The question we are most often asked is what cables should I choose for my system as you have such a large choice.

We always say the same thing, start at the wall socket (assuming you can’t put in a dedicated mains spur or have done already).

Invest in a good wall socket for starters, our recommendations are below. This will be the building block to start your mains improvements.

MS HD Power UK Mains Wall Sockets Various Platings

Furutech FP-1363-D Gold UK Wall Socket

FURUTECH FP-1363D NCF MAINS WALL SOCKET

The cable going from the wall socket to your mains power strip/conditioner/regenerator/balance mains unit etc is the most important cable in your system, it will determine what your system sounds like overall.

If you don’t have a separate mains lead from the wall socket and would like to use a mains block with the cable hard wired then our recommended solutions are below all based on your chosen budget.

MCRU 6 Gang Silver Plated Mains Block LAPP Cable

MCRU No.75 Mains Power Extension Hub

MCRU No. 79 Mains Power Extension Hub

MCRU No. 1 Mains Power Extension Hub

If you are considering some sort of mains conditioner or already have one but want to upgrade it then we recommend the Puritan Audio range of mains conditioners. Quite simply they offer instant sonic improvements withoutany of the bells and whistles that other manufacturers include which are not always needed. Puritan are based in England so you are also supporting UK manufacturing while it still exists. Depending how many components your system has our mains blocks and mains conditioners have between 4 and 12 sockets (mains block have 4,6 or 8 sockets and conditioners usually 6 or 12) so there will be a solution for most people’s needs.

A lot of hifi systems are built up over the years from when funds allow, mains cables and accessories are no different, try a few upgrades first to see if the results are commensurate with the money paid. Often just changing 1 mains lead will result ina discernible sonic improvement. Proven by customer feedbacks. Bigger improvements usually follow by upgrading to a mains conditioner so that the entire system benefits from a cleaner mains supply.

If there is room in your hifi rack for a conditioner we recommend the Puritan PSM156 which has 6 sockets on the back panel, compared to other brands who often charge 2 or 3 times more the Puritan punches well above its weight. It is also supplied with a quality mains power lead to attach to the mains wall socket.

Puritan Audio Laboratories PSM156 Studio Master Mains Purifier

If however you want the very best mains power lead to power your mains conditioner from the wall socket we have developed what we consider to be one of the very best mains leads in existence (and in case you are wondering how we know this its based on listening tests against the competition). The MCRU Ultimate MK6 is created!

The MCRU Ultimate Mains Lead MK6

Suffice to say MCRU use the PSM156 in our shop demo room along with the PSM1512 which has 12 sockets for bigger systems.

Starting at the wall socket we have now reached the crucial stage which is choosing mains power leads to attach to your mains block or conditioner. We fully realize a lot of our customers have mains solutions from other suppliers, our power leads work very wellno matter where you plug them in and whichever equipment they are powering, they are not system dependent at all. As with anything in life, most choices are dependent on available budget, we cater for all price points and have chosen to offer a range of mains leads based on sensible design and above all performance commensurate with price paid. A general rule is paying more gets better performance but the entry level cables we make still sound good!

Our recommendations on mains power leads are not definitive, if you already own an MCRU power lead that’s not on the recommended list fear not as even we struggle sometimes to choose a model to use in our own system.

Our number one selling budget offering is the MCRU No.14 which was one of our very first designs when we discovered Belden 19364 mains cable about 15 years ago! Belden 19364 is the world’s number one audiophile mains cable with tens of thousands of metres sold, it stands out for its competitive price, superb design and flexibility. there are not many foil shielded mains cables at this price point.

Mains Cables R Us No.14 Mains Lead

The No.14 ticks a lot of boxes for many of our customers, if however you want to aim slightly higher we have our audiophile model which is based on LAPP cable which is another superbly designed cable and a huge seller globally for over 15 years. The LAPP uses 2.5mm2 conductors and has proven to be a superb cable for making power leads.

