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Pylon Audio Opal Monitor – Bookshelf Speakers

Introduction:

A relatively new loudspeaker manufacturer from Poland, Pylon Audio makes some very nice speakers given their extremely competitive pricing are truly hidden gems in what is a sea of so many brands and types of loudspeakers currently available to all.

Pylon Audio makes their own cabinets and assembles the loudspeakers in their factory in Jarocin, Poland. The fact that they are making cabinets for many a top notch speaker brand in Europe says a lot about their cabinetry prowess and workmanship.

Unboxing:

The Opal Monitors come packed together in a single cardboard box that is quite simple to open and extract from. Thick Styrofoam blocks protect the Opal Monitors from the top & Bottom sides, so one can definitely reuse the packing for future movements if required at all. Suffice to say that the packing is simple yet functional.

Out of the box:

The Opal Monitors are quite a looker with the walnut wrap around the cabinet and matt black front baffle give them a look of a speaker that definitely is well put together and will put to shame those costing a lot more than them. Having said that, they are made to a price and that reflects in the way of them having simple single speaker binding posts enclosed in a typical mass market plastic binding post enclosure. A simple sticker printed with the model, impedance, sensitivity & frequency range details are stuck to the top rear left corner of each cabinet. That pretty much is what I can nit pick on these speakers.

The driver orientation is unique as well, what with the woofer placed above the tweeter, similar to what Mission does to their range of speakers, to aid time alignment & better transient performance towards the listener. Having said that, one doesn’t really think about such aspects once the music starts playing, the focus is definitely on how good they sound. Right out of the box, the Opal Monitors sound extremely balanced and weighty across the frequency range. This is such an important trait as one usually takes time to adjust to new speakers going through their burn-in period, which isn’t the case with the Opal Monitors. A variety of music was played and associated electronics/cables partnered with the speakers definitely showcased how the sound changed with each of the above entering the chain. The Opal Monitors definitely impress with the scale of sound that they can reproduce effortlessly, something that is rare in speakers at their price point. The Opal Monitor’s are rear ported but placement of these also isn’t an issue as they sound pleasing even when not ideally placed in the room. A slight toe-in gives a wonderful soundstage, though such things usually are a personal preference & subjective as are most aspects of this hobby. This made me think of doing A/B comparisons with mass market branded speakers costing double the price(ones that I politely won’t mention) and to say that the Opal Monitors put them to shame is an understatement. Pylon certainly have a winner in their hands with the Opal Monitors!

Associated Electronics & Cables for review:

Amplifiers:

Rega Brio

Naim Nait 5Si

Fezz Audio Titania

Parasound Halo Integrated

Sugden Audio A21 SE

T+A PA1100E

Source:

Wiim Mini

Wiim Pro Plus

Cocktail Audio N15D

Rega Planar 2

Thorens TD403DD

Densen B400XS

Cables:

Speaker Cables:

Wireworld Horizon

Nordost Blue Heaven

Power Cords:

Tellurium Ultra Blue II

PS Audio AC3

Interconnects:

Tellurium Blue II

Nordost Red Dawn

Wireworld Terra

Tech Specs:

Impedance8 ohms
Frequency response45Hz-20kHz
Nominal power60 watts
Maximum power100 watts
Efficiency86dB
Dimensions [W x H x D]190 x 400 x 280 mm
Weight7.5 kg / piece
WooferPylon Audio PSW 18.8 CS/M
TweeterPylon Audio PST T-80/8
grilleYes
Warranty4 years

Verdict:

The Opal Monitors are extremely well finished and balanced in their sound reproduction as well. They work with low wattage amps beautifully suggesting that one can get away with any amplifier that outputs quality amplification. We found them to particularly pair well with Rega’s Brio Integrated Amplifier, which denotes that one can build a very satisfying stereo set up for a relatively small amount of monies.

For example, one can definitely build an analog or digital front end based set up with the Brio & Opal Monitor combination for under 2L, which will definitely provide years of excellent music playback. The addition of a Pylon Subwoofer if needed will definitely add body to the low frequencies but as such will only be for those who like their music to have more bass reinforcement.

The Pylon Opal Monitors are speakers that I would highly recommend not only to those wanting to build their first quality hifi set up but also to those who are already well entrenched into the hobby and would like to set up a secondary set up for their study, office or den.

Chapeau Time Indeed!

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First Impressions – Fonica Flag M Isodynamic Speakers

Speakers such as these are few & far between in a world that is full of traditional cabinet based speakers, which predominantly rule the roost in home audio.

Seldom does a speaker so unique, come to the notice of not only AV Enthusiasts but AV Distribution companies as well.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by the distribution company for these speakers in India, to not only hear them but also be present for the unboxing process.

Fonica International is an Italian company, making isodynamic speakers & basically have 3 models named Flag S, M & L (denoting the size) as well as the flagship Grande. They have passive as well as active equivalents in the Flag M & L models, whilst the Flag S is passive only & Grande is fully active only. Nexus AV are the distributors for the brand in India.

What Are Isodynamic Speakers?

Isodynamic speakers consist of a large surface made up of a very thin and light Mylar membrane that moves uniformly over its entire surface with the help of neodymium magnets.

The speakers therefore have a very slim design, making them very convenient to place in a room, compared to traditional box speakers. Since such speakers have no acoustic enclosure(box), they are free from colouration caused by internal resonances of a cabinet/box.

How are they packed?

The Fonica Flag M Speakers come in a crated box to ensure bullet proof safety of their wellbeing, during shipping & handling. They are easy to unpack as shown in the pics attached and even easier to install once you have read the not so helpful manual (can be due to literal translation from Italian to English being the proverbial fly in the ointment)

Quality, Fit & Finish are excellent and so is the attention to detail in the provision of the hardware supplied. Once you figure out the Installation instructions, setting up the speakers is a breeze. The panels have a pleasing micro perforated cloth which covers the front & back sides of each panel.

The aluminium frame around the panels are beautifully finished and complete the look that just oozes elegance. A couple of color combinations with regards to the cloth & aluminium frame are available, which one can inquire for prior to placing an order with the distributor.

NOTE:

One must be aware of which speaker is the left & which the right as the Tweeter portion of the panel should be on the inner side, thereby determining the left & right speaker prior to placement.

Easiest way to figure this out is by seeing the speaker terminal panel at the rear end of each panel, which clearly denotes this aspect by placement of the LF & HF cable binding post terminals. A picture showing the same is as under.

How do they sound out of the box? (Nice pun!)

The manual shares a bit of information about speaker placement and such, though ultimately it will also depend on the room where they would be placed. After figuring out the speaker’s position, one gets taken aback by just how good they sound.

They will take a few minutes to get used to, given the fact that the majority of listeners ears have been tuned to listening to coloration of cabinet based speakers their entire lives. Hence, a mature/seasoned music listener might appreciate these more swiftly than an amateur one.

The High & Mid Frequencies are so breathtakingly large, clean, detailed yet not fatiguing, that you are very pleasantly surprised with instantly.

The lower frequencies however do take a bit of time getting adjusted to, that too because yet again the preconceived notion of coloration from cabinet speakers play a huge part in getting one’s brain disoriented.

Having said that, they become more defined and coherent once you spend more time carefully listening to them. Therefore, one needs to be patient as well as attentive in what these speakers do with regard to the entire frequency spectrum coverage.

I have been listening to  ‘Still loving you’ by the Scorpions for a very long time, but when I heard this track on the Flag M’s, it literally made me shake my head in disbelief as never have I heard it play like this in my lifetime. Suffice to say, I heard this track 3 times, just to take it all in again & again!

Once the speakers are played for a couple of hours and post finessing the ideal positioning of the speakers, it all seems to fall in place, locked in a zone that creates a huge dynamic sound stage that is not only detailed but is extremely refined as well.

How about the partnering electronics & cables?

We heard the Flag M Speakers paired with an Octave HP500 Pre with Audio Research VT100 Power Amplifiers, coupled to an ancient Arcam CD Player. Cabling was via Wireworld & Van Den Hul.

What sort of Music works with the Flag M’s?

We heard a variety of music genre’s right from Western Classical to Modern Pop, Hard Rock, Jazz and Vocal based Music, that save for EDM’s heavy bass filled tracks, played with aplomb and composure even at high volume levels.

A large picturesque sound stage with placement of musicians across the stage, is what is immediately noticed and felt. Playing with the position of the speakers with regard to toe-in, distance between the inner sides of the left & right speakers, greatly changes the sound stage as well as the texture of the instruments, so one needs to understand these aspects very well.

