Home Theatre

This is the ultimate in projection. So much so that this unit is actually marketed more as a high-end commercial venue type unit. They say that if you want a projector for serious video exhibitions in the worlds top art galleries, this is the unit to get.

That puts it into perspective how good the Sony VPL-GTZ380 is.

Make no mistake though, the VPL-GTZ380 is designed for, and now sits in, the most high-end Home Theatres in the world. It delivers profuse colour and vibrancy paired with the ultimate in detail and capability.

 

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To see this in its sheer walnut solidity is to be inexorably struck by the beautiful hand crafted physicality of the thing. A remarkable exercise in style and design of high end audio technology.

Sonically this loudspeaker has some very different properties ... it has extreme midrange presence with detail and realism that presents the performance that is directly injected into ones forebrain. The bass is deep and deeper.

Playing Adele 25 she is fully projected into the room with an almost visible intensity and when the bass comes in it will make the earth move for you just a little bit.

Official Fyne Vintage Ten site

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Following in the tradition of the groundbreaking Altitude32 processor, the Altitude16 brings Trinnov’s award-winning Speaker/Room Optimizer technology, immersive audio capabilities, active crossovers, and unmatched bass management flexibility to a new, slightly smaller form factor with tremendous value.

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The Sony VPL-XW7000 is on demonstration here at Carlton AV and it is indeed a special projector ...

The new reference for pure image quality in home video projectors. The dynamic range of colour and brightness allied to a very natural image feel makes this XW7000 the home cinema aspirational projector of the moment.

Sony Australia VPL-XW7000ES official site

”What Hi-Fi” reviews the Sony VPL-XW7000ES

Pdf download of VPL-XW7000ES specification

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We have this set up as an Atmos reference system in one of our buildings and, though I say so myself, we have done some absolutely fabulous work in Melbourne and Victorian homes with this system.

Designed for larger dedicated home cinemas with an acoustically transparent screen, the MX-30 will deliver your favourite movie soundtracks with supreme definition and accuracy, right through the picture and into your seat. Larger bass drivers and compression high frequency drivers provide an extended frequency response at higher sound pressure levels.

https://www.krix.com.au/mx-30/

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Trade-in any old Television and receive $5000 off this state of the art unit. Ends 29th of Febuary. Talk to us today!

The New Bild S is German Television manufacturer, Loewe's, new reference set. When on, it's an image that draws everyone in to stare open mouthed at it. It's realism and depth is awe inspiring. A boldness of colour that is mesmerising but lacks the artificiality seen on other sets. 

This set sets itself apart not only by its image quality but the finish on the unit as well. With a double layer of glass and a motorised screen that will slide up to reveal the soundbar as well as a slim bezel that feels like its been hewn from alien rock. The whole unit is machined and engineered in a manner that you'd expect from a premium German manufacturer.

The Bild S looks and feels expensive without being over the top and ostentatious. It blends into a room when its not on. Not drawing attention to itself until its switched on and it beckons you in.

Because of the high quality of materials and precise construction, the Bild S offers a longevity that's not afforded by other Asian manufacturers. For those who'd like to buy just one TV that will last a decade or more, Loewe is the one. I have a 10 year old Loewe Television at home and the picture quality demolishes most modern, Asian sets you can buy these days.

In the Loewe tradition, the soundbar on the Bild S consists of a front firing, sleek looking 2 x 60W stereo array. The set is more than capable of punching out an engaging soundtrack. There's no need to add a bulky cumbersome sound system to these sets. For those who want a stand alone, do it all Television, the Bild S is perfect.

These Televisions are loved by interior designers and Audio Visual enthusiasts alike. Elegance and performance in one package.

For more information, check out Loewe's Bild S home page here

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The perfect complement for the perfect cinema preamplifier ... the Amplitude 16 has been the subject of much critical acclaim including the EISA Award.

Trinnov Amplitude 16 official site

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Every now and then Loewe bring out a television product that throws down the gauntlet for design and performance so as to let the other television manufacturers know who really is the boss.

When your newest model television has evolved to minimalist thin screen how do you actually make it beautiful and something special?

