Paul Hobson, Author at Moorgate Acoustics

New Naim Classic Series arrives

Three new Classic Series Products are now on demo

Naim don't change their equiment and design often and the last time was in the early 2000's. The range is both simpler and has subtle improvements. It also takes design elements from the Solstice turntable and the Uniti series.

NSC-222 is a dedicated streamer/DAC and Pre-amp.

Begin your New Classic musical journey with the highly versatile NSC 222 preamplifier. Access a wide range of music streaming platforms (Spotify, TIDAL, Qobuz, etc.), a very large number of online radio stations, handling bitrates of up to 32bit/284kHz.

Want to enjoy vinyl? The NSC 222 has a MM phono input. Do you like headphones and want to dive into a world of solo listening? NSC 222 is equipped with full Naim technology for headphone listening, as inherited from the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition: our amplifier-DAC, the recipient of several awards all around the world.

Naim Audio's new Classic Series — Naim Audio

To get the best out of your loudspeakers and music, combine the NSC 222 with its perfect partner: the NAP 250 power amplifier. First appearing in 1975, NAP 250 has become an iconic product. Today, it delivers more power than ever and offers ever more flexibility within a complete system. The cutting-edge engineering work involved in the NAP 250 results in unrivalled performance. It delivers 100 watts of A/B class power per channel, fully adjustable to set your music free in the most remarkable way.

NPX 300

The NPX 300 powers your system in a silent, fluid way, allowing the preamplifier to concentrate on its main task: controlling the signal. In addition to improving the performance of the NSC 222 preamplifier and streamer, the NPX 300 can be used to upgrade several Naim products, lending them immense flexibility over time. It is also upgradable, as it is also possible to add two NPX 300 power supplies to a single preamplifier or a single source. The first can be dedicated to powering the digital sections, and the second to powering the analog sections.

Cost

£5699 per unit. These items are on demonstration in store. Call in for a liten and to discover more.

Uncategorized - 02/24/2023

The New Auralic G1.1 streamers arrive

Aries and Altair get .1 upgrade

Auralic have become very well known in a short period of time. They've done this by releasing extremely good sounding streaming products. Both their Aries and Altair products have recently been improved and both models benefit from technology proven in the G2 products.

First is the Aries G1.1. This is a high performance streaming transporter. This means you will either need a DAC OR an amplifier with digital inputs. It uses the high-mass base from the award-winning G2.1 series products. This satin silver base plate improves their overall aesthetic and provides extra vibration damping for better sonic performance. The Aries also now support AirPlay 2, further expanding your streaming options. This is in addition to a wide range of streaming services.

The Altair G1.1 is a fully functional streamer with analogue outputs to plug straight into an existing hi-fi system or amplifier. Rather cleverly it also has variable output. This means it can be connected directly into a power amplifier or active loudspeakers to provide variable volume without any loss of performance normally entailed. It also features the rigid base plate and the AirPlay 2 feature.

Both of these units retail for £2499 and both are now on demonstration at Moorgate along with the G2.1 products that bear the same name and features. We've only had them a short while but we're extremely impressed and can confirm that they do offer performance improvements from the previous incarnations.

Founded in 2009 by Xuanqian Wang and Yuan Wang, AURALiC products are all designed and developed with unrelenting attention to detail, exacting tolerances, and extreme precision. AURALiC’s passion for music, peerless expertise in electronics design, and a complete understanding of electrical engineering all govern the care that goes into our design and build process.

Streaming File Formats

Lossless: AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSF, FLAC, OGG, WAV and WV
Lossy: AAC, MP3, MQA* and WMA

Sampling Rates

PCM: 44.1KHz to 384KHz in 32Bit**
DSD: DSD64(2.8224MHz), DSD128(5.6448MHz), DSD256(11.2896MHz), DSD512(22.57892MHz)***

Control Software

AURALiC Lightning DS for iOS
AURALiC Lightning DS for web browser (device settings only)
OpenHome compatible control software (BubbleUPnP, Kazoo)
Roon (Roon Core required separately)

Streaming Inputs

Network shared folder, USB Storage, USB CD Drive, UPnP/DLNA Media Server, Amazon Music Unlimited, HighResAudio, KKBOX, Qobuz Sublime+, TIDAL Connect, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Internet Radio, RoonReady

Audio Outputs

Digital Outputs: AES/EBU, Coaxial, Toslink
USB Output: USB Host to compatible DAC ****

Network

Wired: Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless: 802.11b/g/n/ac Tri-Band WiFi

Power Consumption

Sleep: <10W
Playback: 50W at max.

