The Jordan Marlow loudspeakers have made their first public appearance!
The UK’s first post-pandemic Audio Show was held at the De Vere Staverton Estate, near Daventry, and ran for two days at the beginning of October. Thanks to Jonathan Billington of Music First Audio, audiophiles had their first chance to hear the new Marlow CE loudspeakers and we were very encouraged by the reactions:
“The sound was sublime and so easy on the ear and several visitors to the room commented on how good the system sounded.” Hi-Fi Pig Show Report
“These LS3/5A-sized front-ported standmounts are equipped with an Eikona full range drive unit, with the standard version sporting silver-plated 4mm cable sockets and Kimber Kable TC internal wiring. The sound produced here would satisfy most audiophiles. Granted, there were more showy systems out there, but based purely on sound quality as I sat and listened to Mexican Pharmacy, this compact system would take some beating and suit even the smallest of listening spaces.” StereoNet Show Report
“The best-sounding room at the show. How does a single cone speaker produce such lovely treble?” room visitor
“The Jordan speakers gave scale and depth they had no right to …” Wigwam Audio Forum visitor
It was a pleasure to team up with Jonathan for the show and it was generous of him to choose our speakers. The Music First Audio room at hi-fi shows is always a pleasure to visit. Jonathan is careful to make them an oasis of relaxing, enjoyable music – a welcome contrast to the boom and bombast of some other rooms. It helps, of course, that his company’s equipment is so good.
At the October show, Jonathan was showcasing his Classic v2 passive preamp, a superbly made device which uses a Stevens & Billington transformer volume control and contributes absolutely nothing to the signal passing through it, leaving the music clear and fresh-sounding. They were backed up by a pair of 200-watt Music First monoblocks.
But arguably, the stars of the room (even we have to admit it) were Jonathan’s Nagra 4-SJ and 4.2 reel to reel tape recorders which supplied superb sound throughout the weekend.
These Swiss-built portables were originally built for the film and broadcast industries and in addition to being a very reliable work tool, look absolutely gorgeous. The two machines were powered by batteries (over £50 worth) and proved an absolute magnet for visitors. One machine played stereo music and the other a mono voice track from veteran actor Nicholas Donnelly. This was recorded in Jonathan’s own studio, so not only played from the master tape but also replayed on the machine that recorded it – about as audiophile pure as you can get.
The Nagras demonstrated that the Marlow CE speakers are perfectly able to rise to the challenge of the highest grade audiophile sources. The stereo recordings filled the room with music and the mono voice recording sounded uncannily life-like.
“A great room with great sound. The Nagras are always eye and ear candy but they were well matched and magical with Music First Audio and the Jordan Marlows.” – Jay Garrett, StereoNET
We hope to be at the 2022 Audio Show in June. Meanwhile, click on this link to learn more about our superbly-crafted loudspeakers.
“Small and perfectly formed. These speakers do not do thunderous bass or ripping treble, fortunately. Only music.” – Wigwam Audio Forum show report
