http://www.soundandvisionmagazine.co.uk/index1.php/site/index/ en stuart@pritchardmedia.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-16T13:30:58+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/cedia_awards_2012/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/cedia_awards_2012/#When:13:30:58Z Celebrating another year of technological triumph for its members, the CEDIA Awards 2012 proved a right Royal knees-up…Descending on the hallowed Great Hall of serial lady killer Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace on the evening of Friday April 20th, the glamour and the glitz of the black-tie gala CEDIA Awards ceremony came and went for another year, the winners left to rejoice, the losers left to slap on the congratulatory smiles, the Highly Commended left to revel in comfortable satisfaction, and everyone else left to enjoy the best party of the industry calendar. Held this year with thanks to the support from Platinum Sponsors, AWE Europe, Loewe and Panasonic, Gold Sponsors AMX, Crestron and Kaleidescape, and Silver Sponsors CP Sport, ISE, Rako Controls and Wildwood Public Relations, the 2012 trophies were presented to the victors in front of a sell-out audience of more than 250 industry professionals and media by none other than super-glam TV star and Channel 5 Gadget Show cull survivor, Pollyanna Woodward. Bigger and better In a record-breaking year for entries, which saw over 100 projects from more than 10 countries battling out for the top prizes, this year’s Award winners included a series of remarkable installations across all Media Room, Home Cinema, Integrated Home, Marine and Property Developer categories. These stunning projects represent the crème de la crème of smart home installations from across CEDIA Region 1 which covers the UK and Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, India and Pakistan. “The CEDIA Awards are a fantastic showcase for technical expertise, design creativity and professional integration,” remarked Gary Lewis, Chair of CEDIA. “These companies are responsible for raising the bar both in terms of the standard of the submissions and the expectations of what can be achieved. The competition this year was truly more intense than ever. Our congratulations go to all the winners who truly deserve their success. We’d also like to thank all finalists and entrants to this year’s scheme which has been the most successful yet.” Brought to book With this year’s extravagant bash also seeing the introduction of a stunning 88 page Awards Yearbook presenting all the entries and detailing their work (available by emailing awards@ cedia.co.uk), there’s even more reason to celebrate, even if you didn’t make the list below… CEDIA AWARDS 2012 – THE WINNERS BEST MEDIA ROOM UNDER £15,000 Winner: Olive Audio Visual, Hampstead Media Room, UK Finalists: Bespoke Home Cinemas, The Wife is Right, UK Ashway Smart Homes, Man-Cave, UK Olive Audio Visual, Fulham Media Room, UK BEST MEDIA ROOM OVER £15,000 Winner: Smart Business SL, All in One, Spain Highly Commended: Grahams Hi-Fi, Aces High, UK Finalists: Dark Side of the Room, Convent Castle, France Grahams Hi-Fi, The Director’s Cut, UK Imagine This (UK) Ltd, Shakespeare & Super Bowl, UK BEST HOME CINEMA UNDER £40,000 Winner: Cinema Architects, Sandle Msibi Home Cinema, South Africa Highly Commended: FAB Audio Visual, The Pool House, UK Finalists: Sensory International, The Tron Room, UK The Big Picture, Newick House – Family Snug, UK BEST HOME CINEMA £40,000 - £100,000 Winner: HFX Systems, House Strydom, South Africa Highly Commended: Finite Solutions, The Speed Home Cinema, UK Finalists: Dawson’s Group, Meridian Cinema, UK Intuitive Homes, Distinctive and Discreet Cinema, UK SMC, Butlers, UK BEST HOME CINEMA OVER £100,000 Winner: SmartComm, Futuristic Home Cinema, UK Finalists: Nirvana Distribution, Abul Seoud Home Theatre, Egypt Finite Solutions, Rubis, UK BEST INTEGRATED HOME UNDER £30,000 Winner: T&T Automation, We are a Mews’d, UK Finalists: Henri Integrateur Domotique, Loft Samain, France BEST INTEGRATED HOME £30,000 - £100,000 Winner: Perfect Integration, The Great Barn, UK Finalists: Graham’s Hi-Fi, Hales Mead, UK Intuitive Homes, Cheshire Family Home, UK BEST INTEGRATED HOME OVER £100,000 - £250,000 Winner: Grahams Hi-Fi, The Regency, UK Highly Commended: It’s done! Technology, Buried Treasure, UK Finalists: De Opera Domotica, Luxury Family Home, Netherlands Finite Solutions, Smart Farm, UK BEST INTEGRATED HOME OVER £250,000 Winner: T&T Automation, A Success in Belgravia, UK Highly Commended: SmartComm, North London Splendour, UK Finalists: SMC, Spiral House, UK SMC, Villa Al-Bahar, UK BEST MARINE Winner: Dawson’s Group, MY Never Say Never, UK BEST MULTIPLE SCHEME FOR A PROPERTY DEVELOPER Winner: SMC, Grosvenor Crescent, UK Finalist: Intuitive Homes, Arterberry Road, UK BEST DRESSED RACK Winner: It’s Done! Technology, Pimp my Rack, UK BEST INNOVATIVE SOLUTION - RESIDENTIAL Winner: Grahams Hi-Fi, Aces High Media Wall, UK Finalist: Nirvana Distribution, Abul Seoud Home Theatre, Egypt TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR Winner: Wojtek Zajac, It's Done! Technology, UK TRADE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR Winner: Crestron BEST TRAINING INITIATIVE BY A TRADE SUPPLIER Winner: AWE Europe – Phillips Dynalite Training BEST TECHNOLOGY FEATURE IN A HOMES / INTERIORS PUBLICATION Winner: Emily Peck, Essential Kitchen Bedroom and Bathroom CEDIA AWARDS 2012: JUDGING PANEL A glamorous awards ceremony needs an equally glamorous panel of judges to pick its winners. This year’s cream of the critical crop comprised the great and good from the worlds of tech and design