It costs £375,000 but I have found my perfect hi-fi system in Edinburgh

The figure is the princely sum you’ll need to become the proud owner of the carefully balanced, visually imposing and simply stunning sounding hi-fi system that I recently had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with at an event in Edinburgh.

As impressive as they were, the high-end turntable, amplifiers and streaming unit were playing a supporting role to the two sleek cabinets firing all manner of musical genres towards the lucky listeners ensconced in audio retailer Loud & Clear’s demonstration suite.

Said loudspeakers were Danish manufacturer Audiovector’s flagship R10 Arreté design, making their first major public appearance in a showroom north of the Border and living up to the promise of a “no-compromise floor standing speaker that redefines what’s possible in audio design”.

The listening session spanned some rock, a couple of classical pieces, a bit of jazz, a little country and a blast of early Elvis. How could something recorded almost seven decades ago sound so perfect?

Audiovector’s sales manager Hans-Henrik Flinker provided an insightful overview of the £129,500 speaker’s tech - some of it hidden, some of it very much on view - including innovations such as the firm’s Dual Air Motion Transformer, Soundstage Enhancement Concept and crossover adjustment switch.

“It was a troubled economic backdrop when we developed and launched the product and we needed to consider that but it has been a great success,” Flinker told me.

“We are very happy with the loudspeaker and everywhere we go with the product people like it. We have sold more than 30 pairs and we are very happy with that.

“We don’t have a specific target for the UK but there is a lot of enthusiasm here for the R10 and some have already found their way to end-users.”

I’ve written previously about my 40-odd year passion for all things audio-related and touched on my former life working in the hi-fi retail sector. In that time, I’ve been fortunate to experience some incredible audio systems and had some revelatory experiences.

This one certainly hit a high note. And all the more so as it was taking place on my home turf.

As I’ve also been keen to stress in the past, you do not need to part with such heady amounts to achieve aural nirvana.

A point that Audiovector’s sales manager was equally anxious to highlight, noting: “We are still a family business and privately owned and we do things in the way that we see fit and the way we like the sound to be.

“If it’s to your liking then perfect, and if it’s within your budget then even better, otherwise we have a lot of different models going down to under £1,500.”

Audiovector speakers are distributed in the UK by Renaissance Audio, which is also Edinburgh-based.

Scott Reid is a business journalist at The Scotsman and previously worked in the hi-fi industry from 1982 to 1997