BBC Music, The Guide To Superior Sound

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The Guide TO

Superior Sound

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A look at the very best audio equipment for your home

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PMC – from studio to home PMC is the UK’s world-leading manufacturer of domestic and professional loudspeakers, used by the biggest names in music recording and by the most discerning audiophiles at home

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MC speakers are different from any others, not only in the Advanced Transmission Line (ATL™ ) technology employed to reproduce music with absolute accuracy, but because they are used by the music makers in the studio and the music lovers in the home.

You’ll find PMC in studios such as Teldex, Berlin, and Emil Berliner, where many of Deutsche Grammophon’s recordings were made. They are the speakers of choice for the BBC at its Maida Vale facility, for Metropolis Mastering and many of the Hollywood composers and Elbow’s studio in Manchester, to name but a few.

By using them in your system, you can hear the essence of the music, finely crafted by your favourite artists, sounding exactly the same from studio to home.

While composing the music for the James Bond film Skyfall, Thomas Newman, the legendary composer, insisted on working with PMC speakers, saying, ‘The main thing about them, for me, is that they make speakers that I forget are there.

You stop thinking of them as speakers - they’re a conduit for music and sound, and you just believe what you’re hearing.’

With products from the compact twenty.21 to the stunningly beautiful fact.12, PMC has a loudspeaker that will fit your home.

And no matter which model you choose, you can rest assured it will present all the musicality, resolution, scale and drama you need to bring your recordings to life.

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The new PMC fact.12 – available in a range of exquisite veneers or white silk

The advantages: • More detailed, more natural • Full, rich sound at any volume level • Deeper bass from a smaller cabinet • Easy to drive with all amplifiers above:

The Advanced Transmission Line Technology for depth of bass, which is not possible from any other speaker design. left: The twenty series – an effortlessly natural, rich, room filling sound.

contact details address: PMC Loudspeakers, 43-45 Crawley Green Road, Luton, LU2 0AA website: www.pmc-speakers.com telephone: +44 (0)870 4441044

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this image Tivoli Audio Albergo+ below Albergo+ shown with optional Stereo Speaker

NICE AND EASY DOES IT The Tivoli Audio Albergo+ delivers supreme ease of use, superb audio performance, and future-proof features including Bluetooth wireless music streaming. It can even become a full-blown stereo system. You can call it a radio, but you immediately hear it was designed to play music

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ivoli Audio designed the Albergo+ so that everyone can use it, without confusion or frustration (but not at the expense of features or performance). Equipped with DAB, DAB+, DMB, and FM, as well as wireless Bluetooth music streaming, the Albergo+ is future-proof, yet the front panel controls remain straightforward. Access key features, and the display prompts you with instructional hints, meaning you can tune the radio, set alarms and activate the sleep timer without having to reach for the manual.

Playing music from a Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a tablet or smartphone, is equally simple, requiring just a push of a button.

Famed for its beautiful sound systems, Tivoli Audio employs the award-winning speaker found in its Model One radio, helping the Albergo+ brilliantly deliver rich-sounding audio. Add the optional Stereo Speaker – an especially popular method is to place a unit either side of your bed – and you have a wonderfully compact hi-fi.

Available in elegant Graphite and White finishes, a variety of optional hand-crafted, real wood cabinets lets you tailor your Tivoli Audio International Logo - “Original Radio Company” Albergo’s look to any space.

Factor in dual independent alarms, one-night-only alarms and EQ settings, and you have the complete clock radio. Nice and easy does it.

Every time.

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Take It Easy The Tivoli Audio Albergo+ packs a technology punch, yet remains defiantly simple to use – you can wirelessly stream your music at the touch of a single button.

Logo Colors: Tivoli Audio Grey RGB 158/164/166 Tivoli Audio Blue RGB 11/61/145

contact details website:

www.tivoliaudio.co.uk 0800 047 0487

telephone:

www.johnlewis.com

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Stylish Shelving With the recent resurgence of vinyl, one British company is making sure that turntables have a platform worth admiring

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udio Suspension is the new name in beautifully designed, contemporary hi-fi support systems. Its critically acclaimed ASU-100 wall shelf (right) has been meticulously designed to provide isolation from unwanted resonance, whilst offering a highly attractive platform to support turntables and other sensitive hi-fi equipment.

Built in Sussex from the finest materials, Audio Suspension hi-fi platforms are the ultimate in design and performance.

CUSTOM SHELVING Audio Suspension also offers a full bespoke service and are happy to design shelving to suit your needs and equipment

contact details phone:

01273 640251 admin@audiosuspension.com website: www.audiosuspension.com email :

The little box with a BIG personality…

The Cocktail Audio X10 is an all-in-one hi-fi component with CD storage and music streamer. ‘With the X10 we’ve listened to more music in the last couple of months than we have in ten years’

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his neat box of tricks stores all your music in one place and will link to your existing system or work as a standalone device. It has a full 3.5" colour screen, internet radio* with programme record and much more. This feature-rich hi-fi is perfect for smaller spaces and is easy to use. For serious audiophiles check out the X30 – the ‘Big Brother’ to the X10. *

Wi-Fi dongle required

contact details address: Sygnifi Ltd, Unit B8 Chaucer Business Park, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 6QY telephone: 01732 765157 email : sales@sygnifi.co.uk website www.sygnifi.co.uk

Record vinyl and cassettes and add album artwork to bring your old collection back to life! Various storage options are available

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Our first thought was ‘Why has no one done this before?’

British innovators Orbitsound makes audio products that work differently, reproducing sound in a fundamentally new way, enabling listeners to hear the true soundstage from anywhere in the room

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n 1931 Alan Blumlein, a researcher at EMI, laid the foundations for what we now call stereo, the concept of recording and reproducing the width in sound as one would hear it in real life.

