Kudos Audio

Cyrus

The infamous Cyrus 1 is back! After more than 30 years, Cyrus have gone back to where it all started. At the show they branded the new amp as a 'Party Animal' and had bean bags and disco lights which made for a very different demo room. It seemed to be a very capable performer, but I couldn't help thinking that the speakers being used were not letting us hear its full potential.

Divailet

We walked into a room containing a pair of Kef Blades, and about 12 or so Devialet's Phantom wireless speakers. For the first few seconds we couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. We looked at one-another as the penny dropped and it became clear it was all coming from just one Phantom. No wonder they are receiving rave reviews as the best wireless speaker in the world.

Fostex

Fostex had the same superb combination on demo that we reported on at the last show, but this time they introduced the Bricasti M1USB Stereo DAC to the set-up. The 40 microns of Gold-Plating over the entire chassis and feet actually help this version perform better than the standard DAC. This takes the price tag up to just a shade under £16,000. It was the indulgence show after all!

Dynaudio

We have had quite a few requests from you guys for more stock of Dynaudio drive units – as you have had great success with them in DIY projects before. I had a good chat with them at the show and I'm afraid to say that they no longer sell drivers to the DIY market. If you need a replacement driver for one of their speakers you can get them (if the speaker is less than 15 years old-ish) through one of their dealers on a service-exchange basis only.

Obravo

Origin Live / Audio Reference / Vinyl House

The new Origin Live Enterprise tone arm was on demo with Audiopax amplification, and these German AER Pnoe horn speakers. This all made for a very detailed and transparent sound. You would need one heck of a space to make a set of these look proprtional - as you can see, they are huge!

TAD

This was one of the best sounding rooms of the show. It was an all-TAD system using their own CD, DAC, Pre-Amp and Amplifier. The Compact Evolution One speakers were producing an almost unbelievable sound for their size; but at £15,000 they needed to be spot on..

PMC / Ross Halfin

PMC’s huge MB2 XBD-A active studio monitors were providing the sound that accompanied an exhibition of rock legends by photographer Ross Halfin. Huge sound, moody lighting and gritty black and whites made for quite an atmospheric space.

Other Indulgences...

This show also boasted a selection of other high-end lifestyle products, including this stunning Yamaha drum kit and the full range of Tesla's electric cars. Nick being very keen on the latter.

More show time

The next Hi-Fi Show on the calendar is the hi-fi news show at the Beaumont Estate in Old Windsor, Berkshire this weekend 29th & 30th October. The exhibitor list is vast, so it should be another good show...