HiFi Lounge - Latest News and Chat for HiFi and Headphones!

[Vipers]

New Naim Audio Classic 300 Series Now On Demo and Sounding Mighty Fine!

 

Hi All,

Exciting times as we now have the new Naim Audio Classic 300 range on permanent demo at HFL, it is great to have our Naim demo room back up to having pretty much the full range of Naim products on demo again after a while of the older kit being phased out and the new equipment coming in so we now have Uniti, XS, 200, 300 & 500 Series Naim products on permanent demo so something for all music lovers really.

300 Series

Naim launched their 200 Series earlier this year to amazing reviews and has proved really popular but we have a lot of Naim customers that run a Naim Classic system comprising of the 252 / Supercap with a NAP 300 and a NDX2 so this new 300 Series is to replace that level of equipment, but just not replace it but take the performance up quite a few levels so if you are running the older Classic system at this level then the new 300 Series setup could be well worth a look, for one it looks stunning, Classic Naim but with a modern and fresh look but the performance, which is what really matters is very impressive. When I heard that Naim were going to bring back to Mono Blocks like their legendary NAP 135's I was quite excited and I have to say they haven't disappointed.

So as an overview, basically the new 300 Series comprises of the NSS 333 which is a highend streamer and can be upgraded with the NPX 300 power supply, then there is the NAC 332 Pre Amplifier which again can be upgraded with the NPX 300, finally we have the NAP 350 Mono Amplifiers so all in all a pretty serious 6 box system.

There really is little point in me describing the audio but needless to say it has that classic Naim sound and there is no denying it is a little more neutral than before with superb control and imaging but as it has for 50 years now it really pulls you into the heart of the recording and you just can't help but tap your foot as that infectious Naim PRAT (pace, rhythm and timing) takes over.

In reality the only way to appreciate this new 300 Classic Series is to come in for a listen so please feel free to get in touch to make an appointment for a demo session, please find the full range below -

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/naim/new-classic-range/

300 Series Open Day

A date for everyone's diary, we will be holding a Naim 300 Series Open Day on November 25th, more news to follow.

All the best,

Paul.

[Vipers]

DeVore Fidelity Open Day This Saturday - Systems Update!

 

Hi Everyone,

I'm really looking forward to our DeVore Open Day this coming Saturday, thanks to everyone who has registered to come along so far, we still have some space left if anyone else would like to come along, just fire a mail over to the below to let me know -

paul@hifilounge.co.uk

Systems Running On the Day!

I just wanted to do a quick update on the systems we will be running in each room, there is certainly a theme here of Valve amps with dCS and Atlas Cables, I've tested all the systems and they all sound excellent, really looking forward to hearing what people's favourite system is on the day.

System 1 - Upstairs Demo Room

• DeVore Fidelity O/Baby's with PrimaLuna Evo 400 Integrated Stereo Amplifier with dCS Lina + Clock and Rega Planar 8 Turntable

System 2 - 1st Downstairs Demo Room

• DeVore Fidelity O/93's with Audio Research I/50 with dCS Rossini and Melco N1

System 3 - Highend Room

• DeVore Fidelity O/96's with Western Electric 91E with dCS Vivaldi One + Clock and SME Synergy Turntable

System 4 - Office

• DeVore Fidelity Micr/O's with HiFi Rose RS520 all in one Streamer.

Look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday,

Regards,

Paul.

[Vipers]

Sonus Faber - Trade In To Trade Up Offer!

 

Hi All,

This is just a quick blog sharing an exciting promotion from Sonus Faber valid from September 15th to November 15th 2023! For a limited time, get the full retail value (at the time of purchase) of your existing pair of speakers (any brand) when you trade-in and purchase a pair of NEW Sonus Faber speakers. Proof of purchase in the form of an original invoice/receipt must be provided.

