Ultimate performance has always been our guiding principle. Whether you’re choosing your first turntable or upgrading to a true reference system, our aim is simple: to help you achieve the very best sound possible within your budget.

Our showrooms feature purpose-built listening rooms where you can take your time, play your own music and audition individual components or complete systems in a relaxed, friendly environment. No pressure, just great music and the opportunity to hear what’s really possible.

Once you’ve made your choice, our expertise doesn’t stop at the sale. We can install, configure and fine-tune your system to get the very best from every component,  leaving you to sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy the music… often well into the wee small hours.

Source first. It’s a fundamental principle of great hi-fi.

Whether your source is a turntable, streamer, CD player or another digital source, its job is to deliver the best possible musical information into your system.

A component further down the chain can’t recover information that was never captured or reproduced at the source. The aim, therefore, is to start with the highest-quality signal possible and preserve as much of that information as the signal travels through the system.

Get the source right and every component that follows has the best possible foundation to work from. Start with a compromised signal, and no amount of downstream equipment can truly put the missing information back.

In simple terms: garbage in, garbage out.

That’s why we believe the source deserves careful consideration — and why getting the balance right across the whole system is so important.

There’s nothing quite like playing a record.

From the artwork on the sleeve and the liner notes to the anticipation as the stylus settles into the groove, playing vinyl is a tactile and rewarding experience — one that invites you to slow down and really listen.

From the plug-and-play simplicity of the Rega Planar 1 through to the exceptional performance of the Naia, Rega turntables combine outstanding sound with straightforward setup and years of musical enjoyment. For those looking for a more modular approach, the iconic Linn Sondek LP12 offers a level of performance, flexibility and upgradeability that has made it a true hi-fi classic.

But the turntable itself is only part of the equation. The power supply, tonearm, cartridge and phono stage all play a vital role in extracting the music from the groove.

Let us help you build the vinyl front end that gets the very best from your records.

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A great turntable can get better with age.

With regular servicing and the right upgrades, a good turntable can outlast generations of electronics — and continue to improve throughout its life.

The upgrade path is straightforward: bearing, power supply, sub-chassis, tonearm, cartridge, phono stage. The key is knowing what to change, and when.

The Linn Karousel bearing is a genuine game-changer, while Rega’s TT-PSU brings precise speed control and exceptional stability — improving timing, musicality and, quite simply, the boogie.

And that’s just the beginning.

We’ve been servicing, upgrading and fettling Regas and Linn LP12s for more than 30 years. Between David Ewing and our own Ian Pirie, we have two of the most experienced turntable specialists in the business.

We know turntables. We know what works. And we know how to make your deck sound better.

Just ask.

Accuphase

Analog Relax

Audio Origami

Audio-Technica

Collaro Audio

Degritter

Dynavector

Linn

Lyra

MOON

Naim

Ortofon

Rega

Simplinth

Tangerine

Trilogy

Music streaming has been around since the ’90s; it has revolutionised how we listen to music.

Those who haven’t embraced streaming often think it’s complex or sounds inferior. At Loud & Clear we’ve been dispelling this myth for a decade; those who’ve attended our regular “Simply Streaming” events will testify!

Brands like Linn, Naim, MOON and dCS have been producing breathtaking streamers since 2009 – outperforming their CD players – and simplicity in themselves to use.

Music streamers come in all shapes, sizes and quality levels. Whether you’re craving Studio Master originals, your CD collection stored on a hard drive or you’re confusing your FLACs with your MP3s & MQAs, we’ll help you make this life-changing jump.

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Add a separate streamer (network player) to your existing system to improve the quality of your own digital library and open up the world of subscription music services.

For performance with less hardware, a “one-box” integrated streamer and amplifier  usually includes inputs for a turntable, TV, games console, et al.

For secondary rooms, streaming speakers – just plug and play as you wish; or we’ll hide the speakers in your ceiling or walls for a system which is truly heard but not seen.

We can teach you all the technicalities, or we can just make it happen, simply and elegantly for you and your entire family…

Quality, convenience and availability; that is music streaming.

100 years ago, we attend live performances to hear a limited repertoire of music. Fast forward to the fifties and we were enjoying recorded music at home. Then followed sixty years of shopping for cassettes, records and CDs, and the joy of mix-tapes!

Now, we’ve evolved to be able to access almost any artist, album or track ever recorded, at audio quality impossible from CD, from the comfort of our armchairs. And with subscriptions to Qobuz, Tidal, Apple, etc from £10/mth, it’s never been cheaper.

60 million+ albums at your fingertips: pick a song, album or playlist, sit back and enjoy.

Bluesound

dCS

Innuos

Linn

MOON

Naim

Sonos

WiiM

At the simplest level an integrated system is a wireless or Bluetooth speaker. At the highest, a reference high-resolution music streamer with amplifier and loudspeakers. The question is: how good do you want it to sound?

From the one-box maestros such as the Linn Majik DSM, Naim Uniti range or MOON Ace; just add speakers. all the way to our reference one box systems from Linn: 530, Akubarik and 360, with DAC and amplification built into the loudspeaker cabinets for a compact but astounding audiophile experience.

Bluesound

Linn

Naim

MOON

Sonos

WiiM

Amplify: verb – to make something louder.

Amplification is integral to any great music system. It’s perhaps not the most glamorous part, but it is the very heart which controls, magnifies and ultimately drives your loudspeakers.