Verdict?

The Fonica Flag M’s are something special indeed. One needs to experience them and Isodynamic speakers in general. They do spectacular things but need time to understand as well. They are definitely not for everyone but having said that one needs to give them a listen to understand what they can do.

At 9L, they certainly aren’t cheap but at the same time, they are a very worthy option when considering the traditional box speaker’s competition at the said price might not be in the same league. In my humble opinion, that itself says a lot and something needing a strong consideration.

Where can one hear the Flag M’s?

For listening to the Flag M’s, kindly get in touch with us on hifihunt1@gmail.com or call/whatsapp on 9820086384, to fix an appointment.

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Rega Naiad – A cost no object Turntable

Rega, one of the most well known and respected turntable manufacturers in the world have released a bespoke turntable called the NAIAD, which is limited to a product manufacturing run of only 50 units. We are extremely honored & fortunate to have experienced the assembly & a brief listening session of the NAIAD, courtesy of its one & only owner in India.

About Rega

Rega Research Ltd. is a manufacturer of audio equipment consisting of Turntables, Amplifiers, CD Players, DAC’s, Loudspeakers & Allied Turntable Components + Accessories. Each and every product of Rega is designed and hand made in their facility in Essex, England.

They are currently celebrating 50 years of their existence and what a better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than with the NAIAD.

What is NAIAD

NAIAD is the absolute pinnacle of Rega’s engineering prowess and technical knowledge with regards to building Turntables. It has taken them 7 years to research into the creation of the NAIAD, keeping their philosophy of using ultra light weight components having the maximum rigidity in the materials used for constructing the NAIAD.

Initially planned to make just 40 units, to celebrate 40 years of Rega’s Existence a few years ago, it was later decided to make 50, so that the manufacturing cost of the NAIAD could be brought down further as substantial financial investments were to be made for tooling, materials and designs for a new model range of turntables that would benefit from the creation of the NAIAD. The retail price of the NAIAD is thirty thousand British pounds sterling.

Each NAIAD is built by a handful of highly skilled technicians that includes CEO Phil Freeman and it takes a few months for them to deliver it to its very privileged customers. Serial no. 0034 was what we were fortunate to see and listen to for this review.

What does NAIAD mean?

According to Rega,

“The testbed was given the name “Naiad” from an almost unknown and challenging piece of piano music that can sound boring and urbane or dreamlike and ephemeral depending on how it was played.”

Having said that, my personal belief is that the music played via the NAIAD just flows like water and to me that perfectly encapsulates the true meaning of its name.

Design & Construction

In a nutshell, the NAIAD is made from materials that are extremely light weight, are high in rigidity and at the same time weigh practically nothing when one compares it to other super highend turntables.

The only real weighty component of the NAIAD is the phenolic resin platter! Formula one inspired design language & usage of carbon fibre that resembles exactly like a suspension geometry component of one of the current Formula one teams cars is really eye catching not only from the design and appearance point of view but also from the lightness aspect, truly astonishing!

The Titanium RB tonearm is another marvel in lightness and simplicity. It is extremely easy to set up and balance as is the way one adjusts the tracking weight force of the cartridge and antiskating. However, it may be daunting for those who have never really experienced the higher end models from Rega such as the Planar 8 & 10. Rega’s current reference handmade moving coil phono cartridge, the Aphelion 2 comes factory fitted with the tone arm.

An equally beautifully designed and engineered carbon fibre wall mounting bracket with mounting screws is also part of the components that comes with the NAIAD.

Aside from the above, the box packing of the NAIAD comes with tools as mentioned above plus a special tool for attaching the cartridge screws, speed adjusting tool, a spirit level, a record clamp and also a Battery operated electronic tracking force guage called the Atlas.

Aside from these, a copy of the Rega book, a NAIAD book that illustrates exploded drawings of all the components that go into the assembly of the NAIAD.

A test report in color also comes with Wow/Flutter & Drift Speed graphs of the said turntable with its corresponding serial number as well as the date and signatures of the team that built it for you. A pair of white gloves to remove the plinth along with a illustration of how to lift it from the designated packing insert also is provided to ensure safe handling of the plinth and that of the tonearm with prefitted cartridge.

A separate double cardboard box contains the dedicated power supply with mains power cord.

Some salient features of the NAIAD:

  • Ultra-lightweight carbon fibre plinth with Rohacell foam core and ceramic braces
  • RB Titanium tonearm
  • Aphelion 2 MC cartridge
  • Advanced power supply housed in our reference electronics casework
  • Automatic calibration for speed and inbuilt test facility
  • New ceramic flywheel effect platter
  • Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) spindle and bearing assembly
  • Precision machined aluminium hub
  • Custom made carbon fibre cantilever designed wall bracket to provide the ultimate support

The Naiad is supplied in premium custom-made packaging and a shipping crate. It will include all the required tools for assembly along with the Rega Atlas tracking force gauge and a copy of the Rega book.

  • Graded zero tolerance black anodised aluminium body
  • Boron rod cantilever
  • ‘Fine line’ profile, nude diamond stylus
  • Iron micro cross and coil assembly making one of the worlds smallest MC generators
  • Worlds most powerful minaturised neodymium magnet
  • High specification fine wire 0.018 mm

Does it require assembly?

The NAIAD comes practically assembled from Rega, with just basic assembly required yet all the tools one would require to assemble are provided for in the box. The tonearm & cartridge come factory fitted, which is truly a relief as these can be very cumbersome & fiddly to assemble at the buyer’s end. Even a small mistake can become a costly affair with the NAIAD, hence one has to be very mindful at the time of installation of the same.

Rega NAIAD Crate on Pallet

Unboxing the NAIAD

The Rega NAIAD comes in a huge wooden crate that is on a pallet and one will require adequate muscle power (6 men job) to transport this to the listening room. 12 long Philips wooden screws marked in red denote where one has to unscrew the top of the crate to get access to the separately packed boxes inside. A further 8 similar screws also need to be unscrewed from the top sides of the crate to remove the partition that separates the top cardboard box from the bottom. The pictures attached will show exactly how one needs to goa about doing so. The top cardboard box contains the NAIAD External Power Supply. The bottom cardboard box contains the NAIAD with the dust cover and its allied components that are separated in 2 layers of thick black Styrofoam perfectly notched to accommodate each component snugly. One has to be patient and relaxed during unboxing as there is a lot to take in visually and physically. Overall, the packing is over engineered but then rightly so as the NAIAD is super rare and costly!

Rega NAIAD Power Supply
Rega NAIAD Power Supply

Rega NAIAD Box Packing
Rega NAIAD Unboxing
Rega NAIAD Unboxing
Rega NAIAD Unboxing Continued
Rega NAIAD Unboxing Top Layer
Rega NAIAD Unboxing Bottom Layer
Rega NAIAD Turntable Fully Assembled

How does the NAIAD sound?

Once it was all unboxed and put together, the tone arm balanced and tracking force + antiskate adjusted,  the first thing to do was to see if it was alive. A manual rotation of the platter was done to ensure that there was free movement of the platter on the plinth as well as the rubber belts attached to the motor were in place as desired. The motor is attached to the platter spindle base by means of 3 rubber belts that are individually attached on the pulley of the motor. Once all was found in place, the power supply was switched on and the NAIAD was alive!

Rega Aura Ref Phono Pre Amplifier
PS Audio Stellar Pre Amplifier + Rega Aura Ref Phono Pre Amplifier
PS Audio BHK Signature 250 Power Amplifier

Rega’s reference phono pre amp, the AURA was attached to the NAIAD RCA leads which in turn was connected to PS Audio’s Stellar Pre and BHK Signature 250 Power Amplifiers. Heco’s erstwhile flagship speakers, the Concerto Grosso were connected to the PS Audio Amplifiers, via Acoustic Research Master Series 10AWG Gauge Speaker cables

The first vinyl played was Mofi’s Dire Straits ‘Love over gold’. The very first few bars of the music played immediately felt special. The reference of what NAIAD stands for(pls read above) came flashing to mind immediately as the music just flowed. It made critical listening very enjoyable yet one was constantly trying to find fault as the cost of the NAIAD was always at the back of the mind, making it even more harder to initially take in what was coming in the form of musical enjoyment. We had already spent close to 4 hours taking in the whole unboxing, assembling and connecting the NAIAD so honestly speaking, it was a sensory overload as well.

There was a certain silence that came out aloud as all present in the room were just amazed at how good the music flowed from the said setup, it was truly special!