journalism, architecture and interior design: • Michael Holmes, TV property expert and Editor-in-Chief, Homebuilding & Renovating • Steve May, freelance technology journalist and former Editor-in-Chief, Home Cinema Choice • Jonathan Margolis, technology reporter for the FT How to Spend It • Clare Newsome, freelance journalist and former Editor-in-Chief, What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision • Luke Tozer, Director of Manser Medal award-winning firm, Pitman Tozer Architects • Diana Yakeley, President of the British Institute of Interior Design http://www.cedia.co.uk Top Story 2012-05-16T13:30:58+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/musos_embrace_pmc/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/musos_embrace_pmc/#When:16:50:34Z Multi-platinum music-makers enjoy some Adventures in Hi-Fi...Chester based retailer Adventures in Hi-Fi has come to the aid of Embrace, the multi-platinum selling and three-times number one album rock band, by arranging for their studio to be equipped with PMC speakers for the recording of the band’s latest album. Rob Baxendale, owner of Adventures in Hi-Fi, has known Mickey Dale, keyboard player with Embrace, since 2001, having met at a Hi-Fi show in Manchester. This first encounter came as a result of Adventures having been contracted to install a state of the art Hi-Fi system for leading record producer Ken Nelson (Coldplay, Badly Drawn Boy) who was at the time producing the band's third album If You've Never Been. Mickey went along to meet Rob and his colleague Steve Molyneux and then accompanied them on the installation. He was so impressed by what he heard that he asked Rob and Steve to take a look at his own system. This led to the discovery of common musical tastes and a mutual love of the traditional Yorkshire staple diet of beer and curry, which helped cement a lasting friendship. Adventures in Hi-Fi has long been an advocate of PMC loudspeakers, stocking and selling products from the British manufacturer of the world's leading professional studio monitors and renowned Hi-Fi speakers. Rob introduced Mickey to the brand at one of their regular music listening sessions, with Mickey soon following Rob into ownership of some of PMC’s large monitors for his own system. Subsequently much of the band’s work has been mixed and mastered using PMC speakers at such facilities as Metropolis in London. After a hiatus of six years, Embrace are currently working on their sixth studio album at the band's custom built recording studio near Halifax in West Yorkshire. Unhappy with the performance of their existing studio monitors, Mickey contacted Rob to ask if he could help with some PMCs. Rob contacted PMC and arranged for a pair of the new IB1SA active monitors to be installed in the studio. The new speakers have been a real benefit to the band, enabling them to get deeper into the mix with much greater accuracy and realism to aid the music making process. Rob commented, “When Mickey contacted me to ask whether we could help the out with a set of PMC monitor speakers for use in the studio I immediately said yes, knowing what a difference a good set of monitors would make to their recording sessions.” He continued, “I have used PMCs for many years in my Hi-Fi system and there really are no other speakers like them. When a band uses PMCs for the recording they are getting the most accurate picture of their work possible and when you use a set to listen to their music you can be sure you are hearing it just the way they wanted you to hear it.” Adventures in Hi-Fi has a comprehensive selection of PMC loudspeakers on demonstration at its premises at 86 Boughton, Chester, where lovers of any genre of music, not just Embrace fans, can experience the musical realism that comes from using the ultimate loudspeakers. http://www.adventuresinhifi.com News 2012-05-14T16:50:34+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/men_or_supra_men/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/men_or_supra_men/#When:16:36:57Z Swedish Supra Supremos In Essential ShowFor those unfamiliar with the name, since the late 1970s Sweden’s Jenving Technology has been busy manufacturing the Supra brand of specialist interconnects, power and speakers cables, always striving to design and produce exceptional products. Employing the latest technology and bringing forward thinking to the manufacturing process, Supra have continued to win awards from reviewers as well as many accolades and plaudits from retailers, installers and customers bringing high quality to the masses and at sensible pricing. Over the last decade, Supra has widened the range of products that it manufactures and now encompasses specialist cables for most Hi-Fi and home cinema systems, whether they use digital or analogue connections. From speaker cables to mains cables, low level analogue audio to fibre optic, Supra offer a wide range of reliable, effective and cost-conscious products to suit most budgets and most environments, to suit indoor, outdoor or in marine or automotive installations and for all types of domestic, commercial or industrial properties. Now offering a range of new products tailored for the installer, Supra will be displaying all and sundry at the forthcoming Essential Install South Show (13th June), including Halogen Free speaker cables, High Speed HDMI (up to 30m long!) and DVI cables (in Halogen Free insulation as an option) as well as a High Specification Cat 7+ Ethernet cable. Their new USB cables have also just been launched and so visitors to the show will also be able to check out the Supra XT80 HDMI Extender, which carries HDMI up to 80-metres, over