Audio Brands
MASSIVE
Relocation Sale!
Shipping all our audio gear to the
new location will be a real pain and
an expensive exercise so you have
a rare chance between now and end
of August to pick up some huge bargains
on virtually all of our gear except
for Cambridge and Paradigm.
 I
will start putting up special prices
as I get the chance, but in the meantime,
feel free to contact me and don't
be shy - you may be nicely surprised.
Give me a ring and lets haggle!
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Audio Reference
Co is continually evaluating the international
market to find unique products and brands
that will bring you the opportunity to discover
and enjoy music in its all its fullness
and diversity.
Below you will find an extensive range of
serious brands and audio solutions that
we believe will enable you to maximise your
music appreciation. We make no apology that
a good portion of the gear we offer is placed
in the mid to high end market as this is
where we find many of the components that
will best fulfil the aspirations of those
serious about their musical experience.
However those who value the joy of music
don’t belong to an exclusive club,
so we have also sought to include a range
of excellent components at a reasonable
budget. We invite you to browse through
the list to get a feel of what’s available
and let us help you discover the best solution
for your investment.
We try hard to keep an extensive range of
the majority of the many components we represent
and our hope is that amongst these gems
you will find wonderful solutions to that
elusive holy grail of music appreciation.
We welcome your feedback and input on our
offerings and enjoy learning from the experience
of others.
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Click on brand logo to see product range
Analogue - Turntables
 
“The worldwide
revival in vinyl-based analogue music reproduction
is alive and growing. That's why we love
analogue because it's the birthplace of
music”.
Take the best and make
it better, only then is it just good enough."
Peter Suchy
Peter Suchy, a man with
a visionary character and an overwhelming
desire to bring these visions into reality;
a man who does not follow trends, but creates
them and sets new standards; a man who realises
his
philosophy in the products that carry the
Clearaudio name.
Clearaudio products are regarded as innovative,
of true quality, and of setting the highest
standards by hi-fi specialists and top class
engineers alike.
Clearaudio has been setting new standards
in the analogue reproduction of music for
more than 30 years. You will find Clearaudio
in more than 70 countries worldwide with
a fully comprehensive range of high-end
phono cartridges, tonearms and turntables,
phono preamplifiers, class-A amplifiers,
plugs, cables, racks and even the audiophile
production of vinyl records.
Optimisation and refinement
are key features within Clearaudio's headquarters,
as is a harmony resulting from the common
dreams of a family being realised for another
generation.
Nearly every part
is made in our factory at Erlangen. All
this is done with the same innovative design
and visionary energy needed to continually
listen to, test and measure our results
both acoustically and technically before
moving on to producing a constant quality
in series production.
For our whole product range we had to design
new measurement techniques and equipment
to meet our standards, high above the average.
For every component designed by clearaudio
we guarantee you top-class high-end quality
that is built to last.
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Brinkmann turntables
are considered by many as the ultimate turntable
to own and this can partly be explained because
of Helmut Brinkmann’s never ending search
for the perfect illusion. Some say that perfect
music playback is an illusion. Helmut Brinkmann
however, leaves nothing to chance as he works
on perfecting this illusion, thus making music
playback as real as possible.
Each device, no matter whether a turntable
or an amplifier, has a well defined function.
Good design is the reduction of the ingredients
to their most essential; ideally there is
nothing to be found inside or elsewhere on
a device that is not directly related to the
device's function. Hence we conclude that
each single part of the device, no matter
how trivial, has an influence on sound. Yes,
even the smallest screw.
Mechanical
engineering by Brinkmann, or the art of
extracting colourful soundscapes from black
vinyl.
Despite continued
advances in digital playback, the vinyl
record (in spite of its limitations) remains
the foremost important music format in the
world. This is also especially true for
Brinkmann. As records are cut at precisely
33 1/3 revolutions per minute, they therefore
must also be played back at exactly the
same speed; otherwise pitch will be off.
This explains the most important requirements
for proper playback:
- Accurate and
consistent speed.
- Gentle groove
tracing.
- High level of
immunity from external and internal vibrations.
- Ultimate quietness
and low friction of platter and tonearm
bearing.