Final thoughts

The Rega NAIAD is something special and sadly, very few will ever experience it worldwide.

In India, the opportunity is very much there for the taking to those who are seriously wanting to get into high end vinyl playback as the owner of this NAIAD has generously offered listening access to his NAIAD, subject to this criteria being met as well as taking prior permission for facilitating the same via a confirmed appointment well in advance. How cool is that?

Kindly contact us via email on ‘hifihunt1@gmail.com’

for further discussions and appointments.

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Reviews

BestVox LS3/6 Three Way Stand Mount Speakers

History of the LS3/6 Speaker & BBC Connection

The late 60’s to the mid ‘70s was an interesting time in relation to the music that was created which necessitated stalwarts like the BBC to focus on making speakers that projected a ‘truthful’ sound. A research program was initiated at the BBC to ascertain how their broadcasts truly sounded as they were skeptical of commercially available speakers being unable to accurately reproduce the sound as well as consistently maintain the accuracy during loudspeaker manufacturing processes that may have varied from batch to batch.

The BBC therefore took it upon themselves to design & develop speakers, which resulted in the creation of the famous LS3/5a model of speakers which got the ball rolling and subsequently models such as the LS5/9 & LS3/6 came to fruition, based on necessity in relation to applications for different environments.

Spencer Hughes, was one of the engineers who was part of the team at the BBC research program, developing the said speakers and is credited with the creation of vacuum formed Bextrene coned drivers, which were used in the prototype 3 way speaker called the BC-1. The BBC initially wasn’t interested in this speaker design but after being impressed with the quality achieved and post some modifications, resulted in the birth of the LS3/6 speaker.

Something special about the BestVox LS3/6

There are plenty of brands that are licensed by the BBC to manufacture the BBC design speakers and each one of these brands have made countless models tweaked to suit the end user’s listening tastes as well as to the philosophy of the designers associated with these brands.

BestVox, on the other hand has gone in a different direction in this aspect as the owner, Mr. Ping has managed to be as true as possible to the original BBC design by paying minute attention to every aspect of the said design, materials used and cabinet construction techniques.

The design consists of a Tweeter, a Super Tweeter & a Mid bass Driver that uses polypropylene (PP) material.

The cabinets are thin walled as per the original design, plus are made inhouse to maintain the desired quality, consistency and tolerances as were desired in the original BBC Design.

The original tweeter, super tweeter and mid bass driver are all manufactured in house and are absolutely as per specs of the original. This is something which isn’t found on many of the licensed designs made by other manufacturers these days.

How do they sound?

The BestVox LS3/6 is a 3 way speaker with specifications as under:

Type: three-unit three-way bass-reflex bookshelf speaker
Unit: 20mm T27 tweeter x1, 25mm tweeter x1, 200mm Radial bass x1
Frequency response: 42Hz-20,000Hz
Sensitivity: 88dB
Impedance: 8 ohms
Crossover point: 3kHz , 13kHz
Dimensions: 630 x 310 x 305 mm (H x W x D)
Weight: 17 kg

Review Associated Equipment Pairing:

Amplification:

Rega io

AVM CS2.2

Source:

Arcam CD37

AVMCS2.2

Cables:

Interconnects

VDH

Sommer

Speaker Cable

Inakustik Reference

Artists Heard during Review:

Pt. Bhimsen Joshi

Bollywood Movie OST’s

Shakti

Western Classical

Jazz

Direstraits

London Grammar

The speakers were initially placed about 8ft apart and 1ft in front of the rear walls and subsequently brought closer to about 6ft apart when listening to a variety of music genres. Ultimately, it appears that for one wanting to listen to these speakers as intended in a typical English house hold environment, the speakers need to be closer to each other and as close to the rear wall as possible. However, it also depends on the room size and possible placement limitations one might have in their respective rooms but by & large the BestVox LS3/6 remain pretty comfortable to placement, meaning they aren’t very finicky with regards to where they are placed in a room. This certainly is a very welcome trait that one will appreciate with these speakers.

With regard to amplification also, the BestVox LS3/6 present a pretty benign load as was experienced with the pairing of the 30W Rega io, which paired beautifully with the speakers and never did one miss the need to really change it, save for experimenting with a much more expensive amplifier(AVM)

Remaining true to what the design guidelines were demanded from these BBC designed speakers, the BestVox LS3/6 showcased whatever was thrown at it, be it a change in cables, amplification and source material quality, it showed everything in a respectable manner, gently but assuredly.

There is something very attractive about these speakers as they make you listen to music, be drawn into the way they make you relaxed and enjoy whatever type of music you may want to listen to. The presence of a super tweeter may have some reservations but honestly speaking, never does it show its presence in a way that may make it stand out like a sore thumb. It just adds the desired amount of information that pretty much makes one not take any notice of it at all!

The mids are very much there to satisfy all who listen to vocal centric music, clear and precise, not overtly present but still engaging one to believe that there is more to these speakers than just mids.

Similarly, the bass does make its presence felt but just enough so as to not take away the spotlight of a seamless presentation across the frequency range. Those looking for bass heavy presentation might be disappointed but then they are looking for speakers that just do such in an emphasized manner, which the BestVox certainly isn’t going to do.

Overall, the BestVox LS3/6 are truly for those who love playing their music and be drawn into the entirety than just specific frequencies. The BestVox LS3/6 can definitely play in a small room that may measure 100 sq ft and probably do just fine up to a room size of 400 sq ft.

Final Thoughts

A truly fascinating glimpse into the world of BBC Design Speakers are exactly what the BextVox LS3/6 do remarkably well. They let you listen to the music as is, without adding nor subtracting. They just go about doing their business in a measured manner and are pretty flexible with amplification and placement. Truly one of those plug and play type of speakers that offer a lot and expect not much at all in return,

We highly recommend them!

Our ratings (0-5)

Appearance – 5

Build Quality – 5

Sound – 5

Value for Money – 5

Long term purchase quotient – 5

A perfect score indeed!

About BestVox

BestVox are a loudspeaker manufacturing company based in Taiwan. The owner, Mr. Ping has been fascinated by the BBC Design Speakers and over the years collected many original speakers as well as the licensed design speakers that were made under an official agreement with the BBC. Having realized that to make speakers that are true to the exact designs & specifications laid out by the BBC, Mr. Ping invested in manufacturing every component required in house, thereby being able to stay true in delivering speakers that are as close as possible to the originals.

The range of speakers include the LS3/5a, the LS5/9 & the LS3/6. For pricing and other details, mail us at: hifihunt1@gmail.com or call/whatsapp on 9820086384

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Reviews

Mackie Thump Go

Mackie Thump Go Bluetooth Enabled Battery Powered Speakers.

Mackie has been smart in bringing to life the Thump Go speakers as they are fundamentally loaded to deliver killer punches, time & again. Sonotone Audio LLP, the distribution company for Mackie, kindly sent a pair for us to review. The retail price of each Thump Go is Rs.60000/- (Email us at hifihunt1@gmail.com for further information)

Armed with :

Bluetooth gives the convenience to let the users take the thump go’s pretty much anywhere and stream their choice of music/content via their phones, tablets & what have you. The Thump Connect 2 streaming & controls app is easy to use, has all the features available on the back panel of the speakers, does the job seamlessly & is available for android & iOS users. The pairing was seamless as was the stereo pairing by means of pressing the link button, that is next to the Bluetooth pairing button.

2 Channel digital mixer & XLR Mic output controls are placed on the rear right side of the enclosure, All the buttons are neatly labelled & their functions being self explanatory. The end user can pretty much set up the speakers to their desired preferences within a few seconds, based on the application. EQ Curves are also printed below the controls for ones reference. The power ON/OFF rocker switch is placed at the bottom end of the rear center of the enclosure. A green light strip below the speaker grille bottom lights up when the speaker is powered ON. It can be switched off if so desired, via a button at the rear. Personally speaking, we would have liked the green ring around the Mackie logo to be lit, but then that is just nit picking.

The battery power gives them enough juice to drive these efficient Class D amped speakers for a pretty long duration of upto 12 hours (as claimed by Mackie) mainly depending on the volume levels certainly but as per our hands on experience, 8 hours at full tilt, quite consistently. The battery pack is removeable and one doesn’t require any tools, the screws can be undone using coins or a pick, can be swapped with another in a matter of seconds, so that one can continue to remain wireless & charge the drained battery separately. Mackie has spare batteries, speaker carrying bags & mounting poles sold separately as accessories.

