Edinburgh HI-AV Show 2025 Report

Following last year's return, the Edinburgh HI-AV Show 2025 built on that success with a growing number of exhibitors and highly engaged visitors. I spoke to a few on the Sunday who had returned after hearing things they particularly liked the previous day, armed with follow-up questions, with a view to making purchases. Show organiser, Chester Group's Justin Bird, was at the helm, and told me:

We have received many positive emails from exhibitors, with over fifty percent already looking forward to the 2026 show. After a seventeen-year break from hosting a quality event here, we are pleased to see a warm welcome for the Scottish show. In 2024, most support came from Scottish manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, but this year we noticed a significant increase in participation from businesses South of the border. The audience quality has been impressive, with several exhibitors reporting the best visitor interactions of their careers. We are also receiving strong inquiries from overseas manufacturers, which is very encouraging.

Proof that exhibitors are taking this show seriously is the number of new products unveiled at Edinburgh HI-AV 2025, including the premieres of Audio Physic's Codex 3, MOON's 371, Clip Audio's Crystal turntable, the final production version of Etude's EHSB speaker, and SNA's 300 B amp. Additionally, this was the platform for the full-width Cyrus 80 AMP to be heard for the first time, as well as the launch of Moor Amps' manaDAC and two new loudspeaker models from Morgan Acoustics.

Landing at Edinburgh Airport meant a less than ten-minute walk to the DoubleTree by Hilton, which was the show's home for the weekend, to take in this relaxed and enjoyable event…

ART | Systemdek

Based on the west coast of Scotland in Troon, ART loudspeakers have been going since the late nineties, founded by Derek and Ramsay Dunlop. Currently, it offers six loudspeaker models, with the standmount 6M and Impression Diamond Reference 15 being demonstrated in one room using a Systemdek Revolution (also famously a product of the Dunlop brothers) fed into an AudioNet system playing Kraftwerk's The Robots.

Next door, I experienced some ART 10 loudspeakers at the end of an Ayon Audio Crossfire EVO tube integrated amplifier and an EMT 928 turntable, thanks to a partnership with Kilmarnock's Fi Audio. Both systems provided a beguiling sound, but I was drawn to the mellifluous yet dynamic nature of the Austrian valve amp.

Audio Counsel | Audio Note UK

Audio Note UK partnered with Audio Counsel to bring you one of their Level 3 systems, featuring the Meishu Phono Tonmeister 300B Integrated amplifier, TT-Three Reference loaded with Arm 3 and IQ3 cartridge, and AN-E SPE HE loudspeakers. We recently reviewed the SPx-LTD field coil speaker version of these larger standmounts.

Through this system, I was treated to a couple of tracks by Government Mule (When the World Gets Small and Bring on the Music), and the delivery was everything one would expect from an Audio Note system at this level, with tonal accuracy being a standout characteristic.

Meanwhile, across the hall, was a more entry-level Audio Note system focused on CD and streaming playback, the latter via a laptop. Here, a CDT Zero had its digits tickled by a DAC 0.1x, which is based around a Philips TDA1543 stereo D/A converter chip and features a 6111WA valve zero-feedback output stage, and then out to an IZero tube integrated into a pair of AX Two in black ash.

Although this demonstrated an example of Audio Note's gateway (the AX Two were just shy of £3,000 when we reviewed them) the performance of John Bramwell's Nobody Left But You (LP) and Ride to Robert's by Jason Isbell (CD) was a reminder that you are paying for a compact but highly capable system.

Audio Emotion

Audio Emotion had brought along the impressive Saltwood Sounds Finesterre floorstanders (£17,890) that combine a Purifi Audio PTT8.0X woofer and Satori TW29B Beryllium tweeter which were pushed along remarkably a pair of the new Eversolo AMP-F10 (£2,200 each), delivering up to 950W in bridged mode and 320W per channel at 4 ohms, ensuring powerful performance across all volume levels and a claimed signal-to-noise ratio of 113dB.

Music was provided by Eversolo's DMP-A10 £3,590 streaming DAC/Pre, which we noted "possesses a solid bass, a rich and creamy midband, and crisp, open high frequencies" when we reviewed it.

Black Ravioli

This was a first for the company as it gave listeners a chance to test its products live.

Using two Technics GR turntables, listeners could fade seamlessly between the same record being played on each, with the output running through a mixer into a HiFiMan headphone amplifier and headphones. One turntable was fitted with the brand's Record Ground and the new Technics Next Level grounding feet, while the other ran completely unmodified.

