Oxford Audio Consultants January 2013 Newsletter

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welcome This is the first time we have published such a comprehensive Newsletter and we hope you find it a useful aid in your enjoyment of music. Our Newsletter highlights new things for 2013, reviews the best of 2012, and provides information to help you get more pleasure from your music and TV/films. 2013 is our 25th anniversary so we will be holding some very special events across the summer. We would love you to join us so please watch out for your email invitation. Thank you for your custom and we look forward to seeing you again in 2013. Best wishes, Jon Jon Harker and the team Please give us your email address - we are running a competition to encourage you! In future, due to high postage costs, we will only be sending out our Quarterly Newsletter, plus Invitations to Events & to our new Music Club by email. Simply visit our website & sign up for Newsletters (top right home page) to enter. Prizes: Musical Fidelity V-DAC II, KEF C1 speakers, Chord Chameleon Silver Plus interconnect, Chord Prodac Digital cable, Roberts DAB/FM Radio. YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WILL NEVER BE PASSED ON TO ANYONE ELSE. Follow Oxford Audio Consultants on: one welcome

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January 2013 Newsletter from Oxford Audio Consultants

Transcript of Oxford Audio Consultants January 2013 Newsletter

Page 1: Oxford Audio Consultants January 2013 Newsletter

welcomeThis is the first time we have published such a comprehensive Newsletter and we hope you find it a useful aid inyour enjoyment of music. Our Newsletter highlights new things for 2013, reviews the best of 2012, and provides information to help you get more pleasure from your music and TV/films.

2013 is our 25th anniversary so we will be holding some very special events across the summer. We would love you to join us so please watch out for your email invitation.

Thank you for your custom and we look forward to seeing youagain in 2013.

Best wishes,

JonJon Harker and the team

Please give us your email address - we are runninga competition to encourage you!In future, due to high postage costs, we will only be sending out our Quarterly Newsletter, plus Invitations to Events & to our new Music Club by email. Simply visit our website & sign up for Newsletters (top right home page) to enter.

Prizes: Musical Fidelity V-DAC II, KEF C1 speakers, Chord Chameleon Silver Plus interconnect, Chord Prodac Digital cable, Roberts DAB/FM Radio.YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WILL NEVER BE PASSED ON TO ANYONE ELSE.

Follow Oxford Audio Consultants on:

onew

elco

me

Page 2: Oxford Audio Consultants January 2013 Newsletter

What does it do? The quick answer would be everything. More detail - there is something new in every piece of music we’ve played. Micro dynamics are carried with a new level of accuracy - and as for the sound of instruments, strings and brass have never sounded so real. Drums and voices - the way these fit together is extraordinary. Except it’s not. Not if you go to concerts. Customers who experience Sarum Tuned ARAY cables are calling them game-changing. In their words: “the biggest single improvement I’ve heard in 25 years of listening to digital music”; “best emotional connection I’ve had with the music outside of a live performance”; “this is the sound I’ve been searching for for years”.

That’s a lot of improvements for a cable to make!Yes, but Tuned ARAY really does all these things; it shocked us, and we’ve been designing cables since 1985! It’s made us re-evaluate all our reference test equipment. Most importantly it has made us re-design almost every interconnect that we produce, because we know how to make them an awful lot better.

Does it work with everything?We think so. That’s certainly been the case so far. Interconnects are consistent in terms of performance. We make analogue and digital cables using similar design principles. The Sarum Tuned ARAY USB cable is just amazing; real music from a WAV on iTunes!

OK, but is a Sarum Tuned ARAY going to be a bit too revealing for the music I listen to? Some of it is really compressed and frankly rather nasty. Listen to bright compressed music through a Tuned ARAY cable. The brightness and compression is still there, but nowhere near as intrusive. The focus is on the music and because of this you can listen past the compression. We think that’s brilliant.

So if I want to listen to one? Oxford Audio Consultants are Sarum Dealers, they’ll be happy to arrange a demonstration for you. If you love music, you really should try to get a listen, it’s very special.

