Bristol Hi-Fi Show 24th to 26th February 2023 at :-
DELTA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT
BRISTOL CITY CENTRE
Lower Castle Street, Bristol, BS1 3AD
Seems like a fair selection of exhibitors, any “Roonies” attending (apart from me)?
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not me, dingy is in the boathouse till April…
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Not sure I trust myself too go 
I’m thinking about subs & headphones so could be a useful trip (my son is playing in Cheltenham in the evening, so thats the excuse for Hi-Fi shows) 
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That will be nice.
I am in Bristol tomorrow evening for Katatonia,
My son’s home from Bath the weekend after as it is his birthday, so not allowed to go anywhere then 
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I’m sure your son would enjoy lunch in Bristol…
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I was thinking of going but apparently my decorating has a deadline, unbeknownst to me 
.
It says roon has a stand, but they don’t.
The sales manager will be knocking around the Henley audio stand.
(I asked)
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Tomorrow’s the show day & concert in Cheltenham Town hall in the evening, life ‘o Riley
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Be good to get your feedback as I am not allowed to go.
Enjoy 
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Part 1.
A visit on Friday, yesterday, worked well with my trip to see the “Northern Live” gig in Cheltenham in the evening.
On arrival at 10:45 the queue had all but disappeared and I was in the exhibition within a few minutes.
Chord were in the Foyer handing out the statutory carrier bag to everyone except yours truly.
It was immediately apparent that many of the exhibitors had not seen each other since pre-pandemic days and their social grouping blocked corridors, staircases & room entrances frequently making passage difficult.
My visit was to checkout Headphones (Focal & Meze + others) & subwoofers (REL + any others). It quickly became apparent that Focal, in the mezzanine area, would be near impossible to audition due to the long wait, for those already listening, to move on. The Earmen stand (Meze) were similarly busy so after a few minutes with absolutely no listening opportunities I gave up on the headphone search.
So onto Subs, on the first floor Terrace (I think that’s what it’s called) was the Wilson Benesch stand. They always demonstrate brilliantly having the best room & facilities in the show. My particular interest was the Torus “Infrasonic Generator” (A.K.A “Sub Woofer”) in conjunction with the Fibonacci Speakers. It’s a walk-in demonstration so always worth a visit, no waiting around!
“Infrasonic Generator” Mk2. Circa £14000
Note the Hi-Fi Porn photographer 
The next visit to the REL stand was met with helpful attendants & useful information also a very interesting demonstration (in a room smaller than my man cave)…
A pair of Kef Blades & REL No.31’s making incredible sounds in a small room
Fyne Audio (From Scotland) once again produced phenomenal sounds from their demonstration but, for my tastes, they are also the ugliest design and I couldn’t live with them in the same room!
Worthy of a special mention QUALIO, Crystal clear, Large Soundstage & BASS (I was looking for a subwoofer but there wasn’t one present).
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Part 2 (Leftovers)
Another Worthy mention, The Dali Opticon MK2 was also making sweet sounds but unfortunately time didn’t allow an extended listening session.
I have an ongoing issue with “Super Expensive” cables (
) whatever their purpose. So imagine my cynicism triggering when the sales guy advised the interested customer that the Gold power lead was £4k per linear meter. I imagine it is made from “Unobtainium” brought back to earth from Pandora. Unsurprisingly I forgot to take the manufacturer’s name (probably due to the price shock)…
The Consumer units & MCBs (Power trips) were also made of “Unobtainiam” and priced accordingly…
I departed after two & a half hours and spent all of my Hi-Fi money on a gift for SWMBO
I nearly forgot the Fyne playlist discs (i snapped two of three)…
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Best return on investment in the “AudioPhil” world, bet that power cable is mega
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Well this AudioPhil (!) was there Friday and today - working (with my HiFiStarters hat on). I have to say I thought those big Fyne speakers looked absolutely beautiful. Just goes to show beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They sounded good (as did the little ones)
The REL room worked surprisingly well given its size I thought. The bass didn’t overpower it.
I have to say meeting John Dawson, designer of the first amp I ever owned (A&R Cambridge A60) was lovely. HiFi Pig’s marketing wheeze worked really well. And that new Wharfedale speaker has a novel feature!
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Hi Phil, I did spot you on Friday but was restricted on time or I’d have said hello. As mentioned my visit was purely for “headphones & subs” so didn’t need to check many other areas.
I do think the Fyne speaker range sound superb but the aesthetics aren’t for me.
You’ve got me interested in the Wharfdale, listening can be thirsty work 
I think Ascot will be of more interest, if I can get there.
Anyway enjoy the show & feel free to contribute…
Aren’t the Fyne designers ex-Tannoy? Hence the look.
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Yes you’re right & some of the models, especially the big beast in the photo, are similar design.
There’s absolutely no doubt to me that the SQ is excellent & cabinets are extremely high standard of construction but unfortunately, to me, they’re bloody ugly and I couldn’t live with them.
They got the spelling wrong on Hugh Masekela and SRV
I’ll let them know next year
I’m also fresh back from the show - truth be told, I was a little disappointed compared to pre-covid times - don’t know if it was me or the setups, but a lot of rooms didn’t play sound that suited me. In fairness, it was a pretty high speed strike too, due to other commitments. Disappointed to see fewer headphones than normal too.
I was, though, unexpectedly impressed by the Dynaudio Focus 50, as well as the Vivid Audio Kaya S12 and ATC SCM50 Actives. Like you, @PixelPopper , I was also very impressed by the sound of the QUALIO speakers, although the aesthetics really aren’t my bag.
Qualio, soundwise, were excellent but like you I wouldn’t be able to live with the aesthetics.
Like you again, I was also disappointed with the overall standard and many of the demonstrations were playing music that certainly didn’t encourage me to listen further. Considering the average age profile of those attending the music choices weren’t appropriate (quality wise) imho.
I never bother to queue for an hour to check out the demonstrations (usually on the ground or lower ground floors) as time is in short supply so there may have been something I missed.
At least I found the REL team helpful & informative and they will benefit in the next couple of weeks.
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