The second day of Bristol opened every bit as busy as the first. I had spent the previous night reminiscing into the early hours with an old university mate over a bottle of single malt. That’s the problem with meeting up with a friend from your university days—you revert to your 20-year-old self! I realized in the morning that I was a 56-year-old man with a 20-year-old’s hangover, which was no fun at all!
Kerr Acoustic / Cyrus Audio
Kerr Acoustic took a huge room at this year’s show; in fact, it was the same room Naim Audio had occupied in previous years. On demo were Kerr Acoustic’s K200 three-way standmount loudspeakers (£19,995/pair), with a front end comprising the new Cyrus 80 AMP streaming integrated amplifier (£5399), Cyrus TTP turntable (£3499), and Cyrus 40 PPA phono stage (£1995). I was only able to identify the components in this system because I took the trouble to ask a rep, who looked up prices. I doubt members of the public had a clue what they were listening to.
The K200 is a large loudspeaker, with a ribbon tweeter, a 3″ soft-dome midrange driver, and an impressive 10″ radial bass driver in a transmission-line cabinet. Interestingly, Kerr Acoustic was using the Townshend Seismic Podiums under their loudspeakers. I have remarked before on how these transform the performance of loudspeakers in terms of resolution, detail, and bass articulation, which is why I use them at home. No surprise, then, that this system sounded beautifully articulate and detailed, with excellent bass extension and a wonderfully mellifluous midband. These are impressive loudspeakers that lean towards the accuracy and neutrality of high-end studio monitors. This is the kind of sound I like, so I really should arrange to get some of their loudspeakers in for review.
Fyne Audio / Accuphase
Fyne Audio deserves an award for the most impressive room at the show. I walked in and mouthed “wow” at the scale of their room and the elegance of the display. Later I sent Doug Schneider a video of the room and a message saying, “Some of these brands aren’t mucking about” (only I didn’t say “mucking”).
The firm was showcasing a very large system featuring their F704SP floorstanders driven by a brace of superb Accuphase electronics; it sounded epic. The F704SP (Special Production) retails for £19,999/pair. Its driver complement includes a 12″ IsoFlare point-source driver with a 3″ titanium-dome compression tweeter at its center. A second 12″ woofer extends the bass response.
The Fyne F704SP (on right) complete with supertweeter
High-end components are used throughout the crossovers, including Vishay resistors and ClarityCap capacitors. These big floorstanders are available in Piano Gloss Black, Piano Gloss White, Piano Gloss Walnut, and Natural Walnut.
In addition, Fyne was demonstrating their omnidirectional supertweeters, which retail for £2999–£3499, depending on the chosen finish. Fyne’s SuperTrax supertweeter has two purposes. First, it extends the frequency response beyond the range of human hearing, which Fyne claims increases fidelity and detail. Second, it radiates in all directions, increasing the sense of spaciousness. It’s certainly true that any live instrument will tend to radiate in all directions. In a concert hall, one always hears a mix of direct and reflected sound. I found the demo of the supertweeter very intriguing, and must follow up on this further in a future review.
Sonically this was a huge room and a very large system with a great deal of both precision and power. Randy Crawford and Joe Sample’s “See Line Woman” sounded incredibly transparent and lifelike.
Fyne was also showing off the excellent range of new color options on their F500-series loudspeakers, for which they can match to any Pantone color you like. It’s great to see firms offering more contemporary design options. Many of the colors on display looked gorgeous.
Rega
Rega always hosts one of the best rooms at the Bristol show. At a time when so many brands are pivoting towards ridiculous über‑fi, Rega continues to build superb audio for people with real-world budgets.
New at Bristol was the Rega Planar 6 RS (Rega Special) turntable (£2000), which takes the base Planar 6 and augments it with technology from the Planar 8, including a plinth with Tancast polyurethane sandwiched between sheets of high-pressure laminate. The Planar 8’s RB880 tonearm is also fitted to the Planar 6 RS. Rega has also just released the Nd9 moving-magnet cartridge (£695). Taking its place at the top of Rega’s MM range, the Nd9 offers a line-contact stylus and boron cantilever. It comes fitted to the Planar 6 RS as standard.
