Audio Show 2018 - Leamington Spa

[ReggieB]

I've just had a pleasant morning in Leamington Spa at the Audio Show 2018 (https://www.chestergroup.org/theaudioavshow/2018).

Highlight of the show for me was a setup of Thoress amplifiers and a pair of Italian speakers. It was as though you could do a material comparison of strings they sounded so real. Lovely

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aX4fMIJjhDpmRVo2knWo47mnAfNBAHa3ljY8jvUlCCfBjtKoYr N2ODeUAc1LdHpgNvtbkIxDTenX-8Vm55xopPe-AR9i1LM0U1cFs-IzCGTdqiBfb8CeZXR2yDE4hQyhSY1-askT_i0Qhy3HnQB92yv0NikhMR_j6cic7ol6P8_Oo-qeqqr_KWsEoQgFiwbmpzUBOy7Z03PdABOs_qwJ8_-FXlSaIoPU-u386O72JGdUeKKgn8WE-C9bN-AAKW77uwoD8QY47RsYVk8XfrZxdfQA9B1g6-CpvwHVhw7mrucZW9PFl6QE0W_tUdHmQ7mzzD4yftANObDKfKxJ EC4QUJzWXgtIZdrBKdvdNpxpePUfZMS-3D3PhFuAhAyBdGYpK-BYPaeTMB4j8b5LCYHiIOHucmxIO4NcsRbcAbiZGxyhGmoNhUOg uIhwe-Al7p3fo57zwu2vY-kLY5V79Pm11E7X-4NQKDijoXb2L4QbNYJQiHJX323IxXTnEEed4AkfqZ2PnknNdQj TIu0V0F9BYnP2184vusvd6CNhUv7eVeagpMxvLtMcWRGcvsDTW LmQgUlZealpi07M3MLlmAxNO8iuDZWZMALE3Sr8uR7nQHu83gW tf6DfIurb0zUMkT9M5hcipIoTCDhz_156IYd7coy3FAo_wrqeS XE2Q8NqN2Ff6rrTh1goFPkW=w1369-h770-no

However, I think another important aspect of the show was how much excellent low budget equipment was on show. For example an interesting mini pre/power amplifier setup:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Amd1Mik068VayKgKUKCKU-aWMCXgwTjQIX1ktMmHTzR74gwHVCFQR7avOdGDAw1lS0OhDZIA OjKDT2TKLPAzICdAW27Ts47VGqlleUzrO2FaXzJqOKqPdRCYUT Xy_MH8rvKnZ_ll1y2p5qdqbyFafo0yh7_mJaPQKwDQpspXhZ6d CYYePkikXUykfHI29mlfZRL2PVukMmos2i248vO3HPj1mG3tQ7 ehUVKzU1fNnZcwAJMWpS8TMBLBIOphV0bvWcHLrNai-cWIFi_iupA4ZL35BOOSS3SIVHgXTcTVD13wfT7syamW4aNVCm_-ibKpradhdZaqpLMAKBvIgJUNWrsJXLTCchK6v6xeZ7G3z1MKDH I05EU7Y6tqGqTCeeoG14fhYwudEmm67mYuOV2qmOArKyt4bh7g VH6PalzGzOMjHuKB8FUyNFZUE55DwjMAshPAOg1t0SHjrJXN3y Z_jRPlBKru9-SiHoDl7adRNxKudyghVrwia2HiY8QFjDpzamHPT6tQb2jeyRCL aSJP6Cd3_rz-NTHaDX9ouXUzokCTTYi-DEV4xaSsbuoxmmdVqWk6jZRy7B0odvPEWISYPdtCgThs2XInV9 JpubED8jPGfBaXr-6UNg-krUDYMJBSNWqAFE_7mTCwZ7reYQmEtGQ3Anl8fa5JgO-DSokFLBxBpVhLp2IV1Vwg=w434-h770-no

There was a nice relaxed atmosphere, and generally lots of lovely sounding system. So a very enjoyable morning.

Apologies for the quality of the photos (mobile phone snaps)

[ReggieB]

An unusual system was that shown by Living Sound which seemed to comprise 6 speakers, arranged asymmetrically and a dedicated studio recording technique. It sounded good, but not revolutionarily so as was being touted. The players did sound to be "in the room" but I've heard a lot of systems do the same, and the sort of music (string and Jazz quartets) tends to lend itself to that sort of delivery. So in summary a good sounding system, but not ground breaking in my opinion.

And I should also mentioned, they seemed to be at the show looking for investors in the business rather than with a product to sell - which was unusual.