The NEW pair of Sonus Faber speakers purchased must be at least 2.5 times the value of the pair of speakers you would like to trade in. Offer applies only to the purchase of a NEW model from the current Sonus faber Collections: Sonetto, Olympica Nova, Heritage, Homage and Reference.

Example: If a pair of speakers being traded in originally cost you £1000/pair, to be eligible, the NEW pair of Sonus faber speakers you wish to purchase must be RRP £2500 or higher. You will then trade in a pair of speakers to the authorised dealer, and £1000 will be taken off the price of the NEW Sonus faber speakers being purchased.

Please don’t hesitate to contact HFL if you have any questions or require anything else 👍

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/sonus-faber/

Thanks,

Billy

[Vipers]

Introducing The New Rega Naia Reference Turntable, On Demo Shortly!

 

Hi All,

So as I am sure many of you will know, it is a big year for Rega this year what with them celebrating their 50th Anniversary which is a huge achievement, so firstly congratulations Rega on giving so many music lovers so much pleasure during the last 50 years.

To celebrate such a huge milestone they will be launching their Naia Reference Turntable which is the culmination of 50 years of Rega turntable design to give their best performing production turntable to date with many innovations trickled down from their Naiad 'test bed' Turntable.

Priced at £9999 with no cartridge and £12,500 with an Aphelion 2 fitted it is clearly a price hike over their previous range topper, one of our most popular turntables, the Planar 10, but the Naia is basically improved in every area to give a Rega turntable that can deliver even more information from the groove of your record collection.

On Demo

We have placed our order for our demo Naia fitted with the Aphelion 2, this is due around mid October so not long to wait, as a big vinyl enthusiast myself I really can't wait to have a listen.

Please find more info on our website link below -

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product/rega-naia-turntable/

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[Vipers]

Anyone Going To The UK Hi-Fi Show Live at Ascot This Weekend? If So See You In the PMC Speakers Room.

 

Hi All,

Just a quickie to say that if anyone is going to the UK Hi-Fi Show Live at Ascot this weekend please come and say Hi, I'll be there with PMC Speakers helping run their room and generally just telling people how great PMC Speakers are.

In the room PMC will be running their awesome Fenestria's that I know really well as we have these on permanent demo and they will have the Martin Logan 15A Electrostatic Speakers running which they distribute and I also know well being a Martin Logan dealer so it promises to be a brilliant sounding room with 2 very different speakers playing throughout the 2 days.

This is destined to be a brilliant show, especially as last year got cancelled at the last minute due to the Queens passing so if you are attending look forward to seeing you there.

More info below -

https://hifishowlive.com/

Cheers,

Paul.

[red vtec]

On 20/09/2023 at 11:48, Vipers said:

Introducing The New Rega Naia Reference Turntable, On Demo Shortly!

 

Hi All,

So as I am sure many of you will know, it is a big year for Rega this year what with them celebrating their 50th Anniversary which is a huge achievement, so firstly congratulations Rega on giving so many music lovers so much pleasure during the last 50 years.

To celebrate such a huge milestone they will be launching their Naia Reference Turntable which is the culmination of 50 years of Rega turntable design to give their best performing production turntable to date with many innovations trickled down from their Naiad 'test bed' Turntable.

Priced at £9999 with no cartridge and £12,500 with an Aphelion 2 fitted it is clearly a price hike over their previous range topper, one of our most popular turntables, the Planar 10, but the Naia is basically improved in every area to give a Rega turntable that can deliver even more information from the groove of your record collection.

On Demo

We have placed our order for our demo Naia fitted with the Aphelion 2, this is due around mid October so not long to wait, as a big vinyl enthusiast myself I really can't wait to have a listen.

Please find more info on our website link below -

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product/rega-naia-turntable/

Cheers,

Paul.

 

Think these are made down the road from me. 

[Vipers]

20 hours ago, red vtec said:

Think these are made down the road from me. 

