Tom Tom Audio's Posts - The Tom Tom Club
2024-03-28T23:32:15Z
Tom Tom Audio
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You bought the amplifier...Now get the T-Shirt!!
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2021-02-24:6506457:BlogPost:79425
2021-02-24T13:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>We are delighted to now offer the full range of official Naim Merchandise to purchase on our on-line shop, alongside a full range of Naim parts & accessories plus the largest selection of pre-loved Naim components on the planet.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8592022700?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8592022700?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img> Take a look here </a><a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/">Genuine Naim Audio parts, cables and audio accessories…</a></p>
<p>We are delighted to now offer the full range of official Naim Merchandise to purchase on our on-line shop, alongside a full range of Naim parts & accessories plus the largest selection of pre-loved Naim components on the planet.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8592022700?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8592022700?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/>Take a look here </a><a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/">Genuine Naim Audio parts, cables and audio accessories (tomtomaudioshop.com)</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8592022700?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
Welcome Back
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-06-11:6506457:BlogPost:27950
2020-06-11T13:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p class="yiv9519682811MsoNormal"><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5843723888?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5843723888?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> <br></br></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>We are delighted to announce that from Monday 15th June we will be re-opening our showroom for demonstrations by appointment only.</strong> With private parking right next to our building and thorough cleaning of the demonstration area between visitors, we are…</span></p>
<p class="yiv9519682811MsoNormal"><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5843723888?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/5843723888?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a><br/></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>We are delighted to announce that from Monday 15th June we will be re-opening our showroom for demonstrations by appointment only.</strong> With private parking right next to our building and thorough cleaning of the demonstration area between visitors, we are able to offer you a safe ’socially-distanced’ environment in which to evaluate your next upgrade with complete peace of mind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We have taken every measure possible to allow us to continue to offer our usual high levels of custome<span class="text_exposed_show">r service whilst ensuring everyone's safety. You are welcome to visit us or we can offer a bespoke home delivery service using our own van and installation with support either in person or by telephone. We offer:-</span></span></p>
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<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Demonstrations</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Home Demonstrations</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Installations</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Home Delivery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Telephone support</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Fast & Efficient Mail Order</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We are committed to supporting all our customers in every way we can throughout these challenging times and beyond.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Take care of yourselves and your families.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">James</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Call 01727 810047 or email <a href="mailto:tunes@tomtomaudio.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tunes@tomtomaudio.co.uk</a> to book your session. We’ve already got the coffee brewing.</span></p>
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Keeping a Safe Distance
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-04-01:6506457:BlogPost:27932
2020-04-01T10:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/latest-pre-loved-stock-23-w.asp" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4292967281?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img> <br></br></a></p>
<div class="I_52qC D_FY W_6D6F"><div class="msg-body P_wpofO mq_AS"><div class="jb_0 X_6MGW N_6Fd5"><div><div id="yiv3170005677"><div><div class="yiv3170005677WordSection1"><p class="yiv3170005677MsoNormal"><span>By taking every precaution I’ve managed to keep our on-line shop open for parts, accessories and pre-loved items: - click here …</span></p>
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<p><a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/latest-pre-loved-stock-23-w.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4292967281?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/><br/></a></p>
<div class="I_52qC D_FY W_6D6F"><div class="msg-body P_wpofO mq_AS"><div class="jb_0 X_6MGW N_6Fd5"><div><div id="yiv3170005677"><div><div class="yiv3170005677WordSection1"><p class="yiv3170005677MsoNormal"><span>By taking every precaution I’ve managed to keep our on-line shop open for parts, accessories and pre-loved items: - click here <a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/">https://tomtomaudioshop.com/</a></span></p>
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<p><a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/latest-pre-loved-stock-23-w.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
Well Spoken - The New Harbeth XD Loudspeakers
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-03-31:6506457:BlogPost:28026
2020-03-31T14:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4362367492?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4362367492?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>The Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 XD is the first model from the company's new upgraded XD (Xtended Definition) range of loudspeakers, having<span> taken the crossover upgrades devised for the company’s Anniversary series and applied them across the board. </span></p>
<p>Partnered with a splendid integrated amplifier such as the Sugden IA4, the results I…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4362367492?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4362367492?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>The Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 XD is the first model from the company's new upgraded XD (Xtended Definition) range of loudspeakers, having<span> taken the crossover upgrades devised for the company’s Anniversary series and applied them across the board. </span></p>
<p>Partnered with a splendid integrated amplifier such as the Sugden IA4, the results I achieved can only be described as the 'Best of British' - Vaughan-William's The Lark Ascending never sounded so intoxicating, Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches more stirring.</p>
<p>With typical British reserve and true to their BBC heritage, the Harbeth's avoid drawing attention to themselves, their sole purpose in life to remain faithful to the music.</p>
<p>Harbeth owners are a loyal bunch, and tend to keep their speakers for years, if not decades. That speaks volumes about Harbeth and it's products.</p>
<p>A very welcome addition to our stable of iconic British Hi-Fi products.</p>
Listen to this on Tidal:- Stemmelklang - Tomba Sonora
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-03-30:6506457:BlogPost:27725
2020-03-30T09:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>Turn the lights down, light a candle and lose yourself in this. By utilising the acoustics of a Mausoleum near Oslo they have created an immersive, meditative experience.<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4370220166?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><br/> <img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4370220166?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Turn the lights down, light a candle and lose yourself in this. By utilising the acoustics of a Mausoleum near Oslo they have created an immersive, meditative experience.<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4370220166?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><br/> <img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4370220166?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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The History of High-End Audio Design
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-03-21:6506457:BlogPost:28024
2020-03-21T12:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4292829745?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4292829745?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Just the book for long days stuck at home - Warning! Explicit Material!!</p>
<p>Read More – <u><a href="https://uk.phaidon.com/store/design/hi-fi-9780714878089/">https://uk.phaidon.com/store/design/hi-fi-9780714878089/</a></u></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4292829745?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4292829745?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Just the book for long days stuck at home - Warning! Explicit Material!!</p>
<p>Read More – <u><a href="https://uk.phaidon.com/store/design/hi-fi-9780714878089/">https://uk.phaidon.com/store/design/hi-fi-9780714878089/</a></u></p>
The Making of an Icon
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-03-12:6506457:BlogPost:27821
2020-03-12T14:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q9k96tJhZEuAnYDpCrSKVg-970-80.jpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q9k96tJhZEuAnYDpCrSKVg-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700"></img></a></p>