[ReggieB]

Another system I particularly enjoyed was demonstrated by Waterfall Audio. The glass speakers sounded good, with a nice clean sound with a lack of obvious cabinet colouration. The video of Nils Lofgren was particularly enjoyable.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/L57tu3HJRhkAOkISXk6mV6nU19IDyjD4d9oL6t24C_arqTNYCh kLyas3Ij0bQYxEs09F_5IDFH1cHYo3iA8aLIgSbnR_Km-0tV2J4Ybc-avNgx7lA9aKJNnaKmfF4_RQgb4lPjVKtQ2BaBfSywxVh7lmsef a_sX-LhcYd8lMnrlZNtOvcMY1pXgetNM0GsJ0TfrxP_vJgg3MH1xLxh 4jv6mnqnCqkjrnwHDKTjtRrdBJUlS4Oyx9qBNHFA_EGVQRPt1Y i_wA7TFsYBv1skrOyFjUYiesinNUClLKz0wVX0uyQjLoFjMjV8 BJhWVw3pQQRmB19n5PCanEoSPjCjyDJF450u2R3ulEnN9wKUw8 HpK8qislJz6smbeGoqI94GDE_R4a_HKXrjF2etFjxKVScIsyxD l1K-yw864V4vWIiBbHms_R-LmfPgPKunl9lnMzge_zUci9z5HMGSZHAhmwC79pvzl97BMfh2Q zVUqWQGHWynKTnECYLMmAzawKR1_dz1ExRTReZtN_6si7_uO_k g5qjY7rpd3g8Gv1ZDB_aoj3aL6kH3D_9AmZPmIoyXXFaB5rAoQ-HqV71JWBmTAu7OmhzMBj3v-JFYoDTzM5JXoHuN2z6uEjWRRrG_2C47AJALJ70J6wOfkJiLhup m8UPHdp_c5647xo16Z5TTcFYeFx_tHHBUIRsH6O=w1369-h770-no

[ReggieB]

I was also impressed with the Kerr Acoustic speakers being shown in a few rooms. The K320 seeming to hit a sweet spot of sounding excellent without having to mortgage the youngest child to afford them. Here are the smaller K300's in the Longdog Audio room (part of a very nice system)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WpL9F--ZCmRzUgTu4HUlyuwSnqfT6LqDc3RrtlvSgfSn5PqReMkllxXsT oK3uFGS6Mnp30qccOXJ-gSACAtwVjHzLhxawUbtUhc-SJ-4-bqDdrzoxFzoMiU_qn6RApLyRvNoV4DXhRlVQ9ob9l6qx6k9d4n FFWE7tsDpyXEI68Z2Mm65DgxGaOfVvlFXqQDkne2O4Qatz7GNz U8yKYVpTXcYgbFe_vC5iU7h8yvmDWtM8fprr7kEcp7S_UsBrC1 yQITdhR8mB-FZWC2jlV1hKVNFPibSYE7yu7PX2mVVLfHgcYwdlMW2uzfA41bO qyLRtKytRgiFkh5yAN1g6hgOE1vMTi2O3nrLc4dSyVE3Tp7abO SnAWBt4jfTX1_g18eVVezgBB5GZpRZy9f_oWNu4LCTfllj1z8c 4WqL6_JktFJyojFqK79ewavRtJrrKJ5la9LqjO2l2bOZHZC1N0 z48mq2RPLqH61emD80tVpx05G8CQ3_2ru6A1ImxxqrHbXks8O3 joTtkQFM-TNJpN6BeUdYZJUCBAQmPbVJwRunc53oDbUZQgUHgdrawzpwMCE 6rNVKA-ZJATvb4tKdWx5SUs9Ir2hFmOf7zwd9JSuUXgrz-dK-Cg0qZ7PCsPSs2H11_Ok3GRvSVZI-0QNwRpERJRSwl3xf0PGUGrxmSRHbDDPC178xgu9RTKs=w1369-h770-no

Sorry - that's a very poor photo.

In Kerr's main room they had a system using a vintage Sony Pre-amp, and Pioneer stable platter CD player that sounded excellent. It was great to see so much affordable good quality Hi-Fi on show. It wasn't just esoteric stuff that I could never imagine being able to afford.

[YNWaN]

I can’t see your photos :(

[Pigmy Pony]

I can’t see your photos :(

Yep - all blank here too.

[ReggieB]

I can’t see your photos :(

Bum. I'll update them now. .... OK - they should be visible now.

[User211]

Anyone know which AudioNec speaker was there?

[flapland]

I've just had a pleasant morning in Leamington Spa at the Audio Show 2018 (https://www.chestergroup.org/theaudioavshow/2018).

