HiFi & AV Event 2015 @FrankHarveyHiFi - Saturday November 28th

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Saturday 28th November 10am-4pm


Despite it still being the holiday season, it doesn't mean we can sit out the back of the store with our feet up, supping on ice cold beers with a barbecue on the go. Sadly. It is that time of year where we start planning our open day for the end of November. Yes, an event the size of our open day takes that long to arrange!

So over the next few months, check back here to find out who is exhibiting, and more specifically, what they're going to be exhibiting.

Fifteen
manufacturers have confirmed for the day - Innuos, Cyrus, Naim Audio, Classe, Audioquest, Oppo, KEF, Sony, Chord Electronics, Samsung, Project, Bowers & Wilkins, SVS and Yamaha.


So what to expect?

After the great feedback we had from our Yamaha/KEF Atmos room last year, we will be doing it again this year now that there is (a bit) more software available - but this time it will be in a more suitable room with a more conventional ceiling height. We will have a 5.2.4 Atmos/DTS:X system based around the new Yamaha CXA5100 pre/MXA5000power, using a KEF R Series system with two SVS SB13 Ultra subwoofers. Whilst most retailers probably concentrate on discreet in-wall systems, we will be showing how simple it can be to set up an Atmos system without cutting holes in your ceiling. Come and hear exactly what hi-fi speakers can do when it comes to AV... :)

Bowers & Wilkins new Diamond 800 D3 range of loudspeakers will be on demonstration, being used in three hi-fi based rooms on the day by Cyrus and Classe.

Classe will be presenting their new Sigma SSP pre/processor and Amp2 power amplifier, using the new Bowers & Wilkins Diamond 803 D3 speakers. Paul Clewes will be on hand to answer any Bowers & Wilkins/Classe related questions.

KEF Audio will be showing what their dedicated R50 Atmos speakers can do as part of a 5.2.4 R Series system in the Yamaha AV room. This will comprise of two SVS SB13 Ultra subwoofers, a pair of R700s for front left/right duties, R600c centre, and R300 bringing up the rear, along with two pairs of R50 Atmos speakers. Alex Foxon will be on hand to answer any KEF related questions.

Yamaha will be running through their range of MusicCast multi-room products, as well as showing off their flagship AV pre/power in a 5.2.4 Atmos/DTS:X system, including the new CXA5100 pre/processor. John Greig and Martin Torbuck will be on hand to answer any Yamaha related questions.

Cyrus will be demonstrating their new "Phono Signature" phono stage (at long last!) for the first time to the public! This will be used with a Project RPM10 turntable with Ortofon Cadenza Black or Bronze cartridge, and a full Cyrus Signature system with Bowers & Wilkins Diamond 804 D3 loudspeakers. Nick Price will be on hand to answer any Cyrus related questions.

Naim Audio will be demonstrating their NAC-N272 streaming pre-amplifier with their new NAP250DR power amplifier - these will be used with a pair of Focal Sopra No.1 loudspeakers. Maurice Tryner will be on hand to answer any Naim related questions.

Oppo will be demonstrating their award winning range of headphones (PM3, PM2, PM1) and headphone pre-amplifiers, as well as their BDP105 and BDP103 Bluray players being used in the KEF/Yamaha room. James Soanes will be on hand to answer any Oppo related questions.

Audioquest will be showing their new NightHawk headphones alongside the DragonFly and their newly released JitterBug and Beetle. Audioquest's cables will also be used by other systems on the day. Nick Allen will be on hand to answer any Audioquest related questions.

SVS will have a couple of thunderous SB13 Ultra subwoofers providing the grunt for the KEF/Yamaha Atmos/DTS:X system. Ian Severs will be on hand to answer any SVS related questions.

Chord Electronics will be demonstrating their new portable Mojo headphone pre-amp/DAC as well as their existing Hugo products along with Oppo and AudioQuest headphones. Matt Bartlett will be on hand to answer any Chord related questions.

Project will be working alongside Cyrus to demonstrate the RPM10 With Ortofon Cadenza Black or Bronze cartridge, as well as an RPM5 with Ortofon Quintet Black cartridge and 2Xperience SB DC with Ortofon 2m Silver. Kieran Pickaver will be on hand to answer any Project related questions.

Sony will be showing their new UltraHD VPL-HW520ES home theatre projector in the KEF/Yamaha Atmos/DTS:X room. Ian Severs will be on hand to answer any Sony related questions.

Samsung will be showing various UHD LED TVs (flat and curved) and matching soundbars. Models to be confirmed. Daniel Kersey will be on hand to answer any Samsung related questions.

