Bookshelves
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Triangle Borea BR02 Active Speakers
These are a great option for active speakers. They are a Master and Slave configuration. In that one unit holds the amplifier module and the second unit is the slave to that.
They have oodles of connectivity options:
- Phono stage on board for turntables
- Analogue Line in
- HDMI (ARC)
- Optical
- USB
They havea big warm sound with definition as well. Perfect for a Living Room set up....and so much better than any Soundbar!
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Krix Acoustix MK2 bookshelf loudspeakers
A real sleeper in the marketplace. One Saturday morning recently we happened to leave a pair of these running in stereo with Adele playing through them and three groups of people bought them one after the other in a kind of Hi Fi feeding frenzy. They hadn't intended to buy loudspeakers but they were caught up by the energy and presence that the Acoustix are able to portray.
Their secret is the D'Appolito configuration with large motor to cabinet ratio and an excellent tweeter with a cabinet that is immensely solid.
Once when I was visiting the Krix factory in South Australia they demonstrated the cabinet integrity of the Acoustix by taking one off the production line and asking the nastiest largest Bikiest individual there to destroy it. Well Roy jumped on it, sledgehammerd it, threw it to the ground, dropped it out of a third story window onto concrete and really went for it with quite disconcerting violence.
Unlike Mr Musk and the Tesla Cybertruck windows the Acoustix came out of this encounter unscathed except for surface and corner damage ....
Oh, and they sound damn good too. They have is rhythm, pace and slam that a speaker on a stand has no right to be able to produce. The Acoustix Mk2 is simply toe tapping fun. $1675 in a real wood veneer, or save a few dollars with black vinyl wrap at $1395.
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Triangle Borea BR03 Active Speakers
The slightly bigger version of the BR02. If space is no object these go lower and have an even richer fuller sound.
The real selling point of these speakers is the plethora of handy connections they have:
- Phono stage for Turntable
- HDMI (ARC)
- Optical
- USB
- Analogue line in
Buy a pair of these instead of a Soundbar...they're so much better!!
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Sonus Faber Lumina I
The Lumina I, Sonus Faber's entry level bookshelf speaker. A cute and sultry mix of leather and wood adorned with a classic Sonus Faber tweeter. Pulling them out of the box, I have to say, I was surprised by how compact they were and afraid that their limited physical stature might detract from the auditory lusciousness I come to expect from the Italian Speaker manufacturer.
I shouldn't have been worried though. Even without a proper run in, they are rich and sweet - quintessentially Sonus Faber. Perhaps it's because the Lumina range is now made in Sonus Faber's Italian factory alongside their high-end big brothers that these beauties ooze class beyond their price point and size.
At this price these are a must-listen pair of bookshelves and a favourite with a crowd after a small yet stylish speaker.
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Acoustic Energy AE300
The AE300 is a new compact stand-mount loudspeaker suitable for small to medium sized rooms. Following on from the award winning AE100, it offers a significant step up in both audio quality, materials, and cabinet finish.
The design aim is for a very full bodied and smooth character from a compact enclosure, these are sweet and unfatiguing to listen to for along periods. This makes the AE300 one of our go to recommendations for sitting in shelving in a contemporary open plan residence.
They are $1399 in Black or White finish and $1599 in real wood finish walnut
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Monitor Audio Silver 100 (7G)
Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G fis the latest 7th generation of the ever popular Silver series. It's the big bookshelf speaker - bigger than a normal bookshelf speaker. The first design of this sort of speaker was slated as an experiment with no real expectations that it would succeed. On the contrary, the Silver 2s (as they were then known) were extremely poplular. People loved the extra bass and musical presence they possessed without the need for going to a full floorstanding speaker.
The 7th generation of these speakers draws on those winning design features tweaking things like the mid-bass drivers and the wave guide for a little extra clarity and precision.
The cabinets have had a refresh as well. Nothing dramatic but the wood finishes look natural and textural. We also have the full range of finishes now widely available in Australia.
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Fyne Audio F500 loudspeakers ... dual concentric with detail and focus
A really interesting box design with a gently curved front baffle and an unusual 360 degree bass port system. The F500 is from the Tannoy school of design with a characteristic dual concentric point source driver that combines bass and treble for better stereo imagery.
