ATC Loudspeakers Come On Song At Brighton

We are very pleased to have added ATC loudspeakers to our range as they are extremely good and complement our existing equipment perfectly. The Entry Series comprise six models and we have chosen to begin with the four passive loudspeakers.

All Entry Series loudspeakers use the New ATC designed and built 25mm soft dome HF unit with precision alloy wave guide. A sophisticated and beguiling high frequency driver whilst being revealing too.

There are three stand mount models, SCM7, SCM11 and SCM19 and a three way floor stander SCM40, all offering refinement and energy and a rather more interesting shape than is usual.

Well worth coming along and having a listen to.

Available in Cherry, Black or White finishes.

For our Naim ND555 roadshow we chose to use the ATC SCM50 from the Classic Series and they were extremely well received. Part of a pretty serious Naim 500 Series Hi-Fi system that performed admirably.

Call 01273 609431 or email brighton@audio-t.co.uk and come and have a listen.

ATC loudspeakers are available at the following branches of Audio T:
Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Portsmouth

Believe The Hype! Audio T Swansea Review The Chord Electronics Blu MKII CD Transport

We've waxed lyrical about Chord's DAVE DAC in the past, probably boring the pants off you with the inevitability of it all; talk of digital sound with us, DAVE enters the conversation and promptly ends it. Here we go again then...

Launching the Blu MK II transport, Chord have not done anything as predictable as move the goalposts; they've picked up the ball and run, inventing a new game to play. This progenitor, this alpha, this improvement over the original Blu (no slouch by any means), is the addition of something called an M Scaler.

The output from this transport to a DAC, (ideally a Chord Electronics DAVE) is via single or twin AES sockets and single or twin BNCs. Twin BNC is the only way to get the full-fat (or is that phat?) 705.6kHz up-sampled data stream into your DAVE.

Despite being billed as a CD transport, the Blu MKII has digital inputs (x1 USB B and x1 BNC S/PDIF) enabling the user to access the M Scaler technology from a variety of digital sources. This makes us very happy indeed.

This is the best we've ever heard from CD by a country mile and its treatment of external sources is sublime.

So what does this partnership do? Everything you'd want. Deep insight, accuracy, speed, remarkable timing and a sense of solid, unflappable control; that calmness you experience with an exceptional vinyl replay system.

But what does it actually do though?

Music.

Come and have a listened and we know you'll be hooked. Thanks for reading. Nic, Adrian, and Chris at Audio T Swansea

Chord Electronics Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Enfield, Manchester, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon - check with stores for availability as not all products are available from every store.

A Shop Refit And A Major Hi-Fi Brand Coming To Audio T Reading Soon

For the last couple of months we have been rather busy creating a new look for our store. We thought it was time to freshen things up so as you can see, we’ve moved away from bright colours to a more contemporary white.

New Naim Uniti / Muso wall

This is complemented with brand new air conditioning, ceiling, lighting, and a dedicated Naim wall greatly enhancing the look and feel.

However we are far from finished; imminent changes to shelving and new carpeting (long overdue) will complete the storefront.

In progress right now however is a complete overhaul of our lower AV demo room. This is to become a solely 2-channel room dedicated to one completely new brand to Audio-T that we have been auditioning over the past 10 months or so, for this we are incredibly exited and are confident our customers will be too.

Work in progress; saying goodbye to green!

Still awaiting updated shelving

We are not quite ready to state which Hi-Fi brand just yet as we intend to make an official announcement along with a launch event in the near future, however visitors with a keen eye have spotted various goodies!

For everyone else in the meantime, here are some teaser shots. Feel free to pop in to take a closer look and maybe a sneaky audition.

PMC enCORe (Did You See What We Did There?!)

At the risk of banging on about the PMC Cor again and saying we told you so...  Well, we told you so... or rather here is what one of our customers wrote to PMC after reading all about Cor on our store blog:

"Just ordered the Cor amp from Audio T Southampton after a home trial. What a stunning piece of kit. I knew my PMC Fact8s were capable of more but never thought I would be able to afford an amp good enough to really make them sing. As soon as I saw their blog about it I was straight over!!

The review in The Ear told me it was wonderful. It just ISN'T THERE.!!!!  IT'S MAGIC.

Both CD and FM are transformed. Don't know what the wait time is but it won't matter as it is incredible.

Hope you sell lots of them. At the price they should fly off the shelf 'cos they beat anything else in that price bracket out of sight."

- Mr. F, United Kingdom

Mr F didn't have to wait very long and is now the very happy owner of a brand new PMC Cor amplifier.  Our demo Cor is back in store, ready for anyone else wanting to experience the magic, either here or on a home trial.  You really won't want to miss out on this one!

See you soon,

Alan, John and Wayne

The Latest News From Audio T Cheltenham

This is a bit of a break from the normal specific product related blog as we're not blogging on one particular Hi-Fi topic! This time around the intention is to keep you up to date with a number of things that are new or about to happen.

The first thing is...........

Naim 555 Network Player Summer Roadshow

We are very excited to have the opportunity (alongside our Bristol store) to host one of the Naim summer roadshows to launch the amazing new ND555 Network Player/Streamer. Tickets are available to book from the We Got Tickets website and they are FREE!!

A not to be missed opportunity to hear what is being hailed as the best streamer in the world being put through it's paces by the guys from Naim in person! If you have any Naim type questions of your own this will be the place to be!

The event takes place at the Gables Hotel in Falfield on Thursday 6th of September at 7:00 pm which is just off Junction 14 on the M5.......it's got to be a fun evening!! I will not add any more except to advise you to read the previous two blogs from the Brighton and Oxford stores for lots of in depth stuff to whet your appetite. 