<p>Resurrecting our old, dog-eared A-Z from the glovebox (we've had it marked up by a local resident – most satnavs will direct you to the nearby airfield) we take a turning and find ourselves on the rural, unpretentious road named Gypsy Lane in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. </p>
<p>We disturb the chickens as we switch off the engine – it's 10.30am and far too…</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q9k96tJhZEuAnYDpCrSKVg-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q9k96tJhZEuAnYDpCrSKVg-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>Resurrecting our old, dog-eared A-Z from the glovebox (we've had it marked up by a local resident – most satnavs will direct you to the nearby airfield) we take a turning and find ourselves on the rural, unpretentious road named Gypsy Lane in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. </p>
<p>We disturb the chickens as we switch off the engine – it's 10.30am and far too late for arrivals, after all. On a sunny day, when ATC engineers might fling open the doors to the prototype workshop (the one with a classic car chassis belonging to founder Billy Woodman hanging from the ceiling) these feathered residents pop in to make sure everyone's working hard enough. </p>
<p>They are though. ATC's reception leaves us in no doubt of this – the walls are chock-full of images of artists (Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones) and venues (Sony's SACD Studios in New York, Wigmore Hall, London, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles) all of whom faithfully use its speakers. Make no mistake: this is proper high-end hi-fi. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S4nAJiCuA5wsPEWJQdsup7-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S4nAJiCuA5wsPEWJQdsup7-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p><span>We're here to witness the manufacture of our long-reigning reference speakers, the agile, transparent and dynamically honest </span><a href="https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/atc-scm50" class="hawk-link-parsed">ATC SCM50</a><span> speakers. And what better excuse to make the trip than during </span><a href="https://www.whathifi.com/british-hi-fi-week" class="hawk-link-parsed">British Hi-Fi Week</a><span>? </span></p>
<p><span>Our guide is technical sales manager Ben Lilly, an ATC veteran of 16 years. He laughs when we congratulate him on his tenure, though. You see, things are slightly different here. Here, a mere 16 years still makes him relatively green.</span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ia9tjHSFh9ZZvET6bVp89W-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ia9tjHSFh9ZZvET6bVp89W-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></span></p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q9k96tJhZEuAnYDpCrSKVg-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
<p>Ben reckons that since their 1985 introduction, around 3,500 pairs of SCM50s have been made to order – and demand for the 50s (and for their bigger SCM100 and SCM150 siblings) is only going up. All drive units in the three-way model are designed and built in-house, under this roof – a rarity indeed.</p>
<p>We begin with the hand-pressed and assembled voice coils. You simply can't buy the machine (pictured, above) that'll produce ribbon 6000th of an inch by 3000th of an inch out of fine copper wire: this unique 1974 contraption was made by Billy's brother. A dedicated engineer still feeds wire into it today. A lot of extra work, no? Reduced heat and greater efficiency within the coil's usable surface area is the name of the game here, and finessing the very roots of its drivers pays dividends.</p>
<p>These are tiny differences, but when it comes to performance they'll be amplified, quite literally. We mention this, and Ben smiles: "We don't make massive claims in terms of power, efficiency, frequency range or amplification. We always try to promise less and deliver more."</p>
<p>It's a statement backed up in numerous threads across various hi-fi forums. On seeing this laborious and time-consuming process – a process few have seen, let alone understand – we're fully onboard.</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nAGCfMSVUArdsCj4bdpJwb-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nAGCfMSVUArdsCj4bdpJwb-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>Vanessa Mayo, her nails shimmering as she works on a midrange mandrill and secures the coil with needlepoint precision, somehow manages to talk as she works. "I'm into my 35th year at ATC," she offers mildly, with all the humility of someone who actually only started last week. She glances over at her workload: "These have been in the oven and then rested overnight."</p>
<p>We mention that it doesn't look easy. She laughs. "There are no half measures here. Everything is tested and has to pass within its parameters at every step of the process" she says.</p>
<p>Ben suggests that 'Nessa might have completed at least 15,000 units by now. She laughs again, "Oh, and then some!"</p>
<p>We attempt to handle the ribbon 'Nessa's working with. It is so fine that our fingertips can barely feel it, even as we squeeze our thumb and forefinger together.</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5GV3YVy9uyYHpUZiEgFsVP-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5GV3YVy9uyYHpUZiEgFsVP-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
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<p><br/> <a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NWRYHZpp2ukiCVanAAVyfQ-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NWRYHZpp2ukiCVanAAVyfQ-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a>On into midrange dome and software assembly, which is Hugh Burston's domain. The delicate, highly-specific, fabric dome tweeter and midrange diaphragms (or 'reindeer noses' as the latter is affectionately known) are the only parts that ATC orders from a dedicated supplier – and the margin for error on hand assembling these is mind-bendingly small.</p>
<p>As Hugh demonstrates the various procedures within his remit, it becomes clear that one small error – if the two coats of protective polyester haven't been fully removed to expose the ribbon's metallic ends before soldering, if he lapses into a nanosecond of heavy-handedness with that fine glue nozzle – and a midrange driver can fail to make it to the next stage of assembly. And that would almost certainly mean starting again from scratch.</p>
<p>We remark that he must have an eye for detail. "Oh, I can tell who papered these coils as soon as I start work," he confirms. "Everyone has their own characteristic way of finishing them, little flairs in their work."</p>
<p>Hugh says he can complete 40 midrange drivers in an average week, "or 60 on a very good one". On his particular role, he adds, "I like that the whole process is mine. I test it before it leaves me – that's all on me."</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9NRVha28chJD9TPnFZDL4J-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9NRVha28chJD9TPnFZDL4J-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Bass drivers in the SCM series vary greatly in size, but here Toby Keogh is at the helm, one of the very cornerstones of ATC's foundations. "After 43 years here, they've put my name on my T-shirt. It's so I don't forget it!" he says wryly. Toby tells us that he wanted a career change after working in a Scotland shipyard, so he "had lunch and an interview over a few pints with Billy (ATC's founder) in the pub in 1977. The rest is history."</p>
<p>Ben adds, "Any ATC speaker that comes in for service, anything at all – a custom install, a prototype, an anniversary edition we only made three of – Toby will know about it and almost certainly have worked on it. That level of hands-on expertise is irreplaceable."</p>
<p>We ask Toby if he still loves his work. Toby's smile is shy but his reply is quick and confident: "I've got two more years 'til retirement, but then I'll be stood outside, looking in through the window, watching them do it and probably wishing I still was. I mean, who else can say they did Live Aid?"</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/36pfYjEoJdberbARep24So-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/36pfYjEoJdberbARep24So-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>We ask him if much has changed here since he started. "We're a bit bigger," he answers, "But not much." Raising up a cautionary finger, he says, "You can't let the quality dip."</p>
<p>Ben agrees. "It's a conscious decision Billy had to make at some point in the '80s. Did he want to upscale and risk losing this level of workmanship, or did he stay here? He chose to keep things largely as they are."</p>
<p>We can only add humbly that we think Billy chose the right path. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vVupqggBe4bWpcWUPcdppR-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vVupqggBe4bWpcWUPcdppR-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>We're about to see a weighty chunk of shiny black metal being magnetised. At ATC, it's like a scene straight out of the 1971 movie<span> </span><em>Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.</em><span> </span>Apparently there is a newer magnetiser which is gradually being phased in, but we'll be seeing the original class of '74 machine. </p>
<p>Charlie, our suitably steampunk-styled engineer drops the inky disc into its waxy basin and pushes no fewer than nine buttons in sequence, all of which light up on command. Then, a buzz. We wait. It's intense, like the moment before Willy Wonka reveals the Everlasting Gobstopper. </p>
<p>Charlie retrieves the part from the magnetiser. He grabs a wrench. It practically leaps from his hand, attaching itself to the newborn magnet with a vice-like grip. We feel like breaking into applause. We feel much like a certain boy in Willy Wonka's factory (also named Charlie) did, on his wondrous factory tour. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fi5gd5GREjkbeHUVRG4Gzd-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fi5gd5GREjkbeHUVRG4Gzd-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>Once the ATC SCM50 midrange driver is assembled, it goes into the quality control room. Here, its sonic performance is tested against a "golden" or reference driver. It must fit within certain parameters on the computer-generated graph to pass – and go into an ATC product. </p>
