What impressed you??

sta99y

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Hi all, I spent Friday browsing around the show, the 3d demo by Anthem which was by the bar/food area was amazing!! The sound setup was imense along with the very convincing 3d projector. Pro arc demoed some very small bookshelfs on stands and they sounded fantastic to my ears, also I hogged the 3d gaming in whathifi demo room. Picture slightly on the dark side but again very well done for a 3G racing game. Also impressed at the Kef T series demo I sat in on. Minimal size on both speaker sizes. In all I think Anthem demo was my favourite.
 

Wightknight

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The system that impressed me most was the Onkyo system in room 234. I think it was their Reference Hi-fi series with the two M-5000R power amplifiers that had good old fashioned vu meters built into them.

I also enjoyed listening to the Neat Acoustics (and Naim) system in room 224.
 
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Anonymous

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The Pro-Ac Tablettes were very impressive. I was amazed that such a small stand mounted speaker could produce such powerful and detailed sound. The Philips TV stand also made its mark on me with their sets displaying some super sharp and vividly colourful pictures.They also look very smart as well.
 
I agree the Tablettes sounded very good. But then they did 10 and 20 years ago! I sometimes wonder if speakers really have got dramatically better over the years, or if the sources (and our musical tastes?) just evolve. I still miss my Celestion SL600s that were nicked in 1996.

I was equally, if not more, impressed by some slightly larger Monitor Audio speakers with what looked like ribbon tweeters (a vertical slot) in the Primare room - also costing £1250 a pair according to the Primare guy.

It was Primare's debut of i32 and CD32 integrated amp and CD player, at £2,200 a piece. A great little system which benefitted from not trying too hard - unlike some hi-res systems that are way too much (volume and/or detail) for those hotel bedrooms. The Primares reminded me of my Krell KAV300i and KAV300cd pairing, now well into their middle-age (in hi-fi terms!).
 
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Anonymous

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Went yesterday. I was looking for an AV system that can play music well. Wasn't really looking for two channel hi-fi, but the PMC FACT 3 was really very good, but 4 grand for a stand-mount. Ouch.

Looks like I've got my heart set on a Monitor Audio Apex system. Not sure about the sub though. The Onkyo room with 7.2 Apex system was effortless. But 2 of the new Gold GX 15" subs were very well controlled. I expect they were really just tickling them.

The Apex sub matches the pack really well though........ choices choices

Other than that, seems everyones gone streaming, USB, music from PC mad.
 

sheehanjuk

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In order of 'wow factor':- 1. Atlas cables demo 2. Naim room 3. Primare 4. PMC 5. Arcam av demo room most disappointing :- 1. whathifi demo eg wireless hdd, 3d tv etc surprise:- 1. how quiet it was on sunday
 

Clare Newsome

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Sorry you didn't like the demo. What disappointed you? What would you have liked us to have done differently? It's important that we get feedback
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Anonymous

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My wife didn't say even once, " I'm sure there isn't much more to see now hun ". Result !!
 

chris hollands

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Loved the Gyro SE through the Proac speakers, also impressed with the Chord Music streaming system..

But, overall the 5.1 surround Headphone Demo just blew me away , i could have sworn the sound was coming directly from the speakers , was shocked that the headphones were doing it !!! Just incredible !!!

Did any one else give them a try ????

PS, My wife thought there was three floors he he.
 
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Anonymous

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I'm afraid I have to agree with sheehanjuk about the WHF demo. My feedback for you and the team Clare is that you were demonstrating things that many of us have been doing for years (streaming), and as is often the case with shows with so many wi-fi networks the demo I was watching struggled with maintaining a connection. Perhaps a demo over wired networks with a mention that this would be wi-fi capable and mentioning the limitations of a show environment would have been a better approach. The demos in general were also very short, having 3 mins or so to get into each little piece would have made a big difference.

Maybe it's my ears, maybe it's the lack of familiarity I had with Adele, but I was quite unimpressed with the sound of the system you had set up. My pair of revolution signatures driven by the amp in my receiver I thought sounded better. Last year I think there was a demo of a disaster scene in 2012 which was properly spellbinding by comparison; perhaps you needed more this sort of loud, high-impact source material to make a statement with such a massive system. With music, I just felt it didn't sound right.

Loved the 3D plasma though
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I must admit I was surprised that an 85" screen wasn't bigger, could have sworn it was more like a 65"! I thought the rest of the show was spot-on, looking forward to returning.
 