The second thing is...........

We now have the rather lovely Spendor A7 floorstanding loudspeakers in store and available for demonstration. We think they are the best thing Spendor have made for a while and that's really saying something!

The third thing is...........

We are rather proud to announce that we now have ATC loudspeakers in store! 

We have three models in total the little SCM7 the slightly bigger SCM11 and the floorstanding SCM40 all of which sound great and are running in nicely.... see the picture below....

The fourth thing is...........

We have totally redecorated our AV demo room and given the shop a fresh coat of paint. Our AV demo room now has a 9ft fixed frame screen and an Optoma UHD65 4K projector looking rather lovely, in fact the best picture we have ever had in our dem room! Come and see!! There is always something playing and it always looks great and sounds even better!!! By now you'll probably have noticed that I like exclamation marks!!!

And fifth and finally...........

One of those "you really must listen to this" moments. 

This is a fairly recent album by the Yes legend Jon Anderson and Flower Kings Guitar maestro Roine Stolte. It sounds more like Yes than Yes have done since the 1970's and I'm not making that up .......it's true!! This comes across as a companion piece to the work of genius that is Tales From Topographic Oceans and if that was ever your fave Yes LP then you will adore this one.  It is called Invention Of Knowledge and does not have a dull second on it. If you thought Yes were no more then think again!! There go those exclamation marks again!!! 

Well that's it for this blog ....I'm off to play this on the new ATC SCM40 floorstanders to put them through their paces properly. You are always welcome to bring in some of your favourite music too and do the same .... you will be forever smitten!!

ATC Loudspeakers are available from the following branches of Audio T: Brighton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Portsmouth

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

Audio T Cardiff's New 'Walk-in' Home Cinema!

A home cinema or theatre setup, is something that many people don’t have much experience of, but done well it can further enhance your enjoyment of TV and films. We love introducing people to home cinema sound and have decided to put together a ‘walk in’ home cinema on the shop floor, which can be experienced by anyone without the need to book an appointment!

In this month’s blog we will take you through the home cinema system we have put together and how it could be a perfect addition to your film and TV programme watching pleasure.

We start off our home cinema experience by looking at Panasonic's brand new 55” OLED 4k television, the catchily named TX55FZ802. This is the best TV screen Panasonic have made and is one of the most affordable OLED screens on the market. Anyone yearning for the old days of plasma need look no further as OLED is finally delivering on its promise with Panasonic really at the forefront of this new technology. Panasonic consulted experts in Hollywood while the set was in development to make sure the result was as close to the vision directors have of their films as possible and you can tell! The colours are rich, detailed and realistic with some of the most incredible blacks we have ever seen. This is because of the new Studio colour HCX2 processor which Panasonic describes as ‘the pinnacle image processing expertise’, tuned to show off the best quality colours, blacks and brightness. The set has multiple high dynamic range (HDR) support - HDR has been developed to offer greater picture quality by allowing more contrast - and has no problem with the various standards that are around at the moment.

It is a smart TV as is standard these days, so comes with all the online services such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and many more. Finally the build quality and design of this set is exceptional, the incredibly thin screen takes up the whole of the set with very little bezel either side. This TV really does give you an experience you really don’t want to miss out on.

Connected to the Panasonic via HDMI we have the new Denon AVR-X2500H AV receiver as the central hub of our setup. We were huge fans of its predecessor the X2400H and Denon have made it ever better! This new offering retains the myriad of connections and features of the model before it while adding even more. On the front panel you have your volume and input selector knobs alongside buttons for basic functionality as well as a headphone output, input for the setup microphone and handy HDMI input. The back presents you with a huge amount of options including eight HDCP 2.2 equipped HDMI inputs, optical and coaxial digital inputs and your old school analogue inputs.

The x2500 is marketed as a 7.2 channel receiver and while this is accurate it hides the amount of options that this gives you, after your front speakers are sorted you have two extra pairs to have as either rears, sides or both. You could have a pair of height speakers for Dolby Atmos or assign a pair to zone two to use as a stereo pair in another room; this versatility is exactly what you want in an AV receiver. The amp is capable of powering a large range of speakers so you can really customise your setup to the way you want it.

There aren’t many formats that the Denon will struggle with, as we mentioned it can handle Dolby Atmos but also DTS:X and DTS Virtual:X when it comes to audio as well as Dolby Vision, HDR, HLG and naturally 4k up scaling. The Denon has multiple ways of streaming audio; it has Bluetooth and WIFI streaming for services such as Spotify, Tidal and Amazon music. As it is part of Denon’s HEOS range you can also multi-room it to other HEOS devices such as stereo amps or powered speakers to have both your TV sound and music in different rooms in your house simultaneously. The build quality seems to be even better than Denon's already high standards, it seems more robust and solid somehow, an all round excellent AV receiver for the money.

The AVR x2500 is capable of powering a huge variety of speaker setups and of course as it is running on our shop floor we can easily and quickly swap speakers out if any of our customers wish to hear something specific, however on a day to day basis the speakers we have chosen to have running in our little cinema are Dali’s Zensor range. Specifically Zensor 7 floorstanders at the front either side of the Zensor Vokal centre speaker, the stand mount Zensor 1’s at the rear and the E-12 F subwoofer with its 12” driver. This setup can be purchased as a package which is why we chose although you could easily swap out any of the pairs of speakers for the larger Stand mount Zensor 3 or the smaller floor standing Zensor 5. We have reviewed the Zensor series before on this blog so we won’t go into too much detail here except to say that the whole Dali Zensor range is absurdly good value for money and provides you a fantastically fun listening experience for both movies and music.