Yeah in Southend on Sea Chris, they're a great British company 👍

[Vipers]

Accuphase Open Day - October 21st, Hear Why They Are One Of Our Most Popular Brands!

 

Hi all,

Firstly I'd like to say thanks to everyone that came to our DeVore Fidelity Open Day a couple of weeks ago and made it one of our best for a very long time, it is rare that every room gets so much positivity, normally one room stands out above the others but not this time with every room getting loads of love with no negative comments at all, just shows that DeVore certainly seem to be doing something right.

So this is another open day I have been looking forward to for a long time as I do have a bit of a soft spot for Accuphase, when I decided to bring them on a few years ago it was more that I was sold by the looks if I am honest but luckily I soon found out that they sounded as good as they looked and although I didn't know much about Accuphase myself at the time it soon became obvious that they had a great following as I don't think I have ever brought a new brand on that got interest from day one and is now one of our most popular brands so it is going to be great to be able to showcase them on this open day.

For those who don't know much about Accuphase they are basically Japan's Highend Audio Brand founded in 1972, they make a range of products from just under £5000 to systems that can go north of over £100,000 easily, saying that nothing is as well built as an Accuphase product in my view and you actually get really good value for money in this crazy world of HiFi compared to the competition, they also offer Class A and Class A/B amp options and can also offer any finish you like as long as it is Gold, it is actually a really nice and classy shade of Gold, I actually thought this may put people off but it really doesn't.

Systems Running on the Day!

So we are going to be running 3 systems on the day, basically an Accuphase entry level, mid level and as good as it gets level, please find details below -

System 1 - Upstairs!

 

Accuphase E-280 - this is Accuphase's entry level integrated amplifier

We'll partner this with a Rega Planar 8 turntable, Aurender A200 Streamer and PMC Fact.8 Speakers

System 2 - 1st Downstair Demo Room

 

Accuphase E-800 / DP-570 - This is their top Class A integrated amplifier partnered with their mid level CD/SACD Player + DAC. (We'll also have the new E-4000 available to use if needed)

We'll partner this with our Melco N1 Server and Fyne Audio F1-8S Speakers to show what a great synergy there is with Accuphase and Fyne Audio (Accuphase actually use Fyne Speakers in their demo room in Japan)

System 3 - Highend Room

 

Accuphase C-3900 Pre / P-7500 Power / DP-1000 + DC-1000 - This is Accuphases top Preamp, top A/B Stereo amplifier with the flagship CD/SACD Transport and DAC.

We'll partner this system with our Wilson Audio Alexia V Speakers and Aurender N20 Server.

Bring your own music

So there you go , 3 systems that show what Accuphase can offer, Accuphase don't actually make streamers and focus on CD/SACD playback as a source so if you'd like to bring along any music on disk please feel free.

RSVP

We will have Chris here from Accuphase UK to help run the day and as normal Wendy will be sorting food and drink, who knows it may have a Japanese twist, if you'd like to come along could you just fire a quick mail over to me on the below email address, thanks -

paul@hifilounge.co.uk

This will be another great fun open day I'm sure so look forward to seeing everyone that can make it.

All the best,

Cheers,

Paul.

[Vipers]

See Us At The UK Audio Show This Weekend With DeVore Fidelity, Western Electric & dCS!

Hi Everyone,

It certainly feels like the HiFi Season is now well and truly upon us again as we are just back from helping PMC Speakers run their room at the Ascot HiFi Show which was great fun and really nice to see so many familiar faces there but now one week later it is our turn to run our own room at the UK Audio Show at Staverton Park Hotel in Daventry, basically an hour from the shop, where we will be showcasing DeVore Fidelity Speakers, please find more information on the show below -

https://www.chestergroup.org/uk-audio-show-2023/5

Our Room

I don't think there is much secret that I am a little obsessed with the speakers from DeVore Fidelity so we have decided to take all our Orangutan range with us where we will run the O/96's from 10am to 2pm then switch to the O/baby's for the rest of the day with the O/Micro's and O/93's on display.

