Go With the Grain
Huge discount on this special bundle
The Tannoy Turnberry and REL Classic 99 might have been made for each other.
"Mid-century modern as a design aesthetic really exploded in the last 4-5 years. It's shorthand for authenticity. It's marking a desire to go back to a time when what you saw was what you got."
Thus spake John Hunter, owner and chief designer of REL, as he launched the REL Classic 98 subwoofer last year. It was a model he designed for himself, a subwoofer that would be an aesthetic match for a vintage audio system, but with better sound. After all, we might be nostalgic for wood grain and paper cones, but the sound from that era would just be too warm and too slow for our modern ears.
It wasn't just John who wanted the Classic 98, and it became an instant hit. Soon, the market was ready for a bigger model, and out came the Classic 99 with a 12" driver over the 98's 10", with an extra 150 W of power, perfectly controlling the pulp-on-paper cone with a 450 W class-D amp. This combination of a nostalgic, rich-sounding paper driver (albeit far stiffer than the cones of yore) with a contemporary, swift-moving switching amp circuit, brings the ideal combination of the old and the new, and one that blends seamlessly with Tannoy's modern expressions of its heritage designs.
Turning to Turnberry
Looking at the photos here (shot in-house by our multi-talented support tech, Brandon Riley), it's easy to see why we'd pair the Classic 99 with the Tannoy Turnberry. Both have that richly-grained walnut veneer with exceptional joinery, making them deserving of a "fine furniture" grade. Acoustically, the Turnberry's 10" paper pulp cone doped with Tannoy's legendary dynamism is a near-perfect match for the REL's driver. And, we don't have to tell our loyal readers why you should get two subwoofers for the ultimate high-fidelity experience.
Sold separately, the Tannoy Turnberry loudspeakers and two REL Classic 99 subwoofers would cost $12,788. The bundle is selling for just $9,995, a savings of nearly $2,800. There are limited numbers, and since we've dropped prices so much, we regretfully have to charge a 20% restocking fee in case of returns. But remember, professional audio consultation at Upscale Audio is totally free! Call us at (909) 931-9686, email info@upscaleaudio.com, or chat on our website to make absolutely sure this bundle is perfect for you.
Betting on Rega's Dark Horses
Rega's problem is that its turntables are so good and so well-regarded, that way too few people realize how great their amps are. The little Brio, for example, is a favorite of our analog manager, Sean-Paul Williams, a 50 W integrated that he considers a real sleeper hit.
Further up the line is the Aethos, a 125 W integrated that we recently connected to a pair of Focal Scala's and we were all so taken in by the sound (that bass!) that we're featuring it at Revolution 9, our upcoming analog in-store event on September 5.
The Aethos is a dual-mono design using a custom wound toroidal transformer and regulated supplies for the sensitive amplification and driver stages. The pre-amplifier stage uses class-A discrete circuitry throughout.
From the io and Brio, through the Elex and Elicit, and up to the Aethos and Osiris, Rega offers a wide range of solid-state integrated amplifiers that we all really need to pay more attention to. Come listen to the Aethos if you're able, and look out for a more in-depth piece on "Non-Turntable Regas" coming soon.
