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A completely new direction for me, so I'm starting a new thread. Adding this to the old thread did not make sense. Said I'd stay away from valve pwr amps; and had reservations about horns, but stuff comes up and I made a change to what I never envisaged. It sounds good, but still more changes to come. From Magneplanar 20.7 to Trio XD. From AVM MA 8.2 to AR Ref 160M. From Koetsu Onyx to Ortofon MC Anna. The Onyx had a low output resulting in the phonostage running out of gain on the MG20.7. The MC Anna has even lower output, but luckily the change to Trio XD gives me plenty of gain to easily cover the low output of the MC Anna. For over two decades I have not been happy with my analog set up. It has under performed. I think I needed to use a step up transformer for the Onyx and have the Onyx retipped by Koetsu. With the MC Anna I love my analog sound. The Trio is not flat to 100hz. The REL does not go much above 120hz. We have a problem Houston. No midbass in the current setup. I've been moving the subs around, but there is no cure for component limitations. (See Later, I changed Trio setup). These pictures are ugly, but I'm an audiophile not a bloomin' home decorator. The setup is Ortofon MC Anna on Graham 1.5t on Aura tt. AR ph8 phonostage. AR Ref 6 preamp. AR Ref 160M pwr amp. Trio XD maiin speakers. REL 212se subs. Cables are Audioquest and Synergistic Research. Two dedicated 20A circuits and 2 dedicated 15A circuits. Custom fuses on any component that needs them. They do reduce noise floor.

Item: Azurahorn Ah-160 Midbass horns Location: Melbourne Price: $550 negotiable Item Condition: Good for age. Reason for selling: Taking up huge amounts of space. Present audio room is way to small for these Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, COD Only Extra Info: Up for sale is my Azura Ah-160 mid bass horns. These mid bass horns have given me the best lower midrange through mid bass I have heard. The fibreglass horns resonated quite a bit when i first got them so over a couple of years i put layer after layer of bitumen on them which improved the sound hugely (I got that idea from Goto with they're midrange and mid bass horns). It took forever for the bitumen to dry hence the huge amount of application time. They retail for $1200 new and then you have to pay the shipping, put on mounting plates, a rear chamber and ideally damp the mid bass and then paint them. This has all been done ready to bolt the drivers in. They are cut to a 4 inch throat to suit a 8 inch driver (same compression ratio and driver type as Avantgarde use in the Trio. I have built a system that allows you to change the compression chamber size at the back of the horn. If you wished to use them with a different sized driver (like a Western Electric style 555 compression driver or larger) you could get Azurahorn to sell you a extension piece. Some people on the net have used these horns with the Avantgarde Duo for huge improvements to the sound (and near Avantgarde Trio sound). They take up a huge amount of space (they are almost one metre in diameter so they just fit through a doorway). They were originally gold in colour (using various metal powders and wax) but are presently in a more discreet Charcoal chalky type finish. The rim needs a little touch up due to being in the garage a couple of years (I have more of the spray paint so can do this if required). Useable response (depending on driver and position) is 60 hz (shoved hard into room corners) through to about 100 - 140 hz or so in free space. I was crossing these over at 700-900 hz but many recommend using them to about 1100 hz. I have some 8 inch Coral drivers I can provide cheap with these if needed. I was using the Corals with these before switching to the Fane as used by Romy the Cat in his Upgraded Avantgarde Trio Midbass horns. The Corals sound excellent in this mid bass horn. Almost as good as the Fane but less efficient. The Fane drivers have been sold and are not available. Local pickup strongly preferred due to the obvious size and weight issues. Otherwise you would have to arrange your own shipping. Priced them cheap for a quick sale. LPG Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

Item: Avantgarde Acoustic UNO speakers Location: Bexley NSW Price: $8,500 ONO. Item Condition: Used but in great condition, superb sonically. Reason for selling: Going different direction Payment Method: Pickup - Cash Extra Info: Advertise on behalf of a friend in Bexley NSW who doesn’t have SNA account. Grab your chance. Avantgarde speakers are rarely seen on second hand market. These speakers are in great condition and sound superb. Still have original box but pick up preferred due to weight. Audition can be arranged for serious buyers. Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

