Hello, and welcome to the weekend.
A couple of things have quietly gone live on the website that I want to tell you about. One will interest anyone hunting for a bargain, the other is there to help you find your way through our range. Then, at the end, a quick look at what is happening out in the wider hifi world as we head into the weekend.
The Ex-Demo page is Live
We have added an ex-demo page to the site, and it is exactly what it sounds like. Speakers and drive units we are ready to part with, offered at substantial discounts off the new price.
There is only a handful on there to begin with, but that is rather the point: we will keep adding to it as time goes on. As demonstration pairs come back to us and stock frees up, this is where they will appear first, so it is well worth checking back now and then.
Two things I am particularly pleased with. Every listing tells you where the speakers actually are. Whether a pair is with us in the UK, over in the USA, or somewhere else entirely, the location is right there on the listing, so you know from the start how far they have to travel to reach you.
And there is a Make an Offer button. If the price is not quite where you would like it, tell us what you think is fair. We will not always say yes, but we will always read it, and a sensible offer can go a long way. Always worth a chance.
The Adviser, now in beta
The other new arrival is the Adviser, and I want to be straight with you about what it is and what it is not.
Lowther is not becoming an AI company. We build our drive units and cabinets by hand, the way we always have, and that is not changing.
But our range is complex. Which drive unit suits which cabinet, what pairs well with your amplifier, how sensitivity and room size work together. For years the answers to questions like these have lived in FAQs and documents saved away on our own systems, easy for us to reach and far harder for you.
The Adviser simply opens all of that up for quick easy access. Ask it a question in plain English and it will give you a quick answer and point you toward the right products for your needs. If it does not know, it will not guess. It passes the question straight to us, and Martin, Rosie, Malcolm or I will take it from there.
The way people expect to find answers is changing quickly, and rather than sit and watch, I wanted to build us something that starts on the right footing and is open to everyone from day one. It is in beta, so please do tell us when it gets something wrong. That is exactly how it earns its keep and gets better.
You can get to the advisor on any page on the site by clicking the advisor button at the bottom of the screen.
It’s a work in progress and will get better over time as we feed it more knowledge. Any knowledge you think we should add let me know!
Out in the hifi world
A few things that have caught my eye lately, whatever you end up spinning this weekend.
If you like your amplification with a warm glow, McIntosh has done something rather special: the MA2375, its first all-tube integrated amplifier in over a decade. Eight output tubes, 75 watts a channel, a proper phono stage and, refreshingly, no DAC and no streaming. Just music. At around $15,000 it is a statement piece, and exactly the sort of amplifier that brings the best out of high-sensitivity drivers like ours. On the same theme, Poland's Fezz Audio has expanded its handsome Olympia EVO valve range, with the integrated from £5,495. Valves and efficient speakers remain a match made in heaven.
At the more playful end, the fun side of hifi is having a real moment. We Are Rewind has a Pink Floyd edition of its WE-001 portable cassette player, bundled with Dark Side of the Moon on tape, for £159. And if you want to watch the tape actually turn, Gadhouse's new Miko wraps the whole thing in translucent casing for a pocket-money £59.99. Neither will trouble your main system, but both made me smile.
That is it from me for now. Have a lovely weekend, put something good on, and as ever, keep listening.
Pete