Monthly Archives: February 2015

The Bristol Show has come and gone, but the hi-fi world is still buzzing about it! There are always stand out brands and products, and one that has been the talk of the town (before, during and after!) is the marvelous, compact and highly stylish Q Acoustics 3000 series. We've had several calls about this fantastic looking and sounding series asking what the scoop is, so we thought we'd up-cycle our last blog on the matter so you know where to get the facts... as well as a little bit about how

In memory of Joseph Grado founder of Grado Labs 1924 - 2015. 

How many inventors can you remember, right off the top of your head? Okay, and how many of those were hi-fi inventors? We're willing to bet that any hi-fi (particularly the head-fi and vinyl crowds) will be able to name Joseph Grado, right off the bat. The second-generation Italian immigrant first made his name (however you pronounce it, it's currently a toss up between /ɡreɪdəʊ/ and /ɡrɑdəʊ/) by making phono-cartridge history on his

If you were keeping your eye on of Facebook and Twitter pages this weekend, you'd have noticed that we were among many of you, scoping out the latest and the greatest products and concepts from within the world of hi-fi at the wonderful Bristol Show 2015! This year, the final tally for exhibitors was 195, so as you can imagine there was a great deal to get through. But we ploughed on as best as we could and got lots of lovely pictures, as well as a few sneak-peeks of the kind of gear that we will

The best thing about hi-fi shows (aside from all of the gorgeous gear on display, of course!) is getting to scope out the new releases. There will be more than a few of those treasure troves for your to discover at tomorrow's The Bristol Show. We've been busy ferreting around to see if we can bring you any previews of what to expect to see there - and we've managed to dig out a few gems.

One of the most prominent is the 'revealing' of the brand new Q Acoustics series: the 3000!

That right there

Psst... want a bit of Bristol Show insider info? Of course, KEF will be there. But do you know what they'll be exhibiting there? The more eagle-eyed among you will have already guessed that it will be their incredible LS50s - speakers  that in their few short years of life have achieved a somewhat legendary status. This year's focus will land specifically on the gorgeous new 'foundry finish' of Blue Ice White, as opposed to the Black Aluminium Copper (the first of the 'foundry finishes')

One of the benefits of working in the hi-fi industry is getting to go to the awesome hi-fi shows. And you don't get much more awesome than Tannoy. We've had word from our friends over there, and they have told us that they will be showing off the unique delights of their marvelous (and marvelously affordable!) Revolution XT range.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kfrwsZ6t50&feature=youtu.be

The Tannoy RT is a gorgeously contemporary 5:1 system that can be easily used as a stereo too. Each speaker

A turntable may appear as a strange a complicated beast, but once you break it down (not literally, unless you really know what you're doing...) it's really not all that bad. We have demonstrated this, by breaking it all down for you. Here we have the Audio Affair anatomy of a turntable!

Tone Arm

This is the free-swinging arm of a phonograph turntable that holds the cartridge, which contains the stylus. This is the item which holds the instrument which runs over the grooves on the vinyl.

Counterweight

Solo Bar Software Update

Arcam's Solo Bar and accompanying sub have been given a software update! Arcam are sending us the necessary tools to ensure we can update our existing stock, so nobody will be missing out.

The new software (1.14) will do the following:

- Increase the output level of the Solo sub when used in wireless mode in combination with the Solo bar, which means the sub and bar output will be identical addressing all related issues
- Sub EQ removed, for when you apply the Solo

A little while ago, our Sales Manager Richard (and our in-house Vinyl Head!) put together a video on how to set up a Pro-ject Debut Carbon. This was designed both as an instructional video for that specific turntable, and a little general 'how to' on how the vast majority of turntables will need to be tended to before they're put to use. Rather than bumble through my own hacked up interpretation of how it's done, we thought we'd let our favourite bonefide audiophile do the job for us. Again.

Here's

What could be better than a pair of Kef The Reference 3s? Or 5s? Only a pair in a limited edition finish, of course! To celebrate the long awaiting - and highly anticipated - release of KEF's latest Reference series, they have released some exceptionally beautiful finishes: the lovingly dubbed the KEF the Reference Foundry Editions.

Pretty huh?

Those finishes have been dubbed: Blue Ice White and Copper Black Aluminum. The more eagle-eyed among you may recognise these finishes which were initially