Audio Show Deluxe 2025 Part One

Audio Show Deluxe is fast becoming the friendly face of high-end audio. The annual show – a collaborative event between the company that brought you the North West Audio Show in Cranage, Cheshire and the online audio e-zine Hifi Pig – is a deliberately small, curated event with some of the finest names in high-end and high-performance audio.

Sandwiched between the significantly larger Bristol Hi-Fi Show in late February, AXPONA in April, and High-End Munich in May, Audio Show Deluxe might not be the primary place to find new products, but there are first showings to the UK public and carefully built systems put together with some of the finest components. Where possible, we have focused on the new products, but this gives us an ideal opportunity to focus on ‘what’s good’ as well as ‘what’s new’!

As ever, we have broken this event over two weeks, and this is a very personal selection of some of the best – and most interesting – products at the show:

Audio Group Denmark

It’s challenging to keep up with Audio Group Denmark’s prodigious rate of product launches. The brand, encompassing Aavik and Axxess audio electronics, Ansuz ancillaries and Børresen loudspeakers, has a substantial portfolio of products in each category. Last year, it went big with one of the most expensive systems in the show. This year, it chose a smaller room and a more affordable system to show the scope of the brands, highlighting the U-288 integrated amplifier, streamer and DAC from the Aavik brand, being fed an Ethernet signal from the Ansuz PowerSwitch D3, a C3 power distributor,  and D3 level cables throughout. Even the equipment support and cable lifters were from Ansuz’s extensive catalogue.

The system culminated in a pair of Børresen C1 standmount loudspeakers, the entry point in the brand’s three model C series and part of the company’s 37-strong loudspeaker lineup (39 if you include the two new models under the Axxess brand, also designed by Michael Børresen). And yet, despite a huge line-up, the key is consistency, and this system showed off a lot of the fun, fast and impressive sound. This was the first time these loudspeakers were given a public airing at a UK show.

Absolute Sounds

The UK’s leading high-end distributor Absolute Sounds took the lion’s share of rooms at Audio Show Deluxe, with three rooms showcasing its extensive portfolio of the best in high-end from around the room. In addition, companies like Symmetry also used Wilson Audio loudspeakers from the Absolute Sound range. The show featured the first UK public outing for the remarkable Magico M5 three-way, four-driver floorstanding loudspeaker. Played through a Döhmann turntable (with Reed arm and Analog Relax cartridge)  and Constellation Audio phono stage for analogue, and an Antipodes Audio server (with Network Acoustics Ethernet products) feeding a dCS Vivaldi digital front-end, all into Robert Koda amplifiers and Transparent cable, this was one of the most expensive systems at the show. It had scale and dynamics to match, and the loudspeakers are a significant step up on the M5 predecessors.

In a smaller room, Absolute Sounds showed off one of its newcomers to the family; Thiele turntables. The TT-01 turntable and TA-01 arm were joined by the company’s ADB-01 active damping base. In a room that featured almost exactly the same models last year (including Trafomatic Audio Rhapsody integrated amplifier and DeVore Fidelity loudspeakers) this created an effortless, roomful of enjoyable sound.

Auden Distribution

Auden Distribution took two rooms at the show, featuring Hegel electronics and Egglestonworks loudspeakers. In addition, Hegel’s electronics were seen in several rooms around the show (including KEF, below). But the new Luphonic R3-12 turntable and arm caught many people’s eyes. In the context of Hegel’s new DAC (first shown at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show), preamp, mono power amplifiers and phono stage, a pair of Egglestonworks Viginti floorstanding loudspeakers, all rigged with Audiomeca cables and MusicWorks power ancillaries, the R3-12 (with an Audio-Technica AT-ART9XI cartridge) could have been significantly outclassed. But it shone out in a very well-received system that played everything well.

Boyer Audio

Last year, Boyer Audio wowed show-goers with a system featuring Wadax, Engström, Kroma Atelier and Shunyata Research. This year, the distributor did the same with a system also featuring Wadax, Engström, Kroma Atelier and Shunyata Research. However, this was the first public UK outing for the new Wadax Studio • Player running directly into Engström Lars mono power amps (seen last year) and Kroma Atelier’s Jovita loudspeakers. An Orpheus Labs Absolute Integrated amp was also used. The system featured Shunyata Research cables and power products throughout, with the new Altaira grounding hub from the brand. Lastly, a Network Acoustics Tempus Ethernet Switch was used, to deliver a sound that was commonly considered one of – if not the – best at the show.

High End by Oz

A comparative newcomer to the UK audio scene, High End by Oz is the distributor for the Latvian audio brand Viva, as well as Albedo Silver cables, the Greek high-end amplifier brand Ypsilon (not seen here) and Raal Requisite headphones (also not at the show). Viva had its Numerico DAC (being driven by the Innuos Zen Next Gen server), into the Solista Mk II integrated amplifier…

…with a new hybrid tube/solid-state power amplifier specifically for the bass of the new Verticale horn loudspeakers, which features four ten-inch bass drivers, a compression driver and comes in at an impressive £120,000! See more on our YouTube video coverage.

Linn/House of Linn

House of Linn doesn’t just sell Linn products, but as run by two ex-Linn staff, the Manchester-based dealer does showcase the Glasgow brand. This was the first public outing of the new Bedrok plinth for the Linn’s iconic LP12 turntable. From a company known for offering a range of improvements to the evergreen vinyl spinner, it might surprise many that Bedrok is the first plinth upgrade in the LP12’s more than half-century history.

KEF

KEF showed its still-remarkable Blade concept loudspeaker, this time in its special Lotus livery. This finish is reminiscent of the livery of classic Lotus loudspeakers on the Post-War racetrack. This is not simply a racing stripe added to the Blade One Meta to ‘Lotusify’ an existing model; this unique finish – one of only four pairs in existence – is part of an ongoing collaboration that brings KEF sound to the car marque. The Blade One Meta played excellently through Innuos network products, Hegel amplifiers, and Chord Company cables.

Kog Audio

Kog Audio has recently added legendary German turntable brand Transrotor to its portfolio, and was making a great sound from the company’s Bellini TMD turntable and arm, going into a Soulnote E-2 phono equaliser, with a S-3 Reference CD/SACD player and A-3 integrated amplifier, all connected by Tellurium Q cable into a pair of FinkTeam Borg loudspeakers. This was one of those classic ‘never puts a foot wrong’ system that was a joy to listen to.

Definitive Audio

Definitive Audio is more dedicated toward complete systems than individual components; consequently, the company provides products in carefully and successfully curated systems rarely seen elsewhere. So, a system comprising two Kuzma Stabi R and Stabi M turntables, Consolidated Audio step-up transformers, SJS electroacoustics amplification and Living Voice R80 loudspeakers is a unique system that is only publicly heard at Audio Show Deluxe and Munich High-End. Kevin Scott’s eclectic taste in music includes playing a jazz version of ‘War Pigs’ by the London-based band Jazz Sabbath.

Luxman and DALI

The finest Japanese audio meets some of Denmark’s finest loudspeakers. Japanese audio electronics master Luxman is celebrating its 100th year in business. With the brand’s top PD-191A turntable with LMC-5 cartridge, E-07 phono stage, NT-07 network transport and DA-07 DAC, all into a C-10X control amplifier, and M-10X stereo power amplifier, this is almost the same system as last year. The only difference is this year, a second M-10X makes bridged mono power amplifiers. These feed, via Chord Company cables, into a pair of DALI Epikore 9 floorstanding loudspeakers

YouTube highlights of the show

Audio Show Deluxe 2025 – Part Two

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