North West Audio Show - Cranage Hall, Cheshire 21/22 June 2025

[record_spot]

It's that time of the year when hifi types head off to Cheshire, the De Vere Cranage hotel in particular and the North West Audio Show once again.

I'd attended for the first time last year and loved it, so this year have booked in for the weekend and making a mini break of it (well, booked in nearby, Cranage was booked out!).

Some terrific rooms, highlights for me this year were Auden Distribution who hosted Hegel, Amphion and Eggleston Works and their demo system with Hegel and EW being a real highlight. Mega expensive, but effortless power on tap and a sense of presence with AC/DC on the (Hegel) streamer.

Kii Audio had their #KiiThree active speakers on demo in their room and these were a seriously good proposition. Wonderfully engaging audio, great clarity, ample punch, but not overpowering and a nice midrange.

My favourite room of the day though belonged to Neat Acoustics and their stunning Iota II which somehow delivers a huge presentation that is every bit high quality audio as you'd find anywhere else on the Cranage Estate today. Captivating sound that belied their small stature. An utter bargain at £1,095. Definitely going back for more tomorrow.

 

[nopiano]

I went today only, and just got back about 8pm. It’s a lovely venue, and I appreciate how they let every other room, in some corridors, to reduce the ‘interference’.

The Auden rooms were both impressive, weren’t they, in different ways? Those Kii were the smaller 7 model, but they were one of the best sounds I agree. Neat were using the larger pair when I visited their room (the ones on the far left in your pic), but I always liked Iotas, and they’ve dropped the bigger Iota Alpha now. 😕

I was v impressed withthe relaunched 40th anniversary Acoustic Energy AE1, which will be £1,500/pr. I reckon that is a bargain compared to BBC mini monitors, and they have a lush finish even down to the original shiny speaker fixings.

ATC have a nice distant room upstairs with the SCM20 Actives, well worth hearing. One of my favourites today, but then I own ATC so am predisposed towards them I guess. Hope you enjoy Sunday!

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

Subscribing to visit voraciously through your reports !
Please visit ALCHRIS AUDIO and let us know how Alan and Christine get on!

 

[Revolutions]

Thanks for the write-ups, always interesting to hear what’s happening at these events.

I heard my turntable through some Neat Majistra through an Exposure amp yesterday, picking it up from service. They sounded great.

 

[record_spot]

I went today only, and just got back about 8pm. It’s a lovely venue, and I appreciate how the let every other room, in some corridors, to reduce the ‘interference’.

The Auden rooms were both impressive, weren’t they, in different ways? Those Kii were the smaller 7 model, but they were one of the best sounds I agree. Neat were using the larger pair when I visited their room (the ones on the far left in your pic), but I always liked Iotas, and they’ve dropped the bigger Iota Alpha now. 😕

I was v impressed withthe relaunched 40th anniversary Acoustic Energy AE1, which will be £1,500/pr. I reckon that is a bargain compared to BBC mini monitors, and they have a lush finish even down to the original shiny speaker fixings.

ATC have a nice distant room upstairs with the SCM20 Actives, well worth hearing. One of my favourites today, but then I own ATC so am predisposed towards them I guess. Hope you enjoy Sunday!

I popped into the Acoustic Energy room, and logged the AE1s but a tad soft for my liking in the treble. I'll return for a longer listen later on today though.

I had a chat with one of the guys at the door and he did mention that a tweaked active AE1 should be out later this year.

Heard the ATC SCM20 Anniversary model last year on the Doug Brady display and they were fantastic. Best of the show for me last year. I'll be looking to get another listen in before I go today.

 

[record_spot]

Subscribing to visit voraciously through your reports !
Please visit ALCHRIS AUDIO and let us know how Alan and Christine get on!

I saw their room yesterday so will drop in today. I need to try and get into the NVA and Technics rooms too as well as a few others before I leave.

 

[michael hoy]

Sadly cannot make it this year so thanks for the write ups.

 

[record_spot]

More to follow when I get home later!

 

[nopiano]

Subscribing to visit voraciously through your reports !
Please visit ALCHRIS AUDIO and let us know how Alan and Christine get on!

Unfortunately they were playing ear-splitting rock when I looked in, so I made a hasty retreat. I thought I’d seen their speakers in another room or two until I realised they were Kerr Acoutics.

A show like this brings home to me the huge talents out there by way of, for example, amplifier and speakers designers, and how hard it must be to carve a niche.

NVA were much more ‘normal’ with their little integrated amp and latest cube speakers, a great sideboard system. And also at modest prices, Kevin Edwards’ latest Edwards Audio amp and speakers with a Kestrel turntable system was very easy to like. He mentioned how some rooms had mains cables costing greater than his whole system!

 

[nopiano]

Heard the ATC SCM20 Anniversary model last year on the Doug Brady display and they were fantastic. Best of the show for me last year. I'll be looking to get another listen in before I go today.

Yes, these are now the regular version with the same active (SL grade) drivers in a nice veneered box for £6,500. A regular Technics SL1200G turntable was in use too, and ATCs own CDA2 mk2 pre-amp DAC and CD player was doing the switching. I didn’t identify the phono stage or streamer, but there was a small orange-painted box in the rack.

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

Unfortunately they were playing ear-splitting rock when I looked in, so I made a hasty retreat. I thought I’d seen their speakers in another room or two until I realised they were Kerr Acoutics.

ah yes; Alan does run a "rock hour" apparently !
I know he has taken TX9, 5 and 1's and they are similar in design to KERR. I believe they are good friends too.