Search results for 'Musical Fidelity'

Superb value for a power amplifier. Offering control and headroom as well as musical nuance and clarity. 

This unit is built around the RB-1582Mk II but offers slightly less power at 130W per chanel (as opposed to 200W per chanel).

For those who have some pre out options on a current integrated amplifier, this can be a wonderful, game changing upgrade to bring speakers alive. It can also be used in Home Theatre set ups to take the strain off your surround receiver. Let the RB-1552 MKII power your front left and right speakers and do most of the heavy lifting.

Otherwise a pairing with a quality pre amplifier like the Rotel RC-1572 delivers exceptional musical quality. Taking the sensitive pre-amplifier circuitry away from the beefy power transformers of power amplifiers and putting them in separate chassis instantly takes the musical experience to the next level.

A beautiful CD player that looks the timeless classic that it sounds. Crispiness and a neutral truthfulness to the sound are its sonic characteristics.

It's also an SACD player with XLR balanced out which for this price bracket is a real bonus. Generally, one has to spend upwards of $5000 for a half decent SACD player.

Sonically this is a very polite and neutral device, slow but smooth in mechanical operation and beautifully made.

A very special Christmas Special. Only Silver available now.

The RA1572 has become a mainstay on the demo floor at Carlton Audio Visual and the new RA1572 MkiII is stepping easily into its void.

A solid and popular performer that pulls the punches when it's asked. With 120W into 4 Ohms and 200W into 8 Ohms of pure Class AB amplification, you'll get slam and control with this amp.

Its connectivity and versatility is also its major strength. Aptx Bluetooth, phono stage (for direct compatibility with a Turntable), Unbalanced and Balanced XLR analogue inputs, multiple optical & coaxial digital connections and PC-USB with MQA and MQA studio (driver installation required) are some of your options.

From the old RA1572, the major difference in the new unit is it's new DAC. Instead of the older AKM DAC chips they've moved to the Texas Instruments Burr-Brown DAC chips. Giving them the MQA capability but also some extra richness and expression in the music on the digital side of things.

It keeps its classic ever-so-popular aesthetic with the retro lines and the same sound signature that Rotel are renowned for which we think is a good thing. A little tweak on an old favourite to make it that much better.

Rotel Homepage for the RA1572II 

Looking like a wet dream Q Acoustic 3030 in the finish they always promised but never delivered, these are a serious bit of high energy audiophile quadruply amplified bookshelf loudspeaker. Seriously the walnut gloss finish is actually extremely elegant, and perhaps serves to allay the slightly rotund form. (also please note they are $3200 in polished walnut as against $2725 in black or white)

The form is actually dictated by physics, if you want to get the best quality sound out of the smallest box with excellent imageing and good bass, well, you end up with cabinet about this size and drive unit configuration. That is why there are so many loudspeakers that are approximately this size that are actually very good.

Acoustic Energy homepage for the AE1 loudspeakers 

"What Hi-Fi?" on AE1 loudspeakers 

""Soundstagesimplifi.com" on the AE1 loudspeakers 

Cleaning records is not just for people with serious cases of OCD, it's done to improve the way your records sound, give longevity to your precious cartridge and stylus and try to eliminate those pops and crackles.

Proper record cleaning is an important part of a Vinyl lovers routine and if your only option is a bath type of cleaner, it quickly becomes a tedious job of waiting for the Vinyl to dry before putting them on. Let alone having to find floor space and enough teatowels to sit them on,

The vacuum method, like this one, is much more time efficient and effective at getting the grime out of the grooves.

Its advantage over the smaller and cheaper VC-E is that it has a much larger cleaning fluid tank, 2.5L as opposed to 0.5L and a much better motor. It's also notably quieter to run and has less plastic bits than the VC-E.

A happy go lucky, cheap set of headphones for throwing about and playing music loudly!

We love Koss headphones at Carlton Audio Visual. They're always surprisingly bassy for their petite forms. Maybe not the most sophiticated sound out there but a lively and fun sound.