Audiophile Mains Lead Lapp Cable

We have customers who are happy to use the same mains lead design throughout their system and once they have reached audio sanctuary there is nothing more that needs to be done, we do however have

customers who are never finished on that up-grade path and arecontinuously tweaking to reach that artist in the room sound and beyond. We introduced the 7 series of cables after one such client asked for a complete set of cables from mains to speaker cables so the 7 series was born. A complete cabling solution (rca cables, xlr cables, speaker cables and mains leads/extension blocks). That brings us to our next recommendation which is the MCRU No.7 and its one of our best cables for the money. No tech specs as we never divulge what’s underneath as it will cloud your judgement, just listen is all we ask. The No.7 uses top quality connectors from Furutech and MS HD Power combined with a superb mains cable (not LAPP or Belden we might add but something far better). No wonder it is one of our most popular designs.

Firmly in the middle ground budget wise (we would never offer £4000 fuses or £10,000 mains leads to our customers as they are not needed) we have our next recommendation and its just above £100! We don’t advocate spending more than you need to on cabling and the No.75 proves that better sound need not cost the earth. A multi award winning design and one of our top sellers, all the No.75’s that we submitted for review in the hifi press were awarded the top accolade. The proof of the pudding is in the hearing!!!

MCRU No. 75 Mains Power Lead

Let us pause for a moment when it comes to all things mains and answer that age old burning question, why does the last metre of cable matter when the electricity has travelled 100’s of miles to your house from the sub-station?

First of all its not the last metre of cable its the first metre. As we said at the very beginning the first metre of cable from your wall socket is the most important cable in any hifi system. If you don’t use mains blocks etc and power all your equipment direct from an array of wall sockets then all the mains leads you use apply and should be up-graded to the best you can get.

The electricity may have travelled 100’s of miles to your house when it was first built, it was there when you moved in and is travelling around your house in a circle so to speak (known in the UK as a ring main) where all your sockets are daisy chained together to form a ring. Its moving so fast your can’t really measure it without specialist equipment but its about 670,000,000 miles per hour or thereabouts. So even if it did travel 100’s of miles to your house it would take nanoseconds to reach it.

Once inside a house in the UK we are thwarted from the very beginning, the plethora of household appliances that are sharing your mains supply all injecting interface into your hifi equipment and generally doing their best to dirty the mains. Then we have the scourge of the 21st century wifi or wireless internet which works off radio waves which like nothing better than travelling down wires! All your hifi cables are susceptible to this which is known as RFI. To prove it exists just take a long pair of rca cables and attach both into your spare rca socket on your amplifier, the other end hold one cable in each hand and put your arms out. Turn the volume up and you will almost certainly hear a radio channel coming through the speakers, there is RFI.

To have any chance of winning the battle against RFI and dirty mains we need shielded and screened cables where possible to make it harder for the radio waves to travel in the wires, if possible a seperate mains spur to avoid the frduge, freezer, micorwave etc form neing attached to the same mains feed as your msuic system.

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Center Stage Footers

Footers have been in use for a long time now and all such devices make a difference in isolating external vibrations from reaching audio components, however, no footer has made quite the difference as the game changing Critical Mass Centre Stage footer.

Critical Mass Systems (CMS) are widely known as the very best audio equipment racks available, able to completely re-define what was believed to be possible from a HiFi support and isolation device. The Center Stage footer is yet another product designed to work with racking systems to cut out vibration and ensure the clearest, highest quality sound that a music system can achieve.

There are so many sources that could be affecting the sound created by your HiFi by infiltrating sound components. For example, if you are using loudspeakers at any volume, this will of course create vibrations that feed back into your HiFi through the floor. If you are listening to music at a high volume, the vibrations will be bigger and as a result, sound will be affected to a larger extent.

In addition to speakers, your own footsteps create vibrations as you pace around reading the sleeve of the LP you are playing, or as you tap your foot along to the music. Any sort of air conditioning or heating systems create vibrations as they expel air. As nearby traffic passes, or an airplane flies overhead, again, these elements create vibrations that negatively affect your HiFi.

It can certainly be argued that any vibration isolating footer helps to ensure cleaner sound, however, less effective footers merely serve to shift the resonance of external vibrations to a different frequency, or in some cases, amplify the vibrations. As a result, the sound created by your HiFi system will be unable to achieve it’s intended clarity. Outside vibrations contaminate the sound and add a certain murkiness.

What makes Critical Mass Center Stage Footers so special?

It’s quite simple – Center Stage footers can make any system sound better, no matter what the specification. However, it goes without saying, the better the HiFi system, the better the results. Center Stage are designed to be beneficial across the entire audio spectrum, rather than only being effective across higher, mid or low frequencies. No matter what external vibrations are in the room of your HiFi and racking system, footers keep the intended sound of your music system at “center stage”.