Item: Avantgarde Zero 1 XD Active Speakers DSP Location: Brisbane Price: $19,000 negotiable Item Condition: Mint Reason for selling: Time for a change Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: These are the top of the line model, above the pro model and come with DSP, digital and an analogue (A/D card) for turntables etc. They are incredibly dynamic! They sound just as good when theyre shaking the house or playing whisper quiet. I have all original packing As im going to need a complete new system Im happy to look at trades + cash Specs can be found here https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/products/zero-serie/zero-1-xd.html

Item: Avantgarde Acoustic Duo (Horn) Speakers Location: Sydney Price: now REDUCED to $11,000 Item Condition: Very good Reason for selling: Downgrading due to business investment opportunity Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal (with fees), Direct Bank Transfer Extra Info: I am selling these on behalf of a mate who is looking to raise some funds for a new business venture. No original packaging/shipping crates so pick up in Sydney preferred. Price reduced to accomodate this. Interstate buyers will need to get a mate to pick the speakers up in Sydney and sort out shipping for you. Again reduced sale price reflects this inability of the seller to deal with packing and shipping. These are 1st generation Avantgarde Duo horns, 8 ohms, approx 101dB sensitivity and have powered subwoofers. Lots of specification info is available on the web. The horns are Blue in colour. The speakers have not seen any use in the last 2+ years as I have been storing them in my home office for my mate. Pictures:

Item: Avantgarde XA Pre-Amplifier & XE Power Amplifier Location: Hampton, Melbourne Price: $20,000 (for both) Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Need to raise funds Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: I am offering for sale a set of rare, high quality, great sounding amplifiers. One is a Pre-Amplifier and one is a stereo power amplifier, sold together as a set. Avantgarde Acoustic are known for their highly respected horn speakers, which can be very revealing of the source and amplification. According to them, a few years ago they became aware that many of their customers who bought the Duo & Trio speakers were wanting better amplification than what they could commonly find. They decided to embark on a project to create the best possible amplification not only for their range of loudspeakers but for all audiophiles with all loudspeaker types. Key objectives were VERY LOW noise floor (silence) and mechanical & electrical isolation. If you are interested, have a read of this review because it sums up the great attention to detail contained within this equipment, including a patented DC circuit for the signal: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/avantgarde_xa.htm With the flick of a toggle switch, the XA PRE can be switched to DC function. This isolates the signal from the AC power supply and it runs from an internal battery supply. There are a few high end pre-amps that provide this feature because the sonic benefits are remarkable and have to be heard to be believed. The music emerges from a totally silent black background. You can hear the silence between the notes and this has the effect of completely transforming the dynamics of the sound. The resolution is wonderful but at the same time the sound is natural and musical - the rhythmic & timing qualities of the music create a great canvas for the melody to unfold. You don't have to be an owner of horn speakers to appreciate these amplifiers. I have connected & listened to them with Wilson Alexandria, Duntech Sovereign and Sonus Faber Aida loudspeakers and they were superb. This set were purchased from the Australian dealer and are finished in the Tiger Rosewood presentation. They are made in Germany, facilitate only XLR connections (no RCA unbalanced) and produce 150W per channel. Beware though....each amplifier is over 40kg! Here is the manufacturer's website for your reference: https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/hornloudspeaker.html The cost of these brand new is $43,000 ($23,000 for the XA PRE and $20,000 for the XA POWER). In the review mentioned above, Roy Gregory says "They are not cheap -- although in material and performance terms they are certainly a bargain". If you are genuinely interested, I'd like to hear from you. Please note that these are not just another similar version of the common amplifier designs available everywhere. These are a genuinely innovative design that has resulted in multiple patent applications and they sound distinctly better than all the amplifiers that I have heard. If you are looking for a 'destination' set of amplifiers that are built with the finest attention to detail inside and out, that will give you truly world class performance and have a hint of exclusivity, then these may be just waiting for you......enjoy! (Please note that in the pictures, the Townshend Audio pods that the amps are resting on are not included in the sale) Pictures:

