Stuart Smith takes int he sights and sounds of this year’s North West Audio Show …part 1 More »
Liverpool based Do Good Audio is a wholly new retail venture, but has a link to the past. Martin, the founder of Do Good Audio, discovered his great grandfather owned one of the earliest audio shops in the country. Located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire in circa 1920 “Wireless Radio & Gramophone” sold wireless equipment, gramophones, 78s and other audio electronics, although the eventual fate of this business is unknown.
Hifi Pig think it’s great to see a new independent Hifi retailer open its doors and it must be the first in Liverpool in ages.
After working for many years as a building contractor, Martin has taken a leap of faith and started what he describes as “a small online retail outlet”. Together with his partner Kirstie, they ran their business as an online only retailer, but they craved the excitement of a busy shop floor, and the opportunity to share their knowledge and passion for Hifi with like-minded folk. The Liverpool shop has allowed Do Good Audio to diversify the product range and provide a comfortable demo room. Martin’s Mum Mandy helps out in the shop too and the company say they hope to offer a very personal service.
Brands stocked include Musical Fidelity, Roksan, Marantz, Pro-Ject, Dali, Q Acoustics, Edwards Audio and many more and Martin says theirs always the offer of a good cuppa when you visit the shop.
Linette gives her perspective of this year’s North West Audio Show More »
Roksan’s latest BLAK range of equipment has high-end aspirations say the UK based company. Dominic Marsh sees if this claim stands up to scrutiny when he test drives the BLAK CD and BLAK amplifier costing £2490 and £2759 respectively. More »
Hifi Pig reader Ken Stokes rather enjoys his first audio show. More »
Hifi Pig reader Simon Hill has been looking forward to North West Audio Show for all year and was keen to tell others about his experience at the event. More »
Dan Worth has a listen to the £3000 Chord Hugo TT for Hifi Pig. More »
Mitchell and Johnson’s trio of CD Player, Amplifier and Streamer cost a total of £947 which puts them very much in the budget category but can they satisfy sonically? Dominic Marsh finds out for Hifi Pig. More »
Pro-Ject’s first vertical turntable is now available in the UK.We caught a glimpse of it at Munich and it indeed very cool.
“The VT-E is a lifestyle product that still employs hi-fi principles to deliver a great sound from such a striking record player” says the company’s press release.
Retail price is £229.00 in all three available finishes. At launch we will only have access to the Right-handed version, and until the end of June VT-E will only be available through a select network of hi-fi retailers. From July 2016, VT-E will be available through the whole Pro-Ject authorised dealer network.
TIMBER Audio was founded by Braden Wiscombe who’s passion for guitar building inspired the design process of TIMBER Audio. The company aims to provide listeners with unique audio products that are driven by the use of wood to be aesthetically and acoustically stunning. The Prelude, the company’s first product, is an “Acoustically Beautiful” headphone made from solid wood and Aluminium, set to release on Kickstarter on June 6th. 
For the past nine months, TIMBER Audio has been working to perfect their design of an “acoustically superior headphone, the Prelude”.
TIMBER Audio’s real advantage, says the company’s press release, is in combining the acoustic material of solid wood and the innovation of wireless connectivity. You’ll be able to connect to your smartphone or other Bluetooth capable device and free your hands from cables to listen to music or take and make phone calls.
With their KICKSTARTER release just around the corner, early-bird supporters can look forward to discount prices up to 50% off the estimated retail price of $198 to help the company reach their funding goal of $55,000 in 30 days.
The Russian company VacuumGlow presents the unique product at HIGH END show in Munich 
At the recent High End exhibition, the Russian company VacuumGlow introduced one more use of the technologies from the past – the nixie tube clock. Gas-discharged indicators that represent the time on the VacuumGlow clock were the technical breakthrough in the middle of the 20th century. They were used for displaying the digital information on production equipment, calculators, New York Stock Exchange and, even more, in submarines. However, in the 70-s new technologies cut them out.
The technology of the past is combined with the cutting-edge technology of the VacuumGlow clock. The clock is run by an application on a smartphone, is equipped with sensors and it synchronizes with GPS.
I’ve had this album on MP3 promo for a good while now and it’s a great piece of historical documentation of the underground, DIY electronic movement that took place between 75 and 84. It’s a sprawling four CD set with 61tracks and around 9000 words of sleevenotes by Dave Henderson of MOJO. You’ll know some of the names herein (Human League, OMD and Blancmange) but it’s the other, less well known bands that really make this album the gem that it is. More »
Ian Ringstead takes a listen to the interesting looking Ferguson Hill FH007 loudspeaker and their matching FH008 sub priced at £695.00 and £325.00. More »
Merrill Audio Advanced Technology Labs, LLC announce the gold series Christine Reference Preamplifier
See it at the World Premiere at T.H.E Show 2016, California, Room 1417.
