Uncategorized - Page 6 - Moorgate Acoustics

Hegel announce H590 replacement

In many respects the H590 defined the "reference" one box approach. Superb amplifier, inbuilt streamer and DAC with enough power to drive just about any loudspeaker. It won many fans including us and that's why we were curious to see what would replace it.

The H600 launches in late September 2023 with a retail price of £10,500. Here's what Hegel have to say about it.

H600 is our reference integrated amplifier. With its 303 watts in 8 ohms, a damping factor of 4000, and 2 ohms drive capability, this powerhouse of an amplifier can drive any speaker with confidence and ease. The amplifier is a dual mono design, bringing it as close as possible to the performance of two mono amps in a single box. It also boasts a state-of-the-art preamplifier with the extremely precise volume attenuator found in our reference P30A amplifier. All electronic circuitry is designed in-house, and we only use the best-quality components. This gives us unprecedented control over the amplification process. When we combine this with our SoundEngine2 correction technology, we are left with an audio signal that is as close to the original recording as possible. The result is an immensely wide and deep soundstage with incredible dynamic range and tremendous bass control. This amplifier reveals all the details and nuances in the music. All you have to do is connect a pair of really good speakers of your choice.

The H600's D/A Converter is a bit-perfect design, offering pure audio fidelity without any resampling or upsampling. The DAC has a large, dedicated power supply that ensures uncontaminated and stable performance, and it is shielded by a thick steel plate so there is no interference from other electronics inside the amplifier. The result is a cutting-edge D/A converter with incredible resolution and smoothness. The chassis is made of aluminium for better audio performance. It includes a solid bottom chassis and top cover with vents milled in two layers for added rigidity and airflow. Big aluminium feet with an anti-scratch design ensure excellent stability and reduced vibrations, while high-quality RCA connectors and optimized positioning of the analog and digital connectors provide less noise and better channel separation. The large control knobs are equipped with touch control, making this amplifier effortless and intuitive to operate. They also have a very nice tactile feel, making every adjustment a delight.

At Hegel, we believe that great audio should not come at the expense of ease of use. That is why the H600 features a comprehensive list of streaming options. It supports UPnP streaming, Spotify Connect (pending), Airplay 2, Tidal Connect, and Roon Ready (pending). This is however only the beginning. This highly advanced streaming engine will ensure the amplifier is always up to date with the latest options for you to stream your music. The H600 is also highly customizable to ensure it suits any environment. All digital inputs except USB have signal sense. This means that any device connected to these inputs can wake the amplifier and set it to the right input. In addition, the volume can be limited so that it suits your max volume preference. With our remote-control feature, you can program the amplifier to be commanded by common TV remotes, eliminating the need for using two remotes and making it easier for all members of the household to get great TV sound. Most inputs can also be set as a fixed high-level Home Theater input, making it easy to combine the H600 with surround receivers or multi-room devices. As with streaming, more features will be available in the future. These firmware updates are of course always free, and the amplifier will install them automatically when they are launched, ensuring your H600 is always up to date.

The amplifier boasts a large array of analog and digital connections to accommodate various audio sources. There are two pairs of True Balanced XLR inputs and two pairs of RCA inputs. On the digital front, it features a LAN network port, an USB 32/384 input (supporting DSD256/DoP), three optical inputs, a coaxial input, and a BNC true 75-ohm input. For analog outputs, it offers a pair of RCA fixed-level outputs and a pair of RCA variable-level outputs. Additionally, it provides a BNC fixed-level true 75-ohm digital output. The H600 is an extremely capable and great-sounding amplifier. It is highly versatile and delivers high-end sound and ease of use, all in a high-quality and minimalistic housing that fits any interior style. The H600 is a hub for your digital music, a home for all your connected sources, with a sound suitable for mansions. H600 is a powerhouse.

Technical Specifications

Power output: 2 x 303W in 8 ohms, Dual Mono
Minimum load: 2 ohms
Analog inputs: 2 x Balanced (XLR), 2 x Unbalanced (RCA)
Digital outputs: 1 x Coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF - 24/192
Digital inputs: 1 x Coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF - 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x, 1 x Coaxial (RCA) S/PDIF - 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x, 3 x Optical S/PDIF - 24/96, MQA 8x, 1 x USB -32/384, DSD256 (DoP), MQA 8x, 1 x Network - 24/192, DSD64, MQA 8x
Line level outputs: 1 x Unbalanced fixed (RCA), 1 x Unbalanced variable (RCA)
Streaming: AirPlay 2, Roon Ready (pending), Tidal Connect, UPnP
Streaming formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, DSF, DFF, AAC, PCM, MQA, Ogg
Frequency response: 5Hz-100kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: More than 100dB
Crosstalk: Less than -100dB
Distortion: Less than 0.005% @ 50W 8 Ohms 1kHz
Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19kHz + 20kHz)
Damping factor: More than 4000 (main power output stage)
Dimensions/weight: 17,1cm x 43cm x 44,5cm (HxWxD), 22kg
Dimensions/weight US: 6,74" x 16,93" x 17,52" (HxWxD), 48,51 lbs

Uncategorized - 08/09/2023

Keeping things simple

I recently asked some customers on our facebook group what they’d like to see from us and one customer's question was so simple and on the nail that it stopped me in my tracks.

“A basic breakdown of kit - what the various parts do and when you need them. Things like Amp, Dac, Phono Stage. A bit of a newbie guide. I see loads of posts here but don't know or understand what some of the things do or whether I should consider them for my system”

So I’ll attempt to tackle all of that here and I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.

Here is a list of all the kit you might need to listen to music and a brief description of what they do.

Source components

Record player/turntable

Rotates vinyl and recovers music from it. Still one of the best ways of listening to music and quite complex if you really want to dig down and understand it. But in its simplest form a record player plays records.

Radio/Tuner

Received radio signals. There are three types; FM, DAB (digital audio broadcasts) and internet radio. All offer good performance.

CD player

Plays CD’s.

Streamer/Network music player.

Plays digital files. These are on the internet and the Streamer is connected to your internet either wired or wirelessly. You can buy and download these and store them locally on a hard drive. Or you can use subscription services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz and others to listen to their content. All this can be done at very high quality. Streamers also allow you to connect music stored on your mobile phone and also give you access to internet radio.

DAC - Digital to Analogue Converter

DACS are built into most digital products. The reason for this is digital products are digital whilst amplifiers are mostly analogue. A DAC will convert the digital signal to an analogue one which an amplifier can understand and make louder. Digital to Analogue converters are available to suit all budgets. If you have any digital product and you wish to improve the sound then a DAC can sometimes be the most sensible way of doing it.

Phono Stage

This is only for people who want to play records. These can be required because turntables have a very low output. Actually it is less than a tenth of a CD player. So an additional unit is required to step it up or make it louder. Some amplifiers have these built in. Some don’t. Hence the requirement in some but not all instances.

Amplifier

Amplifiers are needed to make the small signal recovered from the source component louder in order to pass the signal to loudspeakers and give you control over the volume.

There are three types of amplifier. Integrated amps are the most popular and the most affordable. An amplifier is made up of two parts. The first is the pre-amp which deals with the signals coming in from the sources. The second is the power-amp which generates watts to power the loudspeakers. An integrated amp has both parts in one box and is “integrated”.

When higher performance is needed then these two parts can be isolated and put in their own enclosures. This generally offers better performance but increased cost.

