Digital

Cyrus has always produced musical streamers without a brittle harshness to the sound that often creeps in to this purely digital medium. They have a lyricalness akin to vinyl that is effortlessly listenable.

The new Cyrus streamers now use the BluOs software also used in the Bluesound gear. But they haven't deviated from the path of the essential Cyrus sound. Both of the new Cyrus streamers exude that classic Cyrus musicality...but now with a seamless, easy-to-use software interface! 

This Streamer doesn't have the fancy high resolution screen or the lovely touch buttons of the Stream XR. It also has only the first generation QXR DAC and not the upgreaded 2nd generation DAC.

It is upgradeable with a PSX-R2 power supply but you won't be able to plug in the superior PSU XR into this unit.

Still what a precision unit that oozes musicality and musical definition.

Come and here it at Carlton Audio Visual today!

This is our budget sacd player. SACDs are a special type of CD that stores more information on them than ordinary CDs. They store the music in DSD format so instead of taking little slices of the music very quickly and piecing it back together into an analogue sound wave at the other end, it stores the whole nice analogue sine wave.

This makes them more musical, less digital sounding.

It's a great option to have on a CD player to be able to read the full SACD layer but it normally comes with a hefty (above $5K price tag). 

The M3scd has been designed to give outstanding CD reproduction and to be a digital hub. In addition to CD it has 3 digital inputs: coax, optical and asynchronous USB.

This makes it particularly useful for set top boxes and/or TV sound improvement. The technical performance is excellent; it has very low distortion, extremely low jitter, excellent signal-to-noise ratio, extremely flat frequency response, exemplary linearity and excellent channel separation.

All in all the M3scd gives excellent CD replay and can act as a versatile digital hub at the same time.

Rotel amplifiers have a number of absolute positives:

They are so well made, everything is done in house and they are built for the duty cycle of a Steinway but priced like an I Phone. These are not throwaway devices. Even forty plus year old Rotel amplifiers that people bring in to us for service are easily repaired.

The construction is robust and the facilities are always Hi Fi appropriate. Other brands come and go with fashionista frippery but Rotel feature like pre outs, good phono stages, high quality terminals, toroidal power supplies hand wound with a particular copper, all contribute to usability and musicality.

The S14 Streamer Amplifier is a just add speakers product and it is really simple and easy to set up. Where previous rotel ventures into internet products have been slightly cryptic this is just a plug and play distance from the music.

I paired with really inappropriate $20K plus Sonus faber Olympica Nova 3 loudspeakers to test it that are usually loaded with the likes of 1000watt Michi monoblocks and this thing just ... sailed through ...

What struck even on the first trial was that I was able to keep turning it up ... this slim box carries a lot of real drive and it is a testament to Rotel design that such a compact slightly innocuous chassis can turn the wick up so far on difficult speakers staying clean and focused. 

There is that characteristic Rotel tonality where there is a forwardness to the upper mid that can benefit certain loudspeakers and put the singers in the room with you.

Naim is one of the best of English HiFi brands harking from Salisbury where their design and manufacturing facilities are located. They are one of the true high-end electronic brands that make gear like their Statement Amplifiers retailing for a cool $375,000 for a set.

This little CD player is their entry level but for most people this doesn't represent your typical first-time-buyer HiFi component. It's intricately thought out, meticulously engineered, clean and musical. 

The typical comparison is with Rega and Cyrus CD players, both english and both also in our inventory. The Naim is more transparent sounding than a Rega Apollo, finding more detail and space in the music. It's closer in performance to the bigger (and more expensive) Rega Saturn. The Saturn, however, has a richer tonality to it than the Naim. A bit more 'rounded' on the treble. The Cyrus CDi, has a similar sound signature and as a half size unit it offers a convenient footprint. The slot mechanism will never be a perfectly reliable solution for a CD player though and what Naim has done with their tray and resonance reduction is really admirable.

