Headlines - Autumn 2022

The Newsletter of Len Wallis Audio

Autumn 2022

HOLBO MKII AIRBEARING TURNTABLE A breath of fresh air

NAD M17 V2 Infinite possibilities await lenwallisaudio.com

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(02) 9427 6755

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Chord Mojo 2 Mobile DAC greatness

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02 9196 8990

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Inside...

is one of the most powerful soundbars in its class.

4 From the Desk of Len Len warns that it would be wise to treat ‘Wireless’ and ‘Bluetooth’ buzzwords with a certain level of caution.

6 B&W Signature 700 Series Bowers & Wilkins’ most recent models come in a gorgeous ‘Midnight Blue Metallic’ paint finish and feature upgraded crossover components.

7 NAD C399 Hybrid Exciting news! The new C399 incorporates the latest version of NAD’s Modular Design Construction technology, a unique system that enables you to upgrade it to include technologies yet to be imagined.

8 B&W Zeppelin 3 Unlike earlier models, this latest version has been built with the modern streaming age in mind, so it’s the smartest and most flexible Zeppelin to date.

9 NAD M17 Surround Sound Pre-Amplifier/Processor Thanks to having the world’s most advanced digital room correction circuitry built in, NAD’s M17 enables you to compensate for your room’s acoustic deficiencies to improve sound quality.

10 Technics SL-1210G Turntable There are more different versions of Technics’ original SL-1200 design than any other turntable in the world. This new model now features a core-less motor and improved control over rotation.

11 First B&W Atmos Soundbar The new Panorama 3 is the first B&W Soundbar to feature true Dolby Atmos upwards-firing driver units and, with 400-watts of amplification on-board,

12 Sonus faber Omnia If you value style as well as sound quality, and you’ve been thinking of investing in a wireless loudspeaker system, you should certainly check out this new Omnia, with its SENSO and CRESCENDO technologies.

13 Stax SR-X9000 EarSpeakers Sound+Image Magazine says “To hear the best-ever Stax earspeakers backed by their flagship driver was simply a transport to musical delight.” Why not visit us here in-store to hear if you agree?

14 Meze Audio Liric Antonio Meze has incorporated a magnetic drive system in the Liric that’s so powerful he had to build special high-strength polymer earcups to withstand the forces.

And all in the pursuit of improved sound!

15 Chord Mojo 2 From the company that invented the highend portable DAC, the Mojo 2 incorporates a feature we’ve been requesting they add, plus others that their customers have suggested. We’re also running out the older model at a special price!

24 Triangle Elara LN01A The Elara LN01A active speakers are back!

We’re re-stocking this model in its black and white finishes and if you need a source, we can bundle them with Project’s Primary E turntable at a special price.

25 Streaming Packages No matter what your budget, we’ve got you covered with three single-box streaming packages that will change the way you listen to music.

26 Holbo MkII Turntable Featured on the front cover of this issue, this MkII version of Holbo’s unique airbearing turntable is even better than the MkI which famous reviewer Ken Kessler said was — at the price — “a gift.”

28 B&O Beovision Contour More than just a high-resolution OLED television, the new Beovision Contour from Danish specialist Bang & Olufsen is also a very capable streaming hi-fi system.

29 StereoTech Racks & Stands Supporting Australian manufacturers is in our DNA here at LWA, and it’s made easy when the products are as good as those from Queensland’s StereoTech!

16 Custom Install Feature Look and learn! This custom install system is a great example of how you can have a capable theatre installation without compromising the aesthetics or functionality of your listening space.

30 FLUX-Sonic Cleaning Love vinyl but hate the blurring sound caused by dust, grime and grit? A new German invention will help you win the battle to keep your stylus clean.

22 Music Outdoors The world’s leader in outdoor loudspeakers has re-designed and updated its popular Mariner designs with sleeker cabinets, re-engineered drivers and new crossover networks. Enjoy your music out in the sun with Sonance!

31 Telarc Recordings Some of the highest-quality sounds ever captured on vinyl were the work of Jack Renner and Robert Woods, of Telarc.

Inakustik has now remastered the best of the best on 45rpm virgin vinyl, using its Direct Metal Mastering process.

64 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 Telephone 02 9427 6755 sales@lenwallisaudio.com.au TRADING HOURS Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday: 9 to 5.30 Thursday: 9 to 8; Saturday: 9 to 5; Sunday: closed THE LATEST IS ONLINE! – www.lenwallisaudio.com

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COMMENT

FROM THE DESK OF LEN WALLIS

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he Audio Visual industry is one of the most vibrant, exciting and satisfying industries around.

It is fantastic to work in an industry that creates enjoyment through music and entertainment — there is no downside to what we do.

It is also an industry driven by buzzwords and acronyms. There is always that exciting next great thing or the latest format over the horizon. However, I suspect that, on occasion, the next great thing has more to do with the marketing department than it does with the engineering department. Despite the significant advances over the decades, we also have a long history of creating demands for products that are at best no better than what came before, or at worst not as good as the ones they superseded.

The most controversial example of this is CD. Many still hold that CD never reached the performance levels of vinyl — the initial releases were undoubtedly a backward step. Inevitably CDs also came under attack in the form of the very convenient MP3. All the music in the world at your fingertips — but the less said about the sound quality, the better.

Admittedly, this did form the foundation of streaming today, giving us both performance and convenience.

Video did not fare any better. Despite the apparent drawbacks, the picture quality of the humble cathode ray tube (CRT) television was superior to the flatscreen sets that replaced it. In my opinion, the following formats continued this downward trend. Thankfully the current OLED technology has resulted in the

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highest performance screens we have seen — but it has been decades since the oldfashioned CRT was scrapped.

The current buzz-words high on everyone’s radar are ‘Wireless’ and ‘Bluetooth’! Both technologies should also be treated with a level of caution.

We are regularly approached by people building new homes who insist that they want the latest wireless technology installed. Our advice would be to think very carefully before going down this path! While there is an undeniable place for wireless technology in any new build, if the application permits a wired solution, we suggest you do so. The only real advantage of wireless over wired is the cost of implementation — yet most people would spend more on their kitchen bench than what an adequately wired cable infrastructure would cost. Remember that all capable wireless systems start with a wired background anyway, so the additional step is not that daunting.

There are numerous advantages of wired installations over wireless: They are less prone to interference, and they are more secure. Most importantly, they are faster with greater bandwidth.

They are not impacted by periods of highlevel usage; i.e. in a wired situation each device is connected directly to the router and will not be affected as additional users come online (assuming that your router and switches are up to spec).

We are also approached frequently by people seeking a multi-room music system — using Bluetooth. I suspect in many cases that this is simply a misunderstanding of what Bluetooth

is, and they have not delved into the format to see if it would be suitable for the application. Again, we believe that there are many valid applications for Bluetooth speakers, such as taking them to the beach or outside to the BBQ; they can also be ideal for small environments such as bedrooms. Plus, the technology is perfect for close location situations such as in your car or for use with headphones. But they do not make sense as a whole-ofhouse music system. Firstly, very few dedicated Bluetooth speakers are built for performance; they are a convenience product. More importantly, it means that your entertainment system is constantly tethered to your phone, tablet etc. and subject to interruptions when the phone rings and when the device moves out of Bluetooth range. And as good as Bluetooth is, it is not the most reliable of connections.