In the 1970s stereo became popular with two-speaker hi-fis, with one speaker to influence each ear. The listener should be positioned between the speakers in the ‘sweet spot’ in order to hear the stereo effect.

Over time, sound systems have become smaller, with single box products being the most popular – but the listener cannot hear the true soundstage with this type of old system. Orbitsound has created airSOUNDTM, a new system that generates a solid soundstage that can be appreciated from everywhere in the room. Its latest product, the SB60, faithfully reproduces a clear and immersive sound through this British innovation using side speakers that deliver the spatial information.

‘We were searching for a way to improve the sound of our stereo recordings, and had something of a Eureka moment,’ says Daniel Fletcher, recalling the time in their lab when the first airSOUNDTM system was devised in 2003. ‘Our first thought was, why has no one done this before?’

contact details phone:

08456 521219 support@orbitsound.com website: www.orbitsound.com email :

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The quest for audio perfection Bowers & Wilkins’s pursuit of perfection means great sound for you. Everywhere.

Great sound from hi-fi and home cinema surround-sound speakers, but also from headphones, TV soundbars and wireless and docking speakers for smartphones and tablets

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owers & Wilkins is one of the world’s most respected audio brands. Trusted by the sound engineers at Abbey Road Studios, but also by rigorous hi-fi reviewers, and millions of people globally, to deliver true audio fidelity for everyone, everywhere.

Every product retains Bowers & Wilkins’s famed audio quality, attention to detail and technological innovation – with the absolute aim, as it has been since the company started in 1966, of delivering accurate audio detail, without any distortion of the original sound. Founder John Bowers believed a loudspeaker should be to the ear what a flawless pane of glass is to the eye: you shouldn’t see the window, but the view beyond.

That quest for audio purity has led to many technological innovations. From Kevlar speaker cones, which provide a more consistent sound that works better in any room, to diamond tweeters that deliver truly stunning high-frequency sound, Bowers & Wilkins seeks out unusual and unique solutions in the pursuit of audio perfection.

However, technology only matters if you like what you hear.

If you like your music to sound as artists and recording engineers intended, then you need to listen for yourself. Find your nearest Bowers & Wilkins dealer online for expert advice and a demonstration.

this image This is the room where the magic happens. This is Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles and Radiohead recorded, and the soundtracks to the original Star Wars films were produced. The three speakers lined up behind the control desk? Those are Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series. The best sound engineers demand the best sound – they need to ensure absolute fidelity transfers from the recording booth to the music and movies you love. And you can get the best sound too – wherever you are, whatever you are listening to.

contact details Text PERFECTION plus your email address to 88802 Visit bowers-wilkins.co.uk/perfection

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this image Designed by Philippe Starck, the wireless Zik headphones have won both design and audio-quality accolades below Parrot Zik headphones come in a choice of four fabulous colours

PArRot Zik

Welcome to the world’s most advanced wireless headphones.

Designed by Philippe Starck and packed with the very latest technology, Parrot Zik is state-of-the-art audio you can wear – without trailing cables

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roving that you can have style and substance, the Parrot Zik headphones beautifully combine five-star sound quality with award-winning design and usability.

They use Bluetooth technology to wirelessly stream audio from smartphones, tablets and computers; pairing is quick and easy, and smartphone users can enjoy hands-free calls, too. Active noise-cancellation means you can enjoy your music without your listening being spoiled by background environments – be that airplane engine noise or just the everyday clamour of commute or coffee shop. People around you won’t hear your music, either, so you won’t annoy anyone either at home or on your travels. The Zik’s Head Detection Sensor automatically pauses and restarts the music when you slip the headphones off or on again. In addition, you can control your music and calls with a touch on the Zik’s earcup. Both these features mean you’re not having to reach for your devices every time you want to pause a track, or change volume – you can do it all from your headphones. A companion app – available for both Apple and Android devices – allows you to customise audio settings to suit your music, mood or surroundings, with Parrot’s Concert Hall option to expand the boundaries of your sound.

Parrot Zik is now available in four colours – including a gold-trim model that’s a great match for the new gold Apple iPhone 5S. You can also accessorise your headphones with a travel-friendly carry case and keep the wireless music going for even longer with a spare Zik battery.

contact details Parrot Zik headphones are widely available at quality retailers, including Apple Stores, Amazon, Harrods, Selfridges and Dixons Travel. For more information, visit: www.parrot.com/uk

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The Radiogram Redefined As a family-owned British company for over 30 years, Ruark Audio has worked within the revered British audio industry, creating high fidelity loudspeakers for music and audio enthusiasts

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eeing a niche in the market, in 2004 Ruark Audio made the radical decision to diversify and apply its expertise to develop a series of fine small audio products with broad appeal – but capable of sound quality that belied their beauty and compact size. Since launching its first product (the R1 DAB/FM Tabletop Radio) in 2006, its models have quickly become regarded as the finest available, each one winning awards and critical acclaim for striking design and sound.

Inspired by ’60s contemporary design, the R7 (pictured above) is Ruark Audio’s latest iconic piece. With stunning looks and amazing audio quality, it’s a revolutionary music centre in the true spirit of the classic radiogram, which is guaranteed to reignite your passion for music and radio!

With DAB/FM and internet tuners, the R7 is capable of receiving radio stations from around the world, and the stylish slot-loading CD player plays both normal and MP3-style discs. For customers wishing

The R1, R2i, R4i and MR1 models are also available in black or white finishes

to stream wirelessly, the R7 also features Bluetooth with aptX and DLNA Wi-Fi for streaming music-compatible phones, tablets, computers or NAS music servers.

Other products in Ruark’s range include the R1, R2i, R4i and the award-winning MR1 Bluetooth speakers.

contact details website: www. ruarkaudio.com telephone:

01702 601410