Loudspeakers

Speakers come in all shapes and sizes and all prices. From very small to quite large. Larger speakers are generally better for reproducing bass. But there are exceptions because not everyone has a large room or wants a large speaker.

Speakers reproduce the sound but are actually not the most important component in the system. In terms of importance we find the source is the most important, amplification next and loudspeakers last. This sort of sounds counterintuitive but the speaker can only reproduce the quality it is given. So very high quality speakers can only do a good job if they’re given a superb signal.

All-in-one systems

These are systems where as much as possible is built into one box. This has advantages and disadvantages and sometimes these are worth looking into before deciding which items you decide to purchase.

You do not need all of the above. Just the source component that suits how you enjoy music, an amplifier and speakers.

We’re aware that this is complicated and it is our job to help guide you through this mire of information. We have listening rooms where you can listen to equipment that suits your budget, the size of your room and your requirements. Our 41 years in business will help guide you to getting something that will transform your enjoyment of music.

Please ask any questions you might have at the bottom of this page or get in touch with us however you prefer for some clarification, advice or help.

Uncategorized - 08/04/2023

In Conversation with........Kieran Pickaver from Henley Designs

Henley Audio is one of the UK and Ireland’s premier audio equipment distributors. Bringing together a variety of high-fidelity brands from around the world, and serving one of the UK’s largest specialist retail networks.

Hello Kieran, thank you for taking part. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the Hi-Fi business.

Thanks for asking me to take part in this Paul. It is great to be able to talk about the industry we work in and the passion we all share for it. My name is Kieran Pickaver, Field Sales Manager for Henley Audio. When I was 14, I was asked by my school to choose a placement for work experience for one week in the run up to Christmas. Not really knowing what I wanted to do, I saw an option for a 'music shop' and like most people, I have always loved music. It started with my mother who used to play records whilst she was cleaning our home - anything from The Sex Pisols to Bob Marley to classical music and more. I started my own collection after watching the film Wayne's World with a tape of Queen's Greatest Hits and it grew from there. So when I arrived at this 'music shop', the owner asked me what my favourite piece of music was - of course I chose Bohemian Rhapsody and he played it for me on the best system he had at the time and I couldn't believe my ears.

From there I was hooked and I started working for Zouch Audio after school on a Friday and on Saturdays. After a couple of years out, I returned to work there, in my early 20s, full time until I joined Henley in 2011. It sounds cheesy to say I loved every minute of it, but I did - every day was different, meeting different people and helping them get that buzz from their music that I got every time I played a piece of music I loved on a great HiFi system. We focused around a good mix of Musical Fidelity, Pro-Ject, Ortofon, DALI, Quad, Chord Electronics and Roksan as well as brands from Metropolis Music who were distributors for brands like Hovland, Lumley Loudspeakers and many more.

We played so much different music too, I found my love for The Doors there with Riders on the Storm played on a pair of DALI Megalines, Musical Fidelity KW750 with matching Pre and a Roksan TMS 2 turntable - an experience I will never forget. We also played music I knew too, from rock (I went through a fairly long System of a Down phase that does still return to the forefront on occasion) to drum and bass on systems ranging from hundreds of pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds and as long as the system worked together, regardless of price, that buzz was always there. I am very proud that my children share my love of music and it is a huge part of our lives. My son has his own record collection now (Queen's Greatest Hits also features in this) and my daughter loves streaming some Disney classics. It is fantastic to see them get such joy from music, as I still do.

What is your job at Henley Designs?

I joined Henley in 2011 as Area Sales Manager, looking after our dealers in the Midlands and South Yorkshire primarily and over the years, my area has grown to include parts of the south and east and Ireland. My role has changed a little this year. In addition to being a salesman, I now work with the other members of our sales team and other departments within Henley to make sure we are supporting our independent dealers across the UK and Ireland in the best possible way - trying to share our passion for the different brands we are representing. This focus is not something new for us but as we grow and our involvement with more national and high profile multi branch groups increases, it was important for us to make sure we continue our work with the independents alongside the nationals.

Henley distributes a lot of brands. Tell us about some of them. I imagine you have your favourites?

Favourites is a hard one! This is a long list as we distribute 19 brands at the current count, each brand having their own range of products which usually cover a number of categories (Pro-Ject for example offer turntables, speakers, electronics and accessories such as clamps, turntable upgrades and cables to name a few) but each brand does generally offer something unique within our range. We are probably most well known for Pro-Ject and Ortofon as we were formed as part of a management buy out of Ortofon UK in 1997 and at that time we were already involved in bringing Pro-Ject into the UK so these are our longest standing brands and considered very special for that reason by everyone in our team. I love both of these brands for probably the same reason, in that I can get so much joy from a relatively inexpensive turntable based system with a fairly modest Ortofon cartridge but then I can play our Pro-Ject Signature turntable with an Ortofon MC Windfeld or Verismo fitted and fall in love with a piece of music all over again like it was the first time. In my experience, it is rare to find brands that can offer something deeply impressive across such a range of price points.

Musical Fidelity holds a special place for me as this was a strong brand from my time at Zouch Audio and I was very happy when we were appointed distributor in 2018. We are all very excited about the A1 but every time I listen to an M6si, I cannot imagine a better all round amplifier for the money. Since MF was acquired by Audio Tuning (the parent company of Pro-Ject), Heinz has been working hard on a vast array of new products which still hold true to the roots of the brand.

Klipsch came on board with us in 2016 and this is a very important brand for us, they offer something very different from most other speaker brands and that is a rare thing to find (we speak from experience here). Klipsch also offer a range of active speakers and it is great to be able to offer products that allow people to get a great sound from their turntable and their TV (as well as other sources) for a fairly modest amount of money and taking up less space than a conventional separates system.

I cannot not mention HiFi Rose, a brand which we first brought to the UK only a couple of years ago and we are very happy to see it grow and thrive. The functionality and sound quality is amazing but made all the better with a lovely touch screen that makes them so easy to use. This is brand that is definitely going places!

Roon is a brand we have been working with for a number of years, with our focus being on the hardware rather than the software. Roon is amazing for those who stream - there is so much you can do with it but the way that it helps you find new music still astounds me every time I use it. The team at Roon are hugely passionate about what they do and you can see this and how the software has improved over the years.

We have an awful lot more in our portfolio too such as Sumiko cartridges, Reloop HiFi who offer a range of typically direct drive turntables, Jamo, Magnat and Heco loudspeakers.

I know the forum members have been excited about the new incarnation of the Musical Fidelity A1. What can you tell us about it?

The A1 is finally just around the corner now, launching with a pair of LS3/5a, and when we heard it for the first time at Munich it was frankly amazing! The design is essentially the same as the original 80s model but with modifications to the chassis including a wider footprint and venting in the side panel, meaning it deals with the heat better than the original. So it's an original A1 amp, improved. Being a low powered Class A amplifier, it will suit high impedance speakers like the LS3/5a or high efficiency offerings from Klipsch and others well, but we have seen some good results with 'normal' speakers too. We are very excited about this product but it's also great to see some new products from the brand.

What do you look for in a brand? What makes you want to sell a product?

Our portfolio is already fairly well packed so we are looking for products and brands that don't conflict with brands we already represent. When we find a potential new brand or a manufacturer approaches us, we are looking at saleability in terms of how good is the fit and finish, what is the support likely to be like from the manufacturer and are the products priced appropriately? Once we have answered those questions then the big question is how does it sound? We have always said that everyone's perception of what is a 'good sound' is different so we listen as a team and as we all have slightly different preferences in how things should sound - we generally come to a team decision. The reputation of a manufacturer is also important but we tend to make our own mind up rather than listening to what everyone else says. Fundamentally, we have to like a product and believe it represents good value for money to the consumer.