An alien species coming to visit would conclude that most of the human race is in religious servitude to mysterious black rectangles that transmit controlling information for several hours a day.

Well this Loewe TV made in a piece of stone is a graven image to which all other Televisions are subservient.

This will be available in two sizes, being the 55 inch for $12,999 and the 65 inch for $15,999 ... there will be slate grey and clay white finishes and very limited quantities.

The Loewe iconic has been awarded the Gold medal for design by the IFF 2023

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16 channels of bespokely engineered D-class amplification, each rated at 200W each, this is a serious amplifier for someone who wants to do Home Theatre right. 

Pair this with the Marantz AV10 and you have one of the very best sets of surround sound amplification that is available on the market today.

Ultimate control and effortless versatility in the sound. Let an action packed movie roar and thump or switch the system into music mode and let it demonstrate precision and elegance.

Read more about this unit and get all of its specs here. The official Marantz website 

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We got our hands on one of these and it is the state of art preamplifier without getting into Trinnov level pricing and open decoding architecture, Very limited availability and brilliant value. Learn More

It's a terrible thing to have a high end single box surround receiver that becomes outdated due to changes in HDMI and audio codecs. Often that means discarding a perfectly good multichannel receiver because of changes to digital encoding practices. Turning what was five years ago your pride and joy into 15KGs of consumer electronic waste looking for a cosy grave in Northern Suburban landfill ...

Then you buy the replacement model from the same brand and you discover that while it ticks all the feature boxes with bluetooth, wi-fi, dlna. snaggle waggle ... unfortunately it dosn't sound as good with music and dynamic theatre as the model you've just discarded.

So the first reason you buy a Surround pre and Power combination like this one is to get off the aforesaid Hamster wheel of Built In Obsolescence and waste.

The second reason is that it sounds fantastic.

Home Theatre Review on the AV8805

Home Theatre Review on the MM8077

When you graduate to a pre and power amplifier like this you have the best of both worlds. The very sensitive low noise circuitry of the preamplifier and processor is separated from the high current demand of the power amplifier and is able to do its job of recovering all the residucal fine detail of the signal to the best possible degree.

Meanwhile the power amplifier can be unleashed from the sensitive circuits of the pre-amplifier where its mass of current can be detrimental. Liberated and with massive current reserves, the power amplifier is able to grip and modulate the reactive load of the loudspeakers with unmitigated force complying with the complex demands of the sinal produced at the preamplifier stage.

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There can be only one and this is the current evolutionary pinnacle of single box multichannel home theatre amplifiers. Carlton Audio Visual had a terrific relationship with the original Denon AVCA1SE that was a 29kg five channel x 170 watt super amplifier from the year 2000. Now its 2023 and we have the only fifteen channel x 210 watt with 4 independent XLR and RCA subwoofer outputs. The amplifier is made in Shirakawa in Japan which is actually fittingly not far from the Kure Naval Arsenal where the flagship 65000 ton Battleship Yamato was constructed in 1941 ... with nine 18 inch guns the Yamato is a perfect analog for the AVCA1H. The AVCA1H has the largest power supply ever in the history of Denon theatre amps... the main transformer weighs 11.5 kg whereas the previous model AVCX8500 had a transformer weighing in at 8.1kg Learn More

Loewe started manufacturing Televisions in 1923 and actually made the first commercially available Television. After a few years of being manufactured in other European countries, they're now back being produced and headquartered in Kronach, Germany's heartland.

I visited Kronach and the Loewe factory in 2015. Kronach is a tiny town for German standards and its industry and in fact it's whole economy has been dominated by Loewe for generations. Most people who live in Kronach work or have worked in the Loewe factory. When I was there, there were multiple generations of the one family working side by side to exacting standards on the Televisions. All of this in what is a Storybook looking town with old wooden houses and a medieval castle on the hill.

Loewe Televisions, like premium German made motor vehicles, contain a workmanship and attention to detail above their Asian made counterparts. Machine engineered alloy bezels, cable management systems, intuitive remote and interface and swivel stands that come as standard are the details that don't come with other Televisions.

