Customers say:

Our meeting with began with a complaint.  The courier driver wanted to know "what the hell is in this thing?"  He was wrong, she is not a thing, she has a soul.  For inside that box was Tri and her valves, wrapped up  and lavished with a deep coat of crimson.  Sexy yes, but  far more Sophia Loren than Keira Knightley.   

I've listened to a few in my time and there is a lot to like about Tri.  Her pipes sound full, and deep but graced with a delicate touch, not thin and reedy, or etched and metallic as do her semi-conducting friends.  She sings best when given time to warm up and a flavoursome dinner made with fresh natural ingredients.  Don't give her electronic Cup-a Soup, you'll be wasting your time. 

Musically she appears to have more respect for Itzhak Perlman than Robbie Williams.  More disconcertingly she has a liking for Johnny Cash she even gets along with Keren Ann Nolita.  It's all a matter of preference. To sum it up, this lady has graced the lounge with style, pushed aside her shabby companions, reached out to the speakers and really made them sing.

Cheers

Steve

Terry,

Hi Terry
The Kid is so good that I'm selling my Wadia 171i/Musical Fidelity M1 DAC combo on trademe. I love the bass and treble adjustments too. They help improve the bad sounding albums I have. In fact I will consider getting a second one for my office .
Thank you
Boyan

Hi Terry,
It was great to catch up on Sunday and see all the new gear you have. I was pleasantly surprised by what the Electrocompaniet PD-1 DAC with it's matching EMS-1 music streamer were able to do with a wireless signal, sourced from a computer playing a redbook CD . As a vinyl lover, I’m wary of computer audio, but the PD-1 made the music more enjoyable and natural sounding than I was expecting. It must shine with a really good digital source.
.....Alan R

Hi Terry,

Many thanks indeed for the sneak opportunity to experience the Transmit8 SE50 mono-block amplifiers set up with the Pure Audio Pure control pre-amplifier and the Krell Cipher SACD player, playing through the Ktema Proscenium Speakers on Saturday. It really was a breathtaking experience.

To be able to listen to a favourite track of ours of Maria Muldaur, singing “I gotta right to sing the blues” from her love wants to dance album, was simply sensational. There are no other words top describe the experience.

 From attending a number of your listening evenings, you have presented the opportunity to listen to music through some very high end equipment and be amazed at the music reproduction, but the experience on Saturday was even more special, as Maria and her band members were seemingly reproduced in an audible holographic presentation, right there in front of you. Wow – totally dynamic.

The photos of the Transmit8 SE50 mono-blocks on the web site do not do them justice, as they are larger than life and the build quality is exceptional and proudly, both they and the Pure Audio pre amp are New Zealand made. I look forward to reading the wow reviews that they will produce in the future.

Even though I have a Hi-Fi system that I am proud of, it will be a while before I can play Maria Muldaur again!

Thanks again Terry, it was most appreciated.

Best Regards,
Mike Pearson

Hi Terry,

Firstly money is on the way to your account as I write.

As you probably have guessed the 840E is a lot better then my old pre, starting with less grain and then moving on to better clarity, more defined, extended and controlled bass and the imaging is much sharper. So on the whole a definite improvement and that is before it has completely burnt in, so things can only get even better.

Thank you for your great service.

Regards

Mike

Hi Terry,
 
Many thanks for delivering the new Myryad CD player last night, after your long day of install work, it was much appreciated.

Things returned to somewhat of normality in our household last night after a turbulent week of family returning from oversees and so on.

Finally Rachel and I had the opportunity to settle back, listen to some favorite music, played through a fantastic audio combination. (SGR CX4F fully active speakers matched with Myryad  MXC700 CD player & MXP2000 Preamp)

We were all smiles and did enjoy a glass or two of red wine and before we knew it the time was approaching midnight.

Once again Terry thank you for introducing us to this incredible audio combo. As a couple that appreciate amongst other things in life good music, we believe we will enjoy many hours of listening.

Kind Regards,
Garth Williams 

Hi Terry,

Just to let you know that I tested the Thoroughbred power conditioner and it there's no longer any ground loop hum when I have my laptop plugged into a normal power supply and the keyboard plugged into the Thoroughbred.
I tested without using this device and the hum returned.
So I'll be keeping this device thanks as it'll protect my keyboard from other sources that might cause ground loop hum as well.

Regards,

Hayden

Terry,

Many thanks for the opportunity to audition the Exposure 3010 S2 integrated amp at our club and I am pleased to report our findings.

As an economy priced 2x 110w integrated stereo amplifier this unit offers excellent style, features and performance for its modest price.