I know this is probably a team decision rather than a personal one but if there was one brand you’d wish to be added to the Henley Portfolio what would it be?

We all have a view on brands which would fit out portfolio well and a few that we should have gone for but ultimately our mix of brands is good and allows us to work with a variety of fabulous retailers and if we had taken on a different brand at a different time then our current mix might not be as good. I have great admiration for brands like Hegel and I believe Bill at Auden Distribution is one the class leading distributors in the UK (alongside ourselves of course!) but we operate on the basis of each brand having it's forte - MF for electronics, Pro-Ject for turntables, Rose for streamers etc. – even though each brand will cross over with another in some way. So if we had another excellent electronics brands then it would not allow us to focus the right amount of attention on Musical Fidelity and would draw some question over which brand is our 'preferred brand' within the same category so the honest answer is ,that right now, we couldn't be happier with the brand mix we currently have.

How important is music to you? What was the 1st and last album you bought and what was the last gig you went to?

In short, very! Music plays such a huge part of my personal life; I listen to it when I am doing most things. Exercising, driving, working, relaxing, I listen on my own, either on headphones or a speaker somewhere in the house, and I listen with my family. In my work, it is the core of what we do. A good hi-fi system, regardless of budget, should bring your favourite music to life, it should inspire the strongest emotions and should be something you can share - so it is a hugely important part of my life! First album was Queen's Greatest Hits and the last concert I went to was actually an AC/DC cover band called Live Wire which I went to with my son and they were amazing, they got the sound and the theatrics so right. Before that, it was Mumford & Sons at the Sheffield Arena. This is the third time we have seen them. I'm a big fan of the early stuff and my wife is a big fan of the later albums. They were amazing each time. We saw Kasabian play at the King Power stadium when Leicester City won the Premier League in 2016 and this is one I will always cherish - no massive album push or new song to plug, just them playing some great music and everyone having an absolute ball.

How successful are hi-fi shows? Tell us about your experiences and what you see as the good and bad aspects of them.

It depends on how you measure them. If you were to ask whether we can financially justify our attendance at shows based on sales made directly off the back of the show - then no! If you measure the viability of a show on customer interaction and an opportunity to show people products or combinations of products that they may not normally hear, then they are important. Customer feedback is hugely important and although we hear this on a daily basis when we are contacted by end users, shows do provide a platform to hear what customers want to say.

There are a number of shows in the UK and many of them cater for people with different interests, the Northwest Audio Show is very different from the Bristol HiFi Show which is, in turn, completely different from the HiFi News Show, held at the Ascot Racecourse. All important in their own way but all very different. It is important to say that no show is a cheap show, especially when each brand in our portfolio deserves some good representation at every one we visit so we tend to try to balance the products on demonstration with what we think visitors will be keen to see. So this year at Bristol, we had a large stand with loads of display space and a few active systems and encouraged anyone looking for a demo to visit their local dealer. At the Northwest show, we took a system consisting of a Pro-Ject turntable, a Rose RS250a, a Synthesis valve amplifier and Klipsch high efficiency loudspeakers. It was great to see other exhibitors using MF, Rose and other products from our stable. The plan for the HiFi News Show is still a little up in the air but MF will feature in some way, either the A1 or possibly the Nu Vista Pre and Power system. We will also have the new Rose RS130 streaming transport then too so we will be able to run that with an MF DAC too (M3, M6 or possibly the Nu Vista DAC?!).

As far as good and bad experiences go, we all tend to enjoy working at shows - it gives a rare opportunity for us as a team to spend some time together. It is also great to see others from the industry for a chat (over a beer if you're lucky), many who I would consider friends too. Happily, there are rarely any really bad experiences.

My favourite shows are generally the ones we present in dealers. These are usually far more focused on one area but allow us to present a really nice, bespoke experience and spend far more time talking with groups of people about their own experiences and music they love. When we have presented the Ortofon comparison events, we always see a great mix of opinions and some great conversations - and some great music!

I get the impression that you still enjoy your job. IMO that’s vitally important in our industry because it’s all about people and relationships. What do you like best about your job?

In short, yes I do and once again, it's hard to put it down to one thing! In nearly twenty years, I have had two jobs - Zouch Audio and Henley Audio. The people I work with is a huge part of it. Zouch was founded with a purpose (much like your own), to make good music accessible to people at a variety of budgets. That goal didn't change whilst I was there. Henley was founded by Laurence and Nick, ultimately because they believed in the analogue format, and is still privately owned by those two directors. They believe in the brands we represent and this is shared by our entire team and this makes the job much easier and far more enjoyable. We have a good time too! Laurence and Nick generally arrange a team get together once or twice a year as part of team building and it's always great to catch up in person rather than over the phone or via teams.

Our dealers are also a huge part of it. I would consider many of my customers to be good friends so whilst it isn't all fun and curries - it is far easier to work with people who you get on with and generally want to spend time with. Everyone expects our job to be sitting down listening to music all day long and you know yourself that it is not the case but this job does afford some opportunities to listen to some great music and also be introduced to new music on a regular basis, which can't be said for many career choices out there.

Do you have listening facilities at Henley Audio?

Yes we do, it is important we listen to our products to understand how they sound and how they work. We have always welcomed dealers and end users through our doors but we do operate a dealer first policy. We know that a good dealer can generally offer a far better demonstration and consultation service than we can so our aim is for customers never to need to visit us but we have them should anyone wish to visit. The only thing we ask is for anyone wanting to visit is to book ahead.

What equipment do you use at home? Are you analogue or digital

So for many years, I have been using Pro-Ject electronics at home with great success - initially chopping and changing speakers until I settled on some Jamo Studio 8 speakers as they were front ported and were placed closer to the wall. I chose Pro-Ject's Pre Box RS Digital because I essentially used lots of digital sources and one analogue and went with the matching power amp and upgraded power supplies. They have brought me many years of joy and have worked very well with whatever I have thrown at them. I stream and spend most of my weekday listening using Tidal but have always made sure I've had a turntable in my system too as this is what I really love - playing records and thumbing through album sleeves and notes. As I said earlier, it is something we do as a family too. So for streaming, I've a Sonos Port connected in for when we want to play something throughout the house but I've also got Musical Fidelity MX Stream for ‘proper listening’. On the analogue front, I fell in love with a Roksan Xerxes many years ago and this love affair is still going on - although the turntable is nearly as old as me, it’s still going strong with the occasional rest for some restorative work. For this reason, I've added a Pro-Ject Debut Evo to the roster, with a few upgrades as you would expect. I've added an upgraded sub platter and main platter and upgraded the cartridge to an Ortofon 2M Black. The phono stage is a Lehmann Black Cube II and I'm playing around with power supplies for both decks (different ones for each deck).

I love my Xerxes but added the Debut for more simplicity so my children could enjoy their records when I wasn’t necessarily at home and I have to say, the result of this relatively modest setup is outstanding.

Lastly, I’ve also been playing around with a HiFi Rose RS520 all in one - I use my HiFi system to power my TV sound and the 520 has HDMI ARC built in so this is much easier and it sounds awesome to be honest. Streaming sounds fantastic using Tidal and we’ve taken to using Rose Tube (a skinned version of YouTube to finding new music or trying out recommendations from my friends. I think this is going to become a permanent addition.

