This range of speakers by Speakercraft have perhaps been overlooked by some people, but I like them a lot and feel that they deserve your attention, particularly as they are now on special at unbeatable prices.
They are a slimline design (only a bit over 100mm thick!), wall mountable (the bracket comes with them) or floor standing with optional foot. The styling is adaptable to modern minimalist settings and will please all those seeking to avoid the “boxy” look. The sound is neither too bright nor too laid back, they are efficient so can be used with most amplifiers, and come in a range of sizes. Full details are in our Products section, so just click the links for each model. Colours are black or silver, subject to stock availability. (Note: the pictures show them without grilles, but they come with silver or black fabric grilles)

Tantra 1 two way wall or bookshelf – were $498/pair, now $399
Tantra 3 three-way wall or floor standing – were $1398/pair now $899
Tantra 4 three way floor standers – were $1998/pair now $1199.
Tantra 5 three way floor standers – were $2500/pair now $1399.

All of these are excellent value – for me the taller ones are always tempting, as they have more drivers, and the reductions on the tall (but still slim!) Tantra 4 and 5 are sensational. These are genuine large-format sound as good as any other speaker normally costing $2500 or thereabouts, but with the benefit of being easier to fit in to your living room, music or TV room.

The weather is becoming more summer-like, and being outdoors is good, whether you’re entertaining people or just relaxing at home. Weatherproof outdoor speakers are a set-and-forget proposition: just leave them there all year round. Next time you want to have some background music for the BBQ event, or just a calm bit of gardening, or while reading and reclining, you have these imitation rocks that disappear into the landscape but provide music “on tap”.
The Patio Tunes PT100 Rock Speakers by Bahama Sounds come in two colours, imitating either Granite or Sandstone, and at the moment during our mad end of year sale you can get a pair for $99, were $299. Might as well get a couple of pairs, or go the whole hog and spread them right around the estate! These can be run off any stereo amplifier, a Sonos Connect:Amp, or a multi-channel amplifier.

Our current edition of Headlines magazine is now available in electronic form on the website under Knowledge Base/Newsletters. The previous five editions from 2010 and 2011 are there as well, so if you missed any of those or have lost your paper copies you can still read the last half dozen of them online.
We periodically ask for confirmation that the mailed-out copy is still required, and sometimes people drop off the mailing list due to not returning the card, or a change of address. If you would like to get back onto the mailing list please let Meena or Sylvia know your current details. If you’d like to be on our monthly email newsletter list, same goes, or register via the website here.

Marantz CD6003 CD Player. Reduced from $899 to $499.

Once again the end of the year rolls around, and once again we are taking the opportunity to quit ex-demo, discontinued, superseded and excess stock that we have accumulated during the previous year at bargain prices.

This year we have also sweetened the pot with some on-going specials that we have from Marantz, Peachtree, Tantra, Music Hall etc.

All of this stock is new with new warranties. Some of it is ex-demo, some has been superseded and some are current new on-going specials (for example our Sennheiser specials).

 Marantz Specials:

Some of the offers on Marantz warrant special mention.

CD6003 CD Player. Very well constructed. Retails for $899, we have good stocks at $499

SA15S1 SACD Player. This is a superbly built SACD player – retailing at $2,999. We have very limited stock at $1,999.

PM11S1 Integrated amplifier. A great performer, and built the way all good quality electronics should be. Some consider this to be the finest integrated amplifier every built (this is not necessarily our opinion, but we are the first to agree that this is an exceptionally good amplifier, easily justifying the price.) Retails for $5,999, we have very limited stock for $3,999.

 Our other clearance specials include: 

Plus: 20% off the marked price of all Second-Hand equipment.

Sonos have extended their exciting Songl offer to January:

“The Songl Holiday Promotion is now extended to January 17, 2012.
Until January 17, customers who purchase a PLAY:3 or PLAY:5 will be eligible for a free 6-month Songl subscription. The subscription vouchers will be redeemable from the Sonos web site and are limited to one per Sonos household.”

What is Songl?

“Songl is fully integrated with Sonos Home Audio devices. With Sonos and Songl music in your home will never be the same again.

