#chord electronics

Hi All,

Just doing a final sound check ahead of our Wilson Audio Open Day tomorrow, been a busy day setting up but everything really is sounding great, certainly looking like it is going to be a busy day with people coming from all over the country and with more people registering for this open day than any before so Wendy has been busy turning 10 loaves of bread into sandwiches, it has been like a military operation in the kitchen :-)

Really looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow, it’s going to be a good one.

A fine selection of Wilson Speakers ready to rock.

The TuneTot’s are in the upstairs demo room fed by the Melco N100, Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 and M Scaler with Bryston BP17 Pre and a 4B SST3 power amp and the iconic Michell Orbe turntable.

The Sabrina’s are in the Naim Lounge fed by the full 500 System and the Rega Planar 8 Turntable.

And the star of the show, the new Sasha DAW’s are in the Highend Room driven by Audio Research 160M Monos Blocks, a REF 6 Pre, dCS Rossini and Melco N1ZS and the cherry on the top, the VPI Prime Signature, all very nice indeed.

Let the fun begin,

Cheers,

Hi All,

I know the Chord Electronics M Scaler has been out for a month or so now but we haven’t had it in here much as it has been out on loan for most of that time but I just wanted to do a quick blog to say that we have actually got a demo model if you did want to try it which I strongly recommend if you have a Chord DAC, in particular a Qutest, Hugo TT 2 or Dave as it really does take these Dac’s to another level.

I know when we had our Chord Electronics Open Day and I was speaking to Rob Watts about it he really was impressed how well the Scaler had turned out, better than he imagined I think when he started developing it and he is adamant that any system needs an M Scaler in it if possible.

I must admit when Chord announced the M Scaler I really thought everyone would be ordering one but in reality the take up was slow, in here at least, I knew how good it was as I had been using it a lot in our demo Blu 2 but I think most people wanted to experience it before they ordered one but now it is actually out and people have heard how it works then now the orders are coming in thick and fast, pretty much everyone who has heard it has ordered one, one customer told me it is the single biggest upgrade he has ever given his system so you can’t ask for more than that :-)

I get asked a lot what it does to the presentation, well even though it is upsampling CD to 16x its original resolution to 705.6kHz it isn’t a load more detail you experience but for me it is a more open and effortless presentation with more depth, it’s as if the upsampling is adding more refinement to the digital file which once you have heard it then you take it away is difficult to live without so once again Rob Watts and Chord have definitely worked their magic.

If you’d like to experience the M Scaler for yourself please just get in touch to either arrange a demo or feel free to take it home to try in your system, it is actually booked out for the next 2 weekends but anytime after then should be fine.

http://hifilounge.co.uk/chord-m-scaler

Melco N100 Now On Demo!

Also just a quick heads up to say that we also have the new Melco N100 Server / Player on demo, you could argue thanks to it’s smaller size it is the perfect partner for the Hugo TT 2 and M Scaler setup, they most definitely work well together.

http://hifilounge.co.uk/melco-n100-server

Cheers,

Hi Everyone,

Well firstly I have to say that I have never driven Cadwell Park before and I have heard mixed reports from various people that I would either love it or hate it due to it being very narrow with the barriers very close and that you actually get airborne at the so called ‘Mountain’ well I am pleased to say that I actually loved this track, definitely one of my favourites and in a very picturesque setting it really is tough to beat.

So how did the weekend go? well in all honestly I am getting really frustrated now that I am just not quicker, everyone tells me the first year is all about learning and that I have jumped in at the deep end with a Radical but in my head I am Nigel Mansell but in reality I am more like Driving Miss Daisy :-)

So in the end it was a weekend of highs and lows, one minute I love being in the car and the overall speed, then I get frustrated as I want to be quicker then I relax and love it again, one thing is for sure, this motorsport thing certainly challenges you emotionally as well as mentally, it really gets in your head, which is crazy really as this is supposed to be fun but you just can’t help getting caught up in the whole thing and putting yourself under pressure, which I guess is only natural.

Overall though Cadwell was a great experience and I learnt a little more, now I just need to to teach my brain to get off the brakes a little earlier and get on the power quicker, how hard can that really be :-)

Off to Donnington Park next for my 50th Birthday weekend over the weekend of September 8th, hopefully I can have a breakthrough here and really get on top if this car which really is easier said than done, loads of PMA needed :-)

Please keep an eye out as I will be announcing a pretty cool competition shortly where you can win some laps as a passenger with my coach at Donnington on September 7th.

Please find my fastest lap below, never did get the hang of the 1st corner really -

Hi All,

Here are another couple of systems that we have installed recently, have to say with 2 x REL S5′s on this system it really rocked the customer’s foundations when turned up loud, sounded brilliant :-)

Focal Sopra N°2 Floorstanding Speakers

http://hifilounge.co.uk/focal-sopra-no-2-loudspeakers

Chord Electronics Dave Reference DAC / Headphone Amplifier

http://hifilounge.co.uk/chord-dave-dac

Bryston 4B³ Dual-Channel (Stereo) Amplifier

http://hifilounge.co.uk/bryston-4b3-dual-channel-stereo-amplifier

BlueSound Node 2 Streamer

http://hifilounge.co.uk/bluesound-node-2-streamer

Connected Up With Atlas Cables

http://hifilounge.co.uk/atlas-cables

Focal Kanta No2 Install

This was an install from a couple of weeks ago, I have to say I love this colour combination, just needs a touch of orange to turn it into the Gulf Racing Colours :-)

Focal Kanta N°2 Floorstanding Speakers

http://hifilounge.co.uk/focal-kanta-no2-speakers

Cheers,

Hi Everyone,

It was a big day on Wednesday as we got our first listen to the much anticipated new Chord Electronics Quartet Upscaler partnered with Dave, this has been spoke about for so long that it was great to finally be able to sit down and soak up what it brings to the party.

Obviously music played on Dave sounds great on its own, and without trying to sound too sensationalist, but when partnered with the Quartet it’s like listening to a totally different device and recording, much, much more analogue, wider soundstage, more depth, better separation, all the good stuff really, basically making the overall presentation sounding more realistic, it was actually a bigger step up than I was expecting, I know it isn't cheap at £25,000 but it really does need to be heard, especially if you currently have a Dave.

Can’t wait for our demo model to arrive soon so everyone can experience it, looks like Chord have gone and done it again and have another hit on their hands👌

We will have the Quartet on permanent demo shortly so if you would like more information or to register so I can let you know once with us so you can come in for a listen just fire me a quick mail to - [email protected].

Please find a link to it on our website below and a few pictures from Wednesday.

All the best,

Paul

Son las 11 am y ya acabe mi trabajo

Hi all,

So here we are with another new product we have on permanent demo, this time from Chord Electronics with their new and stunning looking Ultima Integrated Amplifier.

Basically packed with their newish Ultima Tech which has made their recent Stereo and Mono power amps so popular, there really is a very natural presentation to their amps nowadays, still very dynamic and engaging but not as forward as some of the Chord amps used to be, they are really musical and rhythmic hence why their Ultima amps have been their most popular ever and this new integrated carries this legacy on and with 125 watts on tap it will get the best from most speakers.

And you've really got to love the way it looks.

Please feel free to come in for a demo anytime, please find a link to the Chord amplifier range below on our website -

Cheers,

Paul.