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SGR Audio Owners & Discussion Thread


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36 minutes ago, blybo said:

@jozThe Illuminators are passive aren't they?

 

I'm only around 10 minutes away from SGR as well.

 

Nope,they are active but their amps and active crossovers are outboard unlike the MTs and CX series.

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1 hour ago, frankn said:

@Darren69 - you should have a look at the Adam Tensor Alpha that Mondie has put up for sale - a very impressive speaker system.  You'd just have to ship them back.

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/search/?type=all&q=adam

 

 

Oh I've looked at them, haven't got any money just yet. :D

 

This is the research stage. Then one needs to travel and listen. It might take 12 months but hey, we aren't talking about loose change here.

 

 

Edited by Darren69
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Darren,

I have never owned any of the SGR speakers, but spent a memorable afternoon at Harry's place, after a brief tour of the factory from Stuart who answered all questions openly - nice guy.

The speakers I loved were like the MT3.2s but had a head unit more like their stand-mount unit. Lots of work of work done to reduce baffle edge effect.

The soundstage was as clear as any I have heard, due also to the excellent listening room that Harry has (no back corners) and quality source devices.

Played both kinds of music (vinyl and digital). I honestly couldn't distinguish between Harry's system and Terry's at Bathurst, as the best I've ever heard.

"You can tell what colour shirt the guitarist is wearing" - almost....

Better than the sound though was the food that Anne cooked up. Little seafood quiches to die for. Yum.  A day I won't forget.

If you go to the Melb Audio Show, why not visit SGR at the same time ??

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3 hours ago, Darren69 said:

Yes, if one got serious, partner and I would be winging to Tulla for a shopping week. ;)

 

probably best thing could do. their hospitality is second to none. as is the build fit finish, quality of parts used and effort they go to with a product. Certainly well worth exploring as a speaker, I know a few who are very happy wiht theirs :)

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7 hours ago, SGR said:

Yeah, we're still at it here guys :)

 

Belinda and I had a baby boy last year who's least favorite thing to do was sleep, so that set me back a bit and production in 2016 was a little slow, but we're right back into the swing of things this year!

 

Certainly still making MT3.2's @Grimmie, actually, this is what the spray booth looked like only last week...

 

Cheers,

 

Stuart

 

_DSC0475 copy.jpg

 

Jeez Stu, you've gone cheapo on the bass units haven't you!?

 

Good to see your still on the ball, how's Harry going, still sanding and spraying?

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I was so impressed with the CX4F that I agreed to be a resource for the company here in Adelaide--but I knew I couldn't afford to listen the the MT3 series as I had a limited budget.

 

I highly recommend a visit--for all the reasons that others have provided.

 

Greg

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17 hours ago, Grimmie said:

 

Jeez Stu, you've gone cheapo on the bass units haven't you!?

 

Good to see your still on the ball, how's Harry going, still sanding and spraying?

 

Still at it @Grimmie, can't keep a good man down! 

 

You've heard of bass "bins", these are bass "drums" :) 

 

Here's your Daleks right dressed! All accounted for, should be with their new owners in a few weeks.

 

Not going out in pale green undercoat ;) 

 

Cheers,

 

Stuart

 

_DSC0477 copy.jpg

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Well all this SGR talk got the better of me today.

I was working in the area so I made a quickish visit.

Great to see the SGR crew all there working away. Always a pleasure catching up with them and having a squizz around the factory. I should have taken a few quick pics of the goings on while there.They have an amazing setup with lines of different parts and cabinets in different state of completion. Their amazing attention to detail and finishing that they are known for is still evident but in a larger scale now, noice!

I think when I left Stuart had to save Harry from me talking his ear off!! LOL!!

 

 

 

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On 3/27/2017 at 2:20 PM, Nigel said:

Darren,

I have never owned any of the SGR speakers, but spent a memorable afternoon at Harry's place, after a brief tour of the factory from Stuart who answered all questions openly - nice guy.

The speakers I loved were like the MT3.2s but had a head unit more like their stand-mount unit. Lots of work of work done to reduce baffle edge effect.

