NW Audio Show 2026

[Macca]

Another year, another show. This year's theme seemed to be 'bass' with some exhibitors playing music which seemed to consist of just that.

Anyway, here's some photos which hopefully will stay up this year, along with my own impressions:

Audio Group Denmark:

https://i.postimg.cc/nz3rxcFJ/20260628-100625.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dkTwmFZH)

Bit short of info here but the larger speakers which I think are Borresen X2 were playing bass-heavy music and were surprisingly good at it. Electronics are by Aavik. Liked the big red dot matrix displays, no need to squint to see what was playing.


Kudos:


https://i.postimg.cc/br2ZRfPG/20260628-101509.jpg (https://postimg.cc/PvTftcPh)


Kudos Titan 505 with Ultrafide Enso amplification. I know Kudos have a following but have to say the appeal alludes me. Okay but not great. Terrible music choices meant a short stay in this room. That was to become a theme.

Heritage High-Fi:

https://i.postimg.cc/FsC9HBQt/20260628-101824.jpg (https://postimg.cc/SJ80ZVsV)

KLH flagship model 9 speaker, 3 way with 13'' bass driver. If you want retro, they've got it. No way to evaluate as they were playing music that was just bass, worse it was just the same riff repeated over and over. After a while it seemed that was all they were going to play so moved on.

Maravedis Audio

https://i.postimg.cc/jjg9zGvG/20260628-102302.jpg (https://postimg.cc/xkmtQpwR)

This was different, active horn speaker with valve amps, looking like something from the 1920s but sound was clean if unexciting. This room is probably one of the worst acoustically in the whole place so they did well with the set up. Not my sort of thing, but interesting.

More in a while.

[Macca]

Hi-Fi Network

https://i.postimg.cc/CxLzvQjy/20260628-102652.jpg (https://postimg.cc/qzSJqQbQ)

Elac speakers, I think the Debut 3.0 - disappointing sound since Elac are fairly good speakers and they looked quite capable. Might have been the turntable. Not sure what the amp is.

Edit - not the turntable as remembered that wasn't in use when we were there. So no idea why it was a bit weak.


ATC Loudspeakers:

https://i.postimg.cc/kMTrQYXQ/20260628-103146.jpg (https://postimg.cc/kDRh9cSG)

Now this was more like it. ATC EL50 which is their new active loudspeaker, a variant on the ATC50 for the domestic (and probably mostly overseas) market. Musical music was playing and they were good. Although obviously the price is ruinous.

Chord Electronics:

https://i.postimg.cc/NGmDY5ZG/20260628-103628.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5j9LSNxD)

Kerr Acoustics K100 (I think). How do you get massive transmission line speakers to sound a bit thin and scratchy? Not the speakers as I've heard these many times but they were using a turntable when I was in there so maybe it was that. Did not hear good sound from any turntables at this show with exception of the Technics room. At least they were playing music (Bowie) and not just random low frequency noises.

G-Point Audio

https://i.postimg.cc/3wrrr4L4/20260628-104508.jpg (https://postimg.cc/18T1Jt1s)

Lampizator with Fonica International speakers. Led Zep playing when we went in, pretty good so stopped for a while. If you want scale these speakers do it in spades but they are massive, even in a big room like this. Lampizator are a puzzle, their ideas about digital audio are, IMO, whacky nonsense and I'm not much of a fan of valves, but never heard a system that used their kit sound bad, and I've heard quite a few over the years.


Some more to follow.

[Macca]

Acoustica:


https://i.postimg.cc/HkY4m3CL/20260628-105138.jpg (https://postimg.cc/6yPGLrqs)

https://i.postimg.cc/y8GJGT15/20260628-145316.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HrQscX74)

Sonus Faber (I think Stradaveri G2) with a full monty McIntosh system. There was a good sound trying to get out here, poor the first time so went back later. it was a bit too shouty I thought, but it had potential to be very good if whatever was causing that could be fixed. Good bass.

Doug Brady

They have a big space divided up but, as with previous years, about 5 systems all playing at once to make it really hard to have a proper listen. Here's some big Dalis with Luxman monoblocs:

https://i.postimg.cc/7ZN4GHcN/20260628-110226.jpg (https://postimg.cc/4YnqjgXK)


Technics:

https://i.postimg.cc/qqC0z8Vk/20260628-112606.jpg (https://postimg.cc/K3FCW38V)

Stratton Element 8 loudspeakers. They were playing EDM and we were very impressed by the speakers despite how blingy they looked. Later found out they're 25 grand! (Plus another 5 large if you want the stands).


Henley Audio

https://i.postimg.cc/HkbwbK4z/20260628-113354.jpg (https://postimg.cc/DSy4TxN4)

Rotel Michi with Piega speakers, I think their Coax611. Good sound, ticked all the boxes. Smooth without being boring, good bass. Speakers cost just shy of ten grand, thought they'd be more than that.


Avondale Acoustics:

https://i.postimg.cc/T2Lvfqc1/20260628-113813.jpg (https://postimg.cc/8sS0bv9g)

No idea what was supposed to be happening in here. Linn Isobariks, I assume heavily equalised, playing bass so loud you could hear it half a mile away. Interesting but bizarre.

Kii:


https://i.postimg.cc/zfsSWr42/20260628-114204.jpg (https://postimg.cc/ns1Db6Fq)

Kii 7 - impressive sound - clean, smooth, good bass, good imaging despite the very small room.

[Macca]

Saved the best to last...