In conclusion, this is a unit to throw into the mix from one of the best manufacturers out there. It may well be the perfect unit for you. Feel free to call us to talk more and have a read of some of its stellar reviews from well trusted HiFi institutions.

Naim products bought from us, a genuine approved Naim dealer, include the full 2 year warranty.

Read 6moons review here

Read WhatHiFi review here

The Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier is the new entry level integrated amp from Roksan. 

The Attessa range has been built around a design ethos of simplicity and useabilty and that shines through particularly with this amplifier. 

A built in streamer using the BluOs software first developed for BlueSound means this is a traditional amplifier with all the built in modern conveniences. You can even pair this unit up with BlueSound devices, or other BluOS compatible units, to create an easy multi-room audio system in your home.

A decent 130W into 4Ohms and it's ready to pair with a whole range of speakers.

We love the elegant aesthetic of the new Marantz chassis but that's not the only thing making this a futuristic unit.

It has streaming built-in so you can find your favourite music easily and conveniently using your prefered music streaming service.

A lovely rich warm sound, a little more so than the Denons.

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.

The Airlens streamer from PS Audio has arrived in the country!

This is a new product from American manufacturer, PS Audio. Previously their streamer was an optional add-on to their reference DAC. Now they have a dedicated box for a streamer.

'You've not yet heard how great streaming can sound until you experience audio through the Airlens'.

By making sure there is no physical connection between your (very noisy) computer, network and your dac the Airlens creates the ideal streaming conditions. Employing separate power supplies and complete isolation between the input and output stage of the Airlens device. The connection then between input and output on the Airlens happens 'through the air'. Thus creating the best in performance for your music streaming.

Read more about the ins and outs of the Airlens here at PS Audio's website.

On display now and ready to order at Carlton Audio Visual! Yippee :D

This is the new version of a very dear favourite. A richness to the sound that does away with the brittleness and edge normally associated with the sound of cds. This CD player is the most 'vinyl' sounding CD player I've ever heard.

The new unit has some updated aesthetics but keeps the same internals as the older Saturn R.

We are expecting stock of the Saturn Mk3 in July.

This unit was opened and played at the recent Melbourne HiFi show, then packed up and left in its box. It is in perfect condition and will be sold with its full warranty.

A streamer and high quality CD player combined into the one convenient box. 

Leema has been a boutique, well respected HiFi brand from Wales for decades. The Stream IV combines the Quasar's streamer module with their superior CD mechanism for an ultra functional, premium streamer/cd combination.

This is the much anticipated Cyrus Stream XR - the high end streamer from the boutique British manufacturer.

Cyrus has always produced musical streamers without a brittle harshness to the sound that often creeps in to this purely digital medium. They have a lyricalness akin to vinyl that is effortlessly listenable.

The new Cyrus streamers, the Stream XR included, now use the BluOs software also used in the Bluesound gear. But they haven't deviated from the path of the essential Cyrus sound. Both of the new Cyrus streamers exude that classic Cyrus musicality...but now with a seamless, easy-to-use software interface! 

You can now pair a Cyrus Streamer with a Bluesound all-in-one speaker for an easy to set up multi-room audio system. Win all round.

The Stream XR has the highly lauded QXR DAC onboard. A DAC that eeks out the finest details of music against an inky blackness devoid of background noise.

Expect a wider soundstage and musical emotionality.

This unit can also be paired with the Cyrus PSU-XR power supply which will make this great unit, an epic.

We love this upgradability. Being able to invest in a piece of high quality HiFi that will stay with you on the upgrade journey.

These units have already been extremely popular and we have pre sold a handful before they even arrived in Australia and we expect them to be one of our most popular high-end digital front ends. 

Read more about the Stream XR at the Cyrus website here

On display now at Carlton Audio Visual.

A standalone DAC to enhance the performance of your whole system.

Built to last and with dedication and passion to creating the best sound, this Musical Fidelity is a winner for the music enthusiast.