The soundstage was as clear as any I have heard, due also to the excellent listening room that Harry has (no back corners) and quality source devices.

Played both kinds of music (vinyl and digital). I honestly couldn't distinguish between Harry's system and Terry's at Bathurst, as the best I've ever heard.

"You can tell what colour shirt the guitarist is wearing" - almost....

Better than the sound though was the food that Anne cooked up. Little seafood quiches to die for. Yum.  A day I won't forget.

If you go to the Melb Audio Show, why not visit SGR at the same time ??

 

Nigel, I'm sure you listened to the MT 3.2s on that day we visited SGR and I concur with your assessment totally. I've had the pleasure to listen to the MT 3.2s on many occasions and I'm still to hear a better loudspeaker, bar none. If you're in the market for the very best in a loudspeaker, do yourself a big favour and give Stuart or Harry a call and organise an audition of the MT 3.2.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

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1 hour ago, cheekyboy said:

This is one of my favourite pics of the MT 3.2s. Great room and some pretty nice front end gear too..................a sensational sound system.

 

 

_DSC0659a_copy.jpg

Gee they look good in bright colours... what a credit to Aussie HiFi...

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1 hour ago, Darren69 said:

@cheekyboy  to your knowledge, the cables unhooked for the pic?

 

Certainly looks like it and there position in the room is closer to the listening position too, but works for the shot to get the two equipment racks in the pic as well.

 

Edit: @Darren69 On much closer inspection of the pic I posted, you'll find that the power points and the power cable to the LHS loudspeaker is obscured by that loudspeaker and I'm certain the power cable to the RHS loudspeaker is running along the bottom of the brick wall, but it is very difficult to pick out in that pic. So, are the power cables unhooked for the pic?..............I would say not.   

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

Edited by cheekyboy
Correction of earlier comment.
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  • 4 weeks later...


  • 3 months later...
22 hours ago, metalheadz said:

Hey just wondering if anyone has or knows of someone in Canberra with SGR Audio speakers?

More specifically I'm hoping to have an audition of the CXB3

 

I can demo CX4Fs Mk2 and explain the differences between the two models. 

Cheers 

Dejan 

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  • 1 month later...

SGR Audio CX4F Mk2 Active Loudspeaker System

 

Let me begin with a bit of background – about 6 years ago my 50th birthday was approaching and after discussions with my wife (Joanna) it was agreed that I would upgrade my system as a birthday present. After reading everything that I could get my hands on I came up with a short list of speakers to audition. These included a pair of B&W 802s, a pair of Wilson Watt/Puppies, and possibly a second-hand pair of Focal Utopias – if available. After listening to these I was looking to pull the trigger on a pair of a second-hand pair of Watt Puppy 7s I had found – budget with amps in the low $30k range. In addition to reading all of the articles I also read a bit about active speakers on SNA, in particular models from local outfit SGR Audio. I thought, well I might as well have a listen before I went ahead with the Puppies–trying to tell myself, have an open mind and see if there really is anything to this active thing–but really thinking if I am going to get something that was costing a lot then I wanted it to not only sound good but also be well-known and with audiophile street cred. Watt/Puppies had all this – yeah, shallow I know.

 Well I visited Aaron’s showroom where I auditioned a pair of SGR Audio CX4F active loudspeakers and to say that I was blown away by what I heard that day would be an understatement. The sound was remarkably clean and fast but not cold or analytical like much of what I had heard elsewhere. No matter what I played I felt like there was very little between me and the emotional centre of the music. I just shook my head in disbelief, this was so different but it sounded so right.

As I said at the time, a used pair of Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 7 loudspeakers was at the top of my shortlist, and at much more than the asking price of the CX4Fs. I should say - Boy did I want to believe the Wilsons sounded better; I left Aaron’s place feeling rather perplexed.  A few day later I had talked myself back into the Watt/Puppies, though much more than the CX4Fs, they were a still a bargain and given how well known they are, I felt that I could easily resell at any time down the track. I said to Joanna that I had made my mind up but would like her to come for an audition of both. I didn’t tell her anything about price or my opinions of either. What I really wanted was for her to tell me the Watt/Puppies sounded better and allow me to trick myself into believing it too. First we went back to Aaron’s and then to Five Dock to listen to the Watt/Puppies. I waited for Joanna’s opinion. She said that they both sounded good. But to her the CX4Fs sounded a step change better. Hey how could that be? In both of our subjective opinions, the CX4F speakers were superior to the Wilsons sonically and we both preferred the aesthetic of the CX4Fs.

