JOHN SCOTT REPORTS FROM NWAS 2023 AT CRANAGE HALL

HiFi PiG contributor John Scott gives us his thoughts on this year’s North West Audio Show at Cranage Hall in Cheshire.

THE JOURNEY

According to Robert Louis Stevenson: ”To travel hopefully is better than to arrive”.  The author of Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde may have known a thing or two about writing a rattling good yarn but he had evidently never shared a journey with my travel companions, Alan and Mark.  It’s not that I wasn’t travelling hopefully; I was hopeful of a quiet, relaxing trip from Glasgow to Cranage, maybe a wee, well deserved, sleep on the way.  I’d even gladly volunteered to sit in the back of the car for a bit of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, Alan and Mark, better known to regular HiFi PiG readers as the co-proprietors of Tartan Audio, Scotland’s brightest new startup HiFi company, had other ideas.  No sooner had we set off than the conversation turned to the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence, a subject upon which, it became immediately clear, that Alan and Mark were diametrically opposed.

Alan (pro), enthused at length about the many benefits of AI and the advantages that were sure to be gained from it in the future.  Mark (con) voiced concerns about mass unemployment and the uncontrolled evolution of the technology. On several occasions, Alan demanded that Mark back up his assertions with data.  Privately, I felt it was perhaps unreasonable for Alan to have expected Mark to have brought the relevant data with him on the off chance of the topic arising at some point during the weekend but I decided to keep this opinion to myself.

As the miles whizzed by, I occasionally considered chipping in with my own views on the subject but the opportunity to get a word in edgeways just wasn’t there.  I felt fairly confident though that my time would come once Alan had deployed his car’s passenger ejector seat and sent Mark flying into the air.  I didn’t think I’d have to wait long.

Surprisingly though, the ejector seat went unused and my opinion was soon sought. As a Libran, I am hard-wired to see both sides of an argument. You may think that this a good thing; the chance for a bit of much-needed diplomacy, casting oil on troubled waters.  How the United Nations have done without me for all these years remains a constant source of bafflement.  Unfortunately, more than half a century’s experience has taught me that my clear-eyed grasp of the argument and desire to reconcile both sides unfailingly ends with me being branded as a lily-livered fence sitter.  I should know better by now: pick a side, John.  But no, off I went being Mr Mediation as usual.  Yes, I could see how AI could offer huge benefits in detecting early signs of cell deformity much faster than humans could.  Yes, I could also see that in the wrong hands, it could be used for large-scale disinformation and exploitation.  It appeared that my equanimity had spoiled a good argument and we travelled on for a while in slightly sullen silence.  Still, we weren’t yammering on about AI any more, so mission accomplished, eh?

Soon it was time to take a break, stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat.  When we got back to the car Alan recalibrated his satnav to include Mark’s accommodation for the weekend.  For reasons best known only to himself, Mark had chosen not to book into Cranage Hall where the North West Audio Show was being held.  Instead, he had opted for a charming “nearby” bed and breakfast establishment around three hundred thousand feet above sea level and in a completely different time zone.  As we climbed inexorably upwards, our ears began to pop.  Mountain goats exchanged knowing nods as we passed.  Shortly after the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling of Alan’s car, the satnav announced our arrival and a team of sherpas escorted Mark to his digs.

Both Alan and I were relieved to see that, according to the satnav, we were only around 30 miles from Cranage.  Neither of us, however, had anticipated the machine’s desire to treat us to an in-depth exploration of the region’s single-track roads.  As we stopped so that I could retrieve a machete from the boot (Alan is nothing if not well-prepared) and hack my way through the undergrowth in front of us, it occurred to me that the satnav’s AI, having listened to our earlier discussions was now probably just having a laugh at our expense but I felt it best to keep this opinion to myself as Alan’s left eyebrow was beginning to twitch uncontrollably.  Having cleared the so-called road before us, I returned to the car, looking very much like the protagonist from Indiana Jones and the Audio Show of Eternal Despair and we set off again, finally arriving at our destination a final few minutes later.  Time to check in then retire to the bar for a well-deserved few beers, a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

DAY ONE 

After breakfast and a quick round-up report of hangovers and other post-bar casualties (some audiophiles apparently need cot bars on the sides of their beds (that’s you Tommy – Ed)), it was on with the show.  Although the show doesn’t officially open until 10 am, attendees who had arrived early were allowed in to prevent a queue from building up outside.  I started the day the same way I had on the three previous occasions with a chat with Simon Dalton from Russ Andrews.  We seem to have more or less the same chat every year but it’s one I always look forward to.

Next, it was off to see Andy Baker from Sound Design Distribution who, like last year, was exhibiting the Kii Three active speaker system, which this year was being fed by Grimm Audio’s MU1 streamer.  Further details of the Kii’s and MU1 (and the kit in all the other rooms) are available in the main HiFi PiG NWAS show report so I’m not going to repeat any of those details in my report. The Sound Design Distribution room had been one of my favourites last year and I had popped in several times.  I’d intended to ask to hear Lipstick Vogue by Elvis Costello and The Attractions but the opportunity never arose so it was ironic to discover later that Andy was an even bigger Costello fan than I was.  Happily, this year I was treated to Lipstick Vogue and a few more Costello favourites, along with a chat about our favourite Elvis gigs through the years before the room began to fill up with other visitors.  The Kii’s are incredibly impressive and, above all, massively fun speakers.  Their aesthetics may not suit everyone but I’d have a pair in a heartbeat.  The £29k price tag (but remember they are fully active with DACs and DSP) may be a slight obstacle though.

