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I think it's time to start the signing off on this little integrated amp tangent of mine. Over the last 9 to 10 years I've been a bit of an overly enthused advocate for integrated amps. I have been asked why on several occasions and my answer was basically why not. Why would I not be more interested in a product that takes more effort to get right than separates? It takes more skill to jam both a pre and power section into the same chassis and not have them interfere with each other so why shouldn't I be interested in how various companies try to get it right. And now that digital circuitry is often in the mix as well, that makes things even harder. It can be done of course, just not by lazy engineers and not without putting in at least a little effort in the area of power supply separation and signal shielding. Anyway, enough of that, I was starting to sign off. Yeah, that's right guys, I've about had enough. I still like integrated amps but my enthusiasm for the solo reviewing and comparing side of things is waning so I'm putting the whole voluntary reviewing thing to bed. I'll probably still do one here and there (still have several on hand that I have yet to get around to, in fact) and I still have some work to do with Terry on the amp comparing front but for the most part, I'm done. I hope all you SNA'ers have a happy and cheerful Christmas season and I hope your family and friends take just enough interest in your hobbies to get you an album or T-shirt or some other audio themed pressie to unwrap on Christmas day. Cheers Everybody. And here's looking forward to the 2020's.

As the cat seems to be out of the bag I thought I may as well reveal our plans for our 2020 show. As many know, given what has transpired with shows in Australia over recent years, and despite proving once again in 2020 that our show was the biggest, widest advertised, best supported and most well attended thanks to the hard work of our entire team, we had decided to take a break next year. I said to many (and let's face it, the exhibitors are the ones with the ability to call the shots) that the industry would ultimately decide the future of shows in Australia. Well, I can now say that I was wrong to take a break. The overwhelming support from our previous exhibitors, and the great reputation of our show spreading even on an international level has led us to completely rethink that decision. We will run a show in 2020. It will still be in Melbourne, and at the same venue, however it will be an all-new format. It will now take place within the Pullman Conference and Event Centre, and a brand new dedicated show entry via Lorne Street. November 6-8. 2020. It will be called the Melbourne Home Entertainment Expo, and as well as 46 dedicated hi-fi spaces over two levels, there will also be six large cinema spaces (and maybe more cinemas in the smaller spaces). The Record Fair will move to a brand new area (4-5 times the size of previous years), and we will introduce the Expo area with over 65 3mx2m spaces (or variations of), showcasing the latest in TV's, Smart Homes, Gaming, hi-fi and home cinema accessories, Custom Installation products, plus lifestyle audio and tech products and much more. There will also be a new dedicated 60 seat seminar space that will feature guest presenters across all three days. Headphones will be better represented via a dedicated headphone zone in the Expo. One brand will also be exhibiting in the exclusive "Brand X Nightclub" which is going to be something pretty special too, but more will be revealed on that later. There will be a big marketing push across mainstream media, with the hope to cover TV and Radio for this show. We want to bring "hi-fi" back to the masses. So, ultimately a show that is nearly three times the size of previous shows in Australia. The most brands likely ever represented at a show in Australia. The plans are only in their early stages so far but the dates are set, the venue is booked and it's full steam ahead. Stay tuned!

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree

Stuffy Sunday Summer afternoon in the study

Alas that isn't giving the finger to the mobile camera people, it's doing it to the other poor drivers following you who have to hit the brakes as you've needlessly slowed down and then have to speed up when you decide you can drive at the speed limit again. That habit is one of the most frustrating on Australian roads and doesn't make the slightest bit of sense to me.