Consider, however,
that at Brinkmann, each and every component
is optimized to work in synergy, hence your
mileage with other components may vary.
Put differently, at Brinkmann, the whole
is greater than the sum of its parts.
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Music Hall LLC was founded in April 1985.
Its emphasis is almost exclusively 2-channel
(stereo), a rarity in this day of iPods
and multi-channel products. It has grown
over the years to become a respected turntable
manufacturer.
Music Hall manufactures its own range of
respected, entry level turntables in the
Czech Republic. These are produced in a
factory that has been making turntables
for over 50 years. All Music Hall turntables
come fitted with arms, cartridges and dust
covers. They consistently make the "Recommended
Components" list in Stereophile Magazine.
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Analogue - Phono Stages
Audio Components
The ATOLL
ELECTRONIQUE company was founded in September
1997 by 2 brothers : Stéphane &
Emmanuel DUBREUIL. Right from the start
the philosophy was to address a lack in
the market : no reasonably priced true high-end
audio electronics for budget-conscious audiophiles
“ATOLL is an accessible high-end audio
electronics brand handmade in France with
the highest standards of quality and perfectionism.
“Our goal is to allow a very large
audience to listen to high performance,
high definition true “high-end”
audio sound at reasonable prices and to
enjoy ultra realistic high fidelity music
with presence, depth, and a dynamic sound
stage”.
To achieve this goal, ATOLL offers a product
line with an unbeatable and incomparable
musicality/price ratio.
• Quality in Design :
all layers are completely symmetrical, with
discreet components. Double mono configuration
after correction, very low counter effect
ratio, minimal wiring length, star-shaped
structure for components areas, inside protection,
etc.
• Quality of the electronic components
used :
Upper class Snap-in condensers with high-duty
capacity and low in-line resistance, high-quality
volume and source selectors (from ALPS),
resistors with metal layer, MOS-FET transistors,
full class A components for many units,
mounting positioning by pairs and by triple
groups.
 •
Quality in Manufacturing :
insertion and welding of all components
totally done at main plant in France (Brecey,
Normandy). Handmade assembly and testing,
with 4 steps-checks and measuring followed
by thorough listening of each unit before
each shipping.
• Quality from suppliers :
Not only all design processes, manufacturing
and testing are done in France, but also
almost all major components are source from
suppliers located in France or in the E.U.
: chassis are made in "Britany",
the aluminium front plates are laser-cut
in "Lorraine", circuit mother-boards
are printed in the “Normandy”,
power-supplies are made in the “Rhône”
subregion and packaging is source from the
famous “Normandy” sub-region.
All these French sub-regions are located
within reach of ATOLL’s main plant,
which allows us to be proactive, reactive
and most of all, offer our customers the
highest standards of quality and reliability
and the ability to adapt to demand at a
moment’s notice
ATOLL ELECTRONIQUE now sells its products
all over the world in Europe, the Americas
and Asia, including Japan. We address the
needs of the most demanding audiophiles
and sound performance lovers, while giving
them a clean, neat and beautiful European
design that will be enhancing their interior
homes. Our passion is stronger then ever,
and we pursue perfection and satisfaction
day by day for the sheer pleasure of our
customers.
The Atoll range includes CD players, DACs,
Integrated amps & stereo amps from 30w
to 120w/ch, FM tuners & phono stages.
There is a natural joy and dynamic Atoll
brings to the music experience.
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e.One
The Smarter Approach to Performance Audio.
Our new e.One line is designed to meet one
goal: to offer a complete line of the highest
performance audio equipment available.
Passion for musical expression and technical
virtuosity have been the guiding principals
of the founder and head designer of Bel Canto,
John Stronczer. dissatisfaction with the status
quo of ‘High End Audio’ created
the desire to go beyond the mundane by designing
audio systems to satisfy his deep need to
experience of the power and expression of
music.
The development of the e.One line represents
a synthesis of the knowledge gained over the
past 15 years in defining and perfecting high
performance audio equipment at Bel Canto Design.
Taking stock of the current available technologies
and applying them intelligently brings remarkable
levels of performance in this new, compact,
line of audio equipment. Each product represents
a new level of audio realism and performance.
With the e.One line we prove that
smarter is indeed better.
For John Stronczer this musical experience
was the only reason to build an audio system.
