Audio Show East

I am planning to come on Saturday, never been to an audio show before so looking forward to it.

Gary

Gary,

Watch out for the Citizen Kane effect.

Ray

No worries at that  Ray....just interested in hearing the different set ups and music. Also supporting Alistair and Andy from Signals.....just the two of them put on this show each year for FREE, puts the chain hifishops to shame imo.

fathings cat posted:

I am planning to come on Saturday, never been to an audio show before so looking forward to it.

Gary

 

You'll never go to a better one Gary. 

Looking forward to it on Friday... I'll be in my vinyl junkie tea shirt and probably hanging around the rega stand looking at the planar 8 !!

Hi

I probably ought to clarify some aspects. Some of the pre-show blurb on our web site has clearly stuck with people when we've made a few running changes. 

1) Dynaudio only have a single pair of Confidence 50s in existence. C60s, that we intended to headline, will not now be available until next year. The sole pair of C50s were at a show in the Benelux area last weekend and were driven in a van to us arriving this morning. After the show they are going back to Europe. But at least we have them!

2) Both our and the show Fenestrias are arriving later today. We have yet to try them on Statement and know that the guys at PMC are more familiar with using their own music player for these events. Again, we have no experience of this player will sound with Naim kit. On this basis, we decided to simplify matters and use their own electronics (that we don't actually sell) for the event and have a follow-up sessions with 555 / statement on home turf when things have bedded in. 

The door is slightly ajar on this, given that we have a Statement pre-power sitting here and we might be able to lay our hands on a second ND 555, but please don't come expecting it. 

Alastair

Just looked at the show guide.  Some really interesting configurations.  See you Saturday.  

Regards,

Lindsay

I was hoping to get some feedback/impressions of the Dyn Confidence 20’s...I guess not.

I hope to be there Saturday, travelling all the way from the Royal County of Berkshire!!!

I'll be the one with clean socks....no dust in sight!!!!

Yep Saturday for me too, hoping to get there early so i can chat with some of the distributers before the crowd arrive.

Ray

I thought I would prompt some feedback from those that were at the show today. Being local, I will be back tomorrow. Hats off to Signals...great organisation, lovely coffee for charity by 112.

Very quickly...the Naim room with Supernait, Kanta3 and ND5XS2/NDX2 was very musical....very Naim.

The Kudos room (505) was active with Linn streamer and amps,  need to listen some more(good). Still wonder if they would sound better with a NAP300?

The Dynaudio Contour 50 room seemed to echo a bit, they did seem a bit clinical....will go back tomorrow. Naim 500 series amps and streamer.

PMC....the Fenestria was in a mirror image room to the Dynaudio across the aisle with Bryston streamer and amps. These speakers were just ticking over and sounding really good. I don,t think these speakers really got a good shake out. Irrespective, they were totally in charge of room(s) that others, did their best with.

Liked the Primare room with Falcon speakers, worth another listen, did not get to hear the JBL,s and amps. Back tomorrow to hear more from ATC,  a Chord, Russell K. I did get to chat with the guys from True Signal audio cables... I havelistened to their internet cables and spdif before. Interesting background to whom they used to supply, they and Superlumina are still on my upgrade list.

A nice part of the day was meeting up with other people on the forum , helped by our 112 roastery badges, as requested by our very own Nigelb.

Never been to another Hifi show other than Audio show east....this was run by the Signals family, organised but relaxed with a nice vibe, and this is how the event feels.

Thought I would kick off some feedback, more details from myself tomorrow.

Gazza: The main question for tomorrow - when is the replacement 272 going to appear ???

I did answer this on another thread. Mike North of Naim went to some length when asked by someone ( not me)...that this was a complex piece of kit, will take a few years to replace.? If I was in his place I would have said......can,t comment on future products. He cannot win whatever he says. My gut feeling, for what it’s worth, they are going to do another one, next year or the year after...depends what is in the sign off hopper.

Gazza posted:

I did answer this on another thread. Mike North of Naim went to some length when asked by someone ( not me)...that this was a complex piece of kit, will take a few years to replace.? If I was in his place I would have said......can,t comment on future products. He cannot win whatever he says. My gut feeling, for what it’s worth, they are going to do another one, next year or the year after...depends what is in the sign off hopper.

2020 would be great. That would give me more time with my 272 and satisfy the upgrade bug I will have by then. 

Yes as always an excellent show many thanks to Alastair and Andy and all the contributors who make this event possible. Great chatting face to face with all the various suppliers. A lovely atmosphere no hard selling just pure love and enjoyment of our hobby.

Lovely to meet up with all the forumites we met today, many for the first time many long established friends. Gazza, Nigel B, Darke Bear, J.N. & Tony M. to name but a few! 

Have a great second day tomorrow one and all. 

Michael and Pam

Michael posted:

Yes as always an excellent show many thanks to Alastair and Andy and all the contributors who make this event possible. Great chatting face to face with all the various suppliers. A lovely atmosphere no hard selling just pure love and enjoyment of our hobby.

Lovely to meet up with all the forumites we met today, many for the first time many long established friends. Gazza, Nigel B, Darke Bear, J.N. & Tony M. to name but a few! 

Have a great second day tomorrow one and all. 

Michael and Pam

I wore my badge, but not sure how I managed to miss the lot of you! Spotted TonyM (who I’ve met before last year) early on, but didn’t get to speak. Others, I’m sorry I completely missed. I just saw a lot of old scruffy guys, so can’t have been any of you esteemed folk!  

Anyway, I’ll be back tomorrow for the morning session, so hope to have more luck meeting a few of you. 

Yes, it was great to meet some forum folk and I enjoyed a nice chat with Gazza.