“The Christine Reference Pre-amplifier is built with the finest components and attention to every detail like never before. Hand routed PCB layout of each trace, the placement of the trace, the length of the trace, the multistage power supplies, the selection and matching of the finest components, balanced configuration, isolation of power, all hand soldered connections, Silver plated pure copper wire with Teflon sleeving are only some of the engineering that make the Christine Reference Pre-amplifier so special. Each unit is hand built and tested from the board level up to the finished unit. An external AC/DC Power supply unit ensures very quiet operations. The multistage power supply is so good, that power cords do not make a difference and the unit is impervious to noise on the AC line. ”
Specifications:
Frequency Response: to 800kHz 0.1db, 1.5MHz -3db
S/N: 110db
THD: 0.003%
Volume control: -84db to +26db, 0.5dB steps, -84db attenuation, +26dB gain
Pre-set Gain range: +/- 12db
Maximum volume and Minimum Volume Setting Range: 0 to 115db.
Input voltage Max: +/- 10 Volts
Output Voltage Max: +/- 12 Volts
Inputs: 4 Balanced inputs
Outputs: 2 Balanced Outputs
Remote Trigger at 12 Volts, 20mA.
External Power Supply that is double fused.
1.25 inch White LED display.
Absolute Polarity selection: 0, 180
The continued success of the vinyl format shows no signs of slowing and, judging by the number of turntables on show at this year’s High End, there’s plenty of choice for vinyl lovers when it comes to getting into the grooves.
There were turntables pretty much at every turn at the show with everything from the highly exotic to the more affordable and sober.
Here’s a few of the vinyl spinners that caught our eye on our tour of High End. More »
Ian Ringstead had only ever read about the Munich High End show from afar, but this year decided to jump in with both feet pops his cherry. Here’s what he thought about his first time. More »
Lampizator, Skogrand, Emmespeakers, Analog Design, Kronos, Stacore, SoundKaos, SOtM, Bauta, Ayon,; Fischer & Fischer, Mudr Akustik, AVM and Elac
The High End Show at Munich is an absolutely gargantuan task for anyone to undertake but it always ends up been worth the effort of trying to see absolutely ever room you can as you come across some real gems that you just weren’t expecting…and of course some that you perhaps expected would be great anyway.
The vast majority of exhibitors go to an extraordinary amount of effort to make their rooms the very best they can be and all credit must go to them. As always though there are the rooms and stands that really leap out at you and remain in your memory for the whole of the show and a long time afterwards.
So, here are some of what I considered to be the real gems of this years show. They’re in no particular order and are likely to be in the order we happened across them. More »
It was interesting to see that British brand Entotem, who’ve Hifi Pig have been watching with interest for a good while now, had got their Plato unit in the Avantgarde set up, though they hadn’t got it in the system when we first popped our heads in the room. So, we thought we’d have a bit of a chat with Entotem to see what was afoot. More »
Every year we make a beeline for the Newcomers stand at High-End as these are the people that are the potential future of the hifi industry. The stand in Hall 1 is a great idea of the High-End Society, giving brands with little or no marketing budgets the opportunity to share their ideas and their concepts with an audience they could only dream of having. We managed to get to see the Newcomers early on the final day of the High-End Show and a couple of the exhibitors were clearly flagging, but the vast majority managed to be enthusiastic and passionate about their products. More »
The High End Society have announced the next year’s High End show in Munich will take place on the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st of May 2017.
Despite the rumours that MOC has been sold to BMW (this rumour had a big buzz around it at High End but we believe may not actually be the case) the organisers assure us that this will be the venue for the coming year’s show. Needless to say Hifi Pig will be there to bring you all the news just as we are doing this year.
Atlas Cables from Scotland will be showcasing its wide range of specialist audio cables at High End 2016 with some new additions and exciting upgrades.
Taking centre stage is the totally new Hyper dd, which takes the dd (dual drain) technology from its range-topping Asimi, Mavros and Ascent cables to deliver a cable with “high end performance at a measured price”. Available with either Atlas’ proprietary Ultra RCA, XLR or Din connections, all of which are solder-free to maintain the integrity and consistent low impedance of the cable from connection to connection, the new Hyper dd is a high performance multi core cable compatible across a wide-range of audio systems.
