Retailer Spotlight: The Audio Barn

Many UK hi-fi dealers have come to rely on Vertere as an integral part of their portfolio and Ed Selley went along to see an example of this in action.

Since their founding in 2015 The Audiobarn, on the outskirts of Harlow in Essex has carved out an enviable reputation as one of the UK’s best audio dealers. Jack Satchfield has assembled a collection of brands that meet his expectations both in terms of performance but also in how they are to live with and use long term as he feels strongly that equipment that fails in the latter category will go unlistened to regardless of how good it sounds. The store itself speaks to this philosophy too. A large, comfortable demo room that behaves much as a room in ‘real life’ might allows for unhurried and relaxed testing of equipment that will be recommended on the strength of Jack and his teams’ considerable time spent with the products they sell rather than hunches or being swayed by the flavour of the month.  

Vertere has been a part of this portfolio for some years; Jack being drawn to the distinctive engineering solutions and the reputation of Touraj Moghaddan. To see this in action, two different examples of how the Vertere range works for The Audiobarn were on display. In keeping with what customers can expect, I was steered in the direction of suitable partnering equipment but the final decisions were my own. 

The first system is towards the more affordable end of what The Audiobarn sells but there’s a balance to its components that instantly appeals. The DG-1S, here in its white finish acts as the front end. This particular example is closer to the basic specification model but takes advantage of the fact that updates can be added to suit customer requirements. This example has the Technomat fitted and makes use of the Challenger linear power supply which both improves the performance from the turntable itself and simplifies its grounding arrangements in this system. 

The partnering equipment is the highly regarded duo of Naim Supernait 3 integrated amplifier and the Kudos Super 10 A standmount speaker. Thanks to the inclusion of a phono stage in this latest generation of the Supernait, there are no requirements for additional boxes, making for a neat and elegant pairing. The Super 10 A does nothing to hinder this perception either. A tweaked and enhanced version of the Cardea C10, it is designed to offer an effortlessly full range performance from a sensibly sized cabinet. 

What’s very important about how this system slots together is that, the second that the opening bars of Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela’s Rejoice sound out, all thoughts about the system being compact or practical take a back seat. The complex rhythm of Robbers, Thugs and Muggers is effortlessly together and it underpins everything else which assurance and confidence. The time I’ve spent with a DG-1S have shown me that it’s astonishingly capable in this regard; without ever feeling relentless or tiring, it times with absolute precision. 

From there, the system fleshes out the performance with a space and tonal realism that’s utterly compelling. Masekela’s trumpet has a tonal vibrancy and presence that grabs your attention and holds it. All three parts of the system are excellent in this regard (I continue to be astonished at how accomplished the Magneto cartridge is at voices and instruments) and together they are greater than the sum of their parts and there is enough space to the soundstage and bass weight on offer to be completely convincing.  

No less impressively, a quick blast of Little Barrie and Malcom Catto’s Quatermass Sessions is also a great listen. This is a very different record to the first; harder edged and prone to sounding ‘hot’ on a number of systems. Here, the rawness and retro themed mastering is readily apparent but it never overwhelms the brooding, jazz infused music itself. It sets a high standard to follow. 

The system that has that task does look to be up to the job though. It is fronted by a Vertere SG-1, used here with Mystic moving coil cartridge and Tempo power supply unit. Vertere Sales Manager Mike takes the opportunity to talk Jack and colleague Andy Holt through the setup procedure that they would apply to customer purchased units and the unit is up and running in short order. Resplendent in its black finish, even as a happy MG-1 MkII owner, I find the result rather covetable.

It is connected directly to a Luxman L-507Z integrated amplifier; a world away in design ethos from the Naim in the first system but sharing in the ideal of immaculate build and real world user friendliness. This is partnered with a pair of Focal Diablo Utopia standmounts; the smallest member of the Utopia family but still imbued with the extraordinary technical sophistication of the rest of the range. 

Once again though, it isn’t that cleverness, user friendliness or how desirable the SG-1 looks that you think about when we return to Rejoice. I am always slightly amazed at how the basics of the ‘Vertere sound’ make their progress from turntable to turntable. The SG-1 is, as you might expect, a big leap from the DG-1S but that same rhythmic assurance and almost effusive quality that means you listen to the music rather than the hardware shines through the presentation. This is still a head nodding, foot tapping, fundamentally joyous experience but, where the first system produced a soundstage that made sense of the recording, this one opens it out into something gloriously immersive. There is much more of a sense of the band members supporting Masekela and little details that turn the presentation into a performance are stitched in. 

Like the smaller system though, this is not a device that can only perform with audiophile pressings and I own a great many decidedly non-audiophile records to test this to destruction. I’m not above admitting that there is something fundamentally joyous about sticking EBM the latest gloriously noisy effort from Editors on this beautiful trio of objects and watching the VU meters of the Luxman climb toward their end stops. The exceptional refinement of the Luxman balances the energy and detail of the Focal and the result is that the ballistic and euphoric Heart Attack is a superb combination of power and refinement, anchored by the SG-1s ability to dig every last piece of information out of the groove of the record and present it in an utterly compelling way. 

These are two very different systems but what ties them together is stronger than where they differ. They will both happily dial in to a standard UK living space and offer enough inputs to allow for you to have many other sources beyond a turntable. On a less practical level, both of them excel at making you feel special too. Their sonic ability though is absolutely not in doubt. In both cases, the electronics and speakers give the Vertere turntables the foundation they need to deliver the musical message contained in your records, be they sumptuous audiophile pressings or imperfect reminders of a misspent youth. Jack and his team at The Audiobarn have the experience and understanding required to consistently get the best out these products and you can be sure that any trip there to listen to the Vertere range will be an intensely rewarding one. 

Find out more about The Audio Barn or find your nearest Vertere retailer.