Sound & Vision at Home 2014

INTRODUCTION TO
ACCESSORIES
The performance of your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema system
is influenced most by your choice of major components,
however, other seemingly less important items also play
a vital role in the process. The cables, the stands and the
supports under your system can all dramatically affect
– and improve – the system’s performance. Spending
relatively small amounts of money here can produce large
improvements in sound quality. We aim to give you the
best advice on finding the balance between what is truly
worthwhile and running up huge bills on accessories you
don’t need.
Stands and tables contribute significantly to the way
loudspeakers and system components perform. Loudspeaker
stands not only place your loudspeakers at the correct height
they also improve detail, dynamics and bass performance.
Equipment stands enhance the performance of Blu-ray/CD
players, turntables and electronics by dealing with spurious air
and structure-borne vibrations. There’s a vast range available
in different designs, different materials and different colours,
so there’s no excuse for not giving your system the support it
deserves!
Good cables are crucial: the interconnects that come free with
equipment rarely offer adequate performance and you should
certainly consider replacing them. Poor speaker cables will also
strangle the sound of your whole system. Likewise poor video
cables will not exploit the full potential of your television or
projector.
Headphones have had a huge renaissance and new audiophile
models are appearing every month. They can sound even
better than your speakers and extend the time you can listen
to music without disturbing others, and they can help ensure
that others don’t disturb you! We sell Bluetooth® wireless
models and also headphones for travelling with built in noise
reduction. But most of all we sell a wide range to upgrade
those supplied with iPods and the like. The headphones in
the box are almost always very poor and upgrading quite
inexpensively can make a huge difference to the sound.
Replacement versions can also come with the ability to take
phone calls - a very useful addition if, say, you are out walking.
GRADO
RS1i Headphones
Grado have been the leaders in design engineering, for
both the high-end audio and recording industries, for
almost half a century. Joseph Grado, who founded the
company, is credited as the inventor of the stereo moving
coil phono cartridge.
Today, Grado is most famous for its remarkable headphones
and its biggest selling model is the universally praised, multiaward
winning SR80i.
If you desire the world’s best headphone, the flagship Grado
PS1000 is £1,699 per pair, but with the iGrado model, you can
enjoy the award-winning performance of Grado headphones
for less than £50.
UK Distributor Armour Home Electronics, Units 7 & 8, Stortford Hall Industrial Park,
Bishops Stortford CM23 5GZ T: 01279 501111
www.armourhome.co.uk www.grado.co.uk
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