Nigel FinnTechnical DirectorProduct Designer

What is it?It’s a new way of building Sarum digital and analogue interconnects - and it’s the result of some ground breaking research.

Chord Sarum Tuned ARAYSOUND MINDFine tuning

with the Cable

Doctor

www.chord.co.uk

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It’s a shame that many younger people are missing out on the rich experience of a performance by an artist on a hi-fi system - despite more people than ever listening to recorded music. Many listen to individual tracks at low MP3 quality on poor headphones on a laptop, phone or iPod and have never heard any sort of hi-fi. We want to do our bit to rectify this!

The Music Club at Oxford Audio offers those who are increasingly finding miscellaneous tracks of MP3s unengaging & dissatisfying the opportunity to listen to good hi-fi. Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends, neighbours & work colleagues and spread the joy of listening to music on a good stereo.

The Music Club will be held in our large demonstration lounge upstairs. Each month we will choose a classic vinyl album, then play it in its entirety. There will be drinks, a chance to chat, other music by the artist then a brief intro before settling down to an uninterrupted listen for 45 minutes on a true high end system. After the album has been played there will be a chance to browse selected vinyl for sale at a special 10% discount, as well as discuss all manner of things hi-fi.

We are open to suggestions for suitable classic albums, please [email protected] fao David.

EVENTS: Provisional Programme 2013

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Annualex-dem

sale

Good value ways to upgrade your hi-fi

Turntable& vinylevent

Naim pre-price increase

event

Computer

audio, headphones,

DACs, pre-amps, active

speakers

Oxford Audio 25th Anniversary Celebrations including a major

Absolute Sounds event

Network streaming,

digital music & multi-

room

Speakers - small but

good! Plus sub-woofers

for music

Loewe TV & home cinema

Xmasevent

2013 Events The Annual Ex-Dem SaleEvery year at this time we rotate our demonstration stock - so we are able to offer at least 20% off retail price for well looked after, nicely run-in, quality hi-fi! There will be electronics from Naim Audio, Musical Fidelity, Krell, Micromega, Prima Luna & Wadia: speakers from Sonus faber, KEF, Usher, PMC & Wilson Audio. The full list will be available by email & on our website on 30 January.

A great annual opportunity to buy quality hi-fi at a bargain price.

The Music Club – brand new for 2013

Did you know?Listening to music for

only 15 minutes increaseslevels of proteins called

‘interleukins’ which boost immune function, helping

the body fightillness.

three2013

even

ts

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Just one year after the critically acclaimedtwenty series was launched it has beenrecognised by theleading experts and has received four majorUK hi-fi awards.The twenty.21 was voted an “Outstanding Product” in the Hi-Fi News Yearbook, the twenty.22 was the Hi-Fi Choice “Standmount Speaker Winner” and What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision “Best Standmounter £1500+” and the twenty.23 triumphed as the “Bestfloorstander £1500+” in the What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision awards.

As What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision put it,“These PMC speakers do it all.”

For more information on the twenty series and to view our introductory video seewww.pmc-speakers.com/products/consumer/twenty

Hear why the twenty series is award winning,book a demonstration

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2012 - British successesDID BRITAIN INVENT HI-FI? WELL PROBABLY So we’d like to celebrate by featuring some great British products - global brands manufactured in England. Great value for money, great quality, great companies to deal with.

Naim Audio, with their factory in Salisbury, has had a great year. They were selected, alongside British manufacturing greats like Rolls Royce, to be one of only 40 companies featured in the “Make it in Great Britain” exhibition at the Science Museum, London.

As well as launching four new streaming products in 2012, plus major upgrades to all existing power supplies, Naim also reduced the price of their UnitiQute all-in-one streamer to £1150 – just add speakers for a seriously good complete stereo. STOP PRESS: the new DAC-V1 has been chosen as one of the “Top 10 most exciting products” launched at last months Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. We will have it on demo, along with its matching power amp, in March.

PMC, based in Luton, are well known for their professional speakers, which have been used to record & master many famous albums & film soundtracks in studios across the world.

