Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show

Wavelength Launches New Supra XT80 High Speed HDMI Extender

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Supra HDMI XT80 High Speed HDMI 3D Extender (requires 2 Ethernet Cables)

Ideal for HDMI installation with long distances between the HDMI devices.

Full-HD resolution up to 80 metres. Two ethernet cables (Cat5e minimum, Cat7+ recommended) are required between the transmitter and receiver.

Features and Specifications
a.. Supports HDCP 1.2, CEC and HDMI High Speed (v1.4)
b.. Audio Formats: DTS-HD/Dolby-true HD / LPCM 7.1/DTS/Dolby-AC3/DSD
c.. 3D support
d.. Resolution: 24/50/60fs/1080p/1080i/720p/576p/576i/480p/480i
e.. Up to 80 meters with dual Cat7 network cables
f.. HDMI extender transmitter, receiver and AC adapter included (50-60Hz) 100-240 V.

Network cables not included.

SRP £300 inc VAT per kit (comprising transmitter, receiver and PSU).

SHOW OFFER: 25% OFF pre-orders during the Show.

(Note: stock due March 2012)

Wavelength Launches New Supra MP-Cables

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

An analogue interconnect cable for Ipod/Phone/Pad/MP3 / Car Audio. 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo plug. Equipped with a slim & gold plated mini plug.

The cable is fully screened, which minimizes the interference from electric alternating fields.

For those who want the best possible sound from your mobile devices.

Available in standard lengths of 0.5m, 0.8m & 1.2m.
SRP is £15 (inc VAT) for the 0.5m cable, up to £17 for the 1.2m length.

SHOW OFFER: 25% OFF all sales during the Show.

New Supra High Speed 3D HDMI+Ethernet Cables

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

All SUPRA HDMI cables are updated with HDMI Ethernet Channel: Adds a data channel to the HDMI cable will enable high-speed bi-directional communication. Send and receive data via 100mb/sec Ethernet, making them instantly ready for any IP-based application.

Supra HD5 HDMI replaces the Supra HF100 HDMI.

Features & Specifications
a.. Signal Bandwidth: 340 MHz
b.. TMDS Bandwidth: 10.2 Gbit/s
c.. Color Depth: 48 bit/px
d.. 4K x 2K Resolution support: Enables video resolutions far beyond 1080p.
e.. 3840 x 2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz 4096 x 2160 24Hz
f.. Deep Color, x.v.Color
g.. Auto Lip Sync
h.. Dolby TrueHD, DT-HD Master Audio
i.. 3D over HDMI
j.. Audio Return Channel
k.. Ethernet Channel

Available in TWO versions - standard connectors and "unstaller-friendly" removeable connectors:

Supra HDMI-HDMI, using Standard HDMI connectors in lengths of: 0.5m, 1m, 1.5m, 2m, 3m, 4m, 5m, 6m, 8m, 10m, 12m and 15m. Prices start at £46.50 for the 0.5m length - longer lengths available based on increment of £7 per metre.

Supra HDMI-HDMI using Removeable Met-S/B connectors in lengths of: 1m, 2m, 3m, 4m, 5m, 6m, 8m, 10m, 12m, 15m, 20m and CUSTOM lengths up to 30m (to order). Prices start at £68 for the 1m length - longer lengths available based on increment of £7 per metre.

SHOW OFFER: 25% OFF all sales during the Show.

Six rooms to use PMC!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In addition to PMC demonstrating the twenty series in stereo in room 202 and in multi-channel configuration, with the new twenty.C centre speaker fed by the new Bryston SP-3 processor, in the Berlin Suite, four other rooms will be PMC equipped.

After consideration of many different brands of loudspeaker, Roksan, the manufacturer of turntables and electronics, has opted for a pair of the flagship twenty.24 in Diamond Black finish and will be using them to demonstrate its products in room 116.

Heed Audio, marking its UK re-launch at the show, has chosen to use the twenty.21 and twenty.24 to demonstrate its Obelisk range of electronics in room 322. Diamond Black has once again proven itself a popular choice, with Richard Hay of Heed choosing this finish to complement the gloss black finish of the Heed products.

A few rooms down the corridor on the third floor, in room 316, US cable giant audioquest will be demonstrating the positive impact its cables have on digital audio systems. The company’s loudspeakers of choice for this presentation: the PMC twenty.21s.

By far and away the largest collection of PMC loudspeakers at the Bristol Show will be in the What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision room on the ground floor. Each year the magazine puts on a large scale demonstration to impress visitors with the latest in home entertainment technology and this year it has opted for a very impressive 11.1 channel home theatre system.

Following the recent glowing review in What Hi-Fi? the magazine requested PMC’s wafer on-wall speakers for this room. The seven channels of front left, right and centre, surround and rear surround will be conveyed using wafer2 speakers. The front left and right and rear left and right height channels will feature the wafer1 on-wall speakers. Fitted with custom designed grilles from the wafer art service, the 11 channels will produce a surround sound experience the likes of which very few visitors to the show will have experienced. If 11 wafer speakers with their advanced transmission line (ATL™) technology aren’t enough then the bass experience will have to be heard to be believed. The magazine has specified three of PMC’s XB3 subwoofers, each of which features a 15” radial drive unit and is more usually used as the lower part of the company’s flagship studio speaker system the BB5-XBD. With a Bryston 7BSST2 power amplifier on each sub, there will be 1800 watts on tap producing bass down to an earth shattering 17Hz.

So to experience the best that PMC has to offer, visitors simply need to take their pick from any one of the six rooms that are equipped with the company’s products, or better still, visit them all.

Kudos Audio

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

For some time Kudos have been experimenting with the design of the ‘ultimate’ stand mount loudspeaker. Following the development work into drive unit and crossovers that took place for the Titan project, Kudos are now able to turn the dream of the ultimate sound-mount loudspeaker into an enthralling reality.

The Kudos Cardea Super 10

Derek Gilligan, Kudos owner / designer has been designing high quality loudspeakers for 21 years and so it was decided that the production of the ‘Super 10’ should be a limited edition run to commemorate this anniversary. The Super 10 is designed without compromise and uses the very finest quality components – regardless of cost.

The Super 10 shares the same 12 litre cabinets with the C10, Kudos' established stand-mount reference. The drive units are some of the best in the world; produced for Kudos by SEAS in Norway – a company with almost 60 years of expertise in this field. The K2 tweeter is developed exclusively for Kudos from the famous Crescendo unit. The main drive unit, developed by Kudos and manufactured by SEAS features a copper shorting ring to minimise eddy currents, an aluminium phase plug to act as a heat-sink and a hand-treated paper cone. This drive unit has been specifically designed to work in this cabinet and to integrate superbly with the K2 tweeter.

Designing the drive units to integrate seamlessly allows the use of a minimal, low-order crossover reducing phase errors, blurring and other unwanted artefacts. Every component is carefully selected for its performance in the Super 10 crossover, which includes Mundorf inductors, resistors, and ‘Mcap® Supreme Silver/Gold/Oil’ capacitors. These parts are produced to extremely tight tolerances and then hand-matched for use in the Super 10.

The Chord Company internal wiring is carefully chosen for its musicality and resistance to the effects of vibration.

The Super 10 defines the ultimate potential of stand mount loudspeaker performance, never loosing the innate understanding of the music itself. The ability of a loudspeaker to allow you to enjoy your music collection is the attribute Kudos value above all others, and with the limited edition Cardea Super 10 Kudos have reached their ultimate expression of the stand-mount loudspeaker.

Technical Specification: Kudos Cardea Super 10

Type: 2 way, Bass Reflex

Frequency range: 40 Hz – 30 kHz “AIRR” (average in room response)

Sensitivity: 87 dB / @ 1 W / 1 m

Nominal impedance: 8 Ω

Tweeter: SEAS - Kudos Crescendo K2 29 mm fabric dome

Mid Bass driver: SEAS - Kudos 180 mm with copper shorting ring and hand treated paper cone

Finishes: Black, cherry, oak, walnut, rosenut

Dimensions (h x w x d): 350 x 200 x 270 mm

Weight (each): 10 kg

Guarantee period: 10 years

Suggested UK selling price (standard finishes): £3,495.00

New JenTech HDMI+Ethernet

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

JenTech HDMI Cable
High Speed with Ethernet (v1.4)

JenTech HDMI is a white, thin and highly flexible cable, ideal for wall mounting. The cable is designed for the latest HDMI standard, HDMI High Speed with Ethernet (v1.4)
HDMI Ethernet Channel enables a fast and bidirectional communication, up to 100Mb/sec. Perfect for all IP-based applications. The Audio Return Channel will also permit sound returned from the TV's built-in digital tuner, the
tuner sends the digital audio to your surround sound system, eliminating the need for a separate audio cable.
a.. 3D-Support
b.. Video resolution: 4Kx2K, 3840x2160 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz 4096 x 2160 24Hz
c.. High Speed HDMI with Ethernet and fully compatible with all lower
standards.
d.. Ideal for all HDMI devices, AV amplifiers and displays.
e.. 24-karat gold-plated connectors ensure superior signal transfer and
corrosion resistance.
f.. Oxygen-free copper wires and triple screens guarantees good and stable
data transfer.
g.. The Nylon braid provide maximum durability against wear and tear and
extreme temperatures.

Available in standard lengths of 1m, 1.5m, 2m, 3m, 4m & 5m. SRP is £29 (inc VAT) for the 1m cable, up to £49 for the 5m length.

SHOW OFFER: 25% OFF all sales during the Show.

New SUPRA CombiCon Crimp M6 Series

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This combination crimp type connector comprises three parts: a termination part to be screwed onto a connector crimp body and a sleeve. The connector part is available in two types; Spade or Banana pin, which in turn also fit BFA plugs.

The Connector Crimp Bodies M6
The cable is compressed with the crimp body made of solid 24K gold plated copper. The M6 threaded crimp body are available for cable sizes 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 & 6.0 mm2. The crimp bodies is adapted for crimping with SUPRA crimping pliers.

The Termination Parts M6
The 24K gold plated Banana pin is reinforced compared to the previous pin construction and is now also equipped with a key grip and M6 thread. The banana pin fits into CombiCon body M6 and CombiCon Crimp body M6. The Banana pin also fits BFA terminals.

The Spade part is made of solid 24K gold plated Copper with M6 thread. The construction is reinforced compared to the previous CombiCon Spade. The Spade fits into CombiCon body M6 and CombiCon Crimp body M6. The Spade is angled for easier mounting in tight spaces. It has a two-step, width opening.

The Sleeves
The sleeve is available in several sizes for each cable size. Sleeve printing in red and black, respectively, for polarity identification.

SUPRA CombiCon Banana Pin M6
24K gold plated. The Banana pin is reinforced compared to the previous pin construction and is now also equipped with a key grip and M6 thread. The banana pin fits into CombiCon body M6 and CombiCon Crimp body M6. The Banana pin also fits BFA terminal.

SUPRA CombiCon Spade Part M6
The Spade part is made of solid 24K gold plated Copper with M6 thread. The construction is reinforced compared to the previous CombiCon Spade. The Spade fits into CombiCon body M6 and CombiCon Crimp body M6. The Spade is angled for easier mounting in tight spaces. It has a two-step, width opening.

SUPRA CombiCon Crimp Body M6
24K gold plated. The cable is compressed with the crimp body made of solid gold plated Copper. The M6 threaded crimp body are available for cable sizes 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 & 6.0 mm2. The crimp bodies is adapted for crimping with SUPRA crimping pliers.

CB-01 fits 1.5-1.6 mm2 cable
CB-02 fits 2.5 mm2 cable
CB-03 fits 3.0 mm2 cable
CB-04 fits 4.0 mm2 cable
CB-06 fits 6.0 mm2 cable

SUPRA CombiCon Sleeve
The sleeve is available in several sizes for each cable size. Sleeve printing in red and black, respectively, for polarity identification.

S1-2 Red fits 1.5 to 2.5 mm2 cable
S1-2 Black fits 1.5 to 2.5 mm2 cable
S4-6 Red fits 4.0 to 6.0 mm2 cable
S4-6 Black fits 4.0 to 6.0 mm2 cable

Note: All SUPRA pre-terminated speaker cables cables such as Ply, Sword and Quadrax is now fitted with CombiCon Crimp M6 connectors. The crimp body is equipped with M6 thread, allowing a free choice between the spade or banana plug is possible. Both banana pins M6 and spades M6 are included in the cable set supplied with factory-terminated cables.

