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View Full Version : Happy Christmas and Thanks for Everyones Support Throughout 2015!



HiFi Lounge
24-12-2015, 10:05
Hi Everyone,

I would ideally have liked to have wrote this before now but it has been absolutely manic in the run up to Christmas, not that Wendy and myself are moaning it is just that I haven’t had much time to do as much blogging as I’d like.

Anyway I’m here now and firstly I’d like to thank everyone who helped make 2015 such and awesome year for HiFi Lounge and Highend Headphones, it has been another year of growth but more importantly it has been a lot of fun, especially doing the 2 open days that I have always wanted to do, Boys Toys day and our 80’s day, both excellent fun with our Boys Toys day really surpassing any expectations I may have had, it was such an epic day, thanks in a massive way to PMC Speakers for helping us hold the event, but also for all the people and cars that came along to enjoy the great weather and to share our love of music and cars. It has been asked if we will do it again next year, never say never I guess but it was so good I almost feel like quitting whilst I am ahead as to replicate that day would be a real struggle.

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/HiFi%20Lounge%20PMC1_zps1pa0dtvx.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/HiFi%20Lounge%20PMC1_zps1pa0dtvx.jpg.html)

Wendy and Highend Headphones have both really found their place now, Wendy really has got to grips with the ever changing headphone arena, sometimes I feel like I’m being left behind as there have been so many headphone related products launched this year it has been crazy but Wendy has stayed on top of developments and I have found myself asking for her opinions and thoughts which really is great to see. I can only imagine that next year will be far more settled in the Head-Fi world but already I know of a couple of exciting product launches early in 2016 so maybe it will be another rollercoaster year.

As for the HiFi side, well again we have seen some truly excellent products, from Devialet’s Phantom to Chord Electronics Dave, below are a few of my favourite products from 2015, sorry if I left anything out but it is just a bit of fun:-)

HiFi Lounge Awards 2015

Best New Headphone

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/pioneer-se-master-1-hero_zpsbtkzcbqa.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/pioneer-se-master-1-hero_zpsbtkzcbqa.jpg.html)

Well is has been a huge year for headphones, from the top end HiFiMan HE-1000’s & Audeze LCD-4’s (which we have only listened to briefly so can’t include them at the moment) to the OPPO PM-3’s and AudioQuest Nighthawks to mention just a few but I think my favourite comes down to a fight between the MrSpeakers Ethers and the Pioneer SE Master 1’s. The Pioneers really are a beautifully made headphone that do so much right but I but I am edging towards the recently launched MrSpeakers Ethers, both the open and closed are a excellent cans, light, very comfortable, priced competitively, but more importantly, open detailed and musical, they may have only been out a couple of months but they really have been flying.

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/MSP0145_7583Gcrop-e1427154744922_zpszh0wquqo.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/MSP0145_7583Gcrop-e1427154744922_zpszh0wquqo.jpg.html)

Best New Network Player / Streamer

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/X100L-front_zps4mhqt79a.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/X100L-front_zps4mhqt79a.jpg.html)

This is a tough one, as I am a huge Aurender fan, I use one at home with my Hugo TT as a headphone rig but the Naim NAC-N 272 is such a great product I think I will go with that, it performs at such a high level and with UPNP, Tidal, Spotify, Internet Radio, BlueTooth, Digital and Analogue inputs amongst other features it is excellent, just add a NAP 250 DR and you get a real highend slice of Naim from just 2 boxes, add an XPS power supply and you will take it to another level again, like many I am a big 272 fan.

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/naimnac272_zpsfoxxrymn.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/naimnac272_zpsfoxxrymn.jpg.html)

Best New DAC

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/20150518142524_CHORD-DAVE-HPHONES-WHTWeb_zpsnpazh5au.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/20150518142524_CHORD-DAVE-HPHONES-WHTWeb_zpsnpazh5au.jpg.html)

Now this is really hard, so OK there is only one company worth talking about here, Chord Electronics, their DAC’s are universally loved, thanks in no small amount to Rob Watts hard work on the coding giving Chord’s DAC’s a unique sound that really goes away from that digital sound, giving a detailed yet organic sound and always musical. When Running DAVE in my upstairs demo room the other day that really is the closest I have heard digital get to Vinyl, absolutely stunning. So with Chord having such a big year it comes down to the Hugo TT, 2Qute, Mojo and DAVE, so from £399 to £7950, now it would be easy to go with DAVE as it really is something special, I run a TT at home so I know it well and love it but for me there is just something magical about the Mojo, having a Chord DAC that small and portable and that sounds so good is a stroke of genius, I run Tidal on my phone daily into my Mojo and just can’t get enough, good work Chord :-)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/Chord%20mojo_inHand1n_zpsvhselxsx.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/Chord%20mojo_inHand1n_zpsvhselxsx.jpg.html)

