View Full Version : The best sounding system (room) at the London Hi Fidelity 2010
Hey guys! I think it is not a bad idea for those lucky you who can go to the show to vote the best sounding system at the show systematically. Any good ideas?:eek: I mean game rules! Eg, you have to drink 5 pints before you walk in a room with a Jordan alike in there!:cool:
Ali Tait
23-03-2010, 09:16
Wouldn't touch her with a bargepole!
:lolsign:
Aye, ye've goat some taste there, wee man! ;)
Marco.
Spectral Morn
23-03-2010, 12:41
I will be doing a write up for AOS and Adventures in high fidelity audio...so we shall see who has the best room or not ;):)in my humble opinion. However in saying that there are so many variables at shows, that best sound at show awards are a bit meaningless, simply because the same kit can and quite often does sound better set up elsewhere. Hotel rooms are usually poor...though the Park Inn rooms are not too bad. Just don't put speakers in rooms, that are to big for those rooms.
Regards D S D L
pure sound
23-03-2010, 12:52
Park Inn syndicate room ceilings can be quite a challenge. In some, every tile seems to vibrate at slightly differing frequencies in others they are quiet & don't rattle at all.
Beobloke
23-03-2010, 12:55
Well, I know which room I'll be heading to first, and I reckon it stands a good chance of offering one of the best sounds of the show.....:eyebrows:
Spectral Morn
23-03-2010, 12:58
Park Inn syndicate room ceilings can be quite a challenge. In some, every tile seems to vibrate at slightly differing frequencies in others they are quiet & don't rattle at all.
Hi Guy
Indeed...Simon of Absolute Analogue had a problem a few years ago...we tracked it down to the window frame. Certain bass frequencies would set it off. The ceiling tiles were not an issue in that room.
I just meant in general the Park Inn rooms (not all) are slightly better than other hotel rooms...though not ideal. Are any Hotel rooms ideal ?
Regards D S D L
Those in Whittlebury Hall, Neil, are the nearest you'll get - where the London (or Southern UK) show should always be bloody well held! ;)
It's a lovely old place with proper-sized rooms, (mostly) solid walls, nice fresh air outside and lovely scenery, very good free parking facilities a stone's throw from the hotel itself, decent food, and most importantly, far enough away from the hell-hole that is central London.
I heard *the* best sound at a commercial hi-fi show I've ever heard there last year, which was Guy's room with his superb T/T and Puresound valve amps, and the amazing horn-loaded Aspara HL-1s! :eek:
It's the system so far I've encountered at a show closest to what I could happily live with :)
Will any of that be in London this weekend, Guy?
Marco.
pure sound
23-03-2010, 20:59
I think much of it will be there. Not sure re the L300 Pre. I have 2 out with reviewers and its an expensive item to have too many 'demo' samples of. Still to decide re deck. The SP10 is certainly easier to move around. I received a nice shiny Jelco 750L from Dave today but I don't think there's time to deploy that before the weekend.
re Whittlebury, there were certainly some nice sized rooms, others that were too big really (ours!) and many of the bedrooms downstairs seemed to be a little on the small side. As a venue it was nice though.
I always get a reasonable result in the L shaped rooms at the Manchester Renaissance show, whereas Bristol can be difficult. Clap your hands in one of those rooms and the boinngg goes on for a while. I felt only ProAc really got to grips with the LF there this year.
Dave Cawley
23-03-2010, 21:59
http://www.chestergroup.org//components/com_shows/img_original/london-highfidelity-logo3d.png
We won't be in a room, but with MAD silver cables, SL-1200, headphones to equal £24K loudspeakers, and the A.N.T. award wining phonostage, we might very well have the best sound?
Regards
Dave
Those in Whittlebury Hall, Neil, are the nearest you'll get - where the London (or Southern UK) show should always be bloody well held! ;)
It's a lovely old place with proper-sized rooms, (mostly) solid walls, nice fresh air outside and lovely scenery, very good free parking facilities a stone's throw from the hotel itself, decent food, and most importantly, far enough away from the hell-hole that is central London.
I heard *the* best sound at a commercial hi-fi show I've ever heard there last year, which was Guy's room with his superb T/T and Puresound valve amps, and the amazing horn-loaded Aspara HL-1s! :eek:
It's the system so far I've encountered at a show closest to what I could happily live with :)
Will any of that be in London this weekend, Guy?
Marco.
Good taste mate! The Aspara is brilliant! I heard it at Walrus!
There will be a some very enteraining systems at Heathrow this year, and there is goodly range of equipment on display too, should be something for everyone's tastes.
twelvebears
25-03-2010, 12:38
Very much looking forward to it.
Will try and say hello to as many AOSers as possible but STILL think we should go with suitably subtle badges as a means of identification....
Just got back from Heathrow,enjoyed listening to the MAD loudspeakers etremely good sound from a compact enclosure.Enjoyed the big Townsends ,Asparas sounded good but seemed to lack a bit of sparkle at the top end or maybe its just my hearing going.
Yes those Townsend were pretty good and also liked what I heard in the Audio note room
Barry Neil Dave Tim Santosh Nice to chat
Audionote make very good kit and use some of the top people in the trade for development, just the prices that piss you off :mental:
Yes prices are really crazy
Even more crazy in the U.S.A. but it is the worlds best stuff,it's just priced so only Bill Gates and Opra can afford it.(Audio Note U.K.)
Couldn't make it along this weekend - put my back out. :(
Anyone taken/taking pics?
Neil has I think he and Barry will write a report latter
It was nice to meet up with Snoopdog (Steve), Shuggie (Hugo), Twelvebears (Steve) and Electric Beach (yet another Steve). And Dave Cawley, of course. Not too many sounds that impressed, but a definite nod to the Pure Sound / Aspara room which was just sounding together when playing Dire Straits. Another serious nod to Dave's cassette deck (yes, really), that sounded incredible over Denon headphones. Oh yes, there were some small-ish Focals somewhere that were sounding good. And the big Triangles sounded big and natural when they were not playing rap music (ugh) through them.
I had a great chat with James of Whest, what a fascinating knowledge of his subject he has, a true gent. He was demoing the fantastic new Ortofon A90 cartridge but unfortunately I didn't like his speakers at all.
For me, the best sound of the show was the Wavelength room with some big black speakers (I couldn't get their name) sounding wonderfully effortless.
Overall, a disappointing show with surprisingly low attendance.
Snoopdog
28-03-2010, 11:05
I made the pilgrimage in company with Shuggie and it was good to meet up and have a chat with MartinT + Ruth, Monya, Dave Cawley, Tony from Coherent and Dave from Blade Audio.
It appeared to me to be a very lacklustre show and reminded me of a popular saying among we anglers when attending fishing tackle shows - "More things on sale designed to catch anglers rather than fish!"
It was encouraging to see that more and more exhibitors are using room treatment and there were some enthusiastic and interesting demonstrations from the likes of Jeremy Baldwin from The Right Note who was using streaming audio via a dCS Puccini/Clock/Upsampler, GamuT amplification into Focal Diablos with supports and cabling from Vertex.
Larry from The AudioWorks was also doing his best to engage with and entertaing music requests from visitors to his room and conducted a very convincing demonstration of MusicWorks mains cables via a dCS Puccini (they were everywhere) Spectral amps and MIT interconnects/speaker cables into Avalon speakers and some new Chapman speakers.
The Gershmann Black Swans were making a pleasant sound in one of the ABC rooms and I stopped and listened to some Ayra stand mounted speakers with Vincent amplification which, although standing an a large foyer area outside the bar/ large open space where Dave Cawley & co were set up, sounded very good indeed and certainly better than they deserved to in that space.
Streaming digital audio was in evidence in a lot of rooms and although I picked up a few new music recommendations (promptly ordered from Amazon on getting home) I still cannot get excited about yet another new music medium. Perhaps I am too old to embrace this new technology but for me, CD/SACD and vinyl caters for all I want in my system.
I didn't really see or listen to anything that I covetted and it was more an exercise in going out for the day and meeting up with some fellow enthusiasts and talking to some friendly and interesting industry people like that nice James Henriott from Whest Audio.
Was better than I expected and also good to chinwag with Snoopdog and the Audioworks crowd . Had to leave early so no chance to find any AOS members afterwards. As Snoops said, the Ebens were sounding good in the hallway as were the Soulution amps nearby although they looked dead ugly and massive.