The Bild V is elegant, yet solid and robust to out live most of its contempories.

The picture quality, as you'd expect with a Television of this calibre, is bold and expressive without ever seeming artificial. Although it's pitched at replacing the old Bild 5 units, the Bild V has the same panel as the higher end Bild 7 and in substance is much closer in spec to those. 

Expect this Television to out perform generations of other Asian made units because of the picture and build quality. An expectional Television. 

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The Bild i series of Televisions is a quality affordable OLED TV. Classier than your off the shelf mass market Asian brands. Even the finish on the metal bezel oozes quality as well as the glass on the front of the sets being super low reflection.

You now get all your smarts built into the TV and easily accesible via the remote control.

As well being an awesome, natural yet brilliant picture. It doesn't feel like you step into an oversaturated alien landscape when you watch a bild i TV. That is the effect you can get looking at even some of the super expensive, super bright Asian TVs.

The picture is sharp but not jagged and the colours are lifelike but not overly saturated.

This 77" offering may seem imposingly large but because the picture quality is so good and because the TV balances brightness and contrast so well, it doesn't feel overwhelming when you're watching it.

Come in and give it a test run for yourself. On display now at Carlton Audio Visual.

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A remarkable technical achievement for Sony that breaks new ground in the marketplace. It has been a long wait to get one on demonstration and supply issues will plague this very high demand device.

Between this and the new Epson LS12000 there are some serious advantages for a consumer of good home cinema to consider an upgrade to these products honed by fierce competitive evolution.

Sony XW5000ES official site

StereoNet Australia reviews the Sony XW5000ES

"Expert Reviews" on the Sony XW5000ES

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Introducing the 212/SX, 1000W of goodness with a rear firing, down firing and two active 12" front firing. Upgraded with carbon fibre blades behind the drivers to stiffen yet in doing so adding nominal weight to the drivers.

This means more control, faster, even more agile and extended low bass.

Official Rel 212 site

"Home Theatre Hi Fi Secrets on the Rel 212SX

 

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Bigger, brighter and more beautiful, the future is Laser. 

This is Epson's first real 4K unit but more than that, it will actually pixel shift that whole 4K matrix. This means it'll be BETTER than 4K...and that's unheard of in the residential projector market.

It's also a 3 chip LCD design meaning there is zero rainbowing. Rainbows are nice after rain but not on your projector screen. There really aren't many projectors with 3 chips under the $10K mark.

Traditionally this place in the market has been dominated by Sony projectors in Australia. But this Epson may just trump them!

Read some of the glowing reviews coming out of the USA.

Here's one from PCMAG 

And this one from AVS Forum here where they promptly gave out a Top Choice Award to it as best in class.

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The all new Sony L series now comes in a 98" version for those who like their TV BIG but more and more for those who would prefer a TV to a Projector in their main Home Theatre Space.

For many people who are setting up a Home Theatre in a multi use, Open plan Living space, a Television is more convenient. Capable of performing when the curtains are open and the light is streaming in just as it's at home being fired up for a night going through the Blockbusters.

This Sony LED TV is perfect for this scenario. 

It features Sony's XR chip giving it superior contrast, imaging, upscaling and motion clarity over its 77L, 80L and 85L siblings.

All of your smarts are easy to use with a google operating system. 

Now playing in our main showroom on Lygon st. Come and see it for yourself. 

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It's now here! The flagship integrated AV Receiver of Marantz's Cinema - the Cinema 30. This unit is the true replacement of the SR8015.

It matches its power and goes a step further with build quality and features.

This unit is made in their Shirakawa Japanese factory and has the class leading monolithic amplifier circuit design that sets it apart from its competitors. With that toroidal power supply in the ornate casing that hallmarks these top end Marantz Receivers.

This is the single box unit that is the iron hand in the velvet glove school of control over your loudspeakers.

It also comes with all the new features in the Cinema series. Dirac Live option, four independently controlled subwoofers and the new elegant chassis.

Marantz Cinema 30 official site (UK). 

"What Hi-Fi?" meets the Marantz Cinema 30 

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