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This weekend's HiFi show

Nagraboy said:
Never heard of alchris audio, what’s the excitement about?
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They’re the reincarnation of Kralk Audio, which folded after Alan Clark was forced out of his own company by his business partners. It was a proper shame, as he made really good speakers at sensible money.

I’m hoping they are still making the TBD-12 model, which I think will suit the vintage 70’s Sony system I’m building.
 
Looks like there will be some interesting products, some 'new' 3 way speakers from a few companies, KLH Model 5, Wimslow/Visitation kit, Eltax 1959 and the Elipson Heritage. Apparently also a new Alphason HR200s tonearm.
All very 70's styles no doubt due to the fairly recent popular trend towards retro/vintage styles in home furnishings and appliances.
 
Anyone else make it there? I have to say that I found most of the systems underwhelming, predictable and sterile....maybe the room acoustics didn't help. I was however pleasantly delighted at the sound quality of Icon Audio offering - it was very good indeed.

I was particularly taken with the performance of 2 sets of speakers, namely the Node Hylixa, available at a cool £30k+ https://www.node-audio.com/hylixa/, and the equally remarkable Amphion Argon 1's at just £1200 a pair: https://amphion.fi/enjoy/products-home-audio/argon1-bookshelf-loudspeaker/ .....quite a staggering price differential. I have to say that the jaws of the people I shared the dem room with hit the ground at the same time as mine with the performance of the Amphions. Quite incredible really.

All in all, it was great to be at a show once more.
 
Anyone get any pics? Were the KLH 3-ways burped-up from the ‘70s any good? They at least look like a loudspeaker!
 
it was great to visit a show once more - though I felt it was rather small, and came away wondering why I travelled two hours. I felt many rooms were playing at loudness levels that wouldn't be tolerated at home for very long. was great to meet the Alphason designer, though - he can service the original hr100 too...
 
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Yes, that’s how I heard they were even a thing! I still subscribe to the print issue of Stereophile, it’s the only magazine I buy.
 
Popped in today as only a few miles away, have to say I found 90% of the rooms very poor as far as sound quality goes, most sounded 0lain dreadful and couldn't get out fast enough, but the nola room sounded nice along with the Amphion Argon 1. The chord room also sounded OK, but the speakers at £105k lacked bass weight.
Was very happy to get home and listen to my system and was expecting the opposite really, one good thing from the show, is I might have sorted out some aqustic panels for my room after a very long chat with the guys
 
It really didn't take long to get around and it was a bit underwhelming to be honest. 2 hrs and I was done. Too many rooms competing with each other in the volume stakes. Bargain of the day..Mycetias. Alot of speaker for £600-700. Chord Electronics were using Bayz Audio speakers which were interesting but to be honest, who would have those in their living room!
 
robbyd said:
I think you probably could have done with hindsight - they didn't even check my ticket confirmation...
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I got a reply late last night saying it’s free to enter this year and that I should just show them the email at reception. We arrived just after 11am today.

My partner was incredibly bored by the whole event (no interest in hi-fi) and I wasn’t overly impressed really. As usual for a show, most rooms sounded less than good due to background noise, unsuitable acoustics and unfamiliar speakers so I don’t blame them for that - after all, it’s not a sound quality competition. Of course our home systems will sound better to us, we’re used to them in our rooms.

Spent a fair amount on new vinyl and met up with a few dealers I’d not seen for a few years. I also got to play my new Dexter Gordon SACD on the Accuphase SACD player/integrated amp in the Audio Works room. The speakers were apparently £27k but the room acoustics just didn’t let them show their quality. And yes, Dexter sounded better through my Falcons this evening.
 
The Accuphase room had potential but the speakers just excited the room too much. Having put the effort in presenting several K of very nice equipment in a room, they should have sorted out some room treatments. A good example of how to do this was the Kerr Acoustic room. The sound was impressive.
 
Were Taylor Acoustics for real? I thought using promo pictures of glamorous ladies standing next to kit went out in the 70s. Mind you, the speakers sounded 'nice'.
 
Heading over tomorrow, although the comments so far are making me wonder if the 2hr journey is worthwhile! Am keen to hear the Bayz speakers - heard them in Munich a few years' ago and was impressed.
 
Hound said:
The chord room also sounded OK, but the speakers at £105k lacked bass weight.
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I thought the Bayz speakers were poor. Apart from poor imaging of instruments and voices, the bass was awful, especially the integration. The bass somehow seemed detached from the rest of the music. It does make me wonder how a product like this could have been developed with a fundamental problem like this...

I've come across this over the years where a designer dreams up a design which is more novel than functional, then wraps it with an interesting story which is then used for marketing...
 
Not all bad in case it sounded like that from the last post. Nice sound were coming from the MFA room with a lovely Nagra 4S and a Nagra 4 mono into MFA PP and mono solids state amps into some nice LS3/5a sized speakers I believe from E.J.Jordan. Another very pleasant sound was coming from the Diapason's in the Time Audio room. I also had my feet tapping in the Midland Audio room to a bit of Zeppelin, these were the pick of the rooms IMO.
 
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