The important question of course is what is the result of all of this equipment put together? We have been using Oppo’s excellent UDP-203 4K player as a source to watch and listen to a huge variety of films and music and nothing has failed to impress. One of the greatest joys of a surround sound setup is watching well mixed concerts and one of the best is Hanz Zimmer’s recent ‘Live in Prague’. Featuring one of the most talented set of musicians you will ever see, the system takes you right into the music as if you were sitting on the concert hall yourself. It is an unforgettable experience and everyone should have the chance to hear the theme from the movie ‘Gladiator’ in a 5.1 setup, the word epic doesn’t do it justice. Another must when it comes to music is to experience Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ in surround sound, the intro to ‘Time’ being a particular highlight.

The system takes you right into the action when it comes to movies with dialogue being crisp and clear, action scenes being huge and involving and movies that are particularly well mixed for surround sound such as the Morten Tyldum directed ‘Passengers’ use the medium to their advantage so much so that you will think you are in outer space! Our party piece for showing off how good the Panasonic television is has got to be the BBC’s ‘Planet Earth’ which is simply breathtaking in its vivid colours and detail and shows you everything that OLED technology has got to offer.

There nothing like experiencing a system like this in person and we have it running continually while the shop is open, all you need to do is pop in, no appointment necessary, have a seat on our comfy sofa and see what all the fuss is about. We look forward to seeing you!

Panasonic and Denon products can be ordered at all branches of Audio T.

Dali Products are available in the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Cardiff

Naim ND555 Network Player. Welcome To A New Dimension!

Those fortunate enough to enjoy the extraordinary new ND555 network player at home will be rediscovering their music collection in a more profound and fundamental way than we had anticipated. So great is the advance that Naim have brought to this discipline of music replay, that we salute and thank them sincerely.

The coherence and authority are a joy to behold, with more of everything that makes music special and rewarding. The engagement is palpable and intoxicating.

The undeniable improvement in timing will improve your dancing; if you dance to your music at home that is! To say nothing of conducting skills or air guitar virtuosity...

The ND555 is supplied with a HiLine interconnect and requires a 555PS power supply.  Upgrades to the standard configuration would be the Super Lumina interconnect and addition of a second 555PS power supply.

Our in store demonstration system on Naim Fraim comprising on the left from top ND555, NDS for comparison, NAC252 pre amp, NAP300 power amp, and on the right from top, 555PS DR, NAP300 power supply, Supercap DR.

Comprehensively specified to play your music in many ways. Explore the ND555 here.

A true tour de force and labour of love, the ND555 delivers in spades.

Join us at our

NAIM ND 555 ROADSHOW

BRIGHTON: Jurys Inn - Brighton Waterfront

THU 13TH SEP, 2018 7:00pm click for tickets.

We are planning to compare the ND555 with the outgoing NDS, using the NAC552 pre amp, NAP500 power amp and ATC SCM50 loudspeakers.

Call 01273 609431 or email brighton@audio-t.co.uk to arrange a listen to this fabulous player.

How about that for attention to detail...

Naim Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T.

The King Is Dead, Long Live The King! We Welcome The New Naim ND 555 Network Streamer

The ND 555 is the first product launched in the 500 Series by Naim Audio in more than a decade and effectively replaces both the now discontinued CD 555 and NDS, as the source of choice.

The ND 555 has no internal power, requiring either one or two separate 555 PS DR power supplies. Like the rest of the 500 Series, it places great importance on PCB isolation and vibration control, with the circuit boards for conversion and amplification resting on high mass brass spring board platforms, to de-couple the PCBs from any vibration above 10Hz. Thirteen of Naim’s own DR voltage regulators feed the power supply! Add to this two laser-trimmed, selected PCM1704U-K resistor ladder DAC chips and a fourth generation SHARC chip for DSP, filtration, and buffer wrangling. A Naim Power Line mains lead and a Hi Line Din to Din is also included.

Designed to perform to higher sampling rates than its predecessor; up to 32-bit, 384kHz PCM, and DSD 128. The ND555 is Roon ready, supports gapless playback, Tidal, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast. The ND 555 features a five-inch TFT colour display and four hard-buttons.

So how does it sound?

In a word: Astonishing!

We have played numerous tracks, CD rips and 24 bit downloads from the Naim Core as well as Tidal CD quality streams. The Naim ND555 sounds so much better than ANY other streamer that we have ever heard. Scale, detail, dynamics, resolution, cohesion, it’s as near to perfect as you can imagine. Some streamers can struggle to convey the emotional content in music, not so the ND 555.

OK, so it will cost you £20,000 to own one, but for the performance it offers, it could just be considered a bargain! 

Come and have a listen and be prepared to be smitten or join us at our exclusive launch event at the Shillingford Bridge Hotel on 27th September at 7pm. Click here to read more and reserve your place.

Naim Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T.

Neat Iota Xplorer - Preston Explores The Latest Loudspeakers From Neat Acoustics

Brand new into the Preston store, we have the new Neat Acoustics Iota XPLORER, and we have to say we love them.

The bigger brother of the award winning and ever popular Iota Alpha, the Xplorer's are twice the size but use the same basic configuration as the Alpha's. The top section is sealed off from the lower and acts as a two way infinite baffle loudspeaker.

Situated in the base of the cabinet is an Iso-baric subwoofer to give this speaker some real depth with the lower frequencies.

We have found them to be a well balanced speaker that works well with a wide variety of electronics and are equally as forgiving with placement in any room environment to get a stunning sound.

The offset tweeter enables you to place the speakers with the tweeters either further apart from each other for a wide open soundstage or for a more concentrated image you can place the speakers in the room with the tweeters situated closer together.