My son uses a Pro-Ject MAIA amp with a WiiM Mini for streaming, combined with a well loved pair of DALI speakers in his room and my daughter has recently been gifted a Klipsch The Three for her room so she can play those Disney classics in peace. We tend to bring kit home from work so the setups can be a little fluid but these are what we go back to when I have to begrudgingly give back some tasty piece of MF or Synthesis!

Please join me in thanking Kieran for sharing his experiences, his passion and his love of music.

Uncategorized - 07/15/2023

Innuos Network streamers join our range

We spent the spring looking to add some more Streaming products to our range. We'd heard good things about Innuos so this was top of our list.

Pulse Mini is an affordable solution retailing for £899

Innuos was founded in 2009 to upend conventional thinking about digital music as a source, and engineer innovative, artful HiFi products that deliver unexpected warmth and accuracy – products that unleash the full potential of digital music playback. At Innuos, we are driven to go far beyond simple “ones and zeros.” Innuos products elevate music enjoyment by offering true audiophile performance. We believe remarkably high-quality audio and ease-of-use are essential parts of any memorable music experience. Through precise matching of bespoke hardware and in-house developed software, Innuos music servers, streamers and more, continue to prove that digital music sources can still be pushed to new levels.

Initially we're stocking the Pulse and the Pulse Mini but we'll add other products from the range shortly.

Uncategorized - 07/08/2023

In Conversation with........Jason Saxon from Cyrus Audio

Introduction and brief history of Cyrus

Cyrus Audio is an internationally acclaimed, high-end audio brand based in Cambridgeshire, England. Originally founded as the electronics offshoot of Mission Loudspeakers by Farad Azima in 1984 until separating into a standalone business in the early 90’s.

The company has been at the forefront of the audio scene for nearly 40 years. Having launched the original Cyrus One amplifier back in 1984, it quickly established itself as a company providing outstanding quality for the most discerning of music-lovers, and it has been designing and manufacturing award winning audio products ever since. Cyrus is proud to be one of the few remaining independent British brands, with a range of integrated amps, CD players, power amps and power supplies continuing to be manufactured in the UK.

Its talented R&D team has been responsible for several industry firsts over the years, and it continues to push technological boundaries in pursuit of bringing a better music experience to its customers. The brand's key focus is on ensuring the emotional content of the music is captured, which is why listening to music on a Cyrus system is a truly engaging and uplifting experience. Cyrus has also gained a reputation for products that have a stylish, compact design and, because they can be upgraded, provide lifetime value for the customer.

Hello Jason and thanks for taking part. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in the HiFi industry and describe your current role within Cyrus.

Hi Paul, absolute pleasure, thank you for asking me.

I have been the sales and training representative for Cyrus Audio for the past 4 years now and I am responsible for supporting our retailers along with the UK sales manager, with my role also focusing on training and public events.

The Hi-Fi industry is something I kind of fell into. I have always been involved in music since school, playing guitar in bands etc but I started to enjoy the recording/production side more than the playing. I went to college to study Music Technology which then continued through to university. In my third year of university, I took a year out and found a job working for Revolutions Studios in Cheadle under studio owner Andy Macpherson. For any Who fans out there, Andy remixed several of The Who albums in the early 90’s. I started off basically as a runner, getting coffee, tidying up, setting up equipment etc and when I could, observe freelance engineers and get involved in recording sessions. I continued to work for Revolution throughout my final year of university and a few years after where I ended up becoming assistant engineer to Andy, working with local bands a few known ones; it was an exciting time. When Andy retired the studio closed and I struggled to find enough freelance work to keep me going. I saw a job advert for a HiFi sales assistant for Superfi in Stockport thinking this would tide me over until I could build up some more freelance work. I ended up falling in love with the job and the industry. I found myself doing less and less freelance work and have been in the industry ever since. I had a brief stint out of the industry, but realised how much I enjoyed working in the HiFi industry and was able to use the skills I’d gained there to help secure my role at Cyrus.

What does your day generally involve?

My day involves working closely with our retailer network to ensure they are up to date with all things Cyrus and support them in any way I can to help them fully represent the brand for us to achieve and implement our UK sales and marking strategies. I cover pretty much the west side of the country, from Aberdeen down to Swansea meaning quite a bit of time on the road.

I work closely with R&D and marketing putting together training material for our retailers on Cyrus equipment, keeping their knowledge fresh and up to date. I also host factory tours for our retailers to get further in-depth knowledge on the brand and to see the manufacturing process of our products. This is something we have started opening to the public through our retailers.

I also represent Cyrus at all dealer events and Hi-Fi shows talking about and demonstrating Cyrus products.

We’ve experienced ourselves the hard work you put in doing Cyrus events. What do you particularly enjoy about taking directly to the public?

I have a real passion for music and equipment; I just love talking to people that share the same passion and being around like-minded people. It’s amazing that you can meet a stranger, but with this single common interest you can speak to them like you have known them for years. It creates connections, friendships, and interesting debates.

It’s also great to work for a company that creates such amazing performing products and has a strong history. Being able to talk to someone who still owns an original Cyrus ONE and is enjoying it as much as the day they bought it is quite special. I also enjoy it in a demo when you can see people’s reactions as they hear the difference from one model to another or by adding a power supply, It’s always a look of amazement.

I feel lucky to be able to have a job that it also my interest/hobby and don’t take that for granted.

We’ve been Cyrus stockists for almost 35 years. One of the things we love about the brand has been the fact that cosmetically it has retained its chassis size and appearance which offers customers a degree of security and brand recognition that is quite unique. Has that presented Cyrus with a disadvantage in any way?

The Cyrus chassis is half width and very well designed and established.

The Cyrus design has become somewhat iconic and is instantly recognisable, so it’s hard to stray too far away from this format. The form factor does come with its challenges for our R&D department though. The main challenge is space. Our R&D department have to come up with innovative designs and really think creatively to achieve the high performance that our products deliver.

A great example of this is our chassis which we have used since 1993, it has gone through some tweaks over the years, but the fundamentals have always stayed the same.

Our chassis is made from aluminium through a process called die casting, die casting is a process where molten aluminium is injected into a mould under extreme pressure. This gives us a dense rigid case to build upon; if you ever get a chance to look on the underneath of our chassis you can see the mounting points for the PCB and the transformer are part of the design.

The aluminium alloy we use also works very well for heat dispersal. As many of you will know, the bi-product of any amplifier is heat and most full width amplifiers have two big heat sinks running either side of the power amp section, but because of the size and limited space of our design the heat sinks are built into the chassis.

Aluminium as a material is also non-magnetic and thermally efficient which gives a stable mechanical and electrical platform. Being non-ferrous also means that we can reduce the possibility of stray eddy currents moving across the chassis, helping us to control its radiated electromagnetic performance.

This is just one of many ways where our R&D have to be considerate of every little detail of the design, board layout, components, materials, even what type of screen we use is all down to getting the best sound possible from the product.

Tell us a little bit about how a digital company came to make such a superb phono stage as the Phono Signature?

I suppose with our reputation for creating award winning CD players and DAC’s I can see how we might be perceived as a digital company, but Cyrus has enjoyed a long history with vinyl and has been designing phono stages since the beginning. Our original Cyrus ONE and TWO amps had a wonderful MM and MC phono stages built in and this carried through to Cyrus 3 which was the first amp using the chassis that we are still using today. After the Cyrus 3i we stopped putting built in phono stages in our amplifiers and launched our first separate phono stage, the aEQ7 back in 1998, which was replaced by the Phono X and then by the Phono Signature.

