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2018 Sound and Vision Show

3/3/2018

Bristol Marriott 23rd - 25th February 2018

2017 came and went, and almost without warning 2018 arrived in a rush with the first HIFICRITIC show date for the last week in February, with bitterly cold winds sweeping in, and with worse to follow. Braving the chill, that happy band of West of England enthusiasts queued up in the cold from 9.30AM to get ring side seats for 10AM in the better demonstration rooms.

It was one of the largest shows for some years, certainly judging from the number of brands presented, well over 200 at last count.

Read Martin’s full Show Report

The Clarity Alliance unveils its new board of directors and hails the 2018 Conference a success

15/2/2018

Held at DOLBY Soho Square

The Clarity Alliance, the UK hi-fi industry’s trade body, held its AGM and Conference , at which it announced the appointments to its board of directors and a sell-out audience enjoyed thought provoking and informative presentations from a number of guest speakers.

Magico’s new A3 Loudspeaker descends on London’s West End

8/2/2018

Alon Wolf, founder of high end loudspeaker brand Magico brought his latest loudspeaker, to show the press just what could be done if you make the decision to invest in building larger quantities. Big outfits do this all the time and reap the rewards of economies in scale, usually to the benefit of the consumer. However, Magico inhabit the world of high end audio with essentially bespoke, to order manufacture, with small batch quantities of raw materials, hand crafted assembly and resulting high prices.

Sound and Vision 2018

2/2/2018

Bristol Marriott, Castle Street, 23rd - 25th February 2018. 10:00am - 5:00pm

Brands listed as at 2/2/2018:

+Audio
Acoustic Energy
Air Audio
AKG
Albedo
Anatech Distribution
Apollo Hi-Fi
Arcam
Armour Home Electronics
Art Vinyl
Astell & Kern
Astin Trew
Atacama Audio
ATC
ATI Amplifiers
Atlas Cables
Auden Distribution
Audeze
Audio Analogue
Audio Detail
Audio Note
Audio Pinnacle
Audio Technica
Audioengine
Audiolab
AudioQuest
Auralic
AV Tech Solutions
AVM
AVTech Media
Big Red Sales
Black Rhodium
Blue Horizon
Bluesound
Bowers & Wilkins
Bryston
Buffalo Technology
Canton
Cary Audio
CH Precision
Chord Company
Chord Electronics
Chord Mojo
Clearaudio
Cove Audio
Creaktiv
Creek Audio
Custom Design
Cyrus
Dali
DBL
Decent Audio
Diamond Vinyl
discOvery
Diverse Vinyl
Dual
Dynaudio
Eclipse TD
ELAC
Elipson
Emotiva
Epos
Exertis
Exposure
Falcon Acoustics
Focal
Funk Firm
Furutech
Fyne Audio

Gekko Cables
Glanz
Gold Note
Grado Cartridges
Graham Audio
Hana
Harbeth Audio
Harman Consumer UK
Hegel
Henley Audio
Hi-Fi Racks
Hi-Fi World
Hi-Fi+
HIFICRITIC
hORNS
IAG
iFi Audio
Innuos
IsoAcoustics
IsoTek
Jamo
JBL
JL Audio
Karma AV
KEF
Keith Monks
Kennerton
Klipsch
Knosti
Kog Audio
Kordz
Kronos
Kudos Audio
Larsen
Leema Acoustics
Lehmann
Loewe
Lumin
Malvern Audio Research
Mark Levinson
Markaudio-Sota
MCRU
Melco Audio
Meze
MGY OÜ
Michell Engineering
Ming Da
Mission
Mitchell & Johnson
Miyajima
Mobile Fidelity
Monitor Audio
MSHD Power
Musical Fidelity
Nagaoka
Naim Audio
Naim Label
Neat Acoustics
Nordost
Novafidelity
NuForce
NuNu Distribution
Okki Nokki
Onkyo
Opera Loudspeakers
Ophidian Audio
Optoma
Origin Live
Ortofon