(Picture shows Quadrax cable terminated with CombiCon Crimp terminations)

Please note that the new Combicon M6 parts does not fit the original CombiCon parts.

Pricing:
CombiCon Crimp Body M6 (any size): £3.50 each
CombiCon Banana/BFA M6 tips: £2.00 each
CombiCon Spades M6: £2.00 each
CombiCon Sleeves: 50p each

SHOW OFFER: 25% OFF all sales during the Show.

White. It’s the new black for Heed!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Heed Audio is launching its new UK only range of gloss white finished Obelisk electronics at the Sound & Vision Show in Bristol on 24th-26th February, to provide the new computer music focused consumer and fashion conscious music lovers with a stylish high performance audio system.

With an increasing number of music lovers ripping their existing music library onto computer and the purchasing trend moving rapidly to downloads, the convergence of computers into the high-end audio system is becoming very real. 300 million people now use iTunes as their primary music storage and management system. Software such as Pure Music enables audiophile users to operate the familiar iTunes GUI, controlled via iDevice, but with the ability to play back high-resolution files including FLAC. The compact Mac Mini can now be considered a genuine high quality audio playback device. Together with the iPod and iPhone and an increasing number of PC laptops, the primary colour for Mac Minis is white and for this reason Heed Audio UK has added a white finish to its range of electronics.

Whether it be the entry level Obelisk Si integrated amplifier or a full pre/power system comprising the Obelisk Pre, its dedicated PX power supply and multiple Obelisk PM mono power amplifiers, the computer savvy music lover can now match their electronics to the finish of their computer or docked iPod, without having to sacrifice the quality of system they choose.

Of course the white Heed electronics aren’t only designed for Apple computer users, but for anyone wishing to enhance the appearance of their hi-fi system by moving away from the more common black finish. White is increasingly becoming the fashionable colour for a huge variety of luxury products from phones such as the iPhone 4S, to cameras e.g. the Nikon J1 and cars such as the Range Rover Evoque. Heed Audio is quite possibly the first high-end audio electronics manufacturer to offer its products in high gloss white.

Non-computer music consumers are also catered for with the company’s Obelisk DT CD transport and Obelisk DA, digital to analogue converter also available in white.

Richard Hay, original designer of the Obelisk amplifier and consultant to Heed Audio manages the UK distribution operation out of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Richard, who is responsible for the addition of the high gloss white finish to the range, which is currently only available in the UK commented, “The UK often leads the world in audio trends and with figures from the BPI showing over 99% of singles are purchased as downloads and the huge increase in album purchases by computer it is obvious that the UK consumer is very switched on to computer audio.” He continued, “Apple’s dominance of the portable computer market and the increase in hi-fi retailers and installers specifying Mac Minis has seen white audio products becoming the norm in people’s homes. Now with the compact Heed Obelisk range available in a matching white finish there is no need to sacrifice sound quality for aesthetic reasons.”

Visitors to the Sound & Vision show will be able to experience the entire Heed range, from the Obelisk Si through to a multi-power amp set up, fed from a variety of sources including vinyl, CD and streamed high resolution files.

Heed Audio can be found on the third floor of the show in room 322.

Atacama ERIS ECO 5.0

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Featuring high density carbonised bamboo resin composite material for the shelving and a frame available in a range of colours, The ERIS Eco 5.0 Hi Fi utilises handmade fully welded powder coated steel frame modules fitted with mini isolation gel pads designed to decouple the framework from the supported bamboo panels. Each module is then isolated from the next via three fully adjustable 8mm carbon steel spikes. To help further dissipate sonic resonance while reducing mass within each shelf, channels have been incorporated into the underside of each bamboo panel. These channels also act as a means of enclosing the main module framework resulting in a British made Hifi support that offers excellent value, high performance and a clean, stylish modern design.

NuForce P20 Pre-amplifier

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Euro-launch of - NuForce P20 Preamplifier £4599.99

THD+N = 0.0004% @ 1kHz and a power bandwidth of 5MHz. Near perfect reproduction of 125kHz square wave.

The wide-chassis P-20 offers a number of significant advances over its award-winning P-9 predecessor in several key areas, particularly with respect to volume control functions. A preamplifier’s volume-control capabilities are among its most critical features. In practical terms, we saw room for improvement over the already excellent P-9’s volume control, especially regarding noise performance and transparency.

The P-20’s numerically controlled, switched-resistor ladder network features the latest in thin-film technology. In order to improve precision and lower noise, we’ve implemented single thin-film, ultra-low-noise resistors in the signal path for each of the volume control’s 0.5dB gain settings. This permits the listener to achieve any desired volume level in meticulously precise 0.5dB steps. As a further advantage, the listener is able to adjust any input’s level to precisely correspond with any other, thereby simplifying the matching of source-component volume levels. The sculptural elegance of the P-20’s rigid aluminum enclosure provides a stable, vibration-free foundation for all of the unit’s exemplary features.

The heart of the P-20 boasts an all-discrete, precision-operational amplifier module. Speed is paramount, so to reduce capacitive loading on the final voltage amp, the design incorporates ultra-low-noise, monolithic dual JFETs, specially selected VMOS FETs, and extremely flat hFE bipolar transistors in a dual cascode configuration, all combined with a "driven shield" arrangement. All this is necessary to achieve an unprecedented 5MHz power bandwidth, a S/N ratio exceeding 100dB, and a dynamic range in excess of 120 dB. The inherently stable P-20 gain circuit has no capacitors or DC-servos in the signal path whatsoever.

Much attention has been paid to isolation. The amplifier modules are covered with thermal insulation and then seated within heavy copper shields. This is necessary to prevent thermal drift or signal-related heating effects capable of interfering with the preamp's finely tuned operation. Each amp module also has a self-contained shunt regulator to increase its isolation from the power supplies. A separate, isolated, floating-current source supply feeds each module to insure further isolation from noise in the ground system. Then, all control functions are powered by a separate supply so that no logic circuitry, with its clock signals and their correspondingly fast rise-times, ever introduce any noise into the analog section's sensitive, low-level signals. While all of the above attention to detail and overall isolation results in an extremely low noise floor, the included custom-designed remote control also provides the user exemplary convenience.

In sum, the P-20’s near-to-molecular clarity offers the last word in utterly transparent, stress-free, organic sound – in effect, a listening experience as close to live as high-end audio permits. Better still, these features can be activated by a 12V trigger signal enabling integration without the need for manual intervention. All that's needed is a processor or receiver with a common 12V trigger connection.

Features

• Ultra low noise 1nV/√ Hz JFETs

• Volume control features numerically controlled, switched-resistor ladder network with the latest in thin-film, ultra-low-noise resistor technology

• Full microprocessor control with memory retention

• No capacitor and no DC-servo in the signal path

• 3 separate power supplies

• Individual audio channels are shielded with heavy copper shield with thermal barrier.

• Solid stainless steel back connector panel forms a solid signal ground reference

Specifications

• Inputs: 1 XLR, 5 RCA

• Outputs: 1 RCA, 1 XLR

• THD+N at 1kHz = 0.0004% at 20-20kHz = 0.003% at DC to 1MHz: < 0.05 %

• S/N = 100dB at 20-20kHz S/N > 90dB at DC to 1MHz

• Frequency Response at 20-20kHz = +0.02dB/-0dB at DC to 1Mhz = +0.5dB/-0dB at DC-2.5 MHz +0/-3dB

• Maximum output: 7V RMS

• Phase shift = 0

• Input impedance = 10K ohm

• Output impedance = 100 ohm

• Dimensions: 1.75"H x 8.5"W x 16"D

• Weight: 17 lbs

• Power 120V 60Hz (100V and 240V models available)

Chassis available in black or silver color anodized aluminum.

P-20 has three (3) year warranty.

Cyrus Streamers

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Have you noticed all the excitement over streaming audio from computers recently? The convenience and potentially very high quality of streaming music from a PC has quickly become an important part of the hi-fi world. Just like CD players, streamers are just as dependent on understanding power supplies and DAC applications within any player, this means sound quality is typically understood best by those companies who have a deep understanding of digital hi-fi. Clearly Cyrus has been at the forefront of audiophile digital development through CD, AV and network audio products so we have long experience and a successful track record of digital expertise over almost 30 years.

Setting up the components like switches and NAS drives you need to get the most from streaming is not hard and you could just read our system setup guide, but if you visit the Cyrus stand they will have a team of streaming experts to help share our experience with those who are new to the concept. It could be worth having a chat just to hear the Cyrus team explain how to make the most of this exciting new opportunity.

Our new streaming models have been consistently reviewed as the best way to stream high quality downloaded audio from a computer because, apart from all of our experience in digital engineering, we understand both hi-fi electronics and networking to ensure sound quality is preserved through the whole process from hard disk to loudspeaker. Cyrus makes three versions of this latest generation streamer platform;

Stream X is a source model that will fit into any system that includes a DAC like our latest integrated amplifier.

The Streamline is our first all-in-one audio system and brings together the streaming parts, control systems and a great 2 x 35 watt amplifier all inside one of our precious die-cast cases.

The top model is Stream XP, a very good preamp and streaming ‘engine’ intended to be the centre of top quality Cyrus systems. Just add power amps for a superb system full of potential for the future.

Like all Cyrus components we have developed these models so you can upgrade them. Add power supplies, amplifiers or update with new features; these streamers not only sound state-of-the-art today, they offer the reassurance of upgradeability tomorrow.

Some quotes from recent reviews;

Noel Keywood of Hi-Fi World said recently;

“The Stream X was a delight to listen to. It was the best streamer I have heard to date by a good margin, bringing my computer music to life.”

Noel Keywood, Hi-Fi World Feb 12

What hi-fi group test win for Streamline;

“Verdict. A streamer straight out of the top draw, this will work wonders with your digital library”

August 2011

The remote control

Streaming can be a wonderfully convenient way to enjoy high quality hi-fi but usability of the system is a very important consideration because if the usability is limited by clunky user interface or ‘pretty’ apps running on phones/tablets the whole experience quickly becomes frustrating. To overcome these limitations all Cyrus streamers come with a special network enabled remote control we have developed called n-remote. Fitted with a high resolution screen and a radio link to the Cyrus streaming unit n-remote allows clear navigation of music on your network and simple command of your whole system. Unlike ordinary streamer apps and remotes n-remote can also control your system amplifier, your TV and many other IR controlled components. This feature means this is the only remote that can control all of your system in a stable way without dropouts and bandwidth errors that plague other manufacturers streaming systems. N-remote may look like a small element but trust us it could be the most important once you have a system setup and running. Streaming is really great if you can reliably use all the elements but the remote system is absolutely vital to enjoyment.

Come and visit Cyrus at the Show and let us demonstrate why our streaming models get such fabulous press reactions.

HDanywhere competition

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

HDanywhere are giving visitors to the Show a chance to win a complete multi-room HD system worth over £2,500!

To celebrate the launch of the new HKHA414SW central hub, HDanywhere will be giving away a complete package including all cables and installation. The HDanywhere HKHA414SW can take up to 4 sources and distribute to 4 locations in full HD over a single run of cat5 cable.

One central hub for the digital home

HDanywhere SingleWire systems are so technologically advanced that they are capable of supporting 4K video resolutions - 4 x higher than 1080p! The latest HDMI 1.4 video features such as full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) 3D and Deep Colour are handled with ease, thanks to the latest HDBaseT processors.

Control in every location

Being able to control what you're watching is an essential aspect of a truly usable multiroom system. HDanywhere features discrete IR passback, allowing the user to control the functions of the out-of-sight central sources at every TV location. They can even install duplicate sources, making it possible to have 2 (or more) identical sources, without clashing IR conflicts.

+ high-speed Internet access for all your network devices

HDanywhere SingeWire systems don't just allow you to watch and control all your HD sources at every TV location, now the user can access all their favourite websites too! Connect the broadband router to the HDanywhere central hub to enable use of the 2x fast ethernet ports on any receiver to connect to the internet. A very important new feature for people using Smart TVs or who like online gaming.