Koss US website page for the KSC75

The new Cyrus i9 XR stands as the reference integrated amplifier for this English manufacturer, ;

Cyrus has been a mainstay at Carlton Audio Visual for nearly 30 years. Many of us who work here own gear ourselves.

This boutique English brand prides itself on exacting musical quality which has seen it be wildly popular with our customers as well.

This half-sized integrated amplifier is a killer unit capable of powering even the hungriest of speakers and all in a neat little box.

Try this with the add on PSX power supply and you will find it out performs many high end sacred cow products at double the price ...

Read the Stereo Magazine review of the i9 XR here

And the official Cyrus website here

 StereoNet on the Cyrus i9XR amplifier 

 "Hi Fi Choice" on the Cyrus i9XR amplifier 

A good stereo system is more than the sum of its parts and this particular compact selection of Hi Fi components offers that sonic synergy.

We love these Monitor Audio Bronze 50 loudspeakers that this package comes with. They are sweet and deep beyond their size and are well matched to the Rotel A10 amplifier ("built like a gun").

The glass plattered ProJect T1 SB turntable in wood finish comes with a decent ortofon cartridge and has electronic speed control. Charmingly retro but decently modern at the same time.

Jack Straw was an English politician instrumental in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 … although he was pro intervention the Bush government in the US at the time disliked him because he refused to countenance an attack on Iran. Our partner distributor Interdyn has put this system together to introduce a bit of Vinyl Shock and Awe into your residential circumstance. The name is really derived from The Grateful Dead lyrics by the way ... This system has the excellent Monitor Audio Bronze 50 loudspeakers with Rotel A10 amplifier and glass plattered Project T1 turntable.

Every aspect of the VEGA G2.1’s engineering has been designed to push the boundaries of
sonic performance, reshaping data into vibrant musical performance. From the addition of
integrated streaming to its unique casework, the VEGA G2.1 is transforming the idea of
what a DAC can be.

Modeled on the High End Invictus Turntable, the Tornado Neo offers the best of Acoustic Signature design at a modest price point.

Complete with 4 silencers on the platter that dampen vibrations, capacity to have up to 3 different tonearms and diamond coated spindle on the bearing, this is a serious turntable from a company that's serious about turntables.

You won't find any mention of colouration, bloom or muddiness in descriptions of this turntable. If you're after the fluffy uncontrolled vinyl sounds of the 70s, there are many other options out there. If you want to hear what modern turntable design of the 21st century can do when every detail of the Turntable is examined for its inertia and low resonance properties, you must look at an Acoustic Signature. The result of though-out engineering coupled with an exposed yet beautiful industrial design is a turntable that is sounds devastatingly clear and musical and shows off its engineering prowess with a raw beauty.

The Yamaha NS-800A speakers have just landed at Carlton Audio Visual. We've had them running in and stretching their wings in the main demo space.

The NS-800A feature the same innovative cabinet design as the top of the range NS-5000 speakers. That is to say that instead of packing the insides of the cabinet with acoustically absorbing material like foam, Yamaha uses their 'absorber tubes'. These don't completely dampen the sound rather they keep a freshness and pep to the music.

Even without being fully run-in, these speakers are exciting, forward and immeadiate. They don't quite have all the pep of the NS-5000s but that's to be expected given that the NS-5000s are nearly triple the price.

They also don't feature the Zylon drivers of the NS-5000s having instead a pulp (paper) mix in the driver. The Zylon evidently works to give the higher range of speakers extra punch and attack.

But the lineage is still clear and if you love that Yamaha pure and fast sound, you're going to love these.

What I've also noticed is unlike a lot of bookshelf speakers, the mid-range is still quite present with the NS-800a. They are quite consistent throughout the frequency sweep and don't show the characteristic hole in the mids which plagues many a lesser set of bookshelves.