For a Premium, gloss finish $1895
Fyne Audio homepage for the F500 loudspeakers
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Rega RX1 Bookshelf Speakers
The Rega RX-ONE loudspeaker system delivers balance, detail and dynamics thanks to a unique handmade set of Rega designed drivers and crossovers.The newly developed DX-125 bass mid-range driver (using a doped paper cone) is at the heart of the RX range and combines perfectly with the Rega ZRR high frequency unit. Both mounted in a larger cabinet constructed from 18mm MDF and covered in a choice of beautiful real wood veneers, the RX-ONE will integrate perfectly into any home delivering exceptional performance within a wide range of systems. Learn More -
DEVIALET PHANTOM II 95dB, EX-DEMO - White
This is Phantom II, a new breed of wireless speaker. By stretching size and performance beyond reasonable limits, Devialet engineers have brought to life the only ultra-compact home sound system capable of delivering high fidelity and physical impact, whatever volume you listen at. Insanely powerful. Defiantly small. You won’t know what hit you.
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Sonus Faber, Sonetto Wall
Perfect as rear speakers for a home theatre or as clsasy yet unobtrusive speakers in a small room or a space that requires speakers to be up off the floor (away from small children and pets!)
These are everything you'd expect from Sonus Faber - rich and detailed sound with an aesthetic elegance - in a slightly different form factor.
These are available in Wood and Black. Wenge and White finishes are available for special order.
(Sold individually)
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Sonus Faber, Lumina II
The bigger bookshelf design in the Sonus Faber Lumina range. Retaining the 'voice of Sonus Faber' with their Damped Apex Dome tweeter that you'll find on all of the Sonus Faber current range. The Lumina is Sonus Faber's entry level speakers that unlike previous entry level ranges from the Italian brand, they are made directly alongside their more expensive counterparts in the Italian manufacturing facility outside of Vincenza.
Because of this, the sound is rich and warm yet precise where you'd expect as well.
Some clever design atributes, mean these Lumina speakers are perfectly designed to sit right up against walls or actually in Bookcases. Would you believe it, but most 'bookshelf' speakers are not designed to perform well placed into a bookcase. That's because their rear firing bass port will produce a soundwave reflection off a back wall or surface when placed too close to it. As a listener, you'll hear that reflection as distortion. With a front firing speaker, this eliminates this effect and beautiful music can still be heard when speakers are placed onto bookshelves.
The speakers also have a quality finish and styling. A real leather wrap and wooden finishes on the front baffle with lovely inlay details.
Superb Italian design and manufacturing in a compact package to suit the most discerning of buyers.
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Acoustic Energy AE 500 Standmount Speaker ... pure carbon ...
Our Distributor partners M&G Hoskins were playing these speakers at the recent Melbourne Hi Fi Show and they really had an excellent reception to the most critical audience possible.
This is the speaker that when people walked into the room and they were playing alongside the massive floorstanding Spendor Classic 200; that people assumed the Spendors were playing rather than this diminutive piece of solidity. These go deep without coloration and image well outside the left and right of the boxes. Try connecting them to the excellent new Creek integrated amplifier as we were using at the Hi Fi Show or the ever popular Rega Brio R.
The latest series of the British brand Acoustic Energy introduces carbon fibre transducers. The AE500 is a two-way bookshelf speakers that, thanks to the newly developed 1" tweeter combined with a 5" mid/bass driver, offer lighter membrane construction materials. The result is greater diaphragm force and greater accuracy due to better damping compared to popular transducers.
"Ear.Net" on the Acoustic Energy AE500 "Hi Fi Starter Club" on the Acoustic Energy AE500Stereonet on Acoustic Energy AE500.
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Spendor A1 Standmount Speakers
The Spendor A1 speakers are the first speakers in the new Spendor A series. They are a bookshelf speaker that in common with other models in the range prove that you don't necessarily need a big space, or budget, to enjoy dynamic, open and exhilarating sound.
The A1 Speaker cabinets share the share the same technologies as the larger and more expensive D7 and D9 speakers. The Spendor A1 speakers are remarkably slim and compact facilitating placement into almost any domestic environment.
The A series is also incredibly flexible with regard to partnering equipment and room placement.
