The Bristol Hi-fi Show 2023 - Review

Rega NAIA turntable - due Autumn 2023

Chord Electronics with Kudos Titan 505s

PMC Diamond Black Twenty 22i with ATL

Zirconium-Toughened Alumina

It sounds like something from a Kurt Vonnegut novel. "Zirconium-Toughened Alumina" is the 2nd hardest kid at school. The toughest is Diamond - which is used to shape this ceramic material which forms the central bearing on the new Rega NAIA turntable. Unveiled at the 2023 edition of the Bristol Hi-Fi Show. The turntable, entombed in perspex, feels and looks like a Formula One car. Every improvement is measured in micrograms for ultimate precision. The skeletal chassis weighs next to nothing. The carbon fibre finish contains graphene (the new wonder material) which adds strength & rigidity. All in the service of extracting as much information from your vinyl grooves as possible.  

Rega NAIA Turntable

Rega has chosen to unveil their new £9,000 turntable behind the bathroom door of a cramped hotel bedroom, with beige carpets, and walls adorned with faded watercolours of Bristol landmarks. It's one of the particular quirks of the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, and one of the reasons why we love it. Dean has been attending the show since he was 11 years old. Most hi-fi has changed over the years, whilst others, like the Bristol Marriott, are frozen in time. The Linn LP12 has looked the same since its inception in 1973, whilst the individual components have continued to improve & be refined - like an audiophile version of Trigger's broom.

Chord Electronics

We push our way through the crowds to get to the Chord Electronics demo room. It always sounds good in here. Chord Electronics are known for the precision of its DACs, and their outstanding build quality. This year they've combined the electronics with Kudos Titan 505 stand-mount loudspeakers, using Chord Company Signature cables. No toe-in for the Titans as the speakers have such a wide dispersal they are positioned parallel to the back wall. 

"Mane's full of Fire..." 

We are treated to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' "Bright Horses" from the Ghosteen LP. The Chord Electronics system consists of the Ultima Pre 3 (Pre-Amp) / Hugo M Scaler (for digital upscaling) / DAVE (DAC) & Ultima 3 (950 Watt Stereo Power Amp).

"It's such a clean, clinical sound with an airy top-end." Dean says, "When putting together systems, we usually combine the Chord Electronic DACs with Hegel, Naim, or McIntosh amplification to add some humanity into the overall sound."

"Dove" by British funk band, Cymande, plays next. The Eddie Hazelesque jangly guitar is mesmerising, while the bass and drums are as tight as a Tupperware lid.

Other amplification may be more musical & natural, but this super clean set-up still sounds incredible.

PMC

On our way to listen to the PMC demo, we bump into the founder & owner of PMC, Peter Thomas. "Anything can drive them", Peter says of the Twenty 23i loudspeaker, "These speakers get the best out of all the electronics you match them with."  At Soundstage, we love the combination of the Twenty 23i driven by the Soulnote A2 power amp. They produce a scale of reproduction that belies their size. "People often ask where we've hidden the subwoofer!"

A warm & rich sound fills the room, and it's all emanating from these svelt floor standers and their 5-inch drivers. The 23i sounds a lot bigger than it is thanks to the ATL - Advanced Transmission Line, unique to PMC, a feature that other audio manufacturers find hard to replicate. 

Acoustic engineer Toby Ridley talks us through this innovation that has been finely honed over the years. "The ATL redirects the energy that's lost out of the back of the speaker, through a foam-lined cavity, and out via a vent in the front." "This excess energy then resonants in faze with the music which leads to an increase in headroom, as well as a reduction in distortion within the mid-range." Toby adds, "The bass can go even lower, and as dampening is also added to the system there is no flabby bass, only dry, accurate bass...and lots more of it! "

We listen to Christine & the Queens' "Tilted" and the 23i floor standers combine beautifully with the Ovation C58J (2x500 watt amplifier). "The sound is effortless, and isn't strained at all." Dean says, "The bass response is incredible. It's tight with zero flabbiness in the low-end."

At our North London shop, we have a pair of the mighty PMC MV2S in the listening room. "Pound for pound, they are hard to beat! However, I'm slowly falling in love with the 23i." There are whispers of PMC developing a more affordable, entry-level loudspeaker, so we ask Peter:

Is it more of a design challenge to develop a small loudspeaker compared to reference quality speakers like the Fenestria?

 "Yes - but with certain limitations, it can help you focus. As a designer, you want limits and restricted parameters. If the sky's the limit, you don't know where to start. With the larger speakers, you learn about the resonance of the cabinets, and how to isolate the tweeters. And, we find with the smaller cabinets, it's harder to get good bass & texture, and some of the detail in the music is lost. With the larger Fenestrias, you get a more three-dimensional sound, which is more revealing, and has much more texture." 

Peter leaves with a promise to visit us in North London...we'll get the kettle on. 

PMC were voted room of the Show on Friday - and it's hard to disagree…