Am going to declare a tie for my 'Best In Show' award

First up

Kharma Acoustics

https://i.postimg.cc/pTYx8Ksk/20260628-125605.jpg (https://postimg.cc/CB1WpnTf)

Perlisten S7 speakers. Possibly the best mid and top of any speaker I ever heard, almost spell-binding. Plus they played some decent music.


Arke Loudspeakers

https://i.postimg.cc/d1npw6Wm/20260628-134438.jpg (https://postimg.cc/LYYNVtFn)

Arke Mikros and Altus (small 2-way with optional added bass unit turning into a 3-way)

Went to town on the passive room treatment and it showed up in the sound - started and stopped on a dime with all the reverb trails intact. Better bass than the Perlistens, not as good as them on the mid and top - but still very good.

[Barry]

Good show report with good photos. Well done Martin.

Sad to read that some of the most expensive gear underperformed (£30,000 for a pair of speakers!). Poor room acoustics, or poor setup by the demonstrators?

[Macca]

Good show report with good photos. Well done Martin.

Sad to read that some of the most expensive gear underperformed (£30,000 for a pair of speakers!). Poor room acoustics, or poor setup by the demonstrators?

Many of the rooms are identical and you can get good sound in one then go to the next one and get a racket. So not room acoustics although the rooms where they'd put in some treatment tended to sound more listenable, all else aside.

Worst year ever for the music choices unless we were just unlucky with the timing which I doubt. Lots of pristine modern recordings with deep, well recorded bass that were just dire musically and meant you couldn't begin to evaluate anything. Everyone we met said the same thing so not just me.

Not a question of musical taste - I mean, I hate The Smiths but at least it's a valid choice to demo a system. Music that's just doof, doof, doof really isn't.

[User211]

I rate the drive units Borresen uses. Audio Nostrum also use TeXtreme drivers in a two way that I thought was really impressive at Munich 2025. The Audio Nostrum ones are made by SB Acoustics. DIYers can buy them. The Borresen ones qren't quite the same, but for my money they sound very similar.

Also, I like those Piega speakers. They had them at Whittlebury. I'm not sure I'd pay 15 grand, but they were very nicely finished.

SB and Audio Nostrum pics I took at Munich 2025.

Piega didn't come out well but that's Whittlebury.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20260629/5127826e04452cca14bfa798392b8c5d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20260629/acd5734d1f467293a93e0f82cae99426.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20260629/a9c773c5d930ddc829091581ebf3befe.jpg

[User211]

Can't agree on the ATC EL50s. For 50 grand I just didn't think they were any good at all when I heard them.

Cheers for the pics & thoughts. I almost went but decided on going to see The Pixies live at Wasing Park instead.

Better Piega pic attached.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20260629/3d95c23b372bb6be7b1c2e162ed40a26.jpg

[Macca]

Can't agree on the ATC EL50s. For 50 grand I just didn't think they were any good at all when I heard them.

Cheers for the pics & thoughts. I almost went but decided on going to see The Pixies live at Wasing Park instead.

Better Piega pic attached.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20260629/3d95c23b372bb6be7b1c2e162ed40a26.jpg

I wouldn't pay 50 grand for the ATCs either, there isn't fifty grand worth of sound quality there; but they're not a product aimed at the likes of me.

I thought the Perlisten S7 were some way better at less than a fifth of the price - but you do need buy an amp for them too.

Going to see The Pixies instead was a solid choice :) but it would have been good to meet up again.

[Ali Tait]

Standout rooms for me were Moor Amps (Whom I'd never heard of) using a pair of Jes Kerr's speakers. Superb sound from top to bottom. Also Radford Revival using the M100 monos into a pair of RFC Rubatos was very good. Killer bass for a standmounter, they were playing some Dub when we were in there, with very impressive scale.

I thought the Lowther horns were terrible. Whoever signed off on having them at a show should have their ears syringed!

Spent an enjoyable few hours on Friday afternoon in the bar chatting with Les Wolstenholme, an absolute gent.

[Macca]

Standout rooms for me were Moor Amps (Whom I'd never heard of) using a pair of Jes Kerr's speakers. Superb sound from top to bottom. Also Radford Revival using the M100 monos into a pair of RFC Rubatos was very good. Killer bass for a standmounter, they were playing some Dub when we were in there, with very impressive scale.

I thought the Lowther horns were terrible. Whoever signed off on having them at a show should have their ears syringed!

Spent an enjoyable few hours on Friday afternoon in the bar chatting with Les Wolstenholme, an absolute gent.

Glad you posted Ali - was looking out for you but never saw you anywhere. Not even in the bar!

When I saw Avondale were there I was looking out for Les too because he always buys me a drink :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

What an amazing post, thanks Martin.

[Ali Tait]

Glad you posted Ali - was looking out for you but never saw you anywhere. Not even in the bar!

When I saw Avondale were there I was looking out for Les too because he always buys me a drink :)

Was only there Saturday mate, Nick, Andrew, Dave and I were there as punters. It was nice not having to shift loads of gear and vinyl in that heat!

[gdbd59]

:thumbsup:

[Macca]

Was only there Saturday mate, Nick, Andrew, Dave and I were there as punters. It was nice not having to shift loads of gear and vinyl in that heat!

My mistake, I knew you said you weren't working it this time but thought you were still going to be there both days.

[Gazjam]

Crackin' write up Martin

Enjoyed that.
Thanks.

[Ali Tait]

My mistake, I knew you said you weren't working it this time but thought you were still going to be there both days.

That was originally the plan, we stayed at the Vicarage, but decided on Saturday evening we'd all head home in the morning as we'd seen what we wanted to see. Was pretty tired, have started a new project and am working long hours, out of the house at 5am and not back in till 7pm, so fancied a day just to chill.