Another product making its debut at Bristol was Rega’s new AOS phono preamplifier (£1500), which features a circuit design heavily based on the firm’s reference Aura MC phono stage. The aim of the AOS is to offer performance that approaches that of the Aura at a more accessible price. The AOS offers flexible gain and loading via dip switches on the rear of the case.
Keith Monks Audio Works
It’s always a delight to see what this legendary firm has up their sleeves at Bristol. When I reviewed the Keith Monks Prodigy Plus record-cleaning machine for SoundStage! Ultra in November 2024, I was blown away by its performance, to the point where I bought one for myself. Since then, I have been shocked at the way it turns crackly old vinyl records into near-silent pressings that are better than some of the new vinyl I buy.
I was astonished to see the Prodigy machine I bought advertised at the show for a hefty discount—from as little as £770, which for one of the best record-cleaning machines money can buy is absurd! The ever-delightful Jonathan Monks explained that their quality-control procedures are such that every year they end up with a stockpile of parts that that do not meet their exacting standards, such as slightly noisy motors or plinths with a minor mark. Eventually, the decision was taken to use these B-spec parts to make Monks record-cleaning machines accessible to everyone at even lower prices.
If you are a keen record collector, a machine like this will seriously upgrade your audio quality, preserve your collection, and protect your cartridge. I only wish I had bought one years ago, as I had no idea how transformative a machine like this is to the enjoyment of vinyl.
Michell / PMC
Once again, Michell and PMC joined forces at Bristol—which makes sense, because PMC now handles distribution of Michell turntables in the UK. As a longtime GyroDec owner, I have been thrilled to see the firm rising phoenix-like, following a period when it seemed to be consolidating rather than forging ahead.
The author with Keith Tong and Rachel Goodwin of PMC
Following their official launch last fall, Michell’s new Gyro and Revolv turntables made their UK show debut at Bristol. Both decks have seriously raised the performance bar for vinyl replay at their respective price points. The Gyro in particular looks like it is going be a giant-slayer, given its superb precision engineering and a ridiculously competitive price of £5995. The firm employed state-of-the-art AI energy-dissipation analysis to design the 19mm solid aerospace-grade machined-aluminum subchassis, upgraded the bearing, designed an all-new power supply, and added Sorbothane support feet. In addition, the tonearm coupling is now a more precise aluminum affair, without Delrin spacers; the suspension has been redesigned to resonate at a lower 3.5Hz, putting it even further out of the audioband; and the new Equilibria lateral damping mechanism aims to ensure all motion is pistonic. For their demo, Michell chose to use their new Apollo phono stage (£3500), which I still think is the finest phono stage I have ever heard.
PMC was showcasing their Prodigy loudspeaker range, which I think is one of the most attractive and contemporary-looking loudspeaker lines available today. When I was in the room, they were demonstrating the diminutive Prodigy1 two-way standmount speakers (£2875/pair), with a front end comprising Michell’s Revolv turntable and Bryston’s Bi‑200 integrated amplifier (£9450) and BDA‑3 DAC (£4499).
Tracy Chapman’s “She’s Got Her Ticket” sounded superbly transparent. The bass was very impressive, considering these small loudspeakers were being demonstrated in such a large room. On “Insomnia” by Faithless, the system demonstrated great timing and precision, and it created a sizeable soundstage.
Michell’s new Gyro turntable
Sugden Audio / Systemdek / Art Loudspeakers
This was one of the rooms I was most excited to visit at the Bristol show. My analogue journey started with a secondhand Dunlop Systemdek IIX turntable back in 1988. The Scottish firm rose from of the ashes of the highly respected Ariston turntable manufacturer, whose RD11 predated the Linn Sondek LP12. Indeed, the LP12 was heavily based on the acclaimed RD11—same bearing, same split Mazak platter, and almost identical three-point suspension, all encased in a very similar wooden plinth.