We visited a mate recently who has easily the most impressive HT set up I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Anyway the point of this post is he purchased several months ago a N7 and to be frank it is a stunning bit of kit and is a big step up in picture quality from our X9900 which is not shabby either. Wish I had not seen the N7 now, the old saying of ignorance is bliss springs to mind, but now I have watched the N7 in action there will be no bliss for me. ... Bugger! cheers Terry

Hey everyone, I'm beginning filming a new Stereonet TV video show in very early 2020, called 'Watts Good' and it's going to feature SNA member's systems and record collections. As I'm a vinyl nut myself, I'm most interested in the vinyl collections of course, but killer audio systems of any kind are also going to be a key feature of each episode. This is an early call out to our many member strong Melbourne and Victorian community to get in touch with me, either here in the thread or by PM (or both), and express your interest in participating. Not comfortable in front of the camera? No problems. You can choose to either appear or not, as much or as little as you feel you want to. Prefer to have it go like 'Lifestyles of the Rich.....' instead... all good. Or you've always dreamt of having your collection star in the limelight, but you'd be totally removed: also fine. Hit me up with your thoughts and let's get your amazing gear, and/or collections, out in the best light(ing) for all to see!

Oh so today I went to my very first Record Fair !!!! (West End, Brisbane) Wow was so good, better than I expected in fact. Lots of lovely people and of course lovely records too - came home with a small haul (shall show them off through the week under the "Currently Spinning" thread). I met up with @Pegasus at the fair so that was awesome too. I was worried after I read a thread either on here or SHF forum about "record fair etiquette" and they said using a deodorant always a good idea, but I can happily report everyone was clean and no need for a nose peg at all !! hahahahhahaha I also saw a familiar face from Beatniks Records on the Gold Coast and that made me feel at home too. What a great community. shall attach a couple of photos - it was modestly busy - I got there around 10.30am - and I hope I have not taken a photo of anyone here - as I would hate encroach on privacy.

I wouldn't say I'm totally on the bandwagon, but it is a pretty good album. FKA Twigs first up with Magdalene. Then really chillin' with Nick Cave.

Hey mate I feel your pain. I had 4 Sony laser projectors all of them with issues. So its not just JVC its Sony as well.

Earlier Recently More Recently Currently

Thanks for your efforts have enjoyed reading your impressions.

Dirty Three - Tiny Desk Concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Lh06y6Z1Q And Dirty Three - Horse Stories grungy morning...Sue's Last Ride is just great!

Why does it have to include those with “killer systems”? Everyone’s definition of such system would be different. It should be about the music and I would rather see a mixed selection of our community than just the elite few.

Item: Vitus Audio RI-100 Black Location: Perth 6010 Price: 6500 Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Gone tubes Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: I have the remote and original boxing for this beast of an amp. It's a powerful and punchy amp with amazing credentials. I have recently bought a KT150 tube integrated so I'm thinning the herd. Pickup only at this price - it weighs about 45kg Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

Item: NAD M32 integrated amp with HDMI MDC card. Location: Brisbane Price: $4,100 Item Condition: Very Good Reason for selling: Upgrading Payment Method: Pickup - Cash | Shipping at buyers expense - PayPal or bank transfer. Extra Info: Fantastic Amp with the HDMI MDC card installed(HDM-2), but it's time for me to upgrade to a pre power combo. This stereo amp is under 2 years old and has worked well running a set of bookshelf speakers, over 3 years warranty left!!! It's complete with its original box and all accessories - RRP $7500 WITH HDMI card. There are a few small marks on the top of the remote, see photos. Can ship Australia wide at the buyers expense, any questions let me know. Photos:

It does sounds good but I'm not Impressed, feel like listening a CD it has an an original pressing sticker, nice music though, I'm listening to her electronic version of American Pie

i think you have done very well to inform prospective integrated amp purchasers with insights at a grass roots level, the honesty and calibre of your reviews have been refreshing, i feel privilaged to have been part of this process and look forward to any further reviews. Hoping your 2020 is prosperous, cheers wen

Item: Polk Audio Monitor 10B Location: south east vic Price: $300 Item Condition: used Reason for selling: not using Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Nice sounding vintage Polk speakers in good condition. (stands not for sale) Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

The Teskey Brothers - Run Home Slow

Try this.... unplug ALL cables from the unit bar th epower cord. Power on the unit. When you get the flashing LED errors , go to the rear of the PJ and hold down the power button on th ekeypad till th eprojectors powers down. Wait 5 min then try powering on again , still with no cables connected. Excuse my above spelling ? trying to type with one finger and eat cheescake with th eother hand doesnt bode well for spelling...

weight versus length when used as a skipping rope?

