Occasionally I am reminded of the old Ivor Tiefenbraun of Linn fame philosophy that he used to create the charisma of the original Linn Sondek LP12 turntable in the UK in the late seventies.
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Ivor pointed out that a HiFi system was only as good as the weakest link in the reproduction chain. He would use his magnificent turntable to show how an inexpensive amplifier and loudspeakers worth 50 quid each would bloom when fed with a signal from his 500 pounds worth of analogue engineering. Traditional wisdom was to split a 600 pound budget along the lines of 200 each for source amp and speaker, or less for the front end and spend most on the speakers cos after all they are what make the sound……
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Ivor demonstrated to an industry that the greatest gains per dollar for a consumer seeking better quality through an upgrade were to be found in adding a higher quality source to the system. Putting an LP12 on a budget amp and speakers would realise so much more information and detail in the music signal than any other path of upgrade.
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I no longer recommend that people spend $4500 on a turntable and $400 each on an amp and speakers however the other night in the shop we had been playing with some new gear comprising the Chord BLU CD transport and its matching DAC64 Digital to analogue converter (click <a href="http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/products_detail.asp?id=30">here</a> for details) worth about $20,000.
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The next morning I happened to have some chaps in looking at budget amp and speakers and I was demonstrating them a Marantz PM6010 OSE and a pair of Mission M31s, a combination that sells for about a $1000 on a good day. As the Chord CD/ DAC combo was there I took opportune to use it for the demo. I was frankly gobsmacked to then hear things on my old Roger Waters “Amused to Death” recording that is a long time favourite demo piece that I had never heard before...
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Thus the essence of the old argument was reminded to me in the digital age. By the way I would hasten to add that the young gentlemen went on to trial the equipment through a more appropriate $500 source and their own iPod rather than being left solely with the impression created by the $20K source. They were in fact possessed of the intention of finding an “audiophile sound card” that would enable them to maximise the replay quality off PC and they have since successfully enacted a Creative product to good effect.
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We have a few sources that stand out in our inventory at the moment…
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<li><strong><a href="http://www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au/?q=node/view/104">Cyrus Cd8X/PSX-R</a></strong> for a bit over $4K<br />
This is the CD that can make a diehard vinyl junkie finally pick up the plot of silver disc, detailed but warm and full.</li>
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<li><strong><a href="http://www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au/?q=node/view/237">Denon DV3910</a></strong> DVD Player at $1999<br />
Here is a DVD player that has warranted ridiculous positives from our clients, you should see what this can do via a high res screen and hear it in surround sound with its matching AVR3805 Receiver and Denon Link.</li>
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<li><strong><a href="http://www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au/?q=node/view/491">Moon Eclipse</strong></a> Cd player<br />
A snip at nearly $12000 but allowing new insights in a most casual sense into the music.</li>
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<li><strong><a href="http://www.carltonaudiovisual.com.au/?q=node/view/583">Rega Planar 9</strong></a><br />
An ultimate turntable with a ceramic platter that lets you “know what its all about” when playing records. We’ve got one kitted with an Ortofon Kontrapunkt B that is just delightful, but our setup needs a better phono preamp...</li>
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<li>Alloy Computers Media Centre<br />
This is perhaps the future of our every day video and audio replay, this high definition (1080P) capable 400gig device with a “Lexus Style” Keyboard and Mouse is something were still working with but has much promise as a high end PC. The images it can generate from a Windows download through the LC45 are like nothing else and it is quiet and smooth quite unlike the norm of a home computer. The Phil Gibb of Alloy Computers developed proprietary “Media Hub” software is a bonus above and beyond the normal Microsoft home media operation. We look forward to using this in a high end gaming environment.</li>
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<li>Honda Blackbird CBR1100XX<br />
Nothing to do with Hi Fi etc but as a source of motorcycle experience definitely of reference standard…good in all climes just needs its tyres and chassis kept very carefully... oh and lighter with adjustable seating would be good too please...</li>
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Regards
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Rab Turner
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