Best room for me was Alternative Audio with Vandersteen speakers and some cool monoblocks sporting a big beasty valve. Great sound - Vandersteens are well underrated over here.
Absolute Sounds was disappointing, bereft of the usual big ticket gear.
No Branko to wind up either - shame.
Snoopdog
28-03-2010, 12:00
"No Branko to wind up either - shame"
I think he's sulking because nobody wants to do business with him!
Absolute Sounds was disappointing, bereft of the usual big ticket gear.
They had a Magico speaker board outside their room so I thought I'd get a chance to listen to what all the fuss was about. Alas, no.
I think he's sulking because nobody wants to do business with him!
Not surprising, the t*sser.
Yes James is a really nice guy his knowledge around TT is really good and has been been known to make the odd one to order
Ammonite Audio
28-03-2010, 12:59
Not having taken any notes, I will single out one exhibitor for a really awful sound. Musicology had some Zu speakers and physically colossal valve amplification. Dear God! I cannot understand the appeal of such a sound - thin, coloured, confused: it was like trying to listen to music through a really thumping headache. I hope someone liked it! I tried to like it, twice, and failed.
I wish I'd paid a bit more attention to Music First and their MC stepup transformer product. It's probably too expensive for me, but seems well thought out.
As Steve (Snoopdog) points out, streamed music was everywhere, with mixed results. It's definitely part of the future of audio, but some rooms were pretty awful when streaming files (Absolute Sounds, anyone?). Coherent Systems did pretty well, using what looked like an ordinary PC in the corner. Perhaps Tony will share a few tips and secrets?
Isokinetik had a good range of bits and bobs on sale - I may have to buy one of their anodised alloy DL-103 bodies.
Steve and I sat through a dem of the Isotek Titan, which brought about an immediate improvement in superficial aspects of the dem system's sound, but otherwise completely obliterated the musical feel of the piece being played. It was like someone had poured liquid rubber all over the music. These things have their place, of course, but I reckon you'd need to have a really bad mains interference problem before investing in kit like that.
Hart Audio had a nice sound when I went round on my own. The speakers looked like they had Tannoy dual concentric drivers, but I don't know much more about them (see pic below). Later on, I went in with Snoopdog, but that was clearly a bad moment, since the sound was pretty average. I suppose that's the risk with these shows - catch them when they are playing a cr@p recording and it does colour your judgement.
http://www.hartaudio.com/EVO-Net(1).jpg
Had an interesting conversation with the designer of the Hart speakers we initially got off on the wrong foot judging music tastes by looks never really impresses me but we managed to work through it
chris@panteg
28-03-2010, 13:59
I had a good day yesterday ' sorry i didn't get to meet any AOS member's but i met and had a good chat with Dave Cawley and Guy Sargeant .
And a special mention here for Guy Sargeant '
who very Graciously helped out ' Audio Epilog with an A30 amp and the Puresound CD player ' he only met the guy the day before ' and this Croatian chap (sorry i didn't get his name) was rather desperate ' he had no kit to dem his speaker's ' so Guy stepped in to help ' Top Bloke i say .
Also can i ask if Adam Smith or David Price ' get to read this ' please give this guy (Audio Epilog) a review or two ' is this ok with the Forum rules ' Marco/Steve ? .
I met and had some friendly banter with some of the designer's ' i actually felt a nice relaxed feel to this show and for me it was an improvement on Hammersmith 1999 (my last show other than Scalford) where there were mostly stupidly loud AV system's in abundance :doh:.
Neil has I think he and Barry will write a report latter
Will post something later. Neil is spending both days there and will write a full report in due course.
Regards
I'm obviously getting less discriminating with age as I found it quite an enjoyable day out! My principal expectation was of acquiring some new or s/h vinyl and I decided to just wander through the rooms in turn, using the programme near the end to see if I'd missed anything.
I found that most exhibitors were - for a change - playing real music at acceptable levels, though still louder than I'd choose. I found it easy to sit for 10-15 mins in most rooms and was generally persuaded that, if I had to, I could probably live with just about any of the systems. I congratulated several exhibitors on getting decent sound in very sub-optimal spaces. Questions were usually answered politely but there was the usual sprinkling of 'helpers' who weren't terribly customer-focussed and seemed a bit awkward.
It was nice to be able to stroll into a low-key low-bling Absolute Sounds room and I thought the SF Liutos were doing a very creditable job.
It was good, too, to see a ReVox being used as a source (I've forget which room) but surprising to learn that it was playing dubs from CDs rather than, say, crazy-expensive stuff from The Tape Project.
Nothing really stood out but there were a few products I'd like to hear again, e.g. Max Townsend's new speakers and the active 10-driver towers from David Wiener (a new name to me - but not to Ferrari fans, apparently!).
Re vinyl, kudos to the amiable Paul Hawkins at Diverse Vinyl for encouraging me to buy the cheaper (£19 vs £25) of the two 180g versions of Are You Experienced?
So, not an event with a huge wow factor maybe but nevertheless a pleasant enough way to spend a grey March afternoon and, as ever, I was glad to get back to the system I know and some new vinyl.
I liked the fact you did not have huge crowds it gave you a chance to talk to people
I think it almost impossible to get the sound right in those rooms but agree most people not playing at silly levels
Spectral Morn
28-03-2010, 19:51
There were a number of rooms making very credible music. Was there one room that stood out above the others ? Well I am going to say yes and no.....;) There were in fact quite a few offering sound in slightly different flavours (no absolutes) that managed to both surprise and entertain me. More later......
I also heard some front ends which shocked me...in a good way....more on that later.....
Show reports will be found both here on AOS and on www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com,very, very soon. I have hundreds of photos (not all will be good enough) and copious notes to trawl through, so it will be a few days before I have anything posted.
It did seem, from what a number of trade said to me, that they were disappointed with attendance. Also a number of exhibitors listed on the web site were not there....:scratch:... Why ?
I also found one manufacturer who was quite happy to allow photos to be taken in his room 3 years ago. However this year, when I pulled my camera out to do so...and I was about to ask if it was okay...well he said "no photos" and "please leave".... It turns out, after I did a bit of asking around, from a number of others in the trade, that it wasn't an aversion to Daleks..or that he was a Cyber Man in disguise. He has just become a bit of a Victor Meldrew of late. Oh well his loss. So sadly it is not a full show report :( one room is missing. The question is should I name and shame or just leave him out ? Leave him out I think. This was the only sour note in what for me was a very enjoyable show. Edit I am downloading photos now and 348 were taken.
More to follow.....
On another sad note it was a shame I was unable to meet Monya and a few others (maybe another time..sorry). My work load was heavy. I had meetings to go to, and I almost failed to cover everything, to my satisfaction. Two days was almost not enough. It was a smaller show than others I have attended in the past but big enough to stretch me. I only finished an hour before I had to leave to catch a plane home.
Regards D S D L
chris@panteg
28-03-2010, 22:13
Hi Neil
What did you think of the Puresound 2A3 integrated ' the Aspara's are out of reach for me , but this very nice sounding triode amp is desirable and i think within reach .
I thought the Audionote room was pretty stunning ' totally unaffordable stuff ' but that baby Ongaku :eek:
BTW i took about 15 pics with my cybershot mobile will post asap .
Spectral Morn
28-03-2010, 22:34
Hi Neil
What did you think of the Puresound 2A3 integrated ' the Aspara's are out of reach for me , but this very nice sounding triode amp is desirable and i think within reach .
I thought the Audionote room was pretty stunning ' totally unaffordable stuff ' but that baby Ongaku :eek:
BTW i took about 15 pics with my cybershot mobile will post asap .
You will have to wait to read the show report....sorry.
However the 2A3 is a very good amplifier as all of Guys amplifiers/products are.
Regards D S D L
Hi Chris,
What did you think of the Puresound 2A3 integrated ' the Aspara's are out of reach for me , but this very nice sounding triode amp is desirable and i think within reach .
Yep, I'd like more people's views (who went to the show) on the Asparas... Last year on the end of Guy's superb SP10/SMEV/AN-Io combo, through his L300/2A3, they were superb, and are a shining example of what I think loudspeakers are all about.
Mind you, that was at Whittlebury Hall, where the walls in the rooms are much more solid, and not the plasterboard shite in the Park Inn...