Center Stage footers are available in three versions – 0.8, 1.0 and 1.5, all designed for use under different components.

For more information on the benefits and performance of Critical Mass Systems Center Stage footers, please click here, feel free to contact us, or visit our showroom at No 9 Brook Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1EB.

The post Good Vibrations: Critical Mass Systems Center Stage Footers appeared first on MCRU.

Compact and complete with its dark titanium vacuum ion plated metal enclosure, the xDSD is perfectly designed for taking with you wherever you go, delivering your music at the highest possible quality that you have come to expect. With an impressive battery life of up to 10 hours playback, you are guaranteed a great listening experience even when you know it’s going to be a long day away from home.

CD-quality Bluetooth connectivity

Whilst practically pocket sized, iFi Audio’s xDSD provides CD-quality sound straight to your headphones when connecting to your device via Bluetooth. Stream music from your preferred service including:

• Spotify
• iTunes
• Tidal
• Apple music

As a portable DAC and headphone amp, xDSD features iFi’s Cyberdrive circuit design to put analogue sound quality under digital control. Using the new iFi Cyberdrive to enhance the sound quality and definition of instruments and vocals to a new level, streaming music on the go will never have sounded so good as with the xDSD. However, if you are looking for sound quality that is a notch higher still, the xDSD also provides the option to stream MQA audio tracks to hear Hi-Res music just as it was originally intended.

Further technology used includes X-Bass+, which helps to create a clean, rich and deep bass line definition, and 3D+ which aims to recreate a real live stage sound (and delivers).

Two listening modes

Whilst designed to go everywhere you go, the xDSD has two modes: speaker mode and headphone mode. This means that you can just as easily listen at home as you can on the go. The 3D+ function provides two separate circuits – one for loudspeakers (speaker mode) and another optimised for headphones, driving all varieties of headphones and in-ear monitors with different resistances. Both modes provide fantastic musicality and a real natural quality of sound.

If you are tired of disappointing sound quality when you are listening to music on your commute or away from home, we highly recommend that you take a closer look at iFi Audio xDSD, awarded the EISA Award for best product 2018-2019. Click here for more product information and specifications.

The post iFi Audio xDSD – High Octane Audio on the Go appeared first on MCRU.

Let’s look at a market leading audiophile power plant:

PS Audio Directstream P20 Power Plant

PS Audio are one company committed to creating high-end power sources. Their Directstream P20 power plant is probably the most advanced power generating station in the world. With the capabilities to power any size HiFi system using pure sine wave power, generated internally by a completely analogue power amp, the P20 ensures that all features of your HiFi will shine to their full potential, consistently giving the same excellent performance.

Why we need the Directstream P20

Generally speaking, the AC power provided to our homes from the national grid is far from perfect. With developing technology meaning that more and more electrical devices requiring mains supply are used, the power available to us is actually getting worse in quality. This has an effect on the audio quality in even the most high-end HiFi systems. This is where a power regenerator such as the PS Audio Directstream P20 comes in.

The P20 takes incoming AC power from your mains supply and converts it to DC power. It can then use PS Audio patented technology to regenerate the DC to produce sine-wave-perfect, distortion-free, high current AC power. In this process, any issues that may have resulted from your mains supply are wiped out – for example, any distortion or low voltage is no more. Providing the rest of your sound system is high end, you are guaranteed extremely high calibre sound.

Aside from its key purpose of generating a consistently clean power supply, this unit is also completely packed with special features. For more technical information, visit the MCRU website, call us on 01484 538438, or better still, visit our store for a demonstration of the PS Audio Directstream P20 power plant.

The post Powering Quality Sound: PS Audio Directstream P20 Power Plant appeared first on MCRU.

The PS Audio Sprout100 Amplifier is designed to offer an elegant and simplistic audio source that is ideal for audiophiles who expect high-quality sound without any of the hassle. Offering aesthetic and acoustic appeal in equal measure, this heavily updated replacement for the original PS Audio Sprout model is certainly easy on both the eye and the ears.

Usability

A large part of Sprout100’s worldwide appeal is its interface, which is incredibly user friendly and perfect for either new or experienced users to adapt to. Unlike so many modern amplifiers, there are no display screens or never-ending menus to scroll through, just a direct hand-to-audio connection through two precision rotary switches.