For our October club meeting we’re very pleased to have Cameron Keating of MAXMEDIA present the Avantgarde Acoustic UNO XD. Cameron has previously presented the Zero 1 XD active speakers. He’s back to present lots of superb new products… the Avantgarde Acoustic UNO XD horn speakers, Lab 12 pre and power, the Innuos Zenith SE media Server and the AMR 777 SE DAC. The featured system on the day will be: Avantgarde Acoustic Uno XD. From the MaxMedia website… “The UNO XD Series is a scaled–down version of the classical DUO system. By employing smaller 10 inch bass drivers and by integrating the horns as part of the speaker body, we managed to reduce the cabinet structure considerably. The objective was to accomplish the clarity and power of its “bigger“ brother in a significantly reduced enclosure. The 500mm spherical midrange horn covers a wide bandwidth down to 300 hz. The active subwoofer SUB225 XD Series supplements the balance between spherical horn performance and low frequency reproduction. It is actuated by two 10 inch long– excursion drivers powered by a 1000 Watt amplifier.” More info at: http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/Uno_XD.html, https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/products/uno-series/uno-xd.html, https://stereo-magazine.com/archive/archiv/artikel/2016/7/017-floorstanding-speaker, http://www.enjoythemusic.com/HIGH_END_2016/Avantarde_Acoustics/ Lab12 Suono Power Amp. From the 6moons website (Url below)… “…the Suono amp, simply means sound. And that's in Italian, not Greek. It's a stripped-back very essential meaning. On looks too it avoids the overbuilt template of thermionic temple worship. It's far more basic and simple. This continues with quite practical specs. It's a SET if those letters signify single-ended tube. Whilst it can be run in triode mode with the flick of a switch, its KT150 power tube really isn't a triode at all. It's a high-power kinkless tetrode in the KT88 family. Hence the option to run the Suono in native or ultralinear mode. Now it delivers a full 25wpc.” More info at: http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/LAB12.html http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/lab12/1.html Lab12 Pre1 Preamplifier. From the HiFi Pig website (Url below)… “Internally Lab 12 uses a matched pair of E88CC valves along with a solid state power supply with four separate regulation stages for each channel. The pre1 is fully dual mono and uses the company’s trademarked “Fine Symmetry” in every part of the circuit. MKP audio grade capacitors and resistors are used and are selected to be accurate to 0.1%.“ More info at: http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/LAB12.html http://hifipig.com/lab-12-pre-1-valve-preamplifier/ Innuos Zenith SE Media Server. From the Innuos website (Url below)… “The Zenith SE picks up the trademark PRaT (Pace, Rhythm and Timing) and neutrality of the Zenith and raises it to an entirely new level. To achieve this, we focused on 3 areas: Power Supply, Vibration and EMI Shielding...” More info at: http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/Innuos_ZENITH_SE.html http://innuos.com/en/catalog/go/zenith-se-mk2-std AMR 777 SE DAC. From the 6moons website (Url below)… “…AMR's lucky number seven is a dual-mono single-ended affair with two separate DACs plus a valved output stage to seal the deal with a harmonically rich finish. Tubes make the unit flexible to some extent. Throw in selectable conversion methods. Physically, the DP-777SE is on the bigger side, measuring 45 x 37 x 12cm WxDxH and weighing 11.5kg. Frequency response is 20Hz–20kHz, A-weighted S/NR is >100 dB, THD+N is <0.3%. Dynamic range and channel separation are the same >90dB. Finish is black or silver and switchable 115/230V AC makes for one universal model. Power consumption in standby is below 1 watts and below 60 watts in operation. The build is tank-like to communicate seriousness of purpose.” More info at: http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/AMR_777_SERIES.html http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/amr/1.html Oppo BDP-105D Universal player. Will be used as a transport into the AMR DAC – required for our BYO session. More info at: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/oppo-bdp-105-universal-blu-ray-player-and-dac/ and https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/ The second half of the music sessions will be our popular BYO. Members and guests are welcome to offer music to share with us all. So bring along your favourite music on CD or USB flash drives (sorry, no vinyl). All we ask is that the music and recordings be interesting. We'll ask you to tell us a little about the artist/recording before it is played. Tracks over 6 minutes will be faded out, to give everyone a fair go. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran, you will have the opportunity to listen, learn and share your experiences with others. Feel free to come and hear the capabilities of the system, or to just share the experience with like-minded music lovers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Guests are welcome – we are a very friendly club so you don't need to know anyone to join us for an afternoon of fine music and sound. Venue: Epping Creative Centre, Dence Park Address: 26 Stanley Road, Epping When: Sunday 8th October 2017 Doors open at 1pm Meeting starts at 2pm Best regards, Tom Waters President Sydney Audio Club W: www.sydneyaudioclub.org.au FB: https://www.facebook.com/sydneyaudioclub E: tomwaters@sydneyaudioclub.org.au