How did they perform this year? :)
As an aside, I note that they've received a rather lukewarm review in this month's HFN, but that was paired with a bloody ML integrated :doh: :rolleyes:
The Asparas *must* be driven with a high-quality valve amp, preferably single-ended, to be heard at their best. Solid-state amps sound horrible through horns, which is not a reflection on solid-state amps per se, but simply their lack of synergy with horn-driven speakers. You'd think that reviewers would know better!! :mental:
Later however, the reviewer John Bamford, swapped the ML for an Emillé Labs Cha'am valve amp and got better results (no wonder!), although I've no idea how good that is compared to Guy's 2A3. I suspect though that Guy's amp would have the edge - that's what my money would be on anyway.
I can imagine how good Anthony TD's SE Soul Mate amp would sound with the Asparas on the end, or some of the superb cost-no-object (in terms of components used) D.I.Y SE designs belonging to the likes of Clive Meakins, Ali Tait or Steve Shiels...... :eek:
Marco.
Spectral Morn
28-03-2010, 22:49
One set of valve amplifiers that many will have missed as they where behind a rack (always look behind systems at shows...its amazing what you will see) was 2 mono 25PX amplifiers built by John Howes. Fabulous and I told him so...praise when praise is due.
.....I am giving too much away here......:doh::lol::lol::lol::lol:
Regards D S D L
chris@panteg
28-03-2010, 22:52
Hi Marco
I liked what i heard ' though i would love to hear the same set up in a slightly lager room with better acoustics , but there was real synergy with the lovely 2A3 amp and well what can i say ' a marvelous SP10/SMEV/IO ' a proper front end;).
Hi Chris,
Last year Guy had the system in a MASSIVE (too big, really) room at Whittlebury Hall, and they sounded pretty amazing in there, so perhaps this time the room, in terms of size, went too much the other way?
Yes, like you say, a proper vinyl front end - none of yer elastic band pish! :lol: ;)
Marco.
:lol:
One set of valve amplifiers that many will have missed as they where behind a rack (always look behind systems at shows...its amazing what you will see) was 2 mono 25PX amplifiers built by John Howes. Fabulous and I told him so...praise when praise is due.
.....I am giving too much away here......:doh::lol::lol::lol::lol:
Regards D S D L
John Howes's amp is really great, it's got the transformer built by the billington (Music First), very very very good amp. They paired up with the MyClapton Loudspeakers and our Diamond Signture cables very well. :lol:
chris@panteg
28-03-2010, 23:00
Oh and BTW Marco i met Dave Cawley and Alex Nikitin ' nice guy's and Alex has done something quite extraordinary to an old Technics Cassette deck (RSB965) it sounded amazing:eek:
I found the Alternative Audio room is pretty good, However, I think the Vandersteen and NAT set up in the room could sound a lot better with mains conditioner. The Aspara sounded very impressive too, but it can be better with a bit more on the top end.
Oh and BTW Marco i met Dave Cawley and Alex Nikitin ' nice guy's and Alex has done something quite extraordinary to an old Technics Cassette deck (RSB965) it sounded amazing:eek:##
Do you know they were connected with the MAD Diamond Signture IC? :lolsign:
chris@panteg
28-03-2010, 23:19
##
Do you know they were connected with the MAD Diamond Signture IC? :lolsign:
I almost forgot :doh: yes indeed as Dave and Alex did point out , most impressive cable ' sir :)
Hi JJ,
The Aspara sounded very impressive too, but it can be better with a bit more on the top end.
Interesting... I think you're the second person to say that. There was definitely no lack of top-end when I heard them last year, so either it's a room thing or something has been changed with the system or voicing of the speakers :)
Did you have a good show then - it seems you did!
Marco.
P.S Remind me again when you'd thought of coming up to mine for a sesh? :cool:
London High Fidelity 2010
To be honest, the only reason I attended the London show was to meet Tim of MAD, Neil (Dalek Supreme D L) and John (Music Room Mod.), plus Dave Cawley and Alex Nikitin who I knew would be there.
As others have commented, I too was surprised by how quiet it was on the Saturday. Quiet in both senses of the term: it was not crowded, so one could easily visit the various demonstrations and, this time; the various exhibitors were not trying to out do one another through excess volume and most were using sensible levels. It was in some ways a better show than the Whittlebury Hall venue, though the latter is much better as regard location (London prices!)
This is by no means a full report, as I did not visit all of the exhibitors nor any of those demonstrating in the Business Centre, that is:
Absolute Sounds,
Angelsound Audio
Triangle Industries
Coherent Systems
C-Tec Audio
Sound Foundations
Alium Audio
Musicology
ABC Audio
Audio Acoustics.
A lot of the rooms were making sounds that were pleasant but undistinguished.
MacIntosh managed to achieve a reasonable sound with their electronics and ART speakers: about the same as at Whittlebury, but not good enough to make me want to stop for long. The demonstrator seemed to be ‘hung up’ on the pretty blue power meters: a styling feature of MacIntosh gear. I don’t see the point of power meters at all. They had some of their 275 valve amps but these were not being used at the time of my visit – a pity.
Another manufacturer seemingly obsessed with how their amplifiers looked in the dark were Art Audio. Their room had subdued lighting to display the blue backlit valves (211s ?) of their Adagio amps. The system produced very good detail but overall was bass light and the treble too splashy and tizzy. The speakers were set up so that there was a ‘hot seat’, and I seemed to have been sat in it.
I probably spent less than a minute in the Inspire HiFi room. The sound was far, far too sibilant. I can’t believe the demonstrators hadn’t spotted it.
Aspara Acoustics demonstrated a system that both intrigued and troubled me. The Aspara speakers use a freestanding unfolded horn for the treble and mid atop a woofer (of unknown construction). A Pure Sound valve amplifier powered the speakers, using either KT66 or 2A3 (?) valves. An SP10/SME V (cartridge unknown) supplied the front end. The system had great presence and little colouration (an aspect of horn speakers which has improved a lot in the last five years or so) along with good transient attack. However there was definitely something wrong with the sound. At times it was too sharp and the portrayal of height was not right. Whether this was due to dislocation between the open horn and the enclosure-mounted woofer I don’t know – but it was a system I would like to play with, as it has enormous potential. Perhaps they should have called themselves ‘Apsara’!
Artisan Audio was using Prism Sound speakers and the Soundsmith strain gauge cartridge. The Soundsmith cartridge sounded much better than it did at Whittlebury: the system giving a good portrayal of height but had poor focus. I didn’t stop for long.
Whest Audio was using their electronics with AE speakers at sensible volume levels. I enjoyed their system.
Audio Emotion demonstrated ATC speakers fed by a MiniMax electronics via Vertex AQ cables. I found this gave a very natural presentation; my only criticisms being the piano was too wide and the position of the female vocalist, too vague.
Audiobility demonstrated Chapman T-8 speakers fed by Spectral electronics a dCS Puccini CDP and MIT ‘networked’ cables. When I visited they were playing Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ with good drive and snap. Good PRAT but vague imaging. The advertising literature for the MIT networked cables made no technical sense whatsoever and from audition, don’t seem to be a good idea at all.
I would like to have reported on what I heard at the Music First room, however the demonstrator seemed to want to talk about the equipment (especially the Revox tape machine) they were using, rather than play any music.
The Right Note were demonstrating high resolution computer files and downloads. Again using dCS Puccini clock, up-sampler and DAC, and Gamut T amp into Focal Diablo speakers, they made a persuasive argument that the future of music sourcing need not be met with fear and trepidation. On listening to a computer file made from a Diana Krall CD, my notes are as follows: clean clear sound, especially in the treble, bass moderate, little depth, orientation of the piano vague and the drum kit was too wide. How much of that is due to the recording I don’t know, but I found the calm and well explained demonstration to be very interesting.
Of the exhibitors (that I heard) who were able to demonstrate in their own room, I’ve saved the best for last: Hart Audio. Their speaker used a two-box construction. The HF and MF handled by a 10” driver in the upper enclosure with the LF being handled by an actively driven array of several, backward firing, 3” (?) drive units. The speakers were powered by a valve amplifier using 6C33 valves (?), or similar. (The valves are the ones with the ‘nipples’ on top; valve experts will no doubt be able to tell us what these are.) Listening to ‘Cycles and Stories’ by Surindar Sandhu, this was a system I could quite happily live with and for me was the best of the show.
The Emporium now has a second outlet, complementing the, original, premises in Suffolk. Their new outlet is in Kent. They are agents for Stevens and Billingham transformers. They had a nice collection of vintage gear on display, including a Garrard 301 with a Dynavector 505 arm and a Quad I power amp.
