Sonneteer of Britain, still big in Japan with Allegro, Visual Grand Prix and Audio Basic.
If the Visual Grand Prix award wasn’t enough this year then the Audio Basic review of the Sonneteer Bronte CD player alongside the Campion amplifier has certainly filled us up with the tastiest pudding.
Yes indeed! Following on from the Audio Excellence Awards in multiple for Sonneteer hifi in recent years the Bronte silver disk player has picked up another gong. As was the case with the Morpheus Music Centre before it. It seems a customer put it up for nomination they were so enamoured.
Did I say full earlier? Well nothing to get in the way of the after dinner drinks and mints. Audio Basic were happy to enjoy the post nosh entertainment with a tipple and I quote, “[On the Campion amplifier and Bronte CD player]..these machines are the objects of craftwork. Comparable to drinking single malt whisky, straight. You can enjoy the high quality sound without colouration. A person who likes this is one who is a considerable lover of music and sound.”
On the rack and ready to launch. CD mark five.
As we go to press the latest incarnation of the Sonneteer CD player range is shipping out. Imaginatively dubbed the Mark Five or mkV for short, both the Byron and the Bronte have had their internals updated. So good are the new models, according to Sonneteer Technical Director, Remo Casadei that , ” I want to swap the [much cherished] prototype I have at home for one of these. It’s so hauntingly detailed and musical”.
“It took us a long time to get here” Haider Bahrani, Sonneteer’s Managing director was quoted as we interviewed them in the workshop. “The earlier versions of both CD models were a hard act to beat and to be honest we were struggling for a while.” He, revealingly, went on to say, “one day, as is almost always the case when we are developing new products, everything just came together. Suddenly we did one or two things and the players just started to sing. On a day like that you can almost do nothing wrong. The next morning is always very telling just in case someone had pumped some narcotic into the air the previous day. Thankfully, all was well.”
If you haven’t ordered one already, however it may be a week or two wait before anyone else gets their hands on these babies as it seems the order books are full for the moment and they are now taking orders for October delivery. Not a bad place to be in this climate. They were certainly busy bees on our visit and it was difficult to grab the guys attention for all the activity. They did say the Rugby World Cup(being played in New Zealand of the next two months may slow things down a little as a lot of the matches are on 9.30am.
Digital Party like it’s 1999
Memories of 1999 when the Sonneteer Bronte ‘digital’ amplifier first took shape, came rushing back when we took a call recently, here at Sonneteer mansions, from our friends at Doug Brady Hi-fi. They have on sale a rare specimen of said amp’. It’s a former demonstrator model of ours which has been in the hands of one of their discerning employees who has now upgraded his ears to a Sonneteer Orton.
Back in 1999 we first showed off our work at the IFA show in Berlin in partnership with Tripath Technologies, the front runners in digital audio electronics at the time. Their European reps1 had been trying to get their chips into hifi, but were struggling due to the less than favourable audiophile nature of their evaluation modules. So, without any real intention of producing anything other than a concept product we put our hands to ‘Audiophiling’ them. The concept shown off in Berlin, became the Sonneteer Bronte amplifier that went on to meet with global praise including a magnificent review in Gramophone magazine and a follow up ‘Editor’s Choice’ in the 2002 product review.
This [Bass] extension can come as something of a surprise on first audition, but the Brontë is just as accomplished across the rest of the frequency range. That makes it able to deliver the smallest nuance of a voice or solo instrument as well as it does the full force of a symphony orchestra. For that reason this is a fine allround choice, as to the extent that one could almost forget its USP — the digital amplification — and just consider it as another amplifier. And while I’m sure the digital engineers at Sonneteer wouldn’t take too kindly to such an approach, that’s meant as high praise indeed. Gramophone Dec.2002
The Bronte went on to become one of our most successful products with Best Buys and awards heaped upon it from as far flung fields as Japan, USA and Russia as well as our near field continental cousins.
Sadly and due to the demise of Tripath, despite the subsequent adoption of their technologies by the likes of Sony (Smart Digital range) and Sharp amongst others, we at Sonneteer, have had to knock the Bronte Amplifier on the head for the time being, with the last amplifiers leaving the door in 2008 heading towards Paris and Tokyo. We also very rarely see them back and certainly have not had one on our servicing tables since we waved the truck to Paris goodbye.