Highlight of the show for me was a setup of Thoress amplifiers and a pair of Italian speakers. It was as though you could do a material comparison of strings they sounded so real. Lovely

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aX4fMIJjhDpmRVo2knWo47mnAfNBAHa3ljY8jvUlCCfBjtKoYr N2ODeUAc1LdHpgNvtbkIxDTenX-8Vm55xopPe-AR9i1LM0U1cFs-IzCGTdqiBfb8CeZXR2yDE4hQyhSY1-askT_i0Qhy3HnQB92yv0NikhMR_j6cic7ol6P8_Oo-qeqqr_KWsEoQgFiwbmpzUBOy7Z03PdABOs_qwJ8_-FXlSaIoPU-u386O72JGdUeKKgn8WE-C9bN-AAKW77uwoD8QY47RsYVk8XfrZxdfQA9B1g6-CpvwHVhw7mrucZW9PFl6QE0W_tUdHmQ7mzzD4yftANObDKfKxJ EC4QUJzWXgtIZdrBKdvdNpxpePUfZMS-3D3PhFuAhAyBdGYpK-BYPaeTMB4j8b5LCYHiIOHucmxIO4NcsRbcAbiZGxyhGmoNhUOg uIhwe-Al7p3fo57zwu2vY-kLY5V79Pm11E7X-4NQKDijoXb2L4QbNYJQiHJX323IxXTnEEed4AkfqZ2PnknNdQj TIu0V0F9BYnP2184vusvd6CNhUv7eVeagpMxvLtMcWRGcvsDTW LmQgUlZealpi07M3MLlmAxNO8iuDZWZMALE3Sr8uR7nQHu83gW tf6DfIurb0zUMkT9M5hcipIoTCDhz_156IYd7coy3FAo_wrqeS XE2Q8NqN2Ff6rrTh1goFPkW=w1369-h770-no

However, I think another important aspect of the show was how much excellent low budget equipment was on show. For example an interesting mini pre/power amplifier setup:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Amd1Mik068VayKgKUKCKU-aWMCXgwTjQIX1ktMmHTzR74gwHVCFQR7avOdGDAw1lS0OhDZIA OjKDT2TKLPAzICdAW27Ts47VGqlleUzrO2FaXzJqOKqPdRCYUT Xy_MH8rvKnZ_ll1y2p5qdqbyFafo0yh7_mJaPQKwDQpspXhZ6d CYYePkikXUykfHI29mlfZRL2PVukMmos2i248vO3HPj1mG3tQ7 ehUVKzU1fNnZcwAJMWpS8TMBLBIOphV0bvWcHLrNai-cWIFi_iupA4ZL35BOOSS3SIVHgXTcTVD13wfT7syamW4aNVCm_-ibKpradhdZaqpLMAKBvIgJUNWrsJXLTCchK6v6xeZ7G3z1MKDH I05EU7Y6tqGqTCeeoG14fhYwudEmm67mYuOV2qmOArKyt4bh7g VH6PalzGzOMjHuKB8FUyNFZUE55DwjMAshPAOg1t0SHjrJXN3y Z_jRPlBKru9-SiHoDl7adRNxKudyghVrwia2HiY8QFjDpzamHPT6tQb2jeyRCL aSJP6Cd3_rz-NTHaDX9ouXUzokCTTYi-DEV4xaSsbuoxmmdVqWk6jZRy7B0odvPEWISYPdtCgThs2XInV9 JpubED8jPGfBaXr-6UNg-krUDYMJBSNWqAFE_7mTCwZ7reYQmEtGQ3Anl8fa5JgO-DSokFLBxBpVhLp2IV1Vwg=w434-h770-no

There was a nice relaxed atmosphere, and generally lots of lovely sounding system. So a very enjoyable morning.

Apologies for the quality of the photos (mobile phone snaps)

Didn't Arcaydis or a related company fold a few years ago in a pretty messy way.

[flapland]

Actually a bit of research shows they bought the rights to EB Acoustics and have gone some way to making amends for previous companies failings.

https://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/is-eb-acoustics-a-scam-now.168228/page-12#post-3349867

[hifinutt]

Great show, thanks for pics Reggie. Some superb sounds from the thread room and horning speakers. Great to catch up with Mr and Mrs firebottle and a number of others

[Crackles]

I've just had a pleasant morning in Leamington Spa at the Audio Show 2018 (https://www.chestergroup.org/theaudioavshow/2018).

