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21.11.09
One of the difficulties of listening to sounds in hotel rooms is that there are so many variables, including unfamiliar music sources. But for our money, one of the sweetest sounds we heard at the show were the new Tannoy Definition speakers. The range comprises three models with Dual Concentric drivers, an 8in stand-mount as well as eight and 10in floor-standers. Prices range From £2,500 to £5,000. The centre-mounted tweeter, as Tannoy states, has 'true point source articulation.'
The range's all-new crossover benefits from cryogenic treatment, being super-cooled to minus 190'C and thawed over a set period of time to improve signal transfer.
Several years in the making, Acoustic Energy's new high-end Radiance Series set of speakers featured DXT- Lens technology, designed to create an even dispersion pattern throughout the range of the drive unit offering a wider sweet-spot than traditional types.
AE's Brand Manager, James Luce, commented on the Radiance Series' position in the marketplace.
"lts quality is consistent with its pricing and its price banding is an essential factor in its sales success” he said. The Radiance Series speakers start at £600 for its book-shelf models, up to £1,500 to its floorstanders.
Elsewhere around the show, the PMC room was often overflowing thanks to the PB1i speakers demos. Keith Tonge, PMC's Marketing Manager was pleased with the attention.
"We have attracted several new dealers at the show who are interested in a high-end speaker that's easily driven," he told us. "There are lots of users with good hi-fi amplifiers that are not excessively powerful, and part of the design brief was to provide an excellent performance across all power ranges.”
High Zone
Also in the high-zone were the new speakers with the catchy model name, the TD71 2zMK2 from Japanese Manufacturer Eclipse. The'MK2' tag was applied following a substantial upgrade to expand the frequency response of its predecesor. Both Transient and power handling have also been improved. Those who have sampled the original will know that it created remarkable imagery, and these performance enhancements should find enough punters wanting to spend £5,000 for one of the most unusual speakers on the planet.
Dynaudio's Mike Picanza was in a good mood, playing the award-winning X32s in a room boasting one of the show's quirkier themes (think copious amounts of wood on the walls). Dynaudio's demo room showed off some models that have not yet been released but, judging by the performance of the Focus 360, will be worth the wait. This flagship music speaker had real style, depth and silky elegance.
Docks for iPods have achieved over 60 per cent market growth in the last year according to GfK, and the ball continues to roll if cunning new products like the Roth-Dock from Roth Audio are anything to go by.
The RothDock is a wireless dock/receiver for iPod, iTouch and iPhone and allows the user to dock, charge and play on the 2.4Ghz WiFi band direct to the hi-fi system. Using the iPhone is no problem if it rings; the music will fade and the ring is heard on the system.
Armour Home was showing another wireless iPod product due for introduction in May. Called the uPlay, it consists of a Bluetooth receiver designed to fit into a Bose SoundDock. Full details have not been released as yet, but it would seem to be a universal wireless solution for docking stations.
LINAK lifting systems for flat screens have models which will raise anything up to the weight of 60in unit out from behind a cabinet or bed-end. They can be used with either RF or lR controls.
Sennheiser had a corridor spot at the show and always had someone wearing a pair of its new flagship HD 800 headphones. Other newcomers were the HD218. HD228 and HD238.
There were also stonking audio-visual presentations from the likes of JVC and KEF, and projector manufacturers such as Epson and 51M2. The latest SlM2 products to be put through their paces was the new C3X LUMIS HOSI which produced a three-chip DLP performance, and the Domino D60, 5lM2's entry-level 1080p DLP projector.
There was further good news for distributor Anthem AV Solutions - it also announced that it had recently been appointed to handle Canadian Brands Anthem and Paradigm.
So the show's over for another year, and it was far, far better than anybody expected. We now look Forward to the 2010 Bristol Show or which the large suites have been already sold. Let's all hope that 2009 sees an upturn in the economy too.