Sonneteer, of course, have far from given up on digital amplification. The spirit of the Bronte lives on in the Bard amplifier and more recently the Morpheus Music Centre. The path was also laid for many, many others to follow as digital amplification now dominates audio reproduction. From a sound quality point of view the technology may have yet to surpass the best of its analogue brethren, but it is certainly and with good design on a par with most.[HB].
- On their first visit to Sonneteer one rep’ left with a Sonneteer Campion under his arm and we, a cheque in our hands ↩
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Sonneteer pulling the electric Car industry by the wheels!
Not contented with their industry leading products in the hi-fi sector, British Luxury brand and sound specialists, Sonneteer have transferred their expertise to the fledgeling electric car industry. Sonneteer have pioneered the field of high spec’ audio in adopting digital amplifier technology from as far back as the 1990′s whilst everyone one else were still debating the topological merits of super carbon hungry single ended class A. This was also the time when Sonneteer first considered the idea of putting their amplifier know how in to auto motive use. This was driven largely by Sonneteer’s Technical director Remo Casadei, a bit of a car Junky himself who has recently cross pollinated his petrol head brain with that of a green fuels fanatics’.
All this brings us to today with lab results finally showing that it can be done and the launch of the first working prototype. Sonneteer hope to secure governmental backing to take their developments to the next stage with a hope to seeing this British bred innovation in the likes of the Nissan Leaf and the Rolls Royce Phantom.
Some of you may also recall Sonneteer H2O remote controller. This technology is also being harnessed to drive the amplifier they are using which is a derivation of the same amplifier used in both the Bard amplifier(known to some as the Bard 3) and the mono blocks used inside the Morpheus Music Centre. Sonneteer Director and designer of the original Campion amplifier, Haider Bahrani was quoted to say “Combining these two technologies already adopted in our audio designs and transferring them to automotive products has not turned out to be that difficult as a lot of the principles of control are the same. Audiophiles want the perfect sound and Autoheads want the perfect drive. It’s really how you control the power source to give you just that. We’ve been perfecting this for years.” In many of the Sonneteer literature handouts we are given from time to time a little tag line often appears at the bottom in very small type face; Often copied, never bettered. Perhaps it should be written in big bold letters in future?!
Sonneteer at the UK Pavilion, Amsterdam 2011
Turning heads and pleasing ears, Sonneteer return home after three days of integrating at Europe’s top show for the ilk. The long drives there and home were certainly well worth the experience as Remo and Haider tested their vocal mechanics to their limits. Visitors were many and mostly a rewarding experience.
The three days of the show brought Sonneteer to the eyes of a crowd beyond the usual hi-fi massive as home system integrators, architects and installers hoofed en mass to the Sonneteer stall.
Dominant themes were, home networking of home entertainment and control. As technology makes life simpler in principle everyone seems to be hopping about looking for the latest solutions. That said, traditional hi-fi and bespoke solutions were all the rage as resellers look for the edge to bring the reluctant consumer back to the spender’s fold. who would know that customer satisfaction would be back on the agenda!? Hand crafted and in a multi-colourful choice Sonneteer were on hand to show off their bespoke solutions too.
One of their big posters read; “sound technology delivery systems, made simple”. A clear statement of intent.
More soon.
click for Press information
ISE 2011, RAI Amsterdam. Listen, touch, play.
1F100 the stand at which you will find Sonneteer this year at the ISE at the RAI Amsterdam, February 1st to 3rd. British flags will be fluttering as the show’s highlight will be part of the UK pavilion, which despite the heavy cuts that were so clearly evident of the UKTi at CES, this one sneaked through the funding blockade.
As such, Sonneteer will be proudly showing off the best of British design and handy work (yes they are still made in the UK) with the Morpheus to be perched on its beautifully crafted stand feeding off the server and the internet in multicolour.
We hope to bring you reports on events back from the show.
Press information
Days 3 & 4 CES 2011
As we got into the swing of things it became obviously wise to start the long days at CES with a hearty breakfast as the Sonneteer room was often overrun with folk and none more so than at lunch time.