Highlight of the show for me was a setup of Thoress amplifiers and a pair of Italian speakers. It was as though you could do a material comparison of strings they sounded so real. Lovely

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aX4fMIJjhDpmRVo2knWo47mnAfNBAHa3ljY8jvUlCCfBjtKoYr N2ODeUAc1LdHpgNvtbkIxDTenX-8Vm55xopPe-AR9i1LM0U1cFs-IzCGTdqiBfb8CeZXR2yDE4hQyhSY1-askT_i0Qhy3HnQB92yv0NikhMR_j6cic7ol6P8_Oo-qeqqr_KWsEoQgFiwbmpzUBOy7Z03PdABOs_qwJ8_-FXlSaIoPU-u386O72JGdUeKKgn8WE-C9bN-AAKW77uwoD8QY47RsYVk8XfrZxdfQA9B1g6-CpvwHVhw7mrucZW9PFl6QE0W_tUdHmQ7mzzD4yftANObDKfKxJ EC4QUJzWXgtIZdrBKdvdNpxpePUfZMS-3D3PhFuAhAyBdGYpK-BYPaeTMB4j8b5LCYHiIOHucmxIO4NcsRbcAbiZGxyhGmoNhUOg uIhwe-Al7p3fo57zwu2vY-kLY5V79Pm11E7X-4NQKDijoXb2L4QbNYJQiHJX323IxXTnEEed4AkfqZ2PnknNdQj TIu0V0F9BYnP2184vusvd6CNhUv7eVeagpMxvLtMcWRGcvsDTW LmQgUlZealpi07M3MLlmAxNO8iuDZWZMALE3Sr8uR7nQHu83gW tf6DfIurb0zUMkT9M5hcipIoTCDhz_156IYd7coy3FAo_wrqeS XE2Q8NqN2Ff6rrTh1goFPkW=w1369-h770-no

However, I think another important aspect of the show was how much excellent low budget equipment was on show. For example an interesting mini pre/power amplifier setup:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Amd1Mik068VayKgKUKCKU-aWMCXgwTjQIX1ktMmHTzR74gwHVCFQR7avOdGDAw1lS0OhDZIA OjKDT2TKLPAzICdAW27Ts47VGqlleUzrO2FaXzJqOKqPdRCYUT Xy_MH8rvKnZ_ll1y2p5qdqbyFafo0yh7_mJaPQKwDQpspXhZ6d CYYePkikXUykfHI29mlfZRL2PVukMmos2i248vO3HPj1mG3tQ7 ehUVKzU1fNnZcwAJMWpS8TMBLBIOphV0bvWcHLrNai-cWIFi_iupA4ZL35BOOSS3SIVHgXTcTVD13wfT7syamW4aNVCm_-ibKpradhdZaqpLMAKBvIgJUNWrsJXLTCchK6v6xeZ7G3z1MKDH I05EU7Y6tqGqTCeeoG14fhYwudEmm67mYuOV2qmOArKyt4bh7g VH6PalzGzOMjHuKB8FUyNFZUE55DwjMAshPAOg1t0SHjrJXN3y Z_jRPlBKru9-SiHoDl7adRNxKudyghVrwia2HiY8QFjDpzamHPT6tQb2jeyRCL aSJP6Cd3_rz-NTHaDX9ouXUzokCTTYi-DEV4xaSsbuoxmmdVqWk6jZRy7B0odvPEWISYPdtCgThs2XInV9 JpubED8jPGfBaXr-6UNg-krUDYMJBSNWqAFE_7mTCwZ7reYQmEtGQ3Anl8fa5JgO-DSokFLBxBpVhLp2IV1Vwg=w434-h770-no

There was a nice relaxed atmosphere, and generally lots of lovely sounding system. So a very enjoyable morning.

Apologies for the quality of the photos (mobile phone snaps)That Aeron stuff was at the North West Audio Show. Didn't hear it myself by someone off here was raving about it for the price.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[sq225917]

Blimey that's a small show, just four rooms.

[Barry]

Blimey that's a small show, just four rooms.

One of them disappeared. ;)

[Firebottle]

A good day out, great to meet up with fellow AoSers and others.

I have now heard the end game speaker. The Audio Avec room was like stepping into another dimension, the sound was flawless.

No .... really, flawless. It could have been any artist playing live but the price was eye watering.

The amplifier used was the AudioNec AAD2 with built in dac. I don't know the price of this.
The speakers were AudioNec Diva XL, a nice little 2 metre tall speaker with twin 15 inch woofers.

http://www.audionec.com/images/diva%20xl%20matieres%20v258%20v6.jpg?crc=398312210 2

Way out of mere mortals reach but mesmerising.

The price, oh just a measly £242,000.

No in show discount, I asked :rolleyes:

[Cycleallday]

Anyone know which AudioNec speaker was there?
The very big one — 2m + high ? With speaker cable like tug boat rope.