2012 saw the launch of a new range of domestic speakers with a 20 year warranty - imaginatively called the ‘twenty series’. Once warmed up the sound is quite something with a wonderful controlled bass, a clean open treble and great musicality - pulling off that rare trick of suiting both small and larger rooms.

Michell continue to manufacture their turntables in Borehamwood, London as they have done since their debut in the film “A Clockwork Orange” 40 years ago. With a stunningly beautiful yet timeless design plus a balanced sound with a soundstage to die for, they have long been held by audiophiles to offer particularly good value for money. With more vinyl being released (& re-released) all the time, either buy new or dig out your old records and hear how good LPs can sound on a great turntable.

Chord design and manufacture their award winning cables a couple of miles from Stonehenge. Although a long established company Stonehenge

pre-dates them by a few years - about 5,200 in fact!

When it comes to the difference cables make in a hi-fi or cinema system there are many sceptics. Why cables in particular stir up such controversy is a mystery! Mind you we’ve been there before – some 40 years ago few believed turntables or amplifiers made any difference, and then 25 years ago CD players were supposed to all sound the same i.e. perfect! Chord’s just released ‘Tuned ARAY’ Sarum cables are a case in point. Having used the original Sarum cables with a variety of equipment to great effect even we have been surprised at the magnitude of the improvement.

2013 - Key areasHeadphones - Sales in the UK were up 22% in 2012 (that’s bigger growth than Smart phones) and are now a staggering 10 million pairs a year. So why not experience what a good pair of headphones can add to your enjoyment of music. We have 12 in-ear & 30 on-ear/over-ear headphones on hygienic demonstration plus half a dozen headphone amps. Particularly impressive are the new Musical Fidelity EB-50 in-ears, the new Martin Logan Mikros 70 in-ears and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 closed back over-ears – all at £149.

We are really pleased to have been appointed Sennheiser ‘Club Orpheus’ dealers. We are able to exclusively offer the best headphones like the new Sennheiser Momentum’s (£249), the classic HD800’s (£999), the HD700 (£599), the brand new IE800 in ears (£599) - not to mention the superb headphone amps.

For the best headphone listening at home you need a proper headphone amp. Choose from Pro-Ject Head Box S £99, Musical Fidelity V-CAN £119, Graham Slee Novo £255, Lehmann Audio Rhinelander £425, Musical Fidelity M1 HPA £499, Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear £650, Naim Headline + NAPSC Power supply £720, Lehmann Audio Black Cube USB £900, new Naim DAC-V1 (with DAC & pre-amp) £1250 & last but not least the stunning new Sennheiser HDVA 600 £1199 & HDVA 800 (with DAC) £1499.

Did you know?A £7,000 hi-fi system

which lasts 20 years isonly costing you

95p per day.

five20

12 ‘B

ritis

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ses’

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t: 01235 511166www.henleydesigns.co.uk | [email protected]

Pro-Ject Audio Systems is distributed inthe UK by Henley Designs Ltd.

Full Project product range available at Oxford Audio with manyaward-winning models and ortofon cartridges on demonstration in-store

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Turntables - with a 20% increase in overall vinyl sales in 2012 we are experiencing a lot of interest in turntables. If you dig out your LPs and buy even a modest turntable you’ll be surprised how wonderful they can sound – and all those memories too! A great budget buy is the new Pro-Ject Carbon (£300), for details see the Turntable page. You’ll probably need a phono stage too, the Pro-Ject PhonoBox MM is a bargain at £49, just connect to your existing amplifier and away you go. See the Turntable page for more details.

We now also have an arrangement with a local independent record shop enabling us to sell a selection of vinyl here in the shop. Including the gorgeous Beatles Limited Edition 12 LP Box set at an Amazon equalling price of £299! Please call for details.

Computer Audio/Streamers/DACs - not surprisingly a big growth area too - and with over 10 hi-fi quality models launched in 2012 alone it’s a job to keep up - but we resolutely soldier on! The sound quality available now from a well set up laptop via a DAC will give a good CD player a run for its money.