<p>As the driver is fitted dome-first into its big blue testing box, which holds the testing microphone, we realise it's the first time we've seen a computer since we've been here. We hear a surprisingly eardrum-awakening set of frequencies. Thankfully, the driver passes. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8LnZBuF6T5hWcxUPYosB7L-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8LnZBuF6T5hWcxUPYosB7L-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>Since 2014, ATC has been making its tweeters in-house. The company took a long time to get the recipe right. "Oh, I'm very protective of my tweeters," Chloe Griffiths tells us, as she sets about assembling and testing one. She is the only member of staff in this tweeter room; the entire task is hers. </p>
<p>"I had my 19th birthday here. That was 11 years ago" she continues, spinning the tweeter on its workbench, applying an indescribably thin line of glue and adding "Oh, I bet I'm going to shake now!" </p>
<p>She never does. She's also able to make up to 140 of these per day, although she concedes that if you include testing (there's a mini version of the blue box tester next to her) it's probably more like 100. </p>
<p>We venture that we wouldn't trust ourselves to hold steady. Ben confirms this: "Here, there's little margin for physical error. A fraction of a gram of glue in a midrange driver might be of little consequence. Here, it could mean the whole thing fails."</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/66KfkEzbDTHsz9bAvKnrpC-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/66KfkEzbDTHsz9bAvKnrpC-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>In another room, circuitry boards comprising the three amplifiers found in the active version of the SCM50 are hand-cut, soldered and (after resting) meticulously tested on one of three machines that wouldn't look out of place in Doc Brown's garage in<span> </span><em>Back to the Future. </em></p>
<p>Here, all passes are noted and recorded by hand on well-thumbed ledgers. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kzGiEJjPEd3APsNGmgRL7A-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kzGiEJjPEd3APsNGmgRL7A-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>ATC enclosures are built by a carpentry firm barely 20 miles away, in the neighbouring market town of Tewkesbury. Ben tells us they're delivered two or three times per week, depending on what's needed and in production. </p>
<p>We're in the slightly more spacious yet still modest final assembly room. In its centre, two pairs of SCM50s and a set of larger SCM150s are finished and awaiting dispatch. We're told that two pairs are headed to Hong Kong, one is off to the Unites States. </p>
<p>Along the far wall, several<span> </span><a href="https://www.whathifi.com/atc/scm40a/review" class="hawk-link-parsed">ATC SCM40A</a><span> </span>cabinets are being given a set of drivers. </p>
<p>In another corner, an engineer is hand-stretching and stapling the SCM50's fabric grilles. Clearly a seasoned upholsterer, he pauses to test one finished speaker for the last time. It is elevated, with the microphone roughly two feet in front of it. The frequencies are relayed and the results checked; a happy pass. He continues to add damping to the body of its future partner. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uBQz6ay2KShkrS4qXkiU6f-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uBQz6ay2KShkrS4qXkiU6f-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>The best pot of tea we've had in some time is proffered, with a plate of top quality biscuits. It's Friday – there may even be wine later if we're interested? Sadly, the M4 motorway awaits.</p>
<p>On our way out, we happen upon today's time cards. ATC still works on a punch-in, punch-out analogue attendance system. And why change it? Companies boasting extensive online payrolls in far flung, glass-fronted, air-conditioned headquarters are coming all the way out here to seek ATC's expertise. </p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KfEeNiBBRW8MKpyus5qbjd-970-80.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KfEeNiBBRW8MKpyus5qbjd-970-80.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>Considering everything we've seen today, it seems fitting. </p>
<p>Purchase a set of excellent ATC SCM50s and you can rest assured that Vanessa will almost certainly make the voice coil, Hugh will take care of the midrange driver, Toby will assemble the bass unit and Chloe will fashion the tweeter. These highly-skilled team members offer a combined experience of 92 years, all funneled into one product – and that's just for starters. </p>
<p>The familial feel at ATC is unique and wholly likeable, but we aren't fooled. Our visit is underpinned by the notion of something far stronger: assurance. ATC knows full-well what it's doing. And it does it very well indeed.</p>
“Listen” – Take a Tour of the Rega Factory
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-03-12:6506457:BlogPost:28018
2020-03-12T14:00:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3hgwnB09dyk?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3hgwnB09dyk?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p>
Get Active!
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-02-24:6506457:BlogPost:27808
2020-02-24T15:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>We all know the benefits of an active lifestyle, but have you heard what it can do for your Naim system??</p>
<p>Active has always been Naim's preferred choice as witnessed by this very early Naxo crossover from our collection.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926743772?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926743772?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>We've long been advocates of the benefits of Active loudspeakers and with the new Snaxo for Kudos crossover you can…</p>
<p>We all know the benefits of an active lifestyle, but have you heard what it can do for your Naim system??</p>
<p>Active has always been Naim's preferred choice as witnessed by this very early Naxo crossover from our collection.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926743772?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926743772?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>We've long been advocates of the benefits of Active loudspeakers and with the new Snaxo for Kudos crossover you can now experience the joys of active operation even if you don't own Naim loudspeakers.</p>
<p>Come and experience a range of outstanding active options including active ATC's & Kudos @ Tom Tom.</p>
<p>Click here to read a great active versus passive comparison by Martin Colloms:-</p>
<p><a href="http://tomtomaudio.co.uk/reviews/Naim%20SL-2.pdf">http://tomtomaudio.co.uk/reviews/Naim%20SL-2.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926743772?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
Those good people at the Chord Company have been busy...
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-02-24:6506457:BlogPost:27908
2020-02-24T15:00:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>We've been getting some startling results with an all Chord Epic loom on a variety of Naim systems so we really cannot wait to try their new replacement burndy cables (and their audio quality network switch)…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926379234?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926379234?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926379234?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>We've been getting some startling results with an all Chord Epic loom on a variety of Naim systems so we really cannot wait to try their new replacement burndy cables (and their audio quality network switch)</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926379234?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926379234?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926379234?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926385183?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3926385183?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
Active Kudos Titan Loudspeakers on Demo
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-02-24:6506457:BlogPost:28013
2020-02-24T12:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>Come and experience the phenomenal range of Kudos Titan loudspeakers on permanent demonstration. We are running the various Titan models in both passive and active configurations and we have been simply blown away with the results we have been getting.…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3935488775?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3935488775?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Come and experience the phenomenal range of Kudos Titan loudspeakers on permanent demonstration. We are running the various Titan models in both passive and active configurations and we have been simply blown away with the results we have been getting.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3935488775?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3935488775?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
ATC SCM 50 Active & Passive Reviews
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2020-02-23:6506457:BlogPost:28016
2020-02-23T14:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>Martin Colloms gets to to the heart of this iconic loudspeaker:-</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945708352?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945708352?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945704288?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ATC_SCM50ASL_Review_Hi-Fi_Critic_Sept_19.pdf…</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Martin Colloms gets to to the heart of this iconic loudspeaker:-</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945708352?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945708352?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945704288?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATC_SCM50ASL_Review_Hi-Fi_Critic_Sept_19.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3945706682?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ATC_SCM50PSL_Review_Hi-Fi_Critic_Dec_17.pdf</a></p>
<p></p>
What lies beneath...