Dave Cawley and Alex Nikitin were producing very good sounds via headphones with their ‘worked on’ Technics 1200 turntable/Jelco arm combination and cassette deck sources with Alex’s ATN electronics.
I wanted to hear the MAD ‘My Clapton’ speakers; unfortunately I left it too late, the demonstrations had stopped on the dot of 5 ‘o clock. Not even the charms of Tim’s wife could open a locked door! I am hoping to hear them at MAD’s premises in Croydon sometime soon.
It was good to meet Neil and to meet John, Tim, Dave and Alex again.
Regards
jandl100
29-03-2010, 09:51
Spent less than 3 hours at the show on Sunday. Seemed like a fair bit less on the ground than usual. But still enjoyed it.
Why does so much hifi kit these days have thinned out mids and screech .... ? :scratch:
Perhaps the great unwashed think it's a suitable substitute for transparency and naturally-presented detail! :eyebrows:
Here's a few thoughts on what I heard, with apologies in advance to Steve T who will probably blow (another) gasket as the comments are very much speaker-led! :lol: ....
(Barry has supplied a lot of the system detail in the previous post).
Aspara HL1 horns - a bit thinned out in tonality, although fairly clear of horny colourations. The thing that got me was the apparent absence of mid and deep bass from such a decently sized enclosure. Big woofer cone, but I think it is somehow horn-loaded, and that seems to sap the bass end. Def in need of a sub. Or maybe it was the room.
The Townshend room wasn't as hard on my ears as it usually is. I quite liked the big speakers he was showing. Nowhere near as screechy as he usually manages, big and powerful sound, quite decent imaging, but it was a bit sat upon dynamically.
I always enjoy the AudioNote room at shows - Snell E's as usual this year. Always enjoyed, but the kit never makes it onto my Want List! The imaging is too big and billowy for me - a wall of sound. I want things more focussed. Excellent dynamics, lots of headroom but a bit too warm and cuddly. Just too "nice" to listen to, seems to remove the realistic edge from things for me.
Big stacked Triangle Magellans. I thought they sounded good, but with the usual over-enthusiastic Triangle treble. Much better transparency than Triangles can usually muster, too.
Big Vandersteens / NAT valve amps in the Alternative Audio room - Playing their usual jazz drivel. :rolleyes::) Hmmm, nice easy on the ear sound. Too easy on the ear for me, and a bit diffuse. Pipe and slippers.
My 2 fave raves of the show ....
Chapman T8 speakers from the USofA. Lovely openness, great soundstage and a feeling of spot-on midrange tonality - a nice absence of the too usual midrange thinness that is used to artificially hype up the detail - but I couldn't be having with the slightly edgy tweeter. I saw from the literature in the room that the more upmarket T9 has a different tweeter arrangement, so that might be worth investigating.
Gallo Reference 5 LS - very tall (nearly 7 foot) slim towers. Pretty damn stunning to look at and to hear. I liked them a lot. If I had £16k to spend on speakers I would be looking very closely at these, although I suspect they need a larger room than I can give them ...
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/GalloRef5.jpg
Chapman T8 speakers from the USofA. Lovely openness, great soundstage and a feeling of spot-on midrange tonality - a nice absence of the too usual midrange thinness that is used to artificially hype up the detail - but I couldn't be having with the slightly edgy tweeter.
Were they the big black triangular shaped speakers I heard in the Wavelength room? If so, I agree they presented a great soundstage and sounded detailed and natural. Not sure I agree with your tweeter finding, but then I'm used to a highly detailed Beryllium tweeter presentation.
jandl100
29-03-2010, 10:18
Were they the big black triangular shaped speakers I heard in the Wavelength room? If so, I agree they presented a great soundstage and sounded detailed and natural. Not sure I agree with your tweeter finding, but then I'm used to a highly detailed Beryllium tweeter presentation.
No - different speakers. The Chapmans were a medium size rectangular column. http://chapmanaudiosystems.com/speakers/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=8
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/ChapmanT8.jpg
Ah, my mistake. I still don't know what the speakers were that I heard.
This was my first show so i didnt know what was going on half the time but i did enjoy the small room playing revolver speakers powered by audion tube amps i think. For big cabinets like that in a small room it sounded good but i may have been swayed by the good music choice , Krafterk etc.
Met Dave Cawley and took Marcos advice and bought a mat for my deck, should arrive later in the week. I think it may be the first of many purchases. That bronze bearing is a thing of beauty!
My favourite bit of the show was having a dig in the racks at Diverse vinyl.
I did get chance to see a few of the other exhibitors over the weekend, For me the more traditional sounds which were good, Puresound & the Aspara room, in the Revolver room Charles’s new speaker was 'proper' sounding, On Sunday Eric from Triangle got his pipe array to sound a lot more engaging and musical, his room was a real so in so in fairness.
The chaps next to us Alium also ran in some nice sounds, as always Mario had some cracking sounds in the Audio Note room good to see Martin (ex MAX) joining the fray there.
James in the Tom Tom room did a sterling job with the Guru's and drew a lot of attention as did Max T's room too.
One sad point for me far too much plinky plonky bollocks being played again, people wish to hear real music with a just smattering of 'standard' hifiness.
The show atmosphere was very relaxed and fun, and lots of people we have not seen for a few years. Numbers were very disappointing, though the standard of visitors was higher this year.
Even the infamous Martin Collums humanity shone through, with a polite hello!
A big thank you to all the visitors that came to see the superb Cardeas, those very unique Giya's, Oracle and Belles from the C-tech, Vivid and Coherent teams.
Hi JJ,
Interesting... I think you're the second person to say that. There was definitely no lack of top-end when I heard them last year, so either it's a room thing or something has been changed with the system or voicing of the speakers :)
Did you have a good show then - it seems you did!
Marco.
P.S Remind me again when you'd thought of coming up to mine for a sesh? :cool:
It is sad no one from the forum listened to the MyClapton speakers at the show, sorry to Barry's experience at the MFA room, the music were on most of the time.
The most rewarded thing for us is we received a lot of positive feedbacks about the MyClapton speakers, Diamond Signature and the super Music First reference pre-amp + John Howies valve monoblocs! They partnered well and worked like the London Philarmoic Orchestra.
Spectral Morn
29-03-2010, 17:33
It is sad no one from the forum listened to the MyClapton speakers at the show, sorry to Barry's experience at the MFA room, the music were on most of the time.
The most rewarded thing for us is we received a lot of positive feedbacks about the MyClapton speakers, Diamond Signature and the super Music First reference pre-amp + John Howies valve monoblocs! They partnered well and worked like the London Philarmoic Orchestra.
Hi Tim
I did. :)
Regards D S D L
Ali Tait
29-03-2010, 17:34
One set of valve amplifiers that many will have missed as they where behind a rack (always look behind systems at shows...its amazing what you will see) was 2 mono 25PX amplifiers built by John Howes. Fabulous and I told him so...praise when praise is due.
.....I am giving too much away here......:doh::lol::lol::lol::lol:
Regards D S D L
Hi Neil,
Do you mean PX25? If so,yes.that's a great valve.
Spectral Morn
29-03-2010, 17:45
Hi Neil,
Do you mean PX25? If so,yes.that's a great valve.
Sorry yes....I was knackered last night, dying from a really heavy cold (Flu ?) so I think that I wasn't doing too bad ;) to remember what I did. I battled it all weekend and its only last night that my hearing went and I developed water bag in the head syndrome. I didn't get much sleep last night so I am sorry to say my initial show report will have to wait. I am heading off to bed now.
The Ecofan 6A3 amplifier can (if I remember right) take a PX25, so I have heard it in my own system. However The John Howes amplifiers were very special. There was a very special synergy at work and letting us hear all of that, were the MAD speakers. Well done Tim.
Regards D S D L
twelvebears
29-03-2010, 17:49
It is sad no one from the forum listened to the MyClapton speakers at the show, sorry to Barry's experience at the MFA room, the music were on most of the time.
The most rewarded thing for us is we received a lot of positive feedbacks about the MyClapton speakers, Diamond Signature and the super Music First reference pre-amp + John Howies valve monoblocs! They partnered well and worked like the London Philarmoic Orchestra.
Not so JJ, I heard them in the room pictured with the reel-to-reel source and thought they sounded very good indeed. Not sure I'd go for the flecked black finish on such a square box but some of the funky solid colours you had samples of on your stand would definitely have looked excellent.
