YorkshireAV
Trade: Yorkshire AV
In September last year, I approached Kris at the Audio Show Deluxe (organiser of the popular North West Audio Show) to see if he had a room available as I had a special pair of loudspeakers on order from DALI. He had one large room left - which I was keen to book.
Investing in higher end (£40,000) speakers is both exciting and scary at the same time for a relatively new and small business (nb: we are currently recruiting - search for us on LinkedIn!) as it's not just a single pair of speakers one needs - it's a range of higher end more capable equipment which I'm not at all embarrassed to say I didn't have underneath me. Running a business / growing a business is a journey itself!
Much like an enthusiast building their hifi system, I've been building my system(s) up over the last few years since starting Yorkshire AV.
My strategy has been to work hard at my core speakers brands (those being DALI, Monitor Audio, Perlisten Audio, NEAT Acoustics and more recently, Quad) to generate the margin/investment needed for the higher end pursuit. It then came down to two things: electronics and cabling.
So to be able to properly represent a £40,000 pair of speakers, I needed electronics that were not just up to the job, but would do it with ease and have both a level of relative exclusivity in the UK and a solid reputation of working well with my choice of speakers.
So I invested into Luxman - an IAG brand and a partner that I already had a great working relationship with.
My system that's in the store (and was at the show) consists of:
M-10X power amp
C-10X control amp
PD-191A and LMC5 MC cartridge
E-250 phono stage
D-10X SACD/DAC
I also have the full range of Luxman integrated amplifiers (currently the L-507Z and L-509Z) - more on this later.
I was aware of the NT-07 streamer and we were able to collectively pull some strings with Luxman to get one over for the show.
I was blessed to have Thomas over from Denmark (senior product specialist) to talk about the Epikore 11 to visitors to the room. He was a star and I learned so much from him over beers/currys and of course his brilliant party tricks in the demo itself.
If you're in the area or would like to experience this phenomenal system (nb a room of size of crica 6m x 8m is recommended) then please don't hesitate to get in touch. I'm proud to be own these speakers and am always delighted when someone wants to have a listen - the smiles at the end usually say it all!
So be it a new Luxman component, a pair of DALI loudspeakers (we have one of the most comprehensive ranges of any store in the UK in store from Oberon - > Epikore on the floor), please don't hesitate to reach out.
We're a small brand that's growing and welcome the opportunity to showcase our systems.
Below - our system at the show.
A little about the new NT-07
What is the NT-07?
A very good question and a great place to start. The NT-07 is a high end music streaming transport. It's purpose is to bring a digital media stream from various sources (such as Qobuz, TIDAL, local media servers etc) and output them in the cleanest way possible digitally to a DAC.
As the name suggests, "transport" in HiFi systems simply means a digital transport of data from A-B. There are many network transports out there - the Luxman however has quite a few features that make it stand out from the crowd.
Connectivity options?
You have a wide range of inputs and outputs, making this a simple product to connect to your DAC.
Outputs
USB 2.0 (A), Optical and Coaxial outputs.
There is also a HDMI output (PCM 2 channel, 4K passthrough and ARC)
Inputs
An RJ45 provides you with gigabit network connectivity and a HDMI input (with 4K passthrough and ARC) - which if you connect the HDMI output to a TV/monitor/projector will provide the 4K pass through video from the media source. i.e. connect your UHD 4K BluRay player to the units HDMI input for PCM stereo playback in your system. Similarly, connect your TV via the ARC port and decode your TV audio through the system with volume control!
There is also a USB port for connecting to an external storage device.
Above: connectivity on the NT-07.
Sampling rates
USB(DAC): PCM 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz (16bit, 24bit, 32bit) DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.5MHz (1bit)
OPT, COAX, HDMI OUT (ARC): PCM 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88 .2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz(16bit, 24bit)
File Formats
WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, MQA, MP3, AAC, DSD (DSF, DFF
Streaming Protocols
UPnP (OpenHome), TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready (getting approved)
bove: the NT-07 has a push-in power switch and a Luxman coloured screen with artist, track, and album information as well as track number (if in a playlist etc)
What software does the NT-07 run?