To get more from your computer listen to the revolutionary, multi-award winning AudioQuest DragonFly USB DAC & Headphone Amp (£215). You won’t believe the improvement; it’s surprising how often our demo unit is out being ‘evaluated’ by our staff! Outselling even that (22 sold in10 weeks) is the Micromega MyDac (£259). Try the stunning new Sennheiser IE800 in ears (£599) with them or for desktop speakers use Genelec actives (7”x4”x4”, £459pair) and suspend your disbelief! Then there’s the ‘just announced’ KEF X300A active speakers (£600) , plus the new Naim DAC-V1 (£1250) and NAP100 power amp (£650) to consider - available soon.

Likewise plug a Streamer into your existing Hi-Fi and rather than just playing the recent CDs stacked near the player you can whiz through everything - searching by artist, album, or genre - surprising yourself with that CD you bought 10 years ago & haven’t played for ages. See the Streamer page for more details.

Devialet D-Premier Integrated Amplifier/ Dac - for once hi-fi magazine reviewers are not exaggerating; this really is a revolutionary product. And not only does it sound excellent now but it just gets better and better. All upgrades are downloaded from the Devialet

website and copied onto an SD memory card which is then put into the amplifier – switch on and the firmware & software is updated. Instantly … and free of charge! Upgrades in 2012 have included uprated power supply & power output, hi-res wireless streaming, configurable phono stage, configurable inputs. Over 20 customers have bought one or two (dual mono) in the 12 months since release, price £10500.

Loewe TV - to plagiarise the well-known lager advert - ‘Loewe - probably the best TVs in the world’. Loewe began in 1923 in Berlin & produced their first TV in 1931, they also won the EISA Best European Home Theatre Solution 2012-2013 award, so they know a bit about making TVs! See the TV page for more details.

Excellent small systems - want more domestically acceptable quality HiFi? Or to downsize your existing system? Or add something for the study? Musical Fidelity has a half width compact range enabling you to tailor a system to your needs. Comprising CD transport, Streamer, DAC, headphone amp/preamp & power amp with special package prices at £999 & £1799. Looks good & sounds good with KEF R300 speakers (£1000). Naim have their new UnitiLite (£1650) All-in-One streamer with CD player, it sounds particularly fine with PMC twenty21 speakers (£1375).

Use of subwoofers in a stereo music system - tricky to pull off but they suit modern & difficult rooms and have a high DAF (domestic acceptability factor!). The concept of subwoofer reinforcement is forever misunderstood. Set up properly, a sub isn’t about adding bass, it’s about controlling it. This results in increased scale & soundstage plus better midrange & a cleaner sound - oh and excellent bass! REL are Britain’s leading company for sub-bass speakers, properly set up they have really surprised us with both modest and high end stereo systems. For example the TZero (8”x9”x10”, £299), works brilliantly with the lovely KEF R100 (11”x7”x11”) at £599 pair.

Did you know?That stereo you paid

£500 for in 1985 isnearly £2,000 intoday’s money.

seven2013

key

area

s

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Absolute Sounds - International Distributors & Consultants. 58 Durham Road, London, SW20 0TW.

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“WITHOUT DEVIATION FROM THE NORM, PROGRESS IS NOT POSSIBLE.” - FRANK ZAPPA

®

Tel.: +44 (0)20 89713909 | web: www.absolutesounds.com | email: [email protected]

Page 10: Oxford Audio Consultants January 2013 Newsletter

ripThe convenience of having yourentire cd collection available at the touch of a button.

storeFor those short on space, the Naim HDX and UnitiServe will store as well asrip your music.

controlNaim’s free remote apps for IOS devices put the ability to browse and play your music in the palm of your hand.

catalogueHaving thousands of songs at your disposal requires organisation, and Naim’s custom-designed Extended Music Database takes care of that for you.

back upNaim hard disk players like the UnitiServe and HDX offer the option to back up your tracks automatically by creating duplicate versions of your ripped tracks and storing them on an allocated storage device, such as a connected NAS drive.

playWhether you prefer the audiophile performance from separates or the convenience of an all-in-one system, Naim has a streaming solution for you.

Have your entire music collection at your fingertips with ahigh-quality end-to-end streaming system...