twin network cables. Those heading to show should make a beeline for Stand #61 and pick up a free Supra Catalogue and Trade Price List. Or, for more information right now, you eager beaver, ping the UK and ROI distributors, Wavelength Distribution, an email on the address below. E: tradesales@supracables.co.uk http://www.supracables.co.uk News 2012-05-14T16:36:57+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/for_what_we_are_about_to_receive/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/for_what_we_are_about_to_receive/#When:17:15:04Z Yamaha rolls out a new range of AV awesomeness...Ever expanding its range of innovative AV products, Yamaha has now released a whole new raft of receivers, the RXV-73 series. In the entry level range there’s the RX-V373, the RX-V473 and the RX-V573, all of which boast new technology and fresh features to meet the demands of even the most discerning/demanding customer. All come Apple-friendly, the RX-V373 with an iPod/iPhone digital connection on the front (via USB), whilst the RX-V473 and RX-V573 have similar connections but covering the iPad too, letting people enjoy their favourite ‘i’ device tunage with a pure digital connection. Long at the forefront of technology with its CinemaDSP, the new range is no exception, delivering industry leading DSP modes that give fully enveloping surround sound from home cinema systems. And, as home networks grow, so must the technology that supports these networks, therefore the Yamaha RXV-73 series (from RX-V473 and up) has some of the latest networking technology built-in, letting users control their receiver from Yammy’s own app and stream music via Musicplay or use Airplay. Neatly future-proofed to boot, the entire range is prepared for what lies ahead, with 4k2k pass through support on all models. And it’s not just the end user who benefits when it comes to the RX-V473 series, either, endowed with Yamaha’s ECO mode, power consumption of the receiver can be lowered by 20%+ – saving the planet and consumer cash on the leccy bill! Finally, ensuring ease of use, the new range comes packing Yamaha’s SCENE technology, allowing users to store their favourite speaker set-up, CinemaDSP, TV and Blu-ray (SCENE mode is HDMI CED compliant) volume or input settings, recalling them all easily at the push of a button. http://www.yamaha.co.uk News 2012-04-24T17:15:04+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/comment/agenda_reassignment/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/comment/agenda_reassignment/#When:15:20:11Z Seeking to bring harmony to the industry, this month PHIL HANSEN turns AV and CI peace envoy in a bid to promote strength in numbers…No one can deny that this industry is one full of agendas; manufacturers have agendas, retailers have agendas, the magazines have agendas, the PRs have agendas and even the customers have agendas. But how closely aligned are those agendas and are they helping or hindering our progress as an industry? Do the retailers want the same things as the manufacturers? Do the customers want the same things as the retailers? Given that the manufacturers want to maximise their profits, retailers want to buy at the best price possible and sell at the highest price and customers always want a bargain, it looks, on the face of it, as though there isn’t a huge amount of overlap. More is Less Imagine a scenario: manufacturers and their distributor cousins have to sell products in large numbers to keep the wheels of the machine oiled. The bigger a company becomes the more pressure it exerts upon itself to sell, sell and sell. When times are tough the upward pressure from the retailer, and ultimately from the customer, is for the price to be reduced in order to incentivise them to buy. This of course puts margin pressure onto the manufacturer/distributor who then needs to sell more in order to make enough cash profit. So the manufacturer goes off and looks for other outlets through which to sell his products. Those could be large chains, internet operators, or the sheds, all of which aren’t exactly known for their adherence to suggested selling prices. And that puts pressure onto the specialist independent retailer as he tries desperately to compete with the big boys by slashing prices. The consumer is, by this stage, rubbing his hands with glee, happy in the knowledge that the prices are tumbling and he’ll be getting himself a real bargain. The specialist retailer is getting squeezed from all sides and ultimately throws in the towel because he just cannot compete with the hugely reduced prices being offered to the consumer. The manufacturer witnesses a large drop in the number of specialist retailers operating in the market and so discards the age old policies that support the specialist channel in favour of policies that are more suited to volume internet/distance selling practices. Ultimately, the consumer forgets that specialist independents exist or what the benefits are of shopping with them, as his mind-set is now firmly planted on always getting the best price. Less footfall into the retailers brings with it financial pressures as the overheads are fixed and so they start making people redundant and move the price point of the products they sell ever upwards as they just can’t compete at the entry level and even mid-market level with the new outlets that the manufacturers have decided to work with. Higher ticket price goods attract a much smaller audience than entry level and mid-market products and so the number of people being exposed to ‘proper’ Hi-Fi dwindles and the number of specialist retailers diminishes further. It’s not a pretty picture is it? Vive