Ian Ringstead’s report from the Northwest Audio Show 2022.

After two years of being in the Covid 19 wilderness, Cranage finally reappeared. Covid and now the crazy situation in Ukraine has certainly hit us all hard and some light relief was badly needed. The Northwest Audio show is, for both myself and my wife Heather, the best show in the UK. It’s free for a start and us Yorkshire folk like a bargain. Having not long been back from Munich High End, which is reported elsewhere, the anticipation was high for Cranage. Munich is an onslaught to your senses, especially if you’ve never been before, but Cranage is like a pair of cozy slippers. You’re in beautiful countryside and have a world-famous Radio telescope nearby at Jodrell Bank. The relaxed nature for me is the key to Cranage. Most shows, especially the bigger ones can be manic, but the De Vere hotel is big enough to accommodate everyone and the rooms are wide and varied.

A huge thank you to all the organisers and the hotel staff who coped very well given the current challenging circumstances.

Saturday was very busy as expected and reminded me of the old shows years ago that I regularly attended in London. Thankfully we don’t have to travel too far now, and the show is particularly well attended by retailers of course, keen to show their wares and spread the word. Talking to several of the retailers they all said that Covid had been a positive boost for their sales, which is understandable, because people had been hemmed up at home for nearly two years, and those fortunate enough to have spare cash wanted a treat.

I decided to hunt out the companies I was familiar with and whose products I’ve reviewed in the past and so Ophidian Audio owned by Gareth James was my first port of call. I knew Gareth was launching his new flagship model the Voodoo (from £14,000) which I had heard in prototype form last summer and it was great to see and hear it in the flesh and fully finished. Large and imposing, the Voodoo is no shrinking violet and sounded impressive on the end of Atoll electronics.  He told me that more models were to come including upgrades to older ones and a baby Voodoo to suit smaller rooms and pockets at some point.

Over the way, Alchris Audio were proving very popular. Alan Clark owns Alchris Audio and those familiar with his previous company and products Kralk Audio were overjoyed to see his new venture take off. Alan decided to relaunch his company last year under a new name and completely rethink the company’s ethos and what he wanted to offer to his customers. Alan is a hugely talented craftsman and designer and anyone who has seen his work cannot help but be impressed by his craftsmanship and product range. The model I particularly wanted to hear was the new AR-66 based around the classic Celestion Ditton 66 from the seventies. I remember those very well and they were very popular back in the day. Alan said he’d owned several pairs and blew some up due to overenthusiasm with the volume control. (we’ve all been there in our youth I’m sure). The AR-66, of course, is a completely different animal, and if you’ve followed Alan’s builds on his Facebook page you’ll see the work that goes into building a pair. At £4.500 a pair I feel they are a bargain, and many seemed to agree whilst I was in the room. Alan will personally deliver them to customers’ homes because in his experience couriers, unfortunately, have a habit of damaging larger shipments unless palleted, and then it becomes expensive to ship.

Now in their 50th year, Falcon Acoustics were demoing the IMF200 at £2,895.  Last year I obtained a kit pair of their now-famous BBC LS 3/5A speakers that I spent a very enjoyable few hours making and then listening to in huge admiration. I sold LS3/5A’s in the 80’s and always wanted a pair. I got the gold badge crossover version and I have to say they performed admirably. The only problem I had was that I don’t have the luxury of being able to keep everything and money isn’t endless. My reference Jern’s are a real workhorse and give me everything I need and handle the power and volumes I like to listen at on a regular basis. I can see why the LS3/5A is so loved though and has a very loyal following. Kit speakers are fun to build and great value for money.

Kudos had a good-sized room to show off their Titan 707 speakers driven by the new Accuphase E5000 integrated amp – a favourite Japanese brand that was seen and heard in several rooms. Accuphase is not cheap but offers superb quality and long life. The Kudos were lovely and having reviewed their C10’s and C20’s I wasn’t expecting anything less than excellent performance. A brand that I rate very highly.

Chord company were doing their excellent demos again that are time-consuming but well worth the effort if you’re serious about being educated about their cables or accessories. This time they were extolling the virtues of their new mains blocks, which aren’t cheap but really are very good. Chord are one of the few companies that really go to town explaining their products thoroughly to the public, but aren’t arrogant or dismissive if people don’t want to buy them. I wish a few HiFi shops in the past had had that attitude when I’d wandered in and not ignored me or been snobbish. Well done.

Fanthorpe’s of Hull are a well-established retailer, and they were demoing the new Luxman M10 power amp. I have owned several of Luxman’s products over the years and admire their build and sound quality immensely. Mark of Fanthorpe’s was telling me that Luxman has several new products due for release later in the year including a replacement for the PD151 turntable in a Mk2 version with a new s -shaped tonearm to replace the Jelco that had been on it – Jelco had sadly ceased production recently. It was a small room for the PMC’s and systems power capability but still managed to acquit itself well. I have eagerly wanted to hear the new Luxman L-595A integrated but as this is limited to 300 worldwide, dealers only have one or two at the very most to sell so it will be very unlikely that I’ll get to hear one and a magazine review seems a dream. (The drawback of being so exclusive).