It’s good practice at the show to start at the top floor and methodically work your way down and one year I might actually do that.  This year though I followed my tried and tested method of pinballing around to see whatever took my fancy next; you get more exercise on the stairs that way.  So, upstairs to the top floor where CAD and Padood were showing a system featuring products by Aurender, Nagra and Tannoy, along with Quadraspire racks and Siltech cables.  Nagra gear oozes class in an understated style but I’m not such a fan of Tannoy’s looks. The system was sounding effortlessly elegant though, and I returned to this room several times.  In 2019, CAD had shown a tiny pair of Boenicke speakers that were the highlight of the show that year for me.  Quite a few people were still talking about those this year.  Maybe bring the Boenickes back next year, CAD?

While on the top floor, I popped into the Kudos room where the Kudos Titan 707s were paired with Chord and Innuos electronics.  The 707s are beautifully engineered and even at £17,000 it seems like you get a lot of speaker for your money; their sound is as impressive as their size.  Whether playing rock, electronic or classical music they were dynamic, detailed and a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Finally (for now) on the top floor, I was keen to hear the PMC Prodigy1 speakers demonstrated by Fanthorpes HiFi.  This was my first experience of PMC and I was absolutely blown away.  The soundstage and bass response in particular were incredible for such a small standmount. At just a little over £1k these have to be a must-hear for the audiophile on an average budget.  The larger floor-standing Prodigy5s were lined up later in the day and I thought they were excellent as well and also offered fabulous value for money but maybe just lacked that surprise wow factor of their smaller sibling.

Each year the NWAS seems to throw up a different theme for me (last year it was active speakers).  This year, it looked like it was going to be stand mounts.  I’d been impressed by Neat Acoustics’ room last year and this year when I visited, their Petite Classics were certainly on song fronting an Atoll streamer/amp.  I was also able to hear Neat’s new Mystique small floorstander which, like the Petite, totally belied its size.  Another speaker that I’d like to spend a lot more time with.

Sticking with the stand mounts it was off next to have a listen to Kerr Acoustics and their K300 transmission line monitors.  I’d like to have been able to say that it was their stunning good looks that hit me first but I’d been captured by the sound before I even fully got into the room. What looked to me like a ScanSpeak driver (but I might be wrong) is paired with a ribbon tweeter to provide a combination of size-defying bass with a sparkling but sweet top end.  If you think that just over £7k seems on the pricey side for stand mounts, you may well change your mind when you hear them.

Time for lunch and a catch-up with Alan and Mark, who surprisingly weren’t arguing when I joined them but perhaps Mark was still recovering from altitude sickness and wasn’t in the mood.  Such is the size of the show that we didn’t have any rooms in common to talk about but over a pie and a pint I picked up a few tips for rooms to visit in the afternoon and then promptly forgot about them again.

G-Point Audio’s room was much as I had remembered from last year except that last year Audionec speakers were used on Saturday and Diptyque Audio speakers on Sunday.  This year, this was reversed.  Also, last year I preferred the Audionec to the Diptyque and this year this was also reversed, although it was the Diptyque Audio Reference speakers that were in play rather than last year’s smaller model.  With a depth of only 45mm, the Diptyque panels are truly extraordinary.  It would be easy to assume that they were only suited to classical or jazz music but over the course of the day they were hammering out Led Zepplin and other heavy rock music to spectacular effect.  The panels stood in the room almost seeming like they had nothing whatsoever to do with the music being produced.

Elsewhere, the affable Jonathan and Grant from Music First Audio had a smaller pair of Diptyque panels at the front end of their Reference V2 preamp, a Circle Labs M200 power and Chord Dave DAC although when I visited, network issues meant that a Primary Control turntable was taking centre stage.  Yet again, the Diptyques which I hadn’t previously particularly enjoyed were positively bewitching.

From panels to another unusual design.  Are you baffled by baffleless speakers?  Paul Knipe was showing his Solis Sounds HEX3 which was my first experience of this type of speaker.  “Hear the music, not the box” is the Solid Sounds’ slogan basically because there is no box to hear; the drivers fit into three panels supported on a metal frame with the crossover fitted to the base at the rear. Any worries I had that this might have resulted in a bit of a “DIY” look were totally dispelled, the panels were beautifully finished and softly-angular panels provided a distinctive but refined look.  Sound-wise, the HEX3s we’re open with a wide soundstage.  Daft Punk’s Georgio By Moroder was on the go in a number of other rooms.  On the HEX3s the bass was well-extended with no muddiness and there was a pleasing dry quality to the vocal.  Paul’s room was consistently busy throughout the show and I suspect he will be kept busy with interested enquiries for some time to come.

