BRISTOL SHOW PREVIEW 2019
The UK’S largest and longest running hi-fi show is back this month – and it has a new name. Here’s a taste of what you can expect to see...
The Bristol Show is back with a new name this year. Formerly known as ‘Sound & Vision – The Bristol Show’, it is now called ‘The Bristol Hi-fi Show’. AV brands will still exhibit, but the show’s organiser Audio T believes that, with a dwindling number of home cinema products demonstrated in recent years, this new name better reflects the current proportion of ‘sound’ and ‘vision’.
Otherwise, the iconic event – now in its 32nd year – is unchanged. Held at the Marriott City Centre Hotel in Bristol, the show will see displays and demos of the best hi-fi kit from over 160 brands, including familiar faces such as Arcam, Audiolab, B&W, Chord Electronics, Cyrus, KEF, Naim, Pro-ject, Rega, Technics and Wilson Benesch, and many more.
So what’s in store for visitors this year? A handful of brands have already given us a sneak peek at their exhibits…
Bowers & Wilkins
B&W will be bringing its latest 600 Series, now 24 years old, to the south west. Now into its sixth iteration, it maintains a long tradition of combining sensible prices with technology that has trickled down from its higher-end ranges.
The new 600 Series ranges from £399 to £1249 and features B&W’S new silver Continuum midrange driver that has replaced the company’s once-iconic yellow Kevlar cone. And if the larger standmounts are anything to go by, this could be the mid-priced speaker range to beat. You will also be able to hear a full B&W 600 7.2 package in action too. Where? The What Hi-fi? room in the Bristol Suite.
Bryston
Late last summer, PMC (UK distributor for Bryston) announced the £14,500 Bryston SP4 Surround Processor, which will make an appearance at The Bristol Show. The SP4 is a Dolby Atmos-, Auro-3d- and Dts:x-supporting, 16-channel processor, expandable to a 32-channel system thanks to a set of 16 optional RCA sockets in addition to 16 XLR outputs.
There’s built-in Dirac Live room correction technology, more than a handful of HDMI inputs and other digital connections, and an IOS app and webpage are also available for users who do not have control systems. Where? SS Great Britain 2 & 3
Creek Audio
Creek Audio is marking its 37th year in the hi-fi industry by moving its production away from the far-east and fully redeveloping its product line-up. Creek will also be releasing new products not seen in its catalogue for some 25 years. Where? Room 226
Dynaudio
Dynaudio is hoping to impress at the Bristol Hi-fi Show, with a stand including its new midrange Evoke speakers (£1100 to £3900) and flagship Confidence range (£11,000 to £35,000).
We saw the latter at the Munich High End Show in May, but the show will mark the first time we’ve clapped eyes on the Evokes, announced just before Christmas and which Dynaudio says borrow tech from the company’s higher-end ranges. Where? Stand Bristol 5 & Stand Foyer 2a
Edwards Audio
Edwards Audio is coming with its new TT6 turntable, with an in-house unipivot tonearm, plywood plinth and acrylic platter, as well as its new IA7 integrated amplifier and SP7 compact floor-standing speakers – all of which will be on demo at the show. Where? Room 422
Fyne Audio
Fyne Audio has delivered some fine speakers since its launch in 2017, and will be revealing two new models, including its new flagship, the F1-12. Building on the F1-10’s design with a larger cabinet, a new 12in version of the Isoflare point source driver built around a rigid cast aluminium chassis, and a larger plinth for improved bass performance. It will cost £25,999. Where? Room 304
ifi
ifi will be demonstrating its current arsenal, with the likes of the micro IDSD Black Label, XDSD and XCAN DACS, but the company has hinted at some surprises. Consider us intrigued… Where? Bristol 11
JBL
The L100 Classic is set to make its UK show debut this year. A modern take on the legendary L100, launched at CES Chicago back in 1970, the new version is the result of the JBL Synthesis team’s advancements in signal processing, EQ, amplification and speaker engineering. Where? Empire 2 (L100 Classic)
Linn
“If you’re looking for a top-end one-box electronics solution, the Selekt is a good place to start” is what we said of Linn’s Selekt DSM just-add-speakers music system, which will be on demo at the Bristol Show. The Selekt DSM is a modular design, with the base model a £4000 streamer/pre-amp; it can be upgraded with an integrated 100W per-channel Class D power amplifier (£5250 total) or the Katalyst DAC architecture that features in its Akurate and Klimax siblings (£5500, or both for £6750). You’ll want to hear this one. Where? Room 104 and Stand Bristol 7b
Mark Levinson
Harman’s Mark Levinson is going to need a sturdy shelf to show off the first two models from its new 5000 series, the No 5805 and No 5802 integrated amplifiers. The 125W per channel machines are due to go on sale in the first quarter of 2019 for $8500 and $7000 respectively (UK prices tbc). In addition to new preamp circuitry, phono stage and DAC, the range brings support for 32-bit/192khz and DSD 5.6 files, MQA playback and aptx HD.
They will be partnered with JBL’S K2 S9900 speakers, which we’ve described as ‘among the very best speakers money can buy’, so this is a must-see. Where? Empire Suite 2
Monitor Audio
Monitor Audio wasted no time announcing its all-new Gold speaker range early this year. A fifth-gen update to the previous Gold Series launched in 2015, the new six-strong series (prices between £1100 and £4000) sits below the company’s flagship Platinum II models – and borrows technology from it too. Where? Empire Suite 1
Proac
Proac is adding a new Response standmount and a K Series floorstander to its current range of loudspeakers. The former is particularly exciting in light of the Response DT8 winning a 2018
What Hi-fi? Award. The Response D2R is a ribbon-loaded version of the brand’s flagship standmounter, the Response D2, while the K6 Signature looks to expand on Proac’s reference range. Where? Empire Suite 3 and Room 216
Rogers
Remember Rogers? Well, it’s back! The renowned British company is returning to UK manufacture and has a full range of audio products – speakers, amplifiers and accessories – planned for 2019. Where? Room 422
What Hi-fi?
We are more than a little excited about our AV demonstration this year – we’ll be giving Samsung’s 75in 8K QLED TV its first UK public run, paired with a 7.2-channel surround sound system comprising one of our Award-winning Denon AV amps and the B&W 600 Series speaker package, for the ultimate AV experience. So, you will get to witness a cutting-edge audiovisual display, and put your feet up for a while. And we have 20 fabulous prizes up for grabs in our £10k show competition. Where? The Bristol Suite
Wilson Benesch
Its most ‘affordable’ speaker range still costs between £5995 and £14,995. The Precision Series comprises the P1.0 standmounts and P2.0 and P3.0 floorstanders, and feature mid/bass units from the reference Geometry Series and tweeters derived from the flagship Eminence. Where? Conservatory