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Anonymous

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chris hollands:
But, overall the 5.1 surround Headphone Demo just blew me away , i could have sworn the sound was coming directly from the speakers , was shocked that the headphones were doing it !!! Just incredible !!!

Did any one else give them a try ????

PS, My wife thought there was three floors he he.

What brand was that headphone/system that impressed you. Im looking for some way to get great surround sound through headphones for watching late night movies or stuff the missus isnt interested in.
 

The_Lhc

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Wightknight:The system that impressed me most was the Onkyo system in room 234.

When I passed their door they were playing Alanis Morrissette, so I carried on walking.

I was in the wrong frame of mind for the show I think, wasn't really anything that amazed me, I barely stopped walking in most rooms, another set of speakers, another shiny box, I'm starting to think I can't tell the difference between one set up and another in that sort of environment, which renders the whole exercise largely pointless for me.

Honestly, I was bored and left after about three hours.

I enjoyed the KEF demo but that was more for the technical aspects of it, the systems sounded good but they played Yello in 7 channel stereo on the T series and Bach's Organ concerto in 2 channel stereo on the Q700s so it was impossible to compare the two (I can't even remember what was played on the Q300s). It all sounded very nice but I couldn't say they were any better or worse of than anything else I (briefly) heard during the day. I didn't really notice the fabled enormous soundstage of the Q series either but I put that down to sitting off to the side with three rows of people sitting in front of me.

I'll probably get the Q300s but I'll have to hear them in more suitable surroundings, so I haven't really learned anything.
 

kev g

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I went on the Friday & enjoyed the show very much.

Yes, I also have to agree about the new Proac Tablette, they sounded superb & such a small speaker !

My highlights -

Elac speakers

Roksan K2`s with Audiovector speakers

Tannoy DC6T speakers with Rega Mira 3 amp, Rega cdp

The Kef Demo

Rotel RCX-1500 with B&W CM8 speakers, Chord cable - such an awesome bass I could feel it !

Fact 8 speakers & Bryston

Audiolab amp, cdp with the new Dali Zensor 1 speakers - at £179 such a room filling, detailed, impressive sound.

Sadly not enough hours in the day to visit the What Hi Fi demo - but a great day.
 
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Anonymous

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I must say I was also really impressed with the Onkyo power amps especially as they were starting to pack up and blasting out Rage against the machine. That was until I saw and heard the Mcintosh Amps at Adam Audio.
 
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Anonymous

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Other highlights for me were :

The THX demo (not sure I can get away with the recommendation of using 4 subs though with the OH)

Wilson Benesch

The Focal XS Sub Sat computer speakers, definitely considering these to reclaim some desk space currently occupied by the B&W Zeppelin.

The Kudos room with £65k worth of Naim

The biggest surprise was leaving the PMC/Bryston room after hearing the Fact 8 which were exceptional, and going into the Quad/Castle room and hearing the Castle Knight 1. If I had been on a blind test I would have been sure I was listening to the same system, just in a different room.
 

Diamond Joe

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The Sonus Faber speakers powered by Audio Research kit + REL sub in the REL room, that was pretty cool.

ProAc Tablette Anniversary. PMC Fact3. Neat Ultimatum MFS - at least I think that's what they were, didn't think too much to them when I walked in but they changed the music and they just lit up, superb.

The thing I was really impressed with was the way cheaper products such as the Dali Zensor or Acoustic Energy's Compact 1 performed, the quality at this level is just superb.
 

sometimesuk

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What disapointed me was Cyrus new streaming product. The screen to select music is the size of a postage stamp, even my mobile phone screen is bigger. Worse still it can not be controlled by any other means e.g. an IPAD.

Compare this to the Bryston, which does let you use an IPAD to browse your music in comfort, there is no comparison. Except it costs £2400 :(

I'm not saying all products should be controlled by an IPAD, but Cyrus could have designed a large touch screen remote, that lets people sit on the sofa, and casually browse their music collection in comfort, not having a screen where you can bearly fit any legible information.
 

The_Lhc

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sometimesuk:but Cyrus could have designed a large touch screen remote, that lets people sit on the sofa, and casually browse their music collection in comfort, not having a screen where you can bearly fit any legible information.

They did, the n-remote.
 

DandyCobalt

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siggy_7:

as is often the case with shows with so many wi-fi networks the demo I was watching struggled with maintaining a connection.

Agree. For streaming to be worthwhile, the connection has to be faultless - you wouldn't buy a CD player that jumped and stalled. Nothing worse than music being interrupted - it's torture as you start anticipating when it will stall next.

