48 replies to this topic

[djb]

VIC GTG -SGR VISIT THIS SUNDAY 22 JULY AT 1 PM


Harry and Ann have advised me that they can fit an extra few people in if anyone else is interested in attending

what's on offer?
SGR MT3 floor standers and an emphasis on turntables
There wll be 3 Brinkman TT models available on the day and a new phono stage ++


send me a PM if you'd like to come along

Vinyl Eye supplying music and people welcome to bring a record or two as well

[cheekyboy]

Hi David, I thought I'd just enlarge that text a bit mate so as to make it a bit easier for us to read. Looking forward to it........reckon it'll be a cracker.

VIC GTG -SGR VISIT THIS SUNDAY 22 JULY AT 1 PM

Harry and Ann have advised me that they can fit an extra few people in if anyone else is interested in attending

what's on offer?
SGR MT3 floor standers and an emphasis on turntables
There wll be 3 Brinkman TT models available on the day and a new phono stage ++


send me a PM if you'd like to come along

Vinyl Eye supplying music and people welcome to bring a record or two as well

[caddisgeek]

Sounds like it'll be a great afternoon, make sue you take lots of pics Cheeky

Steve

[Zen Mister]

Thank you to Harry, Ann, Stuart and Keith for ensuring a great afternoon for all. Some great sounds enjoyed across a wide range of music genres, emanating from some seriously sexy speaker systems, and a turntable to die for.
Well done, and many thanks, Zen.

[Probbo]

Let me add my thanks to all in SGR-Land.........great afternoon, and nice to put some more faces to SNA's Victorian members.

cheers

[houdinifangs]

It was a wonderful afternoon. Thanks to the whole SGR team and Cheeky for such a great opportunity to hear some of the best kit going round. Equally great to meet more locals and some from further afield as well.

[handysteel]

+1 for a big thank you to Harry, Ann, Stuart, Keith and David for hosting and organising a fantastic day at the home of SGR. As always the refreshments were first class, and the music sublime. GTG are a great opportunity to meet a variety of new people and hear/see some great Hi Fi gear, and listen to music that one would not generally listen to at home.

Edited by handysteel, 22 July 2012 - 11:33 PM.

[Bodhi]

I had the pleasure today to be the guest of Harry, Ann & Stuart from SGR Audio. This was the first time I had met the folk from SGR as well as the first time I had seen or heard an SGR speaker, so I had no preconceptions whatsoever. Firstly let me say what a pleasure it was to be their guest. There was a great spread of home cooking, wine and beer which was not at all expected. There was also a wide range of gear set up which I know was the end result of a lot of planning and effort from guys like Keith & Aaron (YS), not to mention Harry and Stuart.

Now in regard to my impressions, I was very surprised by the sheer weight and solidity of the MT3F's. They are beautifully finished speakers & look a lot nicer in the flesh (the photos on the website don't do them justice). Talking to Stuart about the construction of the drivers was also a revelation; These are some serious drivers built by a guy who has seen it all and knows what he is talking about. I saw an actual 10" driver from the MT3FSL in the flesh. I was surprised to learn it is a dual voice coil design (llke Watkins famous dual voice coil drivers). Stuart is also serious about eliminating break up nodes and all forms of distortion from both the cabinet and drivers (one advantage of the servo-controlled drivers used in the classic IRS-Epsilon). In short, these drivers don't need servo-correction. Stuart also explained some of the advantages in using a closed cabinet in harmony with their drivers, which also underscores the advantages of controlling so much of design process. Separate modules for the mid/top and bass sections like Wilson & Verity, and precise EQ options on the rear panel. Understanding that the whole is the sum of all it's parts, these are great value speakers.

But what about the sound? The MT3F's have excellent bass & wonderful midrange. I liked the natural sound of the doped paper cone mid. With the terrific Brinkmann Balance table as source, the MT3F's had a very nice 'live' sound. The areas where I felt my Coltrane Alto/Boulder combo had a slight advantage was in midrange and top end speed, purity of sound & slightly smoother top end (which likely owes to the wide bandwidth of the Boulder amps). Count me very impressed!

Cheers,
Bodhi

Edited by Bodhi, 23 July 2012 - 12:41 PM.

[bigears]

Do Harry and Ann know how to put on an event or what?!!!

It was a great to meet friendly faces and enjoy stunning HiFi, food, drink and conversation.

The Brinkmann Balance through the SGR MT3F's left me breathless...

Many thanks to everyone involved making this day possible -Harry, Ann, Stuart, Keith and Aaron

Cheers Bigears

PS - A special thanks for exquisite chocolate mouse.

[cheekyboy]

PS - A special thanks for exquisite chocolate mouse.

Hi bigears, I enjoyed the chocolate mousse too, but I didn't see any chocolate mice, mate!

