That’s definitely the one 
The 808s in the Acoustica room were powered by 6 Naim NAP 350s, one per driver, using KS1 speaker cables.
It sounded crisp and clear and meaty to me, although that was with the music that was being played - I was not able to test it with my normal choice of music, which is live jazz recordings such as the Bill Evans Trio or Keith Jarrett Trio.
The 808s were a lush shade of deep green.
The new Sigao crossover was also used in the Kudos room upstairs where again the system sounded meaty and clear.
The room I was drawn back to several times was Longdog Audio where the owner had made a pair of open baffle speakers (during lockdown) from thick acrylic with a full range Lowther driver, a 12” woofer, and a tweeter.
I asked them to play a live album by the Thelonius Monk Quartet from their collection which sounded so open and fresh and present in that small room with the Longdog amps that I was carried away by the performance.
Overall the best NW Audio Show of the 3 I’ve attended.
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Great write up Jim . I’ve noticed that the “smaller” less complex systems don’t seem to be effected as negatively by show conditions. Warm up after power down is a 24 hour minimum, mains noise, room acoustic limitations etc . “Big” systems are a labour of love to optimise but once done 
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Set off from home at 6:50am and got there got there for 9:20am after 2 trains and a walk just short of 2 miles from Holmes Chapel station. Most dangerous part of that was walking along the road into the venue as there was no path and a surprising number of visitors who thought 40mph perfectly okay. Queue pre opening was okay but once again the signage for an accessible route in was only by the front door and thus not accessible at all. Several visitors in wheelchairs were allowed to queue in the sun and then sailed past it only to have to go back to get in. That was the sole contribution to making it an accessible event as the staff nor exhibitors hadn’t been trained to think about it. There was no further signage inside and what was there was impossible to see once things got crowded. The number of exhibitors who thought themselves so important they could step across the corner of a wheelchair was depressing. Certain well known journalists covering the event too. Too busy being important in corridors with their laptops to note anyone trying to navigate past them. Gather there was a complaint from 1 wheelchair user when the door to a room was shut in their face and they were subsequently told they couldn’t be accommodated. It’s an industry that has a lot to learn about its customers even now.
Outside in the queue there was 1 guy handing out programmes. 2 checking tickets and a woman attaching wrist bands. Not sure I fancied walking back with a pink wristband and the words “Hi-Fi Pig” on it. Must have amused them at the time. Came off as soon as I left. Volume of the Pink Floyd mixing desk experience was tediously loud and clearly off putting for many new visitors as they arrived. It wasn’t needed. Get rid please.
My interest this time was purely in an enjoyable day out and looking to hear integrated amps to potentially audition for my downsize. Inevitably 1 got pleasantly waylaid but I found that starting early; being methodical and focused meant I did every single room in just over 3.5 hours and was able to dedicate significant time to 3 or 4 which piqued my interest.
Some immediate thoughts:
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no idea why Acoustica bother. They seem disinterested in music and more interested in a prominent but poor position. It afforded ease of access but the large numbers who failed to take advantage of that was telling. I’ve had a couple of poor in store experiences with them over the decades and, for me, they never fail to live down to my perception that they have little interest in actual music and think there is nothing better than loud, clinical, soulless sound.
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have to agree that the Audio Note demo this year was surprisingly poor. Not sure I agree that Audio Counsel did it better. Louder perhaps?
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Brian and Trevor are lovely but do seem to specialise in fairly clinical systems too.
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the Nait 50 with the Tannoys really wasn’t bad at all. Best I’ve heard recent Tannoys but… I’m not sure that’s saying much.
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the Chord 30 minute demo was interesting if only to see what happens when you leave sales people with limited technical knowledge in charge. As an owner of Epic interconnects I was interested to hear what Tuned Aray sounded like and indeed Super Aray. Answer was that the former was “different” but not better whilst the latter made my Epic sound broken, which it certainly isn’t… Very much better. Impact of changing the power distribution block was unhearable to my ears and adding the tiny EE ethernet filter at the end seemed a mistake. The impact was so subtle we might have heard it better if it was the 1st thing they changed.
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Doug Brady space was bonkers and pointless. A big space subdivided into 6 (? maybe 5) spaces with different systems all playing the same song. Great idea for different rooms but when your rooms were divided barely by banners and partitions so that all sound bled then… oh dear.
