AUDIO EQUIPMENT
FULLY TESTED
by Russell Storey -
Ex
demo Trade in and Secondhand
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SHANLING
MC-30
Music Centre
" Class A " Tube-Solid state
pre amplifier and Amplifier
CD / FM / AM Aux input
Stones ( "
Mint " condition Black
color with silver posts New with
original Box )
Beautiful unit
based on a transformer coupled SET amp,
preamp, tuner, Ipod dock and cd player.
This unit is absolutely gorgeous and
very musical. Must be matched to high
efficiency speakers as it puts out 3
watts/channel single ended. I have
original box and manual. As a CD player
alone is worth more than the asking
price. The tuner section is the best I
have ever heard on FM and AM . Unit has
pre outs and one aux. input
.
Comes with original
Box with detachable power cord.
Remote Control
Volume made from solid alloy
controls Volume , CD & radio
plus , 2 inputs functions
I have used this unit as both a Class A
Tube Amplifer with 4
ohm floor standing speakers and it
works fime
Also can be used as a High end
Preamplifier with external Solid
state power amp to achieve True
High end top shelf Sound quality
The CD player alone is Excellent
in detail and dynamics
Product Code: MC-30
 
Features
- The clean design is
also a reflection of
innovative engineering;
eagle eyes will note
that the top caps of the
front pair of footers
are in fact, an input
selector and a volume
control. Shanling’s
trademark blue-lighting
encircles the
transparent CD transport
lid. A gem of a
conversation piece that
cuts across all
generational segments.
- Combining high
quality CD player,
tuner, dedicated iPOD
input and tube power
amplifier in one
chassis.
- Philips VAM-12
pick-up mechanism
coupled with CD-7II
servo system for low
jitter tracking
- D/A conversion is
accomplished by
Burr-Brown PCM1738 DAC
chip
- High-quality FM/AM
tuning system
- 2x6P1 single-ended
tube output stage
- Mini
multi-functional lever,
concealed input selector
and volume control
- All aluminum chassis
with cylindrical support
and internal screening
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Price: AUD
$699.00
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- Separate power
regulated Supplies
for left an right
channels
- High quality
buffered inputs
-
High-Res
Discrete Amplifier
circuits
- Bi polar
HQ Sanken Hi
Current output
transistors
- Operates in class a
up to 10 watts
- Master input volume
control
- 4 Line RCA
Stereo inputs
- Heavy Solid
Aluminum Chass
is
- Hi quality speaker
terminal posts


Product Code:
QP A-8000Mk II
In Original Box
As new 1 owner
Clichés
often contain much truth. One that seems
to fit the Qinpu A-8000 Mk II to a "T"
is the one that goes, "A picture is
worth a thousand words," but looks can
be deceiving. After looking at the
picture, the words that spring to mind
include "tubes" and "Italian," but tubes
are nowhere to be found in this design,
nor is it built in the Mediterranean.
The Chinese-made A-8000 Mk II is a
high-bias-current design with a power
output of 100 watts into 8 ohms and 150
watts into 4 ohms. Its signal-to-noise
ratio is >100dB, THD is 0.05 percent,
and its damping factor is over 100. (It
is interesting to note that the damping
factor of my Nuforce 8.5 monoblock
amplifiers are 4000. Different design,
different sound.) The manual is very
thorough, with informative and clear
diagrams. Along with the usual
information is an engineer’s diary that
describes the amp’s design and the
procedures that brought it to Mk II
status.
This amp is
a model of