Item: Avantgarde Acoustic UNO speakers Location: Bexley NSW Price: $9350 ONO. Item Condition: Used but in great condition, superb sonically. Reason for selling: Going different direction Payment Method: Pickup - Cash Extra Info: Listing on behalf of a friend. Grab your chance. Avantgarde speakers are rarely seen on second hand market. These speakers are in great condition sounds superb. Pick up only as he doesn’t have original box. Audition can be arranged. Pictures:

The March 2016 meeting of the Sydney Audio Club sees us once again gather for an afternoon of fine music, great sound and amicable company. Each month, the Sydney Audio Club presents the finest in high end audio systems for our members and guests. It's a bit like a private audio show once a month where you can hear and discuss equipment that you might not otherwise have the chance to audition. And you can bring along your own music to test the capabilities of the system or to just share with like-minded music lovers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. For March, we are very pleased to say we will have Cameron Keating of MAXMEDIA (refer to http://www.maxmedia.com.au/) back for an encore presentation of the excellent Avantgarde Acoustics Zero 1 speakers. You might recall that Cameron presented the original Avantgarde Zero 1 speakers to us in September 2014. Since then, Avantgarde has made considerable improvements to the Zero 1, the result being the new Zero 1 XD. Refer to http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/High_End_News.html. Cameron will be presenting the new Zero 1 XD speakers to us on the day! They very recently won another Editors’ Choice Award (refer to page 62 of the March 2016 issue of The Absolute Sound), plus the prestigious German Design Award for 2016. As well, the Zero 1 XD’s will be parameterized for our room. And we will also be trialling some room treatment (RealTraps Mondo and Vicoustics) to hopefully improve the room acoustics a bit more. Details of the system…. Avantgarde Acoustic Zero 1 XD speakers. These are radically different speakers. They are a combination of digital processors, digital-to-analogue converters, power amps and speakers – all in one package. All you need is a source and you have a complete system. Jonathan Valin’s extensive review of the original version of these speakers is in the September 2014 issue of The Absolute Sound (refer to http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/avantgarde-acoustic-zero-1-pro-loudspeaker/). He quite loved them – it was a long review in which he raved about their speed, vitality, accuracy, timbre rightness and resolution. And he went so far as to say are likely the very first horn loaded speakers he’s heard that don’t sound like horns. Also refer to http://www.maxmedia.com.au/www.maxmedia.com.au/High_End_News.html and http://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/home-zero1.html. Olive One HD music player – Refer to http://www.myoliveone.com/Ones Mac Mini with Roon Oppo BDP-105D Universal player – Refer to https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/blu-ray-BDP-105D-Overview.aspx and http://www.whathifi.com/oppo/bdp-105d/review The second half of the music sessions will be our popular BYO. Members and guests are welcome to offer music to share with us all. So bring along your favourite music on CD/SACD or flash drive. (Sorry, no vinyl this month.) All we ask is that the music and recordings be interesting. We'll ask you to tell us a little about the artist/recording before it is played. Tracks over 6 minutes will be faded out, to give everyone a fair go. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran, you will have the opportunity to listen, learn and share your experiences with others of a similar mind. Guests are always welcome – we are a very friendly club so you don't need to know anyone to join us for an afternoon of fine music and sound. We will welcome you at the door. Venue: Epping Creative Centre, Dence Park Address: 26 Stanley Road, Epping When: Sunday 13th March 2016 Doors open 1pm Meeting starts at 2pm Best regards, Tom Waters President Sydney Audio Club www.sydneyaudioclub.org.au tomwaters@sydneyaudioclub.org.au