la similarities While that scenario is exaggerated, it is possible to envisage such a downward spiral developing and divisions within the industry increasing. A kind of siege mentality develops with each business’ own agenda taking centre stage and scant regard given for the wider consequences. But before we get too bogged down in this tale of impending doom, let’s take a step back and look at what binds us rather than what divides us. If one starts to delve a little deeper into things then it becomes a bit more obvious that actually we do have quite a lot in common and that there is real benefit to our working together as an industry. First of all, the reason we make and sell any of the things we do is for music and movie enjoyment. We strive to make the experience of listening and watching a better one. By and large every product we make and sell does just that, with even the lowest cost entry-level ‘proper’ Hi-Fi product sounding much better than the rubbish that passes for Hi-Fi in the world of the retail park. There is an issue here though – we might well know that our stuff is better, but the great British public doesn’t, because we don’t tell them. Secondly, we all believe in the value of choice and service. Customers have to be guided through the myriad of choices out there and this is where the specialist retailer really comes into its own. Internet retailers and the big sheds don’t do three hour comparative demos, they don’t go round and install and calibrate systems, they don’t follow up after three months to see if the customer is happy with the results, and they don’t follow up with suggested product upgrades when they become available. Thirdly, we are passionate about what we do. Most of us work in this industry because we are enthusiasts too – we love the products, what they do, how they do it and we love to share our knowledge with others. It’s an old cliché, but as with so many old clichés it is absolutely true – people buy from people. The personal touch just isn’t available anywhere else and that is very valuable. Fourthly, we (mostly) all get along with each other really well. One only has to look at the bar at the Bristol Show to see business rivals happily networking with each other, enjoying a pint and generally socialising. We’re also a close-knit industry, with many familiar faces moving from company to company without animosity in a manner that is unheard of in many other industries. Fifth and finally, we are all working in an industry that is getting smaller for many reasons too numerous to go into here, but to coin a phrase “we’re all in it together”. The GfK statistics say it all really: in 2001 the UK Hi-Fi market was worth £419m and in 2011 worth £167m. Come together If we are to arrest this decline, we must work more closely together to promote what we make, the things we do, the reasons we do it, why we do it so well and why it’s worth customers taking a fresh look at us. BADA has tried very hard to bring disparate parts of the industry together over the years to work for a common purpose, with some very real and tangible successes. But now it’s time to really turn it up and bring some greater Clarity and purpose to our collective efforts. Lack of space prevents any more details right now, but tune in next month to learn more about the plans afoot… For further information contact: +44 (0)20 8150 6741 or email info@bada.co.uk Comments 2012-04-16T15:20:11+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/showreviews/best_in_show/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/showreviews/best_in_show/#When:14:55:03Z Glorious gadgets and gizmos galore - the finest fayre from Sound & Vision: The Bristol ShowEveryone loves an anniversary; unless it’s the anniversary of a terrible natural disaster… or a killing spree, obviously. But those aside, on the whole, anniversaries are great opportunities for a right royal knees up. Certainly in the case of Her Maj who will be celebrating her 60th year on the throne with a party round her place in June. But whilst Brenda’s anni-antics have been arranged – inexplicably – by Gary Barlow and include big-name music stars ideal for a jubilee celebration such as Tom Jones, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Cliff Richard, it’s just a shame that the jubilee celebration line-up they would have been more ideal for was the silver one back in 1977. Thank the gods of gadgetry then for the equally important anniversary in February of AV show royalty: Sound & Vision – The Bristol Show. Celebrating some 25, yes 25, years as the UK’s leading light, in these times of austerity, double-dip recessions, and George Osborne’s depressing admission that the government is all out of cash and wonders if you can lend it a tenner until Tuesday, the remarkable show of strength, the shot in the arm for the AV industry and economy alike, that is the Bristol Show demanded to be celebrated with as much pomp as that Diamond malarkey. So, while Her Highness may have to suffer Barlow’s bill of dancing dinosaurs shoehorned in with non-finance-concerned Jessie Jay, giant panda Lang Lang and something called JLS which I thought was a home shopping channel, Sound & Vision’s 2012 line-up was a who’s who of the top big-name stars in the business, all under one roof, providing a bill fit to recognise 25 years at the top. Combining our love of both consumer technology and a ‘bit of a do’, Team SVI hit the Marriott City Centre Hotel for a three day celebration of the sexiest stuff to fall under the sound and vision banner… Bryston BHA-1 UK distributors PMC instantly made themselves one of the belles of the Bristol ball this year by taking up