An annual pilgrimage to Bristol is an essential February outing for UK hifi fans, and this year there was plenty to help you chase the winter chills away.
Here’s Dynaudio’s Otto Jøgrensen and Bryn Richards standing proud with the brand’s Confidence range, which many showgoers made a beeline for.
The taller model here is the very same Confidence 50 we tested back in 2022, which blew our socks off.
Hearing Nirvana’s Come As You Are via the flagship Confidence 60 model (seen here towering over a Special Forty) made it easy to understand why Dynaudio’s demo room was packed all weekend.
This picture really doesn’t do justice to ATC’s SCM50SE loudspeakers, driven by the brand’s electronics. Just stunning.
The Chord Company treated us to an excellent demo of its latest cables made for Naim amplifiers, alongside its English Electric EE1 inline network noise reducer and C-stream ethernet cable, designed to minimise unwanted noise reaching your streamer.
Chord’s demo displays included handy kit layouts showing you exactly what cable from each range goes where, to help visitors spec up a complete set for their systems.
Recognise these? That’s right, it’s ATC’s SCM100 SL which we had on test a few weeks back, now upgraded with active amplification, being fed by Naim hardware and, of course, Chord’s cables.
Bristol’s Hotel Du Vin hosted its own audio showcase alongside the main event, courtesy of Starscream Communications, with the latest gear from Audio Pro, FiiO, Lenco and Hidizs.
A real delight for us was the return of the humble cassette, thanks to FiiO’s CP13. Sporting a bicolour alloy body, it marries retro with modern, housing a customised balanced amplification magnet head and 13 hour Lithium battery within a dual-mode power supply.
So hot you could warm your tea on them, a stack of Sugden’s Class A amps including its A21 Signature (top), A21 SE (middle) and Masterclass ANV-50.
Kudos’s Derek Gilligan showcasing its new cutting edge Sigao Drive crossover, that can be individually tailored to a loudspeaker’s demands. Neither active nor passive, find out more at Kudos Audio.
Another brand that caught our eyes and ears was family owned Lockwood loudspeakers, which boasts a rich studio heritage that includes many greats including John and Yoko, Pink Floyd, The Who, Bowie and many many more.
Here’s Danny Timms, whose grandfather started the business, amongst the brand’s all new custom designed full-range drivers.
The team at PMC have been getting active of late with the release of the new Twenty5i range. Current passive owners can fear not too, as the original models were designed with the future in mind and can be updated to active mode too.
Visit PMC’s website for more details.
For a more traditional speaker appeal, Fyne Audio launched its all new Supertrax tweeter as part of its vintage range, built around on a 25mm thin ply carbon dial (TPCD). Here it is under the watchful eye of Fyne Sales Director Max Maud on the company’s imposing Vintage 15 speaker.
Continuing the classic vibe, from left to right Tannoy’s Autograph Mini OW, Kensington GR, Turnberry GR and Stirling III LZ Special.
REL’s John Hunter is true hifi royalty with expertise like few others and the most welcoming man in hifi, with an enthusiasm that’s infectious.
When not making the case for proper low frequency reproduction his career stretches back to designing the legendary Sumiko Blue Point Special pick-up, and his passion for audio remains just as stong.
What’s better than a stereo pair of REL subs? How’s about a stack of three. And if this image looks like it was snatched from distance amongst the crowds that’s because REL’s demos were some of the most popular of the show, so impressive was its hardware.
It’s always a delight to see the great and the good of hifi at these shows enjoying the music with the rest of us, and the team at Monitor Audio is certainly the former. Here’s Jon Bennett, Michael Johnson and Nick Bryant flying the flag for the MA group.
Yours truly with legendary designer Peter Comeau in IAG’s room ahead of our exclusive upcoming interview. Its demo system included an Audiolab 9000A, 9000N and 9000CDT system driving Wharfedale Aura 3 speakers.
Could it be smallest three-way on the market? Wharfedale’s new Super Denton is the latest in the brand’s Heritage line, joining the Linton and flagship Dovedale models which were also present and drawing lots of attention (and are also the focus of an upcoming Audiograde in-depth review).
Need a LEAK? How’s about a sandwich with it? That’s right, the recently re-imagined icon was back in its alloy coned flesh for us to drool over. Find out more in our recent news story.
It was great to see Michell using its highly underrated Tecnodec for music duties with PMC prodigy5 speakers in its demo room. Also on display was this variant of the deck in rare white finish, which looked stunning.
Newcomer Ultrafide, which we first saw at last year’s UK Audio Show, was proudly demoing its Ultra Sigma U4 and U500DC pre/power amps, with the latter’s missing lid revealing a substantial toroidal transformer and expertly laid out internals.
Sheffield’s finest Wilson Benesch partnered with CAD and Trilogy for a system to die for. Alongside its IGx Generator sub, also on show was its Discovery 3Zero loudspeaker (above) with upward firing drive unit, denoted by its exposed magnet on the speaker’s underside.
Tonearm specialist Supatrac wasn’t afraid to pitch its hardware against long established rivals. Here it is going head to head with Rega’s finest in a live A-B test, with eyebrow raising results.
SCV Distribution never fails to impress with its systems, and this one included a reference deck from Auris plus Triangle speakers and a welcome showing from Manley with its amps in full swing.
Auris’s Bayadere 1 turntable features solid alloy plinth, bronze bearing and heavy duty platter, plus carbon arm wand with gorgeous teardrop shaped stub weight. While this is a mid-market model, it’s entry level offerings start at just a few hundred quid.
Rega’s prototype Class AB Mercury pre and Solis power amps were being teased to visitors, complete with balanced connections and digital inputs for the former.
How’s about this for a pick-up? Rega’s James Hammond with a six times scale model of Rega’s latest Nd7 moving-magnet cartridge, named after its neodymium magnet, which is more typically found in higher end moving-coil cartridges.
We certainly were in admiration of Dali’s Menuet SE speakers, with their diminutive 4.5″ mid/bass drivers and 28mm tweeters. The way the drove such a large room was beyond impressive, while looking pure class in book matched ‘wild’ walnut finish.
Lyngdorf’s Roland Hoffmann has a lot to smile about having heard the sound of the brand’s Cue-100 loudspeakers (with twin passive rear radiator drivers), driven by its TDAI-3400 amp and purist CD-2 player.
A master at work, Keith Monks’ record cleaning machine is a delight to watch, and this one looked resplendent in Royal Jubilee purple.
The boys from the black stuff, there’s always a friendly greeting from the guys at Diverse Vinyl, along with a huge selection of analogue delights to discover.
Cadence Audio’s Kat welcoming Rotel’s flagship Michi range to its stable, joining iconic brands including SME, Spendor and Garrard. Here are a pair of its monoblock amps feeding a pair of D7 speakers.
Chord Electronics’ Tom Vaughan standing guard with the brand’s Ultima 5 power amp on full display, alongside its 4KW high power supply module and rich bank of smoothing caps.
There’s always a range of high quality accessories at the Bristol Show, and Atacama’s Carl Sambell had quite a selection on offer in sumptuous wood finishes.
Clearaudio’s new Concept Signature turntable hides a wealth of precision developments, including a 12V DC motor, belt-driving its platter via a tacho speed control system, offering feedback to its motor eight times per single revolution.
Seen here with Satisfy tonearm and Concept Signature moving-coil cartridge, the large puck is the brand’s DS centring device.
A big thanks to all the brands, distributors, staff and showgoers who made this year’s show one to remember!