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-12-04:6506457:BlogPost:27501
2019-12-04T14:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>If like us you are fascinated by what actually goes into a product like the Naim ND 555, here are a couple of books we can heartily recommend:-</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3757717894?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3757717894?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3754808135?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3754808135?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p><strong>Things Come Apart …</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>If like us you are fascinated by what actually goes into a product like the Naim ND 555, here are a couple of books we can heartily recommend:-</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3757717894?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3757717894?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3754808135?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3754808135?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
<p><strong>Things Come Apart </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Come-Apart-2-0-Teardown/dp/0500294879/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=80195661355305&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=things+come+apart+book&qid=1575469353&sr=8-1">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Come-Apart-2-0-Teardown/dp/0500294879/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=80195661355305&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=things+come+apart+book&qid=1575469353&sr=8-1</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3754811812?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3754811812?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
<p><strong>The Reassembler</strong></p>
<p>Thhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Reassembler-James-May/dp/1473656915/ref=sr_1_4?hvadid=79989473564268&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=the+reassembler&qid=1575468406&sr=8-4e Reassembler</p>
<p></p>
Treat your Naim Kit to a Full Factory Service
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-11-14:6506457:BlogPost:27003
2019-11-14T14:45:17.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3712841973?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3712841973?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p class="yiv6792316510MsoNormal"><span>You simply will not believe the sonic difference a full service will make to your Naim components. Not only will you enjoy ‘as new’ performance, but the value of your component is immediately increased once its been through the service department at Naim.</span></p>
<p class="yiv6792316510MsoNormal"><span>Naim can…</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3712841973?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3712841973?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p class="yiv6792316510MsoNormal"><span>You simply will not believe the sonic difference a full service will make to your Naim components. Not only will you enjoy ‘as new’ performance, but the value of your component is immediately increased once its been through the service department at Naim.</span></p>
<p class="yiv6792316510MsoNormal"><span>Naim can still service almost everything they have ever produced and all their work carries a 12 month warranty.</span></p>
<p class="yiv6792316510MsoNormal"><strong><i>Don’t forget your loudspeaker crossovers as these can also still be serviced!</i></strong></p>
<p class="yiv6792316510MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="mailto:tunes@tomtomaudio.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact us now</a> for a quotation and to book your service with Naim.</strong></span></p>
<p></p>
New Clearance Outlet & Sale
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-05-12:6506457:BlogPost:26004
2019-05-12T11:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>Come and have a look and a listen and grab yourself a bargain. See the stock here - <a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/clearance-sale-28-w.asp">https://tomtomaudioshop.com/clearance-sale-28-w.asp</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2659294787?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2659294787?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
<p>Come and have a look and a listen and grab yourself a bargain. See the stock here - <a href="https://tomtomaudioshop.com/clearance-sale-28-w.asp">https://tomtomaudioshop.com/clearance-sale-28-w.asp</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2659294787?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2659294787?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
The Incredible ATC SCM 40
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-05-09:6506457:BlogPost:26103
2019-05-09T09:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>A true 3 way loudspeaker with the highest quality hand built drive units from a thoroughbred British manufacturer, and all for the incredible price of £3750!! </p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2377509293?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2377509293?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> We have been absolutely astounded by what the SCM 40 is capable of, recently doing full justice to a customer's NAC 552/NAP 500 system. Don't let the low price put you off, this is a true…</p>
<p>A true 3 way loudspeaker with the highest quality hand built drive units from a thoroughbred British manufacturer, and all for the incredible price of £3750!! </p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2377509293?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2377509293?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a>We have been absolutely astounded by what the SCM 40 is capable of, recently doing full justice to a customer's NAC 552/NAP 500 system. Don't let the low price put you off, this is a true reference loudspeaker that performs way, way above it's price point.</p>
<p></p>
Sugden Audio @ Tom Tom Audio
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-05-08:6506457:BlogPost:26109
2019-05-08T12:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>We are delighted to introduce Sugden to our stable of iconic British manufacturers and their brilliant new Masterclass ANV-50 integrated amplifier, launched to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2660720727?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2660720727?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
<p>We are delighted to introduce Sugden to our stable of iconic British manufacturers and their brilliant new Masterclass ANV-50 integrated amplifier, launched to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2660720727?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2660720727?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></p>
We’d love to stay in touch.
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-03-18:6506457:BlogPost:25379
2019-03-18T11:45:16.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1481560337?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1481560337?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></span></p>
<p><span>Simply click <a href="https://tomtomaudio.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f49f2933137b3634011e79813&id=9b610fc13d" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here to sign up to receive ‘The Muse’</a> - our regular newsletter with audio and music news and reviews, plus anything else that takes our fancy such as bikes, watches, cameras, cars…</span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1481560337?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1481560337?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></span></p>
<p><span>Simply click <a href="https://tomtomaudio.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f49f2933137b3634011e79813&id=9b610fc13d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here to sign up to receive ‘The Muse’</a> - our regular newsletter with audio and music news and reviews, plus anything else that takes our fancy such as bikes, watches, cameras, cars and boats.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://tomtomaudio.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f49f2933137b3634011e79813&id=9b610fc13d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for The Muse</a></p>
See What Caught Our Eye at the Bristol Sound & Vision Show 2019
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2019-02-28:6506457:BlogPost:25202