This allows the user an intuitive and instant control of the device and seamless recognition when a command has been made. Indeed, the feedback on the PS Audio Sprout100 Amplifier is pretty much instantaneous, offering a simple affirmative click when a request is made before an immediate response is made to the volume or bass levels.

Sound

The Sprout100 is perfect for those seeking perfect sound without complication and targeted at users who simply wish to enjoy music and audio through an uncomplicated multimedia connection and a high-quality sound system.

Key playback features include a Phono preamplifier for vinyl, Bluetooth receiver for music streamed from Smartphones, a high-quality hi-res DAC to handle Laptop play, enough power for any speaker (double the output power of the original Sprout), and a redesigned headphone amp that can comfortably handle even the toughest loads.

These features combine to offer a truly complete music system that can be thoroughly enjoyed using nothing more than a pair of speakers or headphones, making it more simple than ever to connect with your music in the comfort of your own home.

Get in touch

MCRU are one of the UK’s top sales outlets for a host of top audio brands and we pride ourselves on our impeccable levels of service and offering free impartial advice.

To find out more about the wide range of amplifiers and state-of-the-art audio equipment offered by MCRU, please contact our friendly and knowledgeable team today on 01484 538438.

The post Introducing the PS Audio Sprout100 Amplifier appeared first on MCRU.

TEAC did it with their VRDS-1 transport, dis-continued many years ago but it was a horrible brown colour hardly a match for todays wife friendly hifi system! A good CD transport with a separate DAC (to convert the digital signal from the CD to analogue to go into your amplifier) has always been considered o be the optimum way to listen to CD’s and other optical discs.

What is there for today’s die hard audiophile who wants to get the very best performance from his humble CD collection (often interspersed with SACD and DVD audio and maybe a few exotic formats like XRCD and HDCD).

The PS Audio DirectStream Memory Player has arrived. Audiophiles of a certain age who have longed for the very best transport but not at the high prices asked for by competitors can now breath a sigh of relief (MCRU included) as this player is it.

Locked inside your CD, HRx, BluRay, and SACD collections is a wealth of music you’ve not yet heard. The DirectStream Memory Player uncovers the musical treasures long-buried in your library. Eight years in research, two years in development, the DMP is our crowning achievement in musical reproduction of optical media. Breathe new life into your CD collection played through any DAC. Send the raw DSD layer of SACD into your DirectStream or DirectStream Junior DAC so you can hear, for the first time, what’s long been unavailable to external DACs in these high resolution discs.

Demonstration models are available, the unit is paid for and sent to you for listening in your own system for 30 days, if its not for you we will arrange collection and refund your money the day the player is returned.

Full technical specifications are on the PS Audio website, if you crave the best possible sound quality from your disc collection this combination will be your last purchase, infinitely up-gradeable using software downloads and firmware up-grades neither player or DAC will ever be out dated. Every PS Audio up-grade improves the sound so the best just keeps on getting better.  One thing is guaranteed when owning this combination, you will be buying more SACD’s and exploring your existing collection to re-visit your favorites and hear what’s really on the disc!

Get in touch with us for a demonstration of this remarkable system. 

The post The Ultimate Optical Disc Playback System from PS Audio appeared first on MCRU.

What the makers don’t tell you are the inherent dis-advantages if using these power supplies, very low cost SMP’s may couple electrical switching noise back onto the mains power line, causing interference with A/V equipment connected to the same phase. Non power-factor-corrected SMPS’s also cause harmonic distortion. So as well as powering your equipment they also inject interference into your entire hifi system. A comprehensive article on Wikipedia helps understand why these little boxes are so bad!

At MCRU we always advise our customers to ditch the switch wherever possible and replace the supplied power brick with a fully regulated linear design which has numerous advantages over traditional SMP’s in particular what all audiophiles crave for ……………Improved Sound Quality.

The proliferation of hifi  equipment now powered by SMP’s is over whelming, DAC’s, Turntables, Headphone amplifiers, Phono amplifiers, Internet routers the list goes on and on. Some manufactures state that their products are so well designed that a linear power supply will make no difference in the sound, we beg to differ. With 1000+ of our linear power supplies in use globally  and virtually none returned the proof of the pudding is in the hearing!