Listening to the show favourite Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms, there was a discernible difference between the two set-ups. The BR-enhanced deck was more defined; my comment at the time was "less overhang." Well worth investigating further.

Chord Company

Chord Co. was busy demonstrating the differences between its EpicX, EpicXL and Signature speaker cables, assisted by a pair of Fyne F710SP speakers, which were further augmented by a set of SuperTrax super tweeters and REL T/9x subwoofer.

This brings me on to a quick personal demo of the new Shawline and Epic high-level subwoofer cables (£500 and £1,000 for 3m, respectively). These are hand-built using three individually shielded runs of heavy-gauge 14 AWG (Shawline) or 12 AWG (Epic), silver-plated stranded copper wire, for optimum signal transfer and protection from interference.

Both feature PTFE dielectric and woven braided shielding and finished off with ChordOhmic Choralloy-plated spades and Neutrik Speakon connectors. Listening to First Aid Kit's Master Pretender, I could hear subtle improvements between the Shawline and Epic offerings, and this also proved how adding a well-integrated sub can enhance your stereo speakers, especially by clearing up the midband.

Cyrus

Cyrus had its lovely 40-series components topped off with the brand-new 80 AMP, a 150W per channel, Class AB streaming integrated amplifier, with BluOS streaming platform at its core, which had, until now, only appeared on static display.

However, at the Edinburgh HI-AV Show, thanks to its partners at Glasgow Audio, it was powering a pair of Kudos Audio Titan 606 loudspeakers, with everything plumbed in using Atlas Cables. Although the streaming portion of the 80 AMP isn't quite ready, hence the 40 ST is doing the business, the system sounded well-sorted when playing Air's La Femme D'argent and looked wonderful sitting on furniture from Little Hifi Racks.

Elite Audio

Scottish East coast-based Elite Audio had a delicious array of hi-fi goodness to feast both eyes and ears upon. The system I listened to was fed by an Xact S1 streamer/server (£12,000) into an Aqua La Scala MkIII DAC (£7,800).

Amplification was by ever-enjoyable Electrocompaniet in the form of the Norwegian brand's EC 4.8 MkII pre (£4,799) and a pair of the AW300M power amps (£27,000 per pair), which we already declared "ticks all the boxes for those seeking a pair of very gutsy monoblock power amps that offer poise as well as power" in our review.

The speakers used in this case were Audio Physic's new Codex 3 four-way floorstanders (£14,295), which, according to Elite MD Mark Cargill, borrow the internal 10-inch paper-pulp-coned woofer from the Cardeas 2 flagship's woofer.

This handles frequencies below 100Hz and is claimed to output down to 28Hz via the base of the speaker through a block of ceramic foam, augmented by a slot port formed between the internal cabinet and outer front cladding. I have to say, not only was there clarity and punch in the low-end presence, but the bass had plenty of texture, not just simply heft. This system was also snappy as I listened to Paula Cole's Feeling Love and Sarah McLachlan's Angel.

Holburn HiFi

Coming from nearby Glasgow (it also has an Aberdeen branch), Holburn HiFi produced a system that had a much larger presence than its ticket price would suggest.

Star of the show for me was Hegel's new £2,750 H150 streaming integrated amplifier, which delivers 75 watts per channel into 8 ohms of exceptionally natural and dynamic sound. Loudspeakers were Fyne Audio (it's almost as if they're built around here!), this time featuring the F501S (£1,700) and F704SP (£20,000), both enhanced by S-Trax super tweeters.

In Chris Frankland's review for StereoNET, he said that the F501S "has an open and articulate sound, with a weighty but taut bottom end and pleasingly propulsive rhythmic style", and I concur. For under £4.5k, you could do much worse than the Fyne/Hegel pairing.

James-Morrow

Edinburgh's own James-Morrow Entertainment Systems was running timed demonstrations of a couple of systems, presented by the knowledgeable Nathan, in a room conspicuously treated with lovely GIK panels. Not only did I stick around to hear both systems, but also managed to get ears-on with MOON's show premiere of the 371 streaming integrated, the first from the Canadian brand's Compass Collection.

The first system was headed up by Rega's Naia turntable (£10,500), paired with an Aura MC phono stage, alongside the brand's Mercury preamp and Solis power amp. Digital tunes were via an Aurenda A100 using its internal DAC. This system output to the KEF Reference 3 loudspeakers.