At 9 years old, my first trip overseas was spent in the UK visiting family and friends.

Dad (mis)spent most of his youth in Cambridge and we followed him around to his old haunts.

But because he owned and ran Carlton Audio Visual a 'family trip' was always sprinkled with a bit of Hi-Fi. Somehow the family and friends we visited were conveniently located next to HiFi factories...and nestled just next to Cambridge is Huntington where the Cyrus factory still develops and produces its units.

Needless to say after such an early introduction to the brand, our whole family has owned Cyrus gear. I think my brother currently has 6 cyrus mono blocks set up with his Dynaudio speakers - a great combination. I own a smaller stack with CD8SE, Phono Signature and PSX-R power supply.

There is no doubt that this boutique English brand commands loyalty from its customers. It's a sound that is effortless and timelessly musical. Their CD players are quieter, letting you hear more detail and sound stage. And they get timing right. Attack on notes is precise & clean bringing you closer to that feeling of 'being there', with the musicians in your living.

And now Cyrus has launched their new XR series. New casework and buttons reveal a new aethestic direction for cyrus. But improvements to power supply and DAC have elevated this unit beyond their older models.

The CDi-XR is in stock now and ready to demo.

Read a glowing review on the new XR series from Stereo Magazine here

And more information on the Cyrus official website here

Creek Audio Voyage CD Player can convert all your high-resolution digital data files into analogue, and play CDs on it's reliable Stream Unlimited CD80 slot-drive transport.

This EU manufactured piece of slick and thick alloy has a fabulous diversity of inputs and outputs ... it is a multifunction and multiply connective device for serious quality digital music.

Creek's own website on the Voyage CD Player 

It took a while to get here but its very good ....The Hugo 2 is uprated from the first version ... It's smaller and more expensive!

The Hugo was a problem for us. It was so good that people stopped buying our other inventory of DACs. Although ostensibly a portable product it sounded so very lifelike that it was being used as the main engine in peoples home audio setups.

This new one is just an exquisite bit of crafted alloy. When you hold it you dont want to let it go ... the glowing buttons while slightly Flash Gordon are delightful in operation and make perfect sense ... after a while.

The Hugo 2 has four digital inputs. seven hours of battery life, and does the numbers up to 768KHz digital ...

Official website for the Hugo 2

"What Hi Fi?" on the Hugo 2

"Hugo 2 user manual PDF

The simplistic, elegant way to enter the streaming universe with Naim.

Pair this with a Naim streamer and then rip all of your CDs easily onto its hard drive. No fiddling around with software to rip them to a hifi level quaity, easy access onto network attached hard drives.

Once music is on the Uniti Core you can share it to multiple streaming devices around the home. Giving you a powerful real HiFi quality multi-room system.

This unit really opens the digital musical realm.

Naim products bought from us, a genuine approved Naim dealer, include the full 2 year warranty.

The Leema Antila is a classic CD player. Resolving articulate yet deeply and engagingly musical. 

This is a briliant opportunity to buy our old Ex-Demo stock at a great price. Because this was such a winning formula, Leema haven't changed much in their new version of the the Antila.

There are a few marks and scratches on the unit which is to be expected for a much loved piece of gear that has spent a number of years on the demo floor.

The price of this unit reflects the aesthetic marks on the unit. We have tried to take pictures of all of the slight blemishes.

This unit comes with a box and accessories.

A superior high quality CD player where no detail has been overlooked in the circuitry design. Extensive measures have been taken to make sure the inherent jitter from the loading mechanism doesn't reach other sensitive circuitry.

A 32bit DAC is paired with 192KHz Upsampling capability giving tremendous results. 

This high quality DAC can be used separately as well. This means you have a multitude of different options for your digital sources - 2 Coax, 2 optical inputs and Type B USB. You also have the option of RCA or balanced XLR out.

Feature packed unit that doesn't disapoint musically.