Scandi Audio Feature

This is my 34th year in the audio industry and I have had the pleasure listening to many amazing audio products/brands from around the world. One particular area I have a real soft spot for is Scandinavia due to spending plenty of time there when I was sales manager for The region, whilst working for Sonos. At the time the Scandinavian distributor had headquarters in Denmark and I have fond memories/experiences visiting Denmark, Sweden and Norway. At the same time I also supported another distributor based in Helsinki in Finland too.

When I was setting up Vinyl Groove Audio in 2020, I knew that we would range some fantastic audio brands from Scandinavia to complement other similar iconic brands from the UK, US, Italy etc. This blog post is a little introduction to some of the Scandi/Nordic products you will find on display at our Preston showroom.

Lyngdorf (Denmark)

The TDAI-1120 is a simple/compact streaming amplifier, just add speakers and you are up and running. You can stream popular music services like Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and also connect direct to your TV via HDMI ARC connection, so you can listen to your TV sound via your stereo speakers. This amplifier is Roon Ready too for the best way to access and manage your favourite music. Last but not least a truly unique feature included is the RoomPerfect™ audio calibration tool. This ensures the TDAI-1120 is set up perfectly to suit the room acoustics of your listening room. We offer a no obligation home trial service so you can experience for yourself the difference RoomPerfect™ makes. Learn more here.

Dali (Denmark)

One of our best selling compact loudspeakers is the Oberon 1 from Dali. Whenever we run a demo of these speakers, many comment on just how great the sound is from such a small bookshelf speaker and such an affordable price (only £349 per pair). In fact many of our Vinyl Starter Systems include these superb speakers, they partner really well with either the Rega IO £420 and Rega Brio £700 integrated amplifiers. For customers interested in streaming music the Oberon 1 also partners very well with the Bluesound PowerNode £849. If you are considering a high quality compact/bookshelf speaker for under £500 the Oberon 1 should be high on your shortlist.

Hegel (Norway)

We added the Hegel brand in 2021 and this has been a huge success due to the excellent reputation already gained from their popular streaming amplifiers e.g. H120, H190 & H390. My personal favourite product from Hegel is their V10 Phono Stage (MM/MC £1350), considering this is Hegel’s first dedicated phono stage they have really hit the ball out of the park. I am not alone with my admiration of this wonderful product as it has been awarded many accolades since launch, including best phono stage in the Eisa Awards and Hi-Fi+ magazine in 2021. We have many Rega customers using the V10 with their Planar 6, 8 & 10 turntables. Both the MM & MC stages are equally as good as each other and with the limitless settings available, pretty much any cartridge will work well with the V10. Why not discover for yourself, just why they has been plenty of buzz around this superb phono stage. Book a Demo.

Clic (Denmark)

As great audio is now common place in the living room, there are two types of customers. No1: they love to show off their audio system in all it’s glory and No2: they prefer a more minimalist approach by hiding away key audio components, so the main focus is on clean lines via modern design. One Scandinavian brand who offers ideal solutions for both types of customers is Clic Furniture, Clic offer endless options to accommodate your audio system, their cabinets can be left open so you can see and easily operate products or for that discrete look you can add wood or fabric doors to hide everything away, plus cable management systems that ensure no cables are on view. Clic cabinets are available in 4 painted colours and 2 real wood veneer options with many fabric door colour-ways to compliment your room decor too. One feature which we love is how you can include clever vinyl record storage too, we have a Clic cabinet on display in the showroom so you can fully appreciate the high standard of overall finish. Why not visit our Preston showroom for a closer look.

Amphion (Finland)

Technically, Finland is classed as a Nordic territory….. I remember spending time with Anssi the founder/CEO of Amphion while exhibiting at shows in Helsinki, when I first discovered the brand. Fast forward 12 years we are very proud to range Amphion’s popular Argon range in the showroom. The Argon range are beautifully designed and available in White, Black or Walnut and it is even possible to add a splash of colour too with different grille options. We also find that the Argons have great synergy with Hegel amplifiers, it’s really worth arranging an audition to see/hear them in action. In fact a popular combination is the Argon 1 £1300 paired with the Hegel H120 £2400. Side Note – although not Scandinavian or Nordic, we have found the excellent SS-6 £578 speaker stands from Italian brand Solidsteel work really well with the Argon 1’s, they have become a main talking point, when people visit the showroom due to their stunning appearance.

Music Recommendation

When we received our demo Hegel V10 phono stage from the UK distributor (Auden) they kindly included a signed LP from a female Norwegian artist called Anette Askvik. Anette lives is Oslo and was someone not already on my radar and I really did not know what to expect. When I played the title track ‘Liberty’ I fell in love with both this song and album straight away, it has to be one of the best recorded ‘Audiophile’ albums released in the last 10 years. Not surprisingly, visitors to the showroom are often played ‘Liberty’ when auditioning different systems. This album is well worth checking out and giving it a listen.