Malcolm Steward: audio journalist

This system represents  the  philosophy that I have followed  for  30 years or more: that how a hi-fi system presents music is far, far more important than how it handles hi-fi. It’s a simple idea, really: when did you last go to a gig or concert and complain that there “didn’t seem to be enough air around the first violins” or some such hi-hi twaddle? However, you might well complain that the bass guitar seemed to be playing a different gig to the drummer because his timing was so far out. Fundamentally, that sort of communication is what I look for in a system and that is exactly what this set-up gives me. Presentational considerations are just the icing on the cake: they are nice to have but not the be-all-and-end-all that some people consider them to be.

I always remember sitting in a demonstration of some hideously expensive, high-end hi-fi loudspeakers at an American show. The demonstrator ranted on about the depth of the imagery, and how extended the bass response was, and how sweet the treble… He conveniently missed one vital point in his effusive oratory: telling the audience what the instrument to which we were listening was supposed to be. It was, I think, something that was being blown: an oboe, maybe, or a French horn, possibly, though it might have been a trombone!

I asked the British journalist sitting next to me if he had any idea what the instrument was but he, although being an intense classical devotee, could only hazard a guess. At this point in the proceedings I was reprimanded by an American retailer for talking during the dem and spoiling his enjoyment of these ‘beautiful’ sounds. “So, what instrument is producing them?” I asked him. I did not get a reply just a sneering look.

Considering that these loudspeakers were valued then – and this must have been around 15 years ago – at about $60,000, the least one ought to expect is to be able to recognise the instrument they are reproducing!

My Sunoko Vent supported active Naim system

This system has grown exponentially over the years from its very humble beginnings as a Trio Kenwood KD1030 turntable, a Leak 2020 amplifier and a pair of JR149 loudspeakers. I skipped the studenty Rega Planar 2/3 phase and straightaway replaced the turntable with a Linn LP12/Ittok/Asak while the amplifier quickly became a Nytech pre/power combo driving Mission 7xx speakers.

The amplifier was then swapped for a Naim NAIT (Mark 1) and then a 32-5/42-5/72 all with a Hi-Cap and a NAP250 driving Linn Kan (Mark 1) speakers. The Kans lasted until the advent of Naim’s SBLs, and the Ittok and Asak were finally retired when I heard and bought the Naim Uni-pivot (or ARO as it was then called) tone-arm, and the Lyra Clavis DC, which replaced the (in those days rather refined) Linn Troika.

Please forgive me for skipping several component changes: some are important – for instance, the Audio Technica ART1 cartridge that served me well for several years – and some are less so, such as the change from Naim NAC A4 to NAC A5, which, while appreciable and welcome, was not earth shattering. Hell! I have even ignored one of the longest lasting and most influential system change I ever introduced… after the NAC 52, which prompted a then rep for Linn to admit “that sounds as though there is no pre-amp in the chain,” which was meant as a massive – if strictly “off the record” complement, of course.

No, I’ve forgotten that much loved and respected rebel of the support stand, John Watson, and his truly ground-breaking Mana support tables. Until John’s arrival glass was deemed to be an absolute no-no for supporting hi-fi equipment. After he introduced Mana to an unsuspecting and deeply cynical world, every stand manufacturer started using the stuff and laying claim to why their particular methodology was ‘better’ than Mana’s. It was, in truth, all marketing cr*p. John Watson, whether he was aware of the fact, had discovered the formula for combining glass and steel and had the procedure better sussed than anyone else in the day. However, the move from my London home to the Hampshire countryside brought requests for a less industrial look to the system and so I switched to Quadraspire’s elegant Sunoko Vent supports, which combine high performance with aesthetics far better than most.

My Office System

My AV system