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Monitor Audio Gold 100 5G
This latest bookshelf sized Gold series speaker from Monitor Audio is the only one in the range (no 50 this time). It strikes me as being the perfect size and this cabinet in combination with the AMT high frequency driver means a true "point-source" presentation is possible especially if you have a good set of stands and some high quality shielded speaker cable.
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Acoustic Energy AE1 Active loudspeakers ... Class AB amps and balanced inputs
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
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Legend Acoustic Kurre Be
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.
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Sonus Faber Sonetto II, Walnut EX-DEMO
We're making way for the new Sonetto G2 series and selling our Ex-demo stock of the Sonettos. These units are in fantastic condition and come with all of their boxes and accessories.
This is one of those darling transducers that looks so good and sounds so good that it can melt the hardened heart of the most dedicated of interior designers and turn them into music loving Hi Fi freaks.
In comparison to Sonetto I, this is a bigger 2-way shelf loudspeaker system. Its high performance features a larger mid-woofer, which is capable of ensuring more wider downwards frequency response and a greater emotional impact. Besides its dimensions, Sonetto II still has the capability to disappear in the environment, with an elegant and graceful style.
Learn MoreRegular Price: $3,995.00
Special Price $2,995.00
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Monitor Audio Gold 50 6G compact sixth generation loudspeaker
A beautiful compact point source two way loudspeaker. Learn More -
Legend Acoustics, Tripos, Reference 3-way bookshelf speaker
We have a set of these new Legend Acoustic speakers on our shelves. Designed and manufactured in Australia by Rod Crawford, former head speaker designer for Linn Acoustics. Like all of Rod speakers, they emphasise clarity and purity of musical reproduction. There's no colouration allowed in the signal path here...in fact colouration is a bad word to say in Rod's presence.
The flat frequency response graph of these Tripos is something that other, larger speaker manufacturers can only admire.
Legend acoustics is the epitome of boutique australian loudspeaker design.
Read more about the Tripos here.
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Sylvan Portals Bookshelf Speakers
We have many speaker manufacturers come into Carlton Audio Visual with their designs looking for them to be showcased in a retail environment. Out of all of them that knock on our doors, it's not many that prick up our well trodden ears. These little units certainly did! My initial impression was, I must admit - 'not another LS3/5a knockoff'. But oh gosh what a pleasant surprise. These really do retrieve a lot bass frequency and more music than their direct competitors. And yes, we love to support a product that is made here in Melbourne!
These little fellas are on display ready for demo now.
Sylvan exists to build top flight passive speakers with beautiful sonics, aesthetics and materials. Think of the Portal as an internally modernised LS3/5a - with the same focus on neutrality, depth and clarity which has made the original an enduring landmark in the hi-fi landscape - but with the added weight of 40 years of incremental improvements in transducer design.
What Sylvan have set out to do here, is apply their thinking and design principles to this classic form factor. The thing closest to their heart is the same as the designers of the original BBC LS3/5a - voices and instruments MUST sound natural. What’s different about Sylvan's approach is preference for first order electrical crossover networks (this is nothing new in the industry, see also Marten and Dynaudio to name two greats) and the qualities they bring to the finished speaker, when done right.
Essentially this means that the overlap of sound energy between the low frequency and high frequency drivers is greater, and their respective rolloff slopes are shallower. This is mostly not done in the industry as it requires very careful selection of drivers, first and foremost - they must be linear over a greater range. Usually driver designers optimise their drivers for very specific ‘pass bands’ and their response outside that range can be challenging, so they are rolled off harder to mask this raggedness, which also increases their power handling. So that’s all fine, but what makes a first order network attractive then? In a word, phase. At the listening position, more of the acoustic energy that you hear as coming from two separate point sources (the two drivers) over the critical midrange, will be in phase - that is, not cancelling each other out. This means your auditory system has to do less work piecing together all the anomalies. Put another way, first order networks, when done right with the right drivers, simply make music where other speakers make sound. Tying into this, if you look closely at the baffle you will see that the tweeter is recessed, this pushes the acoustic centre back into closer alignment with the midwoofer - again increasing midrange coherence.
When done right, this methodology will result in magic - Sylvan's approach is vindicated simply by enjoyment of the music, hour after hour.
Sylvan speakers are made and designed here in Melbourne. They are a bespoke made-to-order product. Please contact us for lead times and availability.
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