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the NVA space was interesting. Might have been better having different make speakers so the sound would be more obvious and known but their little mono blocks had my feet tapping and I was quite pleased to come across them having read about them and their acrylic interest in the past few months. Also helped that they were very quick to let me browse their CDs and listen to something I knew.
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HiFonix Can Jam type space was an unexpected pleasure. Finally got to hear a Feliks Audio 300B headphone amp (although my interest lies in the 1 which drives speakers too). Sounded lovely. Heard a lot about the Susvara but that was unimpressive for something so costly. Actually preferred the Meze 109 Pro through an iPhone.
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moor Amps kept me there for more than song, which is always a good sign.
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the only people there who really knew how to sell their wares were some of the distributors. Had really productive, sensible conversations with 2 and look forward to them helping me further.
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over heard 1 vinyl dealer bemoaning the fact they’d been talked out of bringing a CD collection. Their collection of high quality boxes if vinyl looked magnificent. They didn’t seem able to sell any.
A more general observation. As an industry, audio wants us to stream. That’s where the money is. Depressing then that so many dealers have not clued up on networking and decided to bring a CD player or a phone to ensure no glitches. The argument was that hotel wi-fi may not be that reliable. Bit like home wi-fi then. Get over yourselves; get trained up and make it work. Inevitably the best sound this year belonged to those rooms with CD players but those who stuck with streaming were able to give better demonstrations and managed to shift some product.
Lovely brisk walk back to the station and lunch in Northern Soul on Tib Street in Manchester. Accompanied by very loud, rough sounding music which ultimately was more engaging than much at the show.
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Yes, the show seemed to have even more attendees than in previous years, and a general buzz of excitement.
The strain on infrastructure and background noise of any hi-fi show venue means that it’s impossible to properly assess any individual component or system in terms of sound quality.
For example, one of the men in the Longdog room said that their set up sounded rubbish the previous night as the speakers had been in storage for months before the show.
Shows are great educational and social events, as well as a chance to sample many hi-fi systems in one day.
I had a chat early on with Dan and then at the end of the day with Pete, and met many other exhibitors.
I went to a Chord demonstration of some of their digital cables, and the EE1, and a new budget friendly redesign of their power block.
We had lunch in the sun in the quadrangle by the bar/cafe where there were about 30 vinyl stalls.
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Apologies, I really should have added that the Neat room was excellent. I think the problem I have there is that it almost goes without saying. They’re one of the few products which always show up well at shows for many reasons and one almost becomes blasé about what you’re hearing. There is a temptation to go “Oh Neat. Yeah I know what they sound like” because you pass the door and they just do. I find they’re often almost dismissed with the weird “fun” being used almost pejoratively. I think they’re what good speakers should be and yesterday they had clearly done it again.
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Just got back. I’m not good at reviews, but here’s a few of my high/low lights
iFi first stop. Showed them my setup diagram - he was a little bemused, and best he could so was to suggest their Ethernet EE1 equiv. Only discount was on a second item. Moving on…
Acoustica Naim 300/808 speakers. Well the 808’s were amazing, but you consider they had thrown every Naim 300 box at it, it should. Particular of note was the way a steel string guitar rung out - as a player myself, I was impressed. However it was far too loud, so I did a test from my chair
Ouch!
Chord 30min demo finally. Setup was to play a track, replay the beginning 20 secs, then add a component, and replay the track. Next do the same “but” change the track each time. They demoed an Epic Digital cable, a signature cable, a P6 block, an EE1 and finally a plug in array thingamajig. Well I thought I heard a difference each time other than P6 block. BUT I had a theory. What if the track was changed for dubious reasons. Let me explain. Each track was new to me, so like any new track, you hear more and more each time. Therefore changing a component on a new song is rather a naughty little trick. I had a trick of my own up my sleeve. I asked him at the end to put it all back together without any additional components, and play just the last track again. Well would you know it, very little difference.
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I studied conformity theory when I was an undergraduate psychologist, and I did an experiment in it once, and I can’t help but think about that when I see a Company representative conducting a listening test.
But they are fun.