Designing DACS shares a lot of similarities when designing a great Phono stage as you’re dealing with low level circuity. It is very dependent on the power supply design which, along with amplifier deign, has always been the main strength of our R&D department. With the Phono Signature, we deigned a phono stage with an incredible low noise floor, high versatility, and upgradability, making it the perfect phono stage for any system. The Phono Signature inspired design aspects of the XR range, utilizing relays for the input switching instead of using solid state switches for a cleaner signal path.

Vinyl will always have a place within the Cyrus product range, with all current amplifier models having built in MM phono stages, using designs from Phono signature. We also look to embrace Vinyl even more into the future with some very exciting things to come.

Cyrus recently moved part of their base of operations from Huntingdon to Nottingham. What has this meant for the company?

A few years ago, we entered a partnership agreement with one of our manufacturing partners Smart Made Simple (SMS). As part of the agreement SMS took over the complete manufacturing of our products, taking advantage of their modern manufacturing facility here in the UK. Our supplier relationships, component sourcing and supply chain management was also taken over by SMS, enabling us to take advantage of their superior purchasing power, logistics and procurement expertise, which really came into play during the high level of component shortages in COVID. We were fortunate to have stock and carry on building products while many in the industry struggled.

The partnership also gives us direct access to their state-of-the-art design and prototyping facility, which not only speeds up product development processes, but also shortens the production engineering and product testing phases, meaning a huge improvement in the time it takes us to get new products to market.

Our offices, R&D and service department are still based at the same Huntingdon site and this relationship allows us to put more time and resource into our R&D team and allows them to develop core technologies for a new generation of products that will continue to be manufactured here in the UK.

What do you see as the brands strongest points?

Cyrus has a great heritage, turning 40 next year and what comes along with that is a strong reputation for building high performing products and a loyal customer base. It’s always nice speaking to customers who have been with the brand for years and the system journey they have been on.

As you mentioned earlier, our products are unique due to their form factor. We have been consistent and stuck with a small footprint design as it makes our products extremely practical in today’s world of ever decreasing available living space, or for customers that do not want their Hi-Fi to dominate their room, without compromising on sonic performance.

At the heart of Cyrus, we have a talented R&D department who, over the years, have developed several unique technologies such as Servo Evolution that have kept our products ahead of our peers as well as continuing to push the sonic performance of our products and creating a better music experience for our customers.

We’re pretty excited to get our hands on the two new Cyrus streamers later in the summer. Tell us a little about how Cyrus made the decision to use the Bluesound front end in their forthcoming streamers. Our customer are fans of Bluesound and they’d love to know how you have gone about adding your own experience and knowledge.

This is a product that I have been very excited to start showing and talking about. BluOS is one of the best streaming interfaces on the market. It supports a wide range of music services and hi-res formats. It has multiroom capabilities along with an interface that makes the product simple to set up and easy to use, so it was a no brainer to partner with them for our next generation of streamers. This, along Airplay 2 and being Roon Ready makes sure we are covering all bases on how people can stream their music.

We have a strong reputation in designing DACs and power supplies and it’s these decades of experience and knowledge we have put into our BluOS streamers. The DACS in the streamers are using our latest QXR designs, which are based around an ESS ES9038Q2M chipset. These DAC’s have been designed with reducing as much noise as possible, which results in increased dynamic range. This, along with the ability to fully tune the DAC, results in a DAC which re-constructs the analogue signal with incredibly accuracy and precision.

Along with highly specked power supplies within the products these can be further enhanced by adding the relative external power supply.

With our DAC and power supplies based around BluOS streaming module, it creates a range of streamers that offers incredible sound quality, versatility, usability, and upgradability.

What equipment do you use at home?

I have a few systems around the home, with a couple ongoing projects.

In my kitchen I have Dali Phantom E-80 ceiling speakers being driven by a Cyrus ONE Cast and using Chord Leyline X speaker cable. I am a sucker for technology and use this mainly through Google home. I love the automation and voice control abilities, along with the power and control that ONE Cast offers, it works excellently in this space.

I am currently putting together a home cinema system in my lounge, which is an ongoing project. Home cinema is something the whole family enjoys, which is the main reason for going down this road. I first started by soundproofing and treating the room so we can enjoy it to its full potential. It will be a 5.1.2 Atmos system running Dali Phantom M375 inwall speakers for the front, Dali Phantom H-60 for the rear and Dali Phantom E-60 for the ceiling, an Arcam AVR30 will be doing the processing and to improve upon the amplification I will be running Cyrus power amps on every channel. I still need to get a subwoofer, which will probably be single or twin REL’s and a Projector, which I am still undecided on. Cabling is from Chord, a mixture of Odyssey X and Rumour X speaker cable, Shawline subwoofer cable with AudioQuest Cinnamon HDMI.

In my home office I mainly use a Cyrus i9-XR. This is such a versatile amplifier with plenty of grunt and precision. I still need to source some speakers for this system and still deciding on what to get, but currently I use some Sennheiser HD600 headphones which I have owed for years. I also plan on putting a turntable in this system eventually, but that will be further down the road.

What was the 1st and last LP you bought?

The first record I bought was Peter Gabriel’s So! album. This album is a classic and amazingly recorded and produced, there is not a bad track on there. I like how timeless Gabriel songs are and with a lot of music you can clearly tell the era through the instruments or production techniques, but this album still easily stacks up against modern recordings.

The last record I bought was the Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness Remastered reissue. I am a huge Pumpkins fan and think Billy Corgan is such an underrated guitarist. Easily one of the best bands I have seen live. This album takes you on a journey; it’s one I especially like listening to from start to finish uninterrupted.

What was the last band you saw live?

The last band I saw live was a local band from Glossop called Rook and the Ravens. These guys really put on a show and grab you from the start, a real talent with some unbelievably tight harmonies. Definitely worth checking out their tracks online and catching live if you can.

Other than Cyrus what products do you particularly like and have time for and why?

I think we are in a great time in Hi-fi where there is so much wonderful and high performing kit about. I think the days are gone where you get a really bad product, it’s just a matter of personal taste. There are a few brands though that have really grabbed my attention.

Dali is a brand I really like, as you probably guessed as I own them. Dali make a great range of speakers that are well priced, well made and sound phenomenal at every price point. Their new higher end speakers also look very impressive, and I can’t wait to have a listen.

I have worked closely with Spendor and use their speakers a lot. They are really nice people to work with and make some classically modern looking speakers. The D7.2 are my favourite go to speakers whenever I do a demo. A modest sized speaker that performs like a much bigger one and produce a big revealing soundstage, especially when being powered by Cyrus.

With electronics my favourite at the moment is the Linn Klimax DSM. What a beautiful piece of kit that is cleverly designed. It has a classic look that will stand the test of time and a screen that won’t date in years to come. I really like the modular approach that Linn takes too, great for upgradability. It is also a really well engineered piece of equipment with excellent use of materials.

My last item is a product that I have been following and managed to use a few times for demos over the years. It’s a German speaker brand called Audio Physic. They are an innovative company, like us in many ways but their speakers just effortlessly disappear when listening to them and they deliver a huge soundstage which easily lets you create a picture of the band or artist you are listening to and forget you are listening to Hi-Fi System.

What can we expect from Cyrus in the future?