Chris Green of Sound Fowndation had the Babbage room which is a nice large wood-panelled area and allowed the large Kerr Acoustics K300’s to breathe well. Chris deals with DS audio of Japan who make some fascinating cartridges and they seem to be popular judging by social media comments. The downside is they’re expensive, but if you can afford one go for it. He was also showing a new record centering tool that works out exactly where the spindle hole should be and if it is at all out the tool will correct the error. All for £5,500. Something for the super enthusiasts. I love ingenious technology… even if I can’t afford it. On the day the room for me wasn’t to my personal taste sound-wise, but I would love to hear the system in more familiar surroundings with music I know.

G Point once again were making a statement with their super room the Appleton and there is always some lovely kit to drool over. They had the French Company Diptyque speakers on show and having seen them at Munich I was again very impressed. They all sound fabulous and the smaller models would fit in my lounge nicely. Italian company Riviera whom I remember from the last Cranage show had some tasty electronics on offer and I really like their styling.

Padood had a large show area to do justice to the excellent brands they now distribute, and they do one of my all-time favourites Nagra. They had the Classic series on dem which are much cheaper than the Reference series I saw and heard at Munich. Beautiful to look at, they are very stylish and so neat. I could talk for hours about them but let’s just say they float my boat. Padood had a fab looking pair of YG Acoustics new cheaper Carmel 2 showing and they were a delight in the stunning red finish at £27,500. Beautiful and compact they would suit a lot of smaller rooms, but don’t skimp on the partnering electronics. Static displays in the room showed off Boulder products I had seen at Munich and SME. Excellent and stylish products.

Next door in another large room was the irrepressible Mike Valentine and his Chasing the Dragon show. Every year Mike does a series of talks and demos of his recordings, going into detail about how they came about and how he did them. If you haven’t heard him speak, please try to do so. Mike is a sound engineer in the film industry and has worked on James Bond film sets. Mike has a series of flamboyant shirts he wears to match his character and he is a smashing chap to talk to. I make a point at every show to have a chat and catch up on his system or latest projects he is doing. The room had some very big active ATC SCM 150 ASL studio monitors on stands being driven by a Constellation pre amp and an EAT Fortissimo turntable and Tascam digital recorders. It sounded superb.

Doug Brady had a large area dedicated to the ever-growing number of high-quality brands they now do. It was like being back at Munich seeing and hearing some truly high-end kit from Gryphon, Marten Loudspeakers, Accuphase, Proac to name a few. They have come a long way from the early 80’s when Mr Brady (allegedly) used to sit in the Liverpool store and vet customers and reps as they walked in. A lot has happened in the last four decades. The rooms were busy, and a lot of interest was being created by the plethora of product on show. Great to see.

Vertere had their range of fabulous turntables on show and were using ATC speakers and FM Acoustics electronics from Switzerland which are very expensive, and I heard in Munich. Touraj obviously likes the FM acoustics as his turntable was being used at the Hifi Deluxe show by them. Vertere have a unique approach to record player design, and it certainly pays off. I love their looks and sound.

Audiocounsel are a retailer near Manchester and are huge fans of Audio Note. On Saturday evening we had the pleasure of going out for dinner with them and the guys from Audio Note, so new friendships were made. Audiocounsel have a strict approach to product selection and told me if a product doesn’t impress them with the right attributes when brought to them by the companies keen to trade with them then they say thank you but not for us. Believe me, many top brands have tried and few succeed. Audio Note is their go to brand along with the likes of Leben valve amps from Japan and Devore speakers from New York. I need no persuasion with Audio Note but the Leben range has a cult following I have watched closely over the years and on hearing the CX300XS I was impressed in their room but could tell a difference between that model and the Audio Note amp. The Leben was certainly brighter in tonal balance to my ear but was still excellent. Again, I like the quirky look of the Leben – neat and petite compared to some valve amps. The Devore speakers are probably not that well known here but having seen and heard them in Munich a couple of times they are a treat for the ear. Audiocounsel weren’t afraid to play all types of music and the room was buzzing.

Next door Music Works of Manchester were demoing the Accuphase range of electronics which they import and distribute. Chris Feyers is the UK marketing manager and rep and I have known Chris since the mid-eighties when he worked for Celestion. We always talk for ages at shows reminiscing and I asked if he wasn’t due to retire soon, like myself? He replied that he was enjoying selling the Accuphase so much due to its popularity that he would be working for some time yet. We have both remarked at other shows how nice the Accuphase is, and I love its vintage styling along with the superb build and sound quality. Music Works let me listen to a Supertramp CD along with my magazine colleague Dave Robson who was in the room at the same time through the Karl Heinz Fink KIM speakers Stuart loved so much. It certainly worked for me. Another dream system.

