Product and Tech Discussion


Focal Vestia N°3 Speakers

Today we received and set up our first pair of Focal Vestia N°3 Speakers.

Vestia is Focal’s newest addition to their family of amazing speaker systems. “Vestia” was inspired by Vesta and Hestia – goddesses of the hearth and the home. The Vestia line so far offers 4 different models, including a center channel speaker. All are designed and built in their manufacturing facility in France and are offered in 3 finishes: gloss black, dark wood,and light wood (as pictured in these photos).

We will be breaking in these N°3’s over the weekend but I can already tell, having only played 2 music tracks, that Focal once again has hit a Home Run.

As usual they have a beautiful precise fit and finish, magnetic removable grills, all new leading edge driver and tweeter technologies; all adding up to an incredible value.
Stop in and have a listen and hear for yourself why so many people consider Focal the finest speaker systems in the world.

Hello Vestia

Say hello to Vestia, the new line of loudspeakers from Focal. The Vestia is the replacement for the popular Chora line. An improved ‘M’-shaped aluminum/magnesium tweeter provides a large soundstage with amazing detail. The tried and true Slatefiber cone gets an improved bass-flex port design allowing for better bass extension. Available finishes are Black High Gloss, Dark Wood, and Light Wood. Come in and listen to these impressive speakers now on display.

Lyngdorf TDAI-3400

Our friends at Lyngdorf have done it again. We just received a TDAI-3400 integrated stereo amplifier from them, and WOW! The TDAI-3400 has a 200 watt x 2 channel amplifier that can power whatever speakers you throw at it. With Room Perfect, all of the adjustments to make your speakers sound the best are done automatically no matter your room layout. Inputs range from RCA to HDMI for any system’s need. Plus high resolution music streaming playback is built-in from services like Tidal Connect and Roon Ready. The ability to enable a theater throughput or preamp output allow it to be added to an existing surround sound or stereo system. Versatility and audio performance make it a great addition to any system. Come by Nuts About Hi-Fi to enjoy a demonstration of the newest Lyngdorf.

The TDAI-3400 comes with standard inputs (2 x analog RCA, 1 x AES-EBU, 2 x Coaxial, 3 x Optical, 1 x USB B) outputs (1 x analog RCA, 1 x analog balanced XLR, 1 x headphone output 3.5mm Jack). If you need additional connectivity, there are two optional modules available (HDMI: 1 x HDMI Output / 3 x HDMI Inputs) & (High-end analog: 1 x RIAA Phono MM, 2 x analog RCA, 1 x balanced XLR).

The Gateway Drug (or, Why is this jazz band in my room?)

A Special Guest Post from a Happy Customer

It all began with a letter from owner Jim Lee in Spring of 2013.

I had made my first purchase on my maiden visit to Nuts About HiFi… a pair of Grado RS1i headphones meticulously selected from a grand total of two pairs that they had in stock, while I was visiting Silverdale from Ann Arbor, MI. This was my second pair of audiophile headphones: one of anything might be good, but two of them represent the start of a collection. That Grado headphone started me on a journey into the land of headphones, and I have acquired at least 50 pairs and written about many of them on the online forum head-fi.com.

I was amazed, a few weeks after my purchase, to receive a letter (remember those?) from Nuts About HiFi. It was from Jim Lee, thanking me for my purchase and hoping I was happy with the headphones. I called him in amazement to express my appreciation for his follow-up. Eight years later I moved to Poulsbo, WA.

Two weeks ago, in September of 2021, 8-1/2 years later, Matt and Adam of Nuts About HiFi completed the installation in my home of a Samsung QN82Q900RB 82 inch TV with wall mount, two Focal Sopra 3 floor-standing speakers, Focal Aria CC900 center speaker, two Focal Surround BE speakers, a JL Audio F113v2 subwoofer, Anthem AVM 70 audio-visual processor, Aesthetix Atlas stereo amp, Anthem MCA 325 3 channel amp for the surround and center speakers, a Sony UBP-X-1100ES 4K BluRay with SACD capability, a Meridian 218 zone controller, a TS-451+ NAS drive, a Clearaudio Concept turntable with moving magnet, Salamander cabinet, $4,500 worth of cables (6% of system cost), a power module, and MX990 universal remote with MRF350 RF module to control it. Whew!

System design was by Matt, who began with a Meridian Sooloos system as music source, but then changed that to Roon when Meridian froze its development of Sooloos. Nuts About HiFi bought me a lifetime subscription to Roon to compensate for the loss of Sooloos.

The upgrade from Sooloos to a Roon subscription is just one example of a whole series of customer amenities that Nuts has offered me. System design began prior to COVID, and the TV, power supply, and cabinet were installed in early 2020. We could not resume installation until May of 2021, and some manufacturers had updated their items, so Nuts updated the diagram. Adam provided excellent installation, particularly in the art of running the ARC Anthem Room Correction, wrestling with a shortage of wall height in placing the center speaker, and programming the remote so that it truly does replace the 4 remotes that we had been using.

Yesterday, I received my first SACD disk (Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue). In listening with eyes closed, I just knew that his jazz band was right in front of me… yes, right there… don’t you see it!?

Thank you, Adam, Connie, Jim, and Matt!!!

John G. Ackenhusen

Lyngdorf TDAI-1120

The Room Perfect Stereo

We are excited about a new product we just received from our friends at Lyngdorf. The TDAI-1120 is a stereo integrated audio streamer boasting a 60 watt x 2 channel amplifier with superb sound quality. Lyngdorf’s own correction software (RoomPerfect) uses a microphone to get even the most challenging rooms sounding great.

A small compact design allows for the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 to fit in almost any system design. Vast connection types range from 2 x traditional analog, 1 x phono (MM or MC), 1 x HDMI for eARC, 2 x digital coaxial, 2 x digital optical, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Bluetooth, Chromecast, and Roon Ready.

Come by the shop to have a demo of the perfect solution to the music listening system.