Newsletter September 2005

NEWSLETTER

September 2005

Dear hi fi enthusiast

You have been sent this newsletter because you have subscribed, or purchased product, or made an enquiry to www.decibelhifi.com.au . If you do not wish to be on our newsletter mailing list, please reply to this email with the subject REMOVE and we will do so immediately.

IN THIS ISSUE

Reviews and news

Recent additions to the website

The Disc Doctor’s new QuickWash

New digital tracking force gauge

Decibel Omni speaker kits

New Ortofon moving coil cartridges

September 1^st was our 3^rd birthday!

Our site went online on September 1^st 2002, so this month is our 3^rd birthday. The original idea was to provide a source for vinyl related products and also others which provide great value for money. At the beginning we didn’t know there would be enough interest to last 3 months yet alone 3 years. Thank you to everyone who shares our enthusiasm for vinyl and has supported this business by purchasing products or even just subscribing to our newsletter.

To celebrate -

FREE FREIGHT ON ALL ORDERS OVER $40 THIS MONTH and A 10% BONUS. Eg. if your order is $100 before GST there’s $10 credit which can be used on your next purchase.

The free freight will be particularly valuable on heavier items like speaker kits and furniture.

RECENT REVIEWS AND NEWS

The Graham Slee Gram Amp 1 is no longer available, so we have introduced the NAD PP2 as an alternative. Price is $198, and with both MM and MC capabilities it’s a bargain.

Jordan JX92S drivers will be back in stock next week. There are still only a few of new version JX53s available at present. They will not be readily available until October or November when they start being manufactured in Hong Kong. The model number is being changed to JXr6 to differentiate from the old JX53.

The ME 550 Mk III power amplifier is nearly here. Price is still to be confirmed but is expected to be under A$3000. Send us an email if you would like to be advised when it is available.

The 6 channel volume control kit (K3) is now back in stock after being unavailable for several months. This kit enables you to control the volume level of 6 separate channels of power amplification. Great when you want to connect a 5.1 sound source like a DVD player through several different power amplifiers and control them all together in a home theatre setup.

The Steinberg Clean v5 program, for transferring records and tapes to CDs has been discontinued. In its place we now have Magix Audio Cleaning Lab /10. Details are on the website in the Media Centre PC category. Take this link http://www.decibelhifi.com.au/category26_1.htm . We expect to review this product in the next newsletter.

As well as the little plastic circular spirit level we have been selling, we also now have a metal cased high precision model. It’s about 5 times more sensitive and looks very classy. See it here http://www.decibelhifi.com.au/category18_1.htm

AR model AW871 amplified wireless speakers have replaced the AW820. Same specs – slightly different appearance. See them here http://www.decibelhifi.com.au/category2_1.htm These work really well for providing music to other rooms or outdoor areas.

RECENT ADDITIONS

The Disc Doctor – Quick Wash

Digital stylus pressure gauge

High precision spirit level

Ortofon Rondo moving coil cartridges

NAD PP2 phono preamp

AR AW871 wireless amplified speakers

DISC DOCTOR QUICK WASH

The Disc Doctor record cleaning system has been proven over the years to be a highly effective method and has thousands of users. It’s a two step process involving specially designed brushes to scrub and then rinse the record. The Disc Doctor has now released a QuickWash product which dispenses with the rinsing step. It’s particularly aimed at users of vacuum cleaning machines but can also be used manually. The fluid is already diluted and ready to use as is – it’s sold in 1 quart bottles (944ml) for $44 including GST. We have put also together a specially priced kit for people with a small number of records to clean. The 118ml bottle has enough fluid to clean about 50 LPs and the kit includes one of the purpose designed Disc Doctor brushes for making sure the fluid is worked into the bottom of the grooves properly. Price is $44 including GST.

For details please take this link to our website http://www.decibelhifi.com.au/category9_1.htm

DIGITAL TRACKING FORCE GAUGE

Setting the correct tracking pressure for your cartridge is very important, and this little tool makes it very easy compared to the beam balance style alternatives.

The DS350 measures from 1 to 350gm in 0.1 steps. Made in Japan it is only about 100mm x 80mm x 20mm. The shiny metal top plate is for general weight measuring and the semi-circular side platform is for a cartridge. We have tested it with a set of chemist’s standard weights and found it to be completely accurate, particularly in the 1 – 2 gm range which is the most important for setting stylus tracking force. Price is $250 plus GST. It’s in the Vinyl Tools category http://www.decibelhifi.com.au/category18_1.htm

OMNIDIRECTIONAL LOUDSPEAKER KIT

Back in the 70s we used to sell Sonab loudspeakers. They were quite popular – stylish, unconventional, and a wonderful live sound due to their omnidirectional design. The little OD11 cubes in particular used to amaze people in their ability to fill a room with sound.

