Understandably the show was a bit smaller and quieter than in previous years, with Corona inevitably beginning to cast its shadow, but it was well attended nonetheless for its 33rd year with many improved products and systems and numerous launches of new audio product.
HIFICRITIC was present in force though we chose not to take a stand, but rather to visit rooms and product launches in generally alphabetic order. Our main show report by Ed Selley will be in the upcoming issue.
Acoustic Energy chose bean bag seating in this hotel bedroom to get listeners more or less on the designer axis for their brand new AE509, distinguished by all carbon fibre diaphragm drivers. These supplant their long established aluminium alloy cone technology, now with smoother responses and higher efficiency: acoustic waveguide loading for the tweeter allows for a beneficially lowered crossover frequency. Floor coupling hardware is also improved.
Acoustic Energy chose bean bag seating in this hotel bedroom to get listeners more or less on the designer axis for their brand new AE509, distinguished by all carbon fibre diaphragm drivers. These supplant their long established aluminium alloy cone technology, now with smoother responses and higher efficiency: acoustic waveguide loading for the tweeter allows for a beneficially lowered crossover frequency. Floor coupling hardware is also improved.
AE509 All carbon Fibre drivers
Amphion partnered Hegel amplification with a lower key, shelf mount demo with an Argon ONE ( about £1,200) design: I was sofa seated and nicely centred and felt that it was one of the better sounds at this show, this a great Scandinavian combo working with Hegel’s smaller H120 integrated amplifier (£2,250). (Auden distribution)
ATC With a gutsy demo of the usual high standard, ATC surprised us all when we discovered that this big hearted and well balanced sound came from a tiny box, the almost LS 3/5a sized SCM7, see picture, driven by ATC sources and amplification.
Naturally efficiency is low, in the early 70s dB/W, as it should be for such an impressive sound from such a diminutive enclosure.
Real wood finish, about £750 a pair. We had noted them as support in an ATC electronics system review last year, but I think they deserve our full review attention. A pair has been ordered.
ATC With a gutsy demo of the usual high standard, ATC surprised us all when we discovered that this big hearted and well balanced sound came from a tiny box, the almost LS 3/5a sized SCM7, see picture, driven by ATC sources and amplification.
Naturally efficiency is low, in the early 70s dB/W, as it should be for such an impressive sound from such a diminutive enclosure.
Real wood finish, about £750 a pair. We had noted them as support in an ATC electronics system review last year, but I think they deserve our full review attention. A pair has been ordered.
ATC SCM 70
Audio Note was packed out as usual and defied convention by using a plain table to support the system electronics.
As is their habit their loudspeakers are happy with corner mounting in a hotel bedroom and that is where they were placed, providing a musical and upbeat vinyl replay from the new Cobra EL34 integrated line amp.
As is their habit their loudspeakers are happy with corner mounting in a hotel bedroom and that is where they were placed, providing a musical and upbeat vinyl replay from the new Cobra EL34 integrated line amp.
Audio Note
Audiolab/Wharfedale: I found head honcho and HIFICRITIC columnist Peter Comeau on duty who explained that we should likely review his latest pride and joy, the floor standing Elysian 4 at about £6,500, a serious price for a Wharfedale design, and which comes with a high 92dB sensitivity ( albeit at 4ohms) and an AMT ‘ribbon’ tweeter.
No thanks to Coronavirus, he is stalled in the UK for a month or two before he will be allowed to return to the China facility.
No thanks to Coronavirus, he is stalled in the UK for a month or two before he will be allowed to return to the China facility.
Elysian 4
Chord Company announced their acquisition of the famed EE English Electric trademark to apply to their first piece of electronics, a high-quality network switch shown in prototype. Such switches are finding increasing importance in high end audio networks and can contribute significantly to sound quality.
They also released their exotic contact cleaner and preservative Chord OHMIC after a second year of development.
CHORD Electronics released many products, five I believe, all UK built: the new ULTIMA PRE 2 preamp, ULTIMA 5and ULTIMA 6 stereo power amps, with design theory input from luminaries Cordell and Hawksford , plus the new 2Go streamer/server and 2Yu digital interface. ‘ A new era of Hi-Res streaming, network audio and digital library playback.’
Dali impressed with their stand mount fully active two-way Rubicon Two C wirelessly linked loudspeaker,
clear and dynamic, worth a review, I reckon. No speaker cable required but they do need some local mains.
They also released their exotic contact cleaner and preservative Chord OHMIC after a second year of development.
CHORD Electronics released many products, five I believe, all UK built: the new ULTIMA PRE 2 preamp, ULTIMA 5and ULTIMA 6 stereo power amps, with design theory input from luminaries Cordell and Hawksford , plus the new 2Go streamer/server and 2Yu digital interface. ‘ A new era of Hi-Res streaming, network audio and digital library playback.’
Dali impressed with their stand mount fully active two-way Rubicon Two C wirelessly linked loudspeaker,
clear and dynamic, worth a review, I reckon. No speaker cable required but they do need some local mains.
Rubicon Two C
Decent Audio, the high end distributors, showed a wide range of fine products, including Magnepan and introducing two new Dual turntables plus the Scansonic loudspeaker designs, the latter now requested for review.
Exposure have been busy with an active crossover for the flagship Kudos Audio loudspeaker, the Titan 505 plus their XM CD player.
Falcon Acoustics showed a stand mounted, enlarged LS3/5a based, line loaded, kit speaker at £1500 per pair
and claimed that almost anyone could build it. We have ordered a pair and will find a suitable pre-teen to build it.