Where a more discrete cable is required, Atlas has also developed the Hyper dd Duo. Utilising Hyper’s balanced core conductor, where two twisted pairs of identical, high efficiency OCC conductors are combined within a SINGLE shielded outer PVC cover to allow connection of twin RCA’s to a single run, Hyper dd Duo is for use within cabinets or for custom installation applications.
Also on show in Munch will be Atlas’ new Grun (from the German for green and the Scottish for ground) grounding cable range plus a range of new accessories. Atlas will also be displaying a wide range of its current products, including the flagship Asimi Ultra.
The Chord Company released its flagship product, ChordMusic, at the prestigious KJ West One yesterday and Hifi Pig’s Linette and Stuart were invited there to take a listen. More »
Once again, the HIGH END show at Munich will feature, not only great hifi and audio equipment,but also a wide variety of interesting talks, presentations, demonstrations and workshops with high-profile speakers all about consumer electronics.
Here is a small selection of the exciting topics to come:
TECHNOLOGY STAGE – HALL 3, STAND K08 HQ-RADIO IN EUROPE
Initiatives and trends for radio as quality audio medium
Mr. Werner Bleisteiner, editorial manager for digitalisation projects at BR-KLASSIK
Thursday, 05 May 2016, 3.00 pm
Friday, 06 May 2016, 4.30 pm
Radio has come a long way to arrive in the future: Digital distribution channels – on air and online – program associated data services and interactive features have blown the old box. Yet, audio quality is still the key issue to define the special quality of experience of the medium.
Major European broadcasters, especially from Germany, France and Great Britain, collaborate closely under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union EBU to set future milestones and standards in media technology development.
Werner Bleisteiner (BR) takes a look at the European broadcasting landscape for surround sound, binaural and high quality streaming services with HTML5, as well providing first hand insights into the present stage in the development of the upcoming technology “object-based broadcasting”.
TECHNOLOGY STAGE – HALL 3, STAND K08
THE FASCINATION OF TUBES
Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Apel (Association of German Sound Technicians)
Friday, 06 May 2016, 3.00 pm
Starting with an explanation of the basic function of a tube, different types and details on the tasks they perform in preamplifiers and final amplifiers will be explored. An important aspect is the comparability of the tubes made by different manufacturers, different type designations and an outlook of their lifespan. To finish, a few tips for integrating a tube amplifier into an existing system.
THE TAPE MACHINE IN THE HIGH-END CHAIN
Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Apel (Association of German Sound Technicians)
Saturday, 07 May 2016, 3.00 pm
What does it need to be able to do, and what should its settings be, to ensure it sounds right when playing master tapes?
By explaining how magnetism works, the way sound goes through magnetic heads and onto the tape is explored. Mechanical and electrical settings ensure perfect transmission. Finally, there are valuable tips for connection and level ratios.
TECHNOLOGY STAGE – HALL 3, STAND K08 SENNHEISER HE1, SOUND REPRODUCTION SYSTEM
Axel Grell, Sennheiser
Friday, 06 May 2016, 11.00 am
Saturday, 07 May 2016, 10.30 am
In his presentation, Axel Grell, Portfolio Manager at Sennheiser, explains an innovative am- plifier concept and sound converter system designed to unite the HE1 headphones, which cost €50,000, with exclusive materials.
SENNHEISER’S AMBEO 3D AUDIO TECHNOLOGY
Gregor Zielinsky, Sennheiser
Friday, 06 May 2016, 11.00 am
Saturday, 07 May 2016, 10.30 am
The trailblazing 3D Immersive Audio technology makes recording and reproducing audio at the very highest level possible, thereby creating a hitherto unheard sound experience for the user. Within the framework of a presentation at the HIGH END 2016, graduate sound technicians Gregor Zielinsky provides some insight into the development of Sennheiser’s AMBEO 3D audio products, and speaks about the special features and application areas of the 3D audio technology.
CONFERENCE ROOM K1B (OPPOSITE HALL 1)
Daily from 10 am to 6 pm
HIGH END 2016 – THE FASCINATION OF MULTICHANNEL
Following the extremely positive feedback received last year, a top-class multichannel audio demonstration will be held again this year, in conference room K1B, opposite Hall 1.
Loudspeaker icon Joachim Kiesler from Musikelectronic Geithain and cable specialist Hans M. Strassner from HMS have joined forces with the studio professionals from Merging Technologies from Switzerland and a German HiFi Internet platform to form an ambitious cooperative venture. Once again, demonstrations and workshops will treat the attende- es to acoustic performances of what is currently viable in terms of multichannel music playback.