Please see below for what the system driving the O/96's and O/baby's will be -

System running over the weekend -

• DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 and O/Baby Speakers
• Western Electric 91E 300B Single Ended Valve Amplifier
• dCS Lina Streamer / Dac + Clock
• Melco SSD N1 Server / Player
• Atlas Arran Cables
• Melco S100 Swith
• Isol-8 Substation LC + HC Conditioners.

Obviously you don't really know what sound you can create until you get everything setup in the room but I'm sure we can make a sweet sounding system.

We'll be setting up on the Friday in readiness for 2 great days on Saturday and Sunday so hope to see you there 👍

All the best,

Regards,

Paul.

[Vipers]

Our UK Audio Show Report + Pictures!

Hi All,

It has been a long time since HFL actually exhibited at a show so I thought I would do a quick write up and post a few pictures from the UK Audio Show we are just back from.

Firstly it was great seeing so many familiar faces over the 2 days of the show, it really did feel like an HFL open day on many occasions, overall it was a lot of fun.

I really enjoy doing shows but they are a lot of work and I'm certainly feeling it sitting here writing this the next day, maybe I am getting too old to be lugging HiFi across the country, as although the show is only a 2 day event you have to get everything ready so in reality it is a weeks work with getting everything together, boxing it up, then getting it back to the shop and unboxing it again, saying that I really enjoyed it, just wouldn't want to do it every week.

Just about squeezed it all in.

All on its way to our room.

When we got to the venue the room we had been allocated was on the rather small size, that was totally my fault as I did say I wanted a small and intimate room but in reality it was way too small so a quick chat with the organiser and we went for an upgraded room which suited our needs much better, so we got on with unloading the van and getting everything in the room and a couple of hours later we were making music, it soon became apparent though that it was a very live room which was making the system of DeVore, Western Electric and dCS sound quite bright, not ideal, but after mucking about with positioning of the speakers we improved things considerably but it still didn't sound as good as I knew it does in the shop, maybe my expectations weren't realistic as at the end of the day we were in a hotel conference room, so as one final throw of the dice I rang Wendy who shot over to the shop and picked up 2 rugs from our demo rooms that we put in front of the system which really helped. In the end I think we achieved a really good sound all things considered.

As if by magic we are ready for action.

Bringing these 2 rugs in really helped damp the room.

The DeVore Orangutans O/96's challenged the room the most, the O/Baby's sounded much better to be honest but at the of the first day we swapped to the O/93's and these most definitely suited the room the best, which just proves that as I am always saying, the room really is the biggest part of your HiFi so we ran the O/93's all day on Sunday.

The DeVore Orangutan O/93's really suited the room the best.

Everyone seemed pretty impressed with what we achieved which was a relief and great news.

Then before we knew it the clock hit 4pm on Sunday and it was all over, it only took 30 mins to box everything up which was great but 2 hours to get it in the van, now we just need to get it all back in the shop, overall though it felt like a great show with some really positive comments on the system we took which was my main goal, I just wanted to get the DeVore + Western Electric system in front of as many people as possible as for me it really is one of the best combo's on HiFi I have heard.

Now shall we do it again next year, that is the million dollar question but yes I think we may.

All the best,

Regards,

Paul.

[Vipers]

Signature Upgrade News for Original PMC Fact.8 and Fact.12 Owners!

 

Hi All,

So this is some good news as I do get asked about this a lot, to keep it simple, if you are an owner of the original PMC Fact.8 and Fact.12 speakers PMC are now offering an upgrade kit which will elevate them to the current Signature models performance, happy days indeed.

Please find PMC's press release below and if you would like to arrange an upgrade to Signature performance please feel free to get in touch -

PMC Press Release -

PMC is introducing a product upgrade for owners of the original fact.8 and fact.12 loudspeakers to elevate them to fact signature performance levels, with increased transparency and greater resolution. This retailer provided service replaces the original fact series crossovers with the vastly improved signature circuits, developed by PMC as a result of the research conducted during the creation of the flagship fact fenestria.