residence in room 204 with the stunning new high quality headphone amplifier from Bryston, the BHA-1. Demonstrating Bryston’s market-leading amplifier tech knowhow, visitors got treated to a demo of the BHA-1’s Class-A circuitry, dual mono design and substantial power and performance through the medium of Sennheiser’s new flagship headphones. And that kind of demo takes some beating. Housed in a full-width minimalist style enclosure, the BHA-1 is packed with technology usually reserved for traditional high-end Hi-Fi amplifiers, as Bryston approached its design with the philosophy that the intimacy of listening to music on a high quality pair of headphones should be every bit as rewarding as using a more familiar loudspeaker equipped system. So to achieve this, Bryston employed the same dual mono amplifier construction used in its respected 7B, 14B and 28B amplifiers which, configured in balanced or series mode, the two amplifiers per headphone driver (left and right) produce a doubling of the signal voltage to each channel, resulting in an inherently clean and stable signal with Bryston’s familiar dramatic resolution. This has the added benefits of enabling difficult loads to be handled and multiple pairs of headphones to be connected, with 14dB or 20dB of selectable gain also available, further adding to the unit’s compatibility with a large variety of headphones. http://www.pmc-speakers.com PMC Loudspeakers twenty.C Continuing to flex its mighty muscles, PMC Loudspeakers also brought more toys besides the Bryston BHA-1 along with them to the show, demanding our attention like a spoilt child, and first up was the latest addition to its stunning twenty series: the new twenty.C. A dedicated centre channel loudspeaker, with styling and performance to complement the recently launched twenty series speakers, the twenty.C was to be found forming part of a twenty series 5.1 system in the Berlin Suite on the ground floor. Combined with twenty.24s for the front channels, twenty.21s for the rears, and a TLE1 active subwoofer bringing the bass, the twenty.C took centre stage, partnered up with PMC’s third shiny new must-haves, the top of the range Bryston SP-3 surround processor and the five channel Bryston 9B SST power amplifier. The result was, of course, a textbook lesson in superior home cinema. Those demanding more could even follow the twenty series to room 202 where the entire critically acclaimed series was being put through its considerable paces for the first time out in public. Demonstrated in two-channel stereo mode, visitors to 202 could experience and appreciate 20 years of PMC’s loudspeaker expertise, listening to music from the world’s biggest names, recorded and mastered using PMC loudspeakers. Now that’s what we call a show. http://www.pmc-speakers.com Tannoy TS2 From not far away came rumblings that Tannoy were up to something a bit special in the shapely form of the its new heavyweight TS2 active subwoofers – the most potent affordable subwoofers on the market today, boasting more power and more square-inches of driver area than any competing design. The completely new TS2 marries high power Class D bridge mode amplification with dual opposing drivers and substantial 25mm MDF cabinets to deliver the deepest, tightest and loudest bass response at the price. The new TS2.10 employs two 250mm (10-inch) drivers and 300Watt RMS amplifier at around £429, while the larger TS2.12 offers two 300mm (12-inch) drivers and 500W RMS amplification at just £549. The Class D amplifiers are controlled by a Tri-State Pulse Width Modulated Digital Signal Processor that has allowed Tannoy engineers to fine tune every aspect of the output with unrivalled precision. Each subwoofer delivers ultrafast bass and thunderous Low Frequency Effects right down to almost 20Hz. The same powerful DSP engine is used to adjust crossover frequency, phase and gain control in the digital domain to eliminate analogue filter circuitry from the signal path. Of course, the pressure generated by twin drivers meant that 18mm MDF cabinet construction, typical at this price point, would impart an unacceptable level of colouration, so the TS2’s cabinets are built from heavyweight 25mm MDF throughout, substantially reducing cabinet colouration and adding valuable extra mass for stabilisation. Available now in a dark grey satin finish with complementary grilles the TS2.10 is also available in premium high gloss black and contemporary high gloss white finishes. The TS2.12 is available in spring 2012 in dark grey satin finish and high gloss black as a premium option. http://www.tannoy.co.uk Monitor Audio Shadow Shadows – things lurk in them. What things exactly is generally not alluded to, but the impression is usually that they’re not pleasant things. So seeking to strike balance and improve the reputation of shadows everywhere is Monitor Audio’s wall-hugging world of audio-innovation, the Shadow Series. Comprising the Shadow 25 with its 4-inch Flat RDR bass mid-range driver, 25mm C-CAM dome tweeter in a sealed enclosure, the Shadow 50 with dual 4-inch RDT drivers, 25mm C-Cam tweeter and bass courtesy of two flat ABR drivers, and finally the Shadow 60 which features a similar complement to the S50 but with a taller cabinet size to suit bigger screens. All of which sounds very impressive on paper and, fortunately, also in practice, but the real attraction into the Shadowy world is the size of these remarkable powerhouses – just 40mm deep. That’s slimmer than Abu Hamza’s chances of opening a packet of crisps well. So, with this low profile stunner, married to perfect flat-to-wall brackets, invisible cable entry, a discreet black anodised