This is a subject that I can’t delve too deep into unfortunately. This year we are focusing on completing the Classic and XR range with a small surprise product thrown in. We are launching our Cyrus streamers in August that runs on the BluOS platform, along with new power amps in September. Next year is our 40^th Birthday and we plan to go big with some very exciting products that will surprise a lot of people.

Finally which direction do you see our industry taking in the future?

This is a hard question, if only we all had that magic glass ball. I think there are two sides to this, the retailer side, and the product side.

Within the Hi-Fi industry I think the bricks and motor retailer will always be needed, a place for a customer to demo a range of equipment and get unbiased truthful advice in a comfortable friendly environment is essential. Music and listening to music are a passion and I think people always like to buy from people who share that passion. The high street is no longer becoming the place for a Hi-Fi shop, instead destination stores with a boutique feel and space for parking are favoured to create an incredible and special instore experience. The internet and social media are also a powerful tool, especially the latter. You are already starting to see this, but as well as sales staff, content creators will become essential for a shop as well-produced, unique, informative material can be a big influence on where a customer purchases their equipment from.

On the products side, HiFi equipment and technology has always been determined by the format that is most popular and I see streaming will continue to grow and become more advanced. I think as households are becoming more automated, we also will see more traditional Hi-Fi products integrate this technology to easily allow music to be played seamlessly. There will still always be a place for the physical format, but this side will continue to be dominated by vinyl, I think.

This was brought up in a previous conversation post, but AI technology will play a huge part in the Hi-Fi industry as well as everywhere else. I believe we are only seeing the start of this technology and see it being a big part of the future, whether this is a good or bad thing is hard to say right now.

Sincere thanks to Jason for taking the time to share his experiences and his enthusiasm with us. Many of our customers have met Jason and know how dedicated he is.

Uncategorized - 07/07/2023

Listinging room choices

The best music to listen to are your own favourites. But here are some of ours. We've chosen these for the performance, the quality of the songs and the quality of the recording. We've also chosen them for their entertainment value.

Nils Lofgren Acoustic Live is just that; him on an acoustic guitar performing live and magnificently recorded. Simple and lacking nothing. Standout track is Keith Don't Go - a letter penned to Keith Richards when he was contemplating leaving The Rolling Stones. Impressive and with a huge dynamic range. Sometimes simple is best.

Lorde Pure Heroine is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It was released on 27 September 2013. After several unsuccessful sessions with songwriters, Lorde was paired with Joel Little by A&R representative Scott Maclachlan, who assisted with the album's production. Recording took place at Golden Age Studios in Auckland. Pure Heroine has been described as an electronica, dream pop, electropop, and gothic pop album with minimalist production, deep bass and programmed beats. Standout song is Royals. It's catchy and has some superb lyrics and a chasmic bass delivery.

Albert Collins Icepickin'. Collins is the master of the Telecaster and a superb bluesman. He and his band are a tour de force. The whole album is superb but "Conversation with Collins" is quite hillarious and deliciously politically incorrect. Great recording and great entertainment.

Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brock Road is a double album and a homage to Hollywood. It contains some of the John/Taupin writing teams finest songs and is a personal favourite of ours. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is as good an album opener as I can think of. Soaring (and system testing) synths and the backing of one of the best rock touring bands of the 70's. But in truth this album is full of standout tracks.

The White Buffalo is an American artist that is difficult to catagorise. His vocals are remarkable and he sings songs that create images in the mind of the listener. He's not particuarly well known and he deserves to be. We've chosen Love and the Death of Damnation and standout tracks "I Got You", a duet with Audra May.

Ghost Impera. A band that polarises folk by marrying Abba-like melodies with classic rock and with strong theatrical themes. "Call Me Little Sunshine" is our choice and it's worth the price of admission alone. And this album is full of bangers.

Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre, Op. 40, is based on the French legend that Death packs a fiddle and comes to play at midnight on Halloween, causing the skeletons in the cemetery to crawl out of the ground for their annual graveyard dance party. It was also the theme for the BBC's Jonathan Creek TV series. There's nothing quite like it and it certainly gives the system a fantastic workout.

The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed is 54 years old but still sounds fresh as a daisy and is testament to great musicianship and songwriting. OK "Love In Vain" isn't a Stones song but their version of it has all the Stones hallmarks and that's our standout track.

Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges is another solo guitar offering but you'd think there were two or three guitarists playing. Released in 1984, Aerial Boundaries “blew the genre apart,” according to Joe Gore of Guitar Player magazine. Aerial Boundaries is perhaps the most important instrumental guitar album in history. Hedges brought a heightened level of compositional sophistication and technical wizardry to this album. We can't pick a standout track because it is all superb!

Uncategorized - 06/24/2023

Naim Nait 50 Now on demo

Pre-order here

Currently playing in our listening room and sounding rather good! We have a Sondek connected up and a Bluesound Node X streamer and we have PMC Twenty5 .23i speakers on the end. Sounding extremely promising so far. Will let you know more when we're had some time.

Limited release of the iconic Nait but upgraded to celebrate 50 years of Naim.

Pre-order here.

To celebrate our 50th anniversary (1973 - 2023) and all these years of shared passion for sound, we pay homage to our iconic integrated amplifier: NAIT 1.
Made in England, NAIT 50 is presented in a limited-edition of 1973 pieces.

NAIT 50 is the worthy successor of NAIT 1, Naim’s integrated amplifier released in 1983.

Every part of the NAIT 50 has been redesigned. It is a ‘big box’ audiophile Naim integrated in a small box. Some of the new features on this anniversary edition include the new discrete transistor headphone amplifier found in the New Classic series, so you can enjoy all types of listening. Behind its sleek design, NAIT 50 also delivers top-notch sound quality.

25W of power per channel with peaks of 225W, three analogue inputs, including a discrete transistor MM phono stage: NAIT 50 combines power, performance, and versatility. It reproduces the most exacting dynamics with all the confidence and authority we have come to expect from a Naim amplifier. It can be linked with all loudspeaker types, as well as a streamer, for the ultimate hi-fi system.

Product Type	Integrated amplifier
Damping factor into 8	36
Input signal for clipping	Line: 88mV Phono: 710mV
Peak current into 1 (1kHz 1mS)	Peak +/- 15 (peak power at 225W)
Audio Inputs	1 x RCA pair (47kΩ), in MM phono level 5mV 2 x 5-pin DIN (stereo, 47kΩ), line leve

MM Phono Input

47kΩ and 100pF

Crosstalk	Line: 85dB, (at 1kHz, 25Watts 8Ω) Phono: 80dB
THD + N	0.015%
Headphone Output	1.5Watts 16Ω
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	Ref. 1Watt 8Ω, A-weighted : Line: 80dB, 1V input / Phono: 78dB, 5mV inputRef. 25Watt 8Ω, A-weighted: Line: 93dB, 1V input / Phono: 84dB, 5mV input
Power Outputs	25Watts 8Ω @0,1% THD+N 40Watts 4Ω @0,1% THD+N 60Watts 2Ω @1% THD+N
Frequency Response	Line: -3dB @ 4Hz to 45kHz Phono: -3dB @ 6Hz to 30kHz
Gain	Phono: +40dB (@1kHz RIAA) Pre-amplication (and headphone): +16dB Power Amplifier: +29dB

Weight	9.9lbs (4.5kg)
Dimensions (HxWxD)	33/8 x 81/8 x 125/8" (8.7x20.7x32.1cm)

Mains Supply	115V or 230V, 50/60Hz
Power Consumption	Typical use consumption: 20W Stand-by mode consumption: <0.5W

Uncategorized - 06/22/2023

What's in a watt

People are often confused about the importance of power, or watts per channel in audiophile amplifier design. Generally and confusingly it is often assumed that more power means better performance. This is often far from the truth. The amount of power you need depends on various factors and the specific requirements of the speakers and your listening preferences. While watts per channel can provide an indication of an amplifier's power output, it is not the sole determinant of an amplifier's performance or sound quality.