Since they launched, the fact series loudspeakers have been hailed around the world as the pinnacle of PMC’s audiophile range. They benefited from incorporating everything the company learned in its previous 20 years into the elegant, advanced transmission line speakers, winning many fans, countless awards and selling in considerable numbers. These global accolades continued with the release of the signature models, with numerous Editor’s Choice awards.

During the development of fenestria, PMC’s engineers undertook extensive research into the effect of vibrations on audio performance. In particular, the analysis of vibration and its impact on sensitive components within crossover circuits led to fenestria being fitted with the very best, British made, capacitors and non-inductive German resistors, designed to eradicate internal microvibrations which have a negative impact on the performance of the speaker. This technology was employed in the fact signature series, resulting in new crossovers, mounted on military-grade circuit boards, that are populated with the same key hand-selected components employed in the fenestria, with the positioning of each component carefully calculated to minimise unwanted interference. Each crossover is tuned to provide optimum performance of the system with improvements in the resolution of micro-details, soundstage presentation and an increased tangibility in the critical midrange/vocal region.

Owners of existing fact.8 and fact.12 models will be able take them to their local PMC retailer and request an upgrade be undertaken to elevate the performance of their speakers to signature status.

The fact.8 signature and fact.12 signature upgrades will be available for RRP £2,295 and £3,995.

Many thanks,

Paul.

[Vipers]

All Set For Our Accuphase Open Day Tomorrow!

 

Hi All,

Just a quickie to say that we are all set for our Accuphase Open Day tomorrow, have to say we have 3 brilliant sounding rooms in my view, from Accuphase entry level to full reference so if you fancy beating the British weather blues feel free to come in for a cuppa and to hear some great music and HiFi.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Regards,

Paul.

#accuphase

[Vipers]

New Rega Naia Turntable Now On Demo, Moving The Game On!

 

Hi All,

So we have been waiting for the new Reference Rega Naia turntable for a while but I am pleased to say that our demo model is now with us and after spinning a couple of albums this morning it has certainly been worth the wait giving that really engaging Rega vinyl sound but with more clarity, depth and openness, my first impression were 'Wow, that is a big sound' so can't wait to try some of my other vinyl I know well later.

Basically Rega have taken everything they learnt when developing their £35k Naiad turntable and bought it to the Naia, I guess with Rega being 50 years old this year you could say that the Naia has 50 years of R&D behind it, it is a very advanced design bringing new materials to turntables like Graphene Impregnated Carbon Fibre for the plinth + their most advanced Tonearm ever made which is made from one piece Titanium, then there is the ceramic platter and bracing used, then The Naia uses a custom aluminium sub-platter with a spindle and central bearing manufactured from ZTA (zirconium toughened alumina) not to mention their new reference power supply so as you can see their is a lot of high quality materials and new tech here.

We have the Rega Aphelion 2 cartridge fitted to our Naia as I can see that being a very popular combination, at the moment I have it hooked up to our Naim 300 Series system which is a great match so if you would like to come in for a listen at any point please feel free to book an appointment to bring some records in for a good listening session.

In the meantime please find a few pics of the unboxing below and a link to the Naia on our website -

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product/rega-naia-turntable/

Cheers,

Paul.

[Vipers]

For Sale - dCS Vivaldi APEX Full System (Pre-Owned)

 

We have a 3 box dCS Vivaldi System available comprising of a Vivaldi Apex DAC, Upsampler and Clock, these are only a few month old from a customer who very sadly recently passed away, we also have a demo Vivaldi CD/SACD transport available if anyone would like the 4 Box Vivaldi system.

These are in Silver, all boxed as new with very little use.

