Welcome

Audio Reference Co for HiFi stereo equipment & audio gear, amplifiers, DACs, CD players, blu-ray players, music servers, loud speakers, turntables, cables, headphones, racks, acoustic panels and home theatre.

Hi, I’m Terry Humphries...

HiFi audio is my passion!  I’ve travelled the world to bring together the finest gear for you to audition in our studio.

Greenslade House, Hamilton, New Zealand

Our studio is located in one of Hamilton’s iconic homes, Greenslade House. We welcome visits by appointment.

Tube or solid state amplifier?

It’s a personal preference, so why not come and experience both in our studio?

Turntables

Enjoy the ultimate in analogue sound with your vinyl collection and the world’s finest turntables and accessories

Craftsmanship + Technology

We're proud of our audio gear. It represents the culmination of superb craftsmanship and leading-edge HiFi technology.

All the latest audio gear

Visit our studios to experience an extensive range of the latest gear from world-leading brands. We have everything from entry level to absolute top end.

Welcome

Audio Reference: your specialist for HiFi / stereo equipment & audio gear, valve and solidstate amplifiers, preamplifiers, mono blocks, integrated amps, DACs, CD, SACD & blu-ray players, turntables, phono stages, bookshelf & floorstanding loud speakers, cables, music servers, headphones, racks, power conditioners, acoustic panels, isolation feet, home theatre & more.

Welcome to our website:
We hope you find our website a positive experience and welcome your feedback. 

We import and source for you some of 'best-of-class' HiFi gear, from affordable entry level through to unique, specialised high-end components, all chosen to bring a special outcome at their price point.

A select range of our products is available through a number of respected Hi-Fi resellers and we also sell direct through our base in Hamilton.  Please phone to discuss how we can help you best enjoy your experiance with all that we have to offer.  

If you choose to come to Hamilton then we invite you to bring along your favourite music for a personal audition and spend quality time discovering new opportunities to enhance your enjoyment of music and videos in, boutique, surroundings,  
It is all very relaxed and informal, feel comfortable to come by just for a look at what's on offer or if you would like we can set up an audition with your music, there is no pressure or expectations, it's all about enjoying music and our passion, I enjoy catching up and discussing ideas, however to ensure we can give you an uninterrupted experience and to help avoid overlapping with another client's audition time we ask you to please phone us first.

Please phone : Terry on +64 21 880 884 / 021 880 884 to arrange a suitable time, thank you.

News

Tellurium Q "Graphite " NEW RELEASE

Tellurium Q introduce their new high-end "GRAPHITE" reference cables into the market.

Hi Fi World will be doing a piece on the Graphite speaker cable coming out at the end of this month 

A comment from Geoff Merrigan about their new Graphite cables:

Introducing the legendary Stirling Broadcast BBC monitor speakers the NZ/Australian market

Introducing the Stirling Broadcast (ex Rogersrange of BBC monitor speakers including the legendary BBC LS3/5a V2, designed to meet the exacting requirements of the BBC LS3/5a specification. and Stirling Broadcast's latest creation, their all new BBC LS3/6 which has just been released onto the market 

Quadral Platinum M4 easily wins multi-way floorstander test

Image preview

Speakers on test:

Quadral Platinum M4- Sound quality score: 85%
Paradigm Reference Studio 60- Sound quality score: 75%
Mordant & Short Aviano - Sound quality score: 73%
Dali Lector 8- Sound quality score: 78%

Electrocompaniet very evident at RMAF driving a number of name speaker brands....

The high regard for Electrocompaniet brand was very evident at RMAF - Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver this year with quite a number of the high end speakers brands choosing to drive their speakers through Electrocompaniet components, including Avalon and new Brodmann brand (ex Bosendofer) to name just 2, 

Our latest shipment of the Electrocompaniet components is now in store, we welcome your interest and encourage you to phone for your personal audition to discover just how special this gear from Norway is and what it can bring to  your musical enjoyment.

Electrocompaniet add new High-End 3D Multi layer to Classic cline up

We saw the new EMP-2 from Norwegian high-end company Electrocompaniet, Blu-ray / multi format player at RMAF - Rocky Mountain Audio Fest this month. The EMP2, is a 3D Blu-ray universal player complete with network streaming capabilities. The new player handles both 2D and 3D Blu-ray content, along with CD/SACD, DVD/DVD-Audio and streaming content from a home network over wired or Wi-Fi connections. Two HDMI 1.4a outputs are provided along with composite and component video, while audio is also available on 7.1-channel and balanced stereo analogue outputs.

Release of the fabulous new Transmit-8 805 tube mono blocks

Announcing the launch of New Zealand manufactured Transmit 8  (An Upgraded revised version is in the wings and due for release soon).
 
Over the last couple of weeks we have been greatly enjoying the new Transmit 8 805 tube mono blocks, a 5yr journey by Wayne and Brian to bring them to market.

a major upgrade of the Thoroughbred Sequenced Power Interface.

Thoroughbred® Audio Engineering

“Pure power can only be achieved by the professional use of a combination of critical measures. For each that is missing, the sum of the remainder is greatly diminished and performance compromised”
Copyright© 2007; Thoroughbred® Audio Engineering

A product of the 30 year design experience of BOOLEAN ENGINEERING Pty. Ltd.

