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Vipers

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  • Birthday 07/09/1968

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    Paul Clark
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  1. Welcoming Heed Audio Back To Our Portfolio Of Brands! Hi All, Have to say that I am delighted to now be able to add Heed Audio back to our range of brands we can offer as I have always been a big fan, not sure if anyone can remember but Heed where one of our first brands at HFL and we sold a fair bit of it with everyone loving it's very natural and unforced presentation, very valve like to be honest thanks to the output stage that Heed use for their amplifiers, but distribution changed hands and Heed kind of disappeared from UK shores for a few years but I am really pleased to say that they now have a new UK distributor so once I found this out I didn't hesitate in bringing them back into the fold. So for now on demo we have the £1650 Heed Abacus DAC, which you can add a streaming card to for £450 to make it a fantastic streaming/dac solution for £2100, we also have the matching half size Elixir Integrated amplifier at £1500 and its brand new bigger brother, the Lagrange which has just been upgraded to the Lagrange S priced at £5000 and finally the awesome little Canamp II headphone amp which at £475 is unbeatable if you want a brilliant and small great sounding analogue only headphone amp. Transcap Amplifier Design Explained Heed use a very different design for their amplifiers which really does makes them sound very natural and lifelike, please find more info below stolen from their website - 'When you own a Heed amplifier you meet technology that you most probably have never seen in action before. Like the almost forgotten (and then reincarnated) valve technology, the output capacitor transistor amplifiers can normally only be found in the deepest recesses of engineers drawers. The technical difficulties of RC-Coupling means almost 100% of todays manufacturers opt for the easier direct-coupled solutions instead. With great effort and countless development hours there is a way to employ an up to date and sonically better sounding RC-Coupled amplifier. We have chosen this way. This power transforming system needs to be perfectly balanced. The heart of our Transcap technology lies in the precise adjustment of all the charge transmitting and current delivery channels. This propels all the common amplifier components; mains transformer, power supply, voltage and power amplifier stages, into something radically different. You may see now, this is no ordinary amp and it cannot be measured by common standards. Using our methods the sound becomes thick, warm, yet clear and life-like, as it properly translates the electronic signal into the acoustic world.' Please find a link to the Heed products we have on demo below and if you would like a listen anytime please feel free to get in touch to book an appointment - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/heed/ Cheers, Paul. Heed Elixir Integrated Amplifier and Abacus DAC / Streamer Heed Lagrange S Integrated Amplifier
  2. Hi All, Have to say that I am delighted to now be able to add Heed Audio back to our range of brands we can offer as I have always been a big fan, not sure if anyone can remember but Heed where one of our first brands at HFL and we sold a fair bit of it with everyone loving it's very natural and unforced presentation, very valve like to be honest thanks to the output stage that Heed use for their amplifiers, but distribution changed hands and Heed kind of disappeared from UK shores for a few years but I am really pleased to say that they now have a new UK distributor so once I found this out I didn't hesitate in bringing them back into the fold. So for now on demo we have the £1650 Heed Abacus DAC, which you can add a streaming card to for £450 to make it a fantastic streaming/dac solution for £2100, we also have the matching half size Elixir Integrated amplifier at £1500 and its brand new bigger brother, the Lagrange which has just been upgraded to the Lagrange S priced at £5000 and finally the awesome little Canamp II headphone amp which at £475 is unbeatable if you want a brilliant and small great sounding analogue only headphone amp. Transcap Amplifier Design Explained Heed use a very different design for their amplifiers which really does makes them sound very natural and lifelike, please find more info below stolen from their website - 'When you own a Heed amplifier you meet technology that you most probably have never seen in action before. Like the almost forgotten (and then reincarnated) valve technology, the output capacitor transistor amplifiers can normally only be found in the deepest recesses of engineers drawers. The technical difficulties of RC-Coupling means almost 100% of todays manufacturers opt for the easier direct-coupled solutions instead. With great effort and countless development hours there is a way to employ an up to date and sonically better sounding RC-Coupled amplifier. We have chosen this way. This power transforming system needs to be perfectly balanced. The heart of our Transcap technology lies in the precise adjustment of all the charge transmitting and current delivery channels. This propels all the common amplifier components; mains transformer, power supply, voltage and power amplifier stages, into something radically different. You may see now, this is no ordinary amp and it cannot be measured by common standards. Using our methods the sound becomes thick, warm, yet clear and life-like, as it properly translates the electronic signal into the acoustic world.' Please find a link to the Heed products we have on demo below and if you would like a listen anytime please feel free to get in touch to book an appointment - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/heed/ Cheers, Paul. Heed Elixir Integrated Amplifier and Abacus DAC / Streamer Heed Lagrange S Integrated Amplifier
  3. Accuphase A-48 Class A Power Amp and C-2300 Pre-Amp Now On Demo! Hi All, Well I certainly have a bit of a soft spot for Accuphase and so do our customers as over the last few years they have become one of our most popular brands and rightly so for many reasons, firstly nothing is as well made as Accuphase, it is so beautifully engineered and built like a tank, you just have to do the knob test to see how well they are made, secondly they look absolutely gorgeous, I mean who doesn’t like a VU meter and most importantly they sound brilliant, very natural, full bodied and musical and I have to say although they are not exactly cheap they are fantastic value for money when you take all the above into account. So over the last couple of years we have been building up our Accuphase demo stock and with the launch of their new £10,200 C-2300 Pre which we have had for a month or so I needed to partner that with an amp at a similar level so I decided on the A-48 Class A amplifier at £10,300, now I must admit I have always preferred Class A/B but actually slowly but surely I am coming round to Class A, again very realistic and natural sounding, especially with Vocals so I have to say they make the perfect combo. I should also mention that we have the new E-4000 A/B integrated on demo. If you’d like to try any Accuphase products anytime please feel free to get in touch, please find a link to their range below, any questions just shout - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/accuphase/ Regards, Paul.