2019-02-28T10:00:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1224173256?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1224173256?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img> Kudos/Quadraspire</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223694466?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><br></br> <img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223694466?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img> ATC</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223701264?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223701264?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img> Quadraspire…</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1224173256?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1224173256?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Kudos/Quadraspire</a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223694466?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><br/> <img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223694466?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>ATC</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223701264?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223701264?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Quadraspire</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223710191?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">/Rega<br/> <br/> <img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223710191?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Naim</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223714218?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223714218?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Focal</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223718974?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223718974?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223725256?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kudos<br/> <img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223725256?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Michell/Sugden</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223737925?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223737925?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Neat Acoustics</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223860048?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223860048?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>ATC</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223871566?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223871566?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Michell</a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223879973?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1223879973?profile=RESIZE_710x"/>Michell</a></p>
Free Speech & Fine Speakers... It’s What The British Hold Dear
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2018-01-26:6506457:BlogPost:22610
2018-01-26T13:31:14.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455574?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455574?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>At Tom Tom Audio we truly represent the best of British loudspeakers with an extensive range of fine models from Kudos, Neat & Rega on permanent demonstration. <a href="mailto:tunes@tomtomaudio.co.uk" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Book your demo…</a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455574?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455574?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>At Tom Tom Audio we truly represent the best of British loudspeakers with an extensive range of fine models from Kudos, Neat & Rega on permanent demonstration. <a href="mailto:tunes@tomtomaudio.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book your demo now</a>.</p>
Replacement SL2 Grills in Stock
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2018-01-18:6506457:BlogPost:22910
2018-01-18T11:30:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455551?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="640" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455551?profile=original"/></a></p>
<p>Order them here - <a href="http://tomtomaudioshop.com/sl2-loudspeaker-grill-set-698-p.asp">http://tomtomaudioshop.com/sl2-loudspeaker-grill-set-698-p.asp</a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455551?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="640" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455551?profile=original"/></a></p>
<p>Order them here - <a href="http://tomtomaudioshop.com/sl2-loudspeaker-grill-set-698-p.asp">http://tomtomaudioshop.com/sl2-loudspeaker-grill-set-698-p.asp</a></p>
A Merry Musical Christmas from Tom Tom
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-12-05:6506457:BlogPost:22110
2017-12-05T13:45:13.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455556?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455556?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455556?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455556?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
Naim Connection Interview
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-11-29:6506457:BlogPost:22104
2017-11-29T14:53:05.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455881?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455881?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455972?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455972?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>Read the article here -…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455881?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455881?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455972?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455972?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p>Read the article here - <a href="https://www.naimaudio.com/connection-magazine/23783/discovering-tom-tom-audio">https://www.naimaudio.com/connection-magazine/23783/discovering-tom-tom-audio</a></p>
Welcome to Our New Website
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-11-28:6506457:BlogPost:21602
2017-11-28T11:07:53.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455955?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455955?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a>Click here to take a look <a href="http://www.tomtomaudio.co.uk">www.tomtomaudio.co.uk</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455955?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455955?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a>Click here to take a look <a href="http://www.tomtomaudio.co.uk">www.tomtomaudio.co.uk</a></p>
<p></p>
The Flat Response Magazine
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-11-28:6506457:BlogPost:9465
2017-11-28T11:04:54.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>I am delighted to welcome a special guest to the Tom Tom Club. Chris Frankland tells the extraordinary story of The Flat Response magazine - james<br></br></p>
<p class="Default">The Flat Response story</p>
<p class="Default"><i>by Chris Frankland</i></p>
<p class="Default"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002448870?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002448870?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> NOT in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how things would turn out after I was made redundant from…</p>
<p>I am delighted to welcome a special guest to the Tom Tom Club. Chris Frankland tells the extraordinary story of The Flat Response magazine - james<br/></p>
<p class="Default">The Flat Response story</p>
<p class="Default"><i>by Chris Frankland</i></p>
<p class="Default"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002448870?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002448870?profile=original"/></a>NOT in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how things would turn out after I was made redundant from Haymarket Publishing in 1983.</p>
<p class="Default">I had not intended to create a ‘cult’ magazine [well, three of them really if you count the later Hi-Fi Review and Motorcycle Review] but it seems that’s what I did when I decided to make the most of my new-found freedom and launch The Flat Response in March 1984.</p>
<p class="Default">A cult? Well, what else could you call it when you can – even as I write this – find a set of 10 issues offered for sale on eBay for £999? OK, so they haven’t been sold yet and I doubt I’ll be bidding at that price. However, it does show that TFR touched a nerve and earned a place in hi-fi history. Indeed, even last year, people were still talking about it in online hi-fi forums. It was an antidote to all those mediocre hi-fi mags of the day.</p>
<p class="Default">Rather than finding myself at a loose end when cast adrift by Haymarket, I knew straight away what I wanted to do. My redundancy payment provided the financial wherewithal to fund the project. Then my long-suffering father, God rest his soul, stepped in with some rent-free accommodation to help me along. Hey, it’s what families are for, right?</p>
<p class="Default">I found a local printer who would do the typesetting and printing – this was back in pre-desktop publishing days – but I also needed film and plate makers. I had to be a competent photographer too – a skill I picked up (luckily) quite quickly because this was also in pre-digital days and I had to learn from my mistakes. Using film meant that you didn't know until the roll was processed whether you had done a good job or bad.</p>
<p class="Default">I also found a willing designer and layout person in the form of an ex-colleague from Haymarket who was more than happy to earn a bit of extra dosh in his spare time by doing TFR for me. This was essential as back then you received bromide prints of the typesetting which were cut up with a scalpel and pasted down with cow gum onto a layout grid sheet. Ah, those were the days!</p>
<p class="Default">During my stint with Haymarket on Popular Hi-Fi, which I joined in 1979 and of which I became editor a year later, I managed to turn it into what I thought was a half-decent magazine, but I was hamstrung to a large extent by the fact that it relied on revenue from advertising to make a profit [money from sales usually just about covers printing and distribution costs]. There were frequent threats from disgruntled advertisers – whose products had been given the reviews they deserved – to pull their advertising out of the magazine.</p>
<p class="Default">But they usually came back with their tails between their legs because readers like strong editorial. Advertisers ultimately want to advertise in magazines that have a healthy circulation.</p>
<p class="Default">When my old publisher John Houselander retired, Haymarket decided they wanted to take the magazine in a different direction – a less controversial one – and so I found myself out on my ear. Meanwhile, Popular Hi-Fi was reborn as New Hi-Fi Sound. It folded around two years later. Need I say more?</p>
