Adrian

The Funk Firm Houdini has added focus, lowered distortion, improved dynamics slightly but, most importantly, the music now floats out of the speakers in a way digital never really manages. This is in quite a high-end front end. Without exaggerating, I would compare the effects to a successful £2000 upgrade or 25% improvement in my set-up and I have had over 40 years of experience in getting the best out of systems. What is particularly interesting about Houdini is that I can’t think of an upgrade in any part of the Hi-Fi chain where quite that same improvement in space and perspective within the soundstage is achieved. The music sounds closer to the real event rather than just different.

Record sleeves even with specialist pressings are often made of cardboard and put fine scuffs on the records every time they are removed. This can cause surface noise. E.g. Aldous Harding – Party my most recent buy. I have had to buy plastic-lined paper inner sleeves which work well but now the original cardboard one no longer fits.

Damaging new LP records.

I often get asked about this and some speaker manufacturers like to avoid stating average impedance when they quote speaker sensitivity…

In 2002, Paul Messenger described beautifully the paradox of 4 Ohm speakers.

‘Over the years, speaker makers have tended to evolve their designs to suit the typical transistor amplifier which is essentially a voltage source with a low source impedance.

Halve the speaker’s impedance from 8 to 4 Ohms and the speaker draws twice the current and power from the amplifier. This extra power gives an increase in apparent (though mythical) sensitivity. Once one manufacturer adopts the strategy, others feel obliged to follow.’

A 4 ohm speaker actually draws 2W when provided the voltage required to provide 1W into an 8 ohm speaker so a 93db 4 ohm speaker is no easier to drive than a 90db 8 ohm one!

Many years ago I used to curse the overly complex 4-5 piece RCA plugs which were often referred to as ‘SME’ plugs.

I don’t know if SME made them but they were dreadful.

Often attached to arm leads the wires would shear, come loose and cause all sorts of intermittent problems.

The screen wires were trapped by a threaded portion which would soon enough break off the filaments or develop a loose connection.

To my surprise, some Chord cables use a similar design of RCA plug with a plastic outer casing.

My Chord iChord lead has been very unreliable with the centre pins sometimes sticking in the socket and the plastic body sliding off the plug (hence the ugly glue fix) and the same issues with the screen- pinching piece needing tightening and the screen coming detached.

Now, the last straw, the earth has sheared causing a rare drive-unit to be blown…

There has been some confusion about our status. We never traded as Audioflair Ltd. We applied to be a Ltd Co to protect the Audioflair name but it remained dormant until it was voluntarily dissolved by us in 2016.  I have always been a sole trader and still am.