To learn more about streaming, turn to page eleven in this newsletter

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StreamingHIGH QUALITY MUSICWhat is it? Streaming is digital data constantly delivered to the end-user by a streaming provider.

What does it involve?1. Music is either ripped from CD, i.e. copied & converted into computer data & stored by the user on a computer hard disk or other server. Or it is acquired via the internet & downloaded as digital data packets.2. The digital data packets are sent on demand from the server to the player. 3. These digital data packets are then reassembled into digital audio data (rendering), usually within the player. 4. This digital audio data is then converted into an analogue audio signal by a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter). 5. And finally the analogue audio signal is connected for playback via a normal amplifier & speakers.

Example 1:Use a Naim UnitiServe (£2150) connected to a Naim UnitiQute (£1150) and a pair of speakers. This will automatically rip your CDs, catalogue & store up to 2600 of them, serve, stream and play in CD quality or better. Plus internet, DAB & FM radio, and music downloads.

What about networks?Streaming can be delivered via many different carriers. So a server could, stream across a:1. digital cable (standard coax S/PDIF or standard optical TOSlink)2. wired network (standard Ethernet either 100Mbits or Gigabit) 3. wireless network (standard wireless router or other standard wireless b,g,n device; or Bluetooth, Cleer, AirPlay or other wireless standard)4. standard house mains supply (ethernet over mains e.g. Powerline, Homeplug).

Example 2:Use a Naim UnitiServe (£2150) connected to a DrayTek router on a wired network, then connect a Naim ND5XS Streaming player (£1925) to the same router & finally connect it to your existing hi-fi as simply another source. Because this is a network & streaming can deal with multiple packets of digital data, then more than one piece of music can be streamed simultaneously to

multiple players and control devices. This enables many rooms to access a common source of music yet have independent control of what is playing - as well as being able to play the same thing in some or all rooms. So add a Naim UnitiLite (£1650) + speakers in one room, a Naim UnitiQute (£1150) + speakers in another and a SuperUniti (£3250) + speakers in yet another. Or for true hi-end use a Devialet D-Premier’s Airstream system to play your music (£10500).

And internet radio?Many streamers are equipped with iRadio - i.e. they automatically connect to specific radio servers on the internet which provide access to thousands of radio stations from around the world. These are received similarly to DAB stations and can be saved in pre-sets. The quality, at its best, can be significantly better than DAB.

And UPNP?UPnP, Universal Plug and Play, is an open network standard that enables audio servers & players (streamers) connected to the same network to communicate automatically, with no setup required. This means that a UPnP compliant streamer/server will automatically find all the shared music on the network, wherever it is stored, and make it available to play.

And how do I control & play my music?A normal CD player is a self-contained device with its own remote control. A streamer/player can also have its own remote control - plus because the music is often streamed over a network - it can additionally be controlled by any compatible device able to connect to that network. E.g. an iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Android ‘phone or a computer.

Multi-room Music?Whether it’s a straight forward wireless Sonos system (from £259 a room), a Naim based audiophile system, or a sophisticated system with whole house control, we offer a service from just advice & supply to complete design & installation. Systems can include TV & film and extend from living rooms, bedrooms & bathrooms to gym, pool and garden. The whole system can be controlled from wall mounted touchpads, wireless handsets, iPhones & iPads.

Did you know?We streamed more

than 3.7bn music tracksin 2012, equal to140 tracks per uk

household.

elevenst

ream

ing

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TurntablesVINYL - THE ORIGINAL HI-RES FORMATRecords are made by cutting a lacquer disk on a mastering lathe. This original master disk is capable of reproducing all frequencies from 5Hz to beyond 100kHz; it uses no digital sampling, no averaging and no smoothing of the original analogue waveform. What ends up on the LP depends on the quality of the studio master plus the mastering engineer. CD and standard 16bit digital music files are effectively the result of measuring the analogue waveform. Such measurement is approximate, restricted to about 20kHz and only accurate to 65,536 levels rather than the infinite variety found in the original music (24bit is much much better, accurate to nearly 17 million levels & a frequency range up to 45KHz or 90KHz).

