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Home Cinema Room: Arcam Open Day 27 July – book now
If you love music and movies then you really need to hear ARCAM’s award winning home cinema systems and be totally immersed by an ultra-high definition Dolby Atmos system. The ARCAM Centres of Cinematic Excellence events are designed to showcase the best home cinema experience currently available anywhere in the world and will unmask everything that you have been missing up until now. Let us save you from bad sound, come along for a drink and an experience that you will not forget.
This is no ordinary event and bespoke offers will be made available for you on the day.
Please confirm your interest in attending this free event by contacting us: Nick@hsound.co.uk
Event details:
HomeSound, Edinburgh 27 July 4pm until 8pm. Showcasing the Arcam AV860 Cinema processor and matching amplifiers in a 7.2.4 configuration along with the JVC-Z1 Laser Projector.
Hi-Fi Corner, Falkirk 27 July 11am until 3pm Showcasing the Arcam AVR850 and matching P429 amplifier in a 7.2.4 configuration along with the JVC DLA-X5500 projector.
Hi-Fi Room: AVM now in store
Our AVM Evolution stock has started to arrive and today we took delivery of the A5.2 Amplifier and the MP3.2 Multi-Player and DAC. We already have the phono stage ( P1.2 ) on our Technics SL-1200G and having been putting the small and compact Inspiration CS2.2 through its paces for the last few weeks. The new Evolution line raises the already high bar for build quality and all the buttons and dials move with a reassuring quality. The amplifier is not in a huge heavy box and as a combination the boxes are discreet and subtle in appearance. They have only been running for a short time so it is too early to say where the real strength is but our Wilson Yvette’s are letting everything the AVM offers through.
Hi-Fi Room : What’s sounding good this month
Things have moved around since last month and in the process of testing various pieces of equipment a few systems have settled:
2.1 Hi-Fi at £35,000 – The main room is working a real treat right now with the Vivid Audio B1’s being reinforced with a Velodyne DD18+ subwoofer. I am working on a few large bass systems involving stacked Velodyne subs so there has been plenty of bass testing this month ( more on that later ). The Velodyne has a superb EQ that allows it to dial in very well with the main speakers. Simple with one sub, trickier with more. To keep everything in check and aligned perfectly I have added in a Trinnov ST2-HiFi processor – the ST2 offers so much so I will add another detailed page about that. To finish off the system I am running the Primare Pre32 with two A34.2 mono amps. A modest combination given the B1’s possible performance but tied in nicely with some high quality Tellurium Q cables the combination really is working very well.
Hi-Fi at £10,000 – I traded in some SVS Ultra Towers and having not heard them before have hooked them up in the office to see what they can do. Bass is what they do – not to the level of the main system but give them a bit of clean power and they fire along at a great pace! Staggering for the money. The pictures make them look small and compact but in the flesh they are a sizeable speaker roughly the size of the PMC TwentyFive 26’s that we moved to make space for them. I have tried a few amplifiers on these speakers but the best option so far has been the T+A PA2500R as it keeps those bass drivers right in check. The very clean and balanced nature of the T+A helps to open up the treble as well – it is accurate but needs to be freshened up to compliment the sound at lower volumes. Up high this system offers staggering performance and is ideal if you listen to music with a strong rhythm – Boris Brejcha is on as I type. To keep some emotion in the sound I have an Entreq Silver Minimus in this system – the easiest and quickest way to enrich a sound.
Cinema Room : Emotiva
I am always on the lookout for new power amps and although we have a good range of products at all prices are performance levels I couldn’t help but add Emotiva to our stable. With a range of power amps and a superb surround sound processor the Emotiva range is going to fit right in. We will have the XMC-1 Processor and XPA Power amplifier in store and on demonstration shortly.
Hi-Fi Room: Primare system – OFFER
We have a limited number of Primare i22 amplifiers and Primare CD22 CD players for sale at greatly reduced price. Buy either the CD22 or the i22 for £700 rather than £1000 or buy the pair for £1350 saving £650. If you need a cable or a set of speakers to complete this fantastic pairing please contact us for the best match.
https://www.hsound.co.uk/shop/hi-fi/cd-players/primare-cd22-cd-player/
https://www.hsound.co.uk/shop/hi-fi/integrated-pre-amplifiers/primare-i22-integrated-amplifier/
Hi-Fi Room: Vivid and Mark Levinson
With the arrival of the Mark Levinson No519 and No534 into the showroom it worked out just nicely to use them for an event. Paired with the Vivid Giya G3 and running a huge room the quality of each component was easy to detect. The Mark Levinson 519 is a superb product combining the high performing sound you would expect with the a host of facilities that products of this level often shy away from. The in-built DAC works a treat but the direct access to Tidal, Qoboz, Spotify plus a Bluetooth and Network connection among others allows you to play any music you wish very easily. The CD player is a real surprise and first impressions are very positive, I still need to test further to assess the pre-amp quality but certainly paired with the 534 power amp this is a fantastic two box system.
