IAN RNGSTEAD’S REPORT FROM NWAS 2023 AT CRANAGE HALL

In our final report from June’s fantastic North West Audio Show 2023, Ian Ringstead tells us why the Cranage show is his favourite in the UK audio show calendar.

Cranage is a great show and our favourite one of all the UK shows we attend each year. This year we decided to stay at the De Vere Cranage Estate Hotel where the North West Audio Show is held, so it was hassle-free and meant we had more time to stroll about. I was under no pressure to take loads of photos, so the choice was mine as to which rooms we attended. After a full English breakfast on Saturday morning, we set off and were surprised to see how busy the show was even at 9.30 am.

Kris, Kasia and Teresa

The usual complimentary glass of fizz was offered in the reception and with the free glossy programme in hand we went upstairs to see Ophidian Audio. Gareth was on hand to demonstrate his new mid-priced model the Incanto at £6000 and it sounded great with the full Exposure Audio set-up of CD, Pre and mono power amps. The speakers are made in Sheffield and a few years ago I visited Timberworx for a factory tour. Ophidian has an impressive range of quality speakers to suit all pockets and is well worth seeking out.

Alchris Audio was across the corridor but sadly Alan had fallen ill on Friday, so they were unable to open throughout the show. A great shame because Alan had spent months preparing. He’s on the mend now and will be back next year.

Falcon Acoustics were in a nice size room, and we listened to their LS3/5A’s which are excellent. Don’t be fooled by their size. It was a simple set-up with Primare electronics, and the usual superb imaging and voicing were audible. Jerry at Falcon has done a fabulous job of creating this design as true to the original as is possible. I don’t think any other licensed version is as good.

CAD were demoing their 1543 mkll DAC with Nagra amplification, Tannoy speakers and an Aurender N20 server. Nagra is a dream product of mine, so to hear it in such a good system was a bonus. I can only drool, but if that elusive lottery win ever happens then watch out. I even got a chance to pick a track to listen to, so John Martyn’s Solid Air was chosen. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoyed it.

PMC was being shown by Fanthorpe’s Audio of Hull, a company I know well and have dealt with several times over the years. They do a great range of products such as Luxman, Avid, Project, etc. PMC were showing off their recently launched new Prodigy range that was shown in Munich in May. Stuart had been very impressed by this new cheaper range for PMC and saluted a lower entry point for new buyers interested in PMC’s heritage and philosophy. I heard the stand-mounters (the Prodigy 1) and was impressed. AVM amplification was used as PMC distribute AVM in the UK. I reckon this new range will have many fans and generate excellent sales for PMC.

Some rooms were very busy on the Saturday, so we didn’t get a chance to see them all. Whilst we were there, we met up with some friends we hadn’t seen for years and so a couple of hours was spent reminiscing which meant we had more to fit in on the Sunday.

G Point Audio had their usual large room at the end of the ground floor behind the reception and this time they were showing off Diptyques large floor standers being driven by Riviera electronics and Lampizator Dacs. A busy and popular room.

Further on Acoustica HiFi of Chester were in the side area using Kef Blades and Naim electronics. It was busy but I felt they were playing too loud at times.

Doug Brady had two large rooms dedicated to Absolute Sounds products amongst others. Magicos were being driven by Dan D’Agostino amplifiers and elsewhere a section had Burmester, Accuphase, YG Acoustics and DCS. They have certainly expanded as a company since the 1980’s in Liverpool and now cater for wealthy enthusiasts as well as us mere mortals. Both areas were very busy throughout the show.

Mike Valentine had his usual large room with huge ATC’s driven by an array of exotic electronics and digital and reel-to-reel sources. He had a rather nice EMT turntable for analogue duties but sadly it developed a fault. A shame because these legendary decks command high prices second-hand and have rightfully gained their excellent reputation. Mike played a new recording he had recently finished of Scheherazade and a few other snippets from his back catalogue. As always, a very enjoyable room and Mike is a great showman.

Nu Nu Distribution had a nice, air-conditioned room with a variety of quality products on show. The speakers playing were TAD floor standers that sounded rather fine.

Along the side corridor was Audio Consel who specialise in Audio Note (a favourite of mine) and they also do Leben amplifiers which are proving popular amongst valve fans now. They had a pair of Devore speakers playing with a Leben CS300X integrated amp and Audio Note turntable and CD player. The Leben amp has a brighter tonal balance to my ear compared to Audio Note, but I can see why they are popular.

