Looking back over the years there is usually a mention of the show.
Not able to go, the list of exhibitors looks interesting.
I admit now a sneaky interest in the introduction of the Moor Amps integrated. Partly wondering if those who keep suggesting a new Naim integrated is needed might find it interesting?
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Like you Iām surprised thereās no thread. Iām going but have no expectations beyond a good day out. If I come back with one record/CD recommendation which I go on to buy, result. If I find a bit of vinyl in the record fair even better. And if I come home and say to Mrs twofifty we need one of/a pair of those Iād be surprised (itās extremely unlikely) but quietly pleased. Itās a lovely venue.
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North West Ambulance Service?
It was too hot to type out North West Audio Show, Cranage, 2025
35ā° with closed curtains at 18:00
Went last year on the Sunday via public transport. Bit of a trek but a lovely walk from the station. This year Iāve already decided that the weather is screaming ānoā.
It would help if they better advertised their alleged shuttle from the station, thought about having a queue for those with access needs and moved people on when they decide to block narrow corridors but, none of those things have changed so, unless Mrs. H. is fancying a diversion then I wonāt be going.
Hoping to go tomorrow morning, not looking for anything though
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@twofifty I always took dearly beloved with me, always more likely to come away with music.
@GadgetMan I might go with a list of exhibitors I would like to see, but yes, it has always been a day out.
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I had a thoroughly enjoyable day. I bought nothing but coffee. Most stuffās just too big and bass heavy for our living room/neighbours. But itās great to hear these things - Naim Statement for e.g. A nice, well organised event in a lovely setting.
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My eldest daughter and I went yesterday and had a thoroughly enjoyable day. Arriving at about 10.30am and leaving at 18:00pm close. It was very well attended, indeed when we arrived we were a little worried about it being too busy as the lawns being used as parking overspill appeared to be quickly filling up. This turned out not to be the case as the event was well organised and although busy, we had no trouble getting into any of the rooms. This is the third time weāve attended and the event seems grows each year.
There were lots of great sounds from many of the rooms we visited, here are pics from some of them:
Acoustica Room.
ND555, 2xPS555, full Statement and what looked to me to be Focal Scala Utopia. It was easily our favourite room which we re-visited a few times, compelled back in every time we passed it. It sounded magnificent and seemed to improve as the day went on.
Computer Audio Design Room.
CAD 1543 Mark 3 with Trilogy 921 Integrated Amplifier and Ker Acoustics speakers. The CAD room has been one of our favourite rooms every year.
Doug Brady Room.
Quad Looked to be a pre, with two mono blocks and Whafedale Speakers
Iām not sure what the sources were, but I think the amplifiers were Burmester with YG acoustics speakers.
Kudos Room.
Fully active Ultrafide amplifiers using Kudosās own crossover and Titan 808s - Very good indeed!
HiFi Network
Clearaudio Turntable (not sure of the model), AVM electronics and ELAC speakers - This is the first time Iāve come across Clearaudio. This system was making some very nice sounds - one of our favourites.
Vertere
SG-1 Turntable with their latest arm and cartridge, the SG-2 pathfinder and Ruby One, Calon Phone Stage, 332, Active ATC speakers (I think SCM50ASLs).
It was great to see both Mike Burn and Touraj in attendance again. They were also showing the new DG-X turntable - Iām afraid I didnāt do very well with photos in this room as I was probably too busy listening to Touraj with his always entertaining and informative talks. He talked about, and played, an acetate cut by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios of Nick Masonās Saucerful of Secrets live version of Echoes. It was an experimental cut where Miles cut the record from inner groove to outer groove. This, to give the crescendos, which occur later in the piece, more vinyl. Apart from a few snap crackles and pops at the beginning and end of the piece, it did sound amazing.
I also had an interesting chat about cartridge loading capacitance where Touraj suggested that I try an even higher loading values for my Hana ML, which are already at 220Ī© and 0.8ĀµF..
One of our favourites..
Auden Distribution Room
Hegel H600 Amplifier with streamer & DAC (DAC not used), into Hegal D50 DAC back into the H600, EgglestobWorks Kiva 2 speakers.
NVA Room
NVA AP20 Integrated Amplifier with NVA Cube 3 Speakers.. aimed at the younger market.
Sounded great!.
Brian and Trevors Room
Linn LP12, Linn Electronics and I didnāt note what the speakers were. It sounded very nice, but unfortunately we were running short of time at this point..
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Theyāre Audiovector R6 Arrete Loudspeakers and they sounded really good, especially playing vinyl on the Bedrok LP12. An interesting presentation from the Qobuz ambassador was well received.