We tried various types of music on them using the Naim  Nova , Rega Elicit and Quad Artera electronics and all worked well but all giving a different presentation. The Neat Iota Xplorer's give fast and accurate soundstage but the separation between instruments has to be heard to be believed, they certainly brought a smile to our faces.

Supplied in the box are instructions, floor spikes, floor protection discs and a pair of magnetic grilles, we chose the American walnut finish but they are also available in Natural Oak, Black Oak and Satin White.

We look forward to playing them for you.

Ian, Gavin & Andy - Audio T Preston

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

JVC LX UH1 4K Projector Arrives At Audio T Enfield

Here at Audio T Enfield, we love our movies. No normal sized TV can beat the grand scale of watching films on a large projector screen at home. So, if you think your 65" TV is good, you really ought to see how films are meant to be experienced on the big screen. 

With the above in mind, we know that not everyone has deep pockets, so if you are looking for a fantastic value for money solution, we present to you the brand new JVC LX UH1 4K projector.

NICE AND COMPACT JVC POWERED UP IN OUR DOLBY ATMOS DEMO SUITE

This small and compact projector, has the power to bring your movie watching to life. It's a 4K compliant Home Cinema projector that accepts UHD sources such as 4K Blu-Ray and SKY Q. It is equally at home with HD sources such as Sky HD. 

The JVC LX UH1 is small enough and light enough to be installed anywhere. Shelf, ceiling or table top. Attach your HDMI lead into the HDMI input on the rear and you're in business. 

NICE COLOURS FROM THE JVC UH1 

Having fantastic images is key on any display, however one of the most important features to look for when choosing a Projector is lens shift. Why is this important? Lens Shift allows you to position the JVC LX UH1 and gives you flexibility for where you position the unit. 

We have our JVC firing onto a 105" Grandview Screen and are very impressed with the results. Whilst it is not as good as our reference JVC DLA X595900BE projector, this dinky little unit will do nicely for people who want to watch movies on the big screen with a more modest budget.

A BIT OF LENS FLARE - JJ ABRAMS STYLE......

As with any home cinema equipment, proper set and calibration is key to get the JVC LX UH1 looking at its best. The combination price of the JVC LX UH1 and our Grandview Fixed Frame 106" 16:9 ratio screen is £3220. That is 50% of the price of a 77" OLED TV. 

however you will be very surprised at what we have been able to achieve watching 1080p content. Just check out these screenshots!

Naturally the best source for watching movies on the JVC LX UH1 is UHD Blu-Ray and 4K content

So if you fancy seeing what your favourite films look like AND sound like in our Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 equipped cinema room, bring them into Audio T Enfield and we'll show you whilst you sip a nice cup of tea or coffee. No sales pressure, just good old fashioned service by people who love what they do.

THe JVC UH1 IS 4K AND HDR COMPLIANT

Cleaning Up Mains Noise With The Audioquest Niagara 1000

We have recently added the new Audioquest Niagara 1000 to our arsenal in store. Filtering noise out of mains supplies is no new thing and we have been championing it for years but this Niagara 1000 is one of the finest examples we have used.

It is large and very shiny! The Niagara 1000 has 5 standard mains outlets and one high current output for hungry devices. An LED lets you know it is operational and there is a red warning LED for over voltage.

Now there is a lot of technical jargon associated with mains filtering devices (and if you would like to read that have a look at the Audioquest website) but we tend to value our ears and put it to the test with a Rega system comprising Planar 6 with Ania cartridge, Elicit-R, and a pair of B&W 705 speakers. The differences with the Niagara 1000  were marked. There was a much greater sensation of space, coupled with greater dynamics and "quieter quiets" Sarah McLachlan's voice just hovered in space in front of us, while Kraftwerk's staccato rhythms were very precise and forceful.

As the Niagara 1000 is a 15 amp device we used it with one of Audioquest's Thunder 15A mains leads.

Audioquest make a huge range of mains cables from the humble, but very effective, NRG range to the very high end Dragon.

We have really been very impressed with this range from Audioquest. Why not come in and see what some help with the mains could do for your Hi-Fi system? Try it in store and then perhaps try it for a few days in the comfort of your home using our home loan service.

We hope to see you soon.

Paul, Francis, Jason and Boswell - Audio T Brentwood

Audioquest Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Online, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea

Award Winning KEF LS50 Wireless Speakers Have Arrived At Audio T Swindon

The KEF LS50 wireless speakers are based on the legendary KEF LS50 passive studio monitor speakers. The difference between them is that that the LS50 wireless are active speakers, which means that you don't need a separate amplifier as they have amplification built in.

Many people think of lots of separate boxes and cables when they think of Hi-Fi systems and many years ago this is exactly what is was - and many people still want that. However, what if we could combine speakers with built-in amplifiers, a music streamer and a pre-amplifier to plug in a turntable or a digital source like a TV or a set-top box? This is what the LS50 Wireless can offer, a complete, neat and most importantly an amazing sounding music system.

Lets have a look at them and see what is supplied in the box.

KEF LS50 Wireless

KEF LS50 Wireless

In the box you'll find a quick start guide, a remote control, 2 power leads, 2 Ethernet leads and a USV cable (USB A to USB B).

The LS50 Wireless loudspeakers are available in three finishes, gloss black with blue drive units, titanium grey with red drive units and gloss white with copper drive units .

The idea to call them wireless doesn't mean that you don't need wires to connect them mind you! The difference is that you don't need as many cables in a system with separate components. I will explain that now.

The speakers are arranged in a master and slave configuration. Your sources connect to the master speaker, which is then connected to the other speaker with a supplied ethernet cable. Connect a power cable to each of the speakers and for greater stability, we hardwired the master speaker to our network via another ethernet cable. There is also a wireless set-up option available.