It was not an option to lose the full expression
of that experience for the sake of market
requirements, passing trends or fashion.
Our goal at Bel Canto is to help you reach
audio nirvana through the application of our
product design, manufacturing and system building
expertise. Each part of the Bel Canto system
solution is optimized to allow the original
recording to come through uncorrupted, with
the musical spark intact. Our sincere hope
is that your journey towards that nirvana
will be eased and sped on its way by working
within the Bel Canto System presented here.
The music emerges with great integrity and
subtlety from a silent background, untouched
by the 50-60Hz related residual inherent in
traditional, massive, low frequency transformer-based
amplifier power supplies. Removing this low
frequency residue reveals a purity through
the mid frequencies that simply sounds like
music and the regulated supply liberates the
low frequencies, seemingly adding an octave
or more to your loudspeaker’s performance.
Dedication to the goal of revealing compelling
and powerful musical expression fuels our
commitment to design and develop performance
audio equipment that takes you closer to the
original performance and the intent of the
artists, engineers and producer.
Manufactured in Canada, Bel Canto range includes
DACs, CD players, Phonostage, Preamp, Integrated,
Stereo & Mono block amplifiers.
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 Esoteric
of Japan has been delivering the finest
audio components to the most discerning
listeners for nearly 40 years. All the components
used in building the VRDS - NEO mechanism,
CD players, multi-players, DACs -digital
to analogue converters, digital clocks
and other electronics are hand selected,
matched and graded to combine into a single
synergistic audio component.
Leaders in their field and winners of numerous
awards, there is no compromise...
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 Our
entry level range where serious Hi-Fi begins
Exposure Electronics has been committed
towards engineering real hi-fi at real world
prices since 1974. 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.
Designed in the United Kingdom, engineered
by people who are obsessed with sound reproduction
and who are passionate about music. They
are committed to two channel stereo and
make hi-fi that is fitted with highly specified
components. The look of the finished products
is best described as “understated.”
They say this reflects traditional simplicity
and elegance.
The signature Exposure sound, however, is
quite something else. There is a delicacy
in the upper ranges and openness in the
mid range, underpinned by deep yet agile
bass that "dances" along. Hi-fi
critics have praised Exposure for offering
“rightness” in sound as well
as the best of both worlds - in terms of
the speed and precision of the best solid
state designs flavoured with a touch of
the "sweetness" of valves.
Hi-Fi News – Re Classic series…
“It is on par with the best that
I have heard.”
What Hi-Fi & Ultimate Guides & Hi-Fi
: The 2010S (CD player) is up there
with the best in its class. Fabulous treble,
great dynamics and a weighty yet solid bottom-end
make for a superb CD player.” “Exposure
kit tends to put performance above flashy
cosmetics and features. The 2010S (integrated
amplifier) is a powerful, straight-talking
amp that trades in some of the refinement
and insight of the class leaders for a sizeable
dose of fun. If you just want to sit back
and enjoy music, give it a whirl.”
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What's so special about Lyngdorf?
“We create music systems that
preserve and present the full dimension
of passion in any kind of music by removing
the room factor”.
Due to the limitations of traditional audio
systems "reproduction of music"
has become a universal phrase in the hi-fi
world. But re-produce means "to copy".
We do not re-produce - we re-play music
with all the passion intact. Nothing added
- nothing removed! We can do this because
our superior technology is developed by
the best audio designers in the world. No
one has more experience in cutting-edge
digital audio than the Lyngdorf crew. There
are no secrets, but plenty of science in
the way we re-play music. Discover what
the buzz is all about, and find out why
listening to a Lyngdorf system will ensure
a jaw-dropping experience.
RoomPerfect Preamplifiers &
Processors
Lyngdorf Audio is proud to offer a DPA-1
- digital Preamplifier with room processor
and a RP1 - Room Processors that can be
used as part of a complete Lyngdorf Audio
system and also, due to their extremely
high performance and versatility, will be
a perfect match in any high quality audio
system.
The RoomPerfect room correction technology
in the DPA-1 & RP1 effectively removes
the room from the "good sound"
equation. The technology used to do this
simply represents state-of-the-art within
room correction. Test results from all over
the world confirm that it also works perfectly
in "real life".