I asked Aaron if he would mind hosting me for yet another listening session, this time with my teenage son tagging along. The arrangements were made and one evening after work we dropped by, sat in front of the CX4Fs, and again I couldn’t help but comment on how much better they were than the Wilsons that I had been considering. My son sat there with a goofy schoolboy grin that matched my own.

A few days passed during which I tried to talk myself back into the used Wilson speakers. I was torn between the bragging rights of owning a well-known hi-fi trophy and the deep satisfaction of choosing a path less followed, a path which for me, clearly lead to audio nirvana.

I contacted Aaron and a few weeks later he meticulously installed my very own pair of SGR Audio CX4F active loudspeakers, finished in the stunning Birdseye maple real wood veneer. I was shocked when I heard them in my home for the first time. I was one very happy camper!

Weeks turned into months and months turned into years, all the while the musical satisfaction was enduring with my CX4Fs, except for those times when I would visit Aaron’s showroom and hear the much larger and considerably more expensive MT3F active loudspeakers, still the finest system that I have ever experienced.

Then, one day out of the blue, I got a call from Stuart, asking me if I would be interested in upgrading my CX4F speakers. “Upgrade them to what?” I asked. Stuart explained that he had developed a new current drive amplification system along with a new dome tweeter and mid-bass driver, as well as some other improvements.

I was hesitant at first, after all I was already happy with my CX4F speakers and I couldn't quite imagine how all of the new improvements would come together. Stuart went on to explain to me that the CX4F Mk2 would be like a brand-new speaker, much more in line with the flagship MT3.2 speaker, the ones I had been dreaming of.

Brand new shipping crates were delivered to my home and Aaron popped around to assist in the packing of my beloved CX4F speakers. The next day they were whisked away, bound for the SGR Audio factory in Melbourne. The anticipation was reminiscent of waiting for Christmas as a child and when my speakers returned to their proper home, I was like a 5-year-old on Christmas Day.

Ten seconds into the first LP, my wife looked at me,. She said, “these are so much better!” And she was right. My CX4Fs, now just like new in their Mk2 guise, sounded very much like the mighty MT3.2 flagship that haunted my dreams after every visit to Aaron’s place.

The bass was deeper and tighter with more weight. The low frequencies didn’t call attention to themselves but rather provided a confident foundation for the rest of the music. Sonic images were more stable within a wider and significantly deeper layered soundstage. Dynamics were even cleaner than I remembered prior to the speaker upgrade surgery. High frequencies were more extended with more air around voices and instruments and yet the sound was more natural and relaxed at the same time. I could play the system less loud while hearing even more musical information than before.

I don’t know how Stuart managed this but he has taken the sound of my system to a level I never thought possible. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is not possible to get a sonic upgrade of this magnitude by spending $5k on any other part of an audio system. If you own a pair of the CX4F active loudspeakers and if you can afford it, then you would be crazy not to have them upgraded to Mk2.

Don’t dismiss the CX4F Mk2s because they aren’t expensive enough. You are getting an Australian product which has been subject to tight control on the total design and manufacturing process, no matter how small. I am as happy as a pig in you know what. Every listening session is as exciting as the first, the novelty factor just doesn’t wear off.

 

Edited by warren2503
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Hmmm........

 

"very much like the mighty MT3.2 flagship that haunted my dreams after every visit to Aaron’s place"

 

I am indeed an owner of said night-stalkers, I wonder if the new current drive is available for them too.........

 

Great write up Warren, SGR's really do get under your skin don't they. I got to meet Aaron many a moon ago when he was over at Harry's place. A passionate audiophile and nice character, was every bit as convinced that SGR had a real future producing amazing Hi-Fi in Australia. He's obviously just as dedicated to the cause now and living his dedication.

 

All the best with your new(er) babies.

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