It has a simple but well finished front panel and casework, with smooth and responsive attenuator and input switching. Both can be controlled remotely and their settings are easily visible from the listening position by the use of bright blue LEDs. The controls are very smooth and absolutely silent in operation.

The rear panel is well laid out and easily accessible with robust, good quality connectors for two pairs of speaker connections, 2 pairs of buffered preamp outputs, one pair of tape outputs and six pairs of line inputs one of which can be a phono input with the purchase of an optional internal phono stage.  Moving coil and moving magnet phono stages are available but only one can be installed at a time. Installation is simple and can be easily retrofitted or changed.

After full run-in the sound settled to be clean, detailed and dynamic and the amplifier could drive moderately sensitive speakers of around 8 ohms to very high volumes with very good sound. For high volumes from speakers of lower impedance and lower sensitivity the matching stereo power amp or mono blocks from the same product line could be a good choice. Under all conditions with unobstructed ventilation the case remained barely warm. The high output and low power dissipation is very good performance for an amplifier at this price point especially considering the number and quality of the extra features included.

The line level amplifier and also the moving coil phono stage as installed in the test unit, were exemplary in all situations and showed signs of being derived from other up-market models in their product line. Hum and noise levels were below audible threshold and there were no switching clicks or other annoying artifacts. With my .1 millivolt  moving coil cartridges there was a low level of background hiss only audible with the pickup off the disk. Cartridges with output levels of .3 to .5 mv or more would completely overcome that noise level.

Long term listening to a wide range of music from analogue and digital sources was relaxing and enjoyable and although you could invest considerably more for a higher degree of inner detail and micro dynamics  the overall features and performance of this model make it a genuine Hi-Fi bargain.

Kind regards,

Brian "Auckland"

Hi Terry,
Cables arrived yesterday and installed.
Like you said these are serious cables, both in proportions and expanded soundstage.
I am very pleased with them.
Once again thanks,
Geoff

Hi there Terry,
I have a huge smile on my face, the new TRI TRV-CD4 CD player is singing beautifully in my system, at home in it's rightful place :)

I'm kinda jaw-dropped at the moment as the first tracks of my Louissier Jazz In Classics CD is playing, such gorgeous dynamics and openness, music just sings and dances from the amp and as for that bass guitar .....! The top end is just so natural, shimmering and yet unforced. The combo with the amp has such rhythmic integrity, something I am sensitive to and prize highly.

Going to be a few late nights coming up, I think.

Thanks again for everything!
Kind regards,
Christopher.

Hi Terry,

I was offered a listen to the TRI CD player for the weekend. I love the look of the TRV-CD4 CD player with my TRV-88SE intrgrated amp and they sure do sound great together. I wouldn't need to buy another CD player again, there's something very organically natural about the combo that beats a lot of other gear I've heard over the years, much of it way more expensive.

I need to take the CDP back to tomorrow but I can barely stop listening to music tonight, it's utterly beguiling with my amp already. It adds a delightful extended fullness to the bass which I've not had before and even the treble is the most natural I've probably ever had in a system, let alone the sheer in-the-room aliveness of the midrange. The combo is so of-a-piece wholeness in a musical experience that I'm really struck by it.

I made it a three track finale before heading off to bed, to hear the McGarrigle sisters (and family) sing the finest version of, "What'll I Do" I've ever heard right there in my lounge would sell me the player on it's own! Utterly sublime! It's the finest source I've encountered that isn't a decent turntable. In fact the thing sounds so damn analogue in so many of the best ways in this system, that I almost wouldn't buy another turntable :) Gee, it even has a decent remote control! These guys at TRI have really done a wonderful job creating such a balanced bit of kit, the thing keeps time superbly.

Gee, I miss that CDP already! All this streaming, downloading and computer storage may be wonderful at times, yet I just prefer so often to physically chose a disc and pop it onto a t/t or into the tray of a CD player. The organic nature of the TRI TRV-CD4SE seriously almost got the better of me last night, I had less than six hours sleep before having to get up again! Ah, but I did feel great though!

I'm keen to buy it one way or another, I could barely take my hands off the box this morning to let it go :).

I have had a look at the Sonist range and they certainly seem a viable option, I will look into it more once I find a home base in OZ, The Quadrals are also a fine possibility, as you have suggested.

....Christopher

Good morning again Terry,

All looks great....have CD player singing with Eva Cassidy "live at Blues Alley"..... I am very pleased.

Regards,
Geoff

Hi Terry,
Wow!
Thanks heaps. 

Brian.

Hi Terry,

Cable received & installed. Wow!

Thanks heaps.  

Brian.

Great night (music night) mate,

cheers.

Matt

Ok, got it all set up last night and I love it! (Finite Element - Master Pagode audio rack)

Bass tightened up and got bigger, soundstage got bigger, more space between instruments, all very real and noticeable!

