated to music played on the 805 D3, 804 D3, 803 D3, and 800 D3 in turn. While the whole range sounded fantastic it was brilliant to able to hear more and more of the music come to life as we moved up the series the jump between the more traditional looking 804 D3 to the more unique shaped 803 D3 was particuly stunning. You could see the amazement all around the room.

As we were taken up through the range the representatives from B&W took us through the technology and build processes that make these speakers so great, we have a few recent blogs on this as well such as our B&W factory tour and reviews on the 800 D3 series so make sure to have a read of those. The Norwegian Chuch is admittedly not the best space acousticly but the further up the series we went the more the sound filled the room and the immersion of the music was fantastic.

Worth the drive!

The B&W 800 D3 series certainly needs plenty of power to be driven at their best,  especially in the large room of the Norwegion Church, luckily we had Chord Electronics involved and their system provided that power in spades.

We were treated to some top tier electronics and streamed music to the outstanding DAVE DAC which we also used as a pre-amplifier and played CD's from the BLU MK. 2. These sources then were routed through a pair of the Immense SPM1400 Mk.II Mono power amplifiers, providing a whopping 480 watts to each channel! We had a facsinating overview of the equipment from a representative from Chord and then listening to more music with a focus on the electronics.

We were very pleased to welcome Rob Watts to the event, Rob is the man who designed, amongst many others, the DAVE DAC and he gave an insightful talk on his design process and about the inner workings of the DAVE.

All of the staff from Audio T Cardiff and Swansea would like to thank everyone who attended the event and especially the reprsentatives form the manufacturers who give very enlightning and intresting talks on their products. The whole B&W 800 D3 series is currently on demonstration at the Cardiff shop so please get in touch for a one on one demonstration.

The B&W 800 D3 series is only available in the Cardiff store.

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

New Neat Iota Xplorer Loudspeakers on Demonstration at Audio T Brighton

Neat have taken the concept of the groundbreaking Iota Alpha to a new level with this intriguing additional model to the Iota range.

Introducing the Iota Xplorer. This exciting new design uses the same basic configuration as the Iota Alpha, in an enlarged form. The top section is sealed off from the lower, and acts as a two-way infinite baffle loudspeaker. It houses Neat’s own P1-R3 170mm bass/midrange drive unit alongside an Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter in a horizontal array, as per the Iota and Iota Alpha models

Our nice natural oak demonstration pair can be used with or without grilles. Interesting visually and more discreet than most loudspeakers, we believe these will be popular with the ladies. Gentlemen please take note!

The lower, ported section of the Xplorer houses not one, but two of Neat’s P1-R2 bass drive units. These are similar to the R3 unit, but specially tailored for extended low-frequency response. One unit is located on the bottom panel, facing the floor, whilst the second is located internally, directly above the first, in a sealed iso-baric arrangement, handling only low frequencies and acting as an integral subwoofer system. Iso-baric loading allows deep, well controlled low frequency (LF) bass performance from a compact enclosure.

Upside down!

The Iota Xplorer delivers a compelling portrayal of all types of music. Like the Alpha, the Xplorer belies its small stature with a full-range agile presentation and huge soundstage, which projects far beyond the modest confines of the cabinet.

Already sounding engaging after just running in overnight, there will be much more to come as they run in and open out further.

Suitable for use with Naim Uniti models and above; well anything rather good really.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Size (hxwxd): 74 x 30 x 22cm
Weight: 18Kg each
Impedance: 8 Ohms (minimum ~5 Ohms)
Sensitivity: 88dB/1 watt
System: 2.5-way, iso-baric bass reflex, incorporating integral iso-baric subwoofer.
Drive units:
1 x Neat P1/R3 170mm LF/Midrange unit
1 x AMT HF unit
2 x Neat P1/R2 170mm LF units.

Finish options. Satin white. black oak, natural oak, American walnut.

Neat loudspeakers are available at the following Audio T stores:

Brighton, Cheltenham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading

A Little Bear from Brentwood Explores Sound & Vision, The Bristol Show

Every year at the Marriott City Centre Hotel, in Bristol, Audio T organises the Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show in association with What Hi-Fi?