Even the humble internet router has been known to benefit from a power supply up-grade, proven by customer feed backs.

Most routers are powered by 12V DC and the delicate network in your home is prone to interference from the dreaded wall warts that power them. The BT Homehub, Plusnet Hub ONE and many more seem to benefit from a better power supply if you are using your router to stream music through. It’s  been suggested simply replacing ALL your switched mode power supplies will enhance the listening experience by removing the interference (RFI/EMI)  in your household mains system. Music stored on a NAS drive for instance will have a beefy power brick akin to a laptop power supply powering it and again not good for sound quality.

DITCH THE SWITCH, this phrase was first uttered as far as we know by a gentleman called Patrick Cleasby who at the time was working for the BBC  and maybe still is. The time was April 2012 and Mr Cleasby was commissioned to review our linear power supply for the Squeezebox Touch music streamer to appear in Hi-Fi Choice magazine. That was the first as far as we know professional review for any linear power supply for use in hifi.  The full review is still available to view here.

The power supply was awarded 5 stars and a recommended badge, sadly the “Touch” as it was known in audiophile circles was dis-continued years later but still remains one of the very best music streamers ever made, used examples changing hands for exalted prices on ebay still to this day. The review started the aftermarket power supply revolution and audiophiles quickly began to realize that ditching the switch was a no brainer for the vast majority of hifi equipment powered this way.

Fast forward 6 years and we see an explosion of equipment needing these small bricks. Indeed £1000 DAC’s, £3000 turntables, all powered by the dreaded SMPS. Many manufacturers will argue that the power supply is adequate for its given purpose and who are we to argue, yes it provides the required voltage to power the chosen item but that isn’t all it does,  go back to the first paragraph of this article or re-read this to realize just what’s happening to your beloved music system that you probably thought sounded stupendous!

Finally we have a few words from our chief linear power supply designer and will leave you with those few words to consider next time you power your DAC or Turntable or Phono stage up DITCH THE SWITCH.

When thinking of regulation, it’s worth remembering the Roman god Janus who was the god of gateways, and was a two faced god looking in both directions. Likewise a good voltage regulator is required to look in both directions at once. From one direction you have the mains supply, with the ever increasing noise, distortion and random variation that exists on our household mains supply. In the other direction you have the device you are supplying power to. The load will be asking constantly varying current, and the job of the regulator will be to ignore the varying load and to supply a rock steady voltage that ignores the changing load.

To ask a single regulator to perform both tasks means that it can not do either as well as it could. We don’t ask our regulators to be two faced, we split the two functions into two separate regulators and put them both where they can do the best job.

The first regulator is close to the mains supply, its job is to take the incoming mains and convert it into a low(ish) noise DC supply, and to isolate the mess that is our household power lines from what follows. In most power supplies on the market, the output of the first stage would be directly connected to the load device, and that would certainly be an improvement over the supplies that most manufactures provide. But we can do better by adding the other face of Janus to the system.

The second regulator is supplied with a clean low noise supply, and its job is to handle the changing demands of the load. To do that, it needs to be as close to the load as possible. So we remove the second regulator from the main box, and place it close to the load, both electrically and physically, that removes it from the noise and interference of the mains supply, and allows it to spend its time looking towards the load. Typical commercial voltage regulator chips are general purpose devices, but are not quiet enough for the task on hand, so the second regulator uses a bespoke regulator based on a low noise multi stage filtered voltage reference, a low noise error amplifier and a high current low resistance mosfet. To allow it to handle the changing load it also needs to supply current on demand, so all the remaining space in the second regulator is filled with low impedance capacitors to act as a local energy source.

Using the two stages of regulator, we achieve a noise floor equal or better than most battery supplies, and a effective source resistance of the order of 0.02 ohm (and the short cable run to the load avoids increasing this valve by adding copper where its not needed, and the use of a discrete regulator design allows that tiny value to be maintained way above frequency any audio device operates at.

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As is always the case with Tellurium Q, when developing the Statement series, the speaker cables were the start point. Given the triumph of the Silver Diamond series, the only way to set about bettering this cable was to start from scratch, looking at each step in even closer detail to decide which elements could be adjusted to optimise the performance of the cable. Given the high level of performance exhibited by Black II and Silver Diamond cables, this was no doubt a challenging task.