<p class="Default">But that parting of the ways was a chance to make my mark and I decided that I would strike a blow for common sense with The Flat Response. From the very start, I vowed it would not carry manufacturer advertising and that the magazine should be distributed through good hi-fi dealers. After a couple of issues, to help keep it going, I decided to accept advertising from hi-fi shops, but I never had any of them complain because I had slagged off a particular product.</p>
<p class="Default">I decided that The Flat Response would not pull its punches and that it would be a no-holds-barred, no-nonsense breath of fresh air in a market where its competitors were staid, unreadable and unfathomable to anybody who was into music. They talked of treble, midrange, bass, imagery and colouration – terms that meant nothing to anybody and failed to convey a sense of the musical experience that a good hi-fi system should deliver.</p>
<p class="Default">I called it The Flat Response because it was ‘my response’ to those who labelled a certain faction within the hi-fi community of the day ‘flat earthers’. Now, in case you can’t remember back that far, what they actually meant by that was anybody who liked Linn and Naim products.</p>
<p class="Default">These were exciting, ground-breaking and pioneering days in hi-fi. Linn and Naim were the first manufacturers to talk about music. How a system has to swing, have rhythm. They talked about their systems only in terms of music – not treble, bass and midrange. To me, and many others, this was obvious and I could wholeheartedly relate to evaluating the performance of a hi-fi system by talking about how it performed on actual music, in musical terms. Isn’t the enjoyment of music what it’s all about, after all? This is what I did in my reviews and it was revolutionary.</p>
<p class="Default"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002448944?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="400" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002448944?profile=RESIZE_480x480"/></a></p>
<p class="Default">Of course, other reviewers and many manufacturers couldn’t relate to this at all. We were therefore branded ‘flat-earthers’. Those who spoke out against this new approach were in the main followers of the new vanguard of products – the resurrected valve amplifier brigade and those who loved ultra-expensive and ‘exotic’ imports from the States. They cost a fortune, so they had to be good, didn’t they? Ironic that <i>we</i> were branded flat-earthers when they were the ones getting dewy-eyed over old-fashioned valve amps, which by and large sounded warm and friendly but hardly competed with state-of-the-art transistor technology from the likes of Naim, Exposure and Meridian. Okay, there were one or two decent valve amps, but these came from British mavericks like the talented Tim de Paravicini with his EAR monsters. Now, they were good, but he was an exceptionally gifted designer who could make good-sounding amplifiers irrespective of whether they were valve or transistor.</p>
<p class="Default">I recently read a post on a Naim forum saying that they were confused as to why when TFR, or its later newsstand persona Hi-Fi Review, recommend Linn, Rega, Naim or whatever, it was bias, whereas when the other mags recommended Audio Research, Oracle, Krell or other such exotica, that was perfectly fine and in no way biased. It’s a fair point, isn’t it? And I would like to take a stab at answering that, because there aren’t too many people around now that could or would.</p>
<p class="Default">To understand it, you have to understand what was happening to the hi-fi world back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I said earlier that these were pioneering, ground-breaking days, and they were. At the forefront of this hi-fi revolution were Linn and Naim (but let’s not forget Rega, Nytech, Creek and a few other worthies). And by Linn and Naim, what I really mean is Ivor Tiefenbrun of Linn and Julian Vereker of Naim. Up until this point it is my opinion [and that of manufacturers like those named above] that virtually all hi-fi reviewers had written nebulously in terms such as treble, midrange, bass, coloration and soundstage. Therefore their reviews were completely incomprehensible and meaningless to any normal person.</p>
<p class="Default">When Ivor and Julian came along, they talked about music, rhythm, pace, real things in the music that normal people could relate to and hear for themselves in a proper, well-conducted in-store demo. They weren’t having to think if there was enough bass, treble, or whether the coloration was a bit pink, or a bit green. All they needed to know was could they follow the bass guitar? Could they hear what the hi-hat was playing? Could they tap their feet in time to the music?</p>
<p class="Default">Now this was scary and made scarier by the fact that on a regular basis, at shows and on visits to their respective headquarters in Glasgow (Linn) and Salisbury (Naim), Ivor and Julian would sit reviewers down and do them a blind comparison. They could not see what was being played.</p>
<p class="Default">Ivor did it to me the first time I visited Linn in Glasgow. After all, even though I wrote in glowing terms about his LP12, how was he to know I was not just as incapable of hearing these real differences as some of the others? So, he played me a Rega Planar 3 versus an LP12. He never let me see which was playing.</p>
<p class="Default">First, he played A then B and asked what I thought. I told him that on B I could hear far more of what the musicians were doing and could follow the rhythm of the music much more easily. B was of course the LP12. Then he did another two-way comparison, and this time when he asked which I preferred, I said: “Well, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I couldn’t really hear much difference.”</p>
<p class="Default">Ivor smiled and said that he had played the Rega twice. Even though I was writing glowing reviews of his products, he still wanted to establish whether I was just following the crowd and paying lip-service to his products, or of I really could hear the differences. Ivor was a man who did not suffer fools lightly – a bit like myself really – which is why I liked him straightaway!</p>
<p class="Default">I think it was this uncompromising, maybe ruthless, approach, their strong views and their unwillingness to suffer fools lightly that made people afraid of them. They were intimidated by Julian and Ivor, especially those who realised that they just could not hear the kind of things that they were talking about. And so they were built up into some kind of unholy duo, the bêtes noires of the industry, and people either loved them or hated them. But like it or not, they changed forever the face of the hi-fi industry in this country and perhaps the world. They got people listening to music. And that legacy still lives on today. Of course they made enemies because of it, and they were vociferous. Ivor and Julian were the antichrist and I was their most outspoken apostle.</p>
<p class="Default">They also introduced the concept of a system hierarchy, whereby the turntable was the thing that determined how good the system could be and not, as had always been believed, the speakers. They were the first to say that a system that had a £1,000 pair of speakers fed by a Dual CS505 and a Creek amplifier would be worse than one that had an LP12 at the front, the same Creek amp and a £100 pair of speakers.</p>
<p class="Default">They also got dealers doing proper demonstrations so that people could hear real differences for themselves. Demos where there was only one pair of speakers in the room at a time, rather than the usual wall of speakers. They singlehandedly consigned the dreaded comparator to the dustbin because of the signal degradation it caused, thereby making it more difficult for customers to tell the difference between things. They went round dealers’ showrooms proving to them that the very act of introducing a second pair of non-driven speakers into the room made the sound worse. So, the more speakers there were in a room, the more the sound would be degraded and the more difficult it became to hear subtle differences between other components in the system the dealer was demonstrating. I tried it myself at home and it proved to be true. So when I reviewed speakers at home, only one pair would be in the room at a time when I was listening. This was radical stuff and that’s why I see it as a pivotal time in hi-fi. It seems as if no one had a clue what they were doing before they came along.</p>
<p class="Default">All of this challenged conventional thinking and the establishment inevitably felt threatened. It even led the likes of Quad to say that when listened to at the same volume level, all amplifiers sounded the same. Now, we all believed that didn’t we?</p>
<p class="Default">I remember when I joined Haymarket, working on what was Hi-Fi Sound – but which latterly was renamed Popular Hi-fi, of which I eventually became editor – they didn’t have a clue how to put a system together. They reviewed complete systems, but they were just haphazardly assembled without any idea of how they would sound or work together. Random components were strung together in the hope that it would all work OK. And sometimes it did, but usually it didn’t. And no one thought the source components was the most important. They all thought it was the speakers, because that’s where the sound comes out. </p>
<p class="Default">And so it was that into these exciting, radically changing times, The Flat Response was born. And above all it was tremendous fun, with a capital F. I no longer had to bite my tongue and if I thought a cartridge selling for £800 was in my opinion worse than a Linn Basik at £20, I would say so.</p>
<p class="Default">It has always struck me as one of the great ironies that when it comes to hi-fi, the old adage of 'pay more and get better' just did not always apply and some of the most expensive products I came across were some of the worst. With most things, cars, TVs, motorcycles, the more you pay the better the product. But in the wacky world of hi-fi, it seemed that price was no guarantee of good sound quality.</p>