Sounded great though - amazingly life like and relaxed at quite a low volume.

Will post photo tomorrow if nobody else does.

Personally I found the show a waste of time but had some benefits:

1. Free but felt like I should be paid to attend
2. Free coffee - well need to find some positive aspect
3. No crowds - in fact hard to find anybody in some rooms
4. Did buy some nice new rare Chandos direct to metal Lp’s at good price (£12)
5. Somewhere dry and warm on a wet day still trying to find positives so I give up now

Agree with previous posters that the Kerrs (all 3 sizes in different MCRUS rooms) and Thoress speakers were nice.

Mel

[Idlewithnodrive]

One of them disappeared. ;)

Doing the members a bit of a disservice, I think, but you can still read a full show report on other forums (fora ?).

[ReggieB]

Sorry - taking pictures was a bit of an after-thought - so only a few of them taken (and some were even worse than the ones I have posted - so I've saved you from having to look at those).

Also I've been to quite a lot of shows, and tend to almost skim-read some rooms. So in no way a thorough reflection of the show on my part.

@Firebottle - The The Audio Avec room was very good. I only found it right of the end of the visit when I was about to head home, so I didn't spend as much time in it as I had other rooms and it didn't register in my memory as other rooms had, but I think I know where you are coming from.

[ReggieB]

One of them disappeared. ;)

This is my picture taken in the "disappeared" room. Now do you realise why I didn't post it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AWBIwnjLrHMKFp2Yl3Il-EtsQEd_0OUGwF6W1DSwkh1uXevoMBUb0JM0fKUIBqtJcrDIkQC Ph23pNfpJsQ9XNwQnfidMSPIlhRaFtTwwXCQ4exs1LCgZRa1Lv IDlZzQS2o21Bi10HmtSUARKhxFu9DN68HLqFZhri0ZxzXmUmOm tbEjRzs_LTqEcOj7qbwvXAdV78bXJ5VkRA_LHoUuFxaFP3061U gLG77Q3wDGBX5KSHBhazIyzCrVUc13ZIsSrtI_R9X_YP4Sk1ht r7_qtdvY9BLjfhp1_ssFCj1l8JIeWKAq9HeEBU4QN3TZQqE6aM bwYENUHeqp-A-sumlFAOZOvFoJA7dPxi_mOMYB1a22d1qQFBh82R9Rnm1B2supE DNFsblI8mJ1OYwM81udEfPnCtjkJLPHvMh4GCKkvYdKhCRr0lE 7ikk0OKYRHFB_tX28pJ33dC1lqoUPuaUt42Az87WS6VfJ_6ybq Hv0TBwmJyRIXvQQbAEUM-ihcKqem1Drd3OFIZtUivgakSP_67Zw3HJM3MdhT93UOTTcdKUl QhQfnIYfOR905_iXiIPf7KOvJF3c6Sh0epaOBn3FGCykwSFXIr qzN1FTPW6W7wummeR2gN6z6T3c7Y0YIy3v-6_e7nWNlWZqe_A_H8kk0Kl-i_SGAPWn_qXdCc6r8nOD2717kJ3-2oYPu=w1768-h994-no

However, the Living Sound pitch was so different to anything I'd seen before at a show, I felt I had to mention it. It was wonderfully eccentric.

[Idlewithnodrive]

The pictures and the report are Great Rob. Thoroughly enjoyed them :)

[User211]

The AudioNec The Answer is the one I like. Really interesting bass driver. Flat panel jobbie. Sounds superb. Same mid driver as the Diva I believe but could be wrong.

The Diva XL wasn't great this year at Munich. 'The Answer' blew my mind a bit at Munich a few years ago.

[speedracer]

Myself & a fellow Wammer drove up from the south coast & I would say it was just about worth the visit. The things that stood out for me were the Kerr Acoustic speakers that were in three rooms I think, particularly the K320 which were on the end of relatively modest vintage gear. The AudioNec system was impressive but totally irrelevant to the average wage earner; Long Dog Audio's room sounded nice, again with Kerr Acoustic speakers, but we noticed there was a lot of sibilance on the records we heard, maybe cart not set up correctly but you would hope they would have checked & double checked to make sure they were sounding as good as possible before the public came in. Also, I felt vocals in many of the rooms were rather recessed, probably down to the rooms, some were too small really, I was looking forward to the Art Audio room but the room they had was so small with speakers tucked up the corners it was nigh on impossible to get a decent sound from it.
The biggest disappointment though was the Willow Tree Audio room, I really wanted to like the FrontRo electrostatics but they were very disappointing, not heard a sound so bad since, well never actually, they were awful.