Please find prices below, happy to sell as the full system or to split -

• dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, New - £38,500 - Our Price - £26,950
• dCS Vivaldi Upsampler, New - £27,500 - Our Price - £19,250
• dCS Vivaldi Clock, New - £20,700 - Our Price - £14,490
• dCS Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport, New - £41,500 - Our Price - £29,000

This is a great opportunity to get arguably the worlds best digital front end at a cracking price, if of any interest please feel free to get in touch and ask for Paul.

Regards,

Paul.

[Vipers]

Naim 300 Series Open Day - November 25th! Timed Demos So Please Book Your Slot ASAP!

Please find all the info below -

https://bit.ly/3snBdNz

Cheers,

Paul.

[Vipers]

PMC Prodigy Speakers Open Day December 9th, Hear The Multi Award Winning Speakers That Really Punch Above Their Price Point!

 

Hi Everyone,

So it has been a busy old year for open days this year and they have all been really popular and a lot of fun so thanks to everyone who has come along to any of them, to wrap up 2023 we are going to squeeze one more in and being that we love our PMC Speakers at HiFi Lounge I couldn't think of a better way to see the year out than with an open day to showcase the new Prodigy speakers from PMC on December the 9th.

These may be a new entry level speaker from PMC but they are still all hand made in the UK and contain all off PMC's technology that are in their bigger brothers like their Advanced Transmission Line and Laminair porting system so priced at £1250 for the Prodigy 1 and £1995 for the Prodigy 5 they are still very much a PMC speaker giving that sound we all love so much, I have owned PMC speakers myself at home for nearly 20 years now so it is always exciting when they bring something new out and I know that anyone who has listened to the Prodigy range has been so impressed with the sound you get for the money that it is no surprise they have been winning awards all over the world.

Systems on the Day!

I don't want to go crazy with the equipment driving the Prodigy's on the day keeping the price points quite well aligned so in our upstairs demo room we will be running the Prodigy 1 standmounts with a brand that I have always loved and very recently bought back on at HFL, Heed Audio, we will use their Elixir Integrated Amplifier and Abacus streaming DAC, then downstairs in our frst demo room we will run the floorstanding Prodigy 5's with the new and brilliant Arcam A25 Class A Integrated with their ST5 streamer, this new Arcam kit really is excellent and from personal experience I know how well PMC and Arcam work together so we will have 2 great sounding rooms.

PMC Fenestria's singing in the High-End Room!

So just because we can we thought it would be fun to show the other end of the PMC speaker range and we have decided to run the mighty PMC Fenestria's in our end demo room powered by a pair of Bryston kilowatt 28B3 Monoblocks and a full dCS Vivaldi Apex front end, so I guess this little lot will tot up to around £200k so all a little bit bonkers but it will show the lineage from where the Prodigy range has come from and you will be able to hear the PMC family sound in each room from the huge Fenestria down to the Prodigy 1.

RSVP Please!

We will have representative here from PMC on the day to help run things and answer any questions and as normal we will have food and drinks available throughout the day, surely it has got to be time for a mince pie or 2, if you can just fire over a quick mail to the below that will be much appreciated, thanks -

paul@hifilounge.co.uk

So that will be a wrap on open days for 2023 but it sounds like a great way to end the year to me so look forward to seeing you on December 9th, please find a link to the PMC Prodigy Range on our website below -

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/pmc-speakers/prodigy/

All the best,

Regards,

Paul.

 

[Vipers]

Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) Now At HFL!

 

Hi Everyone,

This is just a quick blog to say that we are delighted to have now added Harmonic Resolution Systems, or HRS as they are more commonly known, to our portfolio. HRS are widely believed to offer some of the best HiFi Racks, Amp Stands and Noise Isolation products in the world, when you go to any HiFi Show most of the Highend Brands run HRS which speaks volumes about their quality really.

