As some of you may know Hi-Fi is my passion – specifically two channel, turntables and valves! I feel quite privileged to be able to work in this industry, as my main hobby when not a work is Hi-Fi! Some may think I get my fix at work all day, but nothing can be further from the truth – I like to wind down listening to some of my favourite vinyl Vaughan Williams, Gorecki for example. So as you can see I have appreciation for sound reproduction. Hi-Fi is an art form, crafted by true masters and I appreciate the beauty in this – music is the most poignant form of expression in my opinion. At this point I would like to draw a correlation between Hi-Fi and other products such as cars. There exists standard entry level products, i.e. Yamaha, which could be seen as Peugeot, Sugden as Bentley and Gamut as Ferrari. This is not to put down any of the brands as they all offer products at different levels, but for the purpose of description this was the quickest way I could lead on to my next point, and I make this statement with some trepidation, the more you spend the better you get – now there are some exceptions but it is the general rule of thumb: you get what you pay for. When looking at super high end, some of the most beautiful kit out there is often the most expensive, take Acapella loudspeakers for example if you were to compare to cars you would be looking at Koenigsegg territory!
That said, this blog will not solely be about the products we offer, not just an exercise in selling – being an Audiophile I of course admire kit we do not sell, beautiful over-engineered kit – out of my reach in reality but I can listen from a distance!
Beautiful Amplification
Quality amplification represents the muscle of your system – the amplifier should be directly matched to your speakers, we can help you with this just give us a call! I personally like industrial looking amplifiers – the more minimalist the better. One such amplifier is the Sugden Master Class IA-4: we ordered this for a demo, barely able to contain my excitement when it arrived, tools were downed and I got it out of the box – when you buy a Sugden amplifier it’s a special felling: upon opening the box tags are attached to the binding posts showing model number, who signed it off, and date of manufacture. This is a nice touch and gives you pride of ownership.
Pictured: The Sugden IA-4 Masterclass Integrated Amplifier.
Features are thankfully simple – all I personally want to do is turn the volume up, amplifiers at this level should be voiced correctly and no need for bass or treble amendments. The sound is as you would imagine – sublime. Warm like valves but without the “valve” related issues, thanks to Sugden’s use of a Class A design – the sound is tight and above all musical. If an amp makes me tap my foot I know it’s good, not a single emotion is lost in this amp’s reproduction!
£4099.00 available with a wide range of payment options such as finance!
Beautiful Loudspeakers
Speakers are the portal into your music. A good speaker is coherent, offers a high level of continuity regardless of medium, and most of all sounds correct. I imagine you have heard speakers that sounded wrong – we all have, speaker manufacturers strive to make their speakers sound amazing. Sometimes this can go too far, in my opinion all a speaker should do is recreate a performance neither adding nor subtracting anything – this is a difficult art!
Above: The gorgeous ProAc D30R speakers.
It may come as no surprise that I am a fan of ProAc – customers who have spoken to me will know I recommend them wholeheartedly – they make this blog as not only do they look beautiful, check out the range of finishes here – they sound beautiful as well! Above we have the D30R – new from ProAc and the little brother of the D40R, the 40R works exceptionally in quite a large room but in slightly more enclosed spaces can get a bit over powering – this is where the 30R comes, it is just the right size for most living/listening rooms.
£4750.00 (Standard Finishes) Available with a wide range of payment options, including 0% finance.
Beyond Beautiful
Now onto the esoteric, starting with one of our favourite brands, Acapella.
Above: Amaze yourself with our range of Acapella loudspeakers.
Not your average loudspeaker – not by a mile. Horn-loaded and a plasma tweeter, as aforementioned if this was a car, you would be sat in a Koenigsegg priced at a staggering £238,000 what you are getting is money no object engineering, the finest of the finest components and entry in the “super” audiophile arena!
Thankfully they are available on 0% finance!
My appreciation for audio equipment I imagine has shone through by now – I have only discussed items we stock, lets take a look at something we don’t – one of those manufacturers who make a product I could never afford – maybe a lottery win! I do however admire their products.
The Karma Grand Enigma, is it beautiful? Maybe the jury is out – I am still making my mind up what I do think is that when speaker manufacturers can fabricate speakers at this level, that is a beautiful expression! If you have a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket then this should be high on your list, I’ll even recommend some amplifiers for you!
The last two speakers we looked at are in reality a dream for the normal audiophile, me included! I personally believe you can achieve unbelievably high levels of performance with careful product choice and a healthy budget – Hi-Fi is an investment and should be treated as one: an investment in your musical enjoyment and yes you could spend $1m on loudspeakers but why would you unless you already have the Koenigsegg, this said – I think we all would if we could!
Beauty is everywhere and it is always a pleasure to see – Hi-Fi is no exception, you don’t have to spend huge figures either – granted it is not cheap but how often will you purchase again and if you can’t why not treat yourself – you’re only going to improve your musical enjoyment! As always, happy listening and do not hesitate to contact a member of our team for more information.