Now in it's 31st year, the Bristol Show is the largest and longest running consumer Hi-Fi and home audio show in the UK and continues to go from strength to strength showcasing the latest and greatest Hi-Fi from the UK and from around the world. This year there were well over 200 brands exhibiting!

This year Boswell our intrepid teddy bear (from Brentwood not Peru!) took a short tour and stopped for a few selfies along the way. 

Boswell looking regal in the Rega room!

It's a very busy show so he had to sneak photo opportunities wherever he could without getting in the way of the eager and enthusiastic listeners in every room, but he was most impressed with the breadth of equipment available and the great energy from both exhibitors and attendees alike.

The sound from the Exposure room was enticing, plus Boswell couldn't resist the lighting!

A lot of the rooms were dark spaces full of sound, not the best for photographs, but Naim and Dynaudio were making some great sounds. Still more exhibitors choose to have timed and structured demonstrations like KEF and B&W both showing off their technological advances in the world of loudspeakers.

Boswell did have a chance to perch on the new Monitor Audio Studio speakers which were rather wonderful.

Revel are now being handled in the UK by Arcam alongside Mark Levinson as part of Harman Luxury Audio.

Quadraspire were so take with Boswell they even let him hold one of their new Q Plus isolation devices which are used when a rack is impossible or to further enhance performance on a rack

Rega turntables have always been popular with the little bear and this years Record Store Day limited edition promises to be a corker!

Needless to say there was so much to see and hear that it is impossible to do it justice in a short blog. Let's just say the Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show should be on every enthusiasts list of must-attend events. There are some gems in every bedroom and you will often be left impressed and amazed by what you see and hear.

Not only was Boswell very impressed by the Quad equipment on display especially the new Solus but he also had a chance to catch up with his old friend Paddington who travels with the lovely people from IAG. Now where did I put those marmalade sandwiches.

The 2019 Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show is held from the 22nd to the 24th of February. You really should come along for a look, a listen, and possibly even purchase b(e)argain! Trust the bear from Brentwood he thoroughly recommends it. Hope to see you next year!

Project Tube Box DS2 Phono Stage Arrives at Enfield

We have just taken delivery of our new Pro-ject Tube Box DS2 phono stage. It features variable loading impedance 10-1000 ohms, variable capacitance and gain settings and it can drive two separate turntables!  It has a valve output stage (2X ECC 83/12AX7) and a dual mono design. It makes your music played on vinyl sound lovely!

After a few hours of running we connected this beauty up to our resident Rega Planar 6 (fitted with Rega Ania cartridge).

Pro-ject Tube Box DS2 Phono Stage

Sound
First impressions were of a very stable image, coupled with the unmistakable mid range clarity which is a signature trait of valve phono stages.

What make this different to other phono stages at the same price point?
Having a variable adjustment for impedance and gain means you can tailor the sound to your particular tastes and equipment. By using the controls on the front of the DS2 - which you can alter during use means can instantly hear the difference and arrive at the sound you like.

Other phono stages do not provide these controls and limit the user to whatever the manufacturer believes to be right. So the Pro-ject DS2 phono stage can suit a wide variety of vinyl replay music systems at very different price points and ears!

Come in and have a listen at Audio T Enfield or borrow it and try it at home using our home loan service.

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

Pro-Ject Jukebox All In One Vinyl Replay System with Bluetooth Music Streaming

If you are interested in vinyl but do not have the space for a big system, have a look at a fresh release from Pro-Ject. This isn't just a turntable but comes complete with an amplifier built in so all you need to do is add a pair of speakers and some of your favourite records.

The Pro-Ject Jukebox doesn't stop there though, this clever device also has a Bluetooth receiver built in so that you can stream music to it from a mobile device that gives you access to a streaming service music or a network storage device if you use one.