aluminium finish and, of course, perfectly balanced sound with punchy bass that belies the size, what we have lurking in these Shadows is a very pleasant thing indeed. http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk Light Harmonic Da Vinci DAC //5// The trouble with the Bristol Show is that it is just too good; there’s too much gadget goodness to take in over a mere three days, too many incredible AV offerings to experience or stare at gawpingly. Yes, products this year there were many and varied, but if one device’s debut stood out more than most, it’d have to be The Da Vinci DAC from Light Harmonic. The world’s first true bit-perfect 384K asynchronous USB 2.0 DAC, The Da Vinci blends a number of breakthrough technologies with stunning industrial design, delivering audio playback of digital recordings as close to the analogue source as possible… or, indeed, as most ears will be able to tell, no matter how well trained. The culmination of thousands of hours of R&D by Light Harmonic’s team of engineers and designers, the Da Vinci is unlike any other high-end DAC, eschewing up-sampling, oversampling or digital filters in favour of a bespoke digital architecture, bespoke buffering and clock technologies, ensuring that the Da Vinci is a true 384/32 bit asynchronous USB 2.0 DAC. And the output stage is no less unique – rather than using integrated op-amp circuits, Light Harmonic developed its own balanced mode, dual mono, pure class-A JFET stage, designed to deliver a supremely natural sound, specifically in the high frequency range. What’s more it’s also incredibly good looking, with the unusual aesthetic form following the function of the Da Vinci DAC operation. All power supplies are located in the bottom half of the two-piece chassis with unique heat sink to ensure the DAC runs within tight temperature tolerances. Naturally this kind of ingenuity-in-a-box comes with a price tag attached; and in the case of The Da Vinci DAC that price tag is an eye-watering £18,000 (UK MRSP) inc. VAT. But then it’s not really meant for the eyes and what it can do to the ears borders on the erotic. Sadly, Team SVI’s attempt to ‘borrow’ The Da Vinci DAC for ‘review purposes’ using a convoluted plan involving a live-goat diversion, Bonnie and Chantell dressed as ninja-leprachauns and literally some smoke and a couple of mirrors was doomed to failure, but we’re hoping to get it here on our test bench through more conventional methods in the not too distant future. Without any more goats. http://www.lightharmonic.com Heed Audio Using the Bristol Show to mark their emergence back into the UK market, Cheltenam based Heed Audio turned up en masse armed with their latest range of cost-effective high-performance integrated, pre and power amplifiers, CD-transport, DACs and power supplies, all bearing the Obelisk name. Those who can cast their mind back as far as the 80s will recall the renowned Obelisk moniker from its launch under the Ion Systems brand and careful eye of electronics engineer Richard Hay. Well the big hair, shoulder pads and everything else from the decade that taste forgot has gone, but Richard is back, assisting Heed Audio with new developments and helping to write the next chapter in the Obelisk’s success story. Naturally, the new Obelisk has been completely updated, had its Filofax removed, and is now joined by a pre-amp plus stereo and mono power amplifiers and optional outboard power supplies and sounds, well, music may have got progressively worse since the 80s, but the Obelisk sounds even better than ever. http://www.heedaudio.co.uk Cabasse CinéOle Keeping the drapeau tricolor flying in Bristol this year was leading French loudspeaker manufacturer Cabasse, introducing the CinéOle digital home cinema audio system. Designed to add high quality audio to any TV for consumers who want to enjoy better sound, CinéOle is ideal for people who appreciate the value of better quality sound, but don’t want the complexities of a full home cinema system and a room full of loudspeakers and cables. Two compact satellite speakers, which can be wall or shelf mounted, combined with a subwoofer that connects to the audio output of the TV, provide the sonic advantages of a quality home cinema system in a simple to use and discreet package. With just three cables to connect, the user can be up and running within minutes of opening the box, and operation of the system is as simple as un, deux, trois – activate the playback source, such as the TV on its own or a connected Blu-ray player, and the CinéOle automatically switches on and reproduces the sound from the source. Plus, to further simplify the user’s experience and eliminate the need for a multitude of remote controls, a universal remote is supplied with the system which controls the CinéOle, TV and source components. The two satellite speakers, which come from the company’s award-winning Eole2 5.1 home cinema system, feature Cabasse’s renowned point source SCS technology, as developed for the flagship La Sphere system. The coaxial drive units employed provide a wide and enveloping soundstage with tonal accuracy, a wide sweet spot and an incredible transparency across the frequency ranges. Meanwhile, the heart of the system is a Santorin 21 subwoofer, also from Eole2, which has been enhanced to include the amplification for the satellite speakers and an optical input to connect to the digital output of the user’s TV and Dolby Digital decoding circuitry. Analogue RCA connectors are also included for easy connection of an iPod, streaming music system or for TVs not equipped with an optical out. Proprietary speaker connections are also included, making it