The internationally renowned master sound technicians Jean-Marie Geijsen (Polyhymnia International), Jared Sacks (Channel Classics), Morten Lindberg (2L), Daan van Aalst (Navis Classics) and Stephan Cahen (Myrios Classics) will share reports from everyday life in the recording studio, and share their passion for multichannel music with their listeners. Accompanying presentations will round off the program.
Music in all formats will be played for visitors to listen to in closed, thirty-minute demons- trations. Stereo recordings, historical audio documents as three and four channel recor- dings, and the original master files from the most recent recording sessions by the sound technicians participating will encourage acoustic comparisons.
All those involved will be doing their very best to be able to demonstrate the music on an extraordinary system. Musikelectronic Geithain will be lending an exclusively loudspeaker set-up for this demonstration, using their reference products ME 800 K and ME 801K. This will be accompanied by the NADAC (Network Attached Digital to Analogue Converter) made by Merging Technologies as a source, and which the Swiss studio experts intend to use to redefine the quality standard in digital playback in the home entertainment sector as well. The first euphoric reactions from all over the world justify the high expectations. Hans M. Strassner from HMS will be continuing the state-of-the-art Suprema series he began with network cables, and will be contributing his brand-new, highest quality con- nection cables of the same name for use with this exceptional system. And last but not least, Reinhard Weidinger from Hörzone will be working with his sales partner, artnovion from Portugal, to provide the appropriate acoustics in the room, without which top-quality sound is not even possible.
WORKSHOP DATES WITH MATTHIAS BÖDE FROM THE STEREO EDITORIAL TEAM
Duration approx. 30 minutes
Advance reservations are not needed.
Saturday, 07 May 2016
11.00 am
Topic: What role does the pick-up play for the sound of vinyl? Three pick-up heads – from MM to MC – in comparison.
Exhibitor: Transrotor/AVM – Atrium 4, Room F104
12.00 am
Topic: How much potential does bi-amping offer? Loudspeakers played using two or four monoblocs.
Exhibitor: AVM/Gauder Akustik, Atrium 4, room E105
2.00 pm
Topic: Does the phono cable define the record player’s performance? Conductors from the low-price segment in a cross check.
Exhibitor: Pro-Ject/Cabasse, Atrium 3, Room C118
3.00 pm
Topic: Is high-bit HiFi more than just a buzz word? Format checks from MP3 right up to 24 bit/192 kilohertz. Exhibitor: Burmester, Atrium 3, room D106
4.00 pm
Topic: Unique: Listen to record players from all price segments “virtually”. The new “STEREO Phono Festival” through a super system.
Exhibitor: MBL, Atrium 4, room D106
Read more news about Munich High End 2016 Here and Hifi Pig’s coverage of last years High End Munich here
Despite low cost streaming services, computer audio and the rest of it, the recent resurgence in vinyl popularity has proved irresistible and it was only a matter of time before old video formats were brought back from the dead and Cambridge Audio have come up with a world’s first with the CXVHS, the company’s brand new and first ever VCR player and recorder.
When interviewed by Hifi Pig a spokesperson for the company commented “When speaking to our customers, we discovered that their passion for analogue media formats extended far past the vinyl and audio realm. They felt lost when looking for a working VCR without gambling on a rough looking machine complete with embedded footprint at the local car boot sale. VHS tapes are just as collectable and as widely enjoyed as vinyl and we understand fully that your collections should be enjoyed for years to come. In its design, we wanted the CXVHS to bring a sense of nostalgia to the home”.
Here are some of the key features of the CXVHS:
Built in clock with recording timer
Wired remote control
Standard and Long Play support
Slow motion playback
4 VCR heads
Hifi Pig has recently learned that KEF (The loudspeaker manufacturer) and their engineers are nearing completion of the development of a new aerosol spray which they have named Hydro Blaster.
The company say that this outstanding solution (about whose composition the company were particularly cagey about, though we did get a whiff of something familiar) when sprayed, effectively removes unwanted water vapour from the air and can vastly improve the wireless audio signal transmission in the listening area within a room or studio.
Johan Coorg, KEF’s Global Ambassador commented “Listening tests have proved conclusive and the quality of sound received once the room had been sprayed with KEF Hydro Blaster has never been sharper, clearer and more dynamic.”
In a Hifi Pig exclusive test, we can indeed confirm that Hydro Blaster had a phenomenal and miraculous impact on our Wifi network, particularly when streaming from the new Hi Rez service Tidl
Recommended Retail Price: £69.99
