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Welcome to Lyric Hifi

429 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7EY Tel: +44 (0)2890 381296, From ROI 04890 381296
Open: 10:00am - 5:00pm - Monday to Friday, Saturday by appointment only

Call in for a mosey round, tap us for good advice, and have a listen to great sounds

How to choose the best online casino?

This page hosts a list of online gambling sites and casinos that are not part of Gamstop. These external operators hold licences with places like Malta, Cyprus, Curacao, Gibraltar or other off-shore entities outside of the UK. Casinos that are not based in the UK should be approached with caution. These sites do not have the same level of safety as those licensed by the UKGC, as they are classified as non-Gamstop casinos. These gambling sites accept players from all over the world, including the UK, but they are not specifically targeted at British gamblers. They usually use euros as their currency rather than pounds sterling. The sole purpose of this web page is to provide feeless and straightforward self-exclusion from any gambling websites not included in Gamstop s scheme. The top list is for foreign residents living in the UK who want to play at a casino that isn t licensed by the UKGC. If you want to stop using these websites, we recommend that you manually block yourself from each casino not on the Gamstop list or explore our other self-exclusion options. For a general casino player, playing an online slot machine or live casino game for a few free spins is a great way to de-stress after work. For some people, gambling is not a casual activity--it s an addiction. Fortunately, the Gamstop scheme exists to help problem gamblers in Great Britain by allowing them to self-exclude from online casinos. If you or someone you know suffers from gambling addiction, encourage them to seek help through this program. If you re looking to gamble online, it s a smart move to sign up for Gamstop. Once you re registered, Gamstop will exclude you from all participating online gambling and casino sites. Right now, it s voluntary for casinos to register with Gamstop, so there are some that aren t included. Gamstop is a UK-based initiative, and currently, online casinos licenced in Malta, Cyprus, Curacao are not registered on Gamstop. The UKGC can’t force an individual to join the Gamstop scheme.

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BIG FAT BLOG OF 22

How do you write about 2022 ?

Anything hifi and music related becomes minor when compared to the rest of the world

There's a war in Europe

Refugees fleeing Ukraine in need of food and clothes

World storms floods fires and hurricanes indicate that climate change is gathering pace

And when you look to leaders/politicians to take action on any of this where is there anyone you would trust?

I used to think our lot were the only useless corrupt self-serving cowards that got elected but it turns out that the mainland lot are identical. 

They'd sell their granny's silver for another 4 years with their snouts in the trough and tell you it's for your own good, for a better world.

Anyway, before I go into full rant mode, and believe me I had to stop myself there as I was just warming up, I am restoring my blood pressure with my personal painkiller, a piece of music.

Norah Jones, Come away with me, oldy and goldy, thank you.

This year I have seen a lot of gigs. From local heroes like Ronnie Greer, Ken Haddock and Kyron Bourke to heroes such as Neil Finn and recently Horslips I have been transported to where none of the rants are important for a few hours. 

And that is what a good hifi/music system does as well. The best systems transport you into the music with it's feeling and emotions to release you to another place. That is still what drives me to select the best and most musical equipment from the best engineers and manufacturers. Second best is not enough.

I am passionate about Lyric Hifi not being a supermarket who provide 'choice' by having almost everything and then direct you to their choice with deals. It doesn't matter that I buy a different brand of breakfast cereal once and go back to my favourite next time but it does matter when you buy an average/poor piece of gear and stop listening to music because it is actually crap and you can't just buy another one the next week!

And I honestly know that most brands out there are pretty crap, designed by the marketing departments to shift boxes by any means necessary while using slogans, i.e lies, about loving the music and the pursuit of excellence.

Some of them missed their calling, should have been politicians, or bankers.

We have a reason, a solution for a customer need, for stocking every product we sell.

We are specialists and experts and our expertise is free to help you own a cracking music playing system and for us to eat well and drink some decent wine.

Some of our equipment choices cost lots and some don't, though they have a common denominator. 

You cannot find better gear elsewhere, only something inferior and often not even cheaper.

Many times people want to tell me what they have bought and how much they spent and I have to cringe and say nothing at the waste and what could have been

What could have been is that they could have been enjoying their music far more with a little help from Lyric Hifi

Rant over, Happy New Year for us all

 

 

 

Linn Selekt Edition and Organik

The Linn Selekt streaming family expands, what can it do now?

Linn have announced upgrades and improvement to the Selekt range of streamers. If you aren't familiar with Selekt then this is for you, concentrate for a minute!

Linn Selekt Classic Hub

The Selekt concept has parallels with the famous Linn Sondek LP12 turntable. With both you can specify different performance levels within the same shell. It is also flexible enough to allow you to upgrade at a later stage with higher performance digital to analogue converters, DACs, in the same way you can upgrade the arm or cartridge on the LP12.

Adding to the existing Selekt range is an upgraded power supply and an option for the shell or Hub to be machined from solid, reminiscent of the Klimax level.

So if you just want a streamer, no problem. If you want to use it as a preamplifier as well, no problem. If you want a power amplifier built in to make this box a complete system, no problem. And now the options go even further.

Linn's top DAC, the Organik, previously only available in the £30k Klimax system is now available for Selekt.