almost impossible for the user to incorrectly wire up the system, no matter how ham-fisted or tech-challenged they are. http://www.cabasse.com/en Arcam rPAC A nifty little device and some nifty little thinking came in the shape of Arcam’s cunning new headphone solution, the rPAC. A USB powered DAC and headphone amplifier designed to dramatically improve the performance of PC and Mac computers, the rPAC uses the same kind of digital to analogue converter (DAC) normally found in very high end Hi-Fi components, combined with Arcam’s world-class audio circuitry, to take audio files stored on your computer and converts them, bringing stunning clarity and precision back to your tunes. Needless to say (but I will anyway) the USB power system frees you up from PSU reliance and the choice of line level output or headphones socket allows you to share the musical enjoyment with friends or keep it all to yourself, if that’s your nature. Easy to carry around to boot, the rPAC is the last word in effective audio computer upgrade kit. http://www.arcam.co.uk HiFi Racks Limited Podium Reference There’s no point in spending a Cowell’s ransom on quality AV kit if you’re just going to take it home and stick it on a wobbly stand from Argos – not only are you doing yourself a disservice, you’re also committing a crime against engineering. No, what you need to get your hands on is a quality rack designed specifically to help kit deliver the greatest acoustic performance it can. A quality rack such as those on display from HiFi Racks Limited. Case in point is the Podium Reference – beautifully crafted 40mm deep hardwood plinths with height adjustment Isolation spikes with locating disc ion each tier used, and 10mm high tensile securing bolts, finished in a clear satin lacquer finish, the Podium Reference will not only ensure an awesome audio performance, it’ll look absolutely stunning as it does so. Currently available in three size options, HiFi Racks Limited also offer a bespoke service, plus a range of natural colours to suit any décor. http://www.hifiracks.co.uk Amphion Helium 410 With more and more of us finding ourselves chained to our desks these days, not to mention the rise in people working from home, decent desktop audio is more important than ever. Okay, you can play your music through your computer if you like, but then you can also watch your TV through the bottom of a dirty bottle if you’re that indifferent to the quality of your experience. However, as you’re reading this, I’m guessing that’s not the case. So we have this: the Helium 410 from Amphion. Handmade in Finland, the Helium 410 may be tiny, but the sound produced is beautifully full-bodied, even without a subwoofer, crystal clear and perfectly defined even at the lowest volumes. A 2-way vented system featuring a 1-inch titanium tweeter and a 4.5-inch paper mid/woofer, the 410 is available in black or white with a huge range of colour grille options on offer to suit all comers, for desk-bound music lovers there’s little better. http://www.amphion.fi/en Show News 2012-04-16T14:55:03+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/game-changing_gear_at_the_va/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/game-changing_gear_at_the_va/#When:13:18:14Z Meridian co-founders’ early doors masterpiece deemed Best of British…As part of a celebration of the very best of British Design 1948-2012 – a spring exhibition at the V&A Musuem planned to coincide with the 2012 London Olympics – it’s been announced that, representing the Hi-Fi end of things will be the Lecson Audio system designed by the co-founders of Meridian Audio. Created in 1974, three years before Allen Boothroyd and Bob Stuart founded Meridian Audio, the Lecson reinvented the relationship between design and function. Before its arrival exploded onto the home audio scene, Hi-Fi equipment was nothing but housed functionally – regular grey boxes with knobs represented the height of artistic endeavour, until the Lecson. Doing away with the monochrome boxes, the Lecson power amp was housed not in a dull cube of metal but in a ribbed cylinder, which was not only aesthetically striking but also designed to dissipate the necessary heat. The control unit, meanwhile, far from a boring block of buttons, used a spectrum of coloured keyboard-like sliders to operate, making it both fantastically bold and incredibly intuitive. The Lecson had made the leap from something that was not merely acceptable as a piece of equipment, but also desirable as an objet d’art. Selected in 1976 for the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) permanent collection, it is this iconic piece for which Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd won the first of three British Design Council Awards in 1974, 1982 and 1988 – the Best of British indeed. http://www.meridian-audio.com News 2012-04-12T13:18:14+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/svi_awards_2012_the_ceremony/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/svi_awards_2012_the_ceremony/#When:12:30:25Z Fresh from the Deathly Hallows Retirement Home for SVI Editors, STUART PRITCHARD is back and in his tux, which can only mean one thing: it’s the SVI Awards 2012, sponsored by Domestic & General!You join us now on the metaphorical red carpet outside the famous D&G Theatre as we prepare to sit through an agonisingly unrelenting four hours of joyous applause, resentful applause, surprised smiles, forced smiles and the simultaneous scents of both victory and crushing defeat in semi-darkness – yes, welcome one and all to the in-paper and online SVI Awards 2012 Ceremony! The industry voted and we counted; then we