OUR ROVING REPORTER VISITS THE NORTH WEST AUDIO SHOW 2025 AND SURVIVES TO TELL THE TALE

Well, what a surprise, my good friend first and loyal customer second decided to take me to the 2025 North West Audio Show and what's more he didn't make me wear a muzzle so I could pass totally non PC comments about some of the wares on display.

It's been a few years since I bought a hi-fi comic and even longer since when I used to prowl the hallowed halls at the Harrogate Audio Fair back when turntables were called gramophones, used thorn needles  and their "organic" power supply was clockwork driven, however, I digress.

In certain respects, things hadn't changed - there were still demonstrations of gaudy equipment and ridiculous design excess masquerading as the best ever commanding a  high price whilst sounding dreadful but also some very innovative designs backed by sound scientific and engineering principles.  I was particularly captivated by a small drive unit housed in a solid wood cabinet using a tuned port transmission line cleverly combined with a notch filter to tailor a most impressive sound.   The same designer offered his own design parallel tracking air bearing arm and turntable combination which put me in mind of the fabulous 1973 Transcriptors Transcriber - David Gammon would approve I am sure.

Sticking with the retro theme, it was also good to chat with the current head of Michell Audio, Johnathan Nye and see the grand-daddy of my Michel Gyrodec, device 001 belting out a tune helped by an SME 3009 Mk2 arm through an Exposure Electronics amplification combo showing that 80's hifi can still strut its stuff incredibly well - much like the vintage me in fact.

Going back even further in time, where else could you see a pre-amp with a neon voltage stabiliser a la VR150/50  helping a pair of Globe WE205D triodes and a brace of bright emitter R type valves to sing (yes really)?  Well in Mark Manwaring-White's room of course........

Moving onto current trends, I made a few interesting observations, the first was the number of "new" unipivot tonearms on offer, in the olden days we were told that these low mass arms suited to high compliance cartridges were rubbish so how nice to see a kickback against high moving mass and low compliance..... take that moving coils!! 

Similarly but with loudspeakers, we were told that multiple drive units led to poor integration and a crap sound and a single (concentric Tannoy) or a maximum of two drive units at a push were the way to sonic nirvana.   How curious it was to see five drive units now being de-rigeur and I sniggered knowingly as I was shown such a concatenation which put me in mind of a Sharp car hi-fi speaker display from 1978, the only difference being that the 1978 item sounded better.  Sticking with speakers, the current trend in the use of electrostatic tweeters wasn't missed either.

Vinyl figured heavily as you might expect, with many vintage and audiophile pressing dealers in attendance but the biggest surprise came from the reproducers being used for demonstrations.  By far the most common was that all time direct drive stalwart albeit in a modern incarnation, the Technics SL1200, a concession was made to belt with a Teac turntable in attendance and what's more, these unsuspended sub - plinthed  designs sounded good too.     Rim drive got a look in too with a solitary Garrard 301 sporting an all black livery to match its accompanying SME 309 and a lone Linn Sondek too.

Anyhow, just a few of my musings on what was to be seen.... and heard but a picture is worth 1000 words so please enjoy the following courtesy of MysticFocus