Piega
Pioneer
Planalogue
PMC
Primare
Prism Sound
Pristine Vinyl
Pro-Ject
ProAc
Puritan Audio Laboratories
Q Acoustics
Q-Up
QED
Qobuz
quadral
Quadraspire
Questyle
Ram Loudspeakers
Rega
REL Acoustics
Revel
Revo
RHA
Rohde & Schwarz
Roksan
Roon
Rotel
Ruark Audio
Russell K
Scansonic
SCV Distribution
Select Audio
Sennheiser
Sonoro
Sony
Sota Acoustics
Soulines
Sound Fowndations
Spendor Audio
STS
SVS
SweetVinyl
T+A
TAD
Tangent
Teac
Technics
Tellurium Q
The Vinyl Adventure
Timestep
Tonar International
Torus Power
Totem Acoustic
Townshend Audio
Ultimate Screens
Unison Research
van den Hul
Vinyls Best
Vivac
Vivid Audio
Vivitek
Vogel's
Von Gaylord Audio
Wharfedale
What Hi-Fi?
Wilson Benesch
Xhadow
XTZ Sound

New Issue News: HIFICRITIC Volume 11, Number 4

6/12/2017

October to December 2017, due out end of December

Reviewed products from Rotel, NAD, Spendor, Magico, LINN, PROAC, Amazon Alexa, Pass, Chord, ATC, Sonos, HEOS , MusiCast, DSD Audio, QED, Focal and MBA.

In addition to Stan Curtis’ regular wise commentary on matters audio, here musing on pioneers of the analysis of subtle effects such as vibration on audio quality, Martin Colloms scrutinises the top of the line LINN KLIMAX Katalyst DS digital audio player, the one where the powerful DSP even includes micro correction for the tiniest errors emanating from the audio output transformers.

Indulgence Show 2017 Show Report

4/10/2017

At the Indulgence Show 30th September to 1st October, 2017, some 250 brands were exhibited over 5 floors of the Hammersmith Novotel (formerly the Cunard) including some massive suites with substantial sound systems. Both live music and music production featured, and as before, a massive floor area was devoted to headphones earphones and supporting amplification.

ERT Awards Recognises The Indulgence Show

Victoria Ballan provided live music at the opening of the show.

New Issue News: HIFICRITIC Volume 11, Number 3

5/9/2017

July to September 2017, due out end of September

We are busy finalising the features and reviews for the upcoming issue of HIFICRITIC.

Review product brands include Wilson Audio, Audio Analogue, KEF, PROAC, DCS, LINN, Audio Note, Rotel, Pearl Acoustics, Audeze, Tannoy, Phil Jones Airpulse Songkong, Naim, Tannoy, Audeze, Rega, MSB, Acoustic Energy and not least, PMC.

Their Mortal Remains

20/6/2017

Pink Floyd at the V&A London, May 13 to October 1, 2017

We were just over a month in when we rolled up for the Pink Floyd exhibition at the V&A London, and while arguments still rage as to what kind of rock band they were, their global success is undisputed. I wondered how such an exhibit spanning almost half a century of work, and ideally with a massive musical content, could possibly be curated? Would it be saddled with traditional museum stuffiness, a sort of expanded biography with static exhibits?

Locrian Ensemble of London at St Martin in the Fields

4/4/2017

Mozart by Candlelight: Thursday 30 March, 2017

Neumann binaural recording head flying on the mic boom flanked by two DPA condenser omni mics.

Programme: Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp, Bach Air ‘on the G string’, Mozart Symphony No 29 in A, with Rimma Sushanskaya, conductor and solo violin, Jean Kelly harp and Fiona Kelly flute.

Chasing the Dragon’s founder, the irrepressible Mike Valentine was at work recently recording this live Mozart concert at St Martin in the fields.

The playing was spirited and communicative, the acoustic rich, with delightful sting tone, and we look forward to hearing the several recording formats which include CD and HD.

chasingthedragon.co.uk.

‘Tribute To Spain’: Multi-Format Classical Recording Sessions

10/2/2017

Air Studios, Hampstead, 10 February 2017, including direct cut mastering, for Chasing The Dragon Productions

Mike Valentine’s enthusiasm for making audiophile recordings is undiminished and brought the press, including Mike Fremer of Stereophile, and myself amongst others,, to the legendary Air Studios for yet another session, each more ambitious than the last.