You won't be dissapointed by their bass either. Rich and full. Surprising for a bookshelf speaker, even one like this, that is on the larger side. But more importantly articulation and attack are not lost in the bass either. This can be another pitfall of less efficient bookshelves that find it difficult to articulate bass lines and give you more wooliness than crispness.

ARIES G2.1 manages every connection so you can explore your entire digital universe right
from our Lightning DS control app and take advantage of features like On-Device Playlists,
Memory Caching, Gapless Playback and Bit-Perfect Multi-Room functionality. With a
supercharged hardware platform

The Synthesis A50 Taurus is the middle model in the high-end Action series of integrated amplifiers. It's a 50W stereo tube amplifier that incorporates four KT88 valves into its sleek design. This beautiful amplifier also includes an onboard 24-bit / 192kHz Wolfson DAC for added convenience alongside a listening experience like no other.

The A50 Taurus is crafted from a sophisticated blend of research and experience using only the finest quality materials and the most advanced technology practically available, allowing this "traditional" amplifier to sit at home in any modern hi-fi system

A large Bookshelf speaker that sits in the reference range of Legend Acoustics.

Dr Rod has made some significant changes to the design of the Kurres. They now feature a Berilium tweeter for even more precision and control!

They are also just that bit more efficient than the older Kurre 12s and have a more dynamic bigger feel to them because of that.

They retain all that we love about the Kurres. Neutral tonality, clarity and precision.

All of that from an Australian manufacturer and handcrafted finish in real wood timbers.

This is a speaker that sounds well and truly above its price point.

The brand new Rega Elex Mk 4 is here! Boasting the updated aesthetic but also a built-in DAC as well as an upgraded internal circuitry. So much so that Jason Kennedy from the stereo magazine The Ear has declared "Elex Mk4 gives you 95% of what’s on offer from the Elicit Mk5 at a notably lower price, as mentioned earlier the only real difference ... The Rega Elex Mk4 is a hi-fi bargain, of that there can be no doubt."

The DAC circuitry is based on what was a personal favourite of mine, the now discontinued DAC-R. I'm glad to see that the DAC-R is seeing a revival in the new Elex Mk 4. Two superb performers in the one box....Hoorah!

Read Kennedy's full review here

If you have a system you care about and want to get the most out of it, adding Nordost Tyr 2 interconnects will elevate the resolution, depth and spatial awareness of the system.

These are exceptional cables that cannot be underestimated. 

The brand new, top of the range Marantz integrated AV receiver is in a class of its own. Capable of some of the most advanced processing available in the residential home theatre market along with some serious grunt in amplification but with a warmth and musicality to the sound that is special for Marantz.

Previously the kind of EQ, bass control and room management technologies that the Cinema 40 has, were only present in units over the $15K mark and that was $15K for a preamp. Cinema 40 has capacity for 4 subwoofers and the suite of processing to go with it, that means your subwoofers won't cancel each other out. Yes this is often the problem with simply adding more subwoofers. Once you hit 2, subwoofers on opposing ends of the room generally create inverted sine waves that will cancel the effect of the existing subwoofers.

Interestingly, this unit also comes with the option to upgrade to Dirac Live, opening up another level of EQing possibilities previously unheard of at this pricepoint.

 "Home cinema Hi Fi" on the Marantz cinema 40  

Using the best design circuitry and making no compromises, this is Pro-Ject's top of the line Phono stage.

A completely balanced circuit from input to output, this is a classy phono stage. It has all the flexibility you would expect with a phono stage of this calibre to cater to the best of cartridges and tastes.

This is part of a new wave of retro practical good sounding stereo receivers that are finding a place in homes as practical high fidelity devices. In a way they are a riposte to the exuberant age of surround sound amplifiers that have dissapointed purchasers by offering features over quality.

This new model RN800A ticks a lot of boxes with a decent phono input and a range of practical analogue and digital inputs, including that contemporary cherry being the HDMI EARC input. It is a very substantial device with classic Yamaha build quality and represents excellent value for money.

 Yamaha RN800A official website