  4. Hi All, Well I certainly have a bit of a soft spot for Accuphase and so do our customers as over the last few years they have become one of our most popular brands and rightly so for many reasons, firstly nothing is as well made as Accuphase, it is so beautifully engineered and built like a tank, you just have to do the knob test to see how well they are made, secondly they look absolutely gorgeous, I mean who doesn’t like a VU meter and most importantly they sound brilliant, very natural, full bodied and musical and I have to say although they are not exactly cheap they are fantastic value for money when you take all the above into account. So over the last couple of years we have been building up our Accuphase demo stock and with the launch of their new £10,200 C-2300 Pre which we have had for a month or so I needed to partner that with an amp at a similar level so I decided on the A-48 Class A amplifier at £10,300, now I must admit I have always preferred Class A/B but actually slowly but surely I am coming round to Class A, again very realistic and natural sounding, especially with Vocals so I have to say they make the perfect combo. I should also mention that we have the new E-4000 A/B integrated on demo. If you’d like to try any Accuphase products anytime please feel free to get in touch, please find a link to their range below, any questions just shout - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/accuphase/ Regards, Paul.
  5. Fyne Audio Classic and Vintage Speakers Now On Demo! Hi All, So I must admit that over the last 12-18 months I have really gone down the rabbit hole of a more traditional looking speaker design, mainly driven by discovering the wonderful speakers of DeVore Fidelity, so when Fyne Audio announced their Classic and Vintage range of speakers recently I was primed and ready to have a listen, you know where this is going don't you, yep so after hearing both ranges I was sold and ordered a pair of Vintage 5's and Classic 10's for demo and Fyne have also kindly lent me the Vintage 10's to have a listen to which I can see being on permanent demo also soon as they really do sound brilliant, so effortless. There really is something so natural in the presentation with these wide baffle and easy to drive speakers that is addictive to listen to, you really do get lost in the music and these new Fynes have nailed this too, basically the Classic and Vintage ranges are quite similar with the Classic's using a cheaper cabinet design to help keep the cost down, I have to say that the Classic X's we have here at £6499 are incredible value, but when you see the cabinets on the more prestigious Vintage range they really are quite stunning, beautifully made, a real bit of furniture in your room, personally I am a bit of a walnut tart so these big Vintage speakers couldn't look any better to me. Obviously audio is very subjective and I could talk all day about how great these speakers sound and their technology but the only way is to listen for yourself so if you'd like a listen at anypoint please feel free to get in touch. Please find a link below to Fyne Audio on our website and a few pictures of the Classic and Vintage speakers we have on demo - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/fyne-audio/ Cheers, Paul. Fyne Audio Classic X Speakers Fyne Audio Vintage 5 Speakers Fyne Audio Vintage 10 Speakers
  6. Hi All, So I must admit that over the last 12-18 months I have really gone down the rabbit hole of a more traditional looking speaker design, mainly driven by discovering the wonderful speakers of DeVore Fidelity, so when Fyne Audio announced their Classic and Vintage range of speakers recently I was primed and ready to have a listen, you know where this is going don't you, yep so after hearing both ranges I was sold and ordered a pair of Vintage 5's and Classic 10's for demo and Fyne have also kindly lent me the Vintage 10's to have a listen to which I can see being on permanent demo also soon as they really do sound brilliant, so effortless. There really is something so natural in the presentation with these wide baffle and easy to drive speakers that is addictive to listen to, you really do get lost in the music and these new Fynes have nailed this too, basically the Classic and Vintage ranges are quite similar with the Classic's using a cheaper cabinet design to help keep the cost down, I have to say that the Classic X's we have here at £6499 are incredible value, but when you see the cabinets on the more prestigious Vintage range they really are quite stunning, beautifully made, a real bit of furniture in your room, personally I am a bit of a walnut tart so these big Vintage speakers couldn't look any better to me. Obviously audio is very subjective and I could talk all day about how great these speakers sound and their technology but the only way is to listen for yourself so if you'd like a listen at anypoint please feel free to get in touch. Please find a link below to Fyne Audio on our website and a few pictures of the Classic and Vintage speakers we have on demo - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/fyne-audio/ Cheers, Paul. Fyne Audio Classic X Speakers Fyne Audio Vintage 5 Speakers Fyne Audio Vintage 10 Speakers