I think the Acoustica room improved as the crowds thinned out and external noise reduced as a result. I now know how a third of a Ā£million sounds.
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What was pleasing about the whole event, is the number of UK dealers still around, and the number of UK Manufacturers.
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That was what I felt when reading the exhibitors list
I had a pleasant morning at NWAS yesterday, so thought Iād share a few personal responses to what I heard, mostly focussing on speakers.
Firstly I think the venue is excellent with pleasant outdoor spaces for such a hot day. Itās only a 20 min drive for me. Free too, with a complimentary glass of bubbly when you go in. Easy to access and well worth a longer trip Iād have thought.
Secondly, my general impression of the sounds I was hearing was that they were frequently āimpressiveā but that didnāt always translate into musically enjoyable. They were mostly too loud for me and perhaps the music was just not to my taste. A case in point was the Acoustica demo with top tier Naim and Focal. I really should have liked this more, but I reckon Iāll never āgetā big Focal speakers. Similar impressions in the big Doug Brady rooms. And again in the large Chasing the Dragon room. There I heard what sounded like a large symphony orchestra starting to play, only to realise it was a small baroque group playing Vivaldi. Surely a good system should be able to do delicacy as well as power.
So the big rooms were mostly a bit too much for me. The smaller domestically-sized spaces tended to be more enjoyable but some, perhaps inevitably, suffered from room resonances particularly when the demonstrators tried to cram big speakers into too small rooms An interesting exception was a little room with big hOrns speakers driven by a valve amp. That was a combination that seemed to work very well.
But it was the rooms with size appropriate speakers that sounded best. Acoustic Energy were showing their reintroduced passive little AE1s for first time and they sounded pretty good, particularly for a design thatās been around for years. And then, a real surprise in the Neat room. The sounds they were making were most enjoyable but I could not work out where the big speakers I was listening to were placed. Turns out they were actually the new version of the tiny Iotas sitting on spindly stands. āDefying the laws of physicsā is an overused marketing phrase but the Mk 2 Iotas came very close to doing that.
And finally as an ATC junkie I had to track down their room, which took some doing, but was delighted to find they were demoing their new standmount Active 20s. Absolutely loved the sound they were making, for the first time in the whole show, I was simply listening to music, not HiFi. I guess Iām going to have to try a pair in my loung sometime and see if they can really beat my 40s.
So a rewarding visit and Iāll try to get there again next year.
Roger
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Great report @Bokermonz.
Thanks for sharing.
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Basically what was there last year but they perhaps learned that putting it next to the queue was not helpful to anyone?
There some systems/rooms that were played at levels nearly as loud as the Pink Floyd PA, by the time I left my ears were ringing.
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Yes, a great selling point that approach.
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My method for room entering is roughly as follows;
Step 1
Is it too loud?
Y- Leave
N -Step 2
Could I listen to this system for an hour?
N- Leave
Y - Step 3
Do the instruments sound realistic?
N - Leave
Y - Step 4
Does it sound better than my system?
Y - enjoy
N - Step 5
Is the kit more expensive than mine
Y - Leave
N - enjoy
There were a surprising number of systems that didnāt meet Step2/3 criteria - inc some very expensive ones. In fact I was surprised how varied the different sound signatures were across the ranges.
I dont follow a lot of HiFi makes/models outside of Naim, but my highlights that I did stay for was
-
PMC Prophecy Speakers were surprisingly good
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The Naim Statement by Acoustica (when I was there the volume wasnt as overpowering as usual, and the crowd levels were low)
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Some black pyramid type speakers that were attached to an NDX2/NAC82/HiCap/NAP300. This was nice surprise which I enjoyed before I saw what the gear was
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Youāre way overcomplicating it 
My version.
Are there t@ats talking loudly outside the door, blocking the corridor/hall or attempting to look important by parking their laptop on the tall table outside the door and typing? Move on. Takes under 5 seconds to determine.
If you canāt manage the space at the entrance to your space then that tells me loads about your priorities, motivation and capacity. Thanks for making it easy.
Is it too loud? Donāt enter. Also takes under 5 seconds to determine.
Is it engaging enough for me to want to sit and listen? Takes 30 seconds. Are my hands or feet engaged?
Yes, sit and listen. If no seats then give it one song and if no-one moves then leave.
If you stay, whether sat or stood, then figure out why itās engaging. Is it timing, timbral accuracy or something else?
Move on.
Iām not buying so all of the other questions are irrelevant.
This methodology makes shows much easier to navigate and enjoy.
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