Tim
I enjoyed the demo in the music first room; did not stay to long as I heard the speakers 2 times before and have posted my thoughts already 2 I really liked the sound from the reel to reel too I see why lots of people like them
I like the tweeter inside the driver,Coaxial approch in the Clapton speakers,I would like to see them with a solid piano black finnish insted of the stone look.
Or even polished black hot rod primer with some pin striping like this,but with just a little pinstripping mabey the name.
And I like the nice wood finnish in the next picture.
A couple of looks that would go well with his speakers.
I like the tweeter inside the driver,Coaxial approch in the Clapton speakers,I would like to see them with a solid piano black finnish insted of the stone look.
Or even polished black hot rod primer with some pin striping.
A couple of looks that would go well with his speakers.The stone isen't bad but may not work for everyone,he just needs a few options in finnish and I'll bet they would be a populer seller.
Mabey he could do some in the union jack,that would be very cool.
There is a million small monitors and they all look alike if he took the swatch approch he would be known for his artistic statment as well as the sound quality.
I'm not jokeing here,I think the little Clapton could make a real splash. oops I duplicated insted of adding to the other thread.
Will he be showing them in the U.S. I do know some retailers here and there is always a market for smallish stand monitors with a reasonably good effeciantcy of 90DB. or better.
Something like this could be silk screened in the name CLAPTON. That would be a classic and would look nice with Manley Labs Gear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yXzcL7FAqg&feature=related
I GOT IT!!! A RED,WHITE,BLUE PINSTRIPPED UNION JACK LOGO WITH MAD -CLAPTON under it in pinstripe script!
Done right,mabey over Brittish Raceing Green high gloss laquor.
\i think they come in a variety of finishrs I loved the white ones
Mabey he could do some in the union jack.
You mean union flag. It's only a jack if it's on a naval vessel :)
twelvebears
29-03-2010, 20:30
You mean union flag. It's only a jack if it's on a naval vessel :)
...and upside down?
hifi_dave
29-03-2010, 22:01
Isn't that just as a distress signal ?...:scratch:
I didn't know that, I thought it was just a slang name like stars&bars.
I would like to see the Claptons in British Raceing Green with a red,white,blue British flag 3X2 inches in pinstripe with his logo MAD-Clapton in pinstripe script.
That would be unmistakeably Brittish presentation! Real pin stripe is expencive so you get a graphic artist to silk screen it so to save money and make them all the same.
The Grand Wazoo
29-03-2010, 22:11
Jeff,
Your taste in speaker finishes is not what I'd consider understated!
Jeff,
Your taste in speaker finishes is not what I'd consider understated!
Nope,but isen't there enough speakers out there that all look the same?
Thats why I love the old Jaguars,they stand out as something special.
It would be hard to call that big crome cat understated aswell...:stalks:
Stratmangler
29-03-2010, 22:16
You mean union flag. It's only a jack if it's on a naval vessel :)
Martin you're a true pendant, and a man after my own heart:lolsign:
Stratmangler
29-03-2010, 22:18
...and upside down?
Isn't that just as a distress signal ?...:scratch:
Correct;)
How do you tell if it's right side up?
Oh. I see by the small print on the bottom, made in china
Stratmangler
29-03-2010, 22:34
How do you tell if it's right side up?
Oh. I see by the small print on the bottom, made in china
And what trouble do you find yourself in Jeff ? ;)
The Grand Wazoo
29-03-2010, 22:41
How do you tell if it's right side up?
Oh. I see by the small print on the bottom, made in china
It's all in the positioning of the wide white bars.
They should be on top in the corner beside the top of the flagpole.
And what trouble do you find yourself in Jeff ? ;)
I have raised and lowered U.S. flags 5 days a week for nearly 20 years now and for the first time in at least ten years we have one made in the U.S.A. not Mexico,China or Pakistan.
So don't feel bad it's a global thing.
I didn't know that, I thought it was just a slang name like stars&bars.
I would like to see the Claptons in British Raceing Green with a red,white,blue British flag 3X2 inches in pinstripe with his logo MAD-Clapton in pinstripe script.
That would be unmistakeably Brittish presentation! Real pin stripe is expencive so you get a graphic artist to silk screen it so to save money and make them all the same.
We have done a union jack one on the Royal Salute, an astronomical bill! It appeared at the Gadget Show 2009, but we dropped it on the floor:steam:!!!! Very very expensive for anything in high gloss hand made stuffs!http://www.madengland.com/homepages/4/d253727295/htdocs/userfiles/image/GB%20jac%20speaker.jpg
I think your idea is great, but the feedbacks we gathered from different people are 'we want high gloss or veneered finish, can you make one like my KEF reference speakers?' We are pretty crazy and creative, but unconventional designs sometimes only can make stories, rather than keep the company moving forward. Ideal world and reality often are contradicting with each other, the most important thing is we will never compromise with the quality of sound to style! We would never make things like the B&W Zepplin (Nothing wrong about it if you are not an audiopile), it sounded much more worst than my Goodman portable stereo at the boarding house.We don't want to go bust like Tag Maclaren, you can never win by selling mediocre products in high end price, may be I am wrong!
However, if we can identify that there's a group of people wants certain niche products, we can make a batch of limited bespoke version without hugely increase the price. Sorry, I am talking too much complicated conflicts we are facing at the moment. The show seems to be a very positive show, let's see whether people like the sound of the MyClapton first, if there's no demand, there's no suprise! As Ken Ishiwata said to me: 'You don't call yourself great isn't you?' My golden rule is, when 80% of people think it sounds good, you can almost certain that the product cannot be wrong, this is the spirit of MAD (My Audio Design), really it is Your Audio Design!:scratch: Anyway, we can always do it bespoke design on special request, we have good industrial designer and excellent workforce.
The Grand Wazoo
29-03-2010, 22:50
We have done a union jack one on the Royal Salute,
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
It's upside down!!!!
How do you tell if it's right side up?
Oh. I see by the small print on the bottom, made in china
That's a gooc opinion, but you need to make 1000pcs or more and the quality is not guaranteed, unless we are the Chang's brother (IAG Group who own Quad, Mission and Cyrus), have their own factory and 2000 employees. The last thing is the small print Made in England on our logo prohibited us to do that! It's not an option at all.
Stratmangler
29-03-2010, 22:55
With regard to the Union Flag http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/union-jack/union-jack.html
The Grand Wazoo
29-03-2010, 22:56
Actually, it's not even upside down - it's just wrong!
Not to worry though Tim, I don't expect you'd sell many in the UK (a few abroad though maybe I'd think) - so no-one would ever notice.
The Grand Wazoo
29-03-2010, 22:57
With regard to the Union Flag http://www.jdawiseman.com/papers/union-jack/union-jack.html
Post #73
We have done a union jack one on the Royal Salute, an astronomical bill! It appeared at the Gadget Show 2009, but we dropped it on the floor:steam:!!!! Very very expensive for anything in high gloss hand made stuffs!http://www.madengland.com/homepages/4/d253727295/htdocs/userfiles/image/GB%20jac%20speaker.jpg
I think your idea is great, but the feedbacks we gathered from different people are 'we want high gloss or veneered finish, can you make one like my KEF reference speakers?' We are pretty crazy and creative, but unconventional designs sometimes only can make stories, rather than keep the company moving forward. Ideal world and reality often are contradicting with each other, the most important thing is we will never compromise with the quality of sound to style! We would never make things like the B&W Zepplin (Nothing wrong about it if you are not an audiopile), it sounded much more worst than my Goodman portable stereo at the boarding house.We don't want to go bust like Tag Maclaren, you can never win by selling mediocre products in high end price, may be I am wrong!
However, if we can identify that there's a group of people wants certain niche products, we can make a batch of limited bespoke version without hugely increase the price. Sorry, I am talking too much complicated conflicts we are facing at the moment. The show seems to be a very positive show, let's see whether people like the sound of the MyClapton first, if there's no demand, there's no suprise! As Ken Ishiwata said to me: 'You don't call yourself great isn't you?' My golden rule is, when 80% of people think it sounds good, you can almost certain that the product cannot be wrong, this is the spirit of MAD (My Audio Design), really it is Your Audio Design!:scratch:
I love it!
I thought it would be less expencive and less dareing to doll up a small monitor.