So how much does this all cost? Well that's up to you and how good you want it to sound.

A streamer can be £ 5500, or £ 6800, or £8600, or £ 11900, or £13500 or £ 16950

A full system in one box can be £ 5975, or £7250, or £12,000, or £14,000, and that's before you start adding external power amps!

Starting to get the picture? There are so many options and you aren't stuck, you can have one level and easily upgrade later.

So how does it sound?

Well I'm writing this as my first of the latest Selekt Edition with Organik and amplifiers just arrived and it is superb.

Should be of course, it's £ 14,000, and it doesn't disappoint

You used to have lots of boxes, cables, and interconnects at this price but I don't feel cheated!

Give me a call to arrange a listen at the level that's right for you, can demonstrate from £ 4900 to £ 14000

 

Speechless

Speechless, but only for a few minutes, it's hard to shut me up!

This is because Sam just spent a good hour unboxing, spiking, levelling and hooking up the new Blade 2 Meta in the front of the shop and I've just played the first track.

Wow!

Everything I hoped for and maybe even more but it's early days, just one track

So what did I pick as the first track I hear you ask, well thanks for asking I chose Mary Chapin Carpenter with Joe Diffie singing Not too much to ask from the Come on Come on album.

Mary never sounded as vulnerable and Joe never as warm and full.

Let's change tack, haven't played Chris Smither for a while, go to Happier Blue and the track Killing the blues. Love this song, I first came across the Shawn Colvin version although it was a big hit on the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album. This version is better than theirs! 

I'm now jumping off at a tangent to listen to the original Rowland Salley version, that's what a truly great hifi system does to you, you want to play more music.

Let's keep it going them, up the tempo, up the excitement, let's go to Fela Kuti and Zombie. This is high octane Afro Beat excitement showing that  Blade2 Metas can explain to you all the rhythms buried in this percussion and brass masterpiece. Absolutely brilliant!

Keep the bass lines coming with The Strokes, if The Adults are Talking doesn't get you moving then nothing ever will !!

Need to chill now, let's give it some emotion with Nina Simone from Silk and Soul. It's too obvious to pick the brilliant 'I wish I knew how it would feel to be free' when you can immerse yourself in the joy and ultimate triumph of Consummation !

If you have to ask are these better than the original Blade2 the answer is of course. Going further the Meta technology cleans up the high and mid frequencies leaving the music sounding more dynamic, natural and effortless. 

These speakers are another level, can't wait to get them more run in and hooked up to an ultimate level system.

O did I forget to mention the price? Must have been to excited about the sounds. Just send me £ 22,500 and after a few weeks we'll turn up and install them, simple as that!

Can I also just make a comment that I know some people, hifi enthusiasts and industry folk who will not 'get' these speakers and what they do.

They can't hear the wood for the trees, they listen to hifi sounds not music, or perhaps they just don't have a soul and get music at all 

Their loss !

 

 

The King is dead, long live the King !

New Blade Meta 2 alongside the Reference 207, a former King of the Hill

 

Linn Arko, Kendo and Koil, what??

The Linn turntable family has expanded

The Sondek LP12 has three performance levels starting with a Majik LP12 which is £ 3450 to £ 3875 complete depending on cartridge and plinth.

The highest level is Klimax from £ 18950 to £ 22750, depending on cartridge and power supply

The middle level used to be called Akurate, now retired in favour of Selekt, which is where Arko and Kendo come in.

Moorgate Acoustics (@Kipper248) / Twitter

Arko is a new design of tonearm, Linn's first in a while and it is a thing of elegant beauty. It also sounds great, not as good as an Ekos SE, still the best, but better than the Akito. To be fair at £ 3000 it is almost twice as much as the Akito!

New: Linn Sondek LP12 Upgrades - Soundstage

And to match the Arko comes the Kendo moving coil cartridge at a mere £ 2800

This combination means that a complete Selekt level Sondek LP12 comes to £ 8999 to £ 10,500 depending on cartridge.

Of course Linn owners can add any of these upgrades to their existing turntable rather than buy a complete new one, one of the beauties of living in the Linn environment!

The other name above, Koil, is unsurprisingly an entry level moving coil cartridge, yours for just £ 799

Basically Sound | Koil

 

3 Legends in one Summer

 

I've been extremely lucky to see some legends close up over the past few weeks.

At an Irish Wings Festival in Greece the stars were Horslips, are you old enough to remember Dearg Doom?

They are still a great band, along with a new young guitarist/singer Fiach Moriarty. They played an eclectic mixture of Greek and irish songs with some wonderful local musicians.

I say Legend about this as Barry Devlin, vocalist and bass player in Horslips is to be acclaimed a NI Legend later this year.

The second legend that night was a guest appearance by Neil Finn of Split Enz, Crowded House and Fleetwood Mac fame. He played 3/4 acoustic songs and it was magical. 

Back home I met a third legend when Eric Bell agreed to do an interview and a few songs as part of a Charity Gig at the end of July. Eric is a gentleman, a wit, a raconteur and an incredible guitarist.

A humbling experience to meet and hear greatness.

There is video footage of these events which I will be posting on my YouTube Channel. Subscribe for free and you will receive a message as new videos are loaded