Innuos will be providing streamed music for a couple of the systems on demo via a Zen Mini, and audio and visual for the KEF/Yamaha room via a Zen Plus music/movie server. Anthony Mills from Innuos will be present on the day to answer any Innuos related questions.

There will be the usual competitions - this year we have a few lovely bits to give away! There will be a Naim PowerLine mains cable, A Project Essential II turntable, and a pair of AudioQuest NightHawk headphones!

Our vinyl store will be well stocked for the day too, so make sure there's enough room in your IKEA Kallax for those re-issued classics and new releases!


So stick Saturday 28th November in your diary, cancel any weddings or christenings you may have, and pop in for a chat, a listen, and some refreshments, and help make it the enjoyable day that it usually is for all. See you then!​
 
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We are pleased to announce that Chord Electronic's new portable headphone DAC, the Mojo, will be on demonstration for our event at the end of next month! This will be alongside the Hugo and Hugo TT.

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Just a reminder to say that Cyrus' new phono stage - the Phono Signature - will be making its first UK appearance at this event!

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A late minute admission to our manufacturer list for the day is Innuos, which will be present on the day and using a Zen Mini to provide audio streaming to a couple of systems, and a Zen Plus to provide audio and video streaming in the KEF / Yamaha Atmos room.

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We will also have on demo a new product from Innuos that is a more 'stripped down' version of the Zen - the Zen Play. Everything is basically the same, but the drive has been removed, so you're just left with a high quality music server, which is upped to a 2TB storage limit.
 
I hope all those who attended had a good time and heard something they liked - thanks for attending and making it another busy, enjoyable open day, as always! Thanks to all the reps that took a day out of their weekend to take part. Now to relax with a bottle of Oyster Bay Pinot Noir (highly recommended), some munchies, and a few excellent movies... :)
 
Spent some time in the KEF/Yamaha room this sounded really good and the picture through the Sony 4K looked excellent loved the Atmos demos but the David Gilmour at the Albert hall was fantastic it was nice to hear the KEF R50 in a different environment than my home set up and I'm pleased to say judging from the set up in this room I have got it set up just right.
I would just like to thank everybody involved in the open day and look forward to next year.
 
It was a really good day, and that Sony projector? Damn that's a beautiful picture!
A lot of effort went into making that day, and I'd like to say a very big thank you to Frank Harvey and all the guys there for putting on such a good event. :smashin:
 
Spent some time in the KEF/Yamaha room this sounded really good and the picture through the Sony 4K looked excellent loved the Atmos demos but the David Gilmour at the Albert hall was fantastic it was nice to hear the KEF R50 in a different environment than my home set up and I'm pleased to say judging from the set up in this room I have got it set up just right.
I would just like to thank everybody involved in the open day and look forward to next year.
Many thanks status. The Yamaha room didn't really have much done to it after its initial setup. A single point auto setup was run to establish distances/levels etc, and then the crossover points were tweaked - other than that, nothing else was done (unless someone tweaked it without me knowing, which I'll be able to check in the morning!). I didn't really get a good listen to the setup as I hadn't seen any of the Atmos material we had to use on the day, so I didn't really want to spoil the films for my own viewing. Probably the most I saw was the first five minutes of Mad Max, which sounded phenomenal.
 
It was a really good day, and that Sony projector? Damn that's a beautiful picture!
A lot of effort went into making that day, and I'd like to say a very big thank you to Frank Harvey and all the guys there for putting on such a good event. :smashin:
Many thanks mercurial. I hate seeing 4K PJs, even with 1080p material. It's surprising how good 1080p looks on them, and this usually justifies their price alone, even if you never use their full native capabilities!
 
Just for info purposes, the Yamaha/KEF/SVS/Sony/Oppo/Innuos Atmos setup will remain set up for a little longer, so anyone who couldn't attend on the day can pop along to sample its delights. The 5.2.4 system is as follows:

Sony VPL-HW520ES UHD projector
Innuos ZenPlus movie server
Oppo BDP105D Bluray player
Yamaha CXA51000 pre/processor
Yamaha MXA5000 power amp
KEF R700 left/right speakers
KEF R600c centre speaker
KEF R300 rear speakers
KEF R50 Atmos upfiring speakers
SVS SB13Ultra subwoofers

The Innuos movie server has Mad Max, San Andreas, The Gunman, Terminator Genysis, John Wick, as well as a few others to choose from. For extended demos it would be worth booking in advance. Feel free to bring along your own demo material.
 

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