Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2020: Big Announcements from Sound Org Brands

he Sound and Vision Bristol Hi-Fi Show is one of the biggest conventions for audio brands. Though not strictly for American markets, since most of the brands represented by The Sound Organisation are UK-based, there's plenty of exciting announcements to  report! We will be updating this blog post as more news and announcements are made, so check back here so you don't miss a thing!

Fyne Expands Flagship F1 Line

Fyne Audio, the newest brand to join The Sound Organisation, has announced many new products at this years Bristol Hi-Fi Show. Chief among these new products are the expansion of the F1 series, Fyne's flagship series of top-of-the-line loudspeaker. The F1-5 bookshelf and F1-8 standmount speakers offer a smaller option compared to the floormount F1-10 and F1-12 speakers they join. 

Click here to read the announcement, of view coverage from Stereonet UK, InsideCI, and Essential Install.

Rega Announces the System One

Teasing a couple other big announcements we'll touch on later, Rega announced an entire sound system they hail as the "perfect analogue solution". Starring the famed and popular Planar 1 turntable, the all-new io amplifier, and the all-new Kyte speakers, this is a perfect all-in-one entry-level sound system, perfect for getting a new generation into analog stereo audio. It also makes for a great gift or music for an extra room in the house. We're excited to learn more in the coming weeks! US pricing is yet to be finalized, but the UK MSRP of £999 will put the US price around $1300.

ProAc Loudspeakers Unveil K1 and K10 Speakers

After teasing the release of the new K10 floorstanding speakers back in December, ProAc Loudspeakers officially announced the new additions to their K series of speakers. First up is the aforementioned K10, starring two 8" bass drivers, two midrange, and ProAc's popular Ribbon Tweeter. The K1 is a stand mount variant of the K series, with a 6.5" driver and ribbon tweeter. Also shown was a specially designed stand to accompany the K1 speakers. More information will follow soon.

Click here to read ProAc's announcement

Fyne Releases 3 New Models in the 700 Series

Along with the new F1 models announced above, Fyne Audio also released 3 new speakers in the F700 Series. The 700 series is grows to a 5 model family with the addition of the bookshelf F700, the standmount F701, and the floorstanding F704. Fyne Audio also announced the addition of the FS8 Speaker Stand to accompany the F700, F701, and F1-8 speakers. 

The F700 stands just over a foot tall but offers true point source articulation and substantive bass output down to 40Hz. The F701 incorporates an 8" driver and BassTrax diffuser to create a truly captivating listening experience. Finally, the F704 floor standing loudspeakers combines a 12" IsoFlare bass/mid driver with a 3" tweeter and a large 12" bass cone to give you massive power and stunning dynamics. Fyne Audio may be a young company, but you wouldn't be able to tell with their quickly expanding product line of award-winning speakers. 

Read more here.  Additional coverage at Essential Install, Stereonet UK, What Hi-Fi?, Inside CI, and Stereonet AU

Rega Updates Aria MM/MC Phono Stage

Rega announced they're releasing the Aria Mk3, an updated version of the Aria Mk2 phono stage. Rega's switchable MM/MC phono is rehoused in a new case that matches the design and aesthetics of the new Planar 10 PSU and Aethos amplifier.

Chord Cables Revives English Electric with 8switch

In a bold and surprising move, cable-maker The Chord Company announced they are bringing the storied English Electric brand back to life. This new company will launch with a unique product, the 8switch. The 8switch is an 8 point gigabit network switcher that aims to remove the noise and sonic pollution from the network in digital streaming. With more and more audio lovers switching to music streaming services like Roon, Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, and Qobuz, the need for quality network solutions is bigger than ever before. Luckily, Chord and English Electric are here with the new 8switch.

Learn more at  Chord cables and English Electric. Additional coverage at What Hi-Fi?

Rega Announces New Kyte Speakers

As part of the Rega One sound system, Rega has introduced the new Kyte bookshelf speakers. Not much has been revealed about these new speakers, but Rega has listed their UK MSRP at £429, putting their US price around $555. The best deal, though, would be to get them as part of the Rega One system, which will retail around £999.

Chord Introduces ChordOhmic Transmission Fluid

Chord is busy at this show, announcing their 8switch under the English Electric brand name, and now their new transmission fluid. The ChordOhmic Transmission fluid is a hi-fi contact cleaner that was developed by Andante Largo and an industrial chemist in Japan. The fluid is one part polish and one part polymer that cleans the contact and then improves connection surface area. The ChordOhmic fluid fills in the gaps and imperfections in the termination of any cable (speaker, power, or interconnect) and lowers the resistance, allowing for a more efficient signal flow.

Read more at Chord.co.uk or at What Hi-Fi?

Rega Announces Aphelion 2 MC Cartridge

Rega has been updating all their cartridges over the past few years as new manufacturing processes and state-of-the-art materials become available. Rega's finest cartridge, the Aphelion, is next up on the upgrade queue. The Aphelion 2 will feature a boron rod cantilever and the latest iteration of the Fine Line Diamond profile stylus, and is promised to deliver the ultimate in Rega performance. Rega hasn't announced a hard release date, but it should be sometime this year, as UK pricing and packaging have been finalized. US pricing is forthcoming, the UK MSRP is £3149 for the cartridge or £6219 when packaged with the Planar 10 turntable.