  7. HiFi Rose RA280 Integrated Amplifier Now On Demo! Hi Everyone, Another quick update to say that we now have the new HiFi Rose RA 280 Integrated Amplifier on permanent demo. I think it is fair to say that it's bigger brother, the RA 180 divided opinion on its styling, there was no questions on its sound quality but it is quite a busy looking amp, I liked it but I understand it wasn't the most conventional looking amp but the new RA280 has put that all right and simplified the design and features, it is basically a cut down RA 280 and all the better for it I'd say, it really does look the part and at £2999 seems great value. The amplification is what HiFi Rose call Class AD which is basically their own developed take on Class D where you get the efficiency and advantages of Class D but the sound quality of a more conventional Class A or AB amp, I have to say Class D used to be a really dirty word in HiFi but there really have been leaps and bounds made in this area over the last few years and now I feel it really shouldn't even be mentioned, even though I just have, as I'd say Class D, or AD, amps can go toe to toe with any amplification now. As with all HiFi Rose products it is beautifully built, you can really see the attention to detail they have put into to every element, it should have a clear cover so you can see the internals as they are laid out so cleanly but it all comes down to sound quality and I'd say it is a winner here and is a great amp to go up against our other amps in this ballpark, the Rega Aethos, the Naim SuperNait 3, the Musical Fidelity M6si, Heed Lagrange and the Accuphase E-280, so if you are in the market for an amp under £5k feel free to get in touch for a demo as you really are spoilt for choice nowadays. Please find a link to the HiFi Rose product range below which we have all on demo and a few pics of the RA280 + RS150 and RA180 - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/hifi-rose/ HiFi Rose RS520 Offer Whilst we are talking HiFi Rose, please find below details on an offer that is currently available on the RS520 all in one with the Magnet speakers making a really neat compact system, if you'd like to demo it feel free to get in touch. https://hifilounge.co.uk/hifi-rose-x-magnat-bundle-offer/ Cheers, Paul.
  8. Hi Everyone, Another quick update to say that we now have the new HiFi Rose RA 280 Integrated Amplifier on permanent demo. I think it is fair to say that it's bigger brother, the RA 180 divided opinion on its styling, there was no questions on its sound quality but it is quite a busy looking amp, I liked it but I understand it wasn't the most conventional looking amp but the new RA280 has put that all right and simplified the design and features, it is basically a cut down RA 280 and all the better for it I'd say, it really does look the part and at £2999 seems great value. The amplification is what HiFi Rose call Class AD which is basically their own developed take on Class D where you get the efficiency and advantages of Class D but the sound quality of a more conventional Class A or AB amp, I have to say Class D used to be a really dirty word in HiFi but there really have been leaps and bounds made in this area over the last few years and now I feel it really shouldn't even be mentioned, even though I just have, as I'd say Class D, or AD, amps can go toe to toe with any amplification now. As with all HiFi Rose products it is beautifully built, you can really see the attention to detail they have put into to every element, it should have a clear cover so you can see the internals as they are laid out so cleanly but it all comes down to sound quality and I'd say it is a winner here and is a great amp to go up against our other amps in this ballpark, the Rega Aethos, the Naim SuperNait 3, the Musical Fidelity M6si, Heed Lagrange and the Accuphase E-280, so if you are in the market for an amp under £5k feel free to get in touch for a demo as you really are spoilt for choice nowadays. Please find a link to the HiFi Rose product range below which we have all on demo and a few pics of the RA280 + RS150 and RA180 - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/hifi-rose/ HiFi Rose RS520 Offer Whilst we are talking HiFi Rose, please find below details on an offer that is currently available on the RS520 all in one with the Magnet speakers making a really neat compact system, if you'd like to demo it feel free to get in touch. https://hifilounge.co.uk/hifi-rose-x-magnat-bundle-offer/ Cheers, Paul.