The amplifier in this turntable system solution is rated at 50 watts per channel and comes with a remote control allowing you to control not only the volume and switching between inputs but also the bass, treble, loudness and even mute features with ease. There is an illuminated display on the turntable also for those times that you might not be able to find the remote quickly.

It also has an analogue RCA input so you can connect other devices such as a CD player if you so choose.

The arm is already set up and balanced ready for use with the Ortofon OM5E cartridge that is supplied and fitted as standard.

This Pro-ject Juke Box record player system is available in 3 different finishes, Black, White and Red all of which are high gloss finishes.

Come and have a listen and bring a few of your favourite records.

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

Audio T Cardiff Visit the Bowers & Wilkins Factory in Worthing, Sussex

Hefin, Nick and Gareth were lucky enough to be invited to visit the Bowers and Wilkins factory in Worthing this month and it was an incredible experience!

We were able to see how the stunning 800 series diamond loudspeakers are produced as well as having demonstrations. During our visit, we were able to take some photos on the way round and thought we would share them with you.

We were greeted in the entrance by this magnificent one of a kind Nautilus and just had to take a picture!

The 800 D3 Diamond family proudly on display.

The cabinets of the 800 series consist of 22 layers of ply, which are glued and then put under intense pressure using the machinery above to bind them together.

The sections of ply are then bent into shape using the machines above and below, again by applying huge amounts of pressure. There is one of these machines for each shape that needs to be made through the whole range.

Pictured above are 804 cabinets being clamped together. They are left like this for some time to ensure the solidity of the overall cabinet.

With the bottom section taken off this 804 cabinet you can see some of the internal bracing, or matrix which gives the speaker a huge amount of stability, reducing vibration. You can also see a large section of metal, this is very heavy and helps give the speakers a low centre of gravity, again improving stability.

This robot is cutting out grooves on the inside of a cabinet for the matrix and drivers to fit into. This way allows for absolute precision on every speaker. You can see the results in the image below. This 800 series has B&W's best Matrix system yet, thicker plywood replaces the MDF that has been used in the past with metal reinforcing the most critical areas for the ultimate in rigidity.

Here another robot is spray painting a production line of cabinets, which results in the cleanest and most even paint job possible. Despite this a lot of the finishing work on the cabinets is still done by human hands. Fun fact! Some may recognise this robot as the same used in Marvel's Ironman films, it is actually the same model!

Here you can see the crossover from  a pair of 800's. In the research and development of the series every single component was rigorously tested by ear to make sure it is the very best available as the crossover has a huge bearing on the character of a speaker.

It's not just robots who work on the finish of the speakers!

These images show the speakers ready to have the Continuum cones installed. B&W thought that their previous Aramid Fibre drivers couldn't be beaten for years but their passion for continuous improvement proved themselves wrong! This new composite material which avoids abrupt transitions that can impair performance make these the best cones they have ever produced.

These images show the final assembly area where the drivers are installed into the cabinets and then packaged for shipping.

One of the most astounding facts we learned during the tour was that a staggering eight hundred and sixty eight changes have been made from the last generation of the 800 series. B&W's drive to constantly strive to create the best loudspeakers they can, was something that really came through during our trip.

We finished the day with some demonstrations by B&W staff on various speakers, focusing mostly on the 800 series. We had an absolutely fantastic day and would like to give our sincere thanks to B&W for the opportunity.

The main learning point had to be seeing the true value of these sensational speakers. The amount of work and dedication, raw materials and technology that go into these is staggering and of course most importantly they deliver an exceptional performance. We are lucky enough to have the entire Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 diamond series in our shop in Cardiff to demonstrate and can happily pass on what we learnt at B&W to anyone who want to know more information

We also have a B&W 800 D3 Diamond series event on the 14th of March at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff bay, where experts from B&W will be demonstrating the 805, 803 and 800 D3 loudspeakers partnered with Chord electronics amplifiers. As anyone who has been to one of our events will know they are both informative and enjoyable. Tickets are free but there are limited spaces and the tickets are running out fast! You can reserve your place here. 

The Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 Diamond series are only available for demonstration at Audio T Cardiff.