The light weight moulded cabinet enclosures come with powder coated steel grilles. The Thump Go’s have a relatively slim form factor & are quite portable to carry around(the handle on top is brilliantly integrated into the enclosure), making the thump go’s a pleasure to carry from gig to gig, or party to party, effortlessly. They can also be placed at the desired 45 degree monitor angle, if so desired or pole mounted. Flexibility built in is definitely a bonus. ‘Built like a tank’ text with a tank illustration is what Mackie have proudly printed on top of the packing cartons!

The 2 way speaker design has a 1” compression drive tweeter with an 8” woofer powered by a 200W Class D amplifier, seamlessly and efficiently enough to make these play on the battery power for long enough that the end user would most certainly appreciate.

4 Way voicing modes give the options of playing for Music/Speech/Monitor/Sub

Again making these versatile for any situation, including dedicated indoor & outdoor modes.

Necessary features of music ducking mode, which automatically lowers Ch2 levels, when Ch1 receives a signal. Ideal for DJ’s & Compere’s. Feedback eliminator mode prevents nasty unwanted squeals and undesired rumbling.

Box Packing – 5/5

Well packed in cardboard boxes, having pretty much all the relevant info printed on the boxes makes it educational & convenient to one & all. The ‘Dog Not Included’ message gave us a good laugh. Thermocole inserts at the top & bottom ensure that the speakers remain in place & safe from getting damaged in transit, are easy to unpack & reuse for future shifting. Good job Mackie.

Contents – 1 Speaker with battery pack, 1 Power Cord(Schuko Plug), 1 Instructions Leaflet

Design – 4/5

The Cabinet of the Thump Go is moulded black plastic that is quite nicely finished and looks the part with regards to texture & feel as well. Mackie could probably give some color options to really make the thump go’s stand out against it’s competition. The grab handle is very conveniently integrated into the top part of the enclosure, with a green strip to break the otherwise black monotony of the enclosure, making it stand out. Overall, the appearance not only looks quite good, it also seems to be durable for the multiple journeys that one will most certainly be making with the speakers. Mackie sells carrying bags separately as an accessory, which one should most certainly purchase to ensure the Thump Go’s look the part as far as appearance maintenance is concerned.

Sound – 4/5

Play any type of music, the Thump Go’s just perform, no questions asked. We played pretty much everything under the sun to see what would be the Thump Go’s reactions, but they never flinched even once. Western classical, sure. Indian classicial, why not? Hard rock & Heavy Metal, yes please. Electronics & Dance Music, hell yea! The Thump Go’s just go about their merry way at playing what you want, when you want & where you want, no questions asked! Audiophile tracks ? Yea, they shine as well – duh!

You want volume to be dialed up, certainly you do as the Thump Go’s just demand that you do exactly that. Deep dive bombing is the cliché that works very well with the Thump Go’s. At full tilt, the cabinets do resonate which Mackie could probably have taken care of with better cabinet bracing & insulation.

Verdict – 4/5

Never has been the Mackie ‘Running Man’ figure so relevant than for the Thump Go’s! A winner as far as we are concerned as the Thump Go’s open up a new market segment that converges pro & home audio requirements with the desired results. Bluetooth & Stereo pairing are definitely the USP’s that make the Thump Go a pleasure to start any party / get together truly wirelessly! We foresee a huge opportunity for Mackie to make decent in roads into both segments as the Thump Go’s are really good. We hope that the marketing team at Sonotone Audio LLP, go all out to promote the Thump Go’s as they surely deserve to be heard by a larger audience.

Specifications :

· Model: Mackie THUMP GO

· Frequency Response: 57Hz – 20kHz

· Radiation behavior: 90 x 60 degrees

· Maximum sound pressure: 115 dB

· Total power: 200 watts peak

· Driver assembly: 8/1 inch

· Separation frequency: 2000 Hz

· Inputs: 2 x mic/line combo jacks, 1 x mini jack, 1 x Bluetooth

· Output: XLR Through

· Power supply: cold device socket (100 – 240 VAC), lithium-ion battery

· Protection circuits: Peak & RMS limiter, temperature protection for power supply and amplifier

· Remote control: yes, via an app

· Dimensions (H x W x D): 457 x 230 x 285 mm

· Weight: 8kg

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AV News Reviews

FOREWORD TO THE 11TH EDITION OF WHAT HI-FI? SHOW 2019 – HYDERABAD

When an AV show takes place for the first time in a part of the country that has never experienced one, the hopes of one and all are high. Hyderabad is considered as the ideal city to have such a show what with the target audience being extremely fond of their music & movies. The majority of these enthusiasts also have the where with all to spend and also have the luxury of real estate to do justice to their spending, which is quite rare these days in general. Hence the show should ideally be a huge hit.

From what we saw from Thursday afternoon to the late evening on Sunday, it was by all accounts a relative success but there is always room for improvement and that is where we shall focus on in this piece.

Starting from the venue, which is well known in the local circuit to be one that is pretty much a nonentity these days as far as being one visited by the local well heeled populace, it became pretty apparent from Thursday itself as for why this was the case.

Secondly, we have pretty much given up on trying to promote the show as time & again, our pleas to get the information on who is exhibiting which brands & their specific models, goes on deaf ears & now it has become a truly futile attempt to get the desired information from either the show organisers or the exhibitors, who by their behaviour with regard to sharing the relevant information, appear to be still in kindergarten & believe in keeping everything a secret! How does it help to grow the audience of such a show if you do not believe in divulging any information to the target audience, therby making it not a priority for them to attend & look at other things to do during the weekend of the show? We are constantly provided with such feedback from disgruntled AV enthusiasts, who now don’t even bother to think about visiting the show. It is sad to see the enthusiasm being killed by such childish mentality of the exhibitors and being disrespectful towards the target audience as well. Ok, so then the show is targeted towards the industry itself as it becomes more of a B2B, than a B2C show. If that is the case, then it should purely focus on this aspect & put an end towards AV enthusiasts, prospective buyers, end users as being the targeted audience for the same. There is no point for the show organisers to spend tidy sums by means of advertising in local newspapers, digital media & other such avenues, which am sure they wouldn’t mind as their profits will no doubt be much more if they went down this path.

Another recurring issue is that of static displays, which inspite of doing no favours to the visiting audience yet the trend continues, which is disappointing to say the very least.

Overall, the show could have been much better, more involving & get much more traction, had the organisers & exhibitors being more enthusiastic towards achieving the common goal.

We hope that our observations are taken into consideration positively and they help in improving the quality of the shows in the future to ensure growth for  the AV Industry & Target Audience.

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AV News Reviews

What Hi-Fi Show 2019 Hyderabad Show Coverage Report – Part 1

The 11th edition of the What Hi-Fi? Show 2019, took place at the Trident, Hitec City, Hyderabad, from the 30th August to 1st September 2019. We were present from the day before the show started right till it was pack up time on the last day, to cover the event as well as assist a few of our friends from the AV Industry, who were participating in the show.

We will therefore cover each of the rooms that we entered and provide our audience with the details of the brands and models show cased, room wise.

We start with the 2 Ball Rooms that were taken by the following:

Preeti Trading Corporation (PTC):

The main sponsors of the What Hi-Fi? Show were as is customary for them present by means of showcasing their wares in a Ball Room, but this time, they had been very smart and used the size of the room to ideally showcase their Home Theatre Demo, which consisted of the under noted:

Static Display –

Monitor Audio

Tower Speakers (Monitor 300 & Silver 200) Series

In Wall & In Ceiling Speakers (Iw460x and cpct380idc)

Denon –

AVR’s (S series 650, 750 and 950)

Demo Setup –

Pro Audio Technology

LCR SCRS 12SM

Surrounds SCRS 6iwp

Atmos Speakers – SCRS 25ica

Subwoofers – SCRS 14sm

Amps –

Pma9942

Pma4242

Dma1508

Retail price – 49 lakhs

We were extremely happy to hear and see the outcome as we were pretty disappointed with their efforts at the last show and were not at all complimentary in conveying the same to the big boos at PTC. Our constructive criticism seems to have worked as the outcome of their approach with respect to this show was totally different and one that worked positively in their favour.

We particularly enjoyed their home theatre set up which whilst not only had the impact and punch that one expects from a install in a large room but one that also gave the visiting hyderabadi people, a sense of scale that can be achieved, what with them being blessed with large rooms & real estate available to do justice to a home theatre scenario.

Good Job, team PTC, you guys definitely surprised us with your room this time!