It works and makes a world of difference
- but how is it to operate? Well, even though
this is the most sophisticated room correction
system in the market it is very simple to
use. You don't need to know anything about
acoustics or computers to get full benefit
from RoomPerfect. The menu will guide you
through the calibration and everything needed;
microphone, stand and cable come included
with the DPA-1. So, you are easily up and
running in less than 1- hour!
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Luxman was created in 1925 when radio broadcasting
started in Japan, they recently commemorated
the 80th anniversary of their foundation and
is one of the world’s longest established
audio companies. They have long offered great
acoustics to the audio world. Luxman is highly
regarded both at home and abroad as an excellent
brand for high quality audio products and
are still working to find further excitement
through excellent music and to share the pleasure
with its clients and users. "At
Luxman, we work for our products to deliver
the passion of each music piece expressed
by composers, players, and recording engineers
to listeners, using Luxman enthusiasm with
the same the level of zeal as artists and
engineers".
A few samples of some
of the reviewers quotes:
Marc Mickelson - Soundstage:
With the B-1000f, Luxman has returned
to America with a bang. Just as in the automobile
industry, the established names in American
hi-fi -- Mark Levinson, Krell, Boulder and
others -- now have some stiff competition
from Japan.
B-1000f was awarded - Reviewers' Choice
-- in overdrive.
Michael Fremer –
Stereophile:
Philip O'Hanlon once imported Halcro
amplifiers, which I could respect but never
love. I can love and respect the Luxman
M-800A—even the next morning.
The Japan Audio
Excellence Award 2010: The Luxman D-06 CD
player received a Silver Prize, (by comparison
the Esoteric SA-50 scored a Bronze)
James Darby – Stereo Mojo on the L-505u
integrated amp:
Like a Bentley automobile, is about
quiet, quality, relaxed refinement - something
you can slip into and enjoy right away and
live with for a long, long time. But unlike
a Bentley, it does not come with a exorbitant
price. Considering its feature set, fastidious
build quality, cache, elegant sound presentation
and the fact that for many companies, this
would be their top model- not their entry
level - this is really kind of a bargain.
Uday Reddy – Sound Stage on the L509u
Integrated Amp:
Very impressive was the reproduction
of high frequencies and the midrange....and
after hearing this incredible bass response,
I dove deep into my collection of rock recordings
to exploit and enjoy this quality.
Paul Seydor – The Absolute Sound on
the L550A Integrated amp:
The special virtues of the Luxman begin
with a really lovely purity that holds up
and down the scale from the quietest of
settings to the loudest…….Suddenly
the entire performance took on a richness,
weight, and depth not just of sonics but
of deepened emotional meaning, of extended
musical expression.
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  During
the late 1980's, leading Danish industrial
designer and passionate audiophile Bo Christensen
set out to create a new kind of audio company.
Their corporate mission was, first and foremost,
to design components of exceptional sound
quality. Secondly, the products should have
an elegant appearance, precise proportions
and a user-friendly interface.
Mr. Christensen's vision
and potent combination of clean Scandinavian
design, simple elegant circuitry and straightforward
operation created audio components of uncanny
originality. Innovative zeal and entrepreneurial
dynamism gained Primare a reputation for
excellence among consumers and designers
alike. The energy to innovate remains at
the core of Primare's eternal push for perfection.
The right people, the
right skills, and right environments help
Primare to make the finest audio and audio-visual
products in each class. |
 
The Triode Corporation
– Mr Junichi Yamazaki comes to us highly
regarded within the Japanese audio field
having won many awards for his achievements.
Mr Yamazaki designs and manufactures a beautiful
range of contemporary styled tube stereo
gear including KT88 and 300B tube integrated
and mono block amplifiers ranging from 12w
to 75w, pre-amplifiers, phono amps, a special
tube CD player and a pair of serious high
end 200w hybrid mono blocks.
Tri components have the rare ability to
bring control and timbre to the bass while
still retaining the famous value that tube
brings to the mid range. The treble is open
and airy without brittleness that is sometimes
attributed to tube gear.