Are you implying that different standard ethernet cables will lead to resends or that conduction velocity itself down the differing data cables is (substantially) different? Neither of these is in the realms of likelihood. Fortunately the CAT6 spec has extreme shielding requirements described in the spec itself. You have to get to CAT4 before you lose shielding, or... an audiophile ethernet cable of no spec. where they feel that removing the shielding gives it a more open sound. Yeah I know...

Amazing speakers at bargain price!

Nina Simone - You'll Never Walk Alone

I have the original UK pressings of Communique and LOG and these reissues handily trump them. The original UK press of LOG is not as good as the Aussie Maxicut. Whether they are from the UK or US masters both MOFI reissues I have are superior to the original UK pressings. Especially surprising with Communique as my 1st UK pressing was one of my reference discs. The soundstage of these reissues is just so much larger than the original UK's it's amazing. Hearing the original records you can't help but think "How can it get better this", with these reissues, it does. At first the bass does not seem to have the punch of the original but it's far more extended and filled in. The overall balance is superb. Some of the very best records I have in my collection. I listened to Where Do You Think You Are Going three times in a row on my first listen.

Don't take the words here so literally - indeed, if anyone thinks their system is 'killer', then it's a candidate for the show. I think we can all agree that 2 components and a few CD's scattered around is no-one else's idea of a good time on video, except the owners. Given that the music is totally subjective, and whose music output is almost impossible to convey accurately through the video and accompanying audio, a story is always going to be the most important part.

I’ll get in touch with Rich tomorrow. Since I originally picked it up directly from JVC KENWOOD Nth Ryde, maybe he can make a phone call to them to get it sorted asap. Maybe do their best to get it repaired before Xmas at worst.

Jim I would follow Rich’s advice. Please under no circumstances try to deal with jvc direct. Leave to rich to sort out as dealer. You won’t have send to him to get sorted. the jvc n series been fine in my experience have clicked up some 100+ hours over couple months ? I’ve owned few gen jvc and also epson. Projectors are delicate things no matter the brand or model. Why retailer buy from is so important. Am pretty sure oz will do best to get sorted for you

Al, Thanks for the condolences. The dealer is a good dealer, it’s Rich & he has been great. unfortunately it’s easier for me to take it straight back to JVC at Nth Ryde 10mins from my work & bang the table than it is to take it up to Perth of course. At the end of the day, I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. Rich warned me of the issues & suggested I stick with the Sony instead, so I have no complaints at all. He has been great. The JVC is analogous to a Ferrari. Stunning performance but with associated reliability issues

Enough of the imperfect 'live' stuff.....time for some studio perfection. Donald Fagen "The Nightfly" German 1st pressing.?

The Monkees (Original Masters) just finished. Playing now... The Who - My Generation - the very best of

Is this you I was listening to a version of the song by Bob Dylan https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=2ahUKEwj99o_kwLbmAhXEV30KHRynC60QFjAEegQIDBAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.loc.gov%2Fstatic%2Fprograms%2Fnational-recording-preservation-board%2Fdocuments%2FRankStranger.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1qA0hglAzfgK4W1Wvv_dn_

those sleeves are the best thing mofi make ! ?

<discogs snip>: The original British release of "My Generation" LP comprised of track 1 to 12 on CD One and was Brunswick Records LAT 8616, December 3, 1965. The American release was titled "The Who Sings My Generation" and was comprised of tracks 1 to 9, 11 to 13, CD One. It was issued as Decca DL 4664 (mono) amd DL7-4664 (stereo), April 25, 1966 <end snip> Playing a burn that puts all the tracks into chronically logical order.