BENQ :

BenQ used the entire room area to demo the range of models they have and also a few on static display. Details of all the models are provided in the pics attached.

12TH FLOOR

1217 – MONEE & CO

The range of KLH speakers in Book Shelf, Tower, Surround, Inwall & Inceiling speakers were showcased, in stereo, home theatre & static display.

1219 – VINSHEK

Elan Home Automation products and accessories, Rako Control Panel Switches & Fusion Research Audio Server were showcased here.

1221 – CINEBELS (JAMO)

The Jamo range of subwoofers, tower speakers and book shelf speakers greeted us at one side, garden speakers on the opposite with plywood wall of inwall & in ceiling speakers on static display. The other end of the room had a home theatre demo of Jamo speakers and the adjoin suite room had a full blown THX certified Jamo Speakers 5.1.2 Atmos enabled set up on demo. The side area of the room had some static THX certified speakers along with in ceiling speakers on display.

1223 – RECLINERS INDIA

The new range of recliners from Recliners India were on demo/display here. Most people visited this room and it was always full. Recliners India also had a placard placed outside their room stating their achievements, service criteria amongst their other USP’s.

1224 – VINSHEK

Waterfall Audio Speakers in floor standing, in wall/in ceiling & subwoofers, were on demo and static display here.  The Victoria speakers were very attractive to look at but sadly the room acoustics did not support the speaker’s performance in the truest sense, as they sounded their best at lower to moderate volumes. It was good to see them nonetheless.

1225 – RIVERA INTERNATIONAL

Amina Invisible Speakers and Audio Vector QR Series in home theatre application. We were pleasantly surprised at the performance of the Amina Speakers in this configuration and commend team Rivera International for managing such a impressive result. We are sure that most visitors must have been impressed as well.

1226 – NUCLEUS AV

The Lyravox Stereomaster SM3-150 & SM2-170 were showcased to good effect, targeted to the well heeled HNI looking for a truly hi-end stereo solution.

1227 – NEXUS AUDIO VIDEO

The combination of PMC IB1S Transmission Line Speakers with Octave V80SE Integrated Tube Amplifier & AVM MP3.2 CD Player with Streamer were well matched & delivered the results in an emphatic manner. There was no contest once again though the set up really came into its own from Saturday onwards. Yes, the man behind Nexus AV always finds the proverbial pin of a hand grenade, which he pulled off masterfully to showcase his talent into the art of setting up a kick ass system in a horribly designed hotel room. No fancy acoustic panels, isolating devices, power conditioners nor any gimmickry involved here! Some incredible music heard once again, thanks to the CD collection that accompanied as part of the playlist.

Sadly, the setup involved doesn’t come cheap & is privy only to those who can afford the same!

1228 – VIEWSONIC

Another room used to cram as much product as possible, what with Projectors firing to Screens in every possible space of the room. Quick click of pics will show the needful.

1229 – LUXURY PERSONIFIED LLP

Devialet Phantom Reactors belting out loud sound throughout the day, every single day, without fail. Bang, bang & more bang!

1230 – M Z Audio

Q Acoustics Concept 40 in a 5.1 home theatre set up with Marantz Pre/Power were showcased in the main room of the suite. The adjoining room had Q Acoustics Concept 500 with Marantz PM10 & SA10 hooked up, which sadly the majority did not even hear thanks to the notion that only home theatre demo was possible in the said room. An even bigger pity was the presence of the new Concept 300’s albeit on static display at the event registration area. One big opportunity missed to show case these raved about speakers, which sadly we won’t have a chance of listening to thanks to various reasons involved.

1231 – SURROUND SWAR

XTZ Speakers, subwoofers & PSA Subwoofers were on demo in a dolby atmos 5.2.2 configuration, along with Eltax 5.0 Speakers & Tangent 3.0 Speakers Sets, as static displays in the room. The good folk behind Surround swar tried their best to dial in the monstrous subs throughout the show & what we heard gave us enough to rate their set up as that being highly capable to deliver the goods to a movie crazy enthusiast craving for good quality bass extension. We hope to review some of the XTZ speakers in the near future.

On demo were the following:

XTZ

Cinema M8 Tower speakers

Cinema M8 Center speaker

Cinema S5 Surrounds speakers

Cinema S2 Atmos speakers Upfiring Modules

DS12.17 sealed dual 12” Subwoofer (Debut at the show)

D12.17 sealed side firing dual 12” Subwoofer (Debut at the show)

PSA

PSA V1510 15” Ported Subwoofer

1233 – SOUNDTRAILS

Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Inc., are now officially represented in India by Soundtrails, which was a good surprise to us & to those who visited their room. Mofi Electronics by way of the Ultra & Studio Decks & Phono Stages were on demo along with Vinyl Accessories & Vinyls displayed alongside. We look forward to reviewing the Mofi Electronics in the near future.

1234 – MUSIC & MOUNTS

Axiom Wireless Speakers, the M5HP & M100 were on demo along with numerous inwall & onwall speakers on static display, with Clicktronic & Goobay Wires. The source was compromised hence we could not really get a good idea of these Axioms. Hopefully these will be sent for review to us in the future.

1235 – SIGHT & SOUND INDIA PVT. LTD.

Aero Digital products were showcased which consisted of Mirror TV’s Digital Displays, Digital Standees & 2 Way Digital Displays. We are always impressed by the price to performance ratio that Aero Digital Products deliver upon and definitely see them growing in stature as the years go by.

1236 – ACOUSTIC PORTRAIT

It has been a long while since we heard Acoustic Portrait products and that too consisting of the entire chain, which certainly was a bonus for us as we have always felt that their synergy is best achieved when they entire chain involved consists of their own products. On demo were the new speakers called Naadam, along with Thiyaga DAC & Thiyaga Power Amplifier with Volume Control.

It was also a pleasure to meet the people behind Acoustic Portrait, namely Jaya & Siva, who were very warm and gave their audience ample time to listen to their products. Acoustic Portrait also had the Kavi Active Studio Monitors at hand with their outboard Electronics, which sadly we could not hear due to being busy during the time they were brought into action. Nevertheless, the setup we heard that costs just under Rupees Ten Lakhs (excluding cables) was in our humble opinion a true winner and undoubtedly the star of the show.

The icing on the cake were the Indian Classical Music CD’s that Acoustic Portrait have for sale under their own label. These are some of the best recorded CD’s once can currently find in the market & are a real source of pleasure to those who love this genre of music. Acoustic Portrait also offer MP3(320 kbps) Studio Master FLAC Digital Downloads(24bit/192kHz) of the music via their website.

For those looking at investing in a quality stereo setup that will last a long time without the need for upgrading, then we highly recommend you visit Acoustic Portrait in Bangalore to get a first hand experience of what they have to offer. The only caveat being that you have to buy all the links of the chain to get the desired results.

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AV News Reviews

What Hi-Fi Show 2019 Hyderabad Show Coverage Report – Part 2

1419 – NEDIS & AWAN INDIA

Nedis, Sweex, Bandridge & Profigold Cables Stacks were on display along with Thonet & Vander Koloss Speakers, Dunn Sound Bar & Outdoor Speakers were on demo.

Bandridge Speaker Cable Wire Spools, Apart Audio Speakers & Sennheiser Microphones Boxes were kept as static display.

1421 – CINEBELS (KLIPSCH)

As one entered the room, there were a stack of sub woofers placed on of top of the other, with a line of Klipsch RF Series Tower Speakers lined up post which there was a Forte III set up with Roksan DAC & Prima Luna Amp, playing music through a laptop. The adjoining room had a 5.1.2 home theatre set up along with a static display of sound bars and powered speakers.

As one left the room, the opposite wall of the room had a in wall / in ceiling speakers display mounted on a plywood wall with a small garden speakers corner assigned right near the room exit. We liked the effort taken to display the garden speakers in their natural habitat scenario.

1423 – EPSON

The room had the newly launched TW9400 projector on demo and the EB-700U ultra short throw projector kept at another side of the room.

1424 – SIDH INTERTRADE PVT. LTD.

Origin Acoustics Inwall/in ceiling speakers along with outdoor garden speakers were on demo along with their respective amplifiers. We were asked to listen to their outdoor garden speakers, the Bollard LandScape Design LSB64RD360k(Rs.1.45L ea), which were paired to the origin acoustics amplifier with DSP,  the DSP3-700 (Rs.2.57L ea) and were creatively placed amongst plants to create the intended atmosphere & environment into which they are to be placed. We spent some time listening to the speakers & were impressed with their performance, which was very good indeed but then at their respective pricing, these speakers better sound great! They also had more of the inceiling speaker & subwoofer models on static display along with a SB3 sound bar.