counted again suspecting some Bush administration-esque shenanigans until we were satisfied all was present and correct. There were some surprises, some non-surprises, and one bloke who just entered ‘kef’ in every single category like he’s afflicted by some kind of twitchy tech Tourette’s. So who took the honours this year? Let the envelope opening commence… BEST CD-PLAYER Gold: Arcam FMJCD37 Silver: Yamaha CDS2000 Bronze: Arcam CD17 BEST DIGITAL AUDIO STREAMER Gold: Linn DS Silver: Sonos Bronze: NuVo MPS4 BEST IPOD DOCK Gold: Sonos range Silver: URC PSX-2 Bronze: NuVo WMIPS BEST AMPLIFIER Gold: Linn Majik Silver: Denon POA3012 Bronze: Arcam A38 BEST BLU-RAY PLAYER Gold: Denon DBP2012 Silver: Sony BDP S480 Bronze: Yamaha BDA 1010 BEST AV AMPLIFIER / RECEIVER Gold: Anthem MRX Silver: Denon AVR3312 Bronze: Yamaha RXA2010 BEST SUBWOOFER Gold: Current Audio FLSUB10 Silver: KEF XQ60 Bronze: Sonance Cinema Series SUB 10-250 BEST FLOORSTANDING SPEAKER Gold: Linn Majik 140 Silver: KEF XQ range Bronze: Cabasse iO2 BEST BOOKSHELF SPEAKER Gold: Arcam Muso Silver: Cabasse Minorca Bronze: KEF Q300 BEST AV FURNITURE SOLUTION Gold: Peerless New Orleans Silver: Sanus BFAV550 Bronze: AVF Affinity Blenheim BEST AV MOUNTING SOLUTION Gold: Peerless Motorised Mount Silver: Sanus VMF308 Bronze: AVF UNIMAX Any Wall TV Mount BEST MOUNTING SOLUTION Gold: Peerless Motorised Mount Silver: Sanus VMF308 Bronze: AVF UNIMAX Any Wall TV Mount BEST LCD TV Gold: Samsung UE55D8000 Silver: Hantarex Stripes Bronze: Philips 47PFL7606H BEST PLASMA TV Gold: Panasonic TH65VX300 Silver: LG (no model stated) Bronze: Samsung D8000 BEST CABLE / INTERCONNECT Gold: Peerless Slimline HDMI Silver: Kramer HDMI Bronze: Kinetic KLIC BEST PROJECTOR Gold: Epson TW9000 Silver: JVC X30 Bronze: Panasonic PTAT5000 BEST HEADPHONES Gold: Beats by Dre Silver: B&W P5 Bronze: Grado SR80 BEST PROJECTOR SCREEN Gold: Draper Euroscreen Silver: Weis fixed frame fabric (velvet) screens Bronze: Cineversum In-Ceiling Screens BEST HOME CONTROL SYSTEM Gold: AMX Silver: Crestron Bronze: Control 4 BEST WIRELESS CONTROL DEVICE Gold: AMX MVP Silver: URC MX-5000i Bronze: iPad BEST WIRED CONTROL DEVICE Gold: URC KP-4000 Silver: AMX X Panels Bronze: RTI RK3 BEST SPECIALIST APP Gold: Sanus Installation App Silver: Crestron Mobile Bronze: AMX TP Control BEST MEDIA SERVER Gold: Kaleidescape Silver: DF Solutions Base 3D Bronze: Imerge MS1-3D BEST MULTI-ROOM AUDIO SYSTEM Gold: Linn DS Silver: NuVo Grand Concerto Bronze: DF Solutions Sonix BEST LIGHING CONTROL SYSTEM Gold: Rako Silver: Lutron Homeworks Bronze: Crestron BEST VIDEO DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Gold: Wyrestorm Silver: AMX Enova DGX Bronze: Crestron DigitalMedia BEST ARCHITECTURAL LOUDSPEAKERS Gold: Current Audio FIT Series Silver: Artcoustic SL Series Bronze: Sonance Visual Performance Series BEST MANUFACTURER Gold: AMX Silver: AVF Bronze: Artcoustic BEST DISTRIBUTOR Gold: Habitech Silver: BBG Bronze: AWE BEST SYSTEMS INTREGRATOR Gold: Konnectiv Silver: Future Systems AV Bronze: ATI Top Story 2012-04-04T12:30:25+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/arcam_cleans_up/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/arcam_cleans_up/#When:00:40:34Z Purveyors of top-end Hi-Fi celebrate quartet of SVI Awards with Dealer competition...Celebrating yet another year of success in the SVI Awards, the purveyors of the finest Hi-Fi kit known to man, woman or audiophile, Arcam, are celebrating winning a quartet of gongs in 2012, adding BEST CD-PLAYER Gold for the Arcam FMJCD37, BEST BOOKSHELF Gold for the Arcam Muso, BEST CD-PLAYER Bronze for the FMJCD17 and BEST AMPLIFIER Bronze for the Arcam FMJA38 to the company’s already groaning trophy cabinet. Said Charlie Brennan, Arcam MD, of the four industry voted awards: “We are particularly delighted with the Award for our Mini Monitor Speaker the MUSO, which often gets ignored as it is sold with Solo Systems.” To celebrate, on April 6th, Arcam will launch a Facebook Competition just for their Dealers and Dealer Staff, to win the latest Arcam rPAC, micro DAC and Headphone Amp and a bottle of Champagne (or a case of beer). To enter just ‘Like’ the Arcam page at Facebook.com/ArcamUK and leave a comment on the Trade Competition post. The smarter the comment, the better chance of winning! http://www.arcam.co.uk News 2012-04-04T00:40:34+00:00 http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/the_mains_man/http://www.svimag.com/index.php/content/news/the_mains_man/#When:00:30:31Z Putting power firmly in your hands, Keene Electronics rolls out the IPMSW1...If Spider-man taught us anything, it was that with great power comes great responsibility. That and tights can be cool. But if it’s your responsibility to control great power remotely, then you’d do well to forget radioactive spiders and arm yourself with this: the IPMSW1 from Keene Electronics. An IP controllable mains power switch, the IPMSW1 (£99.99 ex. VAT) has two independent mains outlets that can be controlled in a number of ways: via a simple browser button-based on/off control; using full browser-based set-up or timer configuration; or through three timer events per switch, with daily weekly or monthly repeats. Add to that adjustable power fail re-start options which allow each switch to delay up to 255 seconds before switching on, support for DDNS Manual override for each switch, optional-use internet time servers to set the internal clock, an internal ‘Real Time Clock’ IC with five year battery backup and Control4 drivers available via Extra Vegetables, and power – no matter how absolute – is more than safe in your hands. http://www.keene.co.uk News 2012-04-04T00:30:31+00:00