Sonab hasn’t been available in Australia for many years now so we have decided to produce a kit loudspeaker with many of the characteristics of those OD11s. Design parameters included the ability to be used with modest amplifiers, very versatile positioning in a room, and clear uncoloured sound at medium to high sound pressure levels. The cabinets are 500mm high at the rear and 380mm at the front. The angled baffle directs most of the sound up towards the middle of the ceiling.

The Decibel OMNI loudspeaker kit is a medium sized floorstanding unit which can be positioned alongside, even behind furniture, and projects the sound upwards to reflect off the ceiling and walls. They are intended for general stereo use, particularly in rooms where conventional forward facing speakers are hard to position. They also work wonderfully as surround speakers in a home theatre system. They are efficient enough to be used with modest amplifiers but deserve better. They have been designed to be placed close to walls and the bass response benefits from such positioning. They can also be placed up on a sideboard, even in wall units, such is their versatility.

Why omni-directional? It’s actually quite simple really. If you had a musician playing an instrument in your lounge room, the sound you would hear would be largely reflected – from the walls, floor and ceiling, and only a small proportion would be direct from the instrument to your ears. Most recordings are close-mic’d which captures just the direct sound. These speakers attempt to recreate that direct-reflected balance of the live performance. It’s been done before by several manufacturers such as Bose & Sonab but we are unaware of any kit that has used the principle.

There is a choice of drivers available. The budget model uses PAE drivers – a 5” bass/mid and dome tweeter. These are manufactured in China for Peerless, so provide good performance at a reasonable price. The premium model uses a Nomex bass driver with a Vifa tweeter. Performance is impressive and the sound remains clean at very high levels. The choice of drivers, crossover design, and performance measurements have been done by Stones Sound Studios, who have an excellent reputation in Australia as loudspeaker consultants.

The kits will initially be available in plain MDF, but solid timber may be available in a few weeks depending on the demand. Like the original Sonab OD11s they will also be available fully finished in a range of colours. Pricing is still being finalized but the budget models should finish up below $400 a pair. Grille kits with cloth will be available in a choice of colours – white, silver, brown and black.

They will be added to the website with full specifications in a few weeks and we expect to have stock available by the end of September. Send us an email request (enquiry@decibelhifi.com.au) if you would like to be notified when they are available.

ORTOFON RONDO MOVING COIL CARTRIDGES

We haven’t been much of a promoter of moving coil cartridges in the past because we’ve felt that the moving magnet cartridges like the Garrott Optim FGS and MusicMaker III are better performing and better value for money. One of the problems with most moving coil cartridges is their very low output signal levels which means you need to have some sort of “step up” device to boost the signal to a level suitable for a normal phono preamp.

However we know that many people already have equipment which has inputs for low output level moving coils so we have decided to start offering cartridges that we feel conform to the Decibel Hi Fi philosophy of excellent value for money. One event that has prompted this change of heart has been the release of the Ortofon Rondo range. Here’s their press release:

To hi-fi specialists and analogue enthusiasts:

Wood based housings for a moving coil cartridge? Stunning presentation and refinement? Yes, the new Ortofon Rondo range is here! Ortofon from Denmark has developed a new range of moving coil cartridges with truly unique characteristics. Inspired by their 80^th anniversary SPU cartridge housed in pure oak-wood, Ortofon has combined cutting edge technology and their wealth of experience to set a new benchmark.

Unique features include:

Two layer gold plated, genuine copper core (Aucurum®) armature windings
Use of neodymium magnets for a high 500 uV output
Diamonds, cantilevers and newly developed dampening systems specifically arranged for very linear frequency response and high trackability
Non- resonant wood based body
Built in tilt adjustment for maximum channel separation

There are three models in the range. The Rondo Red with nude elliptical diamond stylus and aluminium cantilever at $550, the Rondo Blue with nude Fritz Geiger 70 stylus at $770, and the Rondo Bronze with nude Fritz Geiger 80 stylus and tapered aluminium cantilever at $990. Interestingly the Australian prices are about 20% less than in the UK.

One reviewer had this to say about the Rondo Blue … my first impressions were ‘what a clean sounding cartridge this is!’ … also … it’s not everyone’s cup of tea of course, but if it’s the most detailed, neutral and even handed sub-£500 moving coil you seek, then look no more.

We have a PDF of the Rondo brochure and the Review available. There will be links on the website shortly or send us an email to request them. (enquiry@decibelhifi.com.au). We’ll do our own review in the next newsletter.

That’s about it for now. The next newsletter is scheduled for December. If you have friends who are interested in hi fi, please forward this newsletter to them or tell them to subscribe.

All the best with your hi fi’ing

Brian Maddern

brian@decibelhifi.com.au

Unit 1, 201 Evans Road, Salisbury, Queensland, 4107, Australia

PO Box 536, Sunnybank, Qld 4109

Phone: 61 (0) 7 3272 7660 Fax 3216 6284

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