There are controls on the back of the master speaker for different speaker placements, like close-to a wall or free space positioning, desk or stand support.

Master Speaker

On the back there is one set of analogue inputs, a digital optical input, a USB B input and a subwoofer output. The Network socket allows you to connect the master speaker to your router/switch and the output socket to connect the master speaker to the second speaker.

Slave Speaker

Music can be selected from services like Spotify, Tidal or Qobuz and any music stored on a NAS using the IOS/Android control app . Bluetooth support makes life easy if you want to play music directly from your phone or tablet.

Let's have a listen!

KEF LS50 Wireless on Kef Stands

We started streaming with electronic music from Tipper's Album "Forward Escape" and the LS50 Wireless offer impressive bass performance. This is not a big speaker but you will be surprised what they are sonically capable of. All clicks and pops are so clean and crisp, these speakers really draw you in.

We then listened to London Grammar's Album "If You Wait" and we were impressed by the big sound stage and clarity of the vocals.

Another great Album is Felix Laband's "Dark Days Exit". The track "Red Handed" is a good system tester and we were blown away again. Huge sound from such a small speaker.

As a bonus the LS50 wireless are Roon ready and can be selected from the Roon app as an endpoint (player).

KEF's LS50 wireless are not only for enthusiasts of digital music. The set of analogue inputs allows you to connect a turntable via a separate phono stage (phono amplifier) - a very nice feature if you play your music on vinyl

Come in and have a listen and bring some of your favourite music on a USB stick, hard drive or vinyl. We will provide tea and coffee. Thanks for reading. Stefan and Andy - Audio T Swindon

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

We're At The Front Of The Q To Hear Quad II Forty Mono Block Valve Amplifiers

Over the last couple of weeks we've had the Quad QII-Forty mono block power amps up here in Manchester for our listening pleasure. Designed by Tim de Paravicini from EAR/Yoshino, they have a look which lets you know instantly that they have more than 50 years of heritage behind them, combined with a sound which is as modern as you like.
 

Ok, so a quick potted history of Quad taken from their website. 

The history of Quad is one of technical achievement in the field of sound reproduction. It is a story that began with the Quad 1 amplifier, which brought the benefits of 15 years knowledge and experience in professional audio and industrial products to the task of making the most accurate domestic audio amplifier of its age.

A few years later, in 1953, the product which set the standard for amplifiers was the Quad II Power Amplifier, the time of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation and the year in which Mount Everest was finally conquered. This amplifier pioneered the principle of cathode coupling through the output transformer to reduce harmonic distortion to almost negligible levels. Such was its clear superiority that this model remained in production for 18 years. Three years later, in 1956, Quad demonstrated the first true full-range electrostatic loudspeaker. This remarkable product (known later as the ESL 57) used a virtually mass-less plastic film as a moving diaphragm between two charged plates. Compared with moving coil loudspeakers, the ESL 57 was free of unwanted colourations and distortions. This landmark product remained in production, virtually unchanged, for 28 years.

The Quad II Series circuit design is the work of Tim de Paravicini, a man widely acknowledged to be the UK's foremost valve amp designer. His design is faithful to Peter Walker's philosophy of cathode loading onto the same output stage and fundamental simplicity of design, ensuring the amps deliver the same wealth of detail and exquisite tone as its famous predecessor.

Ok so now the history lesson is out of the way, the first thing we noticed when we switched them on was the obvious bandwidth that the amplifiers have. We have them paired with the Dynaudio Contour 30s and the Quad's managed to unleash a bass extension I wasn't aware they were capable of and at the same time, there was an openness to the mid range and higher frequencies which made me appreciate how directly the speakers are connected to the source.

The second thing you notice is just how much power and drive these things have. "Not usually something that I associate with valve amps, having used transistors nearly all my life, I fall into the trap of believing all valve amps are under powered and warm sounding." The whole Q range from Quad disproves that particular trope with a resounding musicality. 

The speaker binding posts offer  4 and 8 Ohm taps for impedance matching. 

With the whole QII series being developed as an homage to Peter Walker's original QII design, the valve choices have been no different. The QII Classic, which is a faithful reproduction, uses a pair of KT66 valves, this has been kept the same for the QII Classic integrated. With the need for more power as they go up the range, the QII-fortys that we have had the pleasure of listening to, uses a pair of KT88 for the power and the top of the range "Eighty" doubles that to use 4 KT88s in a dual push pull configuration. 

The Quad II Forty mono amplifiers will be at the Manchester store for the next few weeks. Ours are running at the front of the store with a pair of Dynaudio Contour 30's,  and when we feel like it the Contour 60's get a work out too. (see pics below)

Lets hope Quad will forget about them and we can keep them for a few weeks more.

See you at the the store.

Ciao for now.

Mike, Munir, Haden, Dave and Simon - Audio T Manchester

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

Cor! The PMC Integrated Amplifier Is Here and It's Awesome!

We are delighted to announce that our long awaited and much anticipated PMC Cor integrated amplifier has finally arrived!

It is currently warming up (just what we need in this weather!) and running in nicely in our demonstration room.  The unlikely looking system we have set up for this purpose may not be the most harmonious visual match, but sounds absolutely stunning.

Punching way above it's diminutive size, and very modest price, is the Auralic Aries Mini Wireless Streamer, supplying high resolution music from Qobuz Sublime and Tidal Masters.  The USB digital output is linked via a Chord Shawline USB cable to the magnificent Chord Electronics DAVE DAC.

We have heard nothing that comes anywhere close to the sheer musicality of the Chord Electronics DAVE DAC.  Any digital signal input emerges sounding totally engaging and the high resolution music such as those from Qobuz Sublime sound, well, sublime.  Digital doubters really need to hear DAVE...

