Bristol Sound and Vision 2007 Show Blogs for Martin and Paul

MARTIN'S BRISTOL 07 BLOG

Bristol treated us to the usual gusty seasonal showers, and many complaints were made concerning visitor parking difficulties. But long queues to get in at the 10am openings testified to the enduring appeal of this well organised three day hi-fi and 'vision' show. It's both a show and a market, where exhibitors are encouraged to deliver exclusive show discounts. Significant trade is done, as it brings manufactures, dealers and the public together with a fast track purchase system.

Unexpectedly HIFICRITIC benefited too, as many of our visitors signed up for subscriptions using the show's credit payment facility. We fielded much of our author team including Paul, Martin, Alvin, Chris, and Tony, and received much constructive support, not a little advice on how to improve the journal, and also answered many technical queries.

Despite its regional nature a number of the bigger players attended, including Meridian, KEF, Yamaha, Focal, AE, Arcam, B&W, Denon, Cyrus, Tannoy, Dynaudio, Dali, Linn, Marantz, Monitor Audio, NAD, Naim, Quad, Rega, REL, Sennheiser, Spendor, Yamaha and Wilson Benesch. The emphasis is clearly shifting towards stereo, which is of course the focus of our journal.

While it is impossible to make anything more of the exhibits than a first impression under severely compromised conditions, I enjoyed my first encounter with PMC's new EB1 three-way floorstander. Provisionally priced at £6,000 it convincingly punched beyond its considerable weight with a powerful but generously balanced sound. I for one would like to hear more of this model.


PMC EB1


Naim showed a near final version of its Supernait, here running as a simple stereo integrated amplifier driving SL2 loudspeakers, with pretty convincing results on my Eleanor McEvoy CD. This restrained looking crossover product has both analogue and digital inputs, and will also cater for bi-amping and power supply upgrades. Thus the entry cost provides a remarkably opened ended system oriented upgrade path, while the core unit is highly capable by itself.


Rear view Supernait interfaces


KEF UK premiered its new reference range which uses the novel waveguide technology described in the HIFICRITIC IOA conference website report (Oxford Nov 2006). Previous models had a top mounted super tweeter, but its role has now been incorporated in the improved main tweeter which has a sufficiently extended high frequency bandwidth. Good correlation of axial response with the room drive power response is a design feature. An acappella chorus(from the George Martin Beatles remix Love album) sounded pretty convincing, with genuinely low coloration in the midband.


KEF new Reference floor stander


I've seen the pictures but - hey - they don't do justice to the devices themselves. I'm talking about the latest REL subwoofer range, whose restyle and finish options are such that you would want to show them off and not hide them behind the sofa. A distinguishing feature is that they continue to use low radiated noise linear power supplies and amplification, which makes them particularly relevant to high quality stereo use. (Some digitally-powered subwoofers can affect the sound of the main stereo system, due to mains interference.) In the Vienna Acoustics room a supporting REL sub was correctly adjusted to be effectively inaudible in itself - a welcome change. The Vienna Mozart Grand sounded pretty sophisticated too.

Independent consultant Steve Jackson was performing his usual magic in the Quadraspire room with convincing and enthusiastic demonstrations of the effects of mains cables and vibration control elements. It was worth going in just to hear that a good sound is possible from a simple system under show conditions if you know how to do it.

On static display MIT's flagship loudspeaker cable could not be overlooked, so massive and visually impressive was the Multipole termination box at the speaker end. To call it a box is unfair: this milled alloy confection resembles a 2kW car audio amp!

Last year in Hi-Fi Plus I reviewed the Eclipse 510, a single full range driver speaker capable of relatively modest sound levels on its own, but now experienced it augmented by the matching, and very capable, vibration-cancelling 725SW sealed-box subwoofer (see Alvin Gold, Issue 2 ). After mildly tweaking the sub level I got clean fast bass, while the satellites now performed with substantially greater dynamic range, getting close to High End performance.

Focal had left their giant Utopias behind, and instead showed a low cost (£280/pair) 705V stand-mount, in a tidy vinyl finish with diffraction softening chamfered edges. Its good looks were matched by a sound which was full-bodied and well balanced, with fine vocal articulation; one to watch out for.