[Cycleallday]

The AudioNec The Answer is the one I like. Really interesting bass driver. Flat panel jobbie. Sounds superb. Same mid driver as the Diva I believe but could be wrong.

The Diva XL wasn't great this year at Munich. 'The Answer' blew my mind a bit at Munich a few years ago.

Pictures from show and I thought these had the best sound at the show - though they didn't have to beat very much !

http://i65.tinypic.com/1zgxkqe.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/1126gz6.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/24pynpv.jpg

and as i said check out that speaker cable !!!

Mel

[Ali Tait]

Myself & a fellow Wammer drove up from the south coast & I would say it was just about worth the visit. The things that stood out for me were the Kerr Acoustic speakers that were in three rooms I think, particularly the K320 which were on the end of relatively modest vintage gear. The AudioNec system was impressive but totally irrelevant to the average wage earner; Long Dog Audio's room sounded nice, again with Kerr Acoustic speakers, but we noticed there was a lot of sibilance on the records we heard, maybe cart not set up correctly but you would hope they would have checked & double checked to make sure they were sounding as good as possible before the public came in. Also, I felt vocals in many of the rooms were rather recessed, probably down to the rooms, some were too small really, I was looking forward to the Art Audio room but the room they had was so small with speakers tucked up the corners it was nigh on impossible to get a decent sound from it.
The biggest disappointment though was the Willow Tree Audio room, I really wanted to like the FrontRo electrostatics but they were very disappointing, not heard a sound so bad since, well never actually, they were awful.

We did check and double check, using a Smart tractor too, got it a lot better than it was when we first set it up. It’s a Koetsu Black, it’s been retipped though, which might have something to do with it.

[speedracer]

We did check and double check, using a Smart tractor too, got it a lot better than it was when we first set it up. It’s a Koetsu Black, it’s been retipped though, which might have something to do with it.

Ah okay, thanks for explaining, still sounded good despite that, & I have to be honest & say the thought behind my comment was mainly due to being very disappointed by the FrontRo electrostatics before going in your room, I should have been clearer about that.

[User211]

This is for Firebottle.

The fact that this was 7 years ago now and I still remember this speaker very well is a testament to how great I thought it was. Up there with the world's very best I thought and still do. I think it is only around £70 odd Ks worth Alan, so a relative bargain.

That bass driver has many of the attributes of a good sized Apogee bass driver. It doesn't quite have the nimbleness and articulation of a decent Apogee, but it has qualities an Apogee bass driver doesn't have. Higher SPL due to higher extension would be one. It's f&*(ing good, basically.

Any speaker at these sorts of prices and above are ridiculous, but this one at least goes some way towards justification of its expense.

There's more after the first page mention of it. I hope it comes to the UK at some stage and people get to hear it. Brilliant speaker. Looks shit, sounds excellent.

http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?12255-Munich-Hi-End-2011-Hi-Fi-Show

[sq225917]

I liked the Thores amps and Deco room. The Audionec stuff was impressive but a visual clusterf_ck. And that poor dreamer in the closed demo room, bless his heart, he really can't see any reason why he'll never sell a single damn thing to do with his new multichannel none surround sound thing.

Best of all though, the Hart Audio room, ha ha, prototype, protoshite more like.

[Ali Tait]

Ah okay, thanks for explaining, still sounded good despite that, & I have to be honest & say the thought behind my comment was mainly due to being very disappointed by the FrontRo electrostatics before going in your room, I should have been clearer about that.

No worries, just wanted to make it clear we do go to some length to try and get things right, it’s not easy getting a decent sound in a hotel room. The room treatment really helps we’ve found. :)

[Ali Tait]

Something that might be of interest to some- I was chatting to a guy from Qobuz, he was saying it will work with Roon in a couple of weeks or so. Got a three month free trial off him.

[Mr. C]

Best of all though, the Hart Audio room, ha ha, prototype, protoshite more like.

Hi Simon


David still producing the same old shite then :doh:

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Simon


David still producing the same old shite then :doh:

That is a tad unfair, the two box Hart Audio's Evo1 speakers, in my opinion, are very good. The year I heard them at the 2010 London HiFi Fidelity Heathrow show that room was producing one of the best sounds at the show.

Visually the Aural Pleasures are horrible looking to my eye, and don't sound as good as the Evo1 did or even the D&W Sonix did. So it could be argued he is going the wrong way re speaker designs.

Regarding what he is doing now I can't comment as I have not heard anything from him in awhile, as I have not been to a UK mainland show in a few years.

[sq225917]

It's not unfair, it's an opinion.