Exposure have been busy with an active crossover for the flagship Kudos Audio loudspeaker, the Titan 505 plus their XM CD player.
Falcon Acoustics showed a stand mounted, enlarged LS3/5a based, line loaded, kit speaker at £1500 per pair
and claimed that almost anyone could build it. We have ordered a pair and will find a suitable pre-teen to build it.
Falcon Acoustics kit
Focal demonstrated the compact Chora, reviewed in the coming issue.
Also the formidable Scala Utopia at the NAIM room, powered by the amazing and humongous three-tower NAIMStatement pre-power amplifier. In this difficult room some of the fine qualities of both these products could be ascertained, nevertheless.
Also the formidable Scala Utopia at the NAIM room, powered by the amazing and humongous three-tower NAIMStatement pre-power amplifier. In this difficult room some of the fine qualities of both these products could be ascertained, nevertheless.
A visitor concentrating deeply on the sound quality
Fyne Audio are showing great commitment to establishing a wide range of designs and I found the more compact F701
of the large higher power ‘concentrics’ visually and sonically impressive, here mounted on a matching heavy duty pillar stand. Could well be a review request (about £6,000 with stand).
of the large higher power ‘concentrics’ visually and sonically impressive, here mounted on a matching heavy duty pillar stand. Could well be a review request (about £6,000 with stand).
Fyne F701
JBL had a ground floor, open access booth with a range of classic derivatives including the back-in-the-day, blockbuster selling L100. Now presented in revised form, and again in a range of colours, we review it in our latest issue Jan-Mar 2020.
KEF had an impressive stereo demonstration using the R11 a slim tall floor stander and then majored on a fine Dolby Atmos surround sound presentation, with a duo of new KF92 force opposed woofers, it was hard to drag oneself away from the big screen!
KEF had an impressive stereo demonstration using the R11 a slim tall floor stander and then majored on a fine Dolby Atmos surround sound presentation, with a duo of new KF92 force opposed woofers, it was hard to drag oneself away from the big screen!
KEF R11
KOG Audio showed a tidy system based on T&A compact loudspeakers with Taiko Audio server electronics.
The Kudos room showed the Titan 707 floor stander, here with Naim electronics and the classic Naim SNAXO crossover. An interesting mix with great sound the power amplification was a Supernait 3 and a NAP250DR plus Naim NDX 2 network player HiCap DR power supplies fed from an Innuos Zenith Mk3 music server.
Kuzma is now distributed by Definitive Audio and designer Frank Kuzma was there to show off several of his esteemed turntable designs. BTW, this Definitive Audio system offered a seamless transition switch from mains power to off-line DC accumulator power.
It was tens of seconds before that unmistakable sense of calm and richness slowly took hold of the analogue sourced sound when the change to DC was initiated.
It was tens of seconds before that unmistakable sense of calm and richness slowly took hold of the analogue sourced sound when the change to DC was initiated.
 Frank Kuzma |  Melco : Colloms with Melco’s Alan Ainslie discussing Melco’s new audiophile network switch |
Neat, as usual, configured a good sound at the show with their new EKSTRA, a compact floorstander
 NEAT EKSTRA |  PMC co-founder Pete Thomas with Paul Messenger |
PMC revealed new technologies, , an anti-vibration damped interface for some new loudspeaker supports, and demonstrated a new loudspeaker from the revamped Twenty5i range with these in action, also with a revised tweeter design.
They were also running a high-power full Dolby Atmos surround sound.
PROAC ably showed the K1 medium sized stand mount, and in the larger lower ground room the impressive floor standing K10.
They were also running a high-power full Dolby Atmos surround sound.
PROAC ably showed the K1 medium sized stand mount, and in the larger lower ground room the impressive floor standing K10.
 PROAC K10 £34,000 a pair |  PROAC sounds were sourced from a Michell ORBE SE-SME-Koetsu |
Puritan’s range of well engineered mains filters were on display and these get more sophisticated with each iteration.
Colloms (left) giving Puritan the third degree
Rega announced several products including the latest version of the Aria phono stage at £899 and not least their flagship cartridge design , the Aphelion2 moving coil at £3,149.
It may be chosen pre fitted to the top turntable, the Planar 10. Intriguingly they also showed a complete player set, the £380 Io integrated amplifier with the £429 Kyte stand mount speaker plus a Planar 1 turntable with all the cabling, resulting in the ready to go £999 System One record player.
Rogers showed a compact active bass enhancing pillar stand AB3a for the 3/5a, plus a pre-production version of the E20a/ii integrated valve amplifier with EL34 output tubes.
It may be chosen pre fitted to the top turntable, the Planar 10. Intriguingly they also showed a complete player set, the £380 Io integrated amplifier with the £429 Kyte stand mount speaker plus a Planar 1 turntable with all the cabling, resulting in the ready to go £999 System One record player.
Rogers showed a compact active bass enhancing pillar stand AB3a for the 3/5a, plus a pre-production version of the E20a/ii integrated valve amplifier with EL34 output tubes.
 |  Max in current form |
Townshend majored on the latest passive control unit, the Allegri Reference while I spied a youthful Max with his tech guru Professor Dinsdale
The Townshend Allegri Reference was on display ( see full review in the Jan Mar Issue HIFICRITIC 2020)
Voxativ impressed with musical expression and dynamics, showing a new valve amplifier and a pair of stand mount Hagens using a full range direct coupled driver of Voxativ design.
Wilson Benesch showed their new P1.0 compact loudspeaker
Many thanks to all who attended, sorry that I could not visit all the stands.
RSS Feed