Tri audio gear more than most, brings out
the joy, beauty and dynamics of music that
it will have you listening into the wee
small hours of the morning. |
AV/
Blueray / Home Theatre
| Anthem
(Area Agent)
Coming soon...
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Cables
& Cable Accessories
 During
my last challenging project, the "Stradivari
Homage", I felt the need to use an
internal wiring conductor which was not
another product derived from the telecommunication
industry with solutions based in radio frequency
theories, but a materials solution with
properties designed to handle bandwidth
frequencies and power levels.
So emerged a new conductor
based in conceptual and structural terms,
on tThetransfeftheaudiosignal from amplifier
to speaker, and in particular those at the
micro signal level, depends more on the
physical structure of the metal than on
the absolute value of conductivity in the
wire.
To intervene at a metallurgic level to obtain
order and homogeneity of the conductor's
crystalline structure, thus providing greater
compliance of the music signal within the
signal path. Pairing Silver(Ag) and Palladium(Pd)
using a new three-phase fusion process is
the basic element of the alloy. The crystalline
homogeneity of the special alloy is the
basis for the metallurgic harmony found
in our conductor, almost as if it were a
metal "tune". It's all in the
process: Well Tempered Argentum Alloy
 The
result of this development is a speaker
and interconnect cable (YTER) that ensures
metallurgical coherence in the path from
the CD player through to the amplifier to
the drivers.
YTER cables manufactured
in Italy and are used as the Internal wiring
for the famous Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage,
Amati Anniversario, and Guarneri Memento
speakers.
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Loudspeakers
 Avalon
Acoustics, world premier loudspeaker manufacturer,
designs and crafts works of art for the
astute music lover who appreciates the subtlety
and emotion of a moving musical experience.
The Avalon Acoustics philosophy is simple:
To build the finest loudspeakers possible,
without compromise.
The listening experience
must provide a precise re-creation of the
original musical event, conveying all of
its emotional impact and nuance of detail.
Each speaker will be a work of art in itself,
a union of music and aesthetics attained
through uncompromising dedication to the
highest quality standards. |
  Gemme
is a relatively new name on the block ready
to take on established brands with their unique
full range True Horn loudspeaker. They have
achieved serious base, something thats been
elusive for horn manufactures while maintaining
all the wonderful virues of horn speakers.
See reviews….
Gemme TANTO - VFlex loudspeakers:
Tanto means “a lot” in
Italian". This name seems quite appropriate
for loudspeakers that can reproduce the lowest
notes of a pipe organ, and fill a small auditorium
with vivid sound without ever loosing their
composure. Tanto are 1.5 way full range loudspeakers,
the main driver does not use any crossover,
TANTO speakers are actually full-range designs
from 20 to 5000 Hz. Using VFlex loading, Tanto
reproduce live music with incredible accuracy
and with an uncanny sense of "being there".
Their soundstage and imaging is equal to the
best, achieving headphone resolution, making
you literally "hear the room". Tanto
loudspeakers will load all but the biggest
room sizes, and truly offer a hair-raising
musical experience.
Stereo Mojo Magazine TANTO voted BEST
NEW SPEAKER OF THE YEAR 2007
StereoMojo Magazine Editor: "Regarding
the TANTO, enjoying is an understatement."
Stereo et Images Magazine TANTO Review: "With
TANTO Dynamics are almost magical. The sound
is absolutely enthralling"
Sonic Flare Magazine: "TANTO should
be used with the best amplification available.
Not because they demand it, but because they
deserve it."
 Gemme
VIVACE - VFlex loudspeakers: Sometimes
things happen that seem to defy the very laws
of physics. Like the new single driver Vivace
loudspeakers from Gemme Audio. Using a single
4" full-range driver, Vivace loudspeakers
cover the frequency range from 20 to 20,000
Hertz. No other single-cone loudspeaker can
accomplish this level of performance, regardless
of size or cost.
The incredibly full-bodied, tight and articulate
bass output is only part of the story, since
Vivace use the highly acclaimed Fostex FE108E
Sigma driver, which delivers stunning clarity,
single point source and coherent sound field.
Best of all you won't need to wrestle with
fridge size speakers to get that kind of performance
since all this is packaged in a room-friendly
1,5 cu ft. mini tower enclosure.