Oft rumoured and long awaited, Linn finally revealed and demonstrated a set of SE upgrades to its enduring LP12 vinyl disc player. A new Keel sub-chassis is a purpose-designed aluminium component, milled from stress-free stock. With much greater rigidity and reduced spurious resonance than the original steel fabrication, the Keel (£2,000) weighs and balances identically on the three point suspension. The 'armboard' and arm collar/base is now integral, so Linn compatible arms are mandatory. A specially developed pattern of milled out webs and pockets disperses resonances. A new Ekos SE tonearm complements the package. Linn were A/B demonstrating against the previous top spec LP12, and the new package showed effortless gains in clarity, bass line attack, and focus, though the £5,000 pricetag on this SE upgrade does seem steep.


The electronics for the micro system


Denon surprised us with an audiophile version of its popular mini systems - a stylish receiver and separate CD player, plus a pair of compact two-way speakers. The CX3 packs a whopping 150W/ch and, at an expected £2,700 will cost around ten times the price of their cheapest package! We would have to get it back to base to find out what it can really do.

I just had to sample that incongruous and improbable (for Naim that is) 'digital' (Class D) switching amplifier technology, used in a compact five channel Home Cinema n-Vi control unit - "the only way it could be done", explained designer Steve Sells. Playing the new Naim DVD of an Antonio Forcione live concert, the sound, supported by vision from a 42-inch plasma, was truly convincing, as subtle, vital and intimate as I have heard from a show HT setup. Perhaps switching amplifiers, used with care, have their place after all. One technical trick involved phase locking the internal oscillators including the digital sections.

Many thanks to the organisers, sponsors and exhibitors for making the show such a success. Visitors were certainly appreciative, and some had travelled long distances to attend.

PAUL'S BRISTOL 07 BLOG

Bristol in February has, by default, evolved into Britain's leading hi-fi show. It's a dealer-organised event, and therefore oriented towards selling the brands stocked by the Audio Excellence and Audio T chains. But the very high standards of organisation and invariably good attendance make it popular with the trade, and I for one enjoy the occasional out-of-town show atmosphere - memories of Harrogate and all that - where one enjoys 'après show' chats with all and sundry around the bar or in local restaurants.

Martin has covered a fair amount of ground in his blog, so I'll attempt to fill the gaps, albeit from a news-gathering rather than a comment perspective.

Reflecting the renewed interest in stereo hi-fi, Pioneer has decided to try and recapture its former budget hi-fi glories with new A6 and A9 integrated stereo amps, plus a PD6 CD player, striking styled with chunky curved fascias and developed after numerous sessions at Air Studios.


New Exposure flagships


At much more substantial prices, Exposure's £15,000 MC-X component system features balanced interconnection throughout, and has regulated 300W monoblock power amps. Chord Electronics has a new and very beautiful CPA2500/SPM650 pre-/power combo - essentially a stripped down variation on its still more costly CPA5000/SPM1400E.


Living Voice Loudspeakers


With a battery supply providing immunity from mains interference, Living Voice used superb Japanese Kondo valve amplifiers to drive some very interesting, high efficiency, Vitavox-based horn speakers.

PMC wasn't the only company showing a new upmarket floorstander, as Spendor is about to introduce a new generation of models, starting with the exceptionally attractive ST1. This slim and very stylish two-and-a-half-way floorstander features a curved front baffle with lovely veneered insert.

Slim baffles might be popular with customers, but they're incompatible with Tannoy's classic, large diameter dual-concentric drive units. The challenge to make good looking speakers using them led first to the 'antique retro' Prestige models, which have been popular in the Far East, but less so elsewhere. Next came the Art Deco-inspired Dimensions. Now Tannoy has come up with a rather attractive 'middle road' called Glenair, featuring a plain veneered enclosure strongly tapered from wide front to narrower back. A Glenair 15, introduced a year ago, is arguably too large and bulky for British rooms and tastes. Much less so the Glenair 10, which made its much more elegant debut at Bristol 2007. I really liked the 10-inch-equipped Kensington, and the Glenair 10 should offer something similar, albeit without the alnico magnet and fancy cabinetwork, but at a considerable cost saving. Curiously, searching for Glenair on Tannoy's website gives no response.