My vision was a small but stylish British flag though because here in America British Hifi is braging rights and would appeal to the latest craze in hotrods & Harleys (pinstripes are the in thing ) just google rat rods and rat bikes,most are in dark primer with thousends of dollers spent on pinstripe.
The same people you see in hifi shows also go to car and bike shows so you could really be the first to fuse both .
That's a gooc opinion, but you need to make 1000pcs or more and the quality is not guaranteed, unless we are the Chang's brother (IAG Group who own Quad, Mission and Cyrus), have their own factory and 2000 employees. The last thing is the small print Made in England on our logo prohibited us to do that! It's not an option at all.
This comment was a joke about flags not your speakers just go back to my post.I love the big floor stander.
The Grand Wazoo
29-03-2010, 23:07
I've got half a memory of Rogers doing a Union flag version of this one - DB101:
http://www.rogershifi.com/images/review-DB101-S.jpg
This comment was a joke about flags not your speakers just go back to my post.I love the big floor stander.
:lol: I shouldn't take things so seriously! MAD!::stalks:
giorgino
30-03-2010, 02:18
http://www.madengland.com/homepages/4/d253727295/htdocs/userfiles/image/GB%20jac%20speaker.jpg
Love it...Was this the inspiration?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/08/17/article-0-023EB0D400000578-745_224x423.jpg
Ginga Spice Speakers! (You'll need another tweeter) :lol::lol:
Love it...Was this the inspiration?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/08/17/article-0-023EB0D400000578-745_224x423.jpg
Ginga Spice Speakers! (You'll need another tweeter) :lol::lol:
http://www.wayangtimes.com/asian-model-who-likes-to-wear-englands-flag-fashionably.html
thought this fit in nicely.
http://www.wayangtimes.com/asian-model-who-likes-to-wear-englands-flag-fashionably.html
thought this fit in nicely.
:lol:
Love it...Was this the inspiration?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/08/17/article-0-023EB0D400000578-745_224x423.jpg
Ginga Spice Speakers! (You'll need another tweeter) :lol::lol:
Don't know who can sing better, it would be good to arrange A-B comparison with the same cable and amplifier!!:lol:
twelvebears
30-03-2010, 11:16
Isn't that just as a distress signal ?...:scratch:
Well if it is and you're counting on someone spotting it (i.e. that it is actually upside down), then let's hope it's nothing too serious....
No offence to our resident English friends, but these images of Union Jacks are very, erm, 'sore' on the eyes of an Italian/Scot! :eyebrows:
JJ, bear in mind that the Union Jack is largely seen in the UK by the Scots, Welsh and Irish as ENGLISH, not British - and we like to protect our national identity!! ;)
I'd no sooner buy speakers covered in that monstrosity than stand up and sign God Save the Queen - sorry!!
You need to design them with a nice Saltire on them, or at the very least one of these... :sheep: :lol:
Marco.
No offence to our resident English friends, but these images of Union Jacks are very, erm, 'sore' on the eyes of an Italian/Scot! :eyebrows:
JJ, bear in mind that the Union Jack is largely seen in the UK by the Scots, Welsh and Irish as ENGLISH, not British - and we like to protect our national identity!! ;)
I'd no sooner buy speakers covered in that monstrosity than stand up and sign - sorry!!
You need to design them with a nice Saltire on them, or at the very least one of these... :sheep: :lol:
Marco.
I like the idea! :stalks: Our current focus is on MyClapton, what do you think about this piano white finish? If you like you can design a ' God Save the Queen' sticker and put it on. I can make a batch of AOS Signature version - custom design.:lol: Let's call it 'Mio Del Marco' or make it British Chinese Scot and Irish way 'Mio Wee Del Marco' Chinese address everyone's name with little, e.g Little Marco, Little John ----------- Mio Wee shall be the way forward. :lol:
Neil,
You did not come in and say hello, did see you there talking to Tim along the corridors, run out of time?
Steve Toy
30-03-2010, 15:50
Marco, the English flag is the cross of St George. The Union flag is just that - the flag incorporating both crosses of St Andrew (Scotland) and St George (England.)
It is not offensive unless you are a politically correct anal retentive council official.
As for the Union being dominated by England you need to consider a few facts:
England has a population of over 50 million, Scotland only has 5 million. Britain is ruled by Scotland in Westminster. The Barnett formula sees a disproportionate amount of taxpayers' money per capita spent in Scotland which has less than 10% of the total population.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1451427/Scotland-funding-formula-unfair-says-Lord-Barnett.html
Lol - say what you like, Steve, but no Scotsman, Welshman or Irishman I know would be seen DEAD wearing (or flaunting) a Union Jack!
And on another note, try walking into the 'wrong' pub in Glasgow, for example, waving a flag with a Union Jack on it and see what happens!! ;)
Marco.
Spectral Morn
30-03-2010, 16:06
Neil,
You did not come in and say hello, did see you there talking to Tim along the corridors, run out of time?
Hi Tony
Sorry I was in your room a couple of times and you were always very busy. As regards time, yes two days sounds a lot but it was barely enough time to cover things to my satisfaction, and attend meetings (sometimes in the corridor) as you saw.
Alan Sircom and the other magazine guys where only there one day (as far as I could see) I really don't know how they covered things properly.
Maybe next time.
How did you know it was me ?....to my knowledge we have not met before
Regards D S D L
Lol - say what you like, Steve, but no Scotsman, Welshman or Irishman I know would be seen DEAD wearing (or flaunting) a Union Jack!
And on another note, try walking into the 'wrong' pub in Glasgow, for example, waving a flag with a Union Jack on it and see what happens!! ;)
Marco.
A pity. It's the history that unites your four proud nations together which makes UK a nice country. ;)
Steve Toy
30-03-2010, 16:15
I would like to see the union dissolved just as with Czechoslovakia where the dominant Czech actually dumped it's poor relation Slovakia.
England would no longer subsidise Scotland who could then milk the EU subsidy system just as Ireland has done. Everyone's a winner!
"It is not offensive unless you are a politically correct anal retentive council official."
Without following this tangent too far, I'd have to respectfully disagree with this bald statement! Many people these days, some of whom may have roots in Ireland or other former colonies, or just have an interest in history, see it as a symbol of triumphalism. Its appropriation by the neo-fascists was hardly coincidental, surely?
We could get all fundamentalist about this and say it's just a combination of the crosses of Saints Andrew, George and Patrick but that's not what it means in modern Britain, any more than the swastika is seen as the ancient Hindu symbol which it is.
No, far safer to keep politics out of hi-fi, certainly if you want to reach as broad a market as possible!
Dave Cawley
30-03-2010, 16:24
Hi Fi World had a team of people for the two days and will do a full report. Alan will probably do the 'high end' highlights.
Dave
How did you know it was me ?....to my knowledge we have not met before
It was the flashing lights that gave you away.
Spectral Morn
30-03-2010, 16:40
Hi Fi World had a team of people for the two days and will do a full report. Alan will probably do the 'high end' highlights.
Dave
Wait till you see mine Dave ;) Everything is covered and in full...including you and Alex.
Regards D S D L
Dave Cawley
30-03-2010, 17:17
Can't wait! Will you exterminate all the other reviews!! ?
Thanks
Dave
"It is not offensive unless you are a politically correct anal retentive council official."
Without following this tangent too far, I'd have to respectfully disagree with this bald statement! Many people these days, some of whom may have roots in Ireland or other former colonies, or just have an interest in history, see it as a symbol of triumphalism. Its appropriation by the neo-fascists was hardly coincidental, surely?
We could get all fundamentalist about this and say it's just a combination of the crosses of Saints Andrew, George and Patrick but that's not what it means in modern Britain, any more than the swastika is seen as the ancient Hindu symbol which it is.
No, far safer to keep politics out of hi-fi, certainly if you want to reach as broad a market as possible!
Well said! :clap:
Marco (who anyway considers himself first and foremost Italian, not British, and who therefore has no interest whatsoever in flaunting a Union Jack - anywhere!)
anthonyTD
30-03-2010, 17:26
It was the flashing lights that gave you away.
:lol:
aye,
and the little problem with the stairs!:lolsign:
just kidding neil.
A...
Spectral Morn
30-03-2010, 17:29
:lol:
aye,
and the little problem with the stairs!:lolsign:
just kidding neil.
A...