3 Square Audio are no stranger to me having reviewed both their excellent Translator floor standers a few years ago and then very recently their new stand-mount model the Ayals. Stuart who designs them is a firm believer in first-order crossovers and time-alignment of the drivers. Although not a new idea, this practice is not followed by a lot of speaker manufacturers as all designers have a different spin on things and I respect them for that, but certain principles seem to work. Stuart, I feel has got it right. The room was busy, and a lot of interest again was being generated. In fact, Stuart has invited me to go to his home to hear the latest tweaks he has done on the Translators so I’m looking forward to that soon.

Music First Audio run by Jonathan Billington is an old friend of HiFi Pig and I have attended many of Jonathan’s demos at shows over the years. He always keeps it simple in his setups and they always sound great. This time he had his new reference pre amp with Long Dog Audio amps and streaming music from a laptop through a Lampizator DAC into E J Jordan speakers new to me with super tweeters on top, not the Marlows used last year at Daventry. As always understated but sounding excellent.

Avid had their new cheaper speakers on dem using wooden cabinets instead of the much costlier metal models. Conrad told me that the rise in costs of materials had forced him to try alternatives and the original costs of these cheaper models had nearly doubled in cost since original development to about £8,000 and £15,000. Inflation has been tough on everybody. Conrad normally attends Munich every year, so I was disappointed when he wasn’t there this year. I asked him why he didn’t attend this time and he said it was because the rising costs of transport, customs red tape with Brexit and simply exhibiting at Munich wasn’t cost effective. He has recently built superb new demonstration facilities at his factory which I saw and listened to a year or so ago. He felt it was far more sensible for him to bring his foreign customers over to the UK and let them hear his products in ideal conditions and so showing his products at their best. A few companies have done that, and it makes real sense. He has some new tonearms ready to be released soon that have been in development for a few years, but as he told me he never launches a product until he is fully satisfied with its performance. He won’t compromise. The room sounded great to my ears, and he only used his cheapest turntable as a source. A cheaper remote control integrated amp is on the cards as well. I know Stuart loved the Sigsum integrated but commented on the lack of remote which Conrad at the time of development wouldn’t compromise on, but maybe he has softened with customer feedback with his newer models. I must admit I miss a remote volume facility if it’s missing.

Bill Leigh of Auden Distribution had a fabulous room to show off his recently taken on distribution of speaker brand Eggleston works from Memphis, Tennessee. I saw and heard them in Munich and rather fine they are. The speaker he was playing was the imposing Viginti which is Italian for twenty. They took twenty years to develop, hence the name, and weigh 255lbs each and go down to 20Hz. Striking in appearance they really rocked on all types of music. Smaller models in the range were on static display. Bill used a Hegel amp to power the Viginti. Also on static display were the excellent Amphion speakers from Finland which I really like. A fun room to just sit back and enjoy the music in.

Jess Kerr had a small room to show off his smaller floor standers the K320 and using an eclectic mix of partnering electronics from Townshend Audio, Lampizator DAC, Rock turntable and amp and all sounding very nice.

Golden Ear had a good sounding room and this American brand impressed me at Munich with their more expensive models but here at Cranage they were demoing the cheaper £2,900 Triton Three+ that has an 800W active sub built in.  For the money, a real bargain and a range that I am sure will become popular on these shores.

Mian Audio distribution were demoing the soon to be launched Leema Acoustics’ new sub-atomic-themed Quantum series that consists of the Electron CD player, Positron streamer, Neutron Dac Pre amp and Graviton power amp. The room was quiet when I sat in it for a lot longer than I was expecting to. The Quantum range looked very swish to me and sounded fabulous. I was just able to relax and chill to the music for a good ten minutes and found it hard to leave. Definitely a new range to look out for.

Audio Note UK had a lovely £23,000 system on show which although expensive to most folk is by no means their priciest system. Daniel Qvortrup was as usual playing a very wide range of vinyl and CD’s both from his very unusual collection and the publics own offerings. One gentleman brought in the Weather Report album Sweetnighter and played track 1 Boogie Woogie Waltz at 13 minutes 5 seconds long. I love a lot of Weather Report, but I know many don’t, including my wife and daughter…each to their own. Rarely do you hear run of the mill music in Daniel’s room which I applaud him for. They were using the Cobra integrated amp. It is a new design that has remote control volume, mute and input selection, a real move away from the usual hairshirt approach of simplicity. A good DAC is incorporated so the amp is flexible with three digital inputs and three analogue inputs. Output is 28w per channel from a pair of EL34 valves in push-pull Class A mode and it has excellent Audio Note double C core output transformers. It’s a plain looking amp but boy does it perform well. The A N E/D speakers, as usual, were on heavy duty stands and sat in the corners of the room firing at 45% which works supremely well. Yet again a system that just gels.