Best New Speaker

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/Focal-Sopra-N2_Orange_zps8m5eaqu2.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/Focal-Sopra-N2_Orange_zps8m5eaqu2.jpg.html)

In reality it has been a reasonably quiet year for speakers at HiFi Lounge, especially as PMC have launched nothing new in the domestic arena so really it comes down to two French brands, Focal with their Sopra’s and Devialet with Phantom, Now I have never been a Focal fan until I heard the Sopra’s but for me these are a new kind of speaker from them, yes it is extremely open and detailed but not forward and the imaging and soundstaging is really magical, especially on a Naim system which is what they were designed on, but they are going up against Phantom, surely the coolest HiFi product launched in years and it isn’t looks over substance, the Phantom really is the best demo we do here as when people hear it for the first time they just can’t believe that a sound that powerful and big can come from such a small and stylish box so I have to give this one to the Phantom.

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/07828147-photo-devialet-silver-phantom_zpsoyegasuz.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/07828147-photo-devialet-silver-phantom_zpsoyegasuz.jpg.html)

Best New AV Product

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/3f31a7f0c168cd58f52c5c43282ca1a8_3x3_zpsp2ridgii.j pg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/3f31a7f0c168cd58f52c5c43282ca1a8_3x3_zpsp2ridgii.j pg.html)

So we are not really known for our AV at HiFi Lounge although both Wendy and myself love our cinema and next year I will be looking to expand this slightly by bringing on Pioneer for their AV Receivers as I have owned many of these over the years so it will be nice to add them to our portfolio. But back to this year, for me 2 products stand out, JVC’s new range of projectors, we have 2 on demo, the X5000 and X7000, these are now fully up to date offering everything in readiness for the 4K assault that will happen next year hopefully when the discs finally arrive, plus this new range now offers deeper backs, better contrast and enhanced e-shift to give truly stunning images. But then there is Arcam’s new stunning AVR850 Cinema Receiver, since the AVR600 I have been an Arcam user at home for cinema, yes the 600 had it’s faults but it was truly loved by its owners because it sounded so damn good, then it’s successor, the AVR750, ironed out all the bugs but now the AVR850 really does take a leap in performance thanks in no small part to the implementation of the Dirac Live room correction + Atmos, I can see this becoming as loved by Home Cinema fraternity as the AVR600 was, so my vote has to go to the AVR850.

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/arcam-avr850_zpstkxd7fs1.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/arcam-avr850_zpstkxd7fs1.jpg.html)

Best Album of 2015

I can’t say it has been a classic year for new music, for me it really comes down to 2 albums, both very different and it truth it could be argued that one in not new music at all, my 2 favourite albums of the year are Muse’s Drones, an excellent concept album that tells an unfolding story throughout each of its tracks, can’t wait to see them live next year, and the other album is Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘If I can Dream’ As a big Elvis fan this album has been a real treat, hearing different arrangements of the songs I love really does work, I just hope they do some more in the future so for me the album that I have listened to most this year is Elvis so it has to be my album of the year.

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/Elvis_zpsflbokxcy.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/Elvis_zpsflbokxcy.jpg.html)

Favourite New Product of 2015

So how do I pick a favourite out of that lot? well I run a Phantom, a Hugo TT, Aurender X100L and a Mojo at home amongst other kit but I guess my pick needs to come from those 4, I don’t spend my money that easily nowadays on kit as I get to play with it all day at work so I have to be pretty blown away nowadays to put my hand in my pocket, actually that links quite nicely to my favourite product as I think as good as everything is I love my Mojo so much I will give that the HiFi Lounge award for 2015, watch out the What HiFi Awards :-)

Wendy Loves Her Mojo Too :-)

http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr109/Mikawen/Christmas/IMG_2633_zpsxhvfmc1r.jpg (http://s474.photobucket.com/user/Mikawen/media/Christmas/IMG_2633_zpsxhvfmc1r.jpg.html)

So that was just a bit of fun and I’m sure later I will think ‘Bugger’ as I realise that I missed several products out, but finally Wendy and myself would like to wish everyone a Great Christmas and New Year and a huge thanks to everyone who helped make 2015 such a success and so much fun.

See you in 2016 which I’m sure it will be another exciting year in HiFi :-)

Christmas Opening Times


24th – 9am – 5.00pm
25th – Closed
26th – Closed
27th – Closed
28th – Closed
29th – 9am – 5.00pm
30th - 9am – 5.00pm
31st – 9am – 5.00pm
1st – Closed
2nd – Open as Normal.


Have a good one,

All the best,

Paul and Wendy.