I have a 10mb Virgin connection, but the wifi through Airport often takes it down to 2-4Mb. And it stalls, so CDs still for me.

Therefore, perhaps the WHFSV demo was an excellent, as in "realistic and warty", experience of what streaming is really like?
 

sometimesuk

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the_lhc:sometimesuk:but Cyrus could have designed a large touch screen remote, that lets people sit on the sofa, and casually browse their music collection in comfort, not having a screen where you can bearly fit any legible information.
They did, the n-remote.

No mate, I'm on about the N-remote, Its a complete shower! Have you seen it? As I've said, my mobile phone has a large size screen.

They have totally missed a golden opportunity there. All other manufactures have recognised that Iphone Ipad compatability, for controlling is vital, yet Cyrus seem to have totally ignored this. You've got Naim, Bryston, Musical Fildelity, Yamaha (?) byt Cyrus has gone off on one.
 

Pete Shields

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Having already invested in Sonos and Cyrus kit, I do feel that it's a missed opportunity. All of these systems seem so much more basic to the Sonos in execution. Although the sound quality from the systems mentioned including the Cyrus system may be better than my current kit, I'm not sold on the lack of multi-room that these systems offer and the user interface. You basically need a "full" hifi setup for each room where you want sound.

I saw the way Peachtree had cleverly bolted on a ZP90 into their kit, but surely someone out there should be considering licensing the technology from Sonos. Although there would be no hi-res quality with the current system, a higher end brand Sonos hybrid could mop up.
 

pwiles1968

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Wightknight said:
The system that impressed me most was the Onkyo system in room 234. I think it was their Reference Hi-fi series with the two M-5000R power amplifiers that had good old fashioned vu meters built into them.

I .

Really did not like this the room was far too reactive, made the system sound awful, have heard it again at Frank Harvey and it sounded so much better, shows what a big difference the room can make.

Favourite room was The Rock active speakers, he had sorted to room which helped bur they were lovely neutral speakers and a nice guy demoing them too.

Bryston also sounded good but it should for that sort of money
 

daveg56

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Well I've got to say that the highlight of the show for me was a demo of the IsoTek power conditioners. I've always been a bit unsure of the value of improving the mains, and it doesn't have the wow factor of a new CD player, and amp or speakers. But boy I came away a true believer!

The demo was well put together as it progressed from using a standard B&Q power strip thru to the top-of-the-line Titan. Every step change along the way was unquestionably an improvement on the preceding setup.

After pondering a purchase on the way back home after the show I ended up buying an Aquarius. I have yet to plug it in as I want to do some decent comparisons, but to be honest, with what I heard I can't see how spending £800 on any other component in my system will give me the improvement that I heard and soon hope to enjoy. Stay tuned!

(Krell KAV-400xi Integrated, Resolution Audio Opus 21 CD, Refurbed Yamaha NS1000 loudspeakers)
 

Frank Harvey

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pwiles1968 said:
Wightknight said:
The system that impressed me most was the Onkyo system in room 234. I think it was their Reference Hi-fi series with the two M-5000R power amplifiers that had good old fashioned vu meters built into them.

I .

Really did not like this the room was far too reactive, made the system sound awful, have heard it again at Frank Harvey and it sounded so much better, shows what a big difference the room can make.

And that's on the open top floor, which is about 50m squared (filled with God knows how many speakers!), which opens out into the roof space above and over the two demo rooms, which is an area of about 90m squared! I make that close to 250 cubic metres volumetrically speaking, which is quite quite a big space to fill, but the Onkyo system did it quite easily with the Reference 205/2's and 207/2's, and just for fun I popped on the ProAc K6's, which weren't as efficient, but the Onkyo still did a great job - I think the M5000R power amp is the perfect proof that not all specs are important....
 
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Anonymous

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Re those of you who heard the DALI Zensor 1's - am I right in thinking that they are replacing the Lektors? And if so how do they compare?

I have been trying to track down a pair of Lektor1's to audition (downsizing my 50x30x30 Creek CLS's and need something proper small that can sit on a shelf) and can't seem to for love nor money - my local RS had one solitary pair of Lektor2's - with no packaging and missing one grill - but no info on whether they would be getting more or not.

I had got to the point where I was going to just get some off ebay (I've seen a couple of auctions for around £100), but if the Zensor's are worth it, maybe I should wait until they're out?

Thanks for any further info any can give... :)
 

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