Where HRS really win is their use of their own custom materials developed to eliminate any noise a HiFi Component will make hence lowering the ever important noise floor, whether than be a rack, isolation platform or their impressive damping plates, please find a bit more information from the HRS website below-

'Harmonic Resolution Systems is comprised of a team of skilled engineers, dedicated craftsmen, and product support specialists with hundreds of years of  experience in design, development, production, sales, and distribution of noise-reduction components and systems that brings the magic of your favorite music and movies to life in your home. These skills are utilized with passion at HRS to create products with exceptional performance and of the highest quality.

Skilled craftsmen using proprietary techniques and precision machinery produce our products. These craftsmen have a detailed understanding of manufacturing precision components and the quality systems required for producing the very highest quality products with consistent sonic results every time. They also hand finish and personally inspect every individual component. Modern technology combined with old world craftsmanship and values goes into every HRS product.'

There really is no denying the quality of an HRS product once you see and feel it, we have their new EXR Audio Stand and SXR Amp stand on permanent demo in our so called 'Highend Room' + one of their isolation bases under our dCS Lina stack in our headphone room.

It wasn't part of the plan when I decided we needed a Higher End stand solution and decided on HRS to change the room round but once I saw the quality and heard the difference the HRS products made I decided to totally change our Highend Room around and put the HRS EXR stand at the front just for sources and Pre's to make the room much more focused rather than having the much bigger stand we used to have at the front of the room loaded with various kit, I wish I had done it before as for one it has really helped get more performance from our top end kit like dCS and D'Agostino but it helps make the room look much more focused as you know exactly what you are running, it is like we have gone from a big fat overweight Rolls Royce to a much more focused and better performing Caterham.

If you feel you would like to discuss the benefits HRS could make in your system please feel free to get in touch anytime.

Please find HRS on our website below and a few pictures of our new EXR rack and SXR amp stand.

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/harmonic-resolution-systems/

Cheers,

Paul.

[Vipers]

All Set For Tomorrow's PMC Prodigy Open Day!

 

Hi Everyone,

Just a quickie to say that we are all set for our last Open Day of 2023, couldn’t think of a better one to finish on than with PMC Speakers showcasing their incredible Prodigy 1 and 5 speakers, have to say they really do sound amazing, especially the 5's in the Naim room, how they fill such a big space for such a small speaker I have no idea, everyone is in for a real treat tomorrow 👌

Then at the other end of the spectrum we have the Mighty PMC Fenestria’s rocking with our dCS Vivaldi One and Bryston 28B’s behind them, gonna be a good one, please feel free to come along to see the year out in style 👍

Cheers,

Paul.

[Vipers]

Magnetar Reference Universal Ultra HD Players Now Available at HFL!

 

Hi Everyone,

No I don't know if it is just me and if I actually have a problem but I have always been excited by Highend Blu Ray Players, probably a little too much to be honest, this all started when Pioneer announced their stunning BDP-LX91 back in 2009, I got one of the first of these in the country and absolutely loved it, then Oppo came along with their truly brilliant players that we really did sell a lot of, I'll always remember the day I received the news that they were pulling out of the market, that is one decision I still don't understand to be honest, then Pioneer came back with the BDP-Lx500 and LX800 players which again moved the game on and were really popular, but now they are no longer available we were left with a huge gap in the market, where do people go now if they want the very best picture and sound quality? as I firmly believe that if you want the best you still can't beat spinning an Ultra 4K disc, I still get calls weekly to see if I can source one of the Pioneer players which shows there is still a hungar for physical media, much like music we are spoilt now with all the streaming services but you just can't beat firing up a BD Player, popping in a 4K disc and being transported to another world as Hollywood intended, for me it is all about the sound quality you get from a disc, it is very much superior to what streaming services offer.

Well fear not as we now have Magentar and I am delighted to say we have been appointed as one of their dealers, from reading reviews and looking at the specs it really does appear that these guys are really pushing the boundaries of what is possible with an Universal player, I'm sure a lot of you are thinking who the hell are Magnetar but then I remember having those questions asked regarding OPPO, I can see in years to come Magnetar will be a much loved brand as OPPO where.