1425 – BASS N TREBLE (PIEGA & DEVIALET)

The following Piega Speakers Models were on demo

COAX511

Classic 7.0

Classic 5.0

Classic 3.0

Premium Wireless 301 with Connect Module

Coax 311

TMicro Subwoofer

The Devialet Amp used for demo was the Expert 440 Pro Dual

1426 – LITTLE NAP RECLINERS

Another recliner company showcasing various combinations possible with recliners, including two which were capable of doing more than just recline! They also showcased a new model that they have bagged an order for an upcoming elite multiplex cinema in Srilanka.

Pictures attached have all the details and a video as well.

1427 – BASS N TREBLE (LINN)

We were surprised to see Linn products at the show as we have now forgotten the number of times this brand has changed distribution(more of representation than true distribution) in India. On demo were the Majik 140 Tower Speakers with Selekt DSM, with a Roon Server.

We were happy to listen to the Majik 140 & Delekt DSM, but we felt these were new out of the box & hence the very much essential breaking in hadn’t taken place to truly showcase their potential.

On static display were the Majik 109 Book Shelves, Majik DSM, Inwall & Inceiling Speakers. Also on static display were a number of furutech products.

1428 – PROFX (KEF)

A number of KEF speakers were on static display from the RSeries namely the 3, 7 & 11 Book Shelf & Tower Speakers, Q950 Tower Speakers, Kube Subwoofer, along with THX & QR Inwall & InCeiling Speakers. The solitary Denon PM2500NE Stereo Integrated Amp accompanied the above speakers as static display.

The LS50 & LSX Wireless Speakers were on demo playing music via Bluetooth paired with cell phones.

1429 – BASS N TREBLE (AUREA BY LW)

A 5.1 home theatre set up with Aurea Coaxial 8 as LCR & the Coaxial 6 as surround speakers and Lucas Sub 15 DSP subwoofer were showcased from the VIP Theatre Commercial Cinema Series & Lucas Home Cinema Series respectively.

1430 – PROFX (DENON, HEOS & POLK AUDIO)

This suite had the front part with static displays of Denon AVR’s, DP450 Turntable & the Polk Magnify Max SR Soundbar which was on demo intermittently.

The inner room attached had a full blown 5.1.2 home theatre set up consisting of

Polk Audio

Signature S50 Tower Speakers

Signature Centre Speaker

Signature S10 Surround Speakers

Subwoofer HTS12

Denon AVR-X

1431 & 1433 – EIGHT AUDIO

On stereo demo were the Satori Ara Be Book Shelf & Satori Rinjani Tower Speakers, along with the newly launched Platina B17 Book Shelf Speakers.

For the adjoining home theatre demo, the following configuration was used

Agate Series

F26 Towers + A13 Dolby Atmos Upfiring Speakers

C35 Centre Speaker

B13 Surround Speakers

S10 Ultra Thin Subwoofer

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WHAT HI-FI? SHOW 2019 – MUMBAI (SHOW COVERAGE REPORT / PART 3)

15 FLOOR

1501 – NUCLEUS AUDIO

BRAND SHOWCASED: LYRAVOX

Once again the Lyravox SM3-150 was showcased by Nucleus Audio, although this year with some new clothes (Centre Grill). Inside also there were changes in the form of a revised amp module software that has resulted in the Lyravox SM3-150 shining to an even higher level now, thereby making what was a great piece of kit even more amazing. We felt the dynamics are now even larger and when the volume was increased the Lyravox SM3-150 turned into a party animal with EDM music being belted out at full tilt but never as jarring as some of the other rivals at much lower price points end up doing. Having said that, the Lyravox SM3-150 at 16L isn’t for the average Joe, so the target audience is one that we feel won’t be visiting such a show in the first place, but rather would be advised about its presence by dealers, advisors and influencers who would be part of the inner coterie of the said clientele. The Lyravox SM3-150 is definitely a product that demands attention from the rich & famous.

1502 – OKAS

BRAND SHOWCASED:

OKAS

Excerpts from their website:

“OKAS a Sanskrit name for home or a place where you feel peaceful inspired the idea to create a solution that makes you feel more connected to your home. While designing OKAS, we understood that home is an exceptional space for people with class or taste for exclusivity. Also, each member has their preferences and feeling of living. Keeping all this in mind we integrated Artificial Intelligence with User persona to create the world’s first human-centric and user-driven home automation system with quintessential design features.”

As per our understanding, OKAS is a tailor made software that not only does everything that a automation software should do but it goes further by constantly tweaking the settings via artificial intelligence thereby suggesting the end user what he/she may like at the given time of their presence in the various zones of their home.

OKAS has smart controllers that function either for a single room or could multiply the same for larger spaces with integration of​ lighting, music, video, climate control, security and more into one simple system—a system you can access and manage from anywhere in the world. The user ultimately determines when, where and how things and actions should happen. The salient features of OKAS are as under:

  • Multi-Room Music – Play music from almost any format, in any room, any time.
  • Lighting – Save energy and enjoy the perfect ambiance in every room.
  • Interface – Enjoy control from anywhere-online or on your smartphone.
  • Security – Experience peace of mind with features that enhance your home security.
  • Artificial Intelligence System that is Human Centric.

We were given a remote tour of what OKAS does and how it can be implemented into the automation platform. The OKAS team advised us that the same will be ready for purchase in a couple of months’ time, during which they will also announce the pricing of the same. In the current scenario where there are already a lot of players offering various options and solutions, it will be interesting to see how OKAS gains a foot hold into this crowded market and notably at what price. We shall observe their progress nonetheless as the concept is interesting and challenging to be accepted by one & all, to say the least.

1503 – SONY INDIA PVT. LTD.

BRAND SHOWCASED:

SONY DOLBY ATMOS SOUNDBAR

SONY HEADPHONES

In typical Sony fashion, there was an exhibition vibe associated to their room, with one part showcasing the much talked about Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar – HT-ST5000 and in the other part were the headphones on display. Sadly, the way the demo of the sound bar was given, much was left to be desired and frankly speaking it wasn’t done in the right manner to showcase the Dolby Atmos effect. Hopefully, the others who visited the room did not think that Dolby Atmos is a gimmick as that would surely do more harm than good to the Dolby Atmos format in the long run.

1504 – NAGAOKA TRADING CO.

BRAND SHOWCASED:

NAGAOKA PHONO CARTRIDGES

NAGAOKA RECORD CLEANING ACCESSORIES

NAGAOKA ISOLATION ACCESSORIES

NAGAOKA HEADPHONE

A rather young gent was in charge of the room, who incidentally is also the newly appointed distributor for the Nagaoka brand products, notably their very popular range of Moving Magnet Phono Cartridges, which currently are the rage the world over. Along with the range of these Moving Magnet Phono Cartridges, were samples of the Nagaoka brand of Vinyl playback related & storage accessories such as Record Cleaning Brush, Cleaning Sprays, Inner Sleeves. Besides these, Nagaoka’s Isolation Devices were also on display and so were their Head Phones. The distributor kept changing the cartridges for demo purpose, amongst the range to showcase each ones sonic capabilities as well as show the visitors how to use the cleaning sprays and brush. Other than Nagaoka, the gent also is the distributor for a couple of record labels (World Circuit & Jackpot Records), of which he had on display as well as played most of the titles, for the benefit of the visitors. A team of Nagaoka representatives had also come down especially to be part of the show and to gauge the market response of the same for their products. We were very happy to meet them and interact with them, in regard to the Vinyl scene in general not only in our country but the world over. We hope that the distributor does justice to the Nagaoka brand and is able to keep the prices that are in keeping in accessibility to the Vinyl Aficionados across all walks of life and wish him the very best for his endeavors.