Stairs ? No stairs it was all on one level :eyebrows:(Anyway don't buy that myth we have anti gravity units which allow us to rise above such triviality), with ramps and lifts. Now stairs ummmmm my visit to John's was more interesting in that regard.
Regards D S D L
Spectral Morn
30-03-2010, 17:31
Can't wait! Will you exterminate all the other reviews!! ?
Thanks
Dave
Certainly not :)
Regards D S D L
anthonyTD
30-03-2010, 17:41
Stairs ? No stairs it was all on one level :eyebrows:(
Anyway don't buy that myth we have ant gravity units which all ow us to rise above such triviality), with ramps and lifts. Now stairs ummmmm my visit to John's was more interesting in that regard.
Regards D S D L
in that case, we're all doomed, doomed i tells ya!
:lolsign:
Can't wait! Will you exterminate all the other reviews!! ?
Thanks
Dave
Your stand would definitely the best sounding one at the show! With the ANT phono and headamp + MAD Diamond Signature and no poor room acoustic problems, you are sure win! :ner:
Stairs ? No stairs it was all on one level :eyebrows:(Anyway don't buy that myth we have anti gravity units which allow us to rise above such triviality), with ramps and lifts. Now stairs ummmmm my visit to John's was more interesting in that regard.
Regards D S D L
John normally break his roof and crane his speakers and equipments down to his nirvanna. Any lift engineer here? Let's design a dumb hifi dealer (dumb waiter) for audiophiles.:lol:
Dave Cawley
30-03-2010, 22:04
Thanks JJ, yes many people said we had the best sound at the show. A.N.T. MAD, and Timestep coupled with £900 headphones did the trick!
Dave
The Grand Wazoo
30-03-2010, 22:25
Let's design a dumb hifi dealer
aherm..........I do believe that will not be strictly necessary. The blueprints for that particular animal do in fact already exist!
Present company (& many other hi-fi dealers and ex-dealers) excepted, of course.
Thanks JJ, yes many people said we had the best sound at the show. A.N.T. MAD, and Timestep coupled with £900 headphones did the trick!
Dave
How's the Diamond Signature sound at your Marantz 7 & 9?
aherm..........I do believe that will not be strictly necessary. The blueprints for that particular animal do in fact already exist!
Present company (& many other hi-fi dealers and ex-dealers) excepted, of course.
Let's call it ''Dumb Hi Fi Handy Man'':lol:
Thanks JJ, yes many people said we had the best sound at the show. A.N.T. MAD, and Timestep coupled with £900 headphones did the trick!
Dave
Well done! A system under £4k overkilled all big boys at the show, and winning the heart of all your neighbours at the same time. I think the average system price in every room were about 12k-18k. It is a great saving isn't it?
Indeed. I think it would be good though if one time (just for a change) Dave demo'd a system using external speakers, just to show what he can do in that regard using equipment from his product portfolio :)
Any chance of this sometime, Dave - maybe at Whittlebury Hall where there are decent rooms? :cool:
Marco.
Indeed. I think it would be good though if one time (just for a change) Dave demo'd a system using external speakers, just to show what he can do in that regard using equipment from his product portfolio :)
Any chance of this sometime, Dave - maybe at Whittlebury Hall where there are decent rooms? :cool:
Marco.
I love to hear his Marantz 7 & 9 with the Diamond Signature cables and MyClapton speakers. I think at a show standmount would be better than floorstander. :cool:
Dave Cawley
31-03-2010, 06:49
If AOS would sponsor the room ?
Dave
Thanks JJ, yes many people said we had the best sound at the show. A.N.T. MAD, and Timestep coupled with £900 headphones did the trick!
Dave
Give yourself a nice big pat on theback Dave, your really deserve it :)
I'm still reeling (sorry) from the sound of that Technics cassette deck.
If AOS would sponsor the room ?
Dave
Lol - it depends what you mean by 'sponsor'... We'll fill it with punters (aside from those coming in 'off the street', as it were). I'd even help you to set the system up and man the room when you want to go for drinks and munchies, etc, and bring loads of interesting music for people to listen to (some might be getting a little fed up with 'Tin Pan Alley' now ;)), as long as you pay for it :)
I love to hear his Marantz 7 & 9 with the Diamond Signature cables and MyClapton speakers. I think at a show standmount would be better than floorstander.
I agree, JJ. Fronted by Dave's usual vinyl set-up that would be a nice system. Is Dave a MAD dealer now, then - well I mean any more mad than he usually is? :lol:
Marco.
Lol - it depends what you mean by 'sponsor'... We'll fill it with punters (aside from those coming in 'off the street', as it were). I'd even help you to set the system up and man the room when you want to go for drinks and munchies, etc, and bring loads of interesting music for people to listen to (some might be getting a little fed up with 'Tin Pan Alley' now ;)), as long as you pay for it :)
I agree, JJ. Fronted by Dave's usual vinyl set-up that would be a nice system. Is Dave a MAD dealer now, then - well I mean any more mad than he usually is? :lol:
Marco.
:lol:MAD Dealer!
My Audio Design's head Man JJ has become a valued and important part of the Art of Sound in recent times and it was even clear to me before meeting him, that he would be very passionate about his company, products and all things audio. After meeting him in the flesh that very much proved to be the case and I should also like to say, that he is also a very nice guy too.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010223.jpg
JJ and a colleague....
Tim hardly stood still the whole show as he raced about promoting MAD. To this end he had also lent many fellow exhibitors cables from his range and Music First Audio were using his My Clapton speakers. This was both very generous of Tim but also a great way to let the public hear MAD products in a number of different contexts; always an ideal thing to do when it comes to cable evaluation.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010151.jpg
My Clapton speaker with grill on....
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010152.jpg
My Clapton with grill off....
This show saw the UK and European launch of the My Clapton loudspeaker, only on static display in the Blue Convention centre location but they were being used to great effect in the Music First room (more on that a bit later) elsewhere in the show.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010149.jpg
My Clapton's on display in white....
I think its worth while telling you a bit about the My Clapton speakers. This information has been taken from Tim’s website......
Manufactured and engineered in England – designed at The Newton Institute in London.My Audio Design (MAD) is renowned for the legendary designs it has produced. Our proprietary DRC technology, carefully designed components, and ultra precision drive units, make our loudspeakers vanish in your listening room.. All you can hear is the music, and your soul, resonate with the passion of the performers.
My Clapton Loudspeakers sports a coaxial driver has a mid-bass drive unit(s) with a symmetrical field magnet, dual rear suspension, and a specially treated surround for maximum linearity, minimum coloration. The neodymium tweeter is fitted with a special acoustic foam disc behind the waveguide to minimize diffraction problems and give a wide, smooth dispersion.
The cabinets are critically damped, and constructed with our proprietary DRC technology that keeps resonance to a minimum. Moreover, these front ported Claptons are amplifier friendly, having a sensitivity of 91db and ultra flat impedance curve. Which means they will partner with most amplifiers perfectly.”
The My Clapton speakers are available in various finishes, with that pictured above, coming in at £1388, semi gloss £1588 and piano black £1999. Samples of these finishes were on display.
I had a number of both interesting and pleasant chats with Tim (owner of MAD) and a new assistant of his on both show days and these conversations covered various aspects of his company and products.
Tim also has a complete range of cables covering every price point and performance level. Samples of these were on display at his stand and as mentioned earlier were being used by numerous companies throughout the show.
As they say though the proof in the pudding is the eating and in the case of the My Clapton speakers it would be in the hearing.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010228.jpg
Tim took us to the Music First Room and from the moment I walked into this room I knew I was going to like it on a number of levels. Firstly it was obvious that the sound was just right when I entered the room (I know first impressions are dangerous but I did spend a while listening..so you can chill) and it was very obvious that a lot of attention to detail had gone into its set up and Secondly they were using a Revox A77 reel to reel tape recorder/player as a source.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010229.jpg
I have a soft spot for these types of machines and rather than viewing them as ancient history, something many do, I still see them as being relevant and having the potential to offer excellent sound.
The system being used here consisted of the afore mentioned Revox A77 (playing while I was in the room), MFA Reference pre-amplifier, John Howes featuring Stevens & Billington hand wound main’s and output transformers PX25 valve mono power amplifiers,Rel subwoofer, Nottingham Analogue Space Deck, Tron phono stage with MFA MC step-up transformer, MAD cabling and MAD My Clapton speakers; which Tim had brought me to hear.