Unsquare Dance by Dave Brubeck on LP sounded lithe and groovy, and Morphine's Buena was remarkably good, especially considering it was being streamed via AirPlay due to the hotel's network not being friendly. The second system was headed by a Clearaudio Innovation Basic (£5,400) fitted with a Tracer arm (£2,280) and a DS Audio DS003 optical cartridge (£5,500, including an equaliser), running into a Bel Canto ACI600 Class D integrated amplifier (£33,750).

Streaming on this side was handled by the HiFi Rose RS130 network transport (£4,300) and RD160 DAC (£4,700). A brace of Kerr Acoustic K320s (£8,795) was the loudspeaker of choice for this high-end combo. The percussion in Burden of Life by Beth Gibbons hit so realistically while not overpowering her emotionally fragile vocals.

Meanwhile, acoustic guitar and melancholic violin cut through with precision. However, when the MOON 371 (£6,250) was plugged in, replacing the Bel Canto and HiFi Rose duo (a total of £42,750), there were plenty of nods as we listened to Bryan Ferry's Your Painted Smile and Umbra by GoGo Penguin. A one-box solution sounding this good, while costing £36,500 less than the previous three separate components, must be worth investigating further.

Moor Amps

Perhaps easily overlooked in the Moor Amps room, the manaDAC (£6,250), which sits atop the rack, is a new addition and may even raise some eyebrows once its recipe is revealed. Built around a pair of Burr-Brown PCM1794A DAC chips in dual mono configuration, which were chosen for the "lovely vinyl-like presentation and musical energy." Next comes a discrete I/V stage utilising two transistors on the same substrate, designed for optimal gain and thermal matching, which should result in very low audible distortion levels.

Although the Portland, UK-based company states the manaDAC is a relatively simple design, it still ended up with a trio of separate mains transformers and eighteen power supply regulators, ten of which are of the ultra-low-noise variety. Moreover, all analogue supplies are filtered using L-C filters with low ESR industrial-grade capacitors, to ensure a black background noise level that doesn't intrude on the fine musical details.

The manaDAC works with PCM inputs up to 24-bit, 192kHz resolution, featuring an electrically isolated, femtosecond-reclocked USB input, as well as S/PDIF RCA and TOSLINK inputs for flexibility and compatibility with AV systems. CD rips of Paul Simon's Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes and Abdullah Ibrahim's Kramat sounded clear, engaging, and vinyl-esque through the Angel 4i integrated amplifier (£7,995), Angel 6 power amp (£10,995), and Ascalon 8 loudspeakers (£11,495).

Morgan Acoustics

Morgan Acoustics has been busy working away on a MkII version of its Ten-12 4-way speaker, refining what some may have already heard at this year's Bristol Hi-Fi Show. Additionally, beside them was the all-new slightly more compact Seven-7 3.5-way floorstander.

The larger sibling features a 7-inch midrange, 10-inch midbass, and 12-inch woofer, accompanied by an Airmotion transformer tweeter at the top. Where the original Ten-12 could reach down to 24Hz, designer Dan told me these new versions could hit 18/19Hz while maintaining a 94dB 1W/1m sensitivity.

Meanwhile, the Seven-7 actually features a pair of 7.5-inch bass drivers (but the name would be clumsy), one working from 25Hz to 80Hz, while the other continues up to 250Hz. The newcomer is said to have a sensitivity of 93dB. Smilk's Crooked sounded impressive with low levels of distortion, heaps of punch and fast transients.

However, it was the Ten-12 MkII that impressed – not only with Tingvall Trio's Beat and Geoff Castellucci's version of The Sound of Silence at room-filling volume, but also at lower levels with Angela Brown's take on St James Infirmary.

Rogers | Scarborough HiFi

Rogers demonstrated its newly launched PM510 S3 speaker system, a passive version of the active BBC LS 5/8 studio monitor. The tweeter features a 34mm silk dome, a phase correction plate, low-mass copper-clad aluminium wire, and a single-layer low-mass voice coil for enhanced transient response.

This is partnered with a 305mm woofer, made in the UK by Volt Loudspeakers to Rogers' design specification, featuring a lightweight PVC cone with twin rear suspension to minimise high transient distortion. An extended pole with a flux control ring for low modulation distortion. Low-mass copper-clad aluminium voice coil for improved transient response.