1511 – NEXUS AUDIO VIDEO

BRAND SHOWCASED:

PMC

One of the rooms that always is one of our favourites, not because we are good mates with the Nexus Audio Video Bossman, but because he has that ability of making his brands sound top notch almost every time he takes part in the show. He is one of the very few gents in the AV Industry Distribution business that is firstly a die-hard audio-video enthusiast and that truly reflects in not only the brands he represents but also the way he does so. This time, he showcased PMC’s newest line of ‘budget’ speakers that too active ones and currently are the flavour of the audio circuit world, be it home or studio. The PMC Result 6 are aimed at the prosumer segment, meaning they can fill in the requirements of not only a home audio enthusiast but also that of the professionals in the recording studio industry, notably those that are just getting into the business. A tight rope walk as we would imagine but something that a company like PMC is very much so capable of pulling off effortlessly and that is exactly what the PMC Result6 do!  The new Business Development Manager for PMC – Asia Pacific, was also at hand to experience the show and gauge the reaction of the visitors. Personally speaking, the PMC Result6 aren’t very much so in the realm of what may be called as typical ‘PMC Sound’. In fact, we feel that the boffins at PMC have taken a very different approach with these speakers. We even stick our neck out when we say that the way these speakers deliver the LF, is very different to that of a traditional LF response of a PMC loudspeaker. That itself made us sit up and take notice of the Result6. Coupled to this aspect the MF & HF’s also are so well integrated and pleasing that one thinks that these surely are very different speakers. The PMC Result6 have this uncanny ability to sound musical, precise and accurate whilst still providing a clear insight into the blemishes that might be present in a less than stellar recording, which itself is such a great asset that one can even listen to the poor recordings and not feel agitated to the extent with speakers which make them totally unlistenable. This is one very difficult feat that needs to be complimented to the fullest. At 2.5L, the PMC Result6 still aren’t cheap but yet when one pays attention to how they were showcased, minus any paraphernalia in the form of special cables, isolators, stands, acoustic treatment, etc., one wonders how much more can be gained if one decides to go down that path. Yes, a good source was used to pair the speakers with (AVM CS3.2 – 4L), but then the quality of a source can make or break the outcome of any set-up. Suffice to say, that we are very much so impressed with the PMC Result6 and would heartily recommend to those looking for a musical yet accurate active speaker. We would like to rate this room as the ‘Most Aspirational’ Room of the show.

1513 – ABSOLUTE SOUND

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

KII AUDIO

SOtM

ROON

TRANSPARENT AUDIO

EMOTION & KRAFT

STILL POINTS

SET-UP INFO:

Kii Audio Kii Three Active Loudspeaker

Kii Audio Kii Control

Kii Audio Kii Stand

SOtM sMS-200ultra Roon Streamer

SOtM tx-USBultra USB Regenerator

SOtM sPS-500 Regulated Power Supply to power Streamer and USB Regen

SOtM sCLK-OSX10 Master Reclocker

SOtM sPS-500 Regulated Power Supply to power Master clock

Roon Nucleus Roon Server

SOtM sPS-500 Regulated Power Supply to power Roon Server

Transparent Audio Premium Line Power Cables and Conditioners

Bamboo platforms from Emotion and Kraft

Stillpoints Aperture Acoustic Panels

Apple Remote

Total Cost of all the Equipment Showcased – 27.5L

Absolute Sound once again showcased the gear that was done the year before and we can state with confidence that this was going to be spectacular irrespectively. To say that the ‘Audiophile Crowd’ was happy is a forgone conclusion as JK, the set-up guru and owner of Absolute Sound always does his best to satisfy this crowd to the hilt. Having said so, we still have a lot of questions that need to be answered with regard to the Kii3 speakers as we have never heard them without the associated paraphernalia attached to them. How do they sound as is? Why can’t we hear them as is? What would be the outcome of the Kii3’s if they played without these attachments? Would they still sound as good? So many questions that aren’t being answered at the moment and we for one would love to learn the answers but only IF the opportunity so presents itself. Maybe, we need to speak with JK, to make this happen.

We can safely award this room as the winner of the ‘Audiophile’ Room of the show.

1514 – ELITE SCREENS

BRAND SHOWCASED:

ELITE

2 Screens, 1 with a short throw projector with some clips played in a loop, the other screen being a static display and one very disinterested person in charge of the room. That’s it folks!

1515 – LUXURY PERSONIFIED LLP

BRAND SHOWCASED:

MARSHALL

A complete illuminated wall of various Marshall Wireless Speakers of varying sizes dominated the room, along with a wall of Marshall Headphones were on display. We rather liked the sound of the Marshall speakers and would definitely love to hear a few of their models as & when we get the opportunity to review them if at all it happens. Prices were not advised to us so unfortunately we cannot state the same in this write up.

1516 – LUXURY PERSONIFIED LLP

BRAND SHOWCASED:

DEVIALET

Stars of the room were the Devialet Phantom Reactor 600 & 900 Ultra Compact Wireless Speakers, which are priced at 99K & 1.2L respectively. Also on display were the carry cases called Skin (30k) & stands called Legs (20K). As is with the bigger Phantoms, the Reactors go very loud and that is their claim to fame. Whilst it’s all good and fun for a while, one gets the feeling that fatigue sets in rather quickly with all this high SPL shining. Not to our liking to be very honest.

1518 & 1519 – BENQ INDIA PVT. LTD.

BRAND SHOWCASED:

BENQ

A couple of projectors showcased in each room, darkened rooms due to lights being shut off and again a couple of attendants walking around like zombies. The W2700 was the notable new model being showcased and on demo.

1520 – EIGHT AUDIO

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

EIGHT AUDIO

SB ACOUSTICS

Eight Audio is established in Hyderabad Telangana, and has brought in revolutionary designs of Danesian Audio (Denmark).

Manufacturing & Supplying Partners – SB Acoustics (Sinar Baja Electric Indonesia), Scan-Speak (Denmark) & Jantzen Audio (Denmark)

Eight Audio also design, develop and manufacture high-quality Audio Amplifiers, Pre-Amplifiers, Speakers, DAC’s using high-grade components. Eight Audio have been designing and building hand crafted high-end audio amplifiers and speakers for about 8 years. Eight Audio’s pricing is also rather very reasonable with the prices of the models showcased at the show as follows:

SATORI ARA BOOK SHELF SPEAKERS: 1.25L

SATORI RINJANI TOWER SPEAKERS: 1.5L

NOTE: 10K EXTRA FOR GLOSSY FINISHES (BLACK, WHITE)

Both the above speaker models were paired with Parasound Z Series Pre+Power Amps, with a Marantz CD Player. Why they did not showcase their speakers with their own amplifiers is a question mark though.

For the price, we rather liked what the ARA & RINJANI had to offer and surely look forward to hearing them in the near future as and when they arrive for a review. The attendants manning the room were young and dynamic which is always a good sign of an up and coming company.

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WHAT HI-FI? SHOW 2019 – MUMBAI (SHOW COVERAGE REPORT / PART 2)

14TH FLOOR

1401 – KEI

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

NAD

FYNE AUDIO

Fyne Audio’s F502 Speakers were paired with NAD’s M10, the new BluOS Streaming Amplifier that was launched internationally, a couple of months ago. The Alexa enabled M10 as a one box solution has a lot to offer, with the added advantage of being part of the Bluesound BluOS ecosystem. The gent conducting the demo had attached a hard drive to the M10 and was controlling the playlist via an iPad.  We enjoyed the simplistic setup and ease with which the music was played. Also interesting to note were the King & Queen showpieces that were placed on top of each speaker, were they just for show or were they doing something sonically??? We will leave this question to be answered by the good folks at KEI. The very fine Fyne Audio F502’s continue to impress us with their abilities and we look forward to hearing them more for a future review.

Pricing of the above equipment as follows:

Fyne Audio F502 – 1.9L

M10 – 2.8L

1402 – MONEE & DIVINE MUSIC

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

KLH AUDIO

PEACHTREE AUDIO

AUDIOART CABLES

KLH, the newly launched loudspeakers company was present in the form of their Kendall & Albany. Paired to them were Peachtree Audio Amplifiers Nova 300 & 150. We were advised that the KLH speakers were brand new out of the box and had arrived just in time for the show. We liked what we heard in the brief period that we were in the room and the synergy with the Peachtree Amps was good. Thanks to the new distributors – M/s. Root Note Audio, we shall be listening to the Peachtree gear in future. Hopefully, Monee the distributors of KLH will oblige as well.

Pricing as advised for the above equipment as follows:

KLH Kendall – 1.55L

KLH Albany – 56k

Peachtree Nova 300 – 1.85L

Peachtree Nova 150 – 1.37L

Peachtree Deep Blue 3 – 45k

Peachtree Deep Bluesky – 47k

Audio Art Cables used were as under:

IC3 1.0M – 9K

IC3 TECHFLEX 1.0M – 10.5K

SC5-GB 3M – 20.3K

SC5-SB – 21K

SC5-SP – 20.3K

POWER 1 2M – 18.5K

1403 – AVAAA

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

THONET & VANDER

TECHLY

SWEEX

PROFIGOLD

BANDRIDGE

Mostly all static equipment in the form of cables placed on racks. Thonet & Vander Kugel Bluetooth Powered Speakers(30k) and Dunn Soundbar with Sub(15k) were on demo. We liked the Thonet & Vander equipment for being value for money and serving the purpose very well.