I think at this point, it's worth setting some context.
Software in HiFi has been the Achilles heal of many great products over the year. With software constantly needing to be updated and integrations with streaming services maintained plus support for rapidly changing interfaces (IOS, Android, PC/OSX etc) - many have tried and left their users in the lurch. In the past 18 months, we've witnessed more HiFi brands integrating established software solutions for ultra reliability, leveraging the software teams ability to patch and update far better than a HiFi brand ever could. It's because of this that I'm delighted to see Lumin as the base streaming platform for the NT-07.
Now - you won't find this mentioned on any of the Luxman websites or descriptions, I can only assume this is a licensing or agreement that's in place but those of us with a Lumin or Lumin experience will immediately spot the huge similarities! (the NT-07 also discovers in the Lumin app as well as it's own version of the app). This is very similar to the new audiolab 9000N network streamer which is also based on Lumin.
The benefits other than those mentioned above also translates into what Luxman are great at: making audio sound natural and realistic whilst making the equipment totally transparent.
Once again, the NT-07 here excels. It benefits from a highly stable power supply circuitry with a high noise suppression ratio, consisting of a large power transformer and two 10,000 ㎌ x2 large-capacity filter capacitors selected for excellent audio quality. Given the heritage of Luxman, we would accept no less than this but the integration into the digital front end is exemplary.
Above: our digital reference system with NT-07, D-10X CD/SACD and DAC into our C-10X Control Amp and M-10X Power Amp.
What does it cost?
This was the big surprise for me. Everything in the new family is north of £15,000 per box. When I was informed this was priced fairly at £6500, I was personally delighted. A superb player, great features, a high quality of build and sonically sublime. A must have for any Luxman owner or for someone wanting to get into the world of high fidelity network streaming who would like the flexibility of their own DAC.
You can buy the NT-07 now online here.
Get links to our component(s) here.
Investing in higher end (£40,000) speakers is both exciting and scary at the same time for a relatively new and small business (nb: we are currently recruiting - search for us on LinkedIn!) as it's not just a single pair of speakers one needs - it's a range of higher end more capable equipment which I'm not at all embarrassed to say I didn't have underneath me. Running a business / growing a business is a journey itself!
Much like an enthusiast building their hifi system, I've been building my system(s) up over the last few years since starting Yorkshire AV.
My strategy has been to work hard at my core speakers brands (those being DALI, Monitor Audio, Perlisten Audio, NEAT Acoustics and more recently, Quad) to generate the margin/investment needed for the higher end pursuit. It then came down to two things: electronics and cabling.
So to be able to properly represent a £40,000 pair of speakers, I needed electronics that were not just up to the job, but would do it with ease and have both a level of relative exclusivity in the UK and a solid reputation of working well with my choice of speakers.
So I invested into Luxman - an IAG brand and a partner that I already had a great working relationship with.
My system that's in the store (and was at the show) consists of:
M-10X power amp
C-10X control amp
PD-191A and LMC5 MC cartridge
E-250 phono stage
D-10X SACD/DAC
I also have the full range of Luxman integrated amplifiers (currently the L-507Z and L-509Z) - more on this later.
I was aware of the NT-07 streamer and we were able to collectively pull some strings with Luxman to get one over for the show.
I was blessed to have Thomas over from Denmark (senior product specialist) to talk about the Epikore 11 to visitors to the room. He was a star and I learned so much from him over beers/currys and of course his brilliant party tricks in the demo itself.
If you're in the area or would like to experience this phenomenal system (nb a room of size of crica 6m x 8m is recommended) then please don't hesitate to get in touch. I'm proud to be own these speakers and am always delighted when someone wants to have a listen - the smiles at the end usually say it all!