DAVE is connected to our PMC Cor with a ChordMusic RCA analogue interconnect.  Well, we weren't going to take any chances, and you can't get anything better than ChordMusic to let the music flow, totally unimpeded, hence it's name.

PMC Cor has sounded every bit as good as we remembered, even from new and cold, so can only get better and better as it runs in and components warm up.  It just sounds effortless and capable of dealing with the most demanding music into any speaker at any volume.  Fortunately it doesn't run hot, a definite bonus in the current climate!  

To complete our Cor running in system we have a pair of our most popular speakers, the PMC Twenty5 23.  Compact and slim enough to guarantee domestic harmony they deliver enormous clarity and PMC's Advanced Transmission Line guarantees agile deep bass which belies the unimposing cabinet dimensions.

We are having a ball listening to this system.  Playing Diana Krall's album 'Turn up the Quiet' 192Khz/24bit from Qobuz Sublime, it's as if she is in the room and piano and double bass sound so solid and real. It really is magical!

Just give us a call if you would like to listen to any, or all, of the above.  

See you soon,

Alan, John and Wayne - Audio T Southampton

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

Take The Snap Crackle and Pop Out Of Your Vinyl For Good - Sweet Vinyl SC-1 Part 2

As promised part 2 of the  Sweet Vinyl SC-1 (Sugar Cube) is here. For those of you who haven't read Part 1 the story is as follows. I needed to find a pretty trashed album to really show off the amazing capabilities of the SC-1. I could not find anything awful enough in the shop so I went hunting. I popped into a local charity shop and found what seemed to be a well used record of Bill Haley and the Comets. After a quick listen the album seemed in fairly reasonable condition. So I did this.....

For what I am about to do, I am truly sorry!

I just want to say for the record (no pun intended) I have nothing against Bill or his Comets

I set up a simple system consisting of a Rega Planar 3, Rega MM Fono stage and of course the SC-1. With the help of one of my colleagues we rigged the out put of the SC-1 to a computer and recorded the following. There are three parts to this recording of the aforementioned group playing Cryin' Time. The first section is as you would hear it before the Sugar Cube has worked its magic. There will be a 4 second gap and then you will hear the same segment after it has been repaired. Point of note the filtration level is only on level 5 out 10. The repaired section is followed by the Snap Crackle and POP that has been removed by the SC-1.

This is awesome. You might want to listen a couple times, you might not believe it first time around.

Well what did you think of that? 

I can, hand on heart state. ''There has been no extra filtration program used." I would also like to say that it is far more impressive live!

Well after that I don't think there is much more to add. I promise in the next blog I will focus more on the app and how to set it up.

We look forward to seeing you at Audio T Portsmouth and watching your jaws drop. Please bring in an old favourite album and we will give it a clean on our Project VC-S vinyl cleaner and show you first hand  what the Sweet Vinyl SC-1 noise remover can do.

Thanks for reading. James, Nick, Joe and thanks to Mark who helped with recording the sound clip.

New Acoustic Energy 309 Floor Standing Speakers Punch Well Above Their Weight

Acoustic Energy have been purveyors of top quality loudspeakers for over thirty years now and have got pretty good at the dark art of making pretty boxes that will make your music sound wonderful and lovely! The latest 300 series builds on the fabness that is the 100 series and the floor standing AE309 raises the performance bar for a £1000 speaker by a significant margin.

The Acoustic Energy AE309 build quality is up there with the best. With mass loading in the cabinet making a very heavy and inert cabinet which is just perfect for housing a 28mm aluminium dome tweeter featuring what AE have trademarked Wide Dispersion Technology or WDT for short. The bass/mid driver is a new design too and uses a ceramic aluminium sandwich cone and long throw motor system. The cabinet itself is seamless (so you cannot see the joins) and boasts a very chunky 18mm thick high density MDF material designed to control cabinet vibrations and reduce colouration in the music.

Before listening properly to the AE309's we ran them in for about a hundred hours and yes this really does make a big difference. For the purposes of this blog we listened to them on the very lovely new Arcam CDS50 SACD/CD streamer and SA20 integrated amplifier (see last blog from the Swindon store for more info). The results are quite simply astonishing. Rarely have I heard a system costing this little sound this good! It is a real giant killer!

They sounded sooooooo good that I decided to put them through their paces good and proper! I brought in my CD copy of Natural Selection by Land's End. Now to say this is nicely recorded is a bit of an understatement. It is quite possibly the best recording of a rock band (of the progressive variety) that there has ever been! Plenty of so called top quality recording studios and their engineers and producers should be made to sit down and listen to this .... they would be thoroughly ashamed of their miserable efforts! Why does the word Oasis spring to mind here I wonder(wall)! None of that compression rubbish on this one and it's all the more lovely for it! 

Anyway ...... rant over ...... back to the task in hand. I started track five which is called My Home and was immediately struck by how accurate Acoustic Energy's marketing blurb was! Wide dispersion is bang on the button here. The soundstage created on the AE309's was huge. There was a real and tangible sense of width depth and height with the guitar on left coming from so far out of the box I had to open my eyes to see if he was actually there!! Then a drum rolls across the back all the way to the opposite side and a synthesiser explodes in the background - it is just WOW!! 

In fact whatever this system was given to play always sounded clean open and superbly detailed. You get a proper insight into the mix and it becomes totally absorbing and engaging. They produce a sound that I don't believe I have ever heard from a floorstanding loudspeaker at this price before. I think that they could become a bit of a Hi-Fi classic. Leave them off your shortlist of speakers to demo at your peril 

To sum up .... I have heard systems costing way more than this sound a fraction this good. The Acoustic Energy AE309's are game changers and if you would like to arrange a no obligation demonstration to hear for yourself we would be more than happy for you to bring in some of your own favourite music we can supply the tea coffee and biscuits! 