Analogue, for these reasons as well as others yet to be fully explained, has a wonderful flow & swing - its fluidity, musicality & rhythmic tunefulness just has to be experienced!

This year a growing number of people of all ages are finding their way to our shop in Oxford saying that they want a more satisfying way of listening to music. The blandness & lack of engagement when listening to individual MP3 tracks leaves them disappointed. They want listening to music to be an occasion, a memorable, immersive, stimulating event that engages with the passion, creativity & commitment of the artist – in a word enjoyment!

We have been impressed by three new turntables by Pro-ject - a specialist company manufacturing in Czech Republic since 1991. Pro-Ject is imported by Henley Designs who also import the world famous cartridges from Ortofon, a Danish manufacturer about to celebrate its 95th anniversary. We therefore are able to offer special packages of turntables and pre-fitted cartridges saving you money and hassle. The three turntables we have picked are all hi-fi magazine award winners and have proved very popular with our customers.

The first is the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon at £300 complete with a quality carbon fibre arm, Perspex lid & Ortofon 2M Red (£80 on its own). Winning ‘Best turntable up to £500’ in What Hi-Fi Awards 2012 the Debut delivers an impressively clean and insightful sound, with high detail levels, wide

dynamics and a pleasing subtlety. We’re very taken with the Pro-ject’s expressive nature and its ability to keep a firm hold of the overall musical structure – quite something at only £300.

The second is the Pro-Ject Xperience Super Pack at £1050. This has a stunning clear acrylic plinth with audiophile technologies employed throughout & is complete with rigid, one-piece carbon fibre tonearm, electronic speed control, record clamp and factory-fitted Ortofon Rondo Red MC cartridge (£350). We love its well-defined, solid bass plus crisp top end - helping to produce realistic, high-quality vocal definition and above average width & depth of image. Surprisingly refined for its price; it’s smooth, unflustered and a great buy.

The third is the Xtension 10 at £2000 excl. cartridge. The gorgeous lacquered solid wood plinth in 3 finishes (the olivewood is spectacular) and luxurious hinged cover make this every traditionalist’s idea of what a turntable ought to be - and it even plays 78s. Complete with with Pro-Ject 10cc Evolution Carbon Tonearm with inverted bearings & damped counterweight it suits a wide range of cartridges. Add an Ortofon Cadenza Red cartridge (£795) and it sounds neutral, clear & consistent. As a result it can make the most of the widest variety of music, from small-scale classical and folk to huge rock or opera spectaculars, with thunderous – but always well controlled – bass and very gratifying treble clarity. Piano is notoriously difficult to reproduce but the Xtension 10 portrays the space around the notes beautifully & with the current UK pricing, it’s a great buy.”

In another league is Michell EngineeringFor the serious lover of vinyl British manufacturer Michell takes some beating. Still made in their factory just outside London, the GyroDec SE is to our eyes the best looking turntable bar none, never mind the lovely sound! And talking of sound quality move up to the Michell Orbe SE fitted with an SME V tonearm & Ortofon Cadenza Black and you have, in our view, the best value of all the serious high end decks. Gyrodec SE with Michell Technoarm & Ortofon Rondo Blue £2,500; Michell Orbe SE with SME/Ortofon £7,500.

Did you know?LP sales have increasedevery year since 2005

& are now at 300%of the 2005 value.

thirteenviny

l

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IN A CLASS ALL OF ITS OWN - WWW.PIONEER.EU/UK

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TV & Home Cinema For a stylish and high quality tv loewe takes some beating - gorgeous, exclusive, and good value at virtually half the price of Bang &Olufsen, Loewe has been making TVs for 80 years and is market leader in Germany. Sleek, stylish design with the best sound in flat screen Tvs - from £995 for 40” to an all singing, all dancing 46” Smart TV for £2,295. Compare that with B&Os new ‘budget’ range at £1,999 for 32”!