Hi Terry,

Absolutely loving the System ! Thanks again for all the help, patience and support you have given me right from first contact in your showrooms. Everything was always enjoyable and very relaxed with no pressure at all to make a purchase.

I would have no hesitation in giving you a great wrap to any interested people I bump into.

Cheers

Dan Oatham

Hi Terry,

You may now count me amongst your happy band of customers.

You are the only retailer in NZ that has new 300B tubes in stock and not only that but you were also able to offer me a choice of two brands and types.

The EAT 300B tubes I chose have been in my amplifiers about 2 hours now and are only showing me the tip of the iceberg of what they can do (as they are running in). However what I am hearing is amazing and my system is coming back to life again in a very nice way.These are truly wonderful tubes.

You are welcome to quote any of the above and that your service and support has been excellent. Good luck to you and Penny in your new venture at Greenslade House.

It's been many years since we started our Tuesday night listening sessions alternating between each of our homes.

Over the years we have had many memorable evenings trying out equipment that most people only read about in high-end audio magazines. However, nothing prepared me for last night's listening evening.

As a vinyl and music enthusiast and the owner of three highly regarded turntables I reluctantly agreed to look after your turntable while you move house. Unfortunately, for me, the Brinkman turntable has revealed that the journey isn't over yet. It's not the first time that you have done this to me but last night I expected an incremental improvement and we were stunned by what we heard.

I had expected to hear authority and detail but the musicality of this turntable took me by surprise. To hear such a clear and natural presentation of the music with realistic timbre, separation of instruments and voice and tremendous dynamics - well, it was like being at the musical event.

Another surprise was the impression that I had changed every component in my system. Even my Martin Logans decided to lift their performance and say "I like this turntable!" Gone was the sometimes bloated bass from the active bass unit and the imaging, timing, and speed were the best I've heard.

I could describe how cymbals, drums, bass, wind instruments and strings sounded and the way we were drawn into the words from singers - both contemporary and classical - but this misses the point. The music was presented as a whole with an even, realistic, and believable frequency response across the full spectrum with musical details I have never heard before.

It's interesting that the cartridge I use in my main turntable costs more than the Brinkman modified EMT fitted to the Anniversary Balance. The EMT certainly doesn't sound like a cheaper cartridge.

It is going to be a sad day when you return to pick up the Brinkman Balance and take it to your new home. I thought that looking after your Maserati while you were in Munich was as good as it gets but again I was wrong.
To think that we had one of only 25 examples of these engineering marvels playing in a modest room in Hamilton New Zealand was like a dream.

My sincere thanks for sharing this with me.

I recently had the pleasure of purchasing a quality Hi Fi system from Terry Humphries and his team at Audio Reference in Hamilton. I have a real passion for music with a dream of always wanting something that really delivered from a listening perspective. Being in a position to finally act on this, I was offered an extensive range of quality gear to choose from and was given all the time I wanted (without pressure) over a number of visits to audition the gear with my music in their studios before I made my final decision. Their listening rooms are a pleasure to be in and have also been very well designed.

My final choice was a mix of French Triangle Quatuor speakers together with an AMR (English) 180w hybrid integrated amp and matching CD player. This is a very minimalistic system, which produces an outstanding sophisticated sound and the definition is just fantastic.

We now look forward to our weekly wine and music nights together and because we have such a wonderful system we can enjoy discovering new artists, it is so good to have real music back in our lives.

In addition, I also acquired an excellent Home Theatre system, which exactly suited our home and for the quality was not expensive at all.

Although Audio Reference offer an extensive product range, I found that there is a budget to suit everyone looking for quality sound and you can demo it properly without pressure before you buy.

Kind Regards
Mark

PS I still get blown away with the quality of my gear and once again, a big thank you Terry.

The Finite Elemente CeraBalls arrived yesterday and I have installed them in my system (Plinius pre-amp, power amp and CD player + Martin Logan Vantages). I got very little listening time in last night due to a meeting but have been giving the system a good run this evening listening to a good variety of music.

They are a real improvement - the music is definitely much cleaner and clearer and a bit more lifelike. I can really notice the benefit on vocals, piano and woodwind.

It does make you wonder why the manufacturers persist in putting cheap plastic feet on their CD players.

Thanks very much again for your help.
Very happy with the result!

We thoroughly enjoyed your visit on Friday…

If I hadn’t heard it seen it with my own eyes, and heard the difference with my own ears, I wouldn’t have believed the improvements that your little CeraBalls made to the HOLFI and my system.

Edita and I are utterly delighted with the HOLFI/CeraBalls combination and [now] don’t miss the Cary at all. That speaks volumes!