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

Automated Home Cinema Demonstration Room At Audio T Brighton

It was rather fortuitous recently to be approached by Mark Packham of Avant Home Technology, with a view to collaborating on Home Cinema, Custom Install and Home Automation, as we were looking for such a partner here in Brighton, to cover the City and wider area where we operate.

Indeed the first project Mark tackled was our Home Cinema Room in store, and what a fine job he has made of it!

The aim was to showcase a fully automated room offering outstanding sound quality with a projector and screen as well as 4K TV, and at a reasonable cost. This system can be scaled up or down in cost according to the customer requirements, with automation incorporating many aspects of the home if required, to the extent of lighting, CCTV cameras, electric gates, and much more besides.

To experience this system for yourself and explore the possibilities of Home Cinema, Custom Install and Home Automation please contact us on 01273 609431 or email us at: brighton@audio-t.co.uk where Julian, Paul and John will be pleased to help you.

We are able to visit you at home to discuss projects and in particular Mark Packham is available for these visits.

The Case Study below put together by Mark gives a general overview of the system.

HOME CINEMA & CONTROL SOLUTION

At the beginning of 2018 it was a privilege to work with the very capable team at Audio T in Brighton when we installed a designated home cinema room in an under-utilised area of the show room. Specialists in hi-resolution audio systems Audio T is accessible for anyone that would like to receive a demonstration on the latest quality home audio products on the market.

The 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos home cinema room at the back of the showroom represents a space that most people could find in their own home and is priced at a point which is affordable for those people looking to splash out on a good quality media room or home cinema system.

To push the boundaries a little further we were delighted to be able to offer a single room Control4 solution that helps to make the experience that little bit more magical. By integrating the lighting, the projector screen and the audio-visual devices together, movie night becomes that little more special as a single button press triggers a series of actions.

This room received a complete renovation. New cabling was chased into the walls and routed back to a central location before being plastered.

After over 50 years trading Audio T remain as relevant today as they always have been and for those clients that want to experience the very best in audio systems on the market there are very few alternatives. I believe they are unrivalled in the area for their knowledge, expertise and experience in the hi-resolution Hi-Fi audio domain.

Mark Packham - Avant Home Technology

Take Your Favourite Tunes Wherever You Go This Summer

It’s barbeque season and the sun has decided to grace us with its presence.  We thought you all might be like to see what may be available to enjoy your music in the garden, down at the beach or if you are braving the British countryside whilst camping.

We have chosen two of the best portable solutions on the market for your summer activities. We love the performance of the Dali Katch Bluetooth speaker and the Ruark R1 Mk3 DAB with battery pack.

First we will take you through the Dali Katch and what it offers. We touched on this wireless speaker last summer but thought we would give you more in depth look, seeing as the sun has decided to come out for an extended play this year.  Available in three different colours dark shadow, green moss and cloud grey the Katch is extremely stylish and robust. Sporting Bluetooth 4.0 with Apt-x and NFC technology the Katch is ideal as a “go-anywhere” speaker without compromise. As well as the Bluetooth connectivity this speaker includes a 3.5mm jack input for any devices that may not output Bluetooth.

This portable speaker has dual drivers powered by a 2 x 25watt class-D amplifier. The 2 x 3.5inch aluminium woofers and 2 x 21mm soft dome tweeters deliver a large and powerful performance from the robust aluminium body. You can tailor the sound of the Katch using the 2 audio profiles, clear or warm so if you like your bass the warm function gives great extension and size to this frequency area. Overall the sound from the Dali Katch portable loudspeaker is powerful and full bodied just how we like our wine. Timing and dynamics are definitely superior to other Bluetooth speakers on the market.

In the box are the charging adaptor and a carry case to protect your speaker. The battery at full charge will give you up to 24 hours of play time and there is a USB charge output, making it ideal for a weekend camping trip where you may be “off grid”.

The Ruark R1 Mk3 is a tabletop DAB radio with Bluetooth connectivity. Bought on its own this deluxe Bluetooth radio is a mains powered unit that sounds superb and is available in three colour finishes, satin black, satin white and rich walnut. With 2 alarm clock settings the R1 is ideal as a bed side radio with great snooze functions as well.

Enough of the indoors, let’s get out in the sun, here comes the clever bit. Ruark offer a battery pack for this little beauty making it ideal for carrying into the garden when the sun is belting down. The battery pack is small and light and bolts on to the rear of the R1. Once fitted this can be left in place and switched on and off when needed.  At a full charge this battery pack will deliver 12 hours of listening via Bluetooth from your mobile device or DAB, DAB+ and FM radio on the go. The Ruark battery pack can also be fitted to their more recently released MR1 Bluetooth speakers. This is definitely one of the best sounding radios you can buy. With clear and very precise sound for a single box radio the R1 Mk3 delivers great sound offering great functionality.

So whether it’s enjoying your favourite DAB stations in the garden or keeping up to date with the football scores when you take a trip to the sea side the R1 Mk3 should not be underestimated. The sound is incredible for a single speaker radio in such a tiny box.

Both the Dali Katch and Ruark R1 are available for demonstration in store so why not pop in for a demonstration while the sun is still here!

Thanks to Svago Italian kitchen and bar for letting us use their resturant as a backdrop for our photos!

Dali Hi-Fi products are available in the following stores: Cardiff, Brentwood

Ruark Hi-Fi products are available from all branches of Audio T.