<p class="Default">One of the reasons for this – one that I have not hitherto shared in print – is that I believe that on cheap products, the indifferent designer does not have much latitude to indulge his crazy design ideas and things have to be kept pretty basic. Especially with loudspeakers, you would find that as the designer gained the freedom on more expensive models to incorporate more of his lame-duck ideas, the worse they would sound.</p>
<p class="Default">Apart from outrageously frank reviews that were not influenced by brand name or price, Flat Response also enjoyed some notoriety for its Curse of the Claw gossip page. Fearlessly pillorying industry figures and practices, it became almost de rigueur to be mentioned and so it built up a wholly deserved cult following. To this day, I still cannot reveal the identity of The Claw. Many have speculated but I never revealed the Claw’s true identity, as they were well-known in the industry at the time. Many have tried to wheedle out of me who it was, but, even after all these years, my lips must remain sealed.</p>
<p class="Default">TFR also enjoyed a special relationship with retailers. Remember, these guys are at the sharp end. They have to convince Joe Bloggs that product X is worth spending £1,000 on or that it’s worth the extra against product Y at £500. In this environment, nebulous talk of treble and bass and images floating like fluffy clouds between the speakers just won’t cut it. Well, not with anyone who’s got any common sense, anyway. They played music, people listened and suddenly realised that they could hear more of the music on one product than another, and so they’d buy it.</p>
<p class="Default">Retailers too had grown tired of reviews that meant nothing and were fed up with customers coming through the door saying magazine X had recommended product Y, which they knew was crap. Canny dealers kept product Y in stock just to demonstrate to people how terrible it really was. This is why they welcomed The Flat Response and Hi-Fi Review with open arms and sold it in their shops.</p>
<p class="Default">The Flat Response of course was never available through newsagents. It was not that I did not have the capability or contacts to get it sold through newsagents because it was ably demonstrated with the later Hi-Fi Review. This was available everywhere that rival mags were, but I knew that TFR’s content and unique style would appeal to a more limited audience. The average magazine reader would probably not have gotten it.</p>
<p class="Default">I decided that it would be sold only through hi-fi retailers. And in the end, all of what one would have considered to be the best retailers in the country were selling it and backed it enthusiastically. Because they could see that it was saying the things they thought. They had a very poor opinion of the other newsstand magazines and TFR was just what they had been looking for.</p>
<p class="Default">Before long, I also secured strong sales overseas with the help of a couple of British hi-fi manufacturers who kindly shipped TFR out to their overseas distributors. This meant that TFR was actually read throughout the world in countries such as the USA, Australia, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Canada.</p>
<p class="Default">This special relationship with retailers meant that often we would be alerted to things the mainstream mags would not be privy to. I remember vividly one retailer sending me a photocopy of a training manual issued by a major manufacturer on how to sell their first CD players. This was when the first CD players hit the UK and everyone was predicting that vinyl was doomed. But anyone with a decent pair of ears could tell that those early CD players were substantially worse than even a humble Dual CS505. The fascinating thing was that this sales manual specifically warned its reps not to attempt to demonstrate the indestructibility of CDs (one of its major claims) and under no circumstances to compare it directly against a vinyl LP. I wonder why?</p>
<p class="Default">Not long after the first CD players appeared, I fondly remember staging a Flat Response road show, and over a period of several months, I would take Flat Response to dealers all over the UK and we would meet our readers and stage direct comparisons between the first Philips and Sony players and a Dual CS505. No prizes for guessing that the Dual was virtually universally preferred to the CD players. I enjoyed that road show trip tremendously and it allowed me meet many of my retailers face to face. It was on that trip that I met Adam Meredith at Cloney Audio in Dublin. He came to work for me on Hi-Fi Review some years later.</p>
<p class="Default">I mentioned earlier how hi-fi is one of the very few sectors where spending more money is absolutely no guarantee you’ll end up with something better and saying so in my reviews got me into hot water quite a few times. Never more so than when we reviewed a system comprising some extremely highly regarded American exotica that had been well reviewed in the mainstream mags.</p>
<p class="Default">Having quickly established that any one Linn or Naim component inserted into the American system would improve the sound, and that any component from that system introduced into the Linn/Naim system (Linn LP12/Ittok/Karma, Naim NAP135 amps, Linn Isobarik speakers) made it worse, I soon turned my attention to the question of, just how bad were some of these alternative products in terms of sound quality. I ended up comparing the £2,500 American pre-amplifier against the pre-amp section of a lowly £100 NAD 3020 integrated amp. To my astonishment, I found that I preferred the NAD 3020’s preamp section.</p>
<p class="Default">This had the hounds baying for my blood. Even as late as 2012, I could still find references to that test on a hi-fi forum on the internet. That’s 30 years later! It obviously had a profound impact, but that was why I had started TFR. These things needed saying and no one up to that point had dared say them in print. There were many retailers who shared these sentiments but their voices never got heard. On the forum, they asked if I was insane. Well, all I can say is that I did the test and I had no reason to favour NAD, which after all was not Linn or Naim. I just spoke my mind honestly because I was incensed at the prospect of seeing people spend their hard-earned cash on products I believed were not worth the money.</p>
<p class="Default">Although in the early days I was very much a one-man-band, I was soon joined by fellow reviewer and music lover Malcolm Steward who used to work at The Sound Organisation shop in London, where I first met him. I was also aided and abetted by technical reviewer Noel Keywood, also a music lover, who helped us with any bench tests that might be needed. Malcolm left some years later, after I had launched Hi-Fi Review and my motorcycle magazine – Motorcycle Review. I started this because I felt all the other motorcycle magazines of the day were not up to very much.</p>
<p class="Default">Noel Keywood played a crucial role in Flat Response, because although many people of a technical bent poured scorn on ‘subjective’ reviewing as unreliable, Noel brought to Flat Response a great technical knowledge and the ability to put equipment through a rigorous test procedure in his lab, combined – and this was unusual – with the ability to evaluate hi-fi components in a musical way.</p>
<p class="Default">Noel gave us the technical credentials to back up our claims with fact. But more than that, because of his open-mindedness and unwillingness to swallow some of the nonsense spouted by manufacturers in the early days of CD, he joined us in blowing apart some of the ridiculous claims made for Compact Disc. I remember well a couple of ground-breaking articles in Flat Response where we debunked the myths surrounding CD with a full set of measurements on the players, followed up with an article that looked in great detail at what was contained on a CD and LP and how the two formats compared technically.</p>
<p class="Default">The results were shocking and uncovered unpalatable facts that none of the other mainstream magazines had ever hinted at, nor ever would. To my mind, this elevated Flat Response from what might have been dismissed by some as a gossip mag or scandal rag to a magazine that brought its readers serious technical and investigative journalism they could find nowhere else.</p>
<p class="Default">I know that digital and iPods and downloads are now part of everyday life and has all but laid vinyl to rest, but even the MD [Gilead, son of Ivor] of Linn Products, which is heavily into digital music, said not that long ago that he hoped one day digital might even be as good as LP. Need one say more?</p>
<p class="Default">Even today, though, those articles that Noel and I collaborated on make astonishing reading. Take for example the May/June 1985 issue of The Flat Response where the front cover proclaimed in large letters ‘40% THD: Compact Disc – We explode the low distortion myth’.</p>
<p class="Default">Remember that the manufacturers were claiming pure, perfect sound forever and ‘negligible’ distortion. But that’s not what we discovered. Under the headline ‘Lies, Damned Lies and Digital’ Noel stated from the outset that “Compact Disc players are not distortion-free, they don’t have a flat frequency response and, at present, the system is not capable of providing perfect sound.” And being the technical guru he is, he went on to prove it.</p>