But super-slim styling remains de rigeur elsewhere. ProAc has a very cute new £2,000/pair floorstander - I didn't catch its name - which gets around the narrow front by using a triple bass array of small doped-metal-cone drivers. In a sense, it's a floorstanding version of the very successful Tablettes.

Another super-slim speaker comes from Steve Moore's new Free operation, the name reflecting that this is actually an example of the new breed of Wi-Fi loudspeakers. It's based on actively driving a version of PMC's little GB1 transmission line floorstander, and costs £2,900/pair.

Leema's tiny metal-jacket Xen is one of my favourite sub-miniatures, but not everyone likes metal finish, so there's now , for greater domestic harmony. Neat has two new Momentum speakers, and if they look rather plain and simple, hidden inside are extra isobaric bass drivers.

Besides its radical and impressive Torus subwoofer, Wilson Benesch has a clever new Square Series of speakers for close-to-wall (or on-wall) mounting, incorporating internal steel baffles and lossy ABRs to absorb rearward radiation.


photo 4 - FATMAN-EBTB


For wacky styling, look no further than Everything But The Box (EBTB) - Bulgarian designed and made speakers that include a large spherical subwoofer, plus a number of strange looking but probably acoustically effective satellites. These were sitting alongside some attractive Chinese made Fatman valve electronics developed by ProAudio specialists TLAudio.

Pure Digital has tied up a marketing deal with PA specialist Marshall, so rock fans can now have a tiny DAB radio and extension speaker in full Marshall livery. In true Spinal Tap tradition, the volume goes up to 11.

Ruark no longer distributes those neat little Tivoli radios (now handled by Armour), so has launched a Vita Audio brand instead. While the Tivoli influence is obvious, the Vitas have their own attractive style, come in many colours, and promise similarly superior performance.

I'm very fond of Acoustic Energy's easy-to-use Wi-Fi Internet Radio, but a prototype Media Adapter seen at Bristol promises significantly more from an even more compact unit, including remote control and easy Wi-Fi connectivity between PC and hi-fi system.

Bristol 2007 only confirmed this annual event as one of the best in the calendar, with plenty of enthusiasm from both visitors and exhibitors. As usual it took me two full days to get around, so I could spend the third chatting to the crowds flocking around the HIFICRITIC stand.

Paul Messenger on the Meridian F80 release

Ten years ago Meridian became big Ferrari fans, when the news broke that TAG McLaren had decided to take over Audiolab and launch an ambitious new high end hi-fi and AV brand from a factory on the very same industrial estate just outside Huntingdon.

Ten years on, TAG McLaren has dropped out of the game, Meridian has gratefully moved into the lovely purpose built factory it built, and is using it to build a unique new product which carries both Meridian and Ferrari logos.

Although the product is essentially Meridian throughout, no brand carries more credibility in the luxury goods sector than Ferrari, so the link makes plenty of marketing sense. Ferrari's composites know how was also put to good use in creating the core speaker enclosure moulding.


Massimo Fedeli and Bob Stuart (Ferrari UK MD)


Meridian's Boothroyd-Stuart design partnership has great record, going right back to the timeless Lecson creations of the early 1970s. The F80 is a beautifully elegant creation, built on an elliptical base, while the elevation forms a semicircular arch, finished in a range of classic Ferrari colours.


The Meridian F80


The F80 is a rather remarkable all-in-one music machine, with far higher performance potential than any other to the author's knowledge, and far greater sound output than one has any right to expect from something so compact.

It's about the size of a large portable radio - the actual dimensions are 41 x 23 x 18.5 cms, and it does indeed include high quality radio receivers of various kinds. But the need for mains power and a weight of 6.5kg puts a 'trans' in front of 'portable', and places it in a very different league - as does the £1,500 pricetag.

Besides FM, AM (MW and LW) and DAB radio, with a variety of antenna options, the F80 incorporates a CD/DVD mechanism plus a 2.1 speaker system - two small hi-tech full range drivers plus a long-throw bass driver, all mounted in a rigid composite enclosure section. Smart DSP functions widen the image and extend the bass, while a total of 80W of amplifier power provides unexpectedly high sound level potential. Flexible analogue and digital in/output connectivity is also included.

The F80's beautiful appearance, exceptional performance and obvious go-anywhere flexibility are unique strengths that should do much to overcome reservations over the hefty price.