So, what’s different? How did Tellurium Q go about bettering themselves?

The difference is in the small details. To optimise the performance of Tellurium Q speaker cables to a new level, each step of the design and build process was tweaked in many different iterations to understand what could be improved to provide a more natural sound, from the combination of conducting materials, to the connectors. Even the processes for building statement speaker cables are strictly controlled – the time-taken and temperature used for soldering is tightly measured.

Although Tellurium Q Statement cables may look relatively ordinary, there is much more than meets the eye. For example, the connectors, although very important, don’t appear to be anything special, however, the plating is made up of multiple layers, not necessarily of the materials you would expect.

Statement sound

Tellurium Q have described their new cable series as ‘a reviewer’s nightmare’. Given that previous series’ such as Black II and Silver Diamond have been so well received, it makes sense that reviewers may struggle to find new words to describe the performance of Statement cables.

Here is how Tellurium Q break down the sound of Statement cables:

• More analogue – the same could be said for Silver Diamond cables, compared with earlier iterations, but with Statement, there’s even more analogue than ever before. Hearing a music system using Statement speaker cables compared with Silver Diamond cables, it’s possible to hear the subtle, yet harsher edges that were never apparent before.
• More detail – rather than increasing detail to an almost ‘unhuman’ extent, the added detail only serves to create a more natural, real listening experience.
• More compatible – whilst there were one or two systems that weren’t compatible with the Silver Diamond cables, the Statement series is designed to be universally compatible.
• More richness and warmth.
• More real – recordings are brought to life.

For more information on Tellurium Q Statement speaker cables, simply call 01484 538438 or come and visit our show room at 9 Brook Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1EB.

The post Making a Statement – Tellurium Q Statement Loudspeaker Cables appeared first on MCRU.

Whilst the original D1 player was very successful, Lumin were not completely satisfied. The result of this is the new D2 music server, which features several upgrades when compared with the original model.

So what’s different about the Lumin D2 music server?

When designing the D1 player, to cut down the costs, Lumin worked hard to identify which elements of the A1 network audio streamer were least important to the build. In creating the new D2 model, costs have still been cut down compared with the high-end A1, however, a number of tweaks have been carried out to improve the overall performance of the player:

• The processor is faster
  To work towards removing any minute level of digital harshness, the D2 incorporates a considerably faster processor than its predecessor. This allows for Direct Stream Digital (DSD) capabilities of DSD128, providing a signal that is as close to analogue as possible, completely free of any digital signal distortion.
• Revamped electronics
  As well as replacing the processor in the D1, Lumin also took a second look at the general electronics and circuit board, making some edits to the layout to improve performance and work to eliminate lower signal distortions.
• Improved construction
  To house the new and improved power supply, the chassis has been enlarged and revamped.
• More aesthetic choice
  In addition to the raw brushed aluminium finish of the D1 player, D2 is also available in a smart, anodised black aluminium finish.

Like the D1, the Lumin D2 provides effortless and seamless playback for a wide range of audio file formats, from DSD lossless, to FLAC, Apple lossless. WAV and even compressed audio such as MP3 and AAC. Understandably, the higher res files produce the best results for your listening pleasure, but the improved processing speed and electronics mean that there is a noticeable difference in all audio file formats.

Why Lumin?

Lumin hardware is excellent, particularly given the improvements in the D2, however, you could certainly argue that it’s Lumin’s continued programme of software updates and refinements that set them aside from the competition. All Lumin products are designed for full software and firmware updates, so new features can be

available without extra cost.

The Lumin dedicated iPad app is a perfect example of this commitment to software; whilst some apps can be overly complicated to the point of distracting from your listening experience, the Lumin app is visually aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Following the latest software update, Tidal hi res music streaming is now available via the app (providing you have a subscription of course).

The verdict?

When we first experienced the D1 music server, we were taken aback by the performance of the product considering its relatively low price-point. The sound quality created by this player certainly exceeds what we would normally come to expect from an entry level music server. However, the differences between the D1 and D2 models are certainly apparent – the revamped electronics and processor make for an even warmer and more natural musicality than before.

If you would like to talk about the Lumin D2 music server in more detail, please feel free to call 01484 538 438, or visit MCRU at No 9 Brook Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1EB.

The post Lumin D2 – Revamping the Popular D1 Music Server appeared first on MCRU.