1404 – KEI

BRANDS SHOWCASED

THORENS

ELAC

AUDIO TECHNICA

In this room, KEI showcased a few Thorens turntables, Elac’s well engineering Miracord 90 and an Audio Technica LP60BT, by means of a static display. We are not fans of static displays so post clicking the mandatory pics, we had nothing else to do here. What was noteworthy was that KEI had taken pains to display the prices alongside of each of the models on display, across all their rooms. We really appreciate this gesture as it makes it easy for all concerned, so kudos to KEI for doing the needful.

1411 – KEI

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

TOTEM

BLUESOUND NODE2i

What was going to be an active speakers with a turntable set up turned out to be an active speakers with digital source setup, due to certain technical issues in setting up a turntable. Nonetheless, we focused on the Totem Kin Play, which are getting very well reviewed internationally. Unfortunately, we could not hear them sufficiently to be able to write more about them but whatever little we heard, we liked. Hopefully, we shall be sent a pair for review in the near future.

1412 – M.Z. AUDIO

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

MARANTZ

Q ACOUSTICS

M.Z. Audio had taken a suite which had the inner area with equipment as under:

Marantz SA10 SACD Player – 5L

Marantz PM10 SACD Amplifer – 6.35L

Q Acoustics Concept 500 – 4.10L

The flagship Marantz Amplifier and SACD Player with Q Acoustics Flagship Concept 500 Speakers were showcased as a stereo set-up.

The outer area had 2 set ups of Marantz + Q Acoustic + Morel in home theatre configurations.

Set-up one had:

Morel CW525LCR – 3.15L

Morel CW600 – 85k

Morel MSP10 – 60K

Marantz SR7013 – 2.15L

Set-up two had:

Q Acoustics Concept 40 Tower – 1.23L

Q Acoustics Concept Centre – 34K

Q Acoustics Concept 20 – 48K

Q Acoustics 2070Si – 49K

Marantz SR5013 – 1.10L

Source used for both was a Marantz UD7007 – 85K

We were glad to see that the clutter of static display was non-existent in the room, save for a set of Q Acoustics 7000 LRi(36K) & Ci(19K) placed at the entrance of the room. Q Acoustics Rock Speaker – QI65LW(27K) was also on static display.

1413 – VIEWSONIC

MODELS SHOWCASED:

X10 4K

LS800HD

M1+

We Started off with the M1+, an ultra compact and portable projector that features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, along with built in Harman Kardon speakers. Ideal for sharing multimedia anywhere, even outdoors thanks to a built in battery power supply. The form factor is really small, making it a breeze to carry around in its own pouch that is part of the M1+ which also has 16GB inbuilt memory.  The M1+ makes it easy to share and view a variety of multimedia content, as it comes with multiple connectivity options including HDMI, USB 2.0 and USB Type C, Audio Out and a MicroSD card reader. We look forward to reviewing the M1+ in the near future.

 The next projector we saw was the X10-4K LED portable projector with LED technology, the projector offers up to 30,000 hours of operational life. The X10-4K projector includes Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, and an integrated Smart TV interface for easy streaming of TV shows and movies from popular content services, while a built-in OS provides access to popular apps via the Android Aptoide store. The X10-4K features 125% of Rec.709 color accuracy and Frame Interpolation technology, which reduces motion blur and ensures fluid multimedia content projection. The connectivity options include HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2, USB 2.0 Type-A, Type-C, Audio In/Out, and RJ45. This too has speakers from Harman Kardon, a lightweight design, easy carry handle, and short throw lens, the X10-4K can be conveniently moved from room to room, indoors to outdoors. The projector features 2,400 LED lumens of brightness, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

1414 – MILAN SALES CORPORATION

MILAN SCREENS

Milan Art Screen with Leather Finish

Size:-92″ Diagonal

Surface:- Micro Perforated Silver 3D

Mrp:- Rs.2,00,000

Milan Motorized Tab Tensioned

Size:-92″ Diagonal

Surface:-Grey

Mrp:- Rs.60,000

Milan Zero Edged Screen

Size:-92″ Diagonal

Surface:-Optical (Ambient Light Rejection)

Mrp:- Rs.90,000

As always, Milan Sales Corporation was fronted by the bossman Milan himself, who kept us entertained with the demonstration of the 3 types of screens on demo and their attributes. For the pricing, Milan Sales Corporation always provide value for money and that is precisely why they sell a lot of screens year on year. We were particularly impressed with the Art Screen with Leather finish, that not only looked beautiful with the now customiseable leather wrapped border in a variety of colors, but also with any type of picture/artwork that one can custom design to their liking.

1415 – VINSHEK MARKETING

ELAN HOME AUTOMATION

Vinshek Marketing focused on providing a hands on demo of Elan based home automation to one and all, thereby educating not only an end user but also those who are part of the automation installation industry. We couldn’t sit through one of their sessions as had other rooms to cover as well.

1416 – LITTLE NAP RECLINERS

Little Nap had a few new models of recliners to showcase, one which we have shared the video of was very comforting to sit on and attractive to look as well, what with a pleasant red textured leather used to wrap the same. We spent a good 5 minutes relaxing in the same post which it was time to hit the next room.

1417 – CINEBELS

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

KLIPSCH

Klipsch Forte III Speakers

Balanced Audio Technologies (BAT) Pre/Power Amplifiers

Klipsch Debut Carbon Turntable

Cinebels showcased the above models as their demo set up, which sounded great when they played a record, which was rare as they mostly played music via Bluetooth, which was quite a turn off for us. We were atleast glad to hear some music on vinyl for a few minutes to note that the Balanced Audio Technologies Pre/Power indeed drove the Klipsch Forte III Speakers rather beautifully. We wish we could hear this set up more, sadly not! The turntable looked familiar as it is none other than the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon with Klipsch badge engineering. Anyway, as per the Klipsch website, this is now a discontinued model.

Pricing of the above models as under:

Klipsch Forte III – 4.95L

Static Display Models:

Klipsch Heresy – 2.68L

Klipsch Sixes – 89.8K

Klipsch Three – 46.8K

Klispch One – 28.8K

Theatre Bar – 1.5L (Fully cusomiseable as it is made to order and delivery schedule is 12 weeks)

1418 +1419 – VU TECHNOLOGIES

BRAND SHOWCASED – VU TV

VU Technologes showcased their new range of TV’s, ranging from sizes 75, 86 to 100 inches from their pixelight & quantum pixelight series.

Unfortunately, no one was made aware of them being offered at special prices if booked during the show! The star of the TV’s on display was the 100” 4K TV that retails at 20L, but was available for a very special price of 13.5L!!! This is the world’s first 100” 4K LED TV and does it look good or what? Fantastic we say and worth buying if you have the real estate and financial ability to buy the same. VU Technologies are truly showcasing quality and value for money at the moment. We certainly believe in their products as we also happen to use their TV’s and have been very satisfied with their quality and price to performance abilities.

1420 – AUDIOVISION INDIA

BRANDS SHOWCASED:

BOWERS & WILKINS (B&W)

VIVID AUDIO

JEFF ROWLAND

ROTEL

ARTISANIA AUDIO

KIMBER KABLE

MELCO

SOUNDCAST

As is customary with Audiovision India, this year too they had lined up their room with products from the brands named above by means of static displays, except for Soundcast portable speaker models, which they played intermittently inside and outside their room. Most of the visitors were disappointed, including us for not being able to have a chance to hear their great line of brands, such as B&W, Jeff Rowland, Melco, Vivid Audio, to name a few. We hope that next year they will change the system and get active from static!

1423 – AERO

BRAND SHOWCASED: AERO

Aero showcased their range of water proof Mirror TV’s, LED display video walls, LCD monitors, digital posters, along with their flagship product called Aeroscape, a 176” smart LED TV, which is the world’s largest LED TV.

All in all, the products on display were well displayed and their functionality was perfectly explained by the team at hand for doing so. We were surprised to see a few digital posters used in the marketing of the show this year, at the hotel venue, which is a good sign and hopefully will be used in a full fledged way for the ones to follow. We look forward to learning more about Aero’s product range in the near future.