<p class="Default">Noel admitted that just stating that CD had 40% distortion was about as meaningful as trying to say that it had negligible distortion, but he pointed out that digital differs in one vital way from analogue. And that’s in the fact that with analogue, as the signal level gets louder distortion goes up, whereas with digital distortion drops as the level goes up. At full volume, it is very low indeed, around 0.001%. But at the levels we mostly listen at, distortion is far from low. His tests showed that the ear can easily hear signals recorded at a level of -65dB below full output (0dB) where he measured distortion on the CD player at around 4% – a far cry from 0.001%! At -90dB, we got a distortion level of 38.5% THD [total harmonic distortion]. He also pointed out that where with analogue distortion harmonics are 'even order' and pleasing to the ear, all of the significant distortion on digital is 'odd order' and extended right up to 20kHz, which is particularly nasty to the ear.</p>
<p class="Default">As for the other claim of 90dB dynamic range, Noel blew the lid of that one by saying: “CD may well be capable of 90dB, but anything greater than 30-40dB is unusable in the home [so say the recording companies]. Quiet passages would be inaudible and loud passages would blow the roof off.”</p>
<p class="Default">These were serious issues back in the day and far from shying away from them The Flat Response embraced them and blew apart some of the myths and misconceptions in a way that most magazines seemed unwilling to do.</p>
<p class="Default">Fun as The Flat Response was, in terms of an ongoing business proposition, it was only ever going to have a limited circulation and it was not long before I started to think that it would be a good idea to develop the concept into something that I could sell through the newsstands and run as a proper business – something to really give the likes of Hi-Fi Answers and Hi-Fi News a run for their money.</p>
<p class="Default">And so in March 1986, Hi-Fi Review was born. Under its skin, the same values applied and the same people were doing the reviews. We still rattled cages but we broadened out the scope to have something of interest for all hi-fi enthusiasts. Sadly, niche interest elements, such as Curse of the Claw and Derek Whittington’s irreverent Read All About It critique of the other mags, had to go as they would have gone over the heads of the casual reader, but I did introduce columns from such luminaries as Paul Messenger and Paul Benson, former editor of Hi-Fi Answers, for whom I had freelanced in the Seventies.</p>
<p class="Default">I am also very proud, looking back, to remind everyone that Hi-Fi Review was the very first UK hi-fi magazine to use full colour in its editorial – the other mags may have had colour adverts, but all the editorial was black and white (because it was cheaper!). Needless to say, it was only a couple of months before Hi-Fi News followed suit, and then the rest were not far behind. Oh to be a trendsetter!</p>
<p class="Default">Hi-Fi Review was still fun, but I took a slight step back from it when I launched Motorcycle Review. Motorcycling was my other passion and I felt strongly that the mainstream motorcycle press had gone rapidly downhill since the late 70s. I decided that motorcycle publishing needed the kind of shake-up I had given hi-fi and it launched in September 1988.</p>
<p class="Default">I find it personally very gratifying and fulfilling to reflect that people genuinely loved The Flat Response and Hi-Fi Review. It fulfilled a real need and sadly we have never seen its like since nor, I suspect, ever will. I have read many posts on recent hi-fi forums where people have said they wished they had Hi-Fi Review back today. They seem to feel that the mainstream hi-fi mags today are little better than they were when I started The Flat Response. Some things never change!</p>
<p class="Default">Reader response to Motorcycle Review was every bit as enthusiastic. But sadly, when the recession hit, I found that I had stretched myself too thinly. I had launched Motorcycle Review without having sought the extra funding I needed and by the time the downturn had taken hold, banks were no longer as willing to lend as they were before the recession. Easy to see that now, of course, with the benefit of hindsight!</p>
<p class="Default">But when I look back, I smile because I enjoyed that period in my life tremendously and met some great friends. It gives me a warm glow to feel that what I did back then really made a difference.</p>
<p class="Default">It only remains to thank all of my collaborators on TFR and HFR (and Motorcycle Review, of course) and my loyal readers who made it all possible. I hope you all had as much fun reading our scribblings as we did producing them.</p>
<p class="Default"><b>©</b> <b>Chris Frankland</b></p>
<p class="Default"><i>No part of this article may be reproduced without the express permission of the author</i></p>
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The New Naim Atom in Stock & On Demo @ Tom Tom Audio
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-07-25:6506457:BlogPost:20101
2017-07-25T09:00:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1500968024503_36619"><strong>Order Your New Naim Atom Today for Immediate Delivery.</strong> </span></p>
<p><span><img src="https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5668c7d1101/fb9bf4d4-e177-440d-bb14-81465c5cb194.jpg"/></span></p>
<p><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1500968024503_36619"><strong>Order Your New Naim Atom Today for Immediate Delivery.</strong> </span></p>
<p><span><img src="https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5668c7d1101/fb9bf4d4-e177-440d-bb14-81465c5cb194.jpg"/></span></p>
Kudos Titan 707 Now on Demo
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-07-18:6506457:BlogPost:20012
2017-07-18T16:09:13.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>Joining it's big brother on demonstration at Tom Tom, the Kudos Titan 707 delivers the Titan magic in a smaller package whilst retaining the magnificent scale and impact of the reference 808. Book your demo now.…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002456222?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002456222?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002457078?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002457078?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>Joining it's big brother on demonstration at Tom Tom, the Kudos Titan 707 delivers the Titan magic in a smaller package whilst retaining the magnificent scale and impact of the reference 808. Book your demo now.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002456222?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002456222?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002457078?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002457078?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
Acoutic Energy AE1 Active at Tom Tom Audio
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-07-18:6506457:BlogPost:19911
2017-07-18T14:35:31.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p>We are delighted to introduce this brilliant little active loudspeaker to Tom Tom Audio. Book your demo now.…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455601?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455601?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455734?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455734?profile=original" width="259"></img></a></p>
<p>We are delighted to introduce this brilliant little active loudspeaker to Tom Tom Audio. Book your demo now.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455601?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455601?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455734?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="259" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455734?profile=original"/></a></p>
Free Powerline Lite
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-07-18:6506457:BlogPost:20007
2017-07-18T11:00:00.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="http://tomtomaudioshop.com/ex-demo-sale-22-w.asp" target="_blank"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455614?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://tomtomaudioshop.com/ex-demo-sale-22-w.asp" target="_blank"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3002455614?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
Ex Demo Sale & a Free Powerline Lite in July
tag:thetomtomclub.ning.com,2017-07-18:6506457:BlogPost:19802
2017-07-18T09:43:35.000Z
Tom Tom Audio
http://thetomtomclub.ning.com/profile/0i13uhxydmlpw
<p><a href="https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5668c7d1101/424bd26e-8169-457c-bc7c-193e76385d04.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5668c7d1101/424bd26e-8169-457c-bc7c-193e76385d04.jpg"></img></a></p>
<p>Contact us for special deals until the end of July on the following mint ex-demo stock as well as many other items.</p>
<p><strong>Free Powerline Lite with each component!*</strong></p>
<p>* Naim NAC 272 *<br></br>* Naim DAC V1 *<br></br>* Naim NAP 250-2 DR *<br></br>* Naim NAP 300 DR *<br></br>* Naim XPS 2 DR *<br></br>* Naim NAP 100 *<br></br>* Naim Supercap 2 DR *<br></br>* Naim…</p>
<p><a href="https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5668c7d1101/424bd26e-8169-457c-bc7c-193e76385d04.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5668c7d1101/424bd26e-8169-457c-bc7c-193e76385d04.jpg" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Contact us for special deals until the end of July on the following mint ex-demo stock as well as many other items.</p>
<p><strong>Free Powerline Lite with each component!*</strong></p>
<p>* Naim NAC 272 *<br/>* Naim DAC V1 *<br/>* Naim NAP 250-2 DR *<br/>* Naim NAP 300 DR *<br/>* Naim XPS 2 DR *<br/>* Naim NAP 100 *<br/>* Naim Supercap 2 DR *<br/>* Naim Ovator S600 *<br/>* Naim Fraimlite *<br/>* Naim Super Lumina Cables *</p>
<p>* Rega Planar 3 *<br/>* Rega Elicit R *<br/>* Rega RP10/Aphelion *<br/>* Rega RP8/Exact *<br/>* Rega Brio *<br/> <br/><a href="http://tomtomaudioshop.com/ex-demo-sale-22-w.asp" target="_blank">Click here</a> to see many more items.</p>
<p>*contact us for details</p>
<p>Contact us for a quote next time you are upgrading. We are always looking for good used stock and hence we pay the most for your part exchange to make upgrading as painless as possible.</p>