  9. PMC Go Active With Twenty5i Speaker Range + Upgrade Available To Existing Twenty5 + 5i! Hi All, So this is big news that was announced yesterday at the Bristol HiFi Show, PMC Speakers are bringing their many years of Active speaker experience from their Pro world to their multi award winning domestic 2 way Twenty5i range, and even better news if you already have a pair of their 2 way Twenty5 or 5i speakers you can make them active by purchasing the Active upgrade kit and swapping the crossover board over. Basically all you need to do is add a DAC with a volume control like a Chord Hugo TT2 or dCS Lina or a streaming Preamp like the Naim NSC 222 and you will have a really simple and clean system that will sound amazing, I can see this really being a popular option as nowadays people don't necessarily want loads of boxes but don't want to sacrifice sound quality. The Active option is available on all 2 way Twenty5 and 5i models, so the 21's, 22's, 23's and 24's, please see more info below from PMC themselves - 'In the Active twenty5i series, each driver is directly coupled to an ideally matched 100W power amplifier, able to control the driver with a vice-like grip. Ahead of the power amps, a meticulously modelled analogue crossover splits the incoming signal, so each amplifier is only handling the frequencies appropriate to the driver it's powering, guaranteeing ideal driver integration and a staggeringly pure, natural, and free-breathing sound. It's an elegantly simple solution for any music lover, reinventing the twenty5i speakers with even greater resolution and control and bringing you even closer to the music.' Needless to say being such big PMC fans we will have Active Twenty5i's on demo shortly and will get an open day planned asap. Please find some pics below, Pricing to follow shortly but if you'd like more info please feel free to get in touch. Cheers, Paul.
  10. Hi All, So this is big news that was announced yesterday at the Bristol HiFi Show, PMC Speakers are bringing their many years of Active speaker experience from their Pro world to their multi award winning domestic 2 way Twenty5i range, and even better news if you already have a pair of their 2 way Twenty5 or 5i speakers you can make them active by purchasing the Active upgrade kit and swapping the crossover board over. Basically all you need to do is add a DAC with a volume control like a Chord Hugo TT2 or dCS Lina or a streaming Preamp like the Naim NSC 222 and you will have a really simple and clean system that will sound amazing, I can see this really being a popular option as nowadays people don't necessarily want loads of boxes but don't want to sacrifice sound quality. The Active option is available on all 2 way Twenty5 and 5i models, so the 21's, 22's, 23's and 24's, please see more info below from PMC themselves - 'In the Active twenty5i series, each driver is directly coupled to an ideally matched 100W power amplifier, able to control the driver with a vice-like grip. Ahead of the power amps, a meticulously modelled analogue crossover splits the incoming signal, so each amplifier is only handling the frequencies appropriate to the driver it's powering, guaranteeing ideal driver integration and a staggeringly pure, natural, and free-breathing sound. It's an elegantly simple solution for any music lover, reinventing the twenty5i speakers with even greater resolution and control and bringing you even closer to the music.' Needless to say being such big PMC fans we will have Active Twenty5i's on demo shortly and will get an open day planned asap. Please find some pics below, Pricing to follow shortly but if you'd like more info please feel free to get in touch. Cheers, Paul.
  11. New Bryston BP-19 Preamp Now On Demo! Hi All, We have always been big fans of Bryston at HiFi Lounge, they were one of our founding brands and I have personally owned Bryston at home for 15+ years now and I still love it, they walk that fine line really well giving clarity, honestly and insight into any recording but with just enough warmth to keep the presentation natural and I still think in this crazy world of HiFi they give great value for money and peace of mind with their legendary 20 year warranty on analogue products. They are not a brand to keep releasing new products but when they do release something it is always worth a listen so when the BP-19 Pre was announced I ordered one straight away so I am really pleased to say that we now have it on permanent demo and it really doesn’t disappoint. I always feel the importance of a preamp is overlooked, a good preamp should really help open up the soundstage, give depth and height to the music, they are certainly way more than just a input switcher with a volume control. The BP-19 follows a long line of great Bryston Preamps, like the BP-26 and BP-17 amongst many others including the recent award winning BR-20 which was a streaming Preamp, a great sounding Pre to be honest but not everyone wanted the digital section in that so hence the BP-19, based on the BR-20 but just analogue so a great companion to the BR-20 meaning Bryston have 2 brilliant offering there and when partnered with one of their amps you really can’t go wrong. We were running it for a demo at the weekend with the 4B3 stereo amp and PMC Fact.12 Signature speakers and it just sounded brilliant, a sound I am very familiar with as not a million miles from what I run at home. Please find a link to Bryston on our website and if you’d like to come in for a demo at any point please feel free. https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/bryston/ Cheers, Paul.