There's nothing unfair about thinking he's a talentless designer of shit, ugly speakers. It's just an opinion, a viewpoint.

Apparently, it's an opinion that you disagree with, but one that I know is shared by almost everyone whose ears I trust.

[Barry]

I'm in agreement with Neil. I have head these and they are good, but their performance IMO is very dependant on careful room positioning.

Jason Kennedy thinks they are pretty good as well: http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/hart-evo-1-loudspeaker-hifi-74/, but I wouldn't pay the price asked. They're good but not that good!

However I'm suspicious of the motives of anyone who attempts to produce the 'world's most expensive speaker'.

[sq225917]

They're just not my cup of tea. I like a nice coherent sound from a modest point source. I don't dig on things like the Podium speakers or the MBL's. (Both of which are frankly far better engineered than anything Hart has cobbled together).

[sq225917]

Anyway there was loads of great stuff there to talk about, let's move on.

[hifinutt]

Myself & a fellow Wammer drove up from the south coast & I would say it was just about worth the visit. The things that stood out for me were the Kerr Acoustic speakers that were in three rooms I think, particularly the K320 which were on the end of relatively modest vintage gear. The AudioNec system was impressive but totally irrelevant to the average wage earner; Long Dog Audio's room sounded nice, again with Kerr Acoustic speakers, but we noticed there was a lot of sibilance on the records we heard, maybe cart not set up correctly but you would hope they would have checked & double checked to make sure they were sounding as good as possible before the public came in. Also, I felt vocals in many of the rooms were rather recessed, probably down to the rooms, some were too small really, I was looking forward to the Art Audio room but the room they had was so small with speakers tucked up the corners it was nigh on impossible to get a decent sound from it.
The biggest disappointment though was the Willow Tree Audio room, I really wanted to like the FrontRo electrostatics but they were very disappointing, not heard a sound so bad since, well never actually, they were awful.

funny how tastes vary , i thought the willow tree room sounded the best [ apart from the 242k jobbies] the horning had real texture and presence

[hifinutt]

funnily enough , another forum has just had this posted too !!

The horning speakers in willow tree room, these were by far and away the best sounding speakers from the show for me too.
I was blown away by them, it's the only room where I bothered to get a price list.

This room sounded fantastic.

[kininigin]

This is my picture taken in the "disappeared" room. Now do you realise why I didn't post it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AWBIwnjLrHMKFp2Yl3Il-EtsQEd_0OUGwF6W1DSwkh1uXevoMBUb0JM0fKUIBqtJcrDIkQC Ph23pNfpJsQ9XNwQnfidMSPIlhRaFtTwwXCQ4exs1LCgZRa1Lv IDlZzQS2o21Bi10HmtSUARKhxFu9DN68HLqFZhri0ZxzXmUmOm tbEjRzs_LTqEcOj7qbwvXAdV78bXJ5VkRA_LHoUuFxaFP3061U gLG77Q3wDGBX5KSHBhazIyzCrVUc13ZIsSrtI_R9X_YP4Sk1ht r7_qtdvY9BLjfhp1_ssFCj1l8JIeWKAq9HeEBU4QN3TZQqE6aM bwYENUHeqp-A-sumlFAOZOvFoJA7dPxi_mOMYB1a22d1qQFBh82R9Rnm1B2supE DNFsblI8mJ1OYwM81udEfPnCtjkJLPHvMh4GCKkvYdKhCRr0lE 7ikk0OKYRHFB_tX28pJ33dC1lqoUPuaUt42Az87WS6VfJ_6ybq Hv0TBwmJyRIXvQQbAEUM-ihcKqem1Drd3OFIZtUivgakSP_67Zw3HJM3MdhT93UOTTcdKUl QhQfnIYfOR905_iXiIPf7KOvJF3c6Sh0epaOBn3FGCykwSFXIr qzN1FTPW6W7wummeR2gN6z6T3c7Y0YIy3v-6_e7nWNlWZqe_A_H8kk0Kl-i_SGAPWn_qXdCc6r8nOD2717kJ3-2oYPu=w1768-h994-no

However, the Living Sound pitch was so different to anything I'd seen before at a show, I felt I had to mention it. It was wonderfully eccentric.

Those 2 speakers in the middle look uncannily like what i own! Any ideas on what they are?

[sq225917]

Quads

[speedracer]

funny how tastes vary , i thought the willow tree room sounded the best [ apart from the 242k jobbies] the horning had real texture and presence

Are we talking about the same system Phil? When we were in there the was a Gyrodec front end with the small electrostatic speakers & not the Horning, which I didn't hear.

