Going For Gold

Audio Gold matches the best of vintage audio with some carefully curated new products, Ed Selley finds out how the blend works in practice

- Ed Selley

Go to most hi-fi dealers and you’ll find they usually offer a selection of used equipment, ordinarily accrued via trade-in. This generally plays second fiddle to the new product and it is rare that it forms much more than an addendum to the main business. Audio Gold in Muswell Hill, North London, has inverted that relationship. For over 25 years it has offered a vast array of used equipment, usually between 10 and 50 years old, all backed up by a one-year warranty. More recently it has started to stock a range of new equipment to bolster the used product and give it some new capabilities.

Audio Gold is quite unlike any other venue I’ve visited. Occupying a former bank, it’s a treasure trove of equipment, some of which is rare and much sought after, combined with a selection of new and used vinyl that puts many dedicated record stores to shame. The team of Ben Shallcross, Alex Barwise and Robin Brunson work to keep a running supply of certain products, but each time you visit it is likely you’ll find something different, which ensures that a huge selection of possible combinations are available. To demonstrate how this works, one system comprises new equipment, one almost entirely used and one a mix of both new and old.

System 1 – Edwards Audio, Icon Audio, Rogers

WHEN SELECTING BRAND new equipment, the team is keen to keep a cohesive ‘feel’ to how everything works together. As a result, this system combines a piece of hi-fi royalty with an amplifier based on a design barely less illustrious in partnership with a turntable that offers some sparkling performance at a very affordable price.

Modern Classic