Vivace loudspeakers are engineered to perform
admirably in rooms ranging from 100 to 200
square feet. Power handling is the Fostex
recommended 24 watts, but the tight control
VFlex exerts on the cones makes them capable
to sustain much more power. Sensitivity is
a respectable 92 db, which combined with a
benign 8 ohm load makes them happy with SET
tube amps, as well as with more powerful transistor
amps.
HiFi4All.dk reviewer "There is a
stroke of genius with the VIVACE... It's just
sublime!"
Stereo Times Magazine reviewer: "I
love the VIVACE!” (he bought the review
pair...Ed.
Ukraine distributor - English Sound: "VIVACE
are probably the best speakers in our (extensive)
portfolio."
Hi-FI+ reporter - Heathrow High Fidelity Show
2007 Report: "VIVACE were generating
astonishing bass from their four inch Fostex
driver. Apparently, I was not the only visitor
to the room enquiring about the existence
of additional, unseen drivers within the cabinet..." |
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Magico
(Area Agent)
Coming soon...
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  Why
Should Anybody Accept Compromised Performance
In Real-World Priced Speaker Systems?
Usher Audio Technology speakers and electronics
are built for the experienced listener who
just won’t compromise on sound quality
even at moderate prices. Our loudspeakers
are produced with skill and pride in an ultra-modern
factory in Taiwan with great attention to
manufacturing efficiency and productivity,
turning out beautifully-crafted speaker systems
incorporating advanced technologies like beryllium
midrange drivers to match Usher’s superb
beryllium tweeters.
 Beryllium
Domes and Usher’s Drivers
Usher has been producing speakers in Taiwan
for more than thirty years, and makes a number
of specialized in-house drivers featuring
Be beryllium ceramic diaphragms. These are
created by heating beryllium formers to greater
than 700 degrees, transforming them into brittle
but extremely high-strength beryllium oxide.
This ceramic’s enormous strength-to-weight
ratio pushes the Be dome tweeter's transient
response to an extraordinary level while minimizing
distortion as no fabric-dome can claim.
The Be tweeters’ upper-frequency response
is extremely focused and dynamic, but full-bodied,
grain- and glare-free. Some manufacturers
run their beryllium tweeters above 30kHz because
they can, but research with the standard-setting
Klippel R&D System (http://www.klippel.de/)
that dynamically measures non-linear motion
clearly shows that running beryllium tweeters
out to almost 40kHz causes break-up distortion.
Usher’s Be tweeter operates up to 30kHz
eliminating the dual resonance points most
beryllium tweeters are saddled with.
A Word about Dr. Joseph D’Appolito
We are very happy to have Dr. Joseph D'Appolito
as Usher’s technical consultant since
early 2000. He provides guidance on all our
speakers’ crossover designs. A world-renowned
authority in audio and acoustics, he specializes
in loudspeaker system design with credentials
galore: BEE, SMEE, EE and Ph.D., degrees from
RPI, MIT and the University of Massachusetts.
As a member of the Audio Engineering Society,
Dr. D'Appolito has published over 30 journal
and conference papers. His most popular and
influential brainchild has to be the MTM (midrange/tweeter/midrange
vertical array) commonly known as the D'Appolito
Configuration that’s used by dozens
of manufacturers throughout the world.
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Television
Loewe
(Area Agent)
Coming soon...
|
Valves
Audio
Racks & Accessories
  -
Follow your imagination and let your creativity
flow -
Well conceived
and designed rack systems should encompass
flexibility, performance and user friendliness
mated with timeless elegance.
Rack of Silence
Solid Tech introduces Rack of Silence, a
new audiophile rack combining innovative
resonance controlling technology, with elegant
design features and unmatched flexibility.
 The
Radius
Design enables the user to tailor the rack
system for a great variety of applications.
The imagination is the limit! No matter
if you at present have a home theatre system,
or if you are an audiophile on the upgrade
path, the Radius design will fulfil your
demands. As your system expands, Radius
flexible, adaptable and upgradeable design
will enable you to realize the full potential
of your system.
Solid Tech is designed
and created out of Sweden. |
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solutions
including our Phono Stage, and Discrete
Analogue Processors.
Music
has always been a sensual experience, the
expression of freedom and lifestyle. 