NVA are a name I have known for forty years having met the original owner and designer Richard Dunn a few times back then. Richard trod his own path with his company and built up a loyal following. Sadly, he died the other year but two fans of his decided to buy the company and move forward with new product continuing the ethos of the brand. Simple in design and use they sell direct to the public to keep costs down and offering excellent value for money. Cranage was the launch of their new full width integrated amp at 70W per channel and a new semi-omni-directional speaker design both selling for around £3,500. Initial impressions were very good, and we played some Holst Planets suite that was excellent, being clean and open in nature. I would certainly like to try these out.

Moor Amps, a new name to me, is a design developed over many years and the designers tried for a long time to get the perfect sound they were after. Finally, they hit upon by chance their goal and have stuck with it. Made in Dorset and all components sourced locally, if possible, The Angel passive pre £ 2,795 and Angel 6 power amp £8.495 rated at 300W per channel drove a pair of Graham LS5/9 f speakers effortlessly. Nice to see yet another new company on the scene.

Audio Pinnacle were demoing the Gershman Grand Avant Garde speakers from Canada, a truncated pyramid design that I loved both in looks and sound. Price wise they’re about £10,000 to £20,000 depending on the various options and have won many awards and I can see why. There was a Voyd turntable being used which was the company owners prized possession. I remember them well back in the 80’s. It was one of the earliest multi motored turntable designs, now that concept is more common. A good room to hang around in.

Lowther are a blast from the past and when I recently saw Janine Elliot from our illustrious mag had reviewed a pair my interest was immediately piqued. I sold a pair of Lowther’s back in the early 80’s when at Audio Centre Sheffield but I have to say we all thought they were not very good. Very coloured in sound and nasally lacking top end. When we finally sold them, it was a sigh of relief to get rid of them. Now, Lowther had a legendary status back then but were an old design originally going back to 1934 when Paul Voight formed his own company. In 1936 he met O P Lowther and they collaborated to design speaker drive units and cabinets. The company went through many changes during World War two and into the 50’s so that finally in 2018 Martin Thornton took over the company. Now the team at Lowther is due to release a brand-new flagship range of speakers designed for the modern era along with the return of a few timeless designs. A brave move to make and I spoke to Martin about that for a few minutes. Janine’s review of the Amira starting from £12,000 was so positive that I had to see and hear them. Martin is a switched-on businessman and saw huge potential in the Lowther brand and its heritage. The Almira on demo was in a beautiful darker wood veneer and it was superbly made. There is a wide choice of veneers available to order. The cabinet builder told me that he would not put his name to any design that didn’t meet his strict approval standards and he had certainly done a fantastic job here. The Almira is bang up to date and has a super tweeter added to dramatically change and improve the old Lowther designs and make them sound glorious. There is no crossover, and the super tweeter takes over where the DX3 driver finishes. The design team have done a first-rate job here. Jannie had said in her review that she had been nervous to review them as I would have been given both our experiences of Lowther from the past.

Kii Audio are a brand I’ve seen and heard at Munich and hale from Germany. They have been around a few years now and have made a big impact on the audio scene both in Pro audio and domestic with very innovative active designs incorporating DSP technology. The Kii three system is a stand mount that can be upgraded to the BXT system that has sixteen additional bass drivers that sit under the Kii three, eight per side. They sound amazing but my only criticism at the time I listened to them was that they were being played too loud for my own personal taste. The potential customer listening obviously liked it loud, so I wasn’t going to interrupt. Having heard them before I knew what they can do.

Avondale Audio were tucked away in a smallish room, and I mention them because Les Wolstenholme the owner and designer is an old friend from forty years ago. Les used to live near me in Chesterfield and we spent many hours listening to music and discussing hifi. For many years he has been modifying and upgrading Naim Audio equipment and he has a loyal following. His room was showing some of the modules and components he puts in the amps and he also designs his own range of electronics which he sells direct to his customers. His room was always busy when I got a chance to pass and finally near the end of the show, we got to chat and catch up.

That for me summed up what Cranage is all about, meeting old and new friends, discussing all things audio-related and having a pint or two and a meal maybe enjoying one another’s company. Oh, and of course hearing some great kit and music.

Here are the links to all of the North West Audio Show 2022 Reports:

North West Audio Show 2022 – The Big Report

Bird’s Eye View Of The North West Audio Show 2022

North West Audio Show 2022 – John Scott’s Report

North West Audio Show 2022 Report – Ian Ringstead

North West Audio Show Playlist

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For all the coverage of the North West Audio Show 2022, click here!

Ian Ringstead