What’s new at G T Audio

This page aims to provide you with updates, news and where we will be exhibiting next.

Next UK show: National Audio Show, 25-26 September 2010

Show report: The Munich High End Society Show

Although we didn't exhibit at the High End Society's show in Munich this year, GT Audio were there, keeping our finger on the pulse of what's happening in high end audio internationally.

The show has really grown in recent years, comprising this year of two halls, three 'atria' and several corridors, so we were hard-pressed to devote as much time as we would have liked to every room, and some we simply never got to. There were manufacturers both large and small from all corners of the world, as well as stalls selling every conceivable accessory, and, most importantly, music! A nice touch was also the presence of live musical performances (on the Silent WIRE stand), which included a singer/pianist and a jazz band. This provided my ears with some welcome refreshment and a reminder of why we all do what we do in audio!

One of the first things we saw as we walked in was an eye-catching display of three tonearms 'waggling' on a specially produced vinyl disc with an large eccentric groove that caused the arms to track from edge of the record to centre and then back again per revolution. Our attention thus captured, we walked in to take a closer look and realised that these were tangential pivoted arms cleverly designed to offer the advantages of a traditional arm with the same lack of tracking error that a parallel tracker (or linear) tonearm delivers. At this point we were met by Micha Huber, the inventor, who was on hand to answer questions. Huber, who was trained as a professional musician and a mechanical engineer, turned his attention from developing Swiss watches to solving the age-old problem of tracking error in tonearms, using the mathematical theory of the 'Thales circle' to design an arm with negligible tracking error. Combining this with his experience of precision low friction bearings gained from watchmaking, Micha Huber has created an arm that is the perfect synthesis of music, engineering and the watchmaker's craft into a new patented design based on triangular geometry: the Thales Tonearm. His latest design, fittingly named "Simplicity", certainly looks simple at first sight - unlike the earlier designs which had additional pivots and arms to eliminate tracking error. The Simplicity appears to be a conventional arm until you see that the armwand is in fact two separate armwands pivoted using tetragon geometry similar to that used by the Garrard Zero 100 back in 1970. The Garrard arm gave a tracking error of 0.025° compared to a conventional arm which typically exhibits around 2° error across the surface of a 12" record (depending on armwand length). Micha Huber's design optimises this geometry and further reduces tracking error down to a negligible 0.008°. The two armwands are tuned such that they are better damped than any single-arm design, and anti-skate is 'automatically' compensated for with two magnets hidden inside the split counterweight. The execution of this arm is so well done that you can't help thinking 'why wasn't this done before?' yet conceptually it is far from simple. We can't wait to try one and hope to have one of the first examples of the Simplicity when it becomes available later this summer.

Though some might say I'm biased (no pun intended!) for me, one of the highlights of the show was seeing, and – more importantly hearing – the new 'G2' range of horn loudspeakers from Avantgarde Acoustics. The design of their room was stunning, reflecting the new look of their G2 range, showcasing the Uno horns in eleven different finishes. They also had a design study on display of a forthcoming amplifier. While Graham received a technical briefing on the many improvements that had been made to the new range, I sat and listened to the DUO MEZZO-G2s they were demonstrating. Wow! I have to say that during the demonstration I got goosepimples and my hair stood on end - now if that's not a sure sign of an emotional and involving sound, then I don't know what is! I would have to say that for us, the Avantgarde room was the best sound we heard at the show.

Also at the show we were able to see TW-Acustic's flagship Black Night turntable in action – a mightily impressive turntable making sweet music with the imposing Cessaro horns, crafted from solid wood. Thomas Woschnick from TW-Acustic was also giving away free speed control strobe discs to any vinyl junkies that visited his room – that's one of the few promotional items that's guaranteed NOT to end up in the bin after the show!

Downstairs in one of the halls we encountered Claus Jäckle of AcousticPlan. In his room he was demonstrating his new music server and amplifiers with his Veena loudspeakers. Despite the modernity of the source, the sound was beguilingly analogue. The system was being used with AcousticPlan’s new MagAmp which sounded very good too.

I'm running out of space now, but before I do, I just have to make mention of the Silbatone Acoustics room. If, like me, you've never heard vintage Western Electric cinema horns, then you missed out if you didn't get to hear these! Visitors to their (large) room at the High End show were treated to the opportunity to hear a pair of these rare auditorium-sized full-range horns. Even cinemas only had one (in the pre-WWII 'golden age of cinema' there was no multi-channel surround sound processing!) As you can imagine, the soundstage, dynamics and sheer scale of these things is unlike the modern hifi experience, and with this comes a smoothness and naturalness that gladdens the heart. However, you'd need a very large listening room and even larger pockets to add these into your system! We met Joe Roberts and J.C. Morrison (of Sound Practice fame) in this room and that it was great the Graham caught up with them after all those years since Sound Practice magazine was produced.

Our trip to Europe wasn't just for the Munich High End show, however: we also visited Hans Kortenbach of Musical Affairs (loudspeakers) in Holland. A day seemed to just fly by as we inspected his workshop and listened to his Grand Crescendo loudspeakers. It was fascinating to see a craftsman at work, and watch these beautifully crafted cabinets take shape. However, the real pleasure came in the auditioning. The sound had a smoothness, a naturalness and sheer musical life (I can't think how else to describe it) that sounded every bit as good as (and in many cases considerably better than) anything we encountered at the Munich show. We await delivery of our first pair with bated breath!

New product launch: Seven Preamplifier

We are delighted to announce that we now have a new member of the popular Seven family – the Seven Preamplifier. Building on the success of the Seven Phono and Seven Line stages, we now have an amplifier that offers the convenience of a one-box solution without any compromise in the high level of performance. The new amplifier includes improved componentry and now includes a tape loop. For more information see the Seven page. This new preamplifier really does offer unparalleled sound quality at the price!

News: February 2010 – Reed tonearms available in the UK

We are now the UK distributors of Reed tonearms. These arms are made by a group of radio engineers working in the hi-fi audio equipment field since 1985. The arms are the result of extensive research into the acoustic properties of arm tube materials, including such exotic woods as Western red cedar, Ebony Macassar, Cocobolo, Pernambucco, Pao Ferro and Panzerholtz (Tankwood). See our Analogue page for more details.

G T Audio had a great sound at The Rocky Mountain Fest (October 2009) at the Marriott Denver Tech Center, Denver, USA.

Thanks to our excellent representation in the US by Jeffrey Catalano of Highwater Sound, his two rooms at the Rocky Mountain show were voted by several publications to be among the best at the show. His two rooms featured TW-Acustic turntables, TRON amplifiers and Hørning loudspeakers. Don't take our word for it though, have a look here:
The Audio Beat.
6moons.

News: Autumn 2009 – Musical Affairs loudspeakers available in the UK

We are proud to announce that we will be distributing Musical Affairs loudspeakers in the UK. These speakers are designed and hand-built by Hans Kortenbach in the Netherlands, using PHY-HP drivers and real wood cabinet construction based on the principles of musical instrument design. See our loudspeakers page for more details. Graham says: "At last! Someone has finally produced an enclosure that works superbly well with the PHY-HP drivers and is a great match with TRON amps."

Paul Bardo
Design Director
G T Audio & Tron

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Find out about our range of new Hi-Fi equipment. You can also find pre-owned and ex demonstration equipment for sale.

Lovers of valve amplification will also want to check out our sister site, www.tron-electric.co.uk. This gives details, pictures and specifications of TRON's hand-built audiophile valve amplifiers and associated equipment. You will also find reviews from leading audiophile magazines, available as PDFs.

Just click the TRON logo in the top right corner.