In general, higher wattage amplifiers have the potential to deliver more power to speakers, allowing for higher volume levels and the ability to drive demanding speaker loads. If you have large speakers or enjoy listening at high volume levels, having sufficient wattage can be important to avoid distortion and ensure clean, dynamic sound reproduction.

It’s also worth noting that perceived loudness is not solely determined by the amplifier's power rating. Other factors, such as speaker sensitivity and room acoustics, also play significant roles. For instance, speakers with higher sensitivity require less power to achieve the same volume levels compared to speakers with lower sensitivity. So if you don’t need high volume and your speakers are not difficult to drive then you don’t need high power.

Moreover, the quality of amplifier design, circuitry, and components has a profound impact on the sound quality, regardless of the wattage. Factors like low distortion, low noise, high signal-to-noise ratio, and excellent frequency response are crucial for accurate and faithful audio reproduction. A well-designed amplifier with lower wattage can often provide exceptional sound quality, musicality, and detail retrieval, especially in systems with efficient speakers and moderate listening volumes.

It's worth mentioning that many audiophiles prioritise the overall audio performance and sonic characteristics over sheer power output. They may opt for high-quality amplifiers with lower wattage but superior engineering and build quality to achieve a more transparent and engaging listening experience.

Class A amplifiers are a case in point . They’re known for their high-quality sound reproduction and low distortion. One of the reasons why they can sound fantastic with relatively low power is due to their inherent design characteristics. Many are rated at 20 watts per channel or less.

In a Class A amplifier, the output stage transistors or tubes are biassed in such a way that they conduct current throughout the entire waveform cycle, even when there is no input signal. This means that the output devices are always "on" and ready to amplify the incoming audio signal.

Since the output devices are constantly conducting current, they can respond instantaneously to changes in the input signal, resulting in a highly accurate reproduction of the original audio waveform. This characteristic is beneficial for reproducing subtle details and nuances in the music, which can contribute to a more realistic and pleasing listening experience.

Additionally, Class A amplifiers typically operate in a single-ended configuration, where the output devices amplify the entire audio waveform. This arrangement allows for a simpler circuit design and eliminates the need for complex crossover distortion compensation circuits found in other amplifier classes.

However, it's important to note that Class A amplifiers are generally less efficient than other amplifier classes. The constant current flow through the output devices generates heat, even when there is no input signal, which leads to power dissipation. As a result, Class A amplifiers tend to consume more power and generate more heat compared to other amplifier types.

While Class A amplifiers can deliver exceptional sound quality, their power requirements can be relatively high compared to other amplifier classes. To achieve high-quality sound, they often require robust power supplies and heatsinks to handle the increased power dissipation.

The eagle-eyed will also notice that amplifiers like Naim Audio rarely deliver massive amounts of power. However they deliver their rated power easily and without running into distortion. This means good quality sound across the listening spectrum from low to high. In fact the hallmark of a good amp is that it should sound the same when you turn it down as well as up.

You may recall that in the 80’s more power was always assumed to mean better. But good design very quickly proved that this was not the case.

Uncategorized - 06/21/2023

In Conversation with........Richard Bates from Auralic

Richard Bates works for Auralic. A relative newcomer to the World of streaming, based in Oregon USA with manufacturing in Bejing, Auralic have very quickly carved a niche for themselves with superbly built, well designed and fantastic sounding products. Founded in 2009, they develop innovative audiophile-grade components, including streamers and DACs.

Hello Richard, I'm pretty sure you've been in the Hi-Fi industry as long as Moorgate. Tell us where you started and a little about your career.

I started an apprenticeship in electronics late 70's learning how to repair audio equipment and then slipped in to 'Hifi' retail in the eightiesfor five years, which was great fun as youngster. I then progressed in to professional sound and lighting specification mid-eighties designing club sound & lighting systems and then joined Celestion Loudspeakers out on the road for three years (that's when I first met you and your dad, Paul).

Yes I have vivid memories of you from the Celestion and Meridian days.

I joined Meridian Audio in 1990 and started a nineteen year stint just at the time when separate DAC's came to market and Meridian introduced the worlds first DSP digital loudspeaker systems. That was a hard concept to introduce nearly thirty years ago and is just now becoming a bit more common. Meridian were somewhat ahead of their time, to say the least. Looking back, it was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time within a forward looking organisation producing really cool stuff. I've enormous respect for Bob Stuart and the late Allen Boothroyd. Big changes came when the company sought involvement and external investment from a luxury goods consortium - a new track in a different direction coinciding with the financial crash in 2008 resulted in my position being made redundant. I spent some time back in retail sales and marketing and was then approached by Auralic in 2015 who were looking for someone to build the brand in the UK and Europe.

I DJ'd in clubs for quite a while and always yearned for 'hifi' sound quality in big spaces. I think I had more fun setting up the gear than actually playing the records! - I can remember in the early eighties running a quite large mobile disco with a pair of SL1200's with Grado cartridges and a couple of original Marantz CD63 CD players, three-way actively crossed over big JBL / RCF loudspeaker system driven by multiple Quad 405.2 power amplifiers, all lugged around in a Transit van. Quite something back in the day and a complete pain to set up and move around, but it seemed worth it. And then everything shrunk and became smaller - eight Bose 802's and bass cabinets driven by a new breed of immensely powerful MosFet power amplifiers. I still DJ very occasionally today, but its so much easier with a MacBook, Traktor and a Nexosystem.

What changes have you seen during your time within the industry? Good and bad.

The biggest changes over four decades? To the good - despite the comings and goings of formats and the naysayers prophesying the death of audio for longer than I care to remember, great quality product at many levels & prices has never been so accessible. Its widely available and there really hasn't been a better time than now to enjoy music in great quality at an affordable price for youngsters and those with a bit of interest in sound beyond what comes out of an Amazon Echo or the TV.

Streaming high quality sound over the internet was the stuff of dreams up until just ten years ago - we shouldn't take any of that for granted. Computer audio justifiably received much criticism in the early days with the ubiquitous rise of the iPod and music derived from noisy PC's and dodgy web sites, all highly compressed. But that's all changed. Let's not forget the rise of internet radio - there are so many fantastic radio stations available globally and if you choose carefully, can be one of the best ways to find new music and the audio quality in many cases is very good . I also think its nice that records have re-emerged as a very engaging and fun way to enjoy an artists work - its good for the audio industry.

To the bad - well, that could be construed as negative in some quarters but a few things spring to mind. Product sold purely on price by internet vendors ultimately isn't good for the consumer. These companies could be selling hifi or bags of sand, it would make any difference to them. Bad buying decisions can be easily made. People interested in good quality audio should, where possible, hear a component, or system for themselves - its very personal. Then there's the rise of the 'expert' Hifi YouTubers who can put out all sorts of inaccurate and disruptive messages - it's like the 'wild west' out there! Retailers purporting to be distributors, when the majority simply buy the brand ( usually from smaller companies) and sell it through their own store. Distributors margins take in to account marketing, purchasing stocks, supporting and distributing products - that's a skilled, time consuming and costly exercise. Retailers operating this way can, and do, make significant profit on products sold to customers and may be some what biased when proffering their advice at the expense of other alternative products they may have in their store, which isn't good for the consumer.