  12. Hi All, We have always been big fans of Bryston at HiFi Lounge, they were one of our founding brands and I have personally owned Bryston at home for 15+ years now and I still love it, they walk that fine line really well giving clarity, honestly and insight into any recording but with just enough warmth to keep the presentation natural and I still think in this crazy world of HiFi they give great value for money and peace of mind with their legendary 20 year warranty on analogue products. They are not a brand to keep releasing new products but when they do release something it is always worth a listen so when the BP-19 Pre was announced I ordered one straight away so I am really pleased to say that we now have it on permanent demo and it really doesn’t disappoint. I always feel the importance of a preamp is overlooked, a good preamp should really help open up the soundstage, give depth and height to the music, they are certainly way more than just a input switcher with a volume control. The BP-19 follows a long line of great Bryston Preamps, like the BP-26 and BP-17 amongst many others including the recent award winning BR-20 which was a streaming Preamp, a great sounding Pre to be honest but not everyone wanted the digital section in that so hence the BP-19, based on the BR-20 but just analogue so a great companion to the BR-20 meaning Bryston have 2 brilliant offering there and when partnered with one of their amps you really can’t go wrong. We were running it for a demo at the weekend with the 4B3 stereo amp and PMC Fact.12 Signature speakers and it just sounded brilliant, a sound I am very familiar with as not a million miles from what I run at home. Please find a link to Bryston on our website and if you’d like to come in for a demo at any point please feel free. https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/bryston/ Cheers, Paul.
  13. Chord Electronics Ultima Integrated Amplifier Now On Demo, Sounding and Looking Great! Hi all, So here we are with another new product we have on permanent demo, this time from Chord Electronics with their new and stunning looking Ultima Integrated Amplifier. Basically packed with their newish Ultima Tech which has made their recent Stereo and Mono power amps so popular, there really is a very natural presentation to their amps nowadays, still very dynamic and engaging but not as forward as some of the Chord amps used to be, they are really musical and rhythmic hence why their Ultima amps have been their most popular ever and this new integrated carries this legacy on and with 125 watts on tap it will get the best from most speakers. And you've really got to love the way it looks. Please feel free to come in for a demo anytime, please find a link to the Chord amplifier range below on our website - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/chord-electronics/chord-electronics-reference/ Cheers, Paul.
  14. Hi all, So here we are with another new product we have on permanent demo, this time from Chord Electronics with their new and stunning looking Ultima Integrated Amplifier. Basically packed with their newish Ultima Tech which has made their recent Stereo and Mono power amps so popular, there really is a very natural presentation to their amps nowadays, still very dynamic and engaging but not as forward as some of the Chord amps used to be, they are really musical and rhythmic hence why their Ultima amps have been their most popular ever and this new integrated carries this legacy on and with 125 watts on tap it will get the best from most speakers. And you've really got to love the way it looks. Please feel free to come in for a demo anytime, please find a link to the Chord amplifier range below on our website - https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/chord-electronics/chord-electronics-reference/ Cheers, Paul.
  15. Rega Aya 'Concrete' Speakers Now On Demo! Hi Everyone, So it has been such a busy start to 2024, which is great news, but we haven’t had any time to update on all the new demo kit we have had through the doors this year so I am going to try and do a daily blog for the next week or so on new demo kit we now have here, they won’t be the longest articles ever but short and sweet snippets as an update. To start with we have the new Rega Aya speakers on permanent demo, I guess their claim to fame will be that the cabinets are constructed from a 'Glass Reinforced Cement' which is certainly a first as far as I am aware, this has been done to help keep prices sensible as normal wooden cabinets are certainly getting more expensive to manufacture but they are also a great sounding speaker, especially for the £1499 asking price. To be honest I was sold when I first saw them, they are very compact and just look right but different to anything else we have, their integrated feet make life nice and easy and add the overall look but they really do perform when it comes to sound quality giving an open and solid sound, the bass weight is particularly impressive, it is a very complete sound and the perfect partner for any system but particularly a Rega one with the Elex or Elicit amps and a Planar turntable. Please find link to the Aya’s on our website where there is a great review from HiFi Choice and if you’d like to come in for a demo anytime please feel free. https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/rega/loudspeakers-rega/ Cheers, Paul.
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