Hi-Fi Room : Vivid Audio
I am happy to have Vivid Audio back in store with the B1 and the Giya G3 now on permanent demonstration. This is the first time I have had the Giya series in store and although the design is far from conventional the build quality and immediate performance is superb. I am very much looking forward to testing them with our electronics and putting them up against their competition most notably the Wilson Audio Yvette.
Nick’s Chat: All in a day’s testing
Will a Yamaha MusicCast WX010 play files from an Aria Server?
Will the Wilson Audio Yvette’s work well with the Vitus SIA-025?
Can I convert an HDMI signal to use with an aerial cable?
Just a few of the questions from today that I am answering. We have a full range of products at HomeSound, The Movie Rooms and Hi-Fi Corner that we can set up and test to answer such questions. Some things cannot be answered with an instruction manual. The quality of operation and reliability of a connection often needs to be experienced first-hand to ensure a product is suitable. This is why we test, audition and test again as often as we can. With a large team of experienced staff across all areas of Hi-Fi, Home Cinema, Audio & Video distribution plus installation we have a specialist who is best placed to help. If you have a question about your set up do get in touch and see what we can offer.
Answers:
Yes – first time and every time.
Yes – it takes a while for the 025 to warm up but when it is on song it is possibly the best one box solution I have heard.
Yes – but limited to 1080p
Cinema Room: Storm Audio
When I first decided to set up a flagship cinema for our demonstration room there was a rush to get the first processor to market with 3D Audio. Storm Audio were first out of the blocks with a press release but when it came to launching a product Datasat were the winners with the RS20i and that is what formed the heart of my room for the last few years. Trinnov launched the Altitude shortly afterwards and we have had the two brands jostle for position as the best option since then. The Trinnov vs Datasat debate continues on and now Storm have joined the arena. I really like the Datasat RS20i and it encapsulates the sound the I expect a cinema to relay very well indeed. With Storm Audio now in the market place with a full range of products I have added to our selection with the new 16ch products. The Storm I.ISP 3D.16 Integrated Receiver with 12 x 200w channels of in built amplification will be in our room next week and is unique in the market place. With all boxes ticked – Atmos, DTS-X and Auro included – and within one box as well the Storm will be ideal for those with medium sized dedicated rooms or high quality living room based cinemas.
If you would like to know more about the Storm Audio product range or book a demo please contact me.
Hi-Fi Room: What’s sounding good this month
Hi-Fi Room: What’s sounding good this month
I run two systems at HomeSound and they change all the time as new products arrive, older products are traded in and I generally just move things around. Although I have set systems that I prefer sometimes unexpected combinations arise with a cable here or an accessory there. A few that are working well this month:
Hi-Fi at £20,000 – Right now I am really enjoying the PMC TwentyFive 26’s on the end of the Vitus RI-100 using the in-built DAC in my office. It may be that the amp is reaching 500+ hours and the run in period is nearing the end but the combination is working a treat. We mostly listen to Tidal playlists on this system so there is no ultra resolution feed but with a selection of Soul and Hip Hop today everything is in the right place at low volume and just gives more and more with extra volume. The real surprise was some drum n bass yesterday with loads of rich and enveloping definition in the bass rather than just the thunderous two dimensional sound that is often heard. If you listen to electronica and are past the upfront attack of so many systems then this pairing just keeps delivering.
System: PMC TwentyFive:26, Vitus RI-100 with DAC, Black Rhodium Foxtrot speaker cable, Sonos Connect
Hi-Fi at £8500 – A mini system in appearance the Benchmark AHB2 and DAC3 HGC do not initially grab you as heavyweight contenders but that is exactly what they are. At £5500 for the pairing ( with the AHB2 in stereo ) the Benchmark competes happily with similarly priced electronics and beyond. I have the Benchmark pairing on the end of the Amphion Argon 3S and the deadly silence of the amp and the ultra quick stop/start pairs perfectly with the 3S’s. There is no hardness at the top end with detail expertly laid out rather than vying for your attention. The Amphion’s soak up the power and with the new design of the “S” model deliver deep ( and crucially for a monitor this size ) accurate bass. The Trainspotting soundtrack fed from our server sounds as big as it did in the cinema with The Young Fathers tracks in particular ( a superb Edinburgh group) testing the system fully.
System: Amphion Argon 3S speakers, Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier, Benchmark DAC3 HGC, Track Audio speaker stands, Tellurium Q Cables, Sonos Connect
Summary
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