Once again, we thank you so much. God bless you…

Yep got it, (Music Hall 7.1 turntable) HARD ON! Really nice mate. Haven't been this pleased since John Denver was killed. Thanks a lot.

I know that I’ve gotten excited about cable changes in the past but then I’ve cooled off after extended listening but these Neotech cables appear to be something very special.

My listening session last night developed into one of those ones where you keep bringing out well known LPs and hearing them like you’ve never heard them before. It was akin to having a new and much more expensive component in the system.

I’ve noticed very significant improvements in the following;
Speed/Pace: the music drives along and never drags.
Continuity/resolution: ability to hear musicians playing together and in time with each other. Very clear separation of instruments and voices.
Detail: small details of the music that you often struggle to hear are now obvious.
Timbre: Instruments and voices sound real.
Treble: natural and louder than I’m used to hearing but never harsh.
Bass: Wow – I didn’t think I could get more from my system but I was wrong.

Kind regards and many thanks

Happy to say that my Yter XLR's arrived today safe and well. I have to say they have made quite a difference to the SQ without any burn in.

I played the TRI TRV-35SE Preamp all weekend and really do not think I want to part with it.

It is sounding better and better - trouble is I do not want to turn everything off I just want to listen to the music! To me the whole system is jelling very well and makes excellent sound that I can live with.

After what seemed like an eternity I have finally received the cartridge and protractor from my dad. It took about 3 hours for me to set up the cartridge - being a perfectionist does this to you.

I have to say from the moment the needle touched the record it was absolute sonic bliss. The channel separation, dynamic range and detail were top notch and most importantly the level of musical involvement was intoxicating... This turntable is without doubt one of the best investments I have made and just wanted to thank you for making this possible. I am heading off now to enjoy more of my system with the risk of going really late to bed and possibly missing work tomorrow!

The Audio Art Café is the place where my search for a decent audio shop in New Zealand finally ended. Having bought a pair of new speakers last year in Auckland, I decided to replace my almost 20 year old CD player and Amplifier.

Research on the internet and reading hundreds of reviews can become quite overwhelming considering the amount of gear that is out there. And since there are many personal factors influencing the final decision which components work best for one, the only way is to go and listen, listen, listen.

I had been already to several shops, but I got the impression the salespeople wanted to sell what they thought is the best system rather than giving me options to compare for myself. Others were only selling online and didn’t even have auditioning rooms anymore.

And that is where I feel lucky to have stumbled across Terry and his Audio Reference company. There is a vast amount of gear available for auditioning, from entry level to heart desired expensive audio components.

I find the set up and ambience very inviting. May be that’s why I spend two whole afternoons listening to all kind of different systems, Terry most of the time helpful by my side, introducing me to tube gear, exchanging components and cables I don’t know how many times and reacting to my preferences whilst giving the odd valuable advice.

It’s been now 2 months that I bought the amp and the CD player and I enjoy listening to my music more from day to day, something that Terry had predicted as I would start to appreciate the qualities of my new stereo. As a priceless bonus comes that even my wife started to sit down and just listens to music (as it said in one of the many review articles: an indicator that you bought the right system, a HiFi that delivers atmosphere and emotion!).

Thank you very much for the experience

Well I'm impressed, at this stage I won't be moving them on for a long time, and if I do decide to move them it will be to my bedroom to replace an older set I have where I use an Onkyo tx NR 801 for audio only.

They're mine forever! Hyperion have done a fantastic job with these speakers, I have listened to a lot of speakers and I tell you these Hyperions really sing.

I've had speakers from PMC, Aurum cantas, focal jm lab and dyn audio, these kill them all in all areas. Thanks, Thanks, and Thanks.
Terry thanks, you were not just trying to off load a product to me in Aust, you actually made sure the product was for me. Thanks very much for your honesty it has been a pleasure doing business with you.

I will come and visit your store at the end of this year when I visit Auckland, for the first ever in NZ. It's good to see proper service in this busines

Thanks Terry
cheers
Tim
the happy hyperion man, I can't stop listening.

I used to go to the original Paul Quilter-owned Listening Post in Tokoroa and enjoyed what it offered - no fuss, no pressure, honest advice, and a friendly atmosphere with no finance signs on display and no hint of box-moving being the prime focus.

Now the only places within several hour's drive that I have experienced that still have a fairly similar feel are Terry's Audio Reference Co, which is very much a boutique store in my opinion, and Paul Turner.
I love going into Audio Reference Co's premises (Let's see how new ones are, hopefully even better) just to perve at all the shiny bits of chrome and glass.

Can Terry spark a revival for the hifi specialist in this part of the country?