Sound & Vision The Bristol Show 2010 (Part 2)

March 01, 2010 — Article

Sound & Vision The Bristol Show 2010: Part 2…

Naim UnitiQute

The stripped-down version of Naim’s Uniti server is the decidedly dinky UnitiQute, which reduces the footprint by dispensing with the CD player, among other things.

It includes a 30-watt amp into 8 ohms (the Uniti has 50W), UPnP streaming, DAB, FM and internet radio, plus a USB input for playing from memory stick or iPod, coax and optical digital inputs, and 3.5mm and RCA analogue inputs. It will be available in April for £1,350.

Paradigm SUB 2

The Canadian brand showed off its frankly awesome SUB 2, which it claims is ‘the world’s most powerful subwoofer’ – and if it’s not, there certainly can’t be many that come close.

It has six high-excursion, low distortion 10in drivers arranged two each on three sides and 4,500 watts of continuous power to deliver bone-rattling frequencies down to 7Hz (engineers had a time limit on how long they could be exposed to this in testing, apparently). Its baby brother is the SUB 1 which offers 3,400 watts through its six 8in speakers. Both should be available in April, the SUB 2 for £7,000, the SUB 1 for £3,500.

Paradigm Seismic 110 ‘Bulldog’ subwoofer

Slightly more affordable is the Seismic 110 subwoofer, nicknamed the ‘Bulldog’. It delivers 850 watts RMS of sustained power and can drop down to 18Hz.

Its die-cast metal cabinet acts as a giant heat sink and it features an extensive two inches of travel on its dual 10in mineral-filled co-polymer propylene cones which fire in opposite directions. Like other Paradigm subs it’s available with the Perfect Bass Kit (free with SUB 1 and 2, £300 otherwise) which uses a microphone to establish the optimum settings for your room.

SIM2 MICO 50 projector

Italian home cinema projector specialist SIM2 demonstrated its new MICO 50 projector which offers 3LED illumination and 1080p resolution.

It has a contrast ratio of up to 100,000:1, three separate high-power LEDs (one each for blue, green and red) which promise seven times the refresh rate of a standard colour wheel and offer eco-friendly credentials because there’s no need to replace the lamp. The MICO 50 is available now for £16,000.

Screen Innovations Black Diamond screen

SIM2 also demonstrated the Screen Innovations Black Diamond screen. The US firm’s screen is uniformly black, made of a dark fabric with no less than seven optical coatings.

The trick is that it’s viewable even in daylight (or at least very bright twilight). It boasts a wide viewing angle too and while it’s only available in a fixed frame version to begin with, the company promises that motorised versions are on their way. It will be available in April for £3,000.

Spendor ST Carbon

British high-end speaker firm Spendor unveiled a new finish for its ST series with the ST Carbon.

The two-and-a-half-way speaker has a piano black cabinet with the option of carbon fibre or ‘exotic ebony’ inlays on the front. Other inlays, such as leather or fabric are also now available on demand. It’s available now for £6,000.

Spendor A9

Spendor’s brand new speaker making its debut at the show is the A9, top of the company’s A range and a step or two up from the existing A5 and A6. It’s a three-way design with Spendor’s home-made 29mm wide-surround tweeter, 15cm midrange and a pair of 18cm Kevlar composite woofers.

Spendor boss Peter Swift assures us it’s extremely easy to drive, offers 90dB sensitivity and is available in light oak, dark wood, cherry and black ash for £4,000.

Pro-Ject Essential turntable

Austrian turntable specialist Pro-Ject Audio had a new budget turntable on display with the Essential. It replaces the Debut as the company’s entry-level model and features a belt drive with two notches which you’ll need to physically change, and comes with its own unipivot tone arm and Ortofon cartridge for £150.

It’s available with a black MDF plinth though Pro-Ject also showed off a possible ‘St George’ version for the World Cup which will be £200 – if England do well enough.

Roksan Radius 5.2 turntable

Brit hi-fi brand revealed an evolution of its long-running Radius 5 turntable in the shape of the 5.2. It looks a little different, since it’s now available with a black plinth, as well as the clear Perspex and wood finishes available previously.

The changes aren’t merely cosmetic though, as the company has done a ground-up refit of components, bringing in a new Nima tone arm and arm configuration, improved motor isolation and a new set of feet to improve isolation. It’s available now for £1,350.

Canton loudspeakers

Canton has been going for 38 years, and has never really been away from the UK market, though you could be forgiven for not knowing who they are. They’re a German brand with a full range of stereo and surround speakers and they started their relaunch with a new distributor at the Bristol Show. Special attention was given to the Vento series available as stereo pairs or 5.1 home cinema configurations.

The Vento is one notch below the company’s reference series and comes in at £2,500 for a pair of the Vento 890 DC floorstanding bass reflex three-ways and £1,000 for a pair of Vento 820 standmounts in black or white. A little further down the scale, the Chrono SL 590 is a floorstanding bass reflex three-way priced at £1,499 for a stereo pair.


All about ...

Canton
Naim Audio
Paradigm
Pro-Ject
Sim2
Spendor