I finished off the day in the Sound Fowndations room where I found Mark testing out the gear with a multi-layered, polyrhythmic King Crimson workout. Chris and Alex from Sound Fowndations had a highly-impressive collection of kit in their room including huge Kerr Acoustics K100 speakers and a pair of Clearaudio turntables.  Amplification was by Kondo and GamuT.  In addition, one of the turntables featured a new optical cartridge from DS Audio. Of particular interest was the Grand Master EQ ES001 Eccentricity Detection Stabiliser which detects whether a record is correctly centred on the turntable (chances are that it won’t be) and adjusts it accordingly. Unfortunately, I had just missed Chris’ explanation of exactly how this gizmo works but I could hear the difference between the unadjusted and the adjusted playback.

It is easy to become overloaded by room after room of HiFi equipment so I took advantage of the sunshine to find a secluded deckchair and a cold beer (any excuse) and chilled out for a while before heading out to dinner with the HiFi PiG fam. Thanks again, Lin and Stuart.

DAY TWO 

On Sunday I was joined by my friend Michael who was making his first visit to the North West Audio Show.  I was torn between leaving Michael to do his own thing and wanting to make sure that he didn’t miss any of the stuff that I thought he might particularly want to hear so the day consisted of revisiting quite a lot of the rooms from yesterday and catching up on some other rooms that I either hadn’t had time to visit or that had been too busy, (or too hot; some of the smaller demo rooms were quite uncomfortable in the afternoon and I felt really sorry for the guys who were manning them all day without much of a break).

Audio Emotion was showing the Eversolo DAC/streamer which seemed to getting a lot of love from show attendees this year.  At £750 this seemed like something of a bargain.  It was plumbed into a Cayin integrated amp and a pair of Larsen speakers – a new name to me. This was a very impressive combination, capable of significant volume without any harshness.  Aesthetically, both the Eversolo and the Cayin were very much my cup of tea, the Larsens less so but I’d love to hear the front end in combination with other speakers.

Lots of volume was also in evidence in the Goldenear/Audioquest room.  I’d been really impressed by Goldenear’s Triton 3+ speakers at last year’s show.  I’d initially assumed that it was the same speakers being demoed this year but that proved not to be the case.  These were prototypes of the soon-to-be-released T66s.  With a front-end combo of the distinctive and attractive HiFi Rose amplifier and streamer, both hits at last year’s show, and an Audioquest power conditioner, I quickly remembered why I’d loved the Tritons last year.  Over the course of three consecutive tracks, the volume got pumped up just a little too much for my liking and I felt that Foo Fighters’ Everlong fell apart as a result.  Even so, Goldenear remains a brand that I’d like to get to know better.

Time for lunch and the opportunity to experience something a little bit different – Pink Floyd’s original 1973 PA system playing Dark Side Of The Moon.  In my head, this saw the front lawn of Cranage Hall dominated by two massive stacks in front of serried ranks of deckchairs – a bit like a striped-canvas version of Floyd’s Momentary Lapse Of Reason album.  In reality, a selection of bass bins, mid-range norns and other bits and bobs were laid out in the patio bar area.  I really must learn to temper my imagination.  Sonically,  the PA was most diplomatically described to me as “authentic” (thanks, Grant).  It was great, however, to get up close and personal with a little bit of rock history and if it’s any consolation, elsewhere at the show a £150k+ system was also struggling to get to grips with Pink Floyd’s classic exploration of mental illness and middle-class English ennui.

As the band would say a few albums later, the show must go on.  Audio Note’s room never fails to please and this year was no exception.  Audio Note seems to be one of the few rooms to encourage visitors to browse the CDs and albums on display and I’m always struck but the extent to which this little bit of interaction helps to generate a bit of buzz in the room.

Back to the top floor where Auralic’s Altair G2 streamer was making some very attractive sounds coupled to a pair of ATC SCM50 active speakers.  I have to say that I really liked the look of the ATCs.  Every year I feel more sure that active systems with fewer boxes will be the way forward for the HiFi industry as a whole.  Equally, though, the sheer diversity of equipment on show each year guarantees that whatever your particular preferences, there is always something at the North West Audio Show to suit your particular taste.

Time for the free prize raffle as people packed into Mike Valantine’s Chasing The Dragon room for the draw.  There were some truly fabulous prizes to be won – the lady who scored the Eversolo streamer looked positively shell-shocked afterwards.  Luckily for me, I didn’t want to win a prize and wasn’t in the slightest bit disappointed not to do so.  Honest, guv.

If you haven’t visited the North West Audio Show before, I hope I’ve given you a flavour of what it is like.  Even though this was the first time that I’d spent two complete days at the show, there were still loads that I didn’t get a chance to see.  Still, there is always next year to look forward to.  I have to mention Kris Sawicki and his team who work tirelessly to ensure that the show is friendly, accessible and fun.  They make it look easy and I’m sure it isn’t.

HOMEWARDS 

I went home with Michael so I can’t tell you what Alan and Mark argued about on their way home.  Michael and I had lots to discuss but we didn’t mention AI. You never know who might be listening.

John Scott

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