[ReggieB]

Quads

Yes - they were Quads. They were probably the most recognisable elements in the setup. Note how they are aligned - one centre back, the other mid left.

[hifinutt]

Are we talking about the same system Phil? When we were in there the was a Gyrodec front end with the small electrostatic speakers & not the Horning, which I didn't hear.

ah , theres the difference . we heard the new horning speakers and they were delicious

[Marco]

It's not unfair, it's an opinion.

There's nothing unfair about thinking he's a talentless designer of shit, ugly speakers. It's just an opinion, a viewpoint.

Apparently, it's an opinion that you disagree with, but one that I know is shared by almost everyone whose ears I trust.

Indeed, but you can express the same opinion, Simon, without the use of such derogatory language.

Using the word "shite" or "shit", to describe a product that someone has spent a considerable amount of money on, and worked hard to produce, is indeed unfair and completely unnecessary.

It may not be to your tastes, which is fine, but there are other words you could've used instead, to get the same message across. A classic case of 'It's not *what* you say, but how you say it':doh:

Please bear that in mind in future, and try to be a little more constructive with your criticism. Cheers!

Marco.

[Macca]

We are talking about the same Hart Audio that offered the internals of a Bose wave radio mounted on a camera tripod as a high end speaker design? Aren't we?

[Barry]

We are talking about the same Hart Audio that offered the internals of a Bose wave radio mounted on a camera tripod as a high end speaker design? Aren't we?

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous (or vice versa?): http://www.extravaganzi.com/47-million-hart-audios-gold-speaker-worlds-most-expensive-loudspeakers/

[sq225917]

You're right of course Marco that was just plain lazy of me. Such a monumentally poor piece of design deserves a much more probing and detailed criticism.

On entering the Hart audio room my ears were assailed by what was by some significant margin the worst sounding pair if speakers I've ever heard. Not only did they fall far below the sound quality that one expect for a commercial audio show it would have been embarrassing if you've lucked upon them in a room at Scalford that was hosted by a well known partially sighted regular user of sign language.

To say that they were cobbled together from a mismatch of crudely salvaged refuse yard leftovers would be an injustice to modern well run waste disposal sites. Had they had included half an 1950s kitchen chair I wouldn't have been any more surprised.

With an array of rear facing miniature 'bass units' of tiny cone size and hugely limited xmax coupled to a point source coaxial mid and tweeter they could barely have been a larger clash of concepts. And clash was what they were both sonically and visually.

Of course no one should be surprised that he expect people to part with thousands of pounds for the finished items, which if previous firm is anything to go by will be barely better visually finished than these engineering samples. Of course thats 'engineering' in the least accurate possible use of the term.

[Marco]

Well at least this time your critique is a little more intelligent... "Shite" simply isn't that, nor indeed very creative;)

Marco.

[YNWaN]

I was at said show (and it was really good - very enjoyable). I also visited the Hart room. Funnily enough, I’ve been to that many shows I’ve heard all the speakers Hart have ever ‘produced’ - I’ve not heard the Bose radio based speaker so I’ve not heard everything he/they have done. Sq’s assesment May be harsh but it is accurate.

[Jazid]

That is a tad unfair, the two box Hart Audio's Evo1 speakers, in my opinion, are very good. The year I heard them at the 2010 London HiFi Fidelity Heathrow show that room was producing one of the best sounds at the show.



I have to agree, I was at that show and there were some grating sounds from then fashionable brands like Aspara et al. The Hart two box design may be compromised in engineering terms and all wrong and back to front, but it sounded OK though agreeably not stellar. But it was a welcome respite from the surrounding earache frankly. Price is better left out of the equation though...

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Barry]

Oops - the Hart speakers I heard were the Asparas, which look(ed) like this:

http://www.soundplaza.co.uk/images/large/Aspara-HL1.jpg

I remember being quite impressed by them (not grating at all), but they are not the design sq commented on.

Apologies for the confusion.

[YNWaN]

So not Hart speakers then.

[kininigin]

Quads

Ahh ok, thought it would of been odd having a 20yr old active Canadian speaker there! I was actually in Leamington Spa the day of the show attending a Wing Chun seminar. Had i known about the show, i would've popped in. Never been to a hifi show.

[Spectral Morn]

I have to agree, I was at that show and there were some grating sounds from then fashionable brands like Aspara et al. The Hart two box design may be compromised in engineering terms and all wrong and back to front, but it sounded OK though agreeably not stellar. But it was a welcome respite from the surrounding earache frankly. Price is better left out of the equation though...

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I think it fair to say since then the quality of performance has gone the wrong way while the cost has gone up, which is not the best way to go.