Edited by cheekyboy, 23 July 2012 - 10:27 AM.

[Bodhi]

PS - A special thanks for exquisite chocolate mouse.

+1!!!

[joz]

Well I also coasted along for this little GTG. and I'm not even sure who I'd met???
The food and bevvies were fanatastic,thanks Anne (again)

Anyhooo, the main system was absoloutly stunning!
After listening to this setup I just don't know what where one would o to from here?
Simply stunning!


+1 for the mousse!

[cheekyboy]

Well, a big thanks once again to Harry, Ann and Stuart for putting on such a fabulous get together yesterday. The spread of food, both savoury and sweet was simply outstanding and full credit to Ann and the girls for all the hard work that must have gone into preparing such a feast.

Here is a pic of the sweet spread......[I'll post more in the next couple of posts that will do more justice to the work that went into this]



Really good to meet a few new faces as well and finally put a face to several members I'd not met before. I ended up playing DJ by default during the day and I only hope the selection of music I brought along was to everyone's liking. Thanks to those who brought along their own LPs and allowing me to spin them up.................I certainly have a long list of albums that I will have to seek out now!

Here's David [djb] and Dave [the Rev dthompson] ...............thanks for all your help behind the scenes, David. We were inundated BTW with Davids yesterday............every second person was named David!



Congratulations to Stuart and Harry for putting together such a stunning system and they have managed to outdo their last effort that I listened to, which frankly I thought was just not possible. In the past I have described this system as the best I've heard and certainly the most coherent without a doubt, in so much as the sum of all the components is a perfect match and delivers the music across the entire frequency range effortlessly. It handled everything we could throw at it yesterday to perfection and the sound through those beautiful MT3s is so rich and detailed, it is to die for.

The system is a vinyl lover's dream with three stunning Brinkmann turntables set up and all running through the Brinkmann Edison phono stage and Marconi Line Stage amplifier. We were more than spoiled for choice with the Brinkmann Bardo, Oasis and the sensational Balance turntables all set up and selected with the click of a switch on the the Marconi. All turntables were fitted with Brinkmann tonearms with the 12.1 on the balance being the only difference. The Oasis and the Balance arms were fitted with the EMT-ti cartridge and the Bardo was fitted with the Pi cartridge.

A lot of the success of the day must be afforded to the efforts of Aaron [Young Skywalker] with his skill and knowledge in all things analogue, being invaluable throughout the afternoon...........well done Aaron. Here's a pic of Aaron working with the sensational Balance turntable.......................



Cheers,

Keith

Edited by cheekyboy, 23 July 2012 - 01:14 PM.

[Grumpy]

Thanks for the pics and story Keith. Lovely looking set-up and food.
Love the looks of the Dalek looking SGR's.

[cheekyboy]

Okay folks, here's a few pics of the scrumptious spread...................all of which I don't need to eat, but couldn't resist!









I can't take credit for the pics either unfortunatley................thanks for sending these to me Harry, beautiful work.

Cheers,

KEith

[cheekyboy]

Here's some more of the equipment and system set up. Thanks again for the pics go to Harry.






We had a raffle draw to do also and here is Ann drawing the winning ticket under the close scrutiny of our resident priest. Thanks Ann and thanks Dave for doing the draw.





And the winning number is................................................





Second room set up which was digital only..............I didn't spend much time here, but what I did hear was very good indeed.

[Grumpy]

Is that djb or Dave the priest holding the hat ?

[cheekyboy]

Is that djb or Dave the priest holding the hat ?

Hi Grumps, that good lookin' rooster is our resident priest, Dave Thompson. There is a picture of the two of them in an earlier post mate.

Cheers,

Keith

[Grumpy]

Thanks cheeky
A PM coming your way soon.

[djb]

i think its all been said
THANKS ALL
on our way home at about 10pm keith and i talked our way through the TTs again
given that the 'Balance' had not been unpacked until the day before and the cart had only 1 hour on it it was superb
imagine what it will sound like in a month?
well in about a month i will invite myself back and write a comparative review of the 3 TTs and perhaps ..... recalibrate the scores from the original review [see in product reviews forum where Stuart explains theMT3in some detail]

[caddisgeek]

Looked like a great day guys, well done and thanks for sharing

[patjoy]

No doubt it was a great day, Thanks for sharing. I'm cursing that I missed this.

[sean]

I was one of the faces that attended this wonderful gathering. Thanks to Harry, Anne ,Stuart and Keith.

Good to meet some of the locals here on SNA in the flesh also.

[Young Skywalker]

I have just returned home to Sydney after an all too short visit to the GTG and coffee capital of Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed the event as well as the opportunity to meet so many very nice people and colourful characters.

The amount of time, energy and preparation which goes into a gathering such as this cannot be over stated and I do hereby publicly declare my sincere thanks and admiration for all involved behind the scenes. The photos from the day's proceedings will, for yours truly, serve as a very fond reminder of the wonderful food, music, and friendly discussions.