Peter Dunlop, formerly of Ariston, founded Systemdek in the late 1970s and began making turntables. The IIX was widely regarded as superior to the Rega Planar 3 at a similar price point, and was a very popular choice in its day. Sadly, the gradual replacement of vinyl by CDs in the 1990s led to Dunlop selling the rights for the Systemdek and its production tooling to Audio Note, who continue to market their own range of Systemdek-derived turntables today.
Happily, Peter’s sons, Derek and Ramsey, have elected to resurrect their father’s legacy by reestablishing Systemdek and building the new Systemdek Revolution turntable, which made its show debut at Bristol.
Priced at £6250, and on demonstration at Bristol with a Rega tonearm and Nagaoka MM cartridge, the Systemdek Revolution is a very attractive-looking turntable. The subchassis uses a USA-made material called Richlite, which is essentially paper bonded with a phenolic resin. The material is both dense and inert, making it ideal for this application. The turntable’s magnetically opposed taper bearing eliminates mechanical contact at the bearing point for minimal friction, while the subchassis is suspended to isolate the platter from external influences. The platter is a thick Delrin design offering excellent speed stability. I was very taken with the turntable’s looks, which manage to pay respect to the firm’s legacy and at the same time feel fresh and modern.
The demo system also featured Sugden amplification feeding Art Loudspeakers’ Impression Diamond Reference 8 floorstanders (£29,000/pair). The Impression Diamond Reference 8 is a three-way bass-reflex design with a 1″ diamond-dome tweeter, an 8″ papyrus-fibre midrange driver, and an 8″ Nextel woofer. Annie Lennox’s “No More ‘I Love You’s’” sounded incredibly airy and spacious, with tremendous clarity.
I’m looking forward to reviewing the new Systemdek turntable and wish the revitalized firm well. It’s great to see them back.
Lockwood Loudspeakers
I’ve been impressed each time I’ve heard Lockwood loudspeakers at Bristol, but as yet I haven’t reviewed any, which is something I hope to put right this year. Lockwood is Britain’s oldest family-owned audio company and has an impressive pedigree in studio monitoring.
The firm had a good reason to be at Bristol, because they were launching their first new product in 50 years (yes, you did read that right). In an age of almost perpetual change for change’s sake, I find this approach deeply reassuring. I was reminded of the Morgan motor company, who are still largely building the same cars in the same way that they were when there were Spitfires in the sky fighting the Battle of Britain.
The Lockwood Universal Stanley is a small loudspeaker with a 5″ point-source dual-concentric driver with Alnico magnet, housed in a ported birch-ply cabinet. Two variants are available: the standmounted V1 (£3799.99/pair), which claims frequency response down to 55Hz, and the floorstanding V2 (£4899.99/pair), which claims frequency response to 25Hz.
All Lockwood speakers are handmade in the UK, hand-veneered, and then waxed. They have pure copper binding posts. Efficiency is a respectable 88dB.
When I asked to hear a Kate Bush track from her debut album, The Kick Inside, the Lockwood representative casually told me that the album was monitored and mixed in 1978 on EMI Abbey Road’s Lockwood main monitors. It’s a great-sounding album, and the standmounted Lockwoods offered superb imaging and clarity for this intimate performance by Kate.
Interestingly, after Daniel Lanois purchased those very same monitors from Abbey Road, he enquired about why there was a pronounced mark on the front of one of the cabinets. Lockwood reported that the damage occurred when John Lennon was listening to a playback of “Imagine” at Abbey Road. He didn’t like his vocals, so he hurled a cup of tea at the Lockwoods; the cup glanced off one of them, leaving a scratch.
It’s always a joy to hear Lockwood speakers, and even more of a thrill to hear all their stories about the making of some of the most important records of the past 75 years.
Day two was a real pleasure. I heard some great systems while Shazam-ing more excellent demo tracks to add to my Tidal playlist. After the show closed, I elected to head to a nearby Greek restaurant, which proved a little disappointing, so I retired fairly early to my room and planned the campaign for the third and final day at Bristol.
Jonathan Gorse
Senior Contributor, SoundStage!
