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At the 2004 – 2005 hi-fi shows I was disappointed
at the lack of enthusiasm, and the lack of willingness of many consultants
to communicate. Fast forward to 2007 and it is obvious many hi-fi
companies and their respective outlets have suffered a reality check.
With a younger generation obsessed with downloads, space saving
gadgets and mobile phones, the market for high-end two-channel hi-fi
appears to be decreasing faster than the planet’s protective
ozone layer. Manufacturers who fail to treat its existing supporters
positively, or fail to respond to changing trends will become extinct!
Though the promotion for this year’s London
Hi-fi show - Or should I say ‘Sound & Vision show’
seemed a tad low key, visitor numbers did not appear to suffer.
Enthusiasts’ internal alarm clocks are obviously as finely
tuned as the hi-fi components they may aspire to own.
Though a few UK big players were missing from this year’s
line up such as Musical Fidelity and Avid, there was more than enough
customised brushed chrome, carbon fibre, titanium products etc for
the enthusiast to get excited about...
Classical music aficionados will always flock to hi-fi shows. The
Audio Note demonstration room welcomed them with open arms with
a system tuned to their liking (precise, but somewhat cold to my
ears). I was afraid to breathe in fear of a disapproving glance.
Instead, I opted to annoy eyebrow raisers by getting up close
and personal with my camera. I was keen to test this systems’
speed and depth with sounds of a more energetic nature, but felt
any change from what seemed to be the norm here would have fallen
on deaf ears.
Initially I was impressed by what appeared to be an open airy sound
from the Abingdon Music Research (AMR) room. The LS-77 speakers
with their modern styled brushed chrome surface immediately caught
my eye. Vincent Luke from AMR was pleased to talk about their internal
design:
“…The LS-77 speaker crossover unit is mounted onto
cherry wood instead of the conventional direct metal mounting, resulting
in less resonance and greater musicality”.
The brushed chrome CD-77 Reference Class CD player and AM-77 dual
mono amplifier certainly looked the part. Solidly built with no
fussy cable, or second box set-up.
Unfortunately this system did not perform as well as expected when
I introduced my own selection, which included Kurt Elling’s
album “Nightmoves”. Elling’s rich mahogany baritone
combined with Rob Amster’s exquisitely placed upright bass
lines will reveal any systems shortfalls. Elling and co seemed to
lack vivacity here. However, this system is definitely worthy of
further attention.
Without doubt the Nola demonstration room captivated many listeners
imagination. Nola’s Pegasus Reference loudspeakers are an
awesome sight. Standing at over six feet tall with a gloss rosewood
finish, front and side mounted woofers and an external crossover
box - You expect to hear something special from these beautifully
crafted giants – And you certainly do.
It was not difficult to see (and hear) that there was more to this
system than the spectacular Nola Pegasus Open Baffle (X-Ternal X-Treme
(X)-Over II) loudspeakers. Each component (including the speakers)
sat on isolation platforms that were literally shrouded in mystery.
Further interrogation revealed nothing about what was underneath
the magician’s cloth. All other components where on display
for all to see:
Award winning Edge Signature 1.1 Battery Operated Pre-Amp. Edge
1.1 Mono Blocks, Weiss Medea Jason CD transport & DAC, Russ
Andrews Silver Power Block (complete with DIY plug) & Synergistic
Research Tesla series cables (with active shielding) all combined
to produce clean, deep, well-rounded bass, amazing depth, and astonishing
vocal clarity. And the take home price for this set-up? A snip at
£120.000. Hey, that is still cheaper than buying an empty
shed in central London!
Other impressive systems included:
3D Shanlin
Precision build quality, superb looks, value for money.
Electrocompaniet
Power amplifiers from the Norwegian company.
Project & Roksan
Turntables, amplifiers etc.
Pure Sound
For heart-warming valves.
Townshend
hi-fi rack built like an oil rig.
Clear Audio
Award winning, desirable turntables.
Albums used for demonstration included:
Kurt Elling – Nightmoves (CD)
Rachelle Ferrell - Individuality (CD)
Report by Robin Francis
© Michael Valentine Studio Ltd.
September 2007
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