P.S. Keith of Vinyl Eye Records supplied some truly amazing music on the day, all of which was so emotionally engaging through the Brinkmann/SGR Audio playback system that I am sure that a good portion of my precious savings will be spent on new vinyl acquisitions.

Edited by Young Skywalker, 25 July 2012 - 10:10 AM.

[bigears]

I will join you on that visit djb, I am keen on hearing the 'Balance' again.

I must say that I was also impressed by the Brinkmann Bardo with the 'Pie' cart having such a sweet sound. Another great reason to revisit this system in the near future.

Cheers

bigears

Edited by bigears, 25 July 2012 - 03:56 PM.

[Danton]

Here's some more of the equipment and system set up. Thanks again for the pics go to Harry.






We had a raffle draw to do also and here is Ann drawing the winning ticket under the close scrutiny of our resident priest. Thanks Ann and thanks Dave for doing the draw.





And the winning number is................................................





Second room set up which was digital only..............I didn't spend much time here, but what I did hear was very good indeed.

Adding my congrats to an awesome GTG. Loved the digital room. This is the system more likely to end up at my casa,. I'll be back one day to listen with my CDs.

[djb]

big ears
i havent asked harry if he wwil have me back let alone another person/GTG
bardo was very very impressive

[djb]

keiths offering of the record prize was i suspect an appropriately good money spinner for SNA
so a separate thanks to keith for this notion that other sponsors might find ways to institute

[cheekyboy]

Hi folks, the focus here has been rightly on the GTG itself and the hospitality was absolutely A1, the company excellent and good to catch up with old faces and new on the day, but ultimately, the focus for everyone was the SGR systems so lovingly presented by Stuart, Harry and Ann on the day. For me the highlight was the opportunity to use three world class high end turntables and get to hear the end result coming from the SGR MT3s. That end result was a stunningly coherent, dynamic and highly resolving system, that simply delivered the music to the listener how it was intended to be heard and enjoyed.

In homage to this sensational system and for all those SNAers who love to drool over pictures of such equipment, have a look at these. Hope you enjoy them..................











................and I'll post some more pics of this wonderful system as soon as I get a chance.

Cheers,

Keith

Edited by cheekyboy, 26 July 2012 - 08:59 AM.

[caddisgeek]

Thanks for posting Keith, I'll have to get to one of these things one of these days

have to finish my chores first

[Spearmint]

Thanks for sharing the pictures and your impressions from the day Keith.

I'm glad it went well, and all who attended enjoyed themselves.

[Bodhi]

Sensational photos Keith! Thanks for posting them & likewise it was great to have your company. I think all that attended appreciated you sharing some of the terrific vinyl titles from your site. I've added two records to my growing wish list!

Cheers,
Bodhi
ps: Minty, the one thing Harry didn't have on the table was minties...I think every GTG should have minties

[dirty]

I'll come for the next one, tasty gear and the food looked magnificent.

Sons footy is almost over.

dirty.

[lusk]

Those photos are great, is that 4 amps per side for the MT3F's so 1 amp per driver?

[cheekyboy]

Hi Lusk, I can't quote the exact figures on the MT3s and Stuart or Harry would be better to answer those questions, but my understanding is that they are fully active and each set of drivers has it own amplification. All you need to add is your source and a preamp.

Cheers,

Keith

[Stump]

Great Pics Keith.I like the HiFi rack setup.And the snacks take GTGs up a level.
P.S Is that a house or showroom?
Stump

[Young Skywalker]

Those photos are great, is that 4 amps per side for the MT3F's so 1 amp per driver?

You are almost correct, the MT3F is a three way design. The input signal is divided first by the active line level crossover (one of the chassis in the photo) and then each monoblock amplifier handles a limited range of frequencies (bass, midrange, and tweeter) for each speaker.

If on a budget one could simply use a single chassis three channel amplifier on each side or even a six channel amplifier to power both speakers. Other options include three stereo amps (one each for the bass, midrange and tweeter of both speakers) or some combination of monoblocks and stereo amps. As long as the total number of amplification channels sums to six you are good to go.

P.S Is that a house or showroom?

That is a private home in the photographs.

[dthompson]

Hi everyone...especially to Anne, Harry and Stuart...and Young Skywalker! ...and to everyone else that contributed to a great day. Thanks to Vinyl Eye for what was a great idea: the raffle!
But what can I say? Look again at that list of gear:-
SGR MT3 floor standers; with those superb SGR amps....
three Brinkman Turntables: Bardo, Oasis and the Balance!
a new phono stage: Brinkmann Edison;
the Marconi Line Stage amplifier,
2 arms were fitted with the EMT-ti cartridge and the Bardo, I think was fitted with a Pi cartridge (???)......Ahhhh!