Dimensions - W x D x H

13.4 x 12.6 x 3.2 in. (34cm x 32cm x 8cm)

Weight

15.9 lbs (7.2kg)

Product Finishing

Anodized aluminum case in matte black

Uncategorized - 10/22/2022

Chord Electronics Ultima series arrives

One of the finest amplifiers we've heard.

Ultima Pre 3 and Ultima 5 power amp are the first pre/power from Chord Electronics we've stocked for a while. That's pretty significant because we're not light on good quality electronics. But when we heard this pairing we felt that it was something special. And we like things that are special.

Built from the ground up, the UTLIMA PRE 3 takes advantage of the very latest developments in advanced low-distortion power supplies. These advanced devices offer exceptionally low noise and outstanding amplifier operation. Coupled with our latest design developments, the PRE 3 offers new levels of preamplifier performance.

The UTLIMA PRE 3 is equipped with five analogue inputs (two balanced and three unbalanced) all of which benefit from individual buffering and are selectively filtered against potential ingress from radio frequency interference.

Externally, the PRE 3 benefits from a completely redesigned aesthetic with a central circular power sphere flanked by a new volume control and balance/AV bypass selector, both of which benefit from a new ergonomic knob design.

Additional features include an AV bypass, plus a 5 V charging USB Type-A port.

ULTIMA 5 is a progression of our most famous stereo power amplifier, the legendary SPM 1200 MK II (widely considered to be the definitive Chord Electronics amplifier).

Now incorporating our latest-generation ULTIMA circuit topology, the new ULTIMA 5 is set to become a future classic. Considered to offer the ideal balance between performance and price, the ULTIMA 5 offers an impressively affordable 350 watts – enough to drive all but the most demanding loudspeakers.

The ULTIMA 5 has built upon the inherent strengths of the SPM 1200 MK II and taken performance to the next level. By implementing our advanced dual-feed-forward error-correction, topology incorporating our own advanced concepts in ultra-high-frequency power supplies, we have been able to deliver supremely fast and powerful performance, with an extraordinarily high peak output current (the speed at which dynamic peaks can be delivered), bringing astonishing dynamics, timing accuracy and, as a result, unrivaled musicality.

Add to that our low-distortion amplifier circuitry with our own proprietary lateral-structure dual-die MOSFETs and the ULTIMA 5 is able to drive loudspeaker loads effortlessly, with clarity and precision. The ULTIMA 5 has an incredible 32 proprietary MOSFET power devices which demand the most advanced and refined drive circuitry, suitably devoid of sound-degrading components.

ULTIMA is a truly unprecedented amplifier topology with exceptional performance and is one of the most advanced amplifier technologies in the world.

Benefiting from a redesigned fascia featuring John Franks’ latest aesthetic, the precision CNC-machined fascia is made from aircraft-grade aluminium and features a reassuringly solid 28-mm thick front panel, enhanced by a recessed spherical polycarbonate power button that illuminates for standby and operation modes; a discreet, hidden front panel switch, located in the vertical split line, enables dimmable lighting.

The amplifier’s rear panels contain both balanced and unbalanced connections, high-quality loudspeaker terminals, a 12 V trigger and a C-19-type IEC.

The pair sound superb!

If you're in the market for such a high-end combination then we suggest having a listen. We think you'll share our excitement and musical involvement.

Uncategorized - 10/14/2022

HANA MC cartridges join our range

Hana have earned an enviable reputation from producing superb and rather good value moving coil cartridges.

Hana means ‘brilliant and gorgeous’ in the Japanese language, the inspiration for Hana cartridges.

The Hana range of low and high output moving coil cartridges offer outstanding performance and value in their respective price ranges.

Hana cartridges are the result of over 50 years expertise from the master cartridge maker Masao Okada-san. The Hana cartridge ranges have been developed to offer supreme musicality at affordable price points, allowing you to spend more on your favorite vinyl records – surely the very reason for buying a good phono cartridge in the first place.

Initially we are stocking three models.

The E series costs £409 and is available in Low Output and High Output (which will plug into an MM inpu

The SL series costs £629 and is available in Low Output and High Output (which will plug into an MM input

The M series costs £1039 and is available in Low Output and High Output (which will plug into an MM input) as well as a mono version.

These three superb cartridges are in stock and on demo now. Discover what makes Hana MC cartridges so special.