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UK Hi-Fi SHow Live 2023

Report by Robin Francis

Great to meet with so many passionate individuals who understand, 'music really does matter!'

Whether your hi-fi journey be hobby, passion, pleasure, or perhaps just curiosity, the UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2023 surely ticked all the above boxes and more? I have been attending hi-fi shows in various guises sporadically for over twenty years and it was refreshing to soak-up such positive energy from eager patrons and enthusiastic exhibitors during a period of relative economic instability.

With the stunning Royal Ascot Racecourse as a backdrop, demonstrators were eager to wax lyrical. On more than one occasion I was reluctantly forced to say…”I’m so sorry, I have to go...!”

As I weaved gently along the Ascot walkways, my journey was punctuated by brief discussions with patrons who shared their musical journeys. It appeared that everyone was on some type of mission or another. All patrons I spoke with acknowledged the ‘high end’ theme and accepted the associated price tags, however, it was acknowledged that such a theme and any associated price tags would need to be demonstrated by ‘appropriate’ improvements. The term ‘subjective’ seemed to be avoided during such conversations at this show.

Without doubt there were a few common favourite demonstrations that were consistently referred to during my discussions:

The Boyer room, simply blew everyone’s socks off sonically. One listener advised. “I never expected streaming to sound so real, I have avoided streaming most of my life as I prefer the vinyl source just because I found streaming to sound so cold. This room has opened my ears to a different world of possibilities!”

Everyone who entered this room clearly looked amazed at what they heard (and physically felt). Every music genre covered had an organic ‘in the room presence.’ The depth, realism and sheer musicality was breath-taking. And surprisingly to some, the valve amplification driving such a wonderful (yet powerful) presentation was a pair of 36 watt per channel valve mono amplifiers. Of course the Lars A class valve amplifiers being used here are ‘special.’ They carry a £63,500 price tag for the pair. Of course I had to ask the fifty million dollar question. “What is the cost of the complete set-up?” Ironically, it was a patron who answered the question before the demonstrator got a chance. £500K (approximately) was the answer!

Definitive Audio, with a stunning array of top performers on demonstration, such as the Living Voice R80 Loudspeaker and the Kuzma XL Air turntable (to name just two). Definitive Audio drew patrons into their room with ease and grace. As I settled to absorb the various subtle textures and lyrical wonders of Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments” from the vinyl source, I felt the world’s stresses simply drip away. Now this is the mark of a great system. The fact that I could easily ignore the components, cables and interconnects in front of me, listen, reflect and enjoy speaks volumes in respect of all the components being used. Patron Terry Johnson also reflected my thoughts by advising. “This is one of the systems I aspire to own. I can feel the layers of musicians coming through and I just love the organic signature. If I do get to the point where money is no object, I will be giving Definitive Audio a call..!”

The Monitor Audio room, this was another powerful presence at the show with everyone commenting on the controlled power and overall sweet sound. I visited this room twice just to make sure I was hearing right. On each occasion I was pleasantly surprised at just how inviting and non-fatiguing this room was, especially considering the relative high volume levels that were demonstrated at various points.

PS Audio demonstration, personally, I felt privileged to be able to spend time talking with the ever approachable Mr. Paul McGowan from PS audio regarding my long and somewhat stressful amplifier search. The PS Audio BHK300 Signature Monoblocks and Signature Preamplifier was at the top of my short-list for some time. Paul has always appeared to be a person you could speak your mind with (and so I did) and we were able to dig deep into my requirements and expectations. As he had his newly developed BH600 Monoblocks on demonstration alongside his Aspen FR30 speakers, this was a great opportunity to not only get an insight into the sonic signature of the BHK amplifier family, but to also absorb advice from an individual who has many years within the industry under his belt. Though I decided not to pursue the PS Audio BHK300 Monoblock route, it was after this (what I regard as constructive positive) encounter that led me deeper into my ‘all valve amplifier’ exploration route.

As I conversed with patrons towards the end of each day, there was a definite feeling of satisfaction and completion overall. Many patrons had acquired the information they came to seek. I suggested further communication with a few individuals to track their progress. Many advised that whatever the outcome, they would definitely be back next year!

Robin Francis
© Michael Valentine Studio
September - October 2023

Featured exhibitors:
Bowers & Wilkins / Classé, Boyer Audio, Cadence Distribution, Decent Audio, Definitive Audio, Henley Audio, HI-FI News Vintage Zone, Innuos, MBL, Mellow Acoustics, Monitor Audio, Node Audio, PMC, PS Audio, Renaissance, Russ Andrews / Kimber Cable, SCV Distribution & Symmetry

Boyer Audio

Important to note that the patrons standing to the right in the photograph below were not waiting to leave. These patrons were waiting for a seat to become available. Nobody left this room during the presentation. In fact, more patrons joined the demonstration midway and many (including myself and colleague) did not want to leave after the presentation.
Our clear show winner!

Definitive Audio
(Click the Definitive Audio product / pricelist below to enlarge)

“This is one of the systems I aspire to own. I can feel the layers of musicians coming through and I just love the organic signature. If I do get to the point where money is no object, I will be giving Definitive Audio a call..!” (Patron – Terry Johnson).