Bristol Hifi Show 24to to 26th Feb 2023

Sounded ... good.

 

You would think PMC would demo their speakers with their Cor amplifier.

 

Doing a bit of listening yesterday and today I have found that the LS50 Metas which I used at the show sound considerably better without the KC62 subs in circuit, and with the sponges removed from the rear port holes.

I bought the speakers shortly before the show and didn't have a chance to test this. I was tempted to do this at the show, but I decided not to change anything once it was sounding adequate, for sanity. A lesson for next time: spend more time optimising, without preconceptions.

This is a bit controversial, but I can't help feeling that a likely explanation for this is that the AD-DSP-DA stage in the KC62 subs is not actually transparent. It has become a professional dogma that AD-DA is inaudible, but somehow the straight analogue signal path seems to sound fresher and more real in the higher frequencies when the subs are out of circuit. Maybe it's the one extra interconnect, but somehow I doubt that.

I intend to use a different speaker set-up at the next show where I have a room. The LS50 Metas sound great on their own, and the KC62s do a great job for their size, but I won't be feeding the LS50s from the KC62 high-pass throughput again.

The next public SUPATRAC demonstration will be better.

 

I presume you have already checked out the KC62 manual,
https://assets.kef.com/product-support/kc62-subwoofer/kc62-subwoofer-manual.pdf

Keith

 

Yes - thanks Keith. I've read it, but that doesn't mean I understand it! I just thought I would mention it for those who came to hear my room at Bristol. I had as many questions about the KEFs as about the Blackbird. It's always the way - psychologically it's difficult not to blame speakers for the sins of their antecedents.

I started another thread about this so as not to derail this one.
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/best-way-to-hook-up-subs.277856/

 

Here is a quick video summary of the Bristol Hifi Show. I moved House straight after. This with work kept me a little busy. Please excuse the cobbled together way. I have much more footage and endeavour to put together something a little more professional and informative in time. Of course, this may be taken down quickly for copyright hits. Thank you.

 

I believe it has already been blocked. Never mind

 

Sod it! I was actually in Bristol visiting someone and didn’t know it was on.

 

Ok, perhaps this works ... ?

Link to Bristol Show Video on Facebook


https://www.facebook.com/1000556837...HtLyfvQx1TF55f6dhjKR6Ko3eJfsohCYj59VEmq349Ql/

 

Was there a new Trichord phono stage now that the Dino has been discontinued?

 

Finally I got around to adding the words to the pictures from Bristol. Real life keeps getting in the way!

Enjoy (maybe): https://audiophilemusings.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-bristol-hifi-show-2023.html

 

Always a great read. Ta.

 

Thanks for the writeup! A nice detailed read. As someone who went to the show myself, I must say your thoughts and opinions pretty much exactly echo mine! I think my highlights were a) how good those Qualios were, and b) just how ridiculously those little Elacs were punching above their weight by absolutely pounding out Infected Mushroom without seemingly breaking a sweat. I was hooked