I think it was Keith who wrote: "It handled everything we could throw at it yesterday to perfection and the sound through those beautiful MT3s is so rich and detailed, it is to die for."
And in the second room, which took me a while to discover.....was more gear that performed simply beautifully! There was that hallmark SGR sound signature of sensitivity, responsivness, clarity, resolution, perfectly timed, weighted superbly, balanced sound that provided a detail and depth to, (dare I take the risk in saying?) "die for"..but in this room, in packages so small and discreet.
...there was a lot of "dying for" on the day!!
But this was what was happening! The gear did what was needing to be done...it responded to each style and track in a way that I have rarely experienced...if ever! It didn't draw attention to itself: it delivered authority, but when needed; sensitivity when required; light and transparent as a breath; but then rock on and shock you....you would listen to some tracks that were quite familiar, and say to people nearby : 'oh yeah'...but then you'd stop...because there was more detail, more presence, more engagement and you'd be a bit stumped and on occassions silenced as the track seemed so fresh and more present, more available than ever you had heard it! Is that possible? I started to think, about what other gear had done to the same track...what they had added or detracted as has been my experience with gear. This gear wasn't like that. It presented music with elegance and ease that was breathtaking!
I was stirring-up djb at one point about one of his tracks (sorry mate)....I think it was the Phillip Glass....but it silenced me as the repeated formulas that Glass is renoun for seemed to drift beyond the speakers and began to reach out towards me....no joke!...It was time for another red! The music was that alive! And yes, I have to admitt, that I liked the Phillip Glass djb! (Forgive me?)

I am still stunned by the presentation.
How lucky are we that we have a people like Harry, Ann, Stuart (SGR) and Luke Skywalker, who make this stuff and put on arvo's like that? How often do you get the chance to get near gear like this and have a bloody good listen? Actually what is Luke's name? his real name?....at one point during a conversation with him, he moved towards the turntables....I got nervous! I called to him..."Luke, don't, don't do it!!"...I didn't know he was the bloody distributer of the turntables!!! He scared the hell out of me! I have a bad history of hell and torment, accidents and tragedies occurring at these GTG's...I was nearly traumatised! I had to have another red!

Thanks to all again especially to Anne, Harry and Stuart (and gang) for all your work. To 'Luke' for carrying down from Sydney a turntable on his lap! I loved every minute.
I still cant believe SGR gear is made locally?...it's a bummer this 'tall poppy syndrome' isn't it?
Regards: Dave
edit: Struth...how's the quality of the pictures?????

Edited by dthompson, 27 July 2012 - 08:26 PM.

[cheekyboy]

Great description of the afternoon Dave and I concur wholeheartedly with your comments mate. Just following up on what Dave is talking about, here's a few more pics of this beautiful system.

The MT3 Floorstander with amps..................



The three turntables from left to right - The Oasis, The Balance and The Bardo.



The magnificent Balance turntable and Brinkmann Marconi pre and Edison phono stage.





Cheers,

Keith

[Grumpy]

Thanks for the pics and write up Cheeky and dthompson.Exceptional pics and stories.
Love the look of the TT in the light coloured wood plinth - I'd like something like that for my 401

[joz]

Those photos are great, is that 4 amps per side for the MT3F's so 1 amp per driver?

Actually three amps per side plus the active crossover for each side.
The two bass driver share one amp.

[djb]

back to SGR in the hope i could review the 2 new Brinkmann tts with a 100 hours on the carts, they had no time on either the PI or EMT at the get together.
Only to be told by Harry he has been too busy making speakers to listen to either for even an hour! keith Johan and I had a good listen anyway.

so the hospitality and listening pleasure continued but the review up date will have to wait

[sligoriverblues]

I take that my name Johann is there to show the confessional connection with the great J.S. Bach

Johan

Thanks Harry and Anne for the most pleasant hours I had privilege to spend in your home!

Unfortunately, Stuart was physically not there this time, but the house was full of his ampsandspeakers spirit!

Keith, next time we go somewhere, I volunteer to drive.

Thanks again to all involved!

Jan

Edited by sligoriverblues, 18 October 2012 - 02:42 PM.

[cheekyboy]

Yes, my thanks once again to Harry and Ann for their hospitality, which as usual was superb. Always love the opportunity to play DJ with those three beautiful Brinkmann turntables and listen through the ultimate in audio systems. Jan, it was a pleasure taking you out, I'm pleased you enjoyed your visit to casa SGR and I'll definitely take you up on your offer to drive next time................I think I made a couple of destination suggestions too that we can work on.

Cheers,

Keith

[djb]

Great post JAN
Lots of Johann's compositions here for u to listen to(100 JSB lps) next time u visit
Got my Cary mono blocks, 4 x 300B per side, only 20 pair ever made up and running again.
sounding gooood