Five years in the making, the standmount partner to Mordaunt-Short's elegant Performance series is finally here

Bare with me. I have a dear chum who’s house I frequent for the odd blokey evening of music and jazz video (that’s TV with the sound down) while we put the world to rights and drink shandy. Time and again, exactly as if I had never noticed before, I find myself exclaiming how bloody good his simple two-channel hi-fi system sounds.

Mordaunt-Short has long been known, first and foremost, for its high-value budget loudspeakers, a tradition that current owners Audio Partnership has rigorously maintained. However, developing an upmarket ‘flagship’ range makes good sense, as it provides a technology test bed for new ideas that can subsequently ‘trickle down’ into more affordable models.

Since Audio Partnership (AP) bought Mordaunt-Short a decade ago, most of its efforts have concentrated on developing and refining the budget price Avant models, but it also found time to create the hi-tech Performance models with several advanced features. Now some Performance initiatives have ‘trickled down’ in rather more affordable form in a new Mezzo range.

Mordaunt-Short has crafted an enviable reputation in the world of sub/sat speaker systems. Both its Premier and Genie packages have been universally well-received, but compared with the new Alumni, they now just seem lacking

Performance and affordability are key requirements for anyone seeking out a home cinema speaker package, and Mordaunt-Short seem to have struck the right balance with its new Alumni speaker range

Operating alongside electronics brands like Cambridge Audio, Mordaunt-Short has been an integral part of Audio Partnership for a number of years.

Mordaunt-Short, alongside brands like Cambridge Audio, has been part of Audio Partnership (AP) for a number of years. M-S products are now sold around the world, with Marantz handling UK distribution.

Mordaunt-Short's Avant 908i might look very similar to the Avant 906i from HFC 281, but the resemblance is largely superficial. The difference is clear when one attempts to lift this senior model from its carton

With this 5.1-channel system, Mordaunt-Short is mindful of putting the buyer right in the customising hot-seat.Each model in the seven-strong line-up is available individually.