New Arcam HDA Range SA10, SA20 And CDS50 Arrives At Audio T Swindon

The new Arcam HDA range has arrived! HDA stands for High Definition Audio and the range comprises the new SA10 and SA20 integrated amplifiers as well as the new CDS50 CD/ SACD player which also boasts network streaming.

The new Arcam SA10 (replaces the Arcam A19) integrated amplifier and delivers 50 watts per channel. The new Arcam SA20 (replaces the Arcam A29) and delivers 80 watts per channel.

Both integrated amplifiers offer analog and digital inputs. There are 3 sets of analogue inputs, a MM phono input for a turntable and 3 digital inputs (2x coaxial and 1x optical). Pre-out sockets on both amplifiers which will allow and upgrade path should you want to add a power amplifier in the future.

The new Arcam CDS50 player supports playback of both formats, CD and SACD and offers network streaming via the Arcam Music Life app, which we will show you more about later.

On the back of the CDS50 you will find 2 sets of analogue outputs (phono & XLR), 2x digital outputs and even 2 digital inputs (1x coaxial & 1x optical) . The digital inputs allow you to connect a TV or a set-top box to the CD player. You can select the inputs via the supplied remote control.

Analog and digital in and outputs

The Arcam CDS50 offers network streaming. You can se it up wirelessly via the supplied aerial or hard-wired via the ethernet socket on the back. Once connected to your network you use the Arcam Music Life App to control, select and play music. There is a lot of choice of what you can play. Let's have look.

Arcam CDS50 connected to the network

You can access your own CD collection that you ripped (saved) to a network hard drive (NAS), Internet radio (thousands of stations for free) and podcasts. Available music steaming services (provided you are a subscriber) are Tidal, Napster, Deezer, Qobuz and Highresaudio. There's lots of choice and fantastic if you like the highest available audio quality!

Let's set it all up and have a listen!

Arcam HDA set up with HiFi Racks Podium Slimline

The new Arcam HDA range with Spendor A2 speakers

We connected a pair of Spendor A2 speakers and the results were very nice indeed. We listened to Amy MacDonald's Album "This Is The Life" through the Arcam SA10 and CDS50 combination and the sound is very clean and open, her voice and the instruments sound very rich. We changed the amplifier to the SA20 and we can hear the extra control the SA20 offers at low and higher volume levels. There is more separation between the instruments, Amy MacDonald's voice stands out more in the room and the bass sounds tighter.

Please come in for a listen and bring your own CD's, usb stick or hard drive. We will provide tea and coffee. Thanks for reading.

Stefan and Andy - Audio T Swindon

Arcam Hi-Fi products are available from the following branches of Audio T:
Brentwood, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Oxford, Preston, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon

Special Speaker Alert! Neat Iota Xplorer Are Here!

The Neat Iota Xplorer - hand crafted by the boffins at County Durham's finest loudspeaker manufacturer - is the new big brother to the smaller Iota Alpha's, which has been one of our most popular little speakers of recent times. 

Anyone who has heard or indeed owned a pair of the smaller Iota Alpha and hankered after that next step up will adore these. Bigger than the Alpha's and with the same overall shape as them but still not a big loudspeaker by any stretch of the imagination. The Neat Xplorer very cleverly conjures up oodles of extra bass extension (not boom) by using the iso-baric double bass driver trick which fools the drive unit on the outside into thinking that it is in a cabinet that is way bigger than it actually is! Genius or what!! This system is not easy to get right but Neat have well and truly nailed it with this design. It sounds for all the world like they have their own built in subwoofer!

Another big stroke of speaker boffin design genius puts Neat's very own P1-R3 170mm bass/mid range drive unit and the rather grandly named Air Motion Transformer (AMT) together. and are mounted side by side in their own rear ported enclosure separate from the bass units. Designed and built this way to give a cleaner sound with a wider dispersion of the stereo image.

The enclosures have a tuned rear port, we have found they work equally as well placed close to the  the rear wall or in free space . They are isolated from the floor by some rather smart and very shiny coned spikes. This also keeps the isobaric bass units on the bottom the ideal distance off the floor!

We gave the speakers an initial listen fresh out of the box with results that were OK but not great, so we left them on for two weeks running eight hours a day, giving them the best part of 80 hours of quality running time playing a combination of Kraftwerk's Tour De France  and Deadmau5's Random Album Title! Going back to them again after all this time they sound like a totally different pair of loudspeakers!

My initial thought was "Wow" .... bass was now deep and tight just when it needed to be. Top end now sweet and nicely extended. Mid range now nicely open lending voices that type of expressive detail that makes you hang on every word.

The one thing that makes the most difference to the overall presentation of the sound though is how these speakers manage to throw an image way outside of the boxes. It sounds like the walls of the room disappear and you are left with the image of the music just hovering in the air   in front of you . a lovely experience and a rare one too! Not many speakers of any size or price can quite manage this!

Amongst lots of things I played one of my favourite demo tracks which is Get Miles by Gomez from the Bring It On album. This piece has cavernous deep bass which was very deftly handled by the isobaric bass system but the thing that struck me the most was how easy it was to hear right into the mix. The three vocal parts spread across the soundstage. Drums far left, guitar far right. I was totally sucked in to the music! But then I suppose that is exactly what a good loudspeaker should be doing!

Oh and the electronics being used to make all these lovely noises......... the new Arcam CDS50 CD player and SA20 amplifier from the new Arcam HDA range, with my favourite Rega Couple interconnect and Chord Company Odyssey speaker cable ...... but then that's a blog for next time!

Why not come in and have a listen and we'll even make you a cup of Audio T.

Jon, Farid & Andy, - Audio T Cheltenham

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