Amplifiers come in all shapes, sizes and ‘classes’ and we regularly listen to all types, stocking the best we find in each category and price-point.

A good amplifier will let you connect not only your music sources, but all of your existing home entertainment products too.

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The most commonly used is an integrated amplifier which combines the control (preamplifier) and power elements.

A preamplifier performs delicate adjustments to volume and switches inputs.

Power amplifiers are the workhorses of your hi-fi. They boost a variable level signal from the preamp, magnifying power to drive your speakers.

Isolating these different operations usually optimises performance in hi-fi, hence the argument for dedicated pre and power amplifiers. However recent advances in technology and manufacturing mean that integrated amps can certainly give the separates a run for their money.

Accuphase

Arcam

Dan D’Agostino

Linn

MOON

Naim

Rega

Loudspeakers are the voice of any hi-fi system and in our experience the single element that causes most debate. From their aesthetics to their sonic signature they can be the most personal of selections.

That’s why we encourage you to come and listen. Reviews may tell you the technical specification and writer’s opinion, but there’s no substitute for listening yourself.

Whether you’re after compact stand mounts like KEF LS50s, wireless Totem Plays, or full-range floorstanding speakers like SabrinaX from Wilson Audio, we have a wide range to suit all budgets and tastes.

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The obvious categorisation of loudspeakers is bookshelf (stand mount) or floorstanding. Quite self-explanatory – smaller cabinet bookshelves sit on a unit, shelf or dedicated stand, floorstanders sit on, well, the floor!

Floorstanders have bigger internal cabinet volumes hence can ‘shift more air’, allowing a greater low frequency response – the notes go lower. However, we have an excellent variety of full-range bookshelf speakers too that will delight.

Then there are wireless/Bluetooth speakers, and those with amplification built into the cabinets letting you ‘lose a box’ for a no-compromise, neater playback solution.

Definitely a decision where a viewing and listening session is a must.

Audiovector

Bowers & Wilkins

Fyne Audio

KEF

Linn

PMC

Rega

Totem Acoustics

Wilson Audio

Compact, convenient, robust and portable. Oh and comparatively inexpensive – just a few benefits of wireless and Bluetooth speakers from Sonos, KEF, Linn, Naim and more.

These offer the simplest level of music streaming, perfect when you need a compact solution or for secondary and tertiary rooms. Not indestructible, but relatively safe even in the most boisterous of children’s bedrooms. And the kids will be experts before you’ve read the manual.

You can also deploy wireless speakers in a bigger hi-fi system – Totem Kin Plays for example, partner perfectly with your smartphone and have a phono input for turntables. KEF LS50 Wireless II or LSX II are an elegant and excellent speaker solution if you’re looking for audiophile playback without the cables.

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Bluesound

KEF

Linn

Naim

Sonos

Totem Acoustics

The ‘glue’ brings everything together. Every system needs cables and connections and something to stand on, but how important are these ‘peripherals’ and can they offer performance improvements?

Very and yes. We have done the dems, swapping every cable one by one in systems. Interconnects, mains, speaker and Ethernet cables, ALL impact audio performance.

So to your equipment stand, power supplies and network, including Ethernet switch, cabling and router.

Cable choice has a significant impact at each stage of the audio journey.

Like each component, a cable cannot ‘add’ anything to an audio signal. But it can lose plenty. The more data an audio cable retains, through quality of material and shielding, the more information (and hence music) is passed through your system to its ultimate destination, your ears.

There is a demonstrative jump in performance as cable quality improves, and it’s the easiest comparative dem we do. Just ask and we will  show you.

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The ability of your hi-fi components to perform optimally is dependent on many things, including resistance to resonance and vibration.

Choosing dedicated hi-fi equipment furniture is therefore really quite important, as is matching the aesthetic of your room.

The days of ugly metallic racks are thankfully a distant memory. Pop in to the showrooms to have a look at some of the rather pretty furniture and turntable shelves we use from Quadraspire, Spectral, Custom Design, Hi-Fi Racks, clic and more.

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Atacama

Chord Company

clic

Custom Design

English Electric

Nordost

Quadraspire

Rega

Solidsteel

Spectral

To get you up and running (and fully versed with) your new purchase, Loud & Clear is delighted to offer a scheduled remote installation service. This applies to most of the common products that we stock, including network and digital streaming systems, simple turntables, amplifiers and speakers.

Remote installation gets you hands on with your purchase, but with a Loud & Clear technician on a video call to take you through the unpacking and physical installation of the product. We’ll guide you, step by step, through everything from siting the unit correctly to making all the necessary connections.

Our technician may then ‘dial in’ to your new product to configure and optimise it to your application. This is done via a secure, ‘remote control’ software application such as Teamviewer and will take care of all aspects of setting up your product as we would during a home visit.

Finally your technician will spend time with you to fully handover the operation of your system, giving you an expert ‘masterclass’ in not just the basics, but all of the clever tricks and techniques we’ve amassed during our 28 years of installing these products. Following the session you’ll be fully conversant with your new equipment and able to enjoy its performance and features to the full.

Remote installation can take as little as 10 minutes for a simple turntable setup to an hour or more for a complete digital streaming system. Feedback from our customers who’ve taken advantage of this service has been unanimous, with many feeling far more confident than they’d expected once they got “under the bonnet” of their product, and all feeling a huge sense of satisfaction that they’d contributed to the end result.