On the Saturday the madness continued with notably a large number of end users trawling the floors of the show. As a trade show this is, of course, not strictly expected, but we were more than happy to oblige future customers.
The final day of the show is traditionally when the exhibitors get a chance to walk around for themselves and becomes more of an industry love in, so to speak. Most of the show visitors are at the airport or driving home across the desert ready to sip their black coffee on a Monday morning.
The show next year, we are advised, will be an all mid week affair.
CES REPORT: Days 1 & 2 Sonneteer Serving the News waves
As the rest of the electronics industry pops its tablets and shades off its 3D hang over, some small corners of the CES show were quietly revolutionising the way people live. No exception to this are Sonneteer who were on hand with their Music Centre now fully bluetoothed, Ipodded and Androided and sitting on a beautiful stand and potentially hanging out on walls. Days 1 and 2 were briskly attended by the trade and press alike and through these pages we will be linking you through to numerous blogs and news items posted.
As well as Bluetooth and a brand new stand, Sonneteer were showing off an iPod Touch controlling the two systems on display. The New Reciva Remote, developed in conjunction with Sonneteer’s partners in streaming, Reciva of Cambridge and which boasts the same software engine of the Morpheus can, by definition, control every function on the unit including the tens of thousands of radio stations and allows you to assign presets as well as showing off
Album art and creating play lists. No matter how many Sonneteer Morpheus you have in your home or how many servers, the remote will access and control them all from the palm of your hand. Traditionalists can, of course, use the solid aluminium remote control that comes with the Morpheus as standard.
Sonneteer showing, Streaming and NET-working at CES Las Vegas 2011
CES 2011: Expect an iPod, an Android and the God of dreams. Sonneteer are back in the limelight.
The Sonneteer Morpheus Music Centre has come of age and acquired a family. It has its own stand, a Server which rips and stores music and, courtesy of Reciva the internet radio people, an App that will remotely control all functions on all the Morpheus units you may have in your home.
All of these will be on show alongside a selection of beautifully crafted loudspeakers from Sonneteer’s brothers in arms, Penaudio.
The Morpheus Server will be showing off its skilled silence as well as its ability to look beautiful in its hand crafted, engraved aluminium coat. The Music centre as well as a new stand will be going blue in the form of a Blue tooth option so iPhones, iPods, iPads and just about any other mobile phone or device with bluetooth built in can send music to it.
Talking of colours the full range of 12 will be on show; options now available on all Sonneteer products.
Where will they be? Venetian Tower Suite 29-310, January 6 to 9, 2011 at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas.
Digital Party like it’s 1999
Memories of 1999 when the Sonneteer Bronte ‘digital’ amplifier first took shape, came rushing back when we took a call recently, here at Sonneteer mansions, [...]
- The year was 1994 March 30, 2012I was right in the middle of a Master's degree course at Imperial College and Remo was Technical Director of a big set top box manufacturing and distribution company at the time. At weekends and in the evenings Remo (as I was stuck in a laboratory in West London) was getting my original quite messily built prototype into a production ready product. We t […]haider
- KNOW HOW! The future of CE retail? September 1, 2011Our fridge recently went kaput and with a little girl now starting to march her way around the house, urgency took hold and the world of internet retail started to thump its way out of our desktop.Ultimately it couldn't have been simpler and since we needed it to be installed, Dixon's online turned out to be the best option. A week or so later and […]haider
- Looking back... July 27, 2011As we are about to re-launch the CD players, I got a bit of a deja vous feeling and found myself reminiscing the initial Sonneteer journey while I was talking to a chap about the business.Haider was making an amplifier for his university project... I was working on a satellite receiver project for my placement company. Although we were both really into music […]diSegno
- Got me a new phone... July 7, 2011After being burnt with 3 touch screen phones running Windows Mobile 3 and 6, with all of them being retired as paperweight, an assault weapon or as an emergency phone within months... I was sure that I would not go down the touch screen route again... not even the iPhone tempted me enough to ditch the old buttoned phone!Until one day I walked in the Carephon […]diSegno