Many companies are producing multi-room streaming systems, using a combination of wired and wireless technologies that sit reliably on your network (and some of these incorporate Bluetooth as well). Brands such as Sonos, BlueSound, Heos and MusicCast are reliable, relatively inexpensive, simple to use, and when correctly configured, especially when integrated with other Hi-End brands, are capable of superb performance.

When you are building or upgrading your audio system, or even starting out with your first system, try to look beyond the buzz-words of the day. If in doubt, seek advice from your local specialist.

STAX BASED REFERENCE STAX SR-X9000 EARSPEAKERS SR-X9000 is the new flagship Earspeaker that marks the pinnacle of Stax electrostatic headphones production. Featuring a new developed fixed electrode “MLER-3” metal-mesh diaphragm, the size of which has been increased by 20% compared to SR-009S. The breakthrough realizes the widest sound field ever.

Distributed by Audio Marketing / www.audiomarketing.com.au / 02 9882 3877

/staxaustralia

BOWERS & WILKINS

Bowers & Wilkins Signature 700

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ne obvious shift in our industry over the last two decades has been the recognition that not only must an audio system sound good, but it must also fit into a modern décor — which is more streamlined and uncluttered than days gone by.

Many manufacturers recognise this and are producing products that are more aesthetically pleasing, without compromising on sound. A recent example of this is B&W’s latest release — the new ‘Blue’ 700 Signature range. Specifically there are two new versions of its 705 Signature standmount and 702 Signature floorstanding loudspeakers. Available in Midnight Blue Metallic paint, the 705 Signature and 702 Signature models feature the same drive unit design and crossover componentry as the existing Datuk Gloss-finished 700 Series Signature models.

Both Midnight Blue Metallic loudspeakers feature bypass capacitors sourced from Mundorf, larger heatsinks and (in the case of the 702) an upgraded LF capacitor on the bass section of the crossover. Both 700

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from pistonic to breakup mode behaviour that drastically impairs the openness and neutrality of a conventional drive unit.

Continuum is a woven composite that gives a controlled breakup for a more transparent and detailed midrange sound.

702 Signature is equipped with a dedicated midrange FST drive unit using an FEA-optimized aluminum chassis with a very stiff form, decoupled from the cabinet. It offers the addition of a tuned mass damper on the front face of the chassis to dampen any remaining resonances in the structure, resulting in a cleaner midrange presentation.

These are an excellent-sounding speaker that will complement the décor of almost any living area.

B&W 702 Signature: $8,500 B&W 705 Signature: $4,999

Series Signature models feature Bowers & Wilkins’ Carbon Dome tweeter technology.

The Carbon Dome is composed of two sections — the front portion is a 30-micron aluminum dome that has been stiffened by a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) coating of carbon, and the second section is a 300-micron carbon ring that has been profiled to match the form of the main dome. This is then bonded to the inner face of the structure.

The 705 Signature and 702 Signature are Tweeter-On-Top designs featuring Solid Body Tweeter technology. The new Signature models use the same shape milled from a solid mass of aluminum to provide a stiffer and less resonant structure.

The tweeters in these models weigh more than 1kg and benefit from the same decoupling mechanism and acoustically transparent grille design as the 800 Series Diamond. This design also allows the use of the mass of the tweeter body as a heatsink for the dome.

The Continuum cone’s design is based on the concept of optimized flexibility. This helps the cone to avoid the abrupt transition Like /lenwallisaudio on Facebook

NAD

NAD C399 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier

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n exciting news, NAD has for the very first time incorporated the unique Hypex HybridDigital nCore amplifier circuitry it developed for its top-of-theline Masters Series amplifiers into a ‘Classic Series’ amplifier. The NAD C399 amplifier takes NAD’s commitment to lasting value and sonic excellence to a whole new level not only because of this HybridDigital nCore circuitry, but also because it is the first NAD amplifier to incorporate the latest generation of NAD’s Modular Design Construction (MDC) technology (MDC2).

Modular Design Construction is a unique topology that allows you to dynamically upgrade the C399 by plugging in optional modules if you want specific features, such as BluOS multi-room music streaming, Dirac Live room correction, HDMI switching or DSD USB DAC.

This plug ‘n play system means you can add these same functions at some future date, or upgrade in the future by switching out an older module for another, newer, one offering features currently not available.

If you choose to install the MDC2 BluOS-D module you’ll get much more than bi-directional music streaming and Dirac Live room correction.

The same module also adds Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Airplay2, all of which can be controlled via a BluOS Controller app. The module has integrated support for dozens of streaming services including Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect.

NAD’s C399 isn’t only a sophisticated integrated amplifier, it’s also a state-ofthe-art DAC whose digital section is built around the same 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre DAC that NAD uses in its acclaimed

M10 and M33 Masters Series amplifiers.

In addition to coaxial and optical digital inputs, there’s also two-way apt-X HD Bluetooth to enable 24-bit streaming from mobile devices and high-quality output to Bluetooth headphones. Of course the C399 also has analogue inputs, both line level and phono, with the latter offering both MM and MC options.

The fact that modern loudspeakers are becoming increasingly difficult to drive has not escaped NAD’s design team.

The C399 is able to deliver 180-watts of power per channel continuously, along with up to 250-watts of instantaneous power. The nCore circuitry is renowned for its wide bandwidth, flat frequency response, clean clipping behaviour with instant recovery, high current capability, and stability into demanding lowimpedance speaker loads along with vanishingly low noise and distortion.

The result is that you will hear neutral, distortion-free sound even at very high listening levels, with exquisite detail, superb portrayal of space, and thrilling dynamics. Price: $3,399

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B&W

B&W Zeppelin

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he original Zeppelin was a smash-hit for 56-year-old British company Bowers and Wilkins, despite their chutzpah in naming it after a German airship that is now best-known for its role in the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, rather than the fact that before the fire, the airship had been commercially successful for 30 years.

B&W’s original Zeppelin, back in 2007, was just an iPod dock. Since then, we’ve had two more models designed to bring the Zeppelin into the modern age, first the Zeppelin Air and then the Zeppelin Wireless. This newest B&W Zeppelin has been built firmly with today’s streaming age in mind. It is, says Bowers & Wilkins, the “smartest and most flexible Zeppelin to date” and we here at LWA would have to agree!

It is also the best-looking Zeppelin yet, in either of its two finishes (midnight grey or light pearl grey) because there is a new dimmable and switchable ambient light that shines down from the Zeppelin to its pedestal to create the magical illusion that the speaker is floating in mid-air, like its namesake.

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It is certainly also the best-sounding Zeppelin yet, with this new model benefiting from the recent research that has seen B&W’s entire speaker range upgraded, so the Zeppelin now has a pair of 25mm Decoupled DoubleDome aluminium tweeters (as used in B&W’s 600 Anniversary Series) as well as two 90mm midrange drivers that benefit from B&W’s proprietary Fixed Suspension Transducer (FST) technology, which appears in all B&W’s high-end floor standing speakers. There’s also a 150mm bass driver. The total amplifier power available to drive these is now an impressive 240-watts.

Although B&W’s Zeppelin is certainly wireless, it does have a single wired USB-C input which although is promoted as being “for service purposes” can be fitted with adaptor to enable wired Ethernet, rather than Wi-Fi. And so far as wireless is concerned, it has AirPlay 2, so anyone with an Apple device can send the Zeppelin music at up to CD quality and beyond. For Android device users the new Zeppelin 3 is fitted with Bluetooth with SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive.

Although B&W doesn’t specifically mention a Roon capability, the fact is that because Roon can address anything with AirPlay 2, the Zeppelin can deliver it that way.

When the Zeppelin is connected to your Wi-Fi network you can use B&W’s ‘Music’ app to activate the services you want included on the app’s menu —services that include Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Soundcloud, TuneIn, or lastfm. And if you are a Spotify user, you can use Spotify’s own app to find the Zeppelin after which you can then play all your tunes from either a free or paid Spotify account.

After you’ve played a few tunes, B&W’s ‘Music’ app will automatically create playlists for you, including ‘Made For You’, and ‘Recently Played’ based on those tunes.

We have to say we were surprised that there is no Chromecast or UPnP support, but with regard to the latter, B&W is telling us it will be added later this year.

We did love that Amazon’s Alexa voice control feature is already built in to the Zeppelin, so you can just ask it to play your favourite song, rather than fiddle around with apps, and, when your song does play, you’ll appreciate why B&W says of its newest Zeppelin: “Why choose between a product with the features you need and a beautiful design with the sound you want?

Have them both with the Zeppelin Wireless Speaker.” Price: $1,199 Like /lenwallisaudio on Facebook

NAD

NAD M17 Surround Sound Preamp/Processor

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ne reason movies don’t sound as good in your own home as when you are watching in the local cinema (can you remember when you last went?) is that cinemas are specifically designed by acousticians to deliver great sound. But you can now get the same experience at home by using modern electronics to overcome your room’s acoustic short-comings.

NAD’s M17 V2 is a multi-channel surround sound processor that has the world’s most sophisticated digital room acoustics correction circuit built in. Its powerful Dirac Live® room correction software and calibrated measurement microphone enable you to convert your room into the perfect listening environment by correcting for timing errors and colourations caused by your room, enabling you to create the same sound quality you hear in a cinema, so that you can experience movies exactly as the director intended.

The NAD M17 V2 offers all the audio and video inputs you will ever need, and has full HDMI video switching and surround sound decoding, plus 11.1 balanced outputs, but it doesn’t have any amplification built in.

This lack means that you are able to add only as many amplifiers as you need for your application. Or you can start off small and add more — or more powerful — amplification later on. Or maybe start off right away with amplifiers for all eleven channels. There are also two subwoofer outputs, so you can use one or two subs, or perhaps no subwoofer at all. The sophisticated surround sound decoding enables you to enjoy any or all of the high-resolution lossless surround formats from Dolby TrueHD, DTS: X and DTS-HD Masters Audio, as well as object-based audio with Dolby Atmos. The M17 V2 ensures you always enjoy the highest level of performance by automatically selecting the most advanced form of decoding based on the incoming signal and your specific speaker setup. NAD’s M17 V2 is also capable of decoding and playing the new Master

Quality Authenticated (MQA) audio format, a revolutionary end-to-end technology that delivers music of the purest quality in such a way that you can be guaranteed that you are hearing exactly what the artist recorded and approved in the studio.

On the video side, the NAD M17 has all the latest HDMI features, including HDCP 2.2, 4:4:4 colour resolution, High Dynamic Range video support, and CEC/ARC, and with HDMI connections capable of up to 4K UHD. NAD has also incorporated into the M12 V2 the advanced multi-room operating system and music management software BluOS®, so that when connected to the Internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi you will have access to thousands of Internet radio stations and dozens of high quality music services including Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Deezer. Price: $10,999

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TECHNICS

Technics SL-1210G

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echnics originally designed its iconic SL-1200 as an audiophile turntable, but it had so many features that were useful to professionals that it became the turntable of choice for radio stations and DJs right around the world. Its success made it the most copied design on the planet.

Arguably there are also now more different versions of the SL-1200 than any other turntable in the world. Some, such as the SL-1200 Mk7, ensure the design’s continued success with professionals while others, such as the new Technics SL-1210G, ensure the design’s continued success with audiophiles.

The earliest incarnations of the SL1200 used iron-cored direct-drive motors that exhibited a problem called ‘cogging’ which adversely affected sound quality.

The direct-drive motor in the ‘Grand Class’ SL-1210G is a newer core-less type that is completely free of this effect.

The resulting smoothness of the platter’s rotation (wow and flutter of less than 0.025% weighted RMS) is enhanced by a 3.6kg three-layer platter construction that uses brass, aluminium and rubber to eliminate unnecessary resonances and vibration.

The new SL-1200G model also allows you to adjust the pitch of music being played by more than before.

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The speed of the platter’s rotation can now be adjusted by up to 16 per cent either side of the three available platter speeds —33.33, 45 and 78rpm. This allows you to correct for LPs that were recorded at the wrong speed or easily play along on a musical instrument.

For the first time you are now able to connect the SL-1200G to your phono stage or amplifier using your preferred cables, thanks to the provision of brassmilled gold-plated RCA outputs and a ground screw. A new cold-drawn magnesium tonearm has a gimbal

suspension with the horizontal rotation axis and the vertical rotation axis intersecting at a single central point, along with high-precision bearings, to ensure your phono cartridge’s stylus traces the LP groove perfectly, for maximum music retrieval.

The plinth of the SL-1200G is a four-layer design, with a 10mm-thick top plate made of aluminium, beneath which are aluminium diecast, BMC and silicone-rubber layers, along with vibration-absorbing feet.

Price: $6,999 (Available only in black)

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B&W

First B&W Atmos Soundbar

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owers & Wilkins’ new stateof-the-art soundbar, the Panorama 3, is the first B&W soundbar to feature true Dolby Atmos upwards-firing drive units, driven by a sophisticated Dolby Atmos decoder and processor to deliver great sound from the spatial audio soundtracks on TV, film, game and music streams. The decoder will also handle Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD audio streams.

The Panorama 3 builds on the heritage of its two forebears — the original Panorama from 2013 and also from the newer Panorama 2, which added HDMI and improved speaker technologies.

Despite its size (65mm high, 140mm deep and 1210mm wide) the Panorama 3 has 13 individual drive units arranged in a 3.1.2 configuration, resulting in a rich and powerful sound no one-box rival can match that delivers powerful, room-filling sound with films, TV and games from just one elegant, ultra-low-profile and easyto-use component. “The new Panorama 3 delivers the latest in immersive spatial audio and is an all-in-one solution offering outstanding, room-filling sound with films, TV shows, games and your favourite music via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay2 or HDMI,” says John Martin of B&W Australia.

The twin 50mm Atmos upwards-firing drive units complement the Panorama 3’s forward-firing drive units, which are arranged in a classic left, centre, right (LCR) configuration, each with twin 50mm midrange drivers partnered by fully decoupled 19mm titanium-dome tweeters. Twin 100mm bass drivers are provided to ensure, says B&W, “such deep, extended bass that there is no need for an external subwoofer.”

Total amplifier power is 400-watts, which B&W says makes it one of the most powerful soundbars in its class.

Installation and set-up is easy with the B&W Panorama 3 thanks to its low profile; that it comes standard with a metal wall bracket and the fact that just one ARC/eARC HDMI connection is all you need to link it to your TV and to share the sound from any other sources you may also have, such as a set-top-box or a games console.

AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth means iOS and Android users are easily able to stream their favourite music to the Panorama 3 from their mobile devices and Spotify fans can enjoy the convenience of Spotify Connect. The Panorama 3 also supports Bowers & Wilkins’ Music App, giving listeners instant access to streaming

services including Deezer, Last.fm, Qobuz, Soundcloud, Tidal and TuneIn. The Panorama 3 has ‘hidden until lit’ capacitive-touch buttons on its top surface for instant control should you not have your phone immediately to hand plus Alexa is also built in to enable voice control (but can be disabled if you prefer).

Although it currently does not have a multi-room capability, B&W says it plans to offer this facility via a software update sometime in the near future. It will then be compatible both with other Panoramas and other Zeppelins in a multi-room environment as well as products from Bowers & Wilkins’ Formation Series.

“The new Panorama 3, our first Dolby Atmos soundbar, combines all the performance and pedigree of a Bowers & Wilkins product with the best in elegant design and effortless usability,” says Stephanie Willems, of B&W. “Sleek, smart, easy to install and thrilling to listen to, I am sure our fans will love its classleading combination of room-filling sound and comprehensive features so they can finally experience all the movies, TV shows and music they love as they were meant to be heard.” The Panorama 3 will be available in Australia in May. Price: $1,599

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SONUS FABER

ARRIVING SOON

SONUS FABER OMNIA PREMIUM WIRELESS SPEAKER

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onus faber’s new Omnia premium wireless speaker is coming to Len Wallis Audio and will be available (in walnut) from late March with the graphite finish becoming available in early May this year.

The Omnia wireless system offers a suite of features allowing listeners to connect a variety of media with Sonus faber’s signature natural sound.

The system is equipped with two new trademarked technologies from Sonos faber called SENSO and CRESCENDO. The touch sensitive SENSO interface permits listeners to directly control

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Omnia and easily connect to any digital or analog source, including their television, turntable, or mobile device. The illuminated lines on the top SENSO panel further indicate the speakers’ mode, input, and volume settings.

The new CRESCENDO technology is an advanced signal processing system resulting in a greater sense of dimensionality and immersivity to the sound produced, cleverly utilizing the two full-range side speakers.

Omnia supports the latest streaming technologies, is Turntable Ready (MM), and further offers seamless playback from mobile devices with integrated Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built in.

An HDMI ARC input is also included to enhance your television’s sound with one direct connection. Price $3,495

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STAX

Stax SR-X9000 Earspeakers

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lmost everyone in the highfidelity business agrees that for the finest fidelity, the best way to turn electrical waves into sound waves is electrostatically and this opinion is given no matter whether you ask about loudspeakers or about headphones. Yet despite this almost-universal agreement, almost all loudspeakers and headphones turn electrical waves into sound waves using magnetic, rather than electrostatic forces.

The reasons are many but mostly they revolve around cost, complexity and regulations. It is not only expensive to build electrostatic products, but also very difficult (complex). It also involves many regulations, because electrostatic products operate at very high voltages, so governments put many hurdles in the way to ensure the safety of their citizens.

Stax is one of the very few headphone manufacturers that is not only happy to deal with the costs, complexities and regulations, but excels at it. The company’s newest flagship model headphone, the SR-X9000, uses the most complex metalmesh electrostatic electrode system Stax has ever designed (MLER-3) and an ultrathin plastic film diaphragm whose area is 20 per cent greater than that of its previous flagship model. The Japanese company has, however, refrained from increasing its already-high polarizing voltage, so that remains at a still-massive 580 volts d.c.

The requirement for high polarizing voltages means that Stax headphones don’t just plug into a standard headphone socket. They require a special ‘driver’, such as the Stax SRM-T8000 ($8,000) which uses a pair of small-signal 6922 valves in the input stage which then drive a Class-A solid-state output stage. The SRM T8000 has three analogue inputs — two unbalanced and one balanced — as well as twin outputs so that you could,

if you wish, connect a second pair of Stax headphones for a second listener. Other, lower-cost options are available when it comes to driver amplifiers, just as Stax also makes lower-priced electrostatic headphones.

You should, however, do yourself a favour and listen to a pair of Stax SRX9000 ‘Earspeakers’ (Stax prefers the term ‘earspeakers’ rather than ‘headphones’) so you have a reference for the kind of sound quality you should expect. It’s not for nothing that fans of classical music are advised not to buy any headphones without first spending time under the spell of the detail and dynamics that are delivered by electrostatics, and the detail is certainly extraordinary.

Listen to Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic play Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ symphony and you can hear the flop of flute keys and turns of sheet music pages in the background. When Sound + Image Magazine reviewed the new SR-X9000s they said: “To hear the best-ever Stax earspeaker backed by the flagship driver was simply a transport to musical delight.

The combo delivered transparency, detail and soundstaging to shame even pricecomparable dynamic designs, while the bass available was tight and real, never over-emphasised, and nearly always balanced enough to underpin even rock and modern artificial recordings, while given acoustic recordings they are simply unsurpassed.” Price: $9,500

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MEZE

First Closed-Back from Meze Audio

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eze Audio’s new Liric headphones, all designed and developed in Baia Mare, Romania, is the first closed-back Meze design to use the unique Isodynamic Hybrid Array driver developed by the Ukrainian company Rinaro that started as a state-funded acoustic technology research program focused on developing planar magnetics.

“We have wanted to do a portable planar for a while and following two successful collaborations with Rinaro, it was a natural next step,” said Antonio Meze, the company’s founder and lead designer. “Naming it Liric was not a game of chance. It was an ideal metaphor to paint the authentic, vivid and poetic sound disguised behind its ethereal silhouette.”

The closed-back means that, unlike conventional planar magnetic designs, there is no sound leakage from the external cup of the headphones.

In the Meze Liric, powerful neodymium magnets are arranged into a hybrid

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array that creates an enormous 0.3 Tesla magnetic field that works in conjunction with an isoplanar diaphragm with an active area of 3507mm² but a mass of only 0.08g. All this is contained in a polymer housing that’s been specially reinforced in order to withstand the demanding 10.7 Newton load generated by the magnetic field.

The MZ4 driver in the Liric has the same dual-shaped voice coil array seen in the Meze Empyrean, where a switchback coil that is more efficient at low frequencies is positioned in the upper part of the driver and a spiral coil (which is more efficient at midrange and high frequencies) is positioned directly over the ear canal.

The MZ4 driver also has Rinaro’s Phase-X™ system, which improves ambience and spatial sound imaging, often found to be a problem in closedback headphone designs.

The addition of the Phase-X™ technology to the Liric means that these new portable headphones achieve a

correct phase response and a faster transient response decay. This allows for more faithful reproduction of transient sounds and improves ambience and spatial imaging for listeners, taking them closer to the environment of the original source recording.

Totally new on the Meze Audio Liric is an Earpad Air Flow (EAF) system that has precision-cut air vents which run from the Liric ear cup chamber into the ear pads, allowing the MZ4 driver to utilise acoustic volume from the earpads as well as the ear cup chamber, effectively reducing the weight and size of the Liric headphone without compromising acoustic performance, and ensuring an incredibly wide frequency response of 4Hz to 92kHz with distortion of less than 0.15%.

But it’s not only the sound of the Liric that is superb. There’s also the finish.

The union of black leather, gloss-matte spatters on magnesium, and metallic copper accents make for a classic, contemporary aesthetic. Price $3,150 Like /lenwallisaudio on Facebook

CHORD

Chord Mojo 2

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hord Electronics claims credit for creating the high-end portable DAC genre due to its release of the now-famous Mojo portable DAC almost a decade ago. The company’s long-standing digital design consultant, Rob Watts, has now revisited, re-imagined and re-engineered that award-winning original with groundbreaking, world-first technology to create the Chord Mojo 2.

The new Mojo 2 benefits from several new features, chief of which is a revolutionary lossless DSP, the first of its kind in the world. The innovative new ‘UHD DSP’ is fully transparent, enabling comprehensive tone adjustments across the entire frequency range without any degradation in sound quality. This new technology gives the Chord Mojo 2 unrivalled compatibility with today’s wideranging choice of headphones, irrespective of type and sonic signature, plus flexibility with different source components and digital file types.

We here at LWA are very pleased to be able to say that Chord and Watts have finally (after much nagging) added a menu system via a new (fourth) polychromatic polycarbonate control sphere that allows you to control a mute function, a foursetting cross-feed adjustment (which generates speaker-like spatial effects for flexible headphone listening), a buttonlock feature for when you’re commuting, plus those fully lossless tone controls we mentioned previously.

Chord has also increased the number of digital inputs on the new Mojo 2. There are now four, with the added input being a USB-C data input. The other inputs are optical, coaxial (including dual-data for the M-Scaler) and Micro-USB, plus there’s a Micro-USB charging input. On the output side, there are two 3.5 mm mini-jack

headphone outputs so two people can listen to music simultaneously.

Mojo 2 has a new FPGA-based batterycharging system with a 9 percent higher capacity than the original Mojo, which means battery life is now longer than eight hours, and the charging rate is much faster than before. Sound quality has also been further improved through the use of an improved WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filter that now has 40,960 taps (the technical indicator of how complex the interpolation filter is), using 40 DSP cores and an improved noise-shaper that offers greater depth and detail perception, plus improvements to the 4e Pulse Array DAC introduce lower distortion and less out-of-band noise.

Watts says that the Mojo 2’s proprietary ‘UHD DSP’ technology uses a 104-bit custom DSP core running at 705/768 kHz.

“No other audio DSP offers the same accuracy,” he says. “By using 104 bits plus extensive internal noise-shaping, Mojo 2 can deliver complete transparency by preserving the filtering of ultra-small signals while at the same time enabling fine-tuning across the full frequency range with 18 steps of adjustment per frequency band: low-bass, mid-bass, low-treble and high-treble plus improved volume control range.”

Completely designed, engineered and handmade in the United Kingdom, the Chord Mojo 2 has a high-grade, beadblasted black anodised aluminium case.

Price: $899 The arrival of the Mojo 2 means we are running out our remaining stock of the original Chord Mojo ($799 RRP) for just $599.

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CUSTOM INSTALL

HERITAGE HOME THEATRE HITS THE RIGHT NOTE The clients for this project came to us at the beginning of a significant renovation of a heritage property they were undertaking on Sydney’s Upper North Shore...

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s avid music lovers, their brief to our Senior Systems Integrator, Christian Lambros was to build a room that sounded like a dedicated home theatre but did not look like a conventional theatre — which they described as “typically dark and somewhat formal.” Instead, they wanted the room to be bright and casual… essentially a high-end media room that could also work for everyday use.

The room selected featured several large windows, a day bed and a fireplace, none of which could be moved.

Although this was aesthetically pleasing and a unique space to work in, it did create some acoustic challenges — such as sound reflections — as well as the challenge of ensuring the audiovisual equipment did not alter the overall aesthetics of the room in ordinary day-to-day use.

We partnered with acoustic experts Artnovion to assist with audio absorption at the front left and right walls to overcome this. Artnovion has long been the choice of interior designers and cinema designers, thanks to its stunning looks and superior performance.

The Artnovion designer liked the look of the wood trim absorbers and mimicked this on the front wall with Artnovion Avalon flow acoustic wall panels. The resulting acoustic improvements included improved speech intelligibility, superior noise control and the elimination of unwanted reverberations. The front Left, Right and Centre sound stage is managed by three (3) Bowers

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CUSTOM INSTALL

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CUSTOM INSTALL

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CUSTOM INSTALL

& Wilkins CT8.2 LCR Custom Theatre Speakers.

The B&W CT8.2s offer a unique modular baffle design that allows them to be used as an LCR speaker in either the vertical or the horizontal position.

With significant performance to match their in-room counterparts in the 800 Series Diamond series, these large onwall speakers were cut into a brick wall and then mechanically isolated on rubber mounts to ensure the best possible sonic performance.

Flanking the sides of the room and supporting the low-frequency reproduction are two (2) of JL Audio’s formidable In-Wall Subwoofer Systems with a Single 13.5-inch Subwoofer and 1,000 watts of amplification. We then selected Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.3S2 in-wall speakers and Bowers & Wilkins CCM7.5S2 in-ceiling speakers to complete the room’s rear-channels and Atmos effects channels. The in-wall speakers were once again cut into the brick wall and all were colour-matched to the room paint to minimize the presence of the installation.

With the speaker array taken care of, we chose to use Krell’s Cinema 7 Power Amplifier in this installation. Although the unit is the smallest in Krell’s multichannel amplifier line-up, this unit is still more than capable with a conservatively rated 105 watts per channel into all seven channels at eight ohms with all channels driven. We chose Marantz’s excellent AV 7705 Processor to manage the sound processing. The AV 7705 offers a full 11.2-channel capability and has been specially designed for home theatre surround duties with eight HDMI inputs, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound decoding, multi-room sound and Hi-Res audio support.

To finish off the sound duties and ensure the best possible outputs, we installed a Thor PS10 Power Conditioner.

The PS10 is an expert at stabilizing under/ over voltage 240V grid situations which translates to better sound and picture

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CUSTOM INSTALL

EQUIPMENT LIST

quality while at the same time protecting valuable equipment.

All of these components were hidden away into two rolling professional equipment racks ganged together and hidden under the bench.

In a home theatre, the centrepiece will always be the projector, so we installed Sony’s VPL790ES Laser Projector, which uses Sony’s latest laser projection technology to deliver a spectacularly bright (2000 lumens) image for a contrast and colourrich HDR picture capability. This projector is a standout, with Sound+Image magazine describing it in their review in December 2021 as: “The best home theatre projector picture that we have ever experienced — and we mean ever.”

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The projector was housed in an Ultralift motorized projector dropper, which significantly contributes to the system’s discreet design by allowing the projector to be concealed entirely inside the ceiling when it’s not in use. To control the entire system, we employed a Savant Pro solution, programmed specifically to the client’s requirements. Savant has a complete set of automation control features, controllable via app or through Savant Pro remote devices.

This provides the clients with one-touch solutions that allow them to sit back and enjoy this exceptional high-end media room.

This system is a good example of how you can have a capable theatre installation without compromising the aesthetics or the functionality of a multi-use living space.

• 3 × B&W CT8.2LCR on wall speakers • 2 × B&W CWM7.3S2 in wall speakers • 2 × B&W CCM7.5S2 in ceiling speakers • 2 × JL SYS213 Dual 13” Fathom in wall subs and 1000-watt amp • 1 × Sony VPL790ES Projector • 1 × Severtson 141” Ultra-wide acoustically transparent screen • 1 × Marantz AV 7705 AV processor • 1 × Thor PS10 Power conditioner • 1 × Apple TV • 1 × Panasonic DPUB9000 Bluray player • 200 metres of Inakustik MSR speaker cable • 16 × Artnovion Avalon flow acoustic wall panels • 7 × Inakustik Premium XLR cables

INAKUSTIK

Inakustik Micro Air Technology

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ables are essential in all hi-fi systems, but choosing the correct cable for your particular application can be tricky in a world where there are thousands of manufacturers, most of whom seem to build almost identical products using almost identical materials.

So when you find a German company whose cable designs are entirely unlike those of any other cable manufacturer and whose cables are clearly highly engineered for their purpose, it’s time to take note.

Inakustik has been making cables since 1977 and uses ‘air technology’ insulation in its cables to deliver a unique take on cable dielectrics.

The approach — and the resulting cable performance — has certainly convinced us here at Len Wallis Audio.

“A cable should not offer anything additional to your system, nor change anything. It should simply reveal the quality of your equipment, and that neutrality is what makes Inakustik’s Air and Micro Air cables perfect for all reference systems,” says Tim Wallis.

Inakustik’s latest creation is the Reference LS-404 Micro Air speaker cable.

The complex manual assembly of each cable is conducted in Inakustik’s German factory, including both mechanical and performance testing quality control conducted on each final cable. The new designs retain the air-insulation concept from the successful higher Reference Air series, where a three-metre pair of speaker cables can set you back more than $10,000. But the new Micro Air configuration allows a more affordable solution.

The LS-404 Micro Air speaker cables are available as three-metre pairs terminated with banana plugs for $1,600, or terminated with spades for $1,700.

Bi-wire configuration and custom lengths are available to special order. Despite the more favourable pricing, the new designs maintain Inakustik’s use of air as a central component in the insulation dielectric, which the company claims reduces cable capacitance significantly.

Normal dielectrics can increase capacitance many times over with the

material that insulates a cable absorbing electrical energy and releasing it later, causing smearing of the music signal.

Air does not do this and is therefore the ideal insulator. The Micro Air cables use a diamond-shaped structure to create chambers that increase the distance between conductors, and so also increase the air content in the insulation.

Eight concentric high-purity copper conductors are used in the Reference LS-404 Micro Air in addition to the air dielectric (compared with 24 cores in the Reference Air speaker cable). The multicore architecture allows the magnetic fields of the positive and negative conductors to overlap and neutralise, reducing the cable’s inductance.

The surfaces of the banana plugs and spades are finished with a durable rhodium coating, with the contact surfaces and the screw connection of the spades also manufactured from a single piece, thereby avoiding contact resistance.

“The proof is in the pudding with cables,” concludes Tim Wallis. “I strongly suggest an audition.”

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SONANCE

Music Outdoors

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he Australian climate lends itself to outdoor living, and outdoor living in turn lends itself to outdoor speakers. We have just added two speakers from Sonance to our range.

Sonance is one of the world’s leading architectural speaker manufacturers. The two new speakers we are carrying are from their re-designed Mariner series, with new sleeker cabinets and improved mounting brackets.

The tweeter, woofer and crossover have all been re-engineered, which has resulted in greatly improved performance over the previous models. Both models are available in black and white.

Mariner 54: $699 per pair • Tweeter: 1” (25mm) powder-coated aluminium dome, Ferrofluid cooled, with an acoustic back chamber • Woofer: 5.25” (130mm) Kevlar/Nomex laminated cone with a Santoprene surround • Frequency Response: 60Hz – 20kHz ±3dB • Impedance: 8Ω (nominal); 6Ω (minimum) • Power Handling: 5 watts minimum; 70 watts maximum

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• Sensitivity: 88dBSPL (2.83V/1 metre) • Environmental: Conforms to Mil Spec 810 for humidity, salt spray, temperature and UV, IP-66 waterproof rating • Environment Temp: –25 to 65 degrees Celsius • Dimensions (WHD): 162×256×144mm • Grille: Perforated aluminium

Mariner 66: $1,349 per pair • Tweeter: 1” (25mm) powder-coated aluminium dome, Ferrofluid cooled, with acoustic back chamber • Woofer: 6.5” (165mm) Kevlar/Nomex laminated cone with a Santoprene surround

• Frequency Response: 50Hz – 20kHz±3dB • Impedance: 8Ω (nominal); 6Ω (minimum) • Power Handling: 5 watts minimum; 100 watts maximum • Sensitivity: 90dB SPL (2.83V/1 metre) • Environmental: Conforms to Mil Spec 810 for humidity, salt spray, temperature and UV, IP-66 waterproof rating • Environment Temp: -25 to 65 degrees Celsius • Dimensions (WHD): 191×308×174mm • Grille: Perforated aluminium

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TRIANGLE

Triangle Elara LN01A

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ue to popular demand we have decided to restock the Triangle Elara LN01A loudspeakers in both Black and White finishes. For those who are not familiar with this model, the LN01A is equipped with a built-in two-channel 50-Watt Class-D amplifier. There are bass and treble controls for sound optimization while on the rear of one of the speakers there’s an input panel with a surprising number of connectivity options: turntable phono inputs, analogue RCA inputs, digital optical and coaxial inputs plus there’s also a wireless Bluetooth 4.0 aptX (equivalent to CD Quality) capability and an output for a powered subwoofer!

Based on the passive LN01 bookshelf

model, the LN01A benefits from Triangle’s historical acoustic know-how.

The speaker features a 25mm fabric dome tweeter and a 13cm concave mid-woofer providing a satisfyingly smooth, warm and detailed signature TRIANGLE sound. Supplied with a remote control, a power cord and a connecting speaker cable to link both speakers together, it’s the complete compact package.

The LN01A just might be an ideal compact Hi-Fi gift for a study, home office or even apartment-dweller where space is at a premium. Make sure you check out our ‘Upperclassman Turntable Package’ as described in the panel to the right.

The Upperclassman Turntable Package to start a new journey into the delightful world of vinyl

This package includes: • Triangle LN01A Wireless Active Bookshelf Speakers • + Project Primary E system In this package we have combined the aforementioned LN01A speakers with Project’s Primary E turntable system. A perfect package for someone just starting out with turntables or perhaps as a treat to put in your home office!

Available in black or white finishes (tying in nicely with the LN01As) the Project Primary E offers the kind of build quality usually associated with more expensive models to help even vinyl newcomers get the most out of their LPs. Even better, the Primary E comes with the counterweight and anti-skating weight pre-set, as well as a pre-fitted cartridge made by Ortofon, a dust cover, a power supply and RCA phono cable! Plug the turntable direct into the Triangle Elara LN01As and you will be playing records in style, quick-smart.

Upperclassman Turntable Package Price: $1,450 (Usual RRP is $1,570)

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STREAMING

Single Box Streaming Packages

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here is no doubt that online streaming continues to change the way we consume music, how we interact with the devices that serve our needs, AND how those devices harmonise into our living spaces.

However, some audio companies have recognised that today’s demands are different from those of years passed and are leading a change accordingly.

Consequently, we are noticing the expansion of high-performance electronics that incorporate everything you need for a quality Hi-Fi system contained within a single discrete chassis. We are talking about powerful single box, just-add-speakerssolutions that offer the same level of performance as more traditional multicomponent alternatives. They are more discrete in design and therefore far simpler

to integrate into modern environments.

Driven by the advent of high-performance (CD quality or better) streaming services, the once stalled evolution in modern Hi-Fi design appears to be gathering new momentum.

We have put together three (3) space- and style-conscious Hi-Fi streaming packages to suit different budgets to ensure that your music sounds the best it can while having minimal impact on your living space.

Marantz + Triangle

Naim + Bowers & Wilkins

NAD + Serhan Swift

Unity Atom Streaming Amplifier & 705S2 Speakers

M33 Streaming Amplifier & Mu2 MkII Speakers

Uniti Atom is a beautiful, compact multisource music player with a 40-watt per channel integrated amplifier and highresolution music streaming capabilities.

The Bowers & Wilkins 705S2 bookshelf speakers feature the solid body Tweeteron-Top design from the 800 Series Diamond. Included in the package is a pair of three-metre long quality speaker cables.

The NAD M33 BluOS™ enabled DAC/ amplifier is an ultra-high-performance streaming device. We have combined this with the formidable Serhan Swift mu2 MkII bookshelf speakers for a truly outstanding streaming package that includes a pair of three-metre long quality speaker cables.

(The speaker stands pictured are not included

but are available at an additional charge.)

MCR612 Streaming Amplifier & Borea BR02 Speakers The Marantz MCR612 network CD receiver supports near-limitless streaming platforms through AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and HEOS WiFi connectivity. This is combined with a pair of Triangle Borea BR02 speakers which can easily fit on bookshelves, desks or other furniture.

Included in the package is a pair of threemetre long quality speaker cables.

Our Package Price: $2,000

(The speaker stands pictured are not included

but are available at an additional charge.)

Our Package Price: $14,650 Our Package Price: $8,650

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HOLBO

Holbo MkII Air-Bearing Turntable

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HOLBO

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he current extraordinary interest in everything vinyl continues to produce some very high quality and interesting new products, but few of them are as interesting and intriguing as the new Holbo Mk11 Air-Bearing turntable system.

The concept of a frictionless turntable mechanism is the holy grail of turntable manufacturers, and Holbo are not the first to produce a contactless motor mechanism. However, to the best of our knowledge they are the first to

manufacture an air-bearing platter and combine it with an air-bearing tangential tonearm.

This is a very impressive turntable, and well worth the $12,000 asking price.

In fact, when renowned reviewer Ken Kessler reviewed the Holbo (and it was the earlier Mk1 version he reviewed) he made much of the price, calling it ‘almost inexplicable’. His closing comments were: ‘Perhaps I am recommending this for what some may consider the wrong reasons — value for money — but there is no

denying that getting all this tech, and so well executed, at this price, is irresistible (…) the Holbo Airbearing combo is a gift.’

It’s important to note that Kessler’s review was done in the UK and his comments based on the UK price, where the Holbo sells for more than it does in Australia!

Read Sound+Image Magazine's review of the Holbo MkII on-line www.tinyurl.com/jfholbo2

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B&O

B&O Beovision Contour

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enmark has long been recognised as a leader in design, whether it’s architectural design, furniture design or technological

design.

In Factory 5 in Struer, Denmark, you’ll find Denmark’s leading technology company, the legendary Bang & Olufsen, whose most recent triumph is its ‘all-in-one’ Beovision Contour.

Although the new Contour looks like a television, and indeed it has an advanced 120cm (48-inch) OLED screen, it is also a multi-room enabled high-quality standalone music system in its own right, incorporating integrated audio streaming technologies including Chromecast, Apple Airplay 2, Bluetooth, DLNA, HDMI, Ethernet 10/100Mb, and Spotify Connect plus built-in TuneIn and Deezer music services

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to enable easy access to your favourite streaming services.

Ultimate sound quality is delivered by no fewer than eleven loudspeakers each one powered by its own amplifier, with four 50-watt amplifiers driving four 100mm woofers, four 50-watt amplifiers driving four 38mm midrange drivers and another four 50-watt amplifiers powering three 19mm tweeters, all of which not only deliver great sound in stereo and threechannel audio, but great sound with Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD formats as well.

The Beovision Contour’s 4K OLED screen not only has a very wide viewing angle but also, unlike any other screen technology, is capable of delivering perfect blacks in addition to true-to-life colours, so you can enjoy films, TV programs and music videos the way their directors intended.

The Beovision Contour screen also delivers extremely high resolution, with over eight million pixels giving a display resolution of 3840×2160, so images will be sharp, crisp and defined no matter where you sit in relation to the screen. As you’d expect of a state-of-the-art screen, it can process HDR 10, HDR 10 Pro, HLG and Dolby Vision IQ and, if you’re a gamer, you’ll enjoy response times of less than one millisecond to enhance your gaming experience.

As you’d expect of a company that specialises in design, the Beovision Contour not only looks gorgeous, but is available with a floor stand (included in the price), a table stand, or wall mounting brackets.

Also bundled with the Contour is a bidirectional Bluetooth remote control.

Pricing is dependent on configuration, so please contact us for more information Like /lenwallisaudio on Facebook

STEREOTECH

StereoTech Stands & Racks

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s a proudly Australian enterprise, this year celebrating 44 years as a family-owned business, Len Wallis Audio has always been a keen supporter of high-quality Australian products from brands such as SGR, Serhan+Swift, Les Davis Audio, Du Plesis Audio, Richter Acoustics and Ben Burton, to name but a few. The latest addition to our stable is the complete range of equipment racks and speaker stands from Queensland manufacturer StereoTech.

