PS Audio are a company with long history in audio design and manufacture. A complete new range of products is now available, and we have to let you know how good they are…. Of course the GCPH Phono stage is already reaching cult status amongst lovers of vinyl, with its ability to play both mm and mc cartridges. Indeed it is able to be loaded for most transducers out there and with both balanced and single ended outputs will suit a variety of amplifiers too! At less than £800 this should be amongst the top of any enthusuasts vinyl xmas list! We have it on demonstration so please form an orderly queue!

The phono stage is also joined by another “front-end” device the Digital Link 3 stand alone DAC convertor. Once again flexibility is the name of the game with this one. Not only do you get co-ax and optical inputs, but also a USB as well, so you could even make your computer sound better too! The DAC has a 24 bit convertor and upsampling along with the all important discrete output stage (no ic’s to mess the output signal up!). Again priced at a very competitive £799 the PS DAC3 is an absolute winner sonically and a real breath of fresh air. Good enough to rekindle any one’s interest in digital music.

So not only do we have two incredibly good pieces to “pep-up” any source, PS have also brewed a new pre-amplifier and power amplifier too! The TRIO pre-power sets new standards in small footprint BIG PERFORMANCE hi-fi. Again we see all the usual goodies throughout, like balanced and single-ended inputs and outputs. The power amplifier is very special in that it pumps out a true 100 wpc and is more than capable of driving any loudspeaker.

The bottom line is that PS Audio have re-invented the wheel. Well almost. Its like they have incorporated all the audiophile important bits, but produced these products at very affordable prices. You really should take a listen to this system, or the products individually that make the system. Superb sound, fantastic features and real value for money too! Oh, and the wife will love the compact size and designer good looks too!

Now being the 2 channel stereo fan that I am, having got into the business as an extension of my hobby, I just love it when a speaker manufacturer brings out a new range of stereo speakers. A recent visit to B&W on the South Coast brought home to me just how much care and passion goes into a new range of products!
The new 68 series of products has been a long time coming, but that is because the engineering dept at B&W were passionate about making an overall better product than they already had. Sure it was easy to improve an aspect here or there with the new speakers, but to make an overall performance improvement takes a long hard look at the technology available. So new technology had to be invented from the ground up… Starting to see why things take time? The new speakers have an array of drive unit innovations, selected crossover component parts and even the port venting system has been re-assessed! The end result is that from £380 up to £900 we have a collection of loudspeakers that deliver the most astonishing bass response married flawlessly to a beautifully integrated midrange and upper frequencies.

These speakers are capable of sounding great on almost budget equipment, but when you start upping the quality of the electronics, they really do come to life. A big effortless soundstage with deep, fast articulate bass and the imaging,….the imaging is breathtaking.

Why not book a demonstration of the PS Audio gear driving into the B&W 684’s?

This Summer has seen a deluge of top quality CD Players from world renowned and respected manufacturers.

The most affordable of these is the Pathos Digit, styled in a slim elegant beautiful case to match their Classic One amplifier. This at first glance looks like a top loader (like its big brother, The Endorphin) but is in actual fact a drawer loading machine. Balanced and single-ended outputs are offered giving flexibility with the option of playing with cables. The unit has a tube output stage offering a smooth, warm and very engaging sound. At a tad under £2000, this is a very serious player, and demands to be auditioned in any high quality system. Please ring to arrange an appointment to listen!

Following on from the Digit, which is of course of Italian origin, we now look to the French, for another reference type CD player. The mighty Audio Aero is a personal favorite and a player that has convinced many owners that there is more in the CD than first may reach the ears! The Capitol is a top loading design of substantial size, and again finished and styled with great beauty. This has been a favorite player for a while in the Warrington store, due to its grain free dynamics and top end “air” in the sound.  This is not just a CD player however, as it also incorporates a line level pre-amp and digital inputs. A real beast of a machine and one that easily justifies its price of £5500.

Again, we recommend that if you are at all in the market for a CD upgrade, this is a machine you must take seriously. An audiophile treat that offers so much more to any system.