Each person does get to listen to a demo of some components and then make their mind up about it.
Absolutely, all good fun, and the sun was shinning!
An EE1 was on my radar, but after that demo, I think I’ll save up for a 555PS, assuming money doesn’t burn a whole in my picket before than 
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Or a hole in your pocket before then? 
a whole hole in fact
Pete does like to listen to music way too loud in my opinion also. But the six 350 active 808 system should have sounded great even with the 300 streamer fed with Wi-Fi streaming.
I don’t think that the Chord P6 block is anything special either. The M6 is a lot better. Epic to Music would have produced a much better upgrade than what they were demonstrating. I suppose that they were just keeping it “real” prospective buyer wise.
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One thing I particular like about these shows, is that you get to hear a few more artists that you may not know about, then look them up when you get home. Last year it was Submotion Orchestra, and today I am going through a couple of Albums of Heidi Happy.
I described my experience with the demo. yesterday above. I held back from saying so at the time but the cynic in me believed that what was really taking place was the sane track was being played but at a different bit rate each time. There are only so many of those so… you switch to another track.
I asked them to go back and move from Epic to Special Aray directly. That wassime uplift. They also quoted me an incorrect price for 1m and suggested that if I wanted a show discount I’d be best asking Doug Brady. For fun I did and the look I got was priceless.
I have to be nice to them as my DAC is in for service/repair but really…
I think I shocked him when I asked about removing it all, so perhaps he forgot to change the bit-rate back again
He also told me I’d get a 10% off from Doug Brady or Acoustica, although I didn’t ask.
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Audio T were offering 20% discount off retail at the Bristol Show so you guys were getting short changed
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A ramble of thoughts, having attended on the Saturday…
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Acoustica…. Mmmm. All that money and so many boxes to give that sound. ‘Hi-Fi & LOUD’ certainly, but not really that engaging. I purposely revisited their demonstration space at three different stages during the day, hoping that the system would warm up and sing. For me, it didn’t. Far better sound elsewhere, from much simpler systems at a fraction of the cost. Given the equipment, it must be the awkward space, surely.
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Brian & Trevor (House of Linn): Linn Selekt and mono blocks feeding the new Kudos Siaga active crossover to Kudos Titan 606. A beautifully presented and sounding room overall, leaning towards a forthright and direct sound (and occasionally relentless) signature. I really liked the Linn Selekt unit as piece of desirable industrial design though - top marks Linn. The Booplinthed LP12 looked lovely (naturally) too, but wasn’t playing.
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Audio Counsel: Mmmm. An interesting sound but I never seem to gel with the Audio Note system wide bass presentation, where it always seems a little under controlled and one note. The music flowed quite well though.
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Chord: Lean, dynamic and clear, but fatiguing. A system feeding Kerr Acoustic K300 (lovely) which are relatively neutral, so either the room was a challenge or the Chord sound is not for me. Disappointing, as I admire their progressive industrial design having moved away from conventional rectangular boxes.
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ATC & Auralic: Every time I visited this room (and during shows past) the sound was bordering on unlistenable. I tried to acclimatise over time and a few tracks, but it just didn’t work for me. Although the new Auralic boxes are beautiful in design though. Again, it must be the room at play as both manufacturers have superb sounding equipment, but not in this context.
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Doug Brady: How much kit can you stuff into one subdivided room? A LOT, it seems. Three systems playing the same streamed music, each in a different partially closed off space. Naim playing in one room with active ATC and an ATC sub. Oh dear, nondescript and bland. They had a Rega Naia on display, but not on demo which was a shame. And what a stunning piece of minimalist engineering that Naia is!
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Vertere: Not the best demo of their turntables as I’ve heard their decks sound exceptional. This time I found the sound strident and too forward in presentation. The system made up of the new Vertere phono stage, a Naim 332 pre-amp & 300 power supply feeding active ATC SCM 40 speakers. Not sure what was going on here, but it was disappointing.
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Neat: Superb! Simple as that. Their new Momentum stand mounts being fed by Atoll, and it all just sang. No complicated crossovers or mono bollocks needed in this room, as Neat yet again show how good a modest system can sound.