I was with Gazza in the Dynaudio room and we both felt these were not properly driving the large room, which surprised me because these mighty speakers had a 500 series behind them with the ND555 in charge.

I went back to this room a couple of times later and things were sounding much better. I don’t think the system was properly warmed up or setteld in when I visited with Gazza in the morning. On my third visit things were sounding much more masterful and in control, like the control and ease on display in the PMC room.

Gazza, I would urge you to revisit the Dynaudio/Naim room tomorrow but possibly later in the day.

But those PMC Fenestrias are something else!

Sorry I missed you Kevin.

nigelb posted:

I was with Gazza in the Dynaudio room and we both felt these were not properly driving the large room, which surprised me because these mighty speakers had a 500 series hehind them with the ND555 in charge.

I went back to this room a couple of times later and things were sounding much better. I don’t think the system was properly warmed up or setteld in when I visited with Gazza in the morning. On my third visit things were sounding much more masterful and in control, like the control and ease on display in the PMC room.

 

I’d agree with you re the Dynaudio room Nigel. First thing they sounded a bit leading edgy with a bass boom and lacking much in between, but a second listen late on was much better balanced whilst still being very lively. If I only I didn’t have to look at them! Beauty/beholder etc..

PMC Fenestria I will try again tomorrow, but initial impression was that even that huge room was too small for them! Aircraft hangar needed perhaps. They told me they’ve sold less than 20 pairs globally so far ( which they didn’t seem at all surprised or alarmed by) and I got the impression that this is their version of Naim’s Statement i.e. a demonstration of what they can do technologically, rather than a bid to make a fortune. I think they plan to reap their reward through the prestige and the trickledown technologies into more mainstream products.

I also had a good chat with True Signal guys. I may trial some maybe. Long and good chat with Roger Hamilton of Tiger Paw too. Really nice guy and very straight. I think he’s extremely genuine and in the business for the right reasons. A Javelin tonearm will be listened to at some point.

Honourable mention to Russell K for the least ‘impressive’ sound, but very possibly the most musically enjoyable room in the show I thought. 

For me yesterday I didn’t gel with finestra, too much bass that seemed a bit thick. Russel k was very nice and musical, chord was let down a bit by scm40 struggling in a big room but it was a clean incisive sound as to be expected. Naim was great and Atc scm100a in their room was my best. Tight but deep bass and wonderful kids.That’s my retirement fund spent when it comes!

first time at the signals do and it was really nice n relaxed. And there were some odd folks  about!

kevin J Carden posted:

Michael posted:

Yes as always an excellent show many thanks to Alastair and Andy and all the contributors who make this event possible. Great chatting face to face with all the various suppliers. A lovely atmosphere no hard selling just pure love and enjoyment of our hobby.

Lovely to meet up with all the forumites we met today, many for the first time many long established friends. Gazza, Nigel B, Darke Bear, J.N. & Tony M. to name but a few! 

Have a great second day tomorrow one and all. 

Michael and Pam

I wore my badge, but not sure how I managed to miss the lot of you! Spotted TonyM (who I’ve met before last year) early on, but didn’t get to speak. Others, I’m sorry I completely missed. I just saw a lot of old scruffy guys, so can’t have been any of you esteemed folk!  

Anyway, I’ll be back tomorrow for the morning session, so hope to have more luck meeting a few of you. 

Sorry we didn't get to chat Kevin - I wasn't at my scintillating best yesterday, and bailed out early after suddenly going deaf in my right ear. Not ideal when you're listening to hi-fi...

Anyway, I shall wend my way over there again his morning for a couple of hours, in somewhat better condition. Still, got to chat with a fair few lovely folks - Michael, J.N., Gazza, Darke Bear, Nigel B, and some other venerable and illustrious hi-fi enthusiasts and old friends who, alas, are now ex-members of this forum. I seemed to spend most of my time discussing various illnesses and showing off operation scars. It's an age thing.

Bought some nice vinyl from that naughty Chris Harris bloke. Briefly enjoyed the formidable Finestras; the Chord room was more modest this year and benefitted from it; the big ATCs were sounding nice (could have done with some labels on the other speakers arrayed in the room); Naim demo using floorstanding Focals was very good - the drop in audio quality when switching from the ND555 source to - another streamer (?) was quite astonishing. Ta to N & M for that blinding cup O' Joe! didn't risk a second one as I intend to get some sleep in the next fortnight.

Hope to catch up with more folk later, and get to the bits I missed. 

Hope to see you and a few of the others later Tony. Yes, Chris Harris liberated nearly £150 form my pocket too . Expensive game is Vinyl. 

Looking forward to catchup with a few fellow forum members today. 

I should be there at about midday, after the dog has taken me for a walk...

hifi-dog posted:

For me yesterday I didn’t gel with finestra, too much bass that seemed a bit thick. Russel k was very nice and musical, chord was let down a bit by scm40 struggling in a big room but it was a clean incisive sound as to be expected. Naim was great and Atc scm100a in their room was my best. Tight but deep bass and wonderful kids.That’s my retirement fund spent when it comes!

first time at the signals do and it was really nice n relaxed. And there were some odd folks  about!

It’s great to hear that children were there, as it’s it’s usually just old blokes. 

Seriously though, it’s so good to read such positive feedback on the show, especially as the Signals team put in such a lot of effort. I’ve never been to a hifi show and can’t say that I’d make a big effort to go to one, but if I lived nearer I’d be there. It sounds like a lot of fun. 

Yes I hope to muse over there later today too.

Thanks for the show reports (any pics ?). I was hoping to time a visit to the old folks with an opportunity to attend this show this year but life got in the way. It does sound like a nice relaxed way of listening to some quality setups, chatting to the manufacturers and catching up with a few forum folk too