Audio Works next door had a lovely range on dem including Accuphase, Fink Team speakers,and Vertere turntables. When we walked in they were demonstrating the difference their Accuplex isolation cones made to a system simply by placing three under the DAC. I have to say the difference was night and day. And it was pointed out that for a modest outlay, the improvement made was substantial compared to changing electronics and spending thousands more.

Henley Audio who are a very big distributor of quality product from all over the world now had a small room, but it was packed with goodies. Nick and Ralph did a grand job of demoing the Klipsch Heritage IV’s speakers from the USA through Synthesis valve amps and Project turntable. The Klipsch have a definite sound signature you love or hate and are very popular here as well as in the US.

Technics as always had a small but great sounding room. It was all white and a very simple set up being clean and uncluttered. Kevin was enthusiastic and showed me the new SU-GX70 amp/ streamer recently launched in Munich. Using an SL1200G turntable (watch Stu’s review here) and their very good floor standers I was most impressed. Kevin pointed out that wherever he goes at shows some of the punters tend to be somewhat snobbish and dismissive of Technics simply because they are a large Japanese brand associated with a world-famous DJ turntable the SL 1200/1210. The fact they make some superb separates that are world-class seems to escape these naysayers. Take the speakers the SCB-90M2. They are £5000 so not cheap, but boy do they deliver. They are also very unfussy with regard to placement and Kevin says he just places them at shows either side of the electronics and plays them. They deserve serious attention.

3 Square Audio were showing the latest version of the Ayal standmount I reviewed last year. It has been tweaked in the cross-over region to alter the voicing. Stuart is pleased with the improvements, and they performed very well at a sensible volume level through NVA electronics with CD and streamed music. Wire on Wire was used in association as always at the shows. Good to see a small company doing well.

MCRU had a large room to exhibit its very large range of products both DIY and readymade. I have purchased many from David and he has an excellent range of vinyl as well as fabulous show discounts. It was my birthday that weekend, so I indulged in a Mofi UHQR of Steely Dans ‘Countdown to Ecstasy ‘. David had a pair of French company Revival Audio Atalante 5 speakers playing. Stuart has reviewed these and rated them highly. Beautifully made they look fabulous in their cabinets and even in a busy room performed well.

Funk Firm had a simple set-up and Arthur as always allowed the system to do the talking. He is currently using an old pair of Philips motional feedback speakers which in their day were highly rated. Arthur now has additional help to organise the company and allow him to get on with what he does best, design. He had designed the Kepler turntable last year which I saw at Munich, but costs have spiralled, and he is concentrating on the affordable end now.

Audio Note sounded great as always and in their understated way just played vinyl or cd to requests or put on very diverse music from all over the world. I used to pass the Audio Note room at shows some years back dismissing them as expensive valve amp manufacturers that only played jazz and classical. How wrong I was. Daniel and Micky work hard and enthusiastically to educate new listeners of the joys of Audio Note’s qualities and philosophy. They never talk about cost and leave it to the listener to decide. Their systems are not cheap and are a lifetime investment but when you consider what people pay for a car a great HiFi system is a lifetime investment and give you endless joy. The beauty of Audio Note’s range is that you can start at the bottom and gradually climb up through the levels as you wish or can afford. Whichever system they play at shows they all sound sublime.

NVA were popular and had some white options on view .in contrast to the usual Henry Ford black or black. Great value for money bought direct from NVA to keep costs down NVA is providing a budget alternative for hard-up fans.

On the lower ground floor Auden distribution had the new Amphion Krypton 3X floor standers in a large room playing with a Hegel H30A power amplifier. The sound effortlessly filled the large space, and I could have stayed there all afternoon. The Amphion range has always impressed me and is another serious contender to consider when buying a new pair of speakers.

Kerr Acoustics had the new finish on their K300 mk3 stand mounter which is a beautifully lacquered walnut finish to order. Jess was using a very good Italian brand power amplifier EAM that I’d not heard of before and they sounded very clean and powerful, offering great value at around £4000. The room sounded excellent considering it wasn’t that big.

So, a great show that goes on each year gets better and better. It’s free and a very relaxed day out for families as well as die-hard enthusiasts. Set in the beautiful Cheshire countryside it’s a great way to spend a weekend. Apologies to all the companies I haven’t mentioned or couldn’t get to see, but you all did a fabulous job of bringing some pleasure back to these hard times of economic strife and world politics.

Ian Ringstead

DATES FOR THE 2024 NORTH WEST AUDIO SHOW

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