Music: Loewe also make 3 great looking & sounding music systems from £399 to the SoundVision (£1249). This has streaming, CD, FM radio, iPhone/iPod dock & a revolutionary multitouch 7.5” colour display as well as unparalleled audio quality from 6 built-in speakers plus subwoofer. Constructed from polished aluminium with a choice of over 250 finishes the entire design is finished by hand.

There are 3 TV ranges: choose from the top spec Individual range, the innovative Connect ID range and the great value Xelos range. And all Loewe TVs are particularly energy efficient.

The Individual range has everything – choose from thousands of colours to match your décor: many different speaker packages from stereo across the bottom of the set, to speakers at each side, to a 5.1 sound bar, to separate 2.1, 3.1, and 5.1 systems; and a large range of table stands, floor stands, wall mounts and furniture designed to complement the look of the TV. All built in stylish aluminium with top spec full HD, LED, 3D screens up 55inch.

The Connect ID range is unusually neat and stylish with a slim high-gloss frame only half an inch wide plus fabric speaker grilles resulting in a combination of 12 colours. Available in 4 screen sizes all 3D with built-in speakers & sub-woofer, 80W built-in Dolby surround, built-in networking, wireless & multimedia plus a wide range of stands. From £1395 for 32” to £2495 for 55”. Also Connect SL 22” from £499, 26” from £599.

The Xelos range is high quality at a great price, 32” £799, 40” £995, 46” £1395. All with MediaNet on-line access, Dolby Digital and 50W power output. Finishes are Chrome Silver, Black, White and Mocha. Here comes a German motoring analogy - Mercedes quality, Audi flair, BMW technology, yet Volkswagen price!

Pioneer - the company with more av product awards than you can shake a stick atWe have used all the major AV brands over the years but now feature Pioneer; they seem to have matured in the last couple of years and recently released some outstanding products. It’s not saying that Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo are not good, after all we’ve sold them all, just that Pioneer are particularly good now. Come and listen in real lounges and see what you think, we have most of the range on demo. The highlights are:

AV Amps: SC-LX86. The best we’ve heard short of Krell and the equal of the £5000 Denon we previously had in the room - it even makes a surprisingly good stab at playing music! At our recent Pioneer event in November a customer thinking of spending £1200 was so taken with it that he’s saving a bit longer to buy it. What Hi-Fi Best home cinema amplifier Award 2012 winner.

SC-2022. Specs are a problem with AV amps. They seem so similar that the extra cost of the next model can seem hard to justify. We’ve long known that two hi-fi amps similar on paper will sound very different, yet when buying AV amps this experience is often ignored. This 3D Network Receiver has 170 Watts per Channel, 24bit/192KHz DAC & Streaming with AirPlay - so isn’t hugely different from the LX86 on paper. But when you listen, while great value, it isn’t a patch on the LX86.

VSX-S500. A brand new concept in AV amps which traditionally have sold on their butch looks, massive size and huge power consumption. Only 85 mm high and 317 mm deep it’s designed to fit in a normal TV stand. You can plug in your iPod , insert a USB device or connect to your internet via LAN & enjoy internet radio.

Blu-Ray: BDP-LX55. Good sound, good pictures and a Universal player with High-Quality Audio Parts for not much money. It’ll handle Blu-ray 3D Discs, ordinary Blu-rays, DVD, CD, SACD, DVD-Audio and has Network Features.

Did you know?Good sound in a film

is critical as it tells youhow to feel. E.G. low

frequencies = threat. It allgoes back to primordial

roots & is morefundamental

than the image.

fifteentv &

cine

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Please give us your email address - we are running a competition to encourage you!In future, due to high postage costs, we will only be sending out our Quarterly Newsletter, plus Invitations to Events & to our new Music Clubby email. Simply visit our website & sign up for Newsletters (top right home page) to enter.

Prizes: Musical Fidelity V-DAC II, KEF C1 speakers, Chord Chameleon Silver Plus interconnect, Chord Prodac Digital cable, Roberts DAB/FM Radio.

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WILL NEVER BE PASSED ON TO ANYONE ELSE.

Tel: 01865 790 879 | e-mail: [email protected] | www.oxfordaudio.co.ukOxford Audio Consultants, Cantay House, Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD