Vinyl

A versatile phonostage that is great value for what it does.

We love our vinyl at Carlton Audio Visual and we have some very fancy phono stages for people who want the best experience possible from their cartridge and their turntable setup. This phono stage doesn't fall into the super fancy category but it will take you to the beginning of the good stuff in vinyl. Mainly because it gives the Moving Coil option and all the adjustability that generally only the much more expensive phono stages will get you.

Of note as welll, it has both balanced and unbalanced connections. Another feature generally only seen in quite high end units.

While other brands of record player suffered mass extinction through the asteroidal impact of Compact Disc in the early eighties Rega sales never faltered. 

During the long dark years of Compact Disc we always kept a Planar 3 on readiness in the store to play an old Pink Floyd record and show people how much better vinyl could sound.

Like a crocodile hunkering down in the swamp the Planar 3 just kept on with the job of pleasing music lovers and occasionally consuming careless newly evolved Digital Mammals ...

Add a factory fitted Rega Elys 2 cartridge normally $350 but in a package with the turntable only $200 extra.

Or the more detailed and better controled, Rega Exact, for an extra $350 (normally $650). And it comes factory fitted, ready to go.

Of course you can choose your own cartridge from our wide selection as well. Ortofon 2M Blue or even a Bronze are very popular. As are cartridges in the Sumiko range. On of the beauties of the Planar 3 in particular is it does so well with a plethora of cartridges. Call us to discuss what would be best for you.

Planar 3 official website 

Dropping the Carbon from the Debut, this Turntable is fitted with a Carbon-Aluminium 'sandwich' tonearm. Although it looks like a straight one piece Aluminium (Rega-esque), it is still utilising some Carbon for extra rigidity within the Tonearm.

Other new things about this unit over previous Pro-Ject models is the new Pick It PRO cartridge. This is a refashioned Ortofon 2M series cartridge with some crucial differences - namely a livlier and more dynamic sound.

All in all a very interesting turntable. Simple yet extremely effective in what it needs to do - make music!

This has been a very popular model with us over the years. This mid-priced tube phono stage has been through different variations and today it has balanced ins and balanced outs. This then works in perfectly with the new Pro-Ject lineup that offers a real focus on the Balanced signal from start to finish - a really valuable and discernible upgrade.

Of course you don't have to use the Balanced connections of the Pro-Ject ecosystem. You can still use this as a really good, warm yet detailed phono stage.

These are the pick of the bunch in the Pro-Ject range. The tubes definitely add class and depth to the sound.

As opposed to a simple weight on the platter, the Grip S precisely locks the record to the platter with less stress on the bearing and turntable.

Unlike other clamps that require a full unscrewing to take off, all that is needed with the Grip S is a simple quarter turn. Swapping sides and records becomes a lot less arduous.

Acoustic Signature also includes the silencers in the Grip S. These copper inserts that are pressed into the Grip S dampen any residual resonances on the platter for an even better performance.

With this precise way of locking down the record, cartridge tracking is improved and any uneveness in the record itself is eliminated.

The Sumiko Songbird is a fantastic value 'naked' Moving Coil Cartridge. This is their low output version which has a bit more sensitivity and well worth it if you have a capable Moving Coil Phono Stage.

The sound of the Songbirds is of space and transparency. They are illuminating cartridges and frequently hailed as the perfect first real cartridge for those part-time audiophiles. But beware, the quality of this cartridge will turn any part-timers into raging full-timers!

The Quintet Black S is the best example of Quintet’s overall excellence

The Quintet Black S is graced with a Nude Shibata diamond, considered one of the best stylus profiles available, mounted on a high-performance Sapphire cantilever.

The Shibata’s slim, highly polished profile allows an exceedingly wide contact area to the walls of the groove and ensures detailed and pure reproduction thoughout the spectrum, including even the most high frequency groove information.

This is fantastic value for a 'naked' body cartridge and is the perfect choice if you like an airy, spacious sound. It doesn't have as much life, dynamics and detail as the Starling and if you have a flexible phono stage, I would recommend the Low Output version of the Songbird.

For those who want an incredible cartridge with a transparency in the sound and don't have a fancy phono stage to match the low output models, this is a beauty.

A really special Turntable designed alongside Metallica themselves this will become a real talking point in anyone's living room.

Only a limited amount of these have been made and relatively few have come to Australia. 

The last one left at Carlton Audio Visual. It hasn't had any play and has been sitting in a display window on Lygon st.

The new Ania Pro Moving Coil cartridge is a variation on Rega's existing Ania cart. The difference being a Vital Profile nude diamond instead of the Eliptical. An Eliptical diamond has a rounded surface that's shaped so it's longer front-to-back than it is side-to-side. It has its advantages but it means that alot of the high frequency and the smaller details are missed from being picked up within the groove.

The Vital Profile has some specifically designed sharper edges that get the diamond further into the groove producing a more nuanced, detailed sound.

It retains all the nice things of the original Ania as well: Neodymium magnets, handwound loss mass coils, aluminium catilever, one-piece rigid body and the CAD designed cover of the internals which is made in red to distinguish it from its little brother.

This is great upgrade that's well worth the money. It's a great upgrade option on a Rega Planar 3 and can come factory fitted to the Planar 6 or 8. It is also a fantastic choice for other brands of Turntable. We do recommend we fit this cartridge to your deck as tracking and alignment become more crucial when the diamond is cut in this way.

Don't fret though, Carlton Audio Visual will fit your Ania Pro free of charge and offer you a tea, coffee or beer while you wait!

A suberp cartridge with the class and refinement of a Moving Coil but the ability to go straight into a Moving Magnet Phono stage.

Created out of the desire to make a very high performance design at an affordable price, the Carmen was crafted to have unparalleled purity of tone and ultra-smooth presentation. Just slightly lush with a well-developed midrange, the Carmen is surprisingly pleasing and will seduce you into long, late listening sessions.

The stylus used is a large part of what makes it special; an ultra-low mass occlusion free nude diamond cut and polished into a true hyper-elliptical shape. The combination of low tip mass and the Fixed Coil design gives the Carmen a tremendous resolution advantage over MC designs selling for more than twice the price. Housed in a handmade solid Ebony case, the Carmen delivers.

The new Turntable from Roksan is designed around minimalist ideals. Less is More!

The Unipivot tonearm has a single point bearing instead of the multiple horizontal and vertical bearings of a gimbal design. This means there's a reduction in the coupling surface area. In short - less vibrational resonance.

A high mass glass platter within an Aluminium shell providing extra dampening. All made to look sleek and sexy.

Built in phono stage for a reduced clean look without the need for an external unit.

Highly controlled microprocessor built in for exacting speed control.

A gorgeous unit that'll make many customers happy. 

A classic turntable made into even more of a collectable. There will be a limited run of these 50th Anniversary versions of the Rega Planar 3 50th anniversay.

This unit includes some really fancy upgrades over the standard Planar 3 for a fraction of the cost buying them off the shelf. This includes:

• Neo PSU Mk 2 power supply
• factory fitted Exact cartridge
• Reference EBLT
• 24V motor fitted with the aluminium drive pulley instead of the standard plastic one.
• Premium Walnut finish

Units expected to arrive in September.

This is an upmarket Automatic Turntable with more features than your ordinary Automatic deck and stylish looks to boot.

It can be set to have an automatic drop-off point for 7" or 12" records and also has a function for 78rpms meaning all of the old records in your family's collection can now be brought back to life.

It comes with a high quality Ortofon 2M red cartridge, a floating sub-chassis, damped platter and is handmade in Germany!

Available in Black only. 

Black Friday Special available until stock runs out.

Exceptional quality for a 'starter' system. Your Turntable needs met with fantastic sound quality.

Rega is British owned and manufactured and have been a much loved staple of Carlton Audio Visual for decades. Rega started life making turntables and it shows in everything else they make. They build beautiful gear without compromise keeping it simple to keep the music pure.

Their turntables are consistently class leading and best performing for their price, their amps are rich and warm and a favourite with our customers and staff and their speakers are beautifully built and sound effortless.

All-in-all a great option as a pack to hit the ground running.

Rega System One Official site

What Hi-Fi? on the Rega System One

The improved X1 turntable now comes with the Balanced out and the Ortofon modified cartridge that is similarly balanced out. Pair this with one of Pro-Ject's range of balanced phono stages and a balanced amplifier and you can experience a balanced signal from start ot finish. Although the idea of a balanced signal has been around for a long time and it is undeniably established that it makes for a cleaner, lower distortion system, it is rarely used to this extent and certainly not at this price point. It is rare that the signal path can be completely balanced from start to finish in a HiFi system.

This is a well thought out turntable from well-respected Pro-Ject. They've used classic aspects of their design and bundled the best of them into a great, not-overly-priced, turntable.

This Turntable comes with a light and super stiff Tonearm being made from a carbon fibre/aluminium sandwich, an acoustically dampening acrylic platter and the convenience of speed control at the end of your finger tips on the deck. Doing away with having to lift up the platter to change the speed for those 45rpm records.

Finishes are walnut, Piano Black or White.

The full name of this unit is a bit of a mouthful. It's made by the Dutch company Tonar under their sub brand Knosti. They've been making recod cleaning utensils for 40 years and are loved by hardcore Vinyl enthusiasts everywhere.

Their Ultrasonic cleaner uses an Ultrasonic transducer to produce bubbles that gently and very effectively remove dirt and grime on the record.

The whole process is Antistatic and works to keep grime off the record well after the wash by making sure there's no static created in the cleaning and drying process.

This is a good quality Ultrasonic machine that is also affordable. A great addition to a Vinyl home that wants to go to the next level.

One of our favourite Phono stages that makes a partiularly good synthesis with Rega cartridges. However, it's definitely not to be limited to just the Rega cartridges. 

It's a warm sounding phono stage that adds a richness to a system. Like all Rega, it lacks frills but it does what it does ever so well.

If you're after multiple inputs and endless adjustibility, this model may not be the one. But if you're after an excellent phono stage that is a plug-in and forget, the Aria is perfect.

Typically known for their digital products in particular their DACs, Chord has surfaced with a product for all of those Vinyl enthusiasts that are jealous of their friend's aircraft grade aluminium DACs. Like their digital products, the Huei not only has that super cool casing, it also has the pretty LED lights and funky buttons...

...but of course the aesthetics of the Huei aren't the only important thing here!

The Huei is a MM/MC phono stage with all of that tinkering capability for any type of cartridge. Impedance, Gain and Rumble (!) settings are all at your fingertips (coressponding to different coloured lights in the chassis). It also has Balanced outputs for those who are serious about Hi-Fi...and not just the coloured lights...

It produces an incredibly clean sound almost completely devoid of noise floor resolving the image beautifully.

We would recommend it to go with Soundsmith, Rega and Van den Hul cartridges.

Click here for Chris Kelly's glowing review in The Ear