They say you should always keep the best until last, and perhaps Marantz have done just that. The newest arrival from their high-end stable of CD-SACD players is the new SA 7S1. Now this is a machine that is so massive, it is almost a two man lift!

Max Townshend is no stranger to critical acclaim from reviewers and music lovers alike! Whether it be the “super tweeter”, the deep cryogenic treated cables or his now infamous “wobbly” tables, Max is known for his radical approach to the recreation of the original signal. And there is no doubt that his view on the subject has led to some of the best sounds produced in the business!

I can report that the most significant of Max's devices, is about to make a return to the fray, in a new and improved mkV guise. Yes 2007 will see The Rock Mk V take its place in the books of audio history. Almost everything about this Rock is new and improved over previous Townshend designs. The feet are air suspended, the motor is a super quiet super smooth ac sync locked unit, ensuring minimal noise/vibration. The quality of the plinth and platter are way ahead of the game. Indeed, this Rock is by far and away more advanced than anything Max has previously made. Of course the stylus damping trough remains, which is a big part of the Rock story, and more than a little to do with the high quality. Low noise reproduction the deck is capable of. The Excalibur tonearm is a complete redesign from the ground up, as it were. Thin walled stainless steel arm tube, low hung counterweight, magnesium head shell and DCT wiring all add up to exceptional performance.

The Rock Mk V is arriving soon, please book a dem soon!

At last the new KEF Reference series has arrived at Practical Hi-Fi, and it was really worth the wait... Beautifully finished in deep (gorgeous) lacquer these new speakers have exceeded even our highest standards. The sound is clean, clear but also works on a communicative and emotional level. If you are thinking of a major speaker upgrade, you owe it to yourself to hear these... in our dem room and then at home. We have the 1's, 3's and 5's on permanent dem in the Warrington store...  Simply fabulous.

Anatek Acoustics are a small specialist maker of very hi-end amplification. They recently released a new phono stage, which accepts MC cartridges, and delivers said up to  line level for use with any good quality amplifier or pre-amp. This is a relatively small unit, but sounds huge. A soundstage so realistic, and technically so quiet, that this product may rank as one of the very finest phono stages at any cost. At a mere £800 this unit is set to put Anatek into the big time with reviewers and vinyl lovers alike. Hear it with the Funk t'table for a real treat...

Guy Sergeant is a man who has been directly and indirectly associated with some of the best sounding valve equipment the UK has produced. Early years working with Voyd Designs moving into Audio Innovations and latterly with Heybrook loudspeakers, Guy is a man whose wide experience and proven track record always leads me to agree with him on what sounds good and whats not so good.

Hence I wasn't surprised the day he called to arrange to demonstrate his new amplifier for us. I knew it would be good, but The Pure Sound A30 valve amplifier and its matching CD player astonished myself, and the staff in the store. Once again we have super hi-end sound at no so hi prices. The combination is warm and mellow, easy on the ear but also dynamic and exciting (how is that for a contradiction?) Again we recommend that you arrange a demonstration to listen for yourself.

The Funk Firm have burst into the turntable market with more than just a new deck that outperforms many of its more expensive rivals. The new drive system seems novel at first, but soon exposes itself as being of tantamount importance to the inherit stability of the super low mass platter. Running a DC motor and using two offset pulleys around the drive hub in a non symmetric layout means that the platter spindle will always run central in bearing housing.
This is possibly the most radical turntable design offered to the audiophile since the inception of the original Pink Triangle back in the 80's.
Not surprisingly the two designs come from the same designer, Arthur Khoubasarian who has achieved a reputation as being something of an authority in the record replay field.

Now the good news is that these very same paradoxical solutions are available as an upgrade to one of the most commercially successful decks of our time. Namely the Linn Sondek LP12. A full kit of Funk Firm parts is available for the LP12 including DC motor, sub-chassis, armboard and power supply. Indeed you will be left only with the original plinth, bearing, hub and platter, oh and the springs too!
This is in our opinion (and many reviewers) a very serious upgrade to the audiophiles deck of choice. You should book a demonstration to hear this asap. Call 01925 632179 to make a date.

Practical Hi-fi+

Tel: 01925 632179