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. 

With the ISX-800 Restio Yamaha have hit the jackpot and made a really superb looking and sounding piece which will blend in to a minimalist decor or sit unobtrusively among fine furniture. It is very flat, standing (literally) on a pedestal stand 997mm tall, 295 deep including foot, while the body itself is a mere 90mm thick. More details are on its Product Page.

Having two 30mm tweeters and two 100mm woofers enables it to deliver similar sound to a pair of bookshelf speakers driven by compact digital amplifiers.

Sources are plentiful: iPhone (original/3/3GS/4), iPod Classic, Nano (2G-6G), iTouch, CD/MP3/WMA, Tuner (FM), USB, and Aux 3.5mm stereo input.

The power cord can be hidden in the stand tube for a neater finish. Alternatively you can remove the stand and use the unit as a desktop sound system.

The inbuilt clock gives you Alarm, Snooze and Sleep functions, with “Intellilarm”
Waking you to music then after a short while changing to a more convincing beep!
Colour schemes available: Black, White, Green, Purple.

We have some searingly good specials on several of the most popular (read “affordable”) and excellent Yamaha surround receivers. These are current models, although they are due to be replaced soon, with plentiful HDMI inputs, 3D throughput and auto EQ via the Yamaha YPAO system. For full details on each model click through to our Product section via the link on each model name. These obviously will not last, so be quick for your chance to get into a fully up-to-date surround receiver at unbeatable prices.

RX-V567 was $899 now $599
RX-V667 was $1099 now $699
RX-V767 was $1299 now $999

Yamaha have been a mainstay of the stereo music market for a long time, and their range of stereo receivers (amplifiers with inbuilt AM/FM tuners) has been very popular. They have good power ratings, very good sound and are easy to use. You even get a Phono input for turntable, which some manufacturers have been leaving out in recent times. Some have a separate Record Out which doubles as a fixed line level Zone 2 output, giving you the ability to feed an amplifier in another room with any of the sources regardless of what is playing in the main room. They also have A, B or A+B speaker switching, so can drive two sets of speakers.

We have just received a shipment of these Yamaha receivers – and two stereo amplifiers – to sell at amazing prices. Stock is limited, so be quick for best choice.

The 50w/channel Receiver RX-397 was $599 now $399
The 75w/channel Receiver RX-497 was $799 now $499
The 100w/channel Receiver RX-797 was $949 now $599
The 85w/channel AX-497 Amplifier was $749 now $499
The 60w/channel AX-397 Amplifier was $599 now $399

These are all new stock, not seconds or repacks, and come with full 2 year warranty.

The new Yamaha premium range, known as “Aventage” (RX-A1000, 2000, 3000) offer enhancements on all fronts, including advanced control options. All are compatible with 3D Blu-ray and 3D Cable/Satellite formats, have 7.2 channels, full HD Audio decoding (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio; Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio); Four SCENE buttons; iPod compatibility (with optional YDS-12 or YID-W10 wireless yAired dock); Bluetooth compatibility; DLNA (1.5) compatibility on select units; Compressed Music Enhancer; Low Jitter PLL Circuitry; HDMI V.1.4a 3D Pass-through, HDMI switching and upscaling.

The RX-A2000 (130w x 7) and RX-A3000 (140w x 7)will feature the new HQV Vida Processing Technology for enhanced image detail and quality, with four-field motion adaptive de-interlacing, multi cadence tracking, expanded 12-bit color processing and detail enhancement. The result transforms standard-definition sources to HD quality and makes HD look even more detailed. Moreover, the device also provides real-time clean up of highly compressed video, reducing compression artifacts of block and mosquito noise from lower-quality sources. Audio quality has been developed after careful listening tests and component selection based not just on specifications but actual audio performance. While some may scoff at the fifth foot, added for stability and vibration reduction, we know that these things do make a difference to sound quality. The chassis is also strengthened and braced – it all helps.

The big news on the remote control front is that the Aventage series are controllable by web browsers such as iPhone/iPad type devices, so the new world of smart control arrives now. Alternatively, you can control them with a notebook or your PC – in fact anything with a web browser, as these new receivers will have an IP address if connected to your home computer network via their Ethernet connection.

The Aventage series is a new benchmark for the A/V industry, and a sign of things to come. RRPs are as follows: RX-A1000 $1799, RX-A2000 $2199, RX-A3000 $2499.

It also has a USB connection to assist in efficient use of the BD Live feature. You only have to download the BD Live material once, and the player can thereafter access it from the USB key.

The back panel sockets include HDMI, Component Video, Optical & Coaxial digital audio, stereo analogue audio, remote, USB and Ethernet.

Warning: stocks are about to run out!

One of the most sought after receivers for the past two years, the RX-V3900 (140w x 7) is the receiver of choice among specialist dealers and reviewers alike. It has won the Sound & Image award for the most popular receiver priced between $2000 and $4000 for the past two years highlighting its superior feature-set and performance.

The RX-V3900 has the new updated colour graphical user interface (GUI). It can also display album artwork when you play your favourite songs on your iPod via the Yamaha YDS-11 iPod dock. The RX-V3900 also allows the GUI to be superimposed over your screen via HDMI, meaning you can control you amplifier quickly and easily.

 The RX-V3900 has five HDMI input, enough to connect just about everything. But, it also has two simultaneous HDMI outputs on the RX-V3900. This means you can have a panel connected for during the day and have a projector connected for night use; all controllable from your Yamaha remote and without having to manually change connections.

Room correction is taken it to the next level with an advanced version of YPAO technology. Instead of taking room measurements from one position, the Advanced YPAO runs the setup program three times at different spots around the room to ensure that the audio system is accurately calibrated. By plugging your Network Receiver into a regular home network you can access your locally stored music collection as well as thousands of Internet Radio stations from across the globe.

Please Note: We have one last shipment of these fantastic receivers to clear through at the searingly good price of $1799, down from $2999. Get in while they last – too good to miss.

The C356BEE is built to NAD’s Modular Design Construction (MDC) standard, enabling the modification of specific functional areas over time. For starters you can add the PP375 phono stage if you want to use a turntable. Improved speaker binding posts provide for two pairs of speakers – with remote switching.

Low distortion and good honest power ratings (80w x 2) as is usual with NAD ensure that you can extract the maximum musical quality from your system without spending an exorbitant amount of cash to do so. Standby power is a mere 0.5w, but when it’s fired up the perceived power output is way higher than the rating indicates. NAD’s Full Disclosure Power Ratings make sure they are conservative in this regard, unlike some!

A limited number have just come into stock (in black only) and they are selling for $899.

Yamaha have plugged the gap in their player lineup with the new BD-S667 Blu-ray player that gives a host of features and quality for a very reasonable price. It’s networked and DLNA compliant so you can bring video, photos and music files from elsewhere on your network to playback through this player. It also has a USB connection to assist in efficient use of the BD Live feature. You only have to download the BD Live material once, and the player can thereafter access it from the USB key.

The back panel sockets include HDMI, Component Video, Optical & Coaxial digital audio, stereo analogue audio, remote, USB and Ethernet.

June Yamaha Specials:

We have a number of very attractive Yamaha A/V receiver specials for the month of June (or until stock is exhausted)

RXV-3900 $1,799 (save $1,200)
RXV-2065 $1,499 (save $1,000)
RXV-1065 $1,099 (save $800)
RXV-765 $999 (save $600)
RXV-665 $899 (save $500)

Additional $10.00 shipping anywhere in Australia.