AXPONA 2022

Tucked away in a corner of the 6th floor were two Fidelity Imports rooms showing a few new gems. Fidelity Imports focused one (room 604) on its imports from the UK.

Young English tubed amplifier designer Jordan Jackson has recently started a new company, the aptly named English Acoustics. A couple of his UK-made tube amplifiers were shown: A blue Stereo 21C, 14Wpc, Ultralinear stereo amp ($7499, above) was on static display. A preproduction Stereo 41C, 25Wpc, Ultralinear ($9999) dual-mono stereo amp in a custom red Alfa Romeo finish was in an active system. (Though these English tube amplifiers have a more classic look, their bright colors brought to mind the new Audio Research I/50 integrated amps.)

As I wrote in the May issue's Industry Update, Michell Engineering, longtime maker of turntables, tonearms, and cartridges, has recently returned to the US market. A Michell Engineering TecnoDeck turntable ($1599, not including a tonearm), the company's entry-level model, was on passive display—as it had only arrived the previous night, I was told. Its outboard motor fits neatly adjacent to its plinth. Speed change is manual: You move the belt—as you do on the MoFi UltraDeck, for instance.

Also in that system was a stack of other half-shelf-width amplification and digital source components from Cyrus Audio. The Cyrus gear here comes from a range of the company's lines, including the entry level. Each component has its own power supply adapted especially to match it. The Cyrus One HD integrated amp ($1499, above) of their own hybrid class-D design is rated at 100Wpc. It's equipped with USB, TosLink, and coaxial digital inputs, three RCA inputs, and an MM phono input—plus SID, or speaker impedance detection. The Cyrus Phono Signature phono preamp ($2199) covers the turntable/analog connection bases with four pairs of RCA inputs and a pair each of RCA and XLR balanced outputs. It can save your settings for MM and MC cartridges for each input.

A Pre-XR preamplifier was also on the rack, along with a PSX-R2 outboard power supply ($1299). The 4-shelf vertical rack for these half-width chassis also comes from Cyrus: the Hark III ($1499) with a "robust and vibration-free platform," the company states.

Q Acoustics Concept 500 loudspeakers ($6499/pair) and Concept 50 speakers ($2999/pair, these scheduled for review in the August 2022 issue of Stereophile) completed the chain. Wiring was from QED Cables and power conditioning from Titan Audio of Belfast.