The Cambridge 751BD has won a prestigious EISA award for Universal player of the year 2011.

For those of you not familiar with EISA, it is an association of 50 technology magazines from 19 European countries, which gathers once a year to choose the best products in selected Consumer Electronics categories.

Whilst one review is simply the opinion of one magazine or publication, an EISA award is the combined opinion of 50 publications, which really does make this award something that you can trust and stand behind.
If you want to know more, visit their site, here: http://www.eisa.eu/about.html)

Electrocompanient PD 1 DAC became the group test winner in HiFi Choice

Electrocompaniet PD-1 wireless DAC awarded 5 Stars in DAC shoot out.
In a Hi-Fi Choice group test competing with DAC’s from Cyrus, Lavry, M2Tech, Moon and NuForce the Electrocompaniet PD 1 DAC won.

David Byron sets up "The John Perry Collection" a vinyl library of over 4000pcs soon to be avaiable for loan.

John Perry recently passed away after a long fight against cancer. He was a well loved and respected character in the audio world, always looking out for that something special to enhance his joy of music, however he was rather canny, never waistful and known to very patient to make sure he always bought at the right price.

SGR MT3F-SL (Slimline) make for a phenomenal home theatre system!

Thought you might like to see how some clients like to appreciate their music when combined with home theatre and TV.

This has to be an ultimate setup based around a TV - there is a pair of SGR's fully active MT3F-SL (Slimline) speakers sitting alongside a pair of SGR custom subwoofers,

You can imagine whatever they are listening to, Music or TV or Home Theatre it’s all going to be amazing, this is no compromise to the max. 

Revival of the Classic - Franco Serblin's proposed new Accordo stand mtg speakers

Mono & Stereo article re proposed new Accordo stand mtg speakers: (due for release in first 1/2 of 2012)

European Audio Team Announces Its Third Turntable With a Radical New Tonearm!

EAT’s E-Flat is a new, forward-thinking turntable supplied with a revolutionary flat tonearm. Although flat arms have been seen in the past, none have been able to offer the rigidity necessary to deliver the stable performance expected of modern tonearms. Thanks to the continued evolution of carbon fibre, Forte has been able to create an arm with the practical and aesthetic benefits of a flat form, but without the weaknesses.

Just arrived our NEW EAT FORTE S turntable.

If you are in the market or looking for a new turntable and want something special, then can I encourage you to audition the EAT ForteS, I promise you that you wil be absoultley delighted, it is a stunner both in musical outcome and looks. Those who have already heard it are very excited about it, its offers huge value for money when you hear it.

QUADRAL loudspeakers - iF-Award 2010 and top test result

Facts
iF product design award 2010:
- quadral Platinum M 4 / Aurum Wotan VIII

the sound in this room was uncolored and extended at both frequency extremes, revealed by a superb recording of a female singer accompanied by a double bass

I have never been a fan of transmission-line speakers. My experience has been that too often resonant problems in the line color the speaker's upper bass. But I didn't hear any such problems with the Acoustic Zen Crescendo speakers (US$16,000/pair), seen here with designer Robert Lee. The Crescendo combines two 5" midrange units with magnesium-impregnated paper cones placed either side of a horn-loaded tweeter with two 8" woofers that use ceramic-coated "non-pressed" paper cones, these loaded with a transmission line venting at the speaker's base.

The NEW Krell Phanton Preamp made its debut at Axpona.

The Krell Phanton preamp made its debut at Axpona. It shares the steely, solid, no-nonsense look and feel of other Krell components, and is meant to partner with any of the company’s Evolution e-Series amplifiers. The Phantom is the first Krell preamp to include an optional crossover, so that the user can employ a satellite/subwoofer arrangement, without compromising sound quality.

GURU QM10 - the unique, highly aclaimed, full range mini-monitor will soon be available to NZ audiophiles

GURU loudspeakers:
30yrs of research into how the human ear responds to sound lead to the final creation the incredible Guru Pro Audio QM10 bookshelf and then on to the QM60 floorstand loudspeakers. These are a totaly uniuqe concept and change your perceptions of what is possible and of your enjoyment and engagement with music, it’s all about psychoacoustics.

Exposures NEW enhanced S2 series of Amplifiers & Cd players now in stock

EXPOSURE S2 RELEASE:
Late in 2010 Exposure released their new enhanced S2 series which has taken a significant step forward over the previous S1 series. It would be well worth your while to come along and audition for yourself the Exposure difference.

Exposure Electronics has been committed towards engineering real hi-fi at real world prices since 1974. Back then, the original Exposure products were born out of founder John Farlowe’s obsession for excellent reproduction of recorded music, having worked in studios with the likes of David Bowie and Pink Floyd.

Cable shoot out:

Like many, we believe good cables can make a significant difference, In March George Fracchia of ZenSati cables came to demo their #2 & #3 ranges of these unique Danish hand crafted cables.  

Many of you may not be aware of this brand however  ZenSati cables from Denmark claim:
“to be the most neutral, super fast and musical cables currently available. They are the new reference”.