So much like Oppo and Pioneer before Magentar have 2 players available, the slimmer designed UDP800 then the flagship UDP900, these are priced at £1399 and £2699 respectively so not cheap but whereas OPPO and Pioneer where built to match certain price points Magnetar have come at this with the mindset to offer the very best quality and the price is the price but to be honest I still don't think they are overly expensive and I am just grateful that we have Magnetar on the scene to cater for us film lovers that do want the very best picture and sound quality available.

Both these unit are bang up to date with the latest picture processing and audio codecs, we have both units on demo so if you'd like to come in to test either unit in our Atmos cinema room please feel free to get in touch to book an appointment.

Please find more information on the Magnetar players below -

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/magnetar/

Regards,

Paul.

Magnetar UDP800 Universal Ultra HD Player

Magnetar UDP900 Flagship Universal Ultra HD Player

[Vipers]

Western Electric 91E vs The Trafomatic Rhapsody with DeVore Fidelity 0/96 Speakers!

 

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick blog from a demo earlier this week, this is a demo I’ve been looking forward to for some time for one of our DeVore Fidelity O/96 customers.

He wants to compare the Western Electric 91E against the Trafomatic Rhapsody, both running 300B’s, I have no idea which way this will go as both brilliant amps but can’t wait to find out

 

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[Vipers]

Dual Speaker Install, DeVORE Fidelity & Wilson Audio! 

Hi All,

Just a quick blog to share an exciting install that Ady and I were thrilled to be part of recently! Not just for one, but two pairs of speakers, each tailored for different listening experiences!

In the primary listening space, a haven for vinyl enthusiasts, the elegant Wilson Audio Sasha V's took centre stage, gracefully replacing their predecessors in a stunning true gold finish! After delicately unboxing and meticulously placing into position, The first play of 'Aja' was a welcomed reward, and I must admit, I've never experienced it sounding so good! As you can see in the pictures, we were surrounded by vinyl and spoilt for choice! We could've lost ourselves in the melodies of our favourite albums for the entire afternoon. Yet, our responsibilities led us upstairs to a cosy lounge radiating warmth and style.

Here, the focus shifted to seamless streaming and comfort, with the distinguished John DeVore 0/96s setting the tone. It is not every day we get to install two pairs of speakers! Worlds apart in their sonic personalities yet perfectly aligned with the distinct aspirations of our discerning customer.

Thanks for the wine, and Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy Listening👌

Regards,

Billy

Vinyl Haven - Wilson Audio Sasha V

Cosy Lounge - DeVORE Fidelity Orangutan O/96

[Vipers]

Turntable Shootout, Rega Naia vs SME Model 12 vs Musical Fidelity M8xTT!

 

Hi Everyone,

Just thought it was doing a quick blog on a turntable shootout demo we had a couple of days ago for one of our customers, all around the £12k price point, between the Rega Naia, SME Model 12 MK2 and the Musical Fidelity M8xTT, all are stunning in their own right but which would you choose?

Cheers,

Paul.

[Vipers]

Nice 4 x REL Acoustics Subwoofer Install!

 

Hi Everyone,

It is full on with installs at the moment which is great news, just wanted to share this latest one being a huge advocate of running REL Subwoofers for both 2 channel and cinema of course, this one covered both aspects.

We installed 2 Carbons Specials with a pair of Focal Diablo Utopia’s on a Naim 500 system and a pair of S/510’s on an Arcam AVR31 with some older Naim speakers

 

Needless to say as ever when adding subs it transformed both systems

 

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/rel/

 

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[Bibs]

That doesn't look like a 'value' install, some amazing looking kit there! I can't even begin to imagine how good that sounds!

[Vipers]

Yeah it a bit tasty mate, sounds OK 😉