With Sonos and Songl you can:
• Listen to Unlimited music from a catalogue of millions of tracks and over 100,000 artists
• Create Playlists from the entire catalogue featuring music from Sony Music, Universal Music, and EMI Music and key independent labels
• Quickly browse or search for your favourite artist, album or track.
• Review and play the Australian charts from 1940 to 2011
• Stream at 128kpbs or Hi Quality 320kpbs”

Sonos is an award winning wireless (or ethernet cable connected) multi-room music distribution system. As of August 2011 they announced that they have sold one million rooms worth of gear! This is not surprising, since it is such a beguiling user experience, and more importantly, can be adapted to use with almost any existing music system. More overview of Sonos here.

Here are some examples:
The stereo model Avanti Flow, with DAB+, FM, iPod Dock and Wifi has come down from $749 to $599, as has the Sensia which has the DAB+, FM, Wifi and Touch-screen interface.
The more conventional looking and great sounding Evoke-2s timber finish stereo radio (DAB+ and FM) is down from $499 to $399, while the Evoke Flow (DAB+, FM, Wifi) is down from $449 to $329. Rechargeable Battery packs for the various radios are also cheaper by 20% or more.

We have a lot of DAB+ models to choose from, in a variety of sizes, functionality, colour, and of course various brands like Yamaha and Tivoli as well.

It’s on again – our AudioQuest cable clearance.

AudioQuest has been our high-end cable of choice for many years.

We have recently hammered out another deal with the importers of this great product for a large amount of their excess and end of model cables, which we are offing for sale with saving of up to 75%. There are some exceptional bargains here, but be aware that there are only small quantities of many of these models available.

We will ship all cables, irrespective of quality, anywhere in Australia for $5.00 per shipment.

For all questions or to place orders please phone 9427 6755 or email sales@lenwallisaudio.com.au.

A Special Christmas Concert

That time of year is upon us again, and as well as wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and hopefully a great New Year too, do try and get along to this concert featuring Fiona Joy Hawkins at the piano, plus singer Trysette, at the Conservatorium of Music, Monday 12th December, 7.30pm.

Fiona is well known to us, and has used our showrooms for the release of one of her recent CD’s. We believe that she is the first Australian artist to release an independent SACD.

Her concert on the 12th is to support the Conservations scholarship program. Fiona was granted a scholarship as a youngster, and believes ‘that no child’s talent should be overlooked due to financial strain.’

The first person who contacts len@lenwallisaudio.com.au will receive two free tickets to the concert, a free copy of Fiona’s Christmas Joy album and will have the opportunity to meet Fiona following the show.

If you miss out on the free tickets you can book online here.

Marantz VP12s

Our second-hand section is full, so we have taken the opportunity to have a look to see what has been on the shelves for a long time. We have come up with some interesting items, and have decided to quit them at silly prices. To be honest some of these were overpriced anyway, and others are unique products with a limited market appeal. Whatever the reason we have re-priced all of it, and there are some very good bargains to be had, even if, in some cases, it is only for the novelty value.
Items 9 – 12 are video projectors, and this is where some real value lies. For some reason projectors do not hold their value, and the longer we keep them the less they are worth. We have a number of very high performance, very good quality units that we are now offering at very reasonable prices.
Please note that all goods can be purchased over the phone, but it will be necessary to quote on freight in each instance as all items are being sold at prices substantially under our cost.

1. Kiss DP-500 DVD Player. Possibly the original streaming audiophile product. Yes it is a DVD player, and it will also play VCD, SVCD, DivX (all formats), XviD, mp3 etc. However it also has an in-built network card, so it will stream from any PC sitting on your network, be it video, music or pictures. One only $50.00. There is a very detailed review here.

2. Faroudja DVP2200 video processor. I remember when this was an aspirational product. I cannot recall what this model originally sold for, but I know it was expensive, the sort of product videophones lusted after. Technology has passed this unit by now, but we have two units, in good condition, and will let them go for $50 each. See this user review.

3.

Imerge 2000

Imerge S2000. Imerge was a pioneer of the streaming media world. Again technology has marched on, but this is still a very viable product. This model initially retailed for $5,789 in Australia. We have one unit only in good condition for $400. See review.

4. DLink DSM-320 wireless media player. Streams digital media on your network to your TV, either from your computer or NAS drive, or from on-line sources. One only in good condition $50.00 Read more .

5. Thomson Scenium DTH8000 DVD Recorder. Once the high-flyer of its genre, but once again technology moves on. One only $50.00 Read more .