I haven't had an optimised switch or a network prioritised for the audio traffic but have used a $4,000 cable, ~$100, a standard patch cable and made my own screened cat6 with different grounding options. Screened cat6 was reclaimed from an industrial job site I was on. Haven't heard a difference from the standard patch cable on 3 different streamers. I accept some cables make a difference but I haven't heard ethernet cables make a difference yet but still open to the possibility.

you answered your own question, but first people need to understand what does it mean, we've had similar discussion years ago (@rmpfyf might remember) how network protocol and attached devices work together, so in regards of connection between streamer/renderer and upstream network, in simple words if your streamer is well designed and meets the standards of network streaming and works as it should than quality of your cable is completely irrelevant (presume meets the industrial standards of Cat category), typical streaming packets size in worst case scenario is couple of megabits (hi-res) where's your typical home network throughput would be in hundreds or thousands of megabits, that's in terms of speed and throughput, most important part is software/OS of your streamer, typical Linux/Windows (most of the shelf streamers are Linux based) process would pull the data out of the network either from NAS or cloud (in case of streaming services), does the necessary error check before it's played via your playback software (MPD/Jriver/Audirvana/foobar or whatever else) which also in the mean time does the buffering of the stream to further eliminate issues in the upstream (i.e. foobar does around 3 sec. in standard setting) and that's it, the most important part is how is the software/OS part implemented and how does it interact with network protocol, again if it meets network standards your cable quality or upstream hardware is completely irrelevant so before we start swapping cables or audiophile routers we should check that our streamer does it's job otherwise no matter what you do with upstream network won't fix potential issues related to ability of your streamer process lossless network audio, if you are concern about noise potentially affecting your streamer performance buy galvanic network isolator such as this https://www.ebay.com/itm/LNF-C7-LAN-Noise-Filter-for-Network-Player-Eliminate-Transmission-Noise/331057579170?hash=item4d1491c4a2:g:HgAAAOSwSFBZ5uZh , I haven't notice any difference between streamer with or without network isolator (one with built in isolator) so I don't expect (if the streamer does its job) it would change sound quality because we aren't at the point of talking about sound quality yet.... in terms of upstream jitter it's again irrelevant, if streamer does its job and buffers the network stream there's no way how it could affect the playback process btw. every network attached device provide certain type of data buffering otherwise network protocol and error correction wouldn't work... connection between streamer and DAC, here's where the magic happens, where buffered network stream begins to flow as live stream and where jitter and noise (generated by streamer's processes, PSU and design) starts to be potential issue and harm to sound quality, but only in case your DAC doesn't meet today's standards in terms of isolation and signal processing, and even if it doesn't meet today's standard of isolation and processing I don't see any reasons why standard USB cable could be potentially worse than audiophile one, it would just pass the same information as the expensive one no matter of level of noise and jitter, there's no other substances which could potentially improve or affect quality of the connection if both cables meets USB standards (same applies for network cable connection) for digital data transfer if you wanna make your audio chain upstream immune as much as possible start with most important part first = DAC, than streamer and than the rest in case of further needs...

Well, the Australian Army used to think "Zulu" was tops - we conscripts (8th intake, April 1967) were all marched down to the theatre for a compulsory viewing during our recruit training at Puckapunyal. I think we were supposed to get off on how to use bayonets or something... (I never used one in Vietnam though). cheers Mick

2 beers and half a bottle of wine None of which would pass the muster on the currently drinking thread but here I am with a head not spinning and looking at least another hour And hoping to get up at 4 to watch the meteor shower so here’s what’s keeping my head in a stationary position

Morning Fillumists, Topkapi > Jewel Heist >Jack Of Diamonds > To Catch A Thief JJ

Hi Fillumists, Blue Velvet > Three Colours: Blue > Juliette Binoche > Chocolat JJ