Audio Show Deluxe - Whittlebury Park 25th & 26 March

[sk3lph]

First hi-fi show I've been to in a while and its been one of the best.

Concentrating on the high end cream of the crop it definitely delivered on that front, every system was absolutely stunning both in terms of sonic performance and visual presentation from an engineering point of view. I attended both days and was never bored as there was always something to see and hear - I very much hope this becomes an annual event. Glass of Prosecco when you arrive and free posh coffee and pastries through both days so we were well looked after.

Stand out system for me was the Karma home cinema setup as I'm a home cinama fan, however in terms of audio, the systems from Symmetry; MBL (alluminium rugby ball speakers) and Auden were awsome but all the others were no less than really impressive.

As usual I took some pictures as I went round which I've presented here -

 

[sk3lph]

Thanks for posting the pictures. Were the rest of the visitors hugging the walls, or did you manage to get in before the crowds?

The MBLs would have been my first destination. I haven't heard them yet. Omni-directional isn't anything new, but I'd really like to hear how these drivers work.

Nice to see quite a few of the rooms using acoustic panels. Even some bass traps in one room? Decent sizes rooms as well.

One of the enjoyable aspects of this show was it wasn't too busy - this of course may have an impact on the decision of it returning next year. The venue was also a really good location, parking was easy and the rooms were all a good size - there wasn't any issues of us being crammed in rooms that were too small.

The MBLs were very nice indeed and very unusual - aluminium and a carbon fibre weave were in the design. The guy said they had been developed since 1979 and the speakers at the show were 8th generation and had just arrived for the weekend from Paris.

It was a great opportunity to listen to high end systems and ask yourself if it is really worth the premium.

 

[sk3lph]

Some very nice setups, I will be going the North West Audio show in June.

I went to last years NW show, took some pictures at that one as well and posted here.