Instantaneous video switching between inputs

U-HDCP completely overcomes HDCP issues. The U-HDCP NVRAM memory ensures a constant HDCP handshake is kept in place with the central hub. This enables instant source switching and regardless of other HDTV requests to watch the same source, the video is never broken.

In it to win it

To be in for a chance of winning this amazing system; visitors to the show just need to visit the HDanywhere room (422), alternatively visit the HDanywhere web site. Conditions apply.

www.hdanywhere.co.uk/competition

Win! Win! WIn!

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Who wants to win a pair of Sennheiser HD598 headphones (worth £200) or a PURE Sensia DAB radio (worth £200)?

Then your chance is just one click away...

All you have to do is like our Facebook page (before February 29th) and you'll be entered into the prize draw. Join here

Amphion Argon 7L

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The new Amphion Argon7L loudspeakers take the “keep the midrange magic-add authority”-idea to a whole new level.

The controlled, nuance rich bass energy adds greatly to the emotional involvement.

Not a hint of mid-range resolution has been sacrificed to achieve a perfect foundation, which lets the music through.

Musical Neutrality

There are speakers that are classified as neutral.

There are speakers that are classified as musical.

But how many speakers could be classified as possessing 'Musical Neutrality'

Generally unamplified live performances are musical and neutral. The real reference, a classical orchestra in a good hall has musical neutrality. It has nuances, transparency and immediacy, but it is never harsh. The sound balance is always correctly neutral, yet never irritating. The same is true with nearly all acoustic music and even with well-miked and amplified rock.

Achieving this in a loudspeaker, which needs to work with wide range of signal chains and different rooms, means balancing quite a palette of things. Transparency and detail are achieved by keeping the measured response straight and neutral. But quite often this leads to forward presentation in less-than-perfectly recorded material. The real key is to keep openness and neutrality but allow musical representation with lesser quality material.

Amphion´s Managing Director Anssi Hyvonen on the new Argon7L :

"We feel that we have managed to combine neutrality and musicality. Argon7L offers transparency and neutrality, but is never dry nor irritating. It offers high level of musicality, but is never coloured."

Very high quality drivers, extremely simple crossovers and our complex high performance x-brace enclosures provide a clean, wide window to all types of music. With high levels of transparency and neutrality, users can discover new joyful things from their favourite recordings, even the not-perfect ones. A high 93 dB sensitivity allows the Argon7L to work with low powered valve and Class A amplifiers.

Operating principle: 2-way, vented

Tweeter: 1" titanium

Mid / woofer: 2 x 6,5" aluminium

Crossover point: 1600 Hz

Impedance: 4 ohm

Sensitivity: 93 dB

Frequency response: 28 - 25 000 Hz

Power recommendation: 10 - 150 W

Measurements (h x w x d): 1160 x 191 x 305 mm

Weight: 30 Kg

Colours: black, white, full white, full white black grids

The Chord Company

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The full range of Chord interconnects, speaker cable and digital cables will be available from the Chord stand in the foyer. Chord staff members will be happy to answer questions and recommend cable combinations that will bring your music and film to life. Bristol will also be the first chance to hear the new Chord Sarum USB cable. Demonstrations will take place in Room 112 throughout the show - tickets for this fascinating demo are available from the Chord stand in the foyer.

The latest addition to the Chord Sarum cable range will be shown and played for the first time at this year's Bristol Sound & Vision Show. The Sarum USB cable is hand built from cable based on the extraordinary designs used to construct other Sarum cables. Book at seat for the Chord demonstration and come and listen.

Sign up for the Chord Company Newsletter at our stand in the Foyer and you will be entered into a prize draw where you could win one of ten 1.5m Chord SilverPlus USB cables.

New entry level interconnect cables

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

TCI Habu Hi-Fi Interconnect Cable is aimed at the 1st upgrade market and comes in at a very affordable £30. A PE insulated OFC cable with Gold Plated RCA plugs excellent quality and value for money. TCI Habu will be on sale in room 414 at a special introductory offer price

XTZ Competition

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Entry is simple. Just fill out the form in our room 230 for your chance to win.

XTZ Room Analyzer II PRO is the new and improved version of the well renowned XTZ Room Analyzer now with even more advanced functions for the experienced user. With a brand new high quality microphone and updated software with improved algorithms and functions XTZ remains your number one option for room analysis!

- Room Analyzer
A plotted curve shows the average frequency response of the room.
“Found Room Modes” gives information about the found problems and what countermeasures to
consider.
“Stimulus EQ” allows simulation of an equalized system with suggested frequency adjustments
Frequency range: 16 - 250Hz

- Spectrogram
The spectrogram is a 2D waterfall diagram which shows the room reverberation time to easily
find problematic areas in the low frequency band.
Frequency range: 16 - 250Hz
Time: 0 - 250 ms

- Frequency response - RTA
Real Time Analyzer (RTA).
Shows the frequency response in one place, with 1/3 octave resolution.
Frequency range: 16 - 20000Hz

- Frequency response - SPL
FFT measurement with 2D/3D waterfall plot
Anechoic, Ambient & Raw visuell modes
Frequency range: 16 - 20000Hz
Time: 0 - 200 ms

- Advanced SPL meter
Accurate SPL meter with selectable average lengths and frequency weighting.
Displays continuous and maximum peak values along with selected meter averages.

- Tone Generator
Tone generator with a wide choice of output signals can be used independently of
measurements. Output signals include sine wave (10-20kHz), pink noise and white noise.

- RT60 reverberation time measurement
Using the RT60-standard the XTZ Room Analyzer II PRO can measure the reverberation time
in your room between 125Hz and 4kHz in octave bands, allowing you to make appropriate
adjustments in sound damping and diffusion.

- Delay Alignment
The new Delay Alignment tool is used for time alignment of sound sources. By measuring the
distance from speakers and subwoofer, appropriate adjustments to your subwoofers position or
phase settings can be made.

B&W Mini Theatre

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

B&W have announced a new and improved Mini Theatre Series comprising the MT-60D and the MT-50 that is set to make it's debut at the Show.

• Updated Mini Theatre series with two new systems the MT-60D and MT-50.

• Dramatically improved M-1 loudspeaker gets enhanced full-range performance.

• PV1D subwoofer updates the ground-breaking Bowers & Wilkins subwoofer with a new digital platform and improved drive units and amplification.

• All products are available in stunning new Matte Black and Matte White finishes.

Bowers & Wilkins Mini Theatre series has been one of the major success stories in the world of home cinema. Since launching six years ago, Mini Theatre has garnered many glowing reviews and won numerous awards. But nothing can stand still forever, and with the new Mini Theatre series Bowers & Wilkins takes performance to a whole new level.

The new, radically updated and upgraded Mini Theatre series comprises two systems: MT-60D and MT-50. These systems provide users with a jaw-droppingly immersive experience, but in relatively compact, discreet packages that fit easily into people’s lifestyles. Significant improvements in key elements within these new systems result in a dramatic uplift in performance, including improved detail, better bass performance, and significantly enhanced integration between the subwoofers and the satellite speakers.

Both systems offer excellent performance, but the MT-60D sets new standards for what can be expected from a compact, stylish speaker package. This jump in quality is a result of partnering an up-graded M-1 loudspeaker, with the new and improved PV1D, a dramatically updated version of the ground-breaking, opposed-drive-unit subwoofer. The MT-50 is a direct replacement for the successful, and affordable, MT-25 system, and sees the new M-1s partnered with the ASW608 subwoofer.

The M-1 loudspeaker is a key feature in both packages, acting as all five speakers in a surround set up – a cleverly designed table-top stand lets the centre speaker sit horizontally. But it’s also a great stereo solution, as one of the most dramatic upgrades from the out-going M-1 is this speaker’s full range performance: it now offers a stereo performance comparable to Bowers & Wilkins bookshelf speakers.

In order to achieve these improvements the M-1 has been completely redesigned internally, although only subtle styling differences are visible externally. It features all new drive units, including an in-house designed tweeter, and a bass/mid-range driver that uses the new Anti-Resonance Plug first seen on the high-end PM1 loudspeaker.

As well as these acoustic improvements, the mechanics of the M-1 have been updated, with improved speaker cable terminations and a more robust connection to the stands – a table-top stand and wall bracket are supplied in the box, while a floor stand is available as an optional extra.

The PV1D sees what is easily the most successful Bowers & Wilkins subwoofer get a dramatic update. While it retains its iconic, acoustically principled shape, the PV1D now moves to the digital platform developed for the flagship Bowers & Wilkins DB1 subwoofer. This provides increased flexibility and performance enhancements that coupled with new drive units and amplification, lead to dramatically improved output. It delivers deeper and faster bass than the previous model, and is equally at home with music and movies.

A new OLED display and touch button array provide easy access to a number of pre-sets and tuning options, while a custom version of the SubAppTM PC software provides more advanced set-up options. Subtle styling updates and new finishes bring the PV1D bang up to date.

The third element in the Mini Theatre series is the ASW608 subwoofer. While this model remains the same acoustically, it is now available in the same stunning Matte White finish as the M-1 loudspeakers.

Mini Theatre is available from March 2012.

Costs:
MT-50 £1,094
MT-60D £1,945
M-1 £150 (each)
PV1D £1,200
ASW608 £349
M-1 stands £199 (pair)

Win with Arcam!

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Win a £350 Arcam Cube Sound System in White!

'LIKE' Arcam's FaceBook page and on Feb 29th one lucky person will be picked to win the Arcam rCube.

Winners will be notified on Facebook

www.facebook.com/ArcamUK

New Optical Cable from TCI

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

TCI Cables have today introduced a new entry level optical cable designed to compliment there triple What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision award-winning TCI Coral optical cable. Retailing for just £25 and available for sale in room 414 for a special introductory price.

Atacama Elite ECO 6.0

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The ATACAMA ELITE ECO 6.0 is a specialist oversized single component width modular Hifi equipment support made from carbon treated bamboo resin composite.

This high density carbonised bamboo gives significant major sonic qualities when compared to traditional hardwood and veneered supports, with its unique micro growth pore structure offering both vibration absorbing and sound dampening properties. Each module is cut, finished and then polished by hand at the UK based Atacama factory giving this rack a stylish, modern appearance. The rear of each module tapers in for easy corner positioning should this be required, while the powercord isolation cable management loop located at the rear of each module is designed to keep mains leads together and away from sensitive signal cables.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
• Ecologically sustainable Being a grass, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet that when harvested will continue to grow allowing a new crop every 5 to 7 years. Because of this fast renewable growth, bamboo absorbs high levels of CO2.

• Carbon Neutral Due to its fast growth rate and high CO2 absorption, when factoring in processing, manufacturing and shipping bamboo remains a Carbon neutral material.

• Animal friendly The type of bamboo plant used in the Construction of Atacama supports is not a food source for humans or endangered animal species (Panda friendly!).

New from Chapter

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Chapter are set to have a stand bursting with new products as they launch the Note Series mono amplifiers and music streaminf products.

The NotePower 400 and NotePower 600 mono amplifiers are the lowest distortion analogue class-D amplifiers in the world. The 600W version features un-measurable IMD, vanishingly low & unrivalled harmonic distortion as well as unparalleled power density.

The NotePad 250 and NotePad Air are 250W & 180W music streaming amplifiers designed to be driven by and Apple iOS device using AirPlay. They will also stream up to 24-Bit 192kHz HD tracks using UPnP.

Free Cable Burn!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Mains Cables R Us will be offering a FREE cable burn in service at the Show, interconnects, speaker cables, tone-arm cables and digital cables can all be accommodated.

The cable burner is the Nordost Vidar which sends a series of complicated electronic signals to burn your cables in, a few hours of burn in are equivalent to weeks of actual use. Old cables also benefit from a refresher on the vidar.

Simply visit our stand as soon as you arrive and we will burn the cables for a few hours while you browse all the show has to offer.

Pioneer N-30 & N-50

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Pioneer GB has launched two new high-quality network audio players that enable new dimensions of listening enjoyment, and you can see them at the Show. The Pioneer N-50 and N-30 support Apple’s AirPlay and offer the ability to play music files from a variety of sources and formats, including high resolution 192 kHz/24 bit audio files.

“Audiophiles now want to enjoy audio playback from their whole music library as well as online media, in the best possible sound quality. Keeping that in mind, Pioneer's network audio players were developed to offer a new listening experience, giving access to music files wherever they are stored —PC, NAS, HDD, iPod/iPhone/iPad, or USB— as well as internet radio programmes from around the world”, says Philippe Coppens, Technology and Product Information Manager at Pioneer Europe. “For the N-50, we have further integrated asynchronous USB DAC functionality and DSP processing, along with audiophile parts and construction to make sure the requirements of even the most demanding audiophile are met.”

The N-50 and N-30 have a timeless, elegant design. A clean aluminium front with a generously sized 2.4 inch QVGA colour display and minimalist control buttons on the right side adds to the systems’ premium looks.

The Pioneer N-50 and N-30 are DLNA Certified (v.1.5 - DMP / DMR), ready to play various audio formats - from 192 kHz/24 bit high-resolution FLAC and WAV files, to MP3 and MPEG-4 AAC compressed audio files. Pioneer's expertise on quality sound reproduction offers a satisfying listening experience, regardless of source.

With Apple's AirPlay1 on board, audio enthusiasts have complete access, control and playback of their entire iTunes music library through these new players. Users can quickly and easily enjoy all their music with song information and album art simultaneously displayed on the N-50 and N-30’s full-colour LCD display2. It also enables content to be streamed across the network directly to the unit from an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad.

To achieve life-like sound, Pioneer’s new network audio players are fitted with a High-Accuracy Master Clock, which minimizes time-axis errors resulting in highly precise clock performance. Both players come

with a USB port conveniently located on the front panel which allows direct playback of iPod, iPhone or iPad music, while also charging the devices. The user can play PC audio files saved on a USB device too, including high-resolution FLAC and WAV formats3, without having to access their home network.

The units are designed with meticulous care to reduce noise during signal transfer. Optimal input/output design results is the shortest signal path. Additionally, the channels and terminals of the analogue L/R output are further separated to handle the wide-range frequencies of high-resolution audio sources.

The step-up N-50 integrates an asynchronous USB DAC, allowing direct USB connection with a PC4 or laptop, without having to access the home network. In addition, signal transfer is done using USB asynchronous transfer mode, which eliminates jitter, reproducing master quality sound with extremely precise audio signals, even for Hi-bit 32 Audio Processing.

Other N-50 enhancements include Auto Level Control to deliver consistent volume levels between tracks and Pioneer's Sound Retriever technology to improve the sound quality of compressed music formats. The N-50 incorporates Hi-bit 32 Audio Processing, which expands the input bit signals to create a natural and analogue-like waveform, reproducing rich audio even from extremely minute signals.

Completing the N-50 are selected audiophile parts and construction details such as a double-layered chassis, isolated digital/analogue power supply with twin transformers and gold plated terminals.

Both the N-50 and N-30 are ready for:

Pioneer’s iControl App:
With this freely downloadable Pioneer application, an iPod touch or iPhone can be used as a remote for controlling the network audio player's various functions. Pioneer also offers a dedicated Control App for Android smartphones5.

Bluetooth:
If a wireless network is not available, an optional AS-BT200 Bluetooth adaptor lets the user enjoy wireless transmission of audio content from compatible devices such as an iPod, iPod touch, iPhone or iPad (with iOS 3.0 or later), mobile phone, or personal computer or Android device.

Air Jam:
Air Jam is an iPod touch/iPhone application developed by Pioneer which enables the user to stream music from up to four iPad, iPod touch and iPhone devices6 through Bluetooth connection7. Air Jam also transmits metadata such as song title, artist, and album name, and lets the user easily purchase songs from the iTunes Store. The application is freely downloadable from the App Store. Pioneer also offers a dedicated Air Jam app for Android smartphones.

Wireless LAN: Via an optional AS-WL300 wireless LAN converter, the N-30 and N-50 can access and play high-resolution music from a compatible networked device without the need for a ‘hard wired’ Ethernet connection.

Vertere Launches D-Fi

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A new range of cables specially designed to complement and enhance the performance of current music sources beyond belief.

"Touraj rearranged my notions of how to get the best results out of computer audio.....the irony is that with computers and even iPods so many people have a source that can produce remarkable results if they are connected with the correct cable to a half decent system"

Read more from Jason Kennedy at The Ear (Click Here)

Come and experience what Jason already has in room 416.

From a 'little' to a 'lot' we will demonstrate to you a fresh approach that delivers performance without limits.

Students you guys listen and collect more music than any other generation before. To celebrate this fact we are extending our promotional offers to students purchasing any Pulse product at the show. So remember to bring your student ID and enjoy a further 10% discount and reimbursement of your £6 show entry fee. See you at the show.

D-Fi What you never thought possible!

New: Pro-Ject Audio

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Bristol Show will see the launch of two new iPod®, iPad® or iPhone® docks from Pro-Ject Audio Systems.

The extremely popular Dock Box model has now been rejuvenated with two new models, the fixed volume output Dock Box S Fi and the digital-out enabled Dock Box S Digital.

The brand new Dock Box S Digital is capable of taking your mobile digital music library from any legitimate Apple device and connecting it to an existing hi-fi system – all in a simple and logical way.

By plugging in an iPod® or any other 30-pin connection device, the Dock Box S Digital immediately springs into life, recognising the device by charging the battery. The contained library can then be navigated either by using the user interface, or more conveniently from a distance with the included IR remote control. Once a track is selected to play back, the audio signal is taken digitally from the attached device, avoiding the sound degradation associated with headphone outputs, and sent to the 24-bit/192kHz Cirrus Logic DAC contained within the effortlessly small chassis before being exported via the RCA outputs.

Alternatively if you already have a preferred Digital-to-Analogue Converter, an additional strength of the new Dock Box S Digital is the inclusion of a gold-plated S/PDIF Coaxial output. This further adds to the audiophile credentials of this stylish product.

Pro-Ject have developed the Box Design range in order to open the world of high quality hi-fi to those looking for an affordable option, or with limited space in their listening room. The new “S Class” Box Design models have a thicker front panel with no screws, adding an elegant and luxurious look to the innovative range.

Pro-Ject Dock Box S Digital:
Technical Specifications
Input: 30-Pin Connector
Output: Analogue (RCA) & S/PDIF (RCA-Digital)
Audio Processor: XMOS (400 Mhz)
D/A Convertor: Cirrus Logic (24-bit/192kHz)
Dynamic Range: 105dB
Computer Port: USB
Finish: Black or Silver Faceplate
Power Supply: External, 9V/2A DC
Dimensions: 103 x 36 x 109mm (W x H x D)
Weight: 585g (without power supply)

Pro-Ject Dock Box S Fi:
Technical Specifications
Input: 30-Pin Connector
Output: Analogue (RCA)
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Computer Port: USB
Finish: Black or Silver Faceplate
Power Supply: External, 18V/500mA DC
Dimensions: 103 x 36 x 109mm (W x H x D)
Weight: 585g (without power supply)

Dali: Epicon 6

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

THE BRAND NEW EPICON 6 is no less than the new reference loudspeaker from DALI (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries). Inimitable driver technology, woofers designed and built in-house and a majestic exterior are some of the most prominent features on this high end model. EPICON 6 simply is a giant leap closer to the real thing – music the way it was intended to sound.

Unique driver technology

The EPICON 6 builds on technologies developed for the highly successful high end DALI EUPHONIA series and takes them to the next level. The brand new woofer magnet system based on iron powder reduces distortion to a minimum compared to conventional drivers. To ensure that the listener hears exactly what is actually on the recording – no more, no less.

Crystal clear sound

EPICON 6 even features a world premiere: The Linear Magnet driver system (patent pending), which reduces distortion significantly. The wood fibre cones and low loss components borrow material and geometry from EUPHONIA. Yet, new coating and surround on EPICON 6 means further refinement for exceptional dynamics, precision, and richness of detail. Needless to say, the hand-crafted woofer is produced in-house at DALI’s headquarter facilities in Denmark for quality, materials and construction to the highest standards. Even the breakthrough DALI hybrid tweeter is developed in-house. Utilizing the best from EUPHONIA, the EPICON 6 adds a larger chamber, improved damping and new high frequency wave-guide – all this to refine high frequency reproduction even further. All in all, unique DALI drivers deliver a full-blown, crystal clear sound experience compatible with any application.

An epic sound adventure

Furthermore, EPICON 6’s imposing high-gloss cabinet finish makes music look good in any home environment. Rigid, curved, and dressed in high-gloss wood veneer, the multi-layered enclosure ensures a superb acoustical environment. Whether it’s a live classical recording, rock, heavy, jazz, or just voice, EPICON 6’s interplay between cabinet, new technologies and design conveys a sense of actually being there, listening to the real thing.

New flagship series

With EPICON 6, the first model from DALI’s EPICON flagship series, a new journey begins. Introducing a brilliant, true-to-life sound performance based on nearly 30 years’ experience, and anticipating the future shape of natural music reproduction.

DALI EPICON 6 – closer to the essence of music.

New: Totem Element

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

TOTEM Element Series

Evolution in sound design…

The new Element woofers used in this series are not only built in-house but deviate substantially from any usual woofer manufacturing. Firstly, they have an extreme precision-machined chassis, rather than a moulded or stamped one. Each driver actually requires 3 hours of machining and 4-hours plus of assembly and testing. This allows for precision usually associated with watch making, not standard woofer manufacturing.

Besides this, other major technical innovations were developed internally at Totem. The stainless steel and thick aluminium-based voice coils are not only under-hung within the magnets but also fully immersed in a super strong yet completely localized magnetic field. This specialized enclosure, like a cradle, retains multiple claw-shaped magnetic segments, allowing for a full one-inch throw of the driver. The 7-inch cone is fully rear-damped yet light and stiff. All Element drivers have free air resonances in the 16-17 Hz area.

The tweeter is an incredibly musical on- and off-axis performer. Already utilized in the Tribe V, this stunning tweeter features a 3/8’’ inch thick aluminium faceplate, and a finned aluminium alloy body for cooling and durability. It’s great attributes are outstanding clarity, openness and true linearity at any volume setting, allowing it to match form and contribute fully and musically to the woofer's magical pace.

Magnetic grills are standard issue. The floor-standing models Earth and Metal also feature a variably adjustable “centre front claw”. In addition, rear cabinet decoupling is provided on the columns via their individual “skid plates”.

The Element Series is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Tribe Series, for stunning synergy in surround setups.

The Totem Torrent Technology…

To sidestep oversized solutions, we called upon our engineering artistry to create a compact, agile and responsive speaker that truly brings sound to life.

With out-of-the-box thinking, we’ve managed to engineer with precision a unique driver that is exceptionally quick in absolute terms while always perfectly in-phase, on- and off-axis.

By no means can the TORRENT be considered a standard driver. It is mechanically and electrically engineered to avoid the use of a crossover and yet perform beyond any preset levels. Its chassis and parts are machined with watchmaker’s precision from selected hi-tech alloys.

The TORRENT driver is designed to offer a panoramic non-directional distribution of sound with optimal coherence and phase accuracy in all frequencies. It allows perfect off-axis expression with a very smooth high-frequency roll off, allowing it to integrate smoothly and seamlessly with the tweeter.

With the Element Series, we wanted to achieve a perfect symbiotic relationship between function, form and artistry. Using simple lines and purposeful slanted angles, we’ve created a basic shape that surprises at first. The trapezoidal cabinets taper toward the top and back with no two sides parallel, thereby minimizing standing waves and cabinet resonance.

By design, these are speakers whose form and function coexist universally in perfect balance. Supported by integral cross members, the lightweight cabinet material is of variable density to rapidly eliminate diffuse energy and avert possible repetition of unwanted nodes.

TOTEM designed and manufactured an advanced decoupling system for the Element Metal and the Element Earth. The bottom rear of the Element cabinet features skid-plates that not only decouple but canalize undesired vibrations. Moreover, with an adjustable front-center claw support, branded via the Ebony dust-filled TOTEM logo, the rake of the speaker can be ingeniously adjusted for various electronics and acoustical environments.

Applied over a week-long process, the gleaming, multi-coat polyester finishes available in Dusk (black) and Ice (white) render wonderful depth and shine. Custom-coated, machined and designed aluminum terminal plates, precision-machined and polished reflex ports and the fabulous bi-wireable Platinum Signature WBT connectors complement the Element Series to perfection.

The Torrent woofer: The 7 inch Torrent driver found in the Element Series has a free air resonance frequency of 15-16 Hz. Therefore its operating range in the lower extreme is 20 Hz and it very smoothly and evenly goes up to 2.85 kHz where it starts progressively rolling off, but it still has considerable contributory output until 5.5 kHz .

Design Features…

• Unique architectural design and geometric conception

• Stunning multi-angled chassis

• Available in gleaming, luxurious, 4-coat polyester finishes

• Custom designed & machined aluminum terminal back plates

• Variably adjustable “center front claw”

Technical features…

• 7-inch Torrent™ hand-assembled drivers

• Platinum W.B.T. connectors (bi-wireable)

• Revolutionary magnetic field technology

• No active or passive cross-over parts in the woofer section

• Fully rear-damped 7-inch cone

Monitor

Fire…….. £5,600

Floorstanding

Earth…… £8,395

Metal……£12,125

Okki Nokki at Mains Cables R Us

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

With record cleaning machines costing as much as £2000+, the Okki Nokki machine does the same job and costs £400, it has been widely reviewed and all report it as an excellent way to keep your vinyl alive.

Hi Fi Choice March issue ***** Recommended
"...transform your precious LPs with Okki Nokki's cleaning wonder machine.....the result is that the vinyl sounds relatively 'fresh'.....the highs are clearer.....adds sparkle to the treble, brings greater definition across the range.....easy to use with good accessories and safety features.....works as well as any we have tried.....an affordable machine that is very welcome indeed.....does what it says on the tin and makes cleaning vinyl about as painless as it gets."

On show at the Mains Cables R Us stand in the Conservatory. Please make sure you visit us for our Bristol Show special offers!

New: Chord Electronics

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Chord Electronics launches its first high-performance network music player. Kicking 2012 off to an exciting start, Chord Electronics, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-end audio products, has launched its first-ever music streamer.

The all-new Index is the latest edition to Chord Electronics’ affordable boutique high-performance range, Chordette. Index is a high-quality compact music streamer and internet radio source component that offers exceptional sound quality at a real-world price. Index will find and play stored music, whether on NAS, a network computer or a USB drive and is compatible with almost any format including: FLAC; WMA; AAC; WAV and MP3. Index also offers internet radio using the vTuner service, which currently gives more than 10,000 commercial-free stations and over 15,000 related podcasts.

Exceptional sound quality has been achieved by Chord Electronics’ engineering team, thanks to their world-renowned expertise with D/A conversion and DAC production. The unit’s internal DAC chipset has been optimised for sublime sound quality and benefits from its own highly accurate discrete crystal clock generator. Full control of the Index using a tablet computer or smartphone is available (with full colour artwork, track information etc) as the unit supports many of the major control apps on the market. In addition, there’s a high-quality 128x64 dot matrix LCD display coupled with simple, four-way navigation keys that enable users to easily orientate the unit’s menu system and infrared remote control is also provided.

The Index offers both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet functionality and benefits from a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including a fascia-mounted USB input, digital coaxial and optical outputs, plus RCA analogue outputs. Its compact dimensions and DLNA technology make it easy to install anywhere in the home enabling users to quickly start enjoying high-quality streamed music and internet radio. Availability: February Price: £990 About Chord Electronics Ltd Chord Electronics Ltd is a world-leading manufacturer of high-end audio products, based in Kent, England. Since 1989, Chord Electronics has been creating some of the planet’s finest hi-fi, home cinema and professional audio equipment.

A technology-driven innovator, Chord Electronics continues to deliver excellence through exemplary audio engineering, cutting-edge design and a true aesthetic understanding. Chord Electronics is trusted and admired internationally and its global customer base includes: Abbey Road Studios (London); Sony Music Studios (New York) and Skywalker Sound (California).

New: Audio Technica

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The A range of closed-back headphones have been part of the popular Art Monitor series for over 9 years, and 2012 sees the range get a revamp to further enhance them as a firm favourite amongst users and critics alike.

The A500X, A700X and A900X headphones represent an evolutionary step on from their predecessors by keeping the core of what made the original models great, but adding modernising touches that help maintain them as leaders in their field. Carried over from the previous incarnation is the use of ‘Total Ear-Fit’ design oversized cups and the ergonomic 3D support wings (PAT) which allow for supreme comfort during extended listening sessions. Additionally, the continued inclusion of Audio-Technica’s Double Air Damping System (D.A.D.S) and the fundamental closed-back design allow for deep resonating bass and a wonderfully broad acoustic performance. D.A.D.S was developed for the legendary ATH-W2002 Limited Edition Wooden Headphones, and has worked its way into some of Audio-Technica’s finest headphones since.

The shared advances in the new Art Monitor X range primarily lie in the newly designed drivers. The audiophile-quality large aperture 53mm drivers, with bobbin wound voice coils, offer a wide-range of playback from deep fulfilling bass to a vocal projection unmatched in its class. Even in the introductory A500X the frequency range is an impressive 5-30,000 Hz, highlighting the driver’s ability to achieve a full and involving sound stage. Aesthetically, the A500X, A700X and A900X are slightly different to their predecessors, with matte black, metallic blue and sleek black finishes on the ear cups, respectively.

The A500X and A700X are also notably lighter than the original models, partly in thanks to an overall improvement in construction. The superior A900X outer and inner housings are aluminium structures, further allowing for an even clearer audio performance and reduction of resonance around the drivers. Additionally the A900X also have the same ear pads used in the ATH-A1000X model, for an even more comfortable listening experience. All the new Art Monitor headphones have 3.0m fixed chords, built from Oxygen-Free Copper in a woven wrapping and are terminated with Gold-Plated stereo mini plugs. The A500X, A700X, and A900X are available in the UK from February 2012, at £160.00, £220.00, £340.00 SRP, respectively.

New: Bryston SP-3 processor

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

PMC loudspeakers, UK distributor of Bryston electronics, is launching the SP-3 surround processor, following three years’ development and designed to surpass the already class-leading SP-2. This easy to use, ultra-high performance processor combines discrete Class A audio circuitry with separated analogue and digital power supplies, true analogue pass through and the ability to handle the latest audio formats. As a result, the SP-3 redefines the level of audio performance possible in high-end home theatre systems.

The SP-3 preamplifier and processor is first and foremost a high performance audio product which provides high quality two channel stereo output, in addition to 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 surround modes required for home theatre use. Processing is provided for the latest Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats as well as the standard Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 channels.

With ease of customer use also very much at the forefront of the designer’s brief and to simplify the operation of a high-end home theatre playback system, Bryston has automated many of the commonly used functions. For example, the SP-3 automatically detects the input signal bitstream type and adjusts the mode accordingly. The factory settings include the most common configurations pre-set and ready to use. In addition, step-by-step set up menus are provided for any custom settings along with a user-friendly, yet comprehensive owner’s manual.

Building on Bryston’s expertise in the field of high-end audio, the SP-3 features Class A discrete analogue circuitry throughout, rather than the more common integrated circuits used for cost- saving purposes in most surround processors. Separate and carefully isolated power supplies are also utilised for the analogue and digital circuits to lower the noise floor. Future upgrades are catered for via a fully modular internal design, which enables upgrades to be performed easily; and firmware updates are conducted via the user’s home network, which also provides remote access for the retailer/installer in the event of any servicing requirements.

Further highlighting Bryston’s commitment to ensuring the best possible audio performance from the SP-3, the company has incorporated true analogue pass-through for two channel and 5.1 and 7.1 surround formats, which eliminate any digital circuits from the signal path. With a total of 11 inputs, including six digital and one with discrete analogue stereo or 7.1 analogue and 3D compatible video pass through, plus two HDMI outputs, the SP-3 is able to satisfy the requirements of even the most demanding home theatre and audio set ups.

“It was very important to the overall value proposition of the SP-3 that this product has real longevity in the marketplace,” states Bryston’s James Tanner. “Considering the volatility of rapidly changing video formats, we have chosen to simply pass the video signal through the SP-3 untouched to the display. This helps future proof the SP-3 while emphasising Bryston’s expertise in delivering the finest audio performance possible.”

Ming Da Valve Audio

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The New MC84-C11 is one of the prettiest ipod docks on the market.

Featuring a stereo integrated valve amplifier, running the fine EL84s, giving a punchy 12 watts per channel. To enhance this amplifier further, Ming Da have incorporated an ipod dock, two analogue inputs and also a further USB input, to enable streaming from a lap top or PC! To compliment this high specification, Ming Da have produced an amplifier that simply looks the part in virtually any situation!

New: Show App!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Download the latest Sound & Vision Bristol Show Guide – available within an app for the iPhone and for Android phones!

The app gives you general information and a local map, all the floor plans for the Show, a complete list of exhibitors and brands plus the ability to make your own personal list of rooms to visit, created by moving exhibitors into a To Do list. And all in the palm of your hand! Plus it works offline too, so no worries about being connected as long as you have downloaded the Show information first.

To access this brand new way of finding your way around the Show go to the iPhone app store or the Android Marketplace and download an app called the “Guidebook”. Once you have this loaded onto your smart phone chose “Download Guides”, navigate to Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show and download the information. Once this has loaded click on the Show and you’ll be on the home screen from where you can chose General Info, Floor Plans or Exhibitors.

Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 users can access the guide here.

Enjoy the app and let us know (via the app feedback page) what you thought of the Show!

The app is kindly sponsored by KEF, you can see KEF in the Oslo Suite on the Lower Ground Floor, where they will be showing the new R-Series and the stunning Blade.

Please Note: the Guide is constantly being updated as new information arrives. To make sure you stay up-to-date please download the latest version.

Vermouth Audio

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Red Velvet interconnects from Vermouth Audio will be officially launched at the Show through Mains Cables R Us who have been selling the brand for over a year with great success.

Vermouth are a small company based in Jakarta and have very clever designers who have managed to produce a range of interconnects and speaker cables as well as RCA plugs some of which will be available for sale at the Show on the Mains Cables R Us stand.

The Red Velvet interconnect has sold over 500 pairs in Vermouth's native country since launching a few months ago. Using UP-OCC copper which is the purest copper available for audio use and terminated with a choice of gold, silver or rhodium plated locking connectors, all priced below £100.

Visit the Mains Cables R Us stand to see the cables up close and get a special deal on them just while the show is on.

New: Bryston BHA-1 headphone amp

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The new BHA-1 high quality headphone amplifier is being launched by PMC loudspeakers, the UK distributor for Bryston, in room 204 at this year’s Show, with a demonstration using the new flagship Sennheiser headphones. The new system brings all the benefits of Bryston’s market-leading amplifier technology, with its Class-A circuitry, dual mono design and substantial power supplies, to the world of headphone audio.

Housed in a full-width minimalist style enclosure, the BHA-1 is packed with technology usually reserved for traditional high-end hi-fi amplifiers. Bryston has applied its no-compromise design philosophy to the creation of the BHA-1, reasoning that the intimacy of listening to music on a high quality pair of headphones should be every bit as rewarding as using a more familiar loudspeaker equipped system.

To achieve this, Bryston has employed the same dual mono amplifier construction used in its respected 7B, 14B and 28B amplifiers. Configured in balanced or series mode, the two amplifiers per headphone driver (left and right) produce a doubling of the signal voltage to each channel, resulting in an inherently clean and stable signal with Bryston’s familiar dramatic resolution. This has the added benefits of enabling difficult loads to be handled and multiple pairs of headphones to be connected. 14dB or 20dB of selectable gain is also available, further adding to the unit’s compatibility with a large variety of headphones.

Balanced design headphones are connected via the four pin stereo XLR or dual left/right three pin XLR outputs. Single ended headphones may be connected using the 6.3mm stereo jack socket.

Bryston’s usual attention to detail is applied to the BHA-1 as with any other of the company’s products, through the selection of the highest quality components such as: a Noble laser trimmed stereo volume control, six fully discrete Class A Bryston operational amplifiers, gold plated connectors and a Bryston designed internal analogue power supply. Harmonic distortion of less than 0.003%, IM distortion of less than 0.001%, a signal to noise ratio of greater than105dB and a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.1dB, all contribute to a precision headphone listening experience.

Sources may be connected to the rear of the BHA-1 via balanced XLR connections, single ended RCA sockets or with a 3.5mm stereo jack for use with such devices as portable music players or computer audio systems.

KEF Celebrate 50 years

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Celebrating KEF’s Fifty Years of Innovation in Sound From 1961 to Present Day

In celebration of its 50th Anniversary year, KEF will be showcasing some of its landmark historical loudspeakers at this year’s Show; classic and iconic products that have set the bench mark for all others and that have led the way for present product innovations, such as the iconic Blade and the latest R Series range, both of which can be auditioned in the KEF Oslo Suites at Sound & Vision - The Bristol Show!

Featuring many of KEF’s latest innovations in premium hi-fi and home entertainment loudspeaker technology, the R Series seeks to make higher-end audiophile standards of sound reproduction more affordable. Many of the innovations showcased in KEF’s new Blade model have filtered down into this new line up: fluent new Uni-Q® driver arrays combine with new hybrid cone bass drivers to create a rich, spacious sound image of such accuracy that it approaches the benchmark standards of KEF’s Reference Series at a more attractive price.

By incorporating high end technologies from KEF Blade in a classically elegant format, it gives serious audiophiles surprisingly accurate reproduction that, in keeping with founder, Raymond Cooke’s philosophy ‘neither adds to nor subtracts anything from the original recording’. The range is a fitting tribute to KEF’s 50 years of innovation in sound.

Click here to learn more about KEF’s celebration of fifty years of innovation in sound…

New: Heed Audio

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Heed Audio is using the Sound & Vision Show to re-introduce the renowned Heed brand of compact electronics to the UK market, to give hi-fi and music lovers a cost effective high performance audio experience.

Based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Heed Audio is bringing the latest models in the range of integrated, pre and power amplifiers; CD transport, DACs and power supplies bearing the renowned ‘Obelisk’ name back to the country from which they first emerged. In the mid 1980s respected electronics engineer Richard Hay was responsible for the design of the original Obelisk amplifiers under the Ion Systems brand. Designed to be in effect like a valve amplifier built with transistors, when introduced the Obelisk stirred emotions among hi-fi and music lovers alike, quickly gaining a dedicated following; which turned into something of a cult following after Ion Systems ceased its manufacturing activities. Today as the original Ion Obelisks are very much holding their value in the second hand market, Richard is back assisting Heed Audio with new developments and finding reliable, quality UK suppliers to improve the availability, appearance and finish and firmly establish the UK distribution of both existing and new models, some of which are only available in the UK market.

Thirty years on and the design of the Obelisk integrated amplifier has undergone several updates and improvements, but in its current guise the Obelisk Si still remains faithful to the design philosophy of the original. Now joined by a pre-amplifier plus stereo and mono power amplifiers and optional outboard power supplies, the range covers all user requirements from a simple integrated set up to multi-unit pre-amp plus power supply and multiple mono power amp systems, for both active and passive multi-amplification of large speakers.

Digital music is catered for with the recently added Obelisk DT CD transport and Obelisk DA digital to analogue converter. The latter, which can handle up to five inputs and 192kHz/24bit signals, forms the heart of a multi-source digital audio system which can take feeds from the CD transport, a computer, media server, DAB tuner or satellite box. The combination of the Obelisk Si integrated amplifier and Obelisk DA DAC offers truly musical audiophile quality in a compact desktop audio system.

Richard Hay commented, “The Obelisk has been a huge part of my life; quite possibly the most talked about and loved of all the products I have designed. It has lived on in the capable hands of Heed Audio in Hungary, with whom I have had a very close relationship for many years, and I am thrilled to be able to help bring the latest Heed products to the music lovers in the UK.” He continued, “The Obelisk product has always been about music more than hi-fi. Quite often we, the hi-fi industry, lose sight of the fact that our products are intended to make music a more pleasurable experience and get bogged down in an obsession with the black boxes. Heed Audio has continued this music focus with the latest products and I am sure when people hear them at Bristol they will appreciate the company’s motto – forget hi-fi, remember music.”

Visitors to the Show will be able to experience the entire Heed range, from the Obelisk Si through to a multi-power amp set up, fed from a variety of sources including vinyl, CD and streamed high resolution files.

XTZ use Black Rhodium

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Choosing the correct cable is extremely important so XTZ value Black Rhodium's agreement to allow us to use their cables. And we have a fine selection of cables lined up that match perfectly with XTZ's characteristics.

All of XTZ's products focus on neutrality and refinement with very detailed clarity so Black Rhodiums ethos of letting the music do the talking is in perfect harmony with XTZ's.

We will be using Fusion Power Cables throughout hooked up to their distribution block. We will be using their new Beam Optical cable for digital duties and Prelude for analogue interconnects along with a custom splitter for our integrated/power amp combo.

For speaker cable we will be using the brand new TWIST Speaker Cable. These cables are hot off the production line and this is the first and best chance to listen to what all the fuss is about.

TWIST makes the experience of listening to music a pleasure thanks to its natural open sound on vocals and excellent timing on piano notes.

The reason why Black Rhodium has been able to achieve this level of sound quality at such a low price level is because they have based the design on their top-of-the-range Ninja. “We have taken out all the expensive bits of Ninja such as DCT, silver plating and heavy gauge wire but kept in the good design features of Ninja to create TWIST” says designer Graham Nalty.

In fact there are three design features of Ninja that were exclusive to Ninja in the Black Rhodium range when the Ninja was developed.

• TWIST cable, as its name implies is twisted along its length, thus preventing the cable acting as a “loop aerial” for airborne radio frequency interference which can cause audible distortion to the sound quality.

• The positive and negative cores are connected in opposite directions, as shown in the picture below. Experience shows that when cables are connected this way (and both cables are connected in the same direction) the noise floor between the musical notes lowers.

• The cable is supplied with insulation of twice the thickness of other cables in the Black Rhodium range. Our listening tests have indicated that when the distance between closely placed conductors is increased, the sound quality becomes more natural and the music appears less to come from the boxes of the speakers.

We are getting very excited about this set-up with confirmation of help from Black Rhodium, this is one room you need to make sure you visit.

Elipson 'Planet M'

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Stylish audio brand Elipson will be launching its new Planet M speakers and Planet Sub at Bristol.

Following the success of its iconic bigger brother the Planet L, the M is a compact gem that combines musical excellence with state-of-the-art design, using a 2-way coaxial system with a 10cm paper coned bass unit and a 20mm silk done tweeter. The Sub features an innovative cylindrical, high-density cellulose membrane enclosure housing a 20cm down firing bass driver that’s powered by a 200W amplifier. When partnered the Planet M/Sub system results in a versatile 2.1 or 5.1 speaker package that’s at home with music and movies alike. Elipson will also debut its unique and majestic BS50 Tribute speaker - perfectly illustrating the passion for both sound and design that infuses all Elipson audio products. Tangent will display their new Jacob Jensen designed ‘Fjord’ integrated audio systems, together with a number of new high quality DAB radio/docks that can tune to stations other radios can’t reach!

Monitor Audio Shadows

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Astonishing Sound from Monitor Audio’s Shadows

Generating a performance akin to conventional home theatre boxes from vanishingly slender easy-to-install cabinets, Monitor Audio’s new Shadow range brilliantly cools the friction between the desire for discreet style and the need for explosive wideband home theatre dynamics.

Engineered to achieve an astonishing unity of wafer-thin design – just 40mm deep - and life-like sound, the Shadow range features innovative new driver designs developed using new materials and thousands of hours of CAD simulation and listening.

The four Shadow models are designed to combine in supremely discreet multi-channel surround systems; in pairs for high performance music, or individually for décor-friendly full-range sound in any room. There’s a diminutive rear channel speaker, the S25; two main speakers: the S50 and the longer S60 (for 50”+ displays), and the dedicated Shadow Centre speaker.

See this system debut in rooms 206 & 208.

Alexander Acoustics

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Alexander Acoustics are the only UK company producing concrete loudspeakers.

Made to order and fully customisable. The designer will be attending the Show with a demo pair of speakers on show. Please visit the Mains Cables R us stand in the conservatory to discuss this unique speaker and see them for yourself. Mains Cables R Us are the exclusive UK distributor for Alexander Acoustics.

Cocktail Audio X10

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Cocktail Audio X10 is a high quality Hi-Fi Audio System with CD storage and Music Streamer. It's appearance is that of a regular audio CD player, however, it's features are what sets it apart from the competition; CD storage with database function, music streamer, internet radio and networking. You can load all your CD collection to the hard disc, where you can gain instant access to any of your music using the remote controller.

Cocktail Audio X10 is a revolutionary Hi-Fi component, with a high speed front loading CD drive built in. The 3.5" colour TFT LCD display is well designed and easy to use. The X10 uses 3.5" SATA hard disk as storage to load all your CD collection. Cocktail Audio X10 has a high quality 60W amplifier built-in which delivers wonderful sound through your existing Hi-Fi system or own speakers. X10 Bookshelf speakers are also available.

The Cockatail Audio X10 is not big, it's cute and small enough for any room you choose. The dimensions are: 18cm (W) x 14.7cm (D) x 9.8cm (H).

If you have a large collection of CD's finding space for them all is not easy! Simply load all your CD's onto the X10. You can then scroll through your whole collection from the comfort of your sofa! You will rediscover tunes you had long forgotten. The 500GB hard drive option will hold approximately 5000 CD's.

Making a CD database is simple. Once you have input the CD information, like the title, artist, album, year and genre, into the CD database you will be able to search for music easily.

CD information will be entered automatically by FreeDB if the X10 is connected to a network (internet), or if FreeDB data is installed in the hard disk of the X10. Alternatively, you can input the data manually with the help of your own USB keyboard or the remote supplied with the X10.

Add the X10 to your network via ethernet (100Base-TX/10Base-T) LAN or through Wi-Fi (optional Wi-Fi Dongle available). X10 supports Samba server/client network protocol. This network solution allows music streaming play-back and file copying from a remote computer to the X10 hard drive. The X10 will play music files from a remote computer and display the shared folder on the colour TFT screen. Similarly, the remote computer will display the files in your X10 hard drive.

The X10's advanced internet radio will give you access to the worlds most famous radio stations. The stations are classified by genre and country. For your convenience you can make a favourites list of all of your most listened to stations.

PMC: twenty.C centre

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

With styling and performance to complement the recently launched twenty series speakers, the twenty.C enables home theatre enthusiasts to share in all the benefits of PMC’s latest drive unit and ATL™ innovations, to enhance their enjoyment of movie soundtracks significantly.

The twenty.C centre channel has been conceived in response to the phenomenal reception that the twenty series received when it was launched at the company’s 20th anniversary conference in September 2011. The most common request since then from the company’s distributors, retailers and end users has been for a centre channel to match the four strong line up of the twenty series.

Using identical twenty series M13 5½” drive units as the twenty.21 stand mount and twenty.23 floorstanding models, the twenty.C is voiced to match the speakers with which it will be partnered. The bass/mid drive units, developed by PMC, have lightweight and stiff paper cones, with a matt finish doping, and are built into cast alloy chassis to provide a rigid and stable environment and offer high sensitivity and low colouration. Twin drivers flank the new SONOLEX™ fabric dome tweeter, developed in conjunction with SEAS® of Norway. This all new tweeter provides a phenomenal off-axis response thanks to the new dispersion grille; a technology previously used on the company’s flagship studio monitors and more recently in the fact® series. The addition of a resonance chamber enables the crossover point to be lowered to just 1.8kHz, which further enhances the dispersion characteristics of the speakers.

The twenty series saw the development of an entirely new set of components; including drive units, crossovers, binding posts, cabinets, plinths and spikes. No components used in the twenty series feature in any other PMC loudspeaker and the major elements have been designed exclusively for the new models. These components have been carried over into the twenty.C centre channel in order to ensure absolute coherence with the front left and right and rear channel speakers in a complete twenty series home theatre set up.

As with all PMC loudspeakers, the twenty.C features the company’s patented Advanced Transmission Line (ATL™) technology. The 18mm Medite HDF cabinet construction and design, with its 5∘ sloping front and rear baffles, are inherently high in rigidity and low in resonance, which serves to reduce cabinet induced distortions significantly and enhance the performance of the ATL as well as offering dynamic, contemporary aesthetics. Further developments of the ATL technology have enabled the engineers to produce a much deeper bass than would generally be possible in a cabinet of this size. And, crucially, the effectiveness of the ATL greatly enhances the mid-range clarity that is so important in the performance of a centre channel speaker, which can be handling up to 70% of the movie soundtrack and dialogue.

PMC has a long pedigree in the world of movie soundtracks, with many of the leading composers, scoring artists and film mixing studios choosing PMC speakers for their monitoring systems. Building upon the company’s considerable experience of designing loudspeakers for this demanding industry ensures that the twenty.C, and other models in the twenty series, will allow the movie lover to experience the soundtrack sounding exactly as it was recorded.

Peter Thomas, founder and chief designer, said of the twenty.C, “The missing piece in the new twenty series was the centre channel speaker, but being PMC we wanted to design a no compromise product from the ground up that is perfect for the job. That is why it has taken us five months since the launch of the twenty series to come out with the twenty.C.” He added, “Creating an impressive low end performance with phenomenal vocal clarity from a speaker small enough to slot into a standard AV rack is not without its challenges. The engineering team has spent many hours perfecting a new transmission line and has come up with something special for the twenty.C. I am convinced that movie lovers will be enthralled by the performance when they hear it.”

Also carried over from the other speakers in the range is 24dB filtering, a result of the drive unit and crossover circuit design, which ensures a smooth transition from tweeter to bass/mid drivers. Short signal paths, ultra thick pure copper tracks, gold through plating and a military grade board, plus audiophile capacitors and laminate cored inductors, further provide extremely low distortion and high power handling.

The twenty.C is available in a choice of three real wood veneers, Oak, Walnut and Amarone and a new high gloss finish, Diamond Black. The exclusive warm black PMC cloth covered grille is fixed in place using invisible magnets to retain an unblemished front baffle. As with all PMC passive loudspeakers the twenty.C is covered by the class-leading 20 year warranty.

The twenty.C will be available from mid March at prices from £1,295 UK retail inc. VAT.

Take Heed!

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Heed Audio is using the Sound & Vision Show in Bristol on 24th-26th February to re-introduce the renowned Heed brand of compact electronics to the UK market, to give hi-fi and music lovers a cost effective high performance audio experience.

Based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Heed Audio is bringing the latest models in the range of integrated, pre and power amplifiers; CD transport, DACs and power supplies bearing the renowned ‘Obelisk’ name back to the country from which they first emerged. In the mid 1980s respected electronics engineer Richard Hay was responsible for the design of the original Obelisk amplifiers under the Ion Systems brand. Designed to be in effect like a valve amplifier built with transistors, when introduced the Obelisk stirred emotions among hi-fi and music lovers alike, quickly gaining a dedicated following; which turned into something of a cult following after Ion Systems ceased its manufacturing activities. Today as the original Ion Obelisks are very much holding their value in the second hand market, Richard is back assisting Heed Audio with new developments and finding reliable, quality UK suppliers to improve the availability, appearance and finish and firmly establish the UK distribution of both existing and new models, some of which are only available in the UK market.

Thirty years on and the design of the Obelisk integrated amplifier has undergone several updates and improvements, but in its current guise the Obelisk Si still remains faithful to the design philosophy of the original. Now joined by a pre-amplifier plus stereo and mono power amplifiers and optional outboard power supplies, the range covers all user requirements from a simple integrated set up to multi-unit pre-amp plus power supply and multiple mono power amp systems, for both active and passive multi-amplification of large speakers.

Digital music is catered for with the recently added Obelisk DT CD transport and Obelisk DA digital to analogue converter. The latter, which can handle up to five inputs and 192kHz/24bit signals, forms the heart of a multi-source digital audio system which can take feeds from the CD transport, a computer, media server, DAB tuner or satellite box. The combination of the Obelisk Si integrated amplifier and Obelisk DA DAC offers truly musical audiophile quality in a compact desktop audio system.

Richard Hay commented, “The Obelisk has been a huge part of my life; quite possibly the most talked about and loved of all the products I have designed. It has lived on in the capable hands of Heed Audio in Hungary, with whom I have had a very close relationship for many years, and I am thrilled to be able to help bring the latest Heed products to the music lovers in the UK.” He continued, “The Obelisk product has always been about music more than hi-fi. Quite often we, the hi-fi industry, lose sight of the fact that our products are intended to make music a more pleasurable experience and get bogged down in an obsession with the black boxes. Heed Audio has continued this music focus with the latest products and I am sure when people hear them at Bristol they will appreciate the company’s motto – forget hi-fi, remember music.”

Visitors to the Sound & Vision show will be able to experience the entire Heed range, from the Obelisk Si through to a multi-power amp set up, fed from a variety of sources including vinyl, CD and streamed high resolution files.

Heed Audio can be found on the third floor of the show in room 322.

Squeezebox Touch P/S

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Logitech Squeezebox Touch is fast becoming the number one music streaming device for serious audiophiles and even novices to computer audio. It is relatively in-expensive and for what it does is an absolute bargain. It does however have 1 major problem, it is powered by a small wall wart type smps (switch mode power supply).

It has long been known that SMPS injects interference into the mains supply ruining the sound quality, thus many alternatives have appeared on the market and are commonly known as regulated linear power supply's.

The Mains Cables R Us PSU is however uniquely different from all other offerings as it is housed in 2 seperate cases. The larger case contains the main power supply and the smaller case the final regulation stage (regulation is required when outputting DC which is direct current, in the case of the touch 5 volts DC). The advantage to fitting the final reg. stage in a smaller separate case is that it can be placed next to the touch whilst the main case is hidden away behind the equipment rack.

For the technical among us, here is an explanation of the design rational.....

When thinking of regulation, it’s worth remembering the Roman god Janus. Who was the god of gateways, and was a two faced god looking in both directions. Likewise a good voltage regulator is required to look in both directions at once. From one direction you have the mains supply, with the ever increasing noise, distortion and random variation that exists on our household mains supply. In the other direction you have the device you are supplying power to. The load will be asking constantly varying current, and the job of the regulator will be to ignore the varying load and to supply a rock steady voltage that ignores the changing load.

To ask a single regulator to perform both tasks means that it can not do either as well as it could. We don’t ask our regulators to be two faced, we split the two functions into two separate regulators and put them both where they can do the best job.

The first regulator is close to the mains supply, its job is to take the incoming mains and convert it into a low(ish) noise DC supply, and to isolate the mess that is our household power lines from what follows. In most power supplies on the market, the output of the first stage would be directly connected to the load device, and that would certainly be an improvement over the supplies that most manufactures provide. But we can do better by adding the other face of Janus to the system.

The second regulator is supplied with a clean low noise supply, and its job is to handle the changing demands of the load. To do that, it needs to be as close to the load as possible. So we remove the second regulator from the main box, and place it close to the load, both electrically and physically, that removes it from the noise and interference of the mains supply, and allows it to spend its time looking towards the load. Typical commercial voltage regulator chips are general purpose devices, but are not quiet enough for the task on hand, so the second regulator uses a bespoke regulator based on a low noise multi stage filtered voltage reference, a low noise error amplifier and a high current low resistance mosfet. To allow it to handle the changing load it also needs to supply current on demand, so all the remaining space in the second regulator is filled with low impedance capacitors to act as a local energy source.

Using the two stages of regulator, we achieve a noise floor equal or better than most battery supplies, and a effective source resistance of the order of 0.02 ohm (and the short cable run to the load avoids increasing this valve by adding copper where its not needed, and the use of a discrete regulator design allows that tiny value to be maintained way above frequency any audio device operates at.

Clarus Cable - UK's first look...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

There's lots of talk over cable, "does it or does it not really make a difference?"... With CLARUS from the USA, it really appears to.

Paul Heath, MD of the UK distribution for quadral HiFi and Home Cinema speakers, who are representing CLARUS at the Show, commented, "I am delighted to have met Jay Victor, the designer of the Clarus series of cables in person earlier this year in Vegas".

"The Clarus cable is very special, made from PCOCC - the finest copper available from Japan and using a flat cable for exceptional midrange frequency reproduction, a series of solid larger conductors for the low frequencies and for the high frequencies, Jay uses a spiral, wound concept around a very thin type of tube, for want of a better description."

The results are distinct, and over the last 9 years, Jay Victor has been working on perfecting what has been launched and showcased earlier this year at the CES in Las Vegas. Come explore the new CLARUS cable at the quadral stand.

Marantz/Denon: Airplay

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Marantz and Denon are teaming up at the Show to demonstrate the latest innovations in Airplay technology.

On display will be a variety of Airplay enabled products from the Marantz What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision group test winning NA7004 to Denon’s newly launched DNP-720AE, plus the award winning Melody Media. Professionally trained experts will be on hand to provide specialist advice and live demonstrations showing the various capabilities of their products using Apple iDevices. This will be a truly interactive experience not to be missed, be sure to check out their stand in Foyer 2.

Click the link to see a brief video of the Marantz and Denon Airplay stand from last years Manchester Show.

The Ecstasy Of XTZ

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

XTZ will be bringing sheer pleasure and delight at this years Show with great products and great music thanks to a fantastic system they will be putting together. And a few of these products have never been heard at a Hi-Fi Show before!

Firstly we will be using the new XTZ 99.36 mkII Loudspeakers which feature upgraded and improved crossover and improved cabinet to further refine the already very impressive mkI version. We are still using the highly regarded SEAS Drivers and Foundtek Tweeter. All these refinements and components brought together result in a speaker that punches way above it's price point. We will also be using the XTZ CD-100/11, another upgraded version of the older model which benefits from new, faster software, new laser unit, new drive and uprated analog circuitry for optimum drive capabilities amongst other things.

For amplification we will be using the XTZ A-100 and XTZ AP-100 bi-amped together to give you plenty of power in Class A amplification. It's a winning formula that has always given us excellent results and we know that with these products matched together we will have the best sounding room of the show for less than £3k worth of product.

So don't miss out come and visit us in room 230!

Audel 'NIKA' & 'AUDAMP'

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Italy is a nation full of, amongst others, passion and style. Add to those two things, artisan type crafstmanship and engineering brilliance and you've got AUDEL.

Art for your ears. Showing at this year's Show will be their gorgeously styled, hand crafted, birchwood speakers and class D power amplifier, the NIKA and AUDAMP respectively, designed for those who want to express themselves whilst at the same time wanting to achieve real stereophile quality from something compact and a little 'arty'. Prices are around £599 for a pair of NIKA loudspeakers and £499 for the AUDAMP class D 50W+50W amplifier.

A special show discount will be offered against the RRP during the event. Experience AUDEL at the quadral GB & Ireland stand.

Optoma: Full 3D projector range

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Optoma HD33 (What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision 5 star review) and the latest ThemeScene HD83 (AV Forums Recommended) offer a big screen 1080p 3D solution for everyone. HD23 – Full 1080p home entertainment projector for use any time of day. HD33 – Affordable full 3D 1080p home entertainment projector. HD83 - Full 3D 1080p home cinema projector for dedicated install purposes.

Valve/Tube Home Cinema!

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Ming Da Valve Audio, are launching the unique MC5-S, a 5 Channel 70 watts per channel power amplifier, running the silky smooth yet punchy KT90 output valves, for those who appreciate the best possible sound from their Home cinema system!

The main Power amplifier features 5 identical channels, each with its own VU meter. We have engineered a separate power supply to reduce heat dissipation and bulk. Designed to work with most 5.1 decoder/pre-amps, this amplifier provides real power and depth to a home cinema system. The amplifier also features a 2 channel mode, for use in conjunction with one of our valve pre-amplifiers, for pure analogue use.

REL: T-Zero Launch

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Over the last year REL have released over eight new sub-bass systems are are proud to anounce their new baby (quite literally) the T-ZERO.

The T-Zero will be on active display in room 310.

This new unit is the most compact unit REL have ever made, using a digital amp and 1 x 6" driver, and their exclusive REL filtering...

Call in and have a listen.

Hi-Fi Racks Akorner

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Hi –Fi Racks, the leading manufacturer of bespoke audio visual furniture, is set to launch a brand new range of corner-fitting products called Akorner. Specially designed in response to customer demand, the floor-mounted Akorner® brings a fresh dimension to the multi award-winning Podium® range, whilst the Akorner Wall is a brand new product offering choice and versatility within a wall-mounted, shelf-based unit.

Managing Director Bradley Walters comments: ‘Our customers have wanted us to produce a corner- fitting range for some time now – and we saw the Akorner as an ideal opportunity to incorporate other features people have been asking for, like the Akorner’s innovative cable management system .’

Like all Hi Fi Racks products, the Akorner range presents the perfect blend of superb audio performance within an attractive piece of furniture that will grace any room. Each unit is individually handmade to order, using only the best quality hardwoods sourced from around the world. There’s a choice of standard sizes and finishes on offer as well as the option of a completely bespoke rack designed to the customer’s exact specifications.

Another Hi-Fi Racks trademark is the ability to keep adapting and extending the racks as the customer’s AV and hi fi systems change and evolve, and the Akorner range stays true to this philosophy.

At the same time as launching the Akorner range, Hi-Fi Racks will also unveil its brand new, ergonomically-designed Headphone Holders. With the same high standards of British craftsmanship and choice of hardwoods as the main product range, the Headphone Holders will provide a perfect resting place for cherished headphones when not in use, offering an attraction addition to the customer’s living room at a very competitive price.

ProAc Loudspeakers

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

ProAc will be showing their highly acclaimed Response D18 Floortstander (£2,145).

Already the winner of a What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision award two years running, this loudspeaker arguably sets the benchmark for sound quality at its price level. Featuring the traditional high quality build for which ProAc has become world-renowned over 30 years, this speaker utilises a new glass fibre weave coned bass/midrange driver and a soft domed tweeter. These are seamlessly integrated via a split crossover for optional bi-wiring or bi-amping. The Response D18 offers exceptional sound quality in a compact, attractive package.

New: Sennheiser HD 700

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Building on the expertise of the HD 800, Sennheiser are extending their current line of high-end headphones with the HD 700.

Whether classic, jazz or rock, the HD 700 has sound mastery of each genre. Regardless of what song it’s currently playing, its timbre is always warm and emotional. With its exceptional and unique range, reproduction of the lowest and highest tones that the human ear cannot consciously perceive is now achievable.

This is a true maestro and an unforgettable listening experience suited for every musical taste.

• Outstanding soundstage with a warm and balanced audio reproduction
• Specially-tuned, highly efficient drivers capable of delivering high sound pressure levels and a flat frequency response
• Highly optimised ventilated magnet system minimises air turbulence and harmonic, intermodulation distortion
• Open-back ear cups facilitate transparent sound while showcasing cutting- edge industrial design

Visit Sennheiser at stand 4B to hear this perfection in sound for yourself. Like what you hear, sign up for a free home trial.

New: Arcam rPAC

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The rPAC is a USB, bus powered DAC and headphone amplifier designed to dramatically improve the audio performance of PC and MAC computers. It is designed and produced by Arcam, one of the world’s most prestigious audio engineering companies with over thirty years of experience building high-end HiFi equipment.

- Personal Audio Component
- High performance USB DAC & headphone amp
- First in the new extended 'r' series

Improves sound from Mac and Massively improves sound from PC
Connect to any computer by USB

Play through any headphones including expensive home models or feed and play through any hi-fi system

Using a digital to analogue converter (DAC) normally found in very high end HiFi components and Arcam’s world-class audio circuitry, the rPAC takes audio files stored on a MAC or PC and delivers converts them into beautiful music with stunning clarity and precision. Its USB power system means no “wall wart” PSU is needed and the choice of line level output or headphones socket allows you to share the musical enjoyment with friends or keep it all to yourself!

The rPAC will sit discreetly beside any desktop or laptop computer and is constructed using durable, precision cast aluminium case. Designed for music lovers everywhere it is ideal for the home, office or on the road.

• Works with PC or Mac computers
• Dramatically improves audio performance
• No driver required (Win7, XP, Mac OSX)
• Headphones or Line level output
• USB bus powered - no PSU required
• High-end audio circuitry and components
• Stylish cast aluminium case

With an expected retail price of £150, the rPAC will be available early 2012.

quadral PLATINUM M4

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

quadral, Germany's high-end hi-fi and home cinema speaker manufacturer of 40 years, re-emerged onto the UK market in January 2011, and did so with a bang!

Their first product review in the UK, coinciding with the 2011 Bristol Show, provided an unbeatable '5 out of 5' for their well priced (£1550 pair) floor stander, the quadral PLATINUM M4. (Incidentally, the M4 was also awarded the 2010 IF product design award too - so not only great sounding but rather striking to look at as well!) Much like the way their year started in the UK, quadral continued the impressive reviews adding them to their portfolio by picking up a 'Group Test Winner - Outstanding Product' award for the M4's in December - rounding off the year rather nicely indeed we'd say. You can see and hear the PLATINUM M4 at this years 2012 Bristol Show.

Sansui Hi-Fi is back!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Sansui Electric of Japan made world renowned amplifiers and receivers under the expert leadership of its founder Mr Khosaku Kikuchi, enjoying success across Europe and the USA from the 50's right through the 1990's. Sadly the brand disappeared from UK store shelves in the late 80's but Sansui Electronics UK, under the leadership of a new management team is relaunching the brand in the UK with a range of audio components, micro system and portable devices.

The range consists of a home audio separates range including a CD player, integrated amplifier and wi-fi network player/internet/DAB/FM tuner as well as a wi-fi micro system. All product are available in black or silver finish and the network products are all controllable from the free Sansui Libretto iPhone/iPod touch/iPad app allowing complete wireless remote control of content.

The philosophy of the brand is 'no compromise on quality while offering value for money'. The range is being officially unveiled at this years Bristol Show where Managing Director Paul Mitchell, Commercial Director Dave Johnson and Sales Director Tony Davison will be ready to welcome all to their suite. Paul Mitchell says "We are very excited about the range of products we have developed and have received a very positive response from the market so far. We feel the time is right for a brand to make quality leading edge technology available at affordable prices".

Arcam D33 SuperDAC

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Set for trade preview in Las Vegas this week, the D33 SuperDAC will make it's world public premiere in Bristol...

With the market now full of new-generation digital audio devices and sources, Arcam is proud to introduce its latest and highest performing DAC to date, the D33 SuperDAC. Using state of the art dual Burr Brown PCM1792, 24bit / 192kHz converters (one per channel), twin toroidal transformers in the power supply and state-of-the-art 4-layer printed circuit boards, the D33 offers music lovers a level of performance that involves, enthrals and engages from the first note to the last encore.

The D33 features an asynchronous USB input offering the convenience of computer-based music (PC or MAC) and the ability to enjoy the very latest 192kHz ultra high-resolution recordings with stunning quality. Two coaxial and two optical inputs plus a professional grade AES/EBU connection complete the line-up so everyone can take advantage of the D33’s clear performance upgrade.

Arcam’s thirty five years of audio engineering experience is all wrapped up in the D33, which benefits from critically damped, low resonance casework, massive power regulation plus extensive low-noise sub-regulation. The Arcam team’s attention to detail has even delivered an incredibly low 0.5w standby power consumption and duplex RS232 control interface for custom installation.

We believe the performance of the D33 SuperDAC will set a new benchmark. If you love music reproduced to the highest level possible, then you need to experience the thrill of world class sound quality at your nearest Arcam specialist.

KEF Blade

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This year’s Show sees KEF running a long-awaited show demonstration of the Blade loudspeakers.

After the high-profile launch at The High End Society Show last year, Blade has wowed listeners all over the world and has even been named ‘Best of the High End’ Loudspeaker 2011 by Hi-Fi Choice. As part of KEF’s 50th anniversary celebrations showcase, the KEF Blade is a true engineering tour de force and the result of five year’s exhaustive testing, expert analysis and intricate experimentation by the UK based research and development team.

Join KEF and be among the first to experience the awesome KEF Blade, the World’s First Single Apparent Source Speaker, in the Oslo Suite on the lower ground floor.

Canor Tube Amps & CD Players from Mains Cables R Us

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Mains Cables R Us are proud to be showing the new range of tube amplifiers, cd players and phono stages from Canor.

We are stocking the full range and the brand has already received it's first 5 star review in Hi-Fi Choice for the top of the range tube amplifier. There is still life left in the humble compact disc and once you have heard a top flight CD player in action you will testify to this. The Canor range sounds right from the first note played. The pairing of CD2 VR+ and TP106 VR+ is a match made in heaven and has to be heard to be believed. The Canor range will be on demonstration in the Furutech room and available for purchase on the Mains Cables R Us stand.

New from Rega

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Rega will officially unveil the RS10 loudspeakers at the Show as well as showing recently launched products...

The RS10 floorstanding loudspeaker (pictured) is the flagship of Rega's loudspeaker range and comes with a cool £7998 price tag to boot. These will be accompanied by the stunning Isis and Osiris CD and amp combination.

Also on display will be other recently released products - the Apollo-R CD Player and the RP-6 turntable.

Our new website

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the new look Bristol Show website.

With the new look comes a few new features:

We've always been asked if tickets are available in advance. Well, we are pleased to say that now they are! Follow the link in the top right to be taken to our secure site to make your purchase. The good news is that booking your tickets advance will save you 10% off the "on the door" price and you'll automatically be entered into the Show competition!

You can also let your feelings be known by adding comments on news items and stories.

On the Show guide page, you can now view an archive of previous guides (and other publications by Audio T). The 2012 guide will be published in mid-February (or as soon as we finish it!)

So, we hope you like the new look site, why not let us know by posting a comment below?

New Bamboo!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Quadrapsire are set to launch the full range of Bamboo Evolution at the Show.

Sound Performance
Lauded by many in the manufacturing industry as the ‘material of the future”, Bamboo, with it’s high tensile strength and vibration suppressing qualities, is the ideal material to use in Quadraspire hiﬁ rack to further improve sound performance.

Natural Beauty
The natural beauty of solid Bamboo lies in its awesome strength and intricate growth patterns and micro pore structure that can be seen in the shelf edge detail.

Sustainable Design
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet and regular harvests where each year about 30% of the forest is harvested without reducing the size of the forest.

Carbon Neutral
Bamboo is carbon neutral where its C02 Fixation (absorption) prior to harvesting is greater than the C02 emissions during the manufacturing and transportation.

Panda Friendly
Quadraspire uses high Moso bamboo, supplied by Bamboo Surfaces, that has no leaf growth on the ﬁrst 5 metres of the stem and is therefore not a source of food for the panda.

Q4 Bamboo
The new Q4 Bamboo hiﬁ rack out performs the Q4EVO wood veneer due to the solid bamboo’s inherent superior dampening properties:

• Intricate machining on the underside of the shelf to further reduce mass and resonance without losing any of its strength

• Flexible modular solution to ﬁt most systems

• Solid non magnetic aluminium columns

SVT Bamboo
The use of solid Bamboo, with its inherent dampening properties, in our high performance SVT and SV2T racks is a signiﬁ can’t improvement over the wood veneer for heavier and larger sized components:

• The engineered slotted shelves reduce mass and help air ventilation

• Solid brass collars help dissipate vibration away from the electronics

• Solid concave aluminium columns

Trade Registration

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that pre-registration is now open for trade and press visitors.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to visit the UKs largest hi-fi and home cinema. See all the latest products from many top brands.

What are you waiting for?

Follow this link to pre-register today!

Buy Tickets

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that for the first time tickets for the Show are available in advance.

Tickets can be purchased for any day (or multi-days) by using the secure form here.

Click here to order your tickets today!

Please Note: You will NOT receive a physical ticket. Your email confirmation will act as your ticket. You must print off this confirmation and bring it with you to the Show to gain entry. Failure to bring the confirmation could result in you having to pay again for your tickets.