Time for some later summer news
Summer is traditionally the quiet period in audio retail. It’ll be a surprise to no-one to hear that this year has been no exception. It’s therefore the time when our suppliers start trying to stimulate demand by having offers. Sometimes, we get the impression, that the more convoluted they can make this, the better they feel they’ve done!
Another summer tendency has been towards sales being of fewer but higher value items. Accuphase have come to the rescue finally shipping some samples of the new E-700 amplifier and DP 777 CD / SACD player. These might be rarer than rocking horse droppings but demand has been high against restricted supply, particularly for the CD player.
A couple of C-3900 preamp and A-80 power amp sales have definitely added to our ability to crack a smile.
Beyond reducing price on ‘run-out’ items such as the Brio, summer deals have never been a Rega thing. Interestingly, their gentle progression towards more up market ‘old school’ items has proved to be a successful strategy.
The Linn summer offer is almost about to expire and can be seen via the link.
Naim Summer offers
This Summer, August particularly, Naim have some tempting deals. Follow the link for our Naim Summer offers page. Whatever you’re after, talk to us. Either way, this is the season of discussion!
Accuphase E-700 now here – and it’s good!
The Accuphase E-700 integrated amplifier is freshly on our shelves as a replacement for the stellar and much loved E-650. We are pleased to report that the E-700 is a significant step up over the outgoing model but less happy to report that, as ever, supplies are likely to remain very limited!
Read one customer’s view :
“A forty year Naim man; I was ‘turned’ in the summer of 2021 onto Accuphase electronics and decided after auditioning that a good integrated amp was all I needed. Enter the E-480 which served me very well for three years.
I’ve recently upgraded to the Class A E-700. It builds on the strengths of the 480, opening the musical window wider. There is increased resolution, clarity, transparency and spatial awareness. Instruments and vocals seem to exist in a larger 3D space with more freedom. Sustain/decay is more obvious and the timbre of instruments is more apparent.
Don’t confuse Class A with the sound of some valve amplifiers. The dynamic slam is phenomenal with superb rhythmic drive and control. Warm; fluffy and cuddly, this amplifier most definitely is not.
I recall the Skottish Gramophone Kompany many years ago re-using Jaguar’s sales slogan ‘Grace, Pace and Space’. That nails it in three words.
I’m loving my new amplifier and one has to hand it to Accuphase for value for money too. With several performance tweaks and an increase in power output, the 700 costs only £200 more than its excellent predecessor; the E-650.”
To say supply is restricted is not Hyperbole. The first shipment was sold out almost instantly and the next is due in November. We secured an additional unit over and above the demonstration unit and the one referenced above so are in a position to offer instant gratification to one keen buyer.*
*now sold
Ferrum OOR
Pictured in a rather bizarre setting is the strangely named Oor headphone amplifier. Ferrum products have been gracing our shelves for a couple of years now and the OOR has impressed royally at its £2k asking price. There is a matching power supply but it’s far from a necessity.
Meridian Ellipse
Surprise component of the season must go to Meridian for their new and deeply unsettling Ellipse smart speaker thing-um-me-bob. The connection for us is that Darren our erstwhile Naim representative has moved to Meridian Audio and asked if he could bring along a little black . . . well, it’s not really even a box, more of a lozenge.
What it does is pretty damned remarkable and, whilst we can accept that part of the appeal is the ‘how on earth?’ aspect, it also answers a question that people ask. I.E. how to get a big, clear, open, musical yet ‘full’ sound into a room with minimal clutter.
At £1900, the pricing may seem immodest but it can project into a room a very large, very solid and spacious 3d sound ‘image’ with solid, though not overblown bass and excellent dynamics. It makes no sense! Unsurprisingly, we have it on demonstration.
Yet more Accuphase
Last issue, I mentioned that we would be getting a fresh demonstration C-47 phono stage. This £9300 item has duly rolled up. Vertere Audio manufacture the Pulse HB £2950 mains lead and it has to be said that adding this power cable to the C-47 elevates its performance to a remarkable degree.
The C-47 has already suited several customers and it’s hardly a budget buy. It sounds wonderful through the Naim Statement as well as the usual Accphase ‘suspects’. Anyway, you can rest assured that properly musical high end analogue replay remains alive and well in Trimley!
Vertere Audio
Did we mention Vertere back there? Along with the DG-1, we already have the SG-1 turntable with the lovely X-traX cartridge which we played through the C-47. The stimulus to try our £2950 Pulse HB cable with the C-47 was that it comes bundled with Vertere’s new £15k Calon phono stage, with which we’d just had a quick play.
For now, we’re contenting ourselves by adding an MG-1 turnable to the demonstration collection. Should we perceive potential demand, I’m sure we can stretch to our own Calon. Feel free to tell us if you’re interested!
Now that the weather has heated up, the Vertere sizzling summer offers no longer seem ironic.
They run until the end of August.
Rega Nd series now here
Rega’s new range of neodymium moving magnet cartridges has now fully arrived. Starting with Nd3 that replaces Elys II, Nd5 (pictured above) replaces Exact and, surprisingly, Nd7 replaces the standard Ania MC as a factory fitted option. Ania and Ania Pro remain in production.
We have them all and they have all landed well with listeners. Best come for a listen. The pre-fitted turntable / cartridge combinations have been revised accordingly.
It’s definitely progress!