6. Meridian DSP420 in-wall speakers. This is one of the best in-wall speakers on the market, and with a RRP of just under $8,000 a pair they should be. They are a two way active design, with 85w bass and 65w tweeter amplifiers and built-in 24bit/96kHz DAC’s allowing you to feed a digital signal direct to them. These are still a current model! One pair only for $2,000. If you have the application this is exceptional value. Full details here.

7. Mar Audio Speakers: Not well known, but good value at this price. 2.5way tower floorstanding speakers (1m tall). Not the best speaker in the store, but ridiculous value at $100/pair.

8. Apogee Centaur Minor ribbon speakers. A really interesting design, but this pair of speakers is not in the best of physical condition. However great value at $400 the pair.

Nakamichi Soundspace 10

9. Nakamichi Soundspace 10. Not strictly secondhand, but ex-demo. We have stored this for a very long time as a lay-by, which fell over. Initially this system sold for $10,000 this futuristic looking DVD based Home Theatre system still performs well. With initial packaging etc, $1,500. Read more .

10. Marantz VP12s projector. 5 star customer reviews on Projector central. Read the Home Cinema Choice review at http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/projectors/marantz-vp-12s3-124261/review. One only $1,000

11. Runco VX1000D projector. One of the heavy hitting brands, and this was one of their better models, with an initial asking price of $35,000. More information at http://www.aboutprojectors.com/pdf/runco-vx-1000d-specs.pdf. One only $2,000.

12. Meridian MF1 projector. The best value of all, this is an impressive unit. Once again this machine retailed in Australia for $34,000, and was owned by a very fastidious client who really did his homework. There is a very comprehensive review at http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-front-projectors/hd-ila-projectors/meridian-mf1-hd-ila-video-projector-3.html., admittedly with an external processor, but it will give you a good indication of the plus’s and minus’s of this unit. One only mint condition unit at $2,800.

13. Vidikron Helius DLP projector. I can recall when this was the bee’s knee’s of projectors (admittedly that was a long time ago) . This was the first videophile projector that broke the mould of the very large, very expensive, three gun solutions of yesteryear. Alas, you can now buy better for a small fraction of the initial $25,000 asking price. However there is still some fun to be had at our price of $50.00. Read more .

We have held many themed evenings at Len Wallis Audio over the past decades, but last Friday was the first time we have held an evening dedicated solely to live music. This was an evening devoted to the Holy Grail of audio – trying to reproduce the real event, and to do so we must be exposed to live music.

It turned out to be a great evening. The guest performer was Melbourne Jazz artist (vocalist, pianist and composer) Sarah McKenzie who preformed a short solo concert on the Yamaha Modus HD01 Digital Piano. I believe that it would be an accurate observation to say that everyone present was very impressed not only by Sarah’s own compositions, but also by her take on some well known standards.

The performance was enough for long time client Chris Couldrey, who had travelled from Carringbah for the evening, to send me the following email the next morning;

“Thanks you very much for the invitation to attend your first “Len Walls Audio Special Event.”

And what a very Special Event it was!

Everything, and I do mean everything, about the evening was outstandingly good.

The venue – just perfect to host such an evening.　 Exactly the right setting.

The catering and the drinks – first class in every way, just excellent.

The service – immaculate and friendly.

** The Entertainment – WOW!

Who’d have thought we’d be entertained by and in the company of such a high calibre, outstandingly talented, personable and thoroughly enjoyable Jazz Singer and Musician.

I think it was a Special Event in many ways …..

It was Special being in such an intimate setting with such a wonderful entertainer.

Sarah McKenzie was and is Wonderful.

And to witness that in the making, is priceless.

I remember thinking to myself several times through the evening …..

“Life just doesn’t get any better than this.　 In the surroundings of Len Walls Audio, a glass of wine, beautiful food, good friends and sensational intimate live Jazz entertainment. It just doesn’t get any better than this!”

And that’s without even mentioning “Summertime!”

Thank you Len and your team for making it all possible, for inviting Peter and I and for your hospitality.　 Memories forever I know.

We were asked by many people on the night if we would consider holding similar evenings in the future. Yes, we will, in 2012, so watch this space.

My thanks to Yamaha Australia for sponsoring sponsored the evening.