Duties are assigned by a third-order crossover, with an 18dB per octave slope, utilising high-power ferrite-cored inductors, high-voltage film capacitors, and screened toroid chokes. This is all wrapped up in a 760x460x400mm [HxWxD] cabinet of 12mm Baltic birch plywood with real wood veneer – Amazaque and Olive Ash are your standard options. The Rogers promises a healthy sensitivity of 93dB, a frequency response of 45Hz-20kHz (+/-3dB), and a nominal impedance of 15 ohms.

The source was a Wadia CD transport connected to an LFD DAC 5 SE converter, an NCSE HR line-amp, and PF3 HR monoblocks, courtesy of Scarborough HiFi. This was a relaxed and enjoyable listen, featuring a dynamic and expressive presentation as we heard Jamiroquai's Just Another Story and Amazing Grace, performed by Carl Jackson.

SGS (Signal Ground Solutions)

SGS used the Edinburgh HI-AV Show 2025 to introduce its Pinnacle quartet in Generis, the company's own smooth and warm-to-the-touch nano-particle material.

The top-performing model in the Signal Ground Solutions catalogue, it is designed for larger systems that require additional connections and comes with four Extreme cables (2 x1.5 m, 1 x2 m, 1x1 m). Internally, it features twin cores, each weighing over 5 kilos, and is encased with SGS's proprietary ballast, which helps explain the unit's total weight of 25kg. This is independently zoned, allowing either signal or chassis ground to be used.

SNA | Clip Audio | CML Audio

This room saw me sit through the entire first side of The Doors' LA Woman LP as I was unable to draw myself away.

Here, we had the launch of the Etude High Sensitivity Bipole loudspeaker in its full production guise, the new Clipaudio Crystal turntable and Ninewave tonearm (although I was listening to the white version fitted with a brass-gimballed Ninewave arm and a lovely van den Hul Colibri cartridge), and the debut of Super Natural Audio's 300 B amplifier.

More information about this system can be found in an earlier post. However, I was also informed that a more compact iteration of the Etude is being considered, which would feature the drivers in a 4x3 array within an ESL 57-shaped cabinet.

Trilogy

Sitting in a room being driven by Trilogy separates is always a good thing. However, it strikes me as odd that this British company might not be as well-known as other fine British amp manufacturers.

Now in its thirty-fifth year, Trilogy is another British brand whose principal designer – in this case Nic Pouslon (also the founder of Isotek and the brains behind ISOL-8 Teknologies) – can be traced to a background in broadcast engineering at the BBC.

This demo, hosted by Mark Perfect, featured Trilogy's 921 (£6,500) integrated sharing rack space with the 914 preamp (£13,000), accompanied by a pair of 994 monaural hybrid power amplifiers (£10,000 each). Power was supplied via an ISOL-8 Substation Integra (£3,225), while a Cyrus 40 CD with its 40 PSU provided the source.

This was all presented via a pair of ProAc Response D20 standmounters. The result of the pre/power demo was tonally rich with a hugely musically engaging character full of nuance. Staging was layered and organic, presenting details to the listener naturally rather than forcing them upon you.

Ultrafide

Ultrafide took the wraps off its new SP500 amplifier, a more compact and affordable addition to the range, offering 250W (into 8 ohms) and 500W (4 ohms) of power.

It features the company's Ultra Sigma output topology, first introduced in the U500DC. Mark Bailey, product specialist at Ultrafide Audio and MC2, explained that the SP500 retains everything loved about the U500DC Ultra Sigma amplifier but introduces a more minimal casing based on customer feedback.

He highlighted the added rack-mount capability and revised connections, making the unit even more flexible for CI, studio, cinema, and traditional hi-fi use. He also noted that the SP500's internals are nearly identical to those of the U500DC, with only subtle changes to the input/output circuitry. Coming in at £3,990, it's undoubtedly a saving when compared with its stablemate's £4,500 RRP.

Final Thoughts

This Scottish hi-fi show is really gaining traction, but as it stands is a relaxed way of hearing systems from brands and dealers that may otherwise prove tricky or, at the very least, time-consuming to do.

It certainly proved worthwhile attending for me, as it proves that a packed show isn't always a better show. Audiophiles had a chance to chat with the exhibitors, take time listening to what they wanted to hear, and – according to feedback I was given – most weren't "tyre kickers" or simply "there for a nice day out". Well worth a look next year, in my view.

There are many more photos from the show in the gallery; click the link below.

Edinburgh HI-AV Show 2025 Gallery