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G-Point. A mega system on display and demo in this large space, and it sounded quite interesting. Destination valve amps and horn speakers forming the heart of the system. But, the highlight for me was seeing and hearing a J.Sikora Std MAX turntable. Wow - the definition of precision engineering. The low noise floor on this deck had to be heard to be believed. Stunning dynamic range too. A lovely record player, if a little gregarious in design perhaps.
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Yorkshire AV had the monumental Monitor Audio Hyphn speakers fed by a Luxman reference system. This system sounded lovely, but they had to reign in the volume, as the speakers were setting off room nodes in the tiny room. Even so, at low volume it sounded very good indeed, with an almost ethereal ‘walk in’ holographic soundstage - quite something really. They look a lot better than in the press photos too.
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Origin Live: A lovely simple set op of Sovereign turntable and integrated amp and speakers (not sure on the models).
My favourite rooms…
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Kudos: Were promoting their new Sigao crossover with Chord mono blocks, and a Linn Selekt. The difference between active and passive was clearly evident. Wow, they are going to sell a lot of these to Kudos Titan owners - audition and you will buy!
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Wilkinsons Hi-Fi: They had a Rega One system (which I’d never heard before) playing in one of the tiny rooms. Good grief, the very definition of equipment synchronicity (Sting, I’m looking at you), and the epitome of value for money, especially when used in a small room. It put to shame many of the high end systems heard that day. Idiotically good value for money as a main vinyl starter system, or as an alternative second system.
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Allchris Speakers: This room sounded very good indeed, and was close to sound of the show for me. Real world prices and exceptional fit and finish too from this one man band manufacturer. From what I can gather (someone please correct me if i’m wrong), all designed and built by one man in his shed - a truly commendable achievement.
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Tannoy: I’ve never really gelled with Tannoy boxes when I’ve heard them in the past, but for some reason this room sounded lovely. That Tannoy trait of a slightly disengaged bass was still present, but it didn’t seem matter in this tight space. The speakers were fed by a Linn streamer and Sugden pre-amp & power amp (not sure which models). I went back three times to confirm I wasn’t mistaken, and each time I wasn’t disappointed. This system was even able to calm the presentation / sibilance of The Man In The Long Black Coat by Mr Bob too, which takes some doing without losing detail or rolling off the top end. First time I’ve heard Sugden amps and I’d really like to hear them in alternative set ups.
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DNA Audio. Great to finally hear a Solstice (with the Nait50) and in association with stand mount Tannoys - an unexpected, yet rewarding combination. A lovely sounding system. Didn’t get chance to chat to Darren as he was engaged with someone else.
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Kerr Acoustic: I hadn’t bothered with the upstairs rooms yet (too busy record browsing) but overheard a four way conversation in the courtyard where they were all singing the praises of this room… off I toddled. The rig in question consisted of an Innuos server (think it was the Zen Mini3), Computer Audio Design DAC, Music First Audio pre-amp and Trilogy mono block power amps, feeding the Kerr K200. Detailed, clean and dynamic, yet also rich and smooth as well. Zero glare or that seemingly artificial bright and forward Hi-Fi sound that plagues so many modern systems. Nor did it have that valve like over emphasised bloomy romantic sound either. Just a beautiful balanced sound, and more importantly, a wholly engaging sound throughout, with bass that can only come from a superbly designed and well thought through transmission line enclosure. The room I stayed in the longest in (45 mins or so) and it would be with these manufactures where a lottery win would be spent. The sound of the show for me.
A very welcome new addition was the Brittania Record Fair. A good ten to twelve large stalls, one even specialising in Japanese pressings exclusively, where I could have spent the value of small car alone. Having looked through almost every crate over a couple of hours in the middle of the day, a few more rekids were added to the collection. I hope the organisers involve Britannia again next year.
Overall, a decent day out. Busy, but not uncomfortably so as the corridors weren’t too rammed, and I got to see everything I wanted to. Slightly disappointed that there were no higher end Rega amps or record players being used though, but I think they only attend Bristol. Also, Definitive Audio weren’t attending either - would have liked to heard that Kuzma deck again. A cracking show, and well worth attending if you get the chance.
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Terrific write up Yeti. Thanks for sharing
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Like you I’d really hoped to hear a Naia somewhere at the show. Weird that this apparent game changer was nowhere to be heard.
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