Designed by Andrew Harrison, and based on his decades of experience in the Australian audio industry, StereoTech’s equipment racks and speaker stands are superbly constructed, extremely attractively designed, and are packed with features that will improve the sound quality and useability of the electronics and speakers they support.

StereoTech’s ‘Alumina’ equipment racks are able to support even the heaviest hi-

fi components, with a capacity of more than 100 kilograms. They have clear coated, black Japan stained Birch plywood shelves that offer strength, durability, lightness and a warm real wood finish to complement the internally damped

upright support sections, which can be supplied in your choice of Satin-Silver (Alumina Light) or Satin-Black powdercoated aluminium (Alumina Dark).

Standing 775mm high, StereoTech’s Alumina equipment racks are the ergonomically correct height to allow easy operation of components on their upper levels. Price: $1,199 Speaker stands are essential to ensure the performance of almost all small two-way and three-way loudspeakers, and StereoTech’s range of ‘Elemento’ stands not only provide this all-essential support but include features such as multiple methods of coupling the stands to your floor (floor-protecting pucks, rubber feet and spikes) plus the ability to keep your speaker cables out of sight by routing them through the upright or even out through the base to ensure neat installation.

All StereoTech Elemento stands are crafted from the same materials most premium loudspeakers are manufactured from — Birch ply and non-resonant MDF — and their design is optimised to maximise stiffness and lightness while at the same time minimising resonances.

Available in two different heights (490mm and 590mm) to ensure ideal tweeter alignment with different loudspeakers, the Elemento 490 and Elemento 590 models sell for $599 per pair.

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FLUX

FLUX-Sonic Stylus Cleaner

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veryone here at LWA loves the sound of vinyl. We’re huge fans!

What we don’t love is the sound of a dirt and dust in the grooves, or the blurred sound caused by a dirty stylus. We have a lot of products that can help you keep your LPs clean, from a low cost but highly effective Inakustik CarbonFibre brush ($25), through a manual record-washer (Spin-Clean Record Washer Mk2 at $149), to a mains-powered recordwasher (Pro-Ject VC-E at $699) right up to an exotic Kirmuss KA-RC-1 Ultrasonic Record Restoration System ($2,200).

What we have not had available — until now — is a high-quality, highperformance stylus cleaner that is safe, effective and simple to use. In the past we have sold stylus brushes, but these have all been highly dependent on the skill of the

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person using them. If you brush too softly and you won’t get rid of the dirt. But if you brush too hard — or in the wrong direction — you could potentially damage your cartridge’s delicate cantilever.

So we’re excited to tell you about our latest arrival from Germany, the Flux-HiFi FLUX-Sonic stylus cleaner. This high-tech device will gently, safely and quickly

remove dirt, dust and grime from your cartridge’s stylus, and you don’t even have to remove the cartridge from your tonearm in order to use it!

As you have likely guessed from the name, the FLUX-Sonic uses sound in combination with a specially formulated fluid to remove all dust and dirt particles from your phono stylus. It does not, however, use ultrasonic sound, but sonic vibrations at much lower frequencies.

Operation is simple. You place the FLUX-Sonic on your turntable, apply the fluid to a specially designed pad made of the finest PE fibres, place the stylus on the pad and turn on the FLUX-Sonic. The combination of the fluid, the vibration and the capillary action of the PE fibres will have your stylus sparkling clean in just fifteen seconds.

We recommend you use the FLUXSonic after every five albums, as this will not only improve the sound quality of your LPs, but will also extend the life of your stylus and keep your LPs more pristine as well, since you will not be re-introducing particles from the stylus back into the LP groove. Price: $279 Like /lenwallisaudio on Facebook

TELARC

Telarc Recordings

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sk any audiophile to name the best recording of music they’ve ever heard and it’ll be odds-on that it was recorded

by Telarc. Launched in 1977 as a pure classical label, Telarc was founded by musicians Jack Renner and Robert Woods who quickly became known for their high quality recordings and signature Telarc sound. So far the company has amassed more than 50 Grammy Awards for music on its LPs and CDs. Being musicians themselves, Renner and Woods formed long and lasting relationships with other musicians, such as Erich Kunzel (often called ‘The Prince of Pops’) and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and with Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

German music label Inakustik has partnered with Telarc’s new owner, Concord Music, to release two extraordinary double albums, both produced using the Direct Metal Master (DMM) production technique and both recorded at 45 rpm on 180 gram virgin vinyl to ensure the fidelity of the original recording is delivered during playback.

The two double LPs, ‘Spectacular Sound Experience’ and ‘Spectacular Sound Experience Vol 2, between them contain some of the most extraordinary — and legendary — recordings that were made

by Renner and Woods when they were at Telarc. As you can see from the track listings, it’s not just the quality of the recording that’s outstanding, but also the quality of the music.

TRACK LISTING: SPECTACULAR SOUND EXPERIENCE • 2001 A Space Odyssey: Introduction • Star Wars: Episode IV: Main Theme • Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back • Star Trek (The Movie): Main Theme • Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Raiders’ March • Back to the Future: Main Theme • Terminator: Main Theme • Orff: Carmina Burana: Introduction • Strauss: Explosions Polka, Op. 43 • Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture • Rossini: Wilhelm Tell Overture, Lone Ranger Theme • Bizet: Carmen: Suite No 1: Les Toreadors – Introduction

• Borodin: Polovtsian Dances • Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre, Op. 40 Price: $80 (Two 45rpm direct metal mastered LPs) TRACK LISTING: SPECTACULAR SOUND EXPERIENCE VOL 2 • 20th Century Fox Fanfare • The Magnificent Seven: Theme • Rocky: Theme • Jurassic Park: Main Them) • Ben Hur: Parade of the Charioteers • The Godfather: Theme • Jaws: Theme • Gone With The Wind: Tara’s Theme • Fanfare for the Common Man • Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1: Aragonaise • Glinka: Ruslan & Ludmila: Overture • Glière: The Red Poppy: Russian Sailors’ Dance • Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker: Trepak, Russian Dance • Khachaturian: Sabre Dance • Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique: Marche Au Supplice • Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Baba-Yagá/Gate of Kiev Price: $80 (Two 45rpm direct metal mastered LPs)

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MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO INFLUENCE CHANGE AND INSPIRE. IT CAN MAKE US DANCE, CRY, FEEL AND LOVE. IT CAN UNITE AND DIVIDE US. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, MUSIC ENABLES US TO IMMERSE OURSELVES IN OUR OWN WORLD — EVOKING A SENSE OF FREEDOM AND MAKING US PRESENT IN THE MOMENT INTRODUCING YAMAHA’S PREMIUM HI-FI STEREO COMPONENTS.

CLOSER TO THE ARTIST A-S3200 / A-S2200 / A-S1200 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS

a u .ya m ah a .c o m