Auralic (to our mind) have come along into a very established market and with little fanfare and managed to become a significant player in no time at all. Many others have tried and failed. It comes as a surprise to us that there are so few good players in the market. What's your take on this and what drew you to the company?

Designing and manufacturing a 'complete' streaming eco-system encompassing control, software and hardware and then deliver it consistently to a global market place is challenging. We design and manufacture our own hardware, our own 'Lightning' server and our own 'Lightning DS' control app with a real obsession for innovative design, style and the very best possible sound quality. Many other are reliant upon involving external designs for control. I like the fact that our guys are young, forward thinking with progressive ideas. Our brand has quite quickly developed a reputation for producing rock solid products at the forefront of the streaming revolution and we couldn't have wished for better coverage in the press and the commitment of our business partners to what we do - it's very humbling. We compete with the best on a global stage delivering well made products with cutting edge performance. There's a growing adoption of streaming by progressive audiophiles and music lovers alike of high resolution music streaming services such as Qobuz, Amazon Music HD and Tidal - this is now becoming prevalent all over the world where it has become the primary digital listening source.

As to what drew me to Auralic; it was following an introduction from an industry colleague. Auralic were relatively new, well financed and keen establish growing business in the UK - I took a long, hard look at the brand during the summer of 2015 and following meeting up with my then colleague Christian Rechenbach Xuanqian in the Netherlands and then checking out the companies credentials and testing several products in the UK, I signed contracts nine months later at the Munich Show in May 2016. I now oversee the EU, Scandinavian and Australian markets and working with my colleague Brent Hefley in the USA, take care of our PR, advertising and marketing activities in Europe.

Analogue or digital?

It doesn't really matter as long as its done well. I've always had a very much 'live and let live' attitude to peoples preferences for analogue and digital music carriers and for different formats. During the years I've spent in the business, I've met many very opinionated characters who profess to know what is best for everyone. This seems to me to be rooted in a narrow perspective and personal experiences from the past. I think its really up to the 'informed' customer to decide what they like to use, play with or listen to - some like music, some like gear, some like both, some just like faffing about, some like attention, some are never satisfied, some need to belong to a club and some are mildly bonkers. I don't think anyone can say the end is nigh for a physical format and its highly unlikely that CD, vinyl or recorded quarter inch tape will disappear anytime soon. The natural shift toward music streaming is very encouraging in that it is this medium which ultimately will bring young people in to appreciating music, and some of those will seek good quality sound in their lives at home or on the move. It comes at just the right time with network infrastructures and mobile environments which readily support high quality streams. As I mentioned earlier, the LP record is good too in attracting a young audience - it's good for the attention span as it discourages hopping from one track to the next, and the whole experience playing a record can be alluring, making the process an event and something to spend time with. It can also be a complete faff depending on your mind set and point of view.

So I guess if I had to make a choice then digital is the way forward - its come on in leaps and bounds in recent years as A/D D/A convertors have become truer to source and high quality streaming music providers have come to the fore. Having said that, I still get a nice fuzzy feeling when I hear a familiar recording on an old Revox or a very nice LP on my record player. I don't think anyone should judge someone who chooses to collect records, tapes, CD's or streams music. Similarly speakers - panels, horns, passive, active or DSP - which is 'best' ? A person can surely decide based upon what they research or have a yearning for, and most importantly the advice of someone they can trust and are comfortable dealing with - someone like you, Paul! I guess I do get a little perplexed with folk who vehemently denounce one format or audio component over the other, all too often with limited experience of what music in different environments really sounds like, but i guess we're all different and its impossible to legislate for what happens beyond an individuals ear drum and that inner cerebral experience 🙂

Can you explain to our customers the reason behind Auralic offering an Aries and an Altair product?

'Aries' G series streamers purely have digital outputs so are designed for optimal performance when connected via USB or SPDIF to an external digital to analogue converter. 'Altair' G series models incorporate a digital to analogue converter. Both models offer many features including CD playback and ripping function when a suitable drive is connected, option internal music storage, wired & wireless connectivity and Auralic's native 'Lightning DS' IOS app. The internal music storage option offers the best audio performance, negating the need for off-board or attached network storage.

We also make a separate DAC called 'Vega'. We've developed our own Fusion DAC technology which uses a unique and proprietary combination of our own coding and partial use of an off-the-shelf ESS DAC chip. Our latest Vega G3 model uses a unique combination of FPGA device ( our Proteus platform) in conjunction with an ESS DAC.

We feel the lightning app is a very good one. How important do you see the app in the streaming experience?

Our designs are well thought out and well engineered, but all that means very little without a dedicated control app which is easy to navigate and pleasurable to use. Our customers must have an enjoyable experience in both selecting their music choices and enjoying the music. Lightning server is built into all streamers and its often overlooked just how important server technology is in contributing to the sound of a product.

What electronic brands and loudspeakers stimulate your interest? Are there any favourites that you "go to" at exhibitions?

I have a soft spot for L'Acoustic , ATC, Spendor, Hegel, Rega and T+A electronics. The people behind Innuos are really good people. DCS make some nicely engineered stuff too.

Can you give us a little insight into anything that Auralic might be working on for the future?

We've just launched new G2.2 and G3 Aries and Vega products at High end Munich. The response from press and consumers alike was incredible. A new platform and deployment of some proprietary technologies. 90% of the components in these models are all new.

How do you see the audio industry developing in the coming years?

Technology won't slow down. Streaming music and pictures will be dominant. Records and CD's will still be around. Hifi Shows will still be small and niche, and there will always be people drawn into and fascinated by audio gear.... and some of those might just like music! I don't think many forsee just how big a part AI and quantum computing will play in product development, consumer behaviour and how it will intersect with existing platforms and products, influencing consumers in how they think about music and how it fits into their lives. Truly it is hard to envisage exactly how AI will manifest itself, but for sure, it will play a part in the audio industry which may be quite disruptive for a while. As a consequence, there's good chance high quality audio may become increasingly homogenised - increasingly refined design techniques, differentiated by aesthetic and how loud a manufacturer shouts saying theirs is the best.

I completely agree about AI. I think it will turn things upside down and i am not sure all of it is going to be good for the World.

What equipment do you use at home?

Sonos throughout the house and in the garden for background radio. TV audio via ARC to a Sonos amp driving four B&WCCM682 in-ceiling speakers with a hidden Sonos sub - I like Sonos, it just works, offers reasonably good audio quality and has been instrumental in growing the music streaming business. My stereo system consists of an Aries G2 with Vega G2 DAC via XLR to a Hegel 590 Integrated amplifier and ATC HTS40's with subwoofer. I have a Rega P10 / Apheta 3 with Aria for records and a Nakamichi DR2 cassette deck for the odd 'rose tinted' stroll down memory lane. I've an all-in-one Auralic Polaris with a pair of small B&W686S2 in the office. If I'm travelling its iPhone streaming from Qobuz through my car system and wireless AirPods Pro for personal listening. I've a pair of Senheisser HD650's and Beyer DT150's headphones I use occasionally with an Auralic Taurus headphone amplifier running off the Hegel. I've always loved music, always loved great audio since I was a kid.

That much is evident Richard. Thanks very much for taking part and for sharing your experiences and insights with us.

Uncategorized - 06/06/2023

Streaming made simple(r)

Technical Specifications