So be it a new Luxman component, a pair of DALI loudspeakers (we have one of the most comprehensive ranges of any store in the UK in store from Oberon - > Epikore on the floor), please don't hesitate to reach out.
We're a small brand that's growing and welcome the opportunity to showcase our systems.
Below - our system at the show.
A little about the new NT-07
What is the NT-07?
A very good question and a great place to start. The NT-07 is a high end music streaming transport. It's purpose is to bring a digital media stream from various sources (such as Qobuz, TIDAL, local media servers etc) and output them in the cleanest way possible digitally to a DAC.
As the name suggests, "transport" in HiFi systems simply means a digital transport of data from A-B. There are many network transports out there - the Luxman however has quite a few features that make it stand out from the crowd.
Connectivity options?
You have a wide range of inputs and outputs, making this a simple product to connect to your DAC.
Outputs
USB 2.0 (A), Optical and Coaxial outputs.
There is also a HDMI output (PCM 2 channel, 4K passthrough and ARC)
Inputs
An RJ45 provides you with gigabit network connectivity and a HDMI input (with 4K passthrough and ARC) - which if you connect the HDMI output to a TV/monitor/projector will provide the 4K pass through video from the media source. i.e. connect your UHD 4K BluRay player to the units HDMI input for PCM stereo playback in your system. Similarly, connect your TV via the ARC port and decode your TV audio through the system with volume control!
There is also a USB port for connecting to an external storage device.
Above: connectivity on the NT-07.
Sampling rates
USB(DAC): PCM 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz (16bit, 24bit, 32bit) DSD 2.8MHz, 5.6MHz, 11.2MHz, 22.5MHz (1bit)
OPT, COAX, HDMI OUT (ARC): PCM 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88 .2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz(16bit, 24bit)
File Formats
WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, MQA, MP3, AAC, DSD (DSF, DFF
Streaming Protocols
UPnP (OpenHome), TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready (getting approved)
bove: the NT-07 has a push-in power switch and a Luxman coloured screen with artist, track, and album information as well as track number (if in a playlist etc)
What software does the NT-07 run?
I think at this point, it's worth setting some context.
Software in HiFi has been the Achilles heal of many great products over the year. With software constantly needing to be updated and integrations with streaming services maintained plus support for rapidly changing interfaces (IOS, Android, PC/OSX etc) - many have tried and left their users in the lurch. In the past 18 months, we've witnessed more HiFi brands integrating established software solutions for ultra reliability, leveraging the software teams ability to patch and update far better than a HiFi brand ever could. It's because of this that I'm delighted to see Lumin as the base streaming platform for the NT-07.
Now - you won't find this mentioned on any of the Luxman websites or descriptions, I can only assume this is a licensing or agreement that's in place but those of us with a Lumin or Lumin experience will immediately spot the huge similarities! (the NT-07 also discovers in the Lumin app as well as it's own version of the app). This is very similar to the new audiolab 9000N network streamer which is also based on Lumin.
The benefits other than those mentioned above also translates into what Luxman are great at: making audio sound natural and realistic whilst making the equipment totally transparent.
Once again, the NT-07 here excels. It benefits from a highly stable power supply circuitry with a high noise suppression ratio, consisting of a large power transformer and two 10,000 ㎌ x2 large-capacity filter capacitors selected for excellent audio quality. Given the heritage of Luxman, we would accept no less than this but the integration into the digital front end is exemplary.
Above: our digital reference system with NT-07, D-10X CD/SACD and DAC into our C-10X Control Amp and M-10X Power Amp.
What does it cost?
This was the big surprise for me. Everything in the new family is north of £15,000 per box. When I was informed this was priced fairly at £6500, I was personally delighted. A superb player, great features, a high quality of build and sonically sublime. A must have for any Luxman owner or for someone wanting to get into the world of high fidelity network streaming who would like the flexibility of their own DAC.
You can buy the NT-07 now online here.
Get links to our component(s) here.