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UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2024

Observation Report & Patron Feedback

‘One thing for certain is the fact that the hi-fi industry as a whole will have to work even harder to prize the few pennies left in our grief stricken wallets and purses!’
Patrons Susan & Donovan Price – from London

As I conversed with patrons entering the prestigious Ascot venue, it was clear many (like myself) were here to look, listen, touch (if they could) and perhaps make medium to long-term purchase decisions. Of course, this is a ‘high-end’ hi-fi show. Many components on demonstration will be out of my league financially. BUT, high-end ideas can give birth to high-end hi-fi sound quality by re-evaluating expectations and reviewing various alternatives. Also, as stated above, nobody I spoke to was going to take a purchase leap without full financial justification. “Do I (or we) really need this?” “Is the improvement exceptional value for money?” “Can I (or we) live with it in our environment?” It is refreshing to witness more women attending and participating year-on-year in the form of objective listening opinions and that all important final purchase choice. It is also somewhat comical to observe the occasional nervous body language of some men when their partners are giving that ‘final decision..!’

Harmony HI-FI Distribution, this was the first room which caught my attention. Admittedly, having the AMG Viella Forte on display will do this! AMG produce some of the finest turntables you can buy in my opinion. We have been proud owners of the Viella V12 turntable for several years and have never looked back. Once the demonstration began, I was able to shift my attention away from the solid physical beauty of the Viella Forte turntable and concentrate on the music.

The physical and sonic presence of this room did command a great amount of attention from many patrons (and for good reason). With obvious assistance from Gryphon Apex Mono Power Amplifiers, Marten Mingus Septet speakers and associated components, the combined sonic capabilities of all the components in this room certainly made me draw a breath or two occasionally. For me, the most impressive part of this musical demonstration was the bass and midrange delivery. Fast, coherent and palpable. You could not help but sit up in your chair in awe here. I did feel there could be improvements made with regards to the higher frequencies though. I am an electrostatic speaker owner (MartinLogan ESL11A) and I am yet to hear a cone speaker that meets my overall requirements. Just by chance, I sat next to another electrostatic speaker owner (Martinlogan Clarity range). I did not catch this patron’s name, however, he advised “… I like so much of what I am hearing here, but it is extremely difficult to find a system (and / or speaker) which tells the whole story!”

Marten (founded by Leif Ma°rten Olofsson in Sweden in 1998) are definitely onto something here. It takes a lot for a pair of cone speakers to turn my ears. I will be keeping both ears and eyes strategically positioned in their direction from this point onwards.

Use the link here to discover more about Marten. About - Marten

YG Acoustics, utilising Avantgarde Uno SD speakers, Boulder amplification with the Aurender N150 Music Server. Horn speakers have always been somewhat of a mystery to me. I have never had a ‘full’ demonstration which allowed me to fully understand, or appreciate what these speakers can do. So, I hung around for a while in the hope I could finally walk away in the knowledge that I have at last experienced what the revered Avantgarde horn speakers can deliver, alas, this did not happen. The first choice of playback was Metrik’s fast and dynamic electronic “Ex Machina” album. By the time I noticed Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” track being lined up (the male baritone voice of choice for many hi-fi demonstrations) it was time for me to move on. Of course this is my loss! Speaking to Karen and John (husband & wife) later, John confirmed he would love to own the Avantgarde Uno SD speakers, however, Karen commented that she could not live with them saying

“...they visually remind me of the 1986 movie “Little Shop of Horrors!”

Sound Design Distribution, another room I felt impelled to enter, walk around and just gasp! Vivid Audio’s Moya M1 speakers certainly capture the imagination. The listener expects BIG and that is exactly what you get. Driven by revered *Halcro Eclipse mono block amplifiers, this room was effortlessly filled with music.

Renowned hi-fi educator, Matthias Böde led a demonstration comparing the potential audible differences between recording and playback using MP3 and CD at different bit rates and resolution.

*The Halcro Eclipse mono produces 300 watts/per channel into an eight-ohm loudspeaker,
550 watts/channel into four-ohms with a peak power of 2.1kW for the most dynamic of transients.

Absolute Sounds

“It’s all about the music…!”
Ricardo Franassovici (Absolute Sounds MD)

Absolute Sounds is an established name in the high end world of hi-fi, so it was no surprise to view the stunning array of beautifully crafted and revered hi-fi components on display. Many (including myself) were also very pleased to have the opportunity to hear just a few of these components in action.

There was an air of excitement in the Absolute Sounds demo room. I chatted with a few attendees as we walked in who mentioned their main focus would be the Magico S3 speakers. I was also looking forward to this opportunity to finally get an up-close look and listen to the S3. I have been researching the Magico range of speakers for some time as a possible replacement to my beloved MartinLogan ESL11A speakers.

It was refreshing to hear Ricardo Franassovici passionately wax lyrical about the importance for the audiophile to “concentrate on the music and to stop worrying if the recording is not perfect!” He also advised on the possible challenges the audiophile may have in respect of enjoying digitally reproduced music, as the human brain could “struggle trying to translate digital media, which in turn could lead to stress!” The floor was then handed over to Mike Valentine (Chasing The Dragon Audiophile Recordings) who continued the demonstration by airing two of his DSD recordings via a digital source! This was a succinct demonstration with no opportunity to listen to any other type of recording.

So that was it! As we left the room a patron turned to me, shrugged his shoulders and asked… “Did I miss something?”

The Magico speaker range is still on my ‘possible’ list, I will just have to look elsewhere for another ‘any kind of music, various format oriented’ demonstration.

I fully acknowledge the hard work from the organisers and exhibitors at the UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2024, as well as all hi-fi shows globally. Eager music loving hi-fi patrons walk into each exhibitor’s room with very high expectations. To say it is not easy to set up hi-fi equipment indifferent rooms in such a short time and get the best out of it, is an understatement. My home hi-fi has been in its new muisc listening Room for over one year now and I am still discovering various ways to make it sound better.

Here’s looking forward to the next year’s show and hopefully a more rounded demonstration of
Magico speakers?

Robin Francis
© Michael Valentine Studio
September 2024

Featured exhibitors:
Absolute Sounds, Bowers & Wilkins / Marantz, Cadence Distribution, Connected Fidelity / Symphony Distribution, Dali, Elac, Harmony HI-FI Distribution, Henley Audio, Karma AV, Kef, KS Distribution, MBS Audio, Monitor Audio, Nexus Audio, Russ Andrews / Kimber, SCV Distribution, Sound Design Distribution, Sound Fowndations, Symmetry & YG Acoustics

Absolute Sounds

“It’s all about the music…!”
Ricardo Franassovici (MD Absolute Sounds)