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010230.jpg
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010231.jpg
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010232.jpg
http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/LondonHI-FIShowMarch27th28th2010233.jpg
This was for me was the highlight of the show and the listening experience I had been hoping for since arriving. The sound I heard was just right, it had clarity, purity, detail, dimension, naturalness and musicality in spades, bottom line it was pure magic.
No one part of the frequency range was spotlit, everything was as it should be with the well extended but tight bass underpinning the mid and treble elements. Total frequency coherence was what was on offer with musicality in abundance and all of this was obvious from the moment I had entered the room and this was still very much the case when I left the room later.
The combination of equipment that made this system up, from what I heard gelled together very well. System synergy was very much at work here. The My Clapton speakers were a vital part of what I was hearing as they were an open window onto the rest of the system. They managed to do this without being harsh or forward. The sound was organic and natural with excellent musicality.
To the guys at Music First Audio and Tim at MAD I say well done for what was for me the best room at the show.
I could have stayed all day but sadly I had to move on as more rooms needed visiting….its a hard life doing a show report.
Regards D S D L
All text and photos are © Copyright 2010 Adventures in High Fidelity Audio. No portion of this post can be reproduced without written permission.
Thanks Neil:)
Spectral Morn
21-04-2010, 09:17
No problem Tim.
Regards D S D L
:cool:
No problem Tim.
Regards D S D L\
\]
:cool:
:cool:\
\]
:cool:
We are organizing a listening day on the 22nd May 2010 about the MyClapton and our cables. Anyone who's interested to come along please send me an e-mail. Thanks!:lol:
This is the verdict
Power,Dynamic and Musical yet refined. This unconventional eccentric design yields dramatic sonic benefit.:)
Spectral Morn
27-05-2010, 19:45
Neil
No.
Regards D S D L
Spectral Morn
27-05-2010, 19:48
This is the verdict
Power,Dynamic and Musical yet refined. This unconventional eccentric design yields dramatic sonic benefit.:)
More or less what I said in my show report and those were not MM Claptons.
Regards D S D L
opps so who did it; I thought that was your review
I thought MR C was asking about above review Neil as this thread not related to the other speakers
In Hifi world I think David Price
More or less what I said in my show report and those were not MM Claptons.
Regards D S D L
You will hear the SE soon! :eyebrows: No one heard it b4!
Spectral Morn
27-05-2010, 19:54
opps so who did it; I thought that was your review
Sorry no John, I only review for www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com :) and AOS
Regards D S D L
Spectral Morn
27-05-2010, 19:56
You will hear the SE soon! :eyebrows: No one heard it b4!
Indeed Yes but we are supposed to be keeping quiet about that ;) I don't like to reveal review details until the review is done :) hence no mention of it or your cables....oh well cats out of the bag now. I am looking forward to it.
Regards D S D L
Yes I thought it was the review you did here Mr C was referring too Sorry for the confusion
Spectral Morn
27-05-2010, 20:01
Yes I thought it was the review you did here Mr C was referring too Sorry for the confusion
HIFI World is out tomorrow. I knew about their review of the My Clapton MM and I would have been really shocked if they had not done well.
Regards D S D L
HIFI World is out tomorrow. I knew about their review of the My Clapton MM and I would have been really shocked if they had not done well.
Regards D S D L
:)
:cool:
:)
http://www.madengland.com/reviews.php?cat=1&key=48&act=view
:lol:
:cool:
http://www.madengland.com/reviews.php?cat=1&key=48&act=view
:lol:
Who's going to the september show? :scratch: We are think whether we should exhibit there.
Who's going to the september show? :scratch: We are think whether we should exhibit there.
I might. Where and when is it?
It depends on who is exhibiting and if any AoS members might be there as well.
Regards
Spectral Morn
01-07-2010, 13:58
I might. Where and when is it?
It depends on who is exhibiting and if any AoS members might be there as well.
Regards
I should be there.
Its the Chester Show at Whittlebury.
Regards D S D L
I'll probably catch this one, as it's a smashing venue with proper rooms. I will buy all AOS members attending a drink! :cool:
Marco.
A pint of creme de menthe Rodney.
A pint of creme de menthe Rodney.
A glass of Louis XIII!:lol:
Pint glass? :eyebrows:
Marco.
I'll probably catch this one, as it's a smashing venue with proper rooms. I will buy all AOS members attending a drink! :cool:
Marco.
In that case I'll definitely be there!
I'll make do with a glass of 2008 Petrus Pomerol. ;) (Nah! I'll be on the wagon, so a glass of tonic water will have to do.)
Regards
Lol. Get your orders in then, chaps! :cool:
Hey, Neil, it'll be good to meet up at last :)
Marco.
Spectral Morn
01-07-2010, 19:59
Lol. Get your orders in then, chaps! :cool:
Hey, Neil, it'll be good to meet up at last :)
Marco.
Indeed it will, at long last.
Regards D S D L
...and a pint of BP's best crude (may become a rarity) for the car.
I am 90% sure of attending Whittlebury in September, especially as it looks like there will be a good compliment of AoS members. Are people going on the Saturday or the Sunday? Would a new sticky thread be a good idea - would be great to get a load of us to meet and take Marco up on that drink offer! Also, anyone want a lift from Suffolk or along the route let me know.
I shall definitely be going. I intend being there for the Saturday and will book a room, so that I can 'max out' Marco's Amex card on drink. :eyebrows:
It would be a good idea if a 'sticky' can be set up, so AoS members can add their name if they will be attending (and when).
Looking forward to seeing many of you there.
Regards
Lol - I did say a drink... Note the singular! ;)
But every AOS member attending will get one, so that's a good excuse to make sure we've got a decent posse!! :cool:
Marco.
Spectral Morn
13-07-2010, 09:43
Lol - I did say a drink... Note the singular! ;)
But every AOS member attending will get one, so that's a good excuse to make sure we've got a decent posse!! :cool:
Marco.
......but that could be a one gallon drink....which would make a One Gallon Drunk:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
Regards D S D L
StanleyB
13-07-2010, 10:26
......but that could be a one gallon drink....which would make a One Gallon Drunk:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
More like a one gallon pi$$taker:ner:.
It would be good if you could make it, Stan :)
Then you could buy all the Beresford DAC users here a drink! :eek: :lol:
Marco.
StanleyB
13-07-2010, 10:37
It would be good if you could make it, Stan :)
Then you could buy all the Beresford DAC users here a drink! :eek: :lol:
Marco.
It would be nice. Need to discuss it with the wife. My record on trips away from home with overnight stay somewhere is not pristine ;).
Hehehe.... I'll make sure the manager warns the maids and waitresses, then! :eyebrows:
Marco.
It would be good if you could make it, Stan :)
Then you could buy all the Beresford DAC users here a drink! :eek: :lol:
If you can make sure Mike Creek & Ken Ishiwata are there too I'll book a room, hick! :drinking:
Well, Ken was there the last time, and Alex Nikitin (ex-Creek designer) will no doubt be there helping out Dave Cawley, so you're almost sorted!
Marco.
Looks like my night is sorted then!
:cheers: :cool: :cocktail: :glug: :champagne: :barrel: :drunk: :dance: :spew: :bog: :zzz:
Has Ken Ishiwata ever designed anything good? I mean, everything he's put his "signature" on has more often than not sounded awful and "contrived" when the initial craze has died down......
I must like awful and contrived, then! I know What Hi-Fi raved about the originals back in the 90s, if that's what you mean by craze, but I've not seen them review any of the last few incarnations. It's not just them that have given them positive reviews though - Hifi World said of my current SA 7001 KI Signature "Brilliant CD/2ch SACD spinner with a big, sweet, analogue-like sound - CD is totally competitive at the price with the best dedicated machines" - guess there's a lot of us that like awful and contrived! ;)
I shall definitely be going. I intend being there for the Saturday and will book a room, so that I can 'max out' Marco's Amex card on drink. :eyebrows:
It would be a good idea if a 'sticky' can be set up, so AoS members can add their name if they will be attending (and when).
Looking forward to seeing many of you there.
Regards
Just found out that Whitlebury Hall is fully booked for Saturday 25th September so, alas, there is now no longer much incentive in my attending.
Regards
Spectral Morn
16-07-2010, 21:44
Just found out that Whitlebury Hall is fully booked for Saturday 25th September so, alas, there in no longer much incentive in my attending.
Regards
I am sure there is accommodation nearby. I'll let you know Barry.
Regards D S D L
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.