Many hi-fi enthusiasts would argue that the difference that speaker cables make to the overall listening experience is miniscule, if making any difference at all. Even some sound engineers see expensive speaker cables as a con. However, when you hear the impressive range of speaker cables from UK company Tellurium Q, you’ll quickly understand the difference that quality speaker cables can make when experiencing music.

Tellurium Q Black II speaker cable

When developing any new series of cables, speaker cables are always the first cable Tellurium Q start with and the original Black speaker cable was their first ever product. Upon releasing the Black series of speaker cables, Tellurium Q immediately found that the response from both dealers and end-customers was amazing.

However, whilst Tellurium Q Black speaker cables were a big success, Tellurium Q were eager to improve. Having learned from developing the first series, Managing Director Geoff Merrigan and his team eagerly used new levels of expertise to find as many ways as possible to make the original cable even better. The result was the Black II speaker cable and the results are immediately noticeable, not just to the discerning audiophile, but to the untrained ear. If you already own a pair of the original Black speaker cables, we’re almost certain that you would feel compelled to upgrade when hearing the new and improved versions.

Quality on a budget

When you swap your old pair of speaker cables for Tellurium Q Black II models and experience music through a high-end audio system, what you will notice is just how natural the sound quality is. There is no noticeable distortion of sound or obvious flaws – the sound is very open, yet detailed.

By plugging in a set of Black II speaker cables to a good sound system, your electronics and speakers can be heard at their best for a relatively small budget. With a price of £108.00 for a pair of 1m cables, Black II delivers so much more than other products in this price bracket. Despite the cost of these cables, the build quality is also excellent – two thick cables are banded together by hard wearing insulation material.

So noticeable is the overall quality of Tellurium Q Black II speaker cables, that you will likely be found wanting to splash the cash to find out what their pricier cables sound like…

Tellurium Q Silver Diamond speaker cable

Whilst Tellurium Q Black II cables are probably unmatched for their price, the more expensive Silver Diamond speaker cables are high-end in every way.

The upgrade in quality is apparent in the build of the cables. Two cables (thicker than in the Black II series) are separated at the termination for a little more than an inch and then banded together in a hardwearing black braid, protected at the ends by a metal sheath. The terminations are plated with a silver coating that screams of quality. Whilst Tellurium Q’s cheaper cables are heavy duty, the weight of Silver Diamond cables is very noticeable.

Game changing sound

Whilst there’s no doubt that some cables can be similar in terms of what they add to the overall sound of a hi-fi system, this cannot be said for Silver Diamond cables. Where many cables boast of the differences they can make but fail to deliver, Tellurium Q far exceed expectations – these cables deliver and then some.

The best way to describe the sound that Silver Diamond speaker cables contribute to is that it’s more in every way – there are more fine details in the mix, amazing separation of instruments and a clearer overall picture of the music. As a result, you feel closer to the music, closer to the original product and therefore, you gain more enjoyment. These speaker cables, used in combination with an equally high-end music playback system can leave you feeling like you’re in the sweet spot in a concert hall where speakers on both sides of the stage reach you perfectly.

Whilst the jump in price from the Black II series speaker cables is considerable (from £2,687.40 for a 1.5m stereo pair), such is the upgrade that the price increase is justifiable – you feel like you’re getting good value for money. In a high-end system, Tellurium Q have actually priced Silver Diamond quite modestly compared with some other cables, whilst giving so much more.

Clarity – It’s all about the music

Born out of a conversation at a recording studio in Somerset, Tellurium Q products are focused on getting the very best out of recorded music. Extensive research and development is involved in the creation of each series of cables, in the quest to provide the cleanest signal for the perfect clarity of sound. Tellurium Q speaker cables will never add anything new to music; they simply make the very best of the elements that are already there in the music, that are so often lost.

Whilst it’s hard to comprehend how Tellurium Q could have bettered the Silver Diamond series, the release of the Tellurium Q Statement range is imminent. As is always the case, Merrigan and his team started again from ground up to look at each step of cable creation in even closer detail to understand how they could optimise performance to an even greater level. No doubt, the expectations of many audiophiles will be completely blown away.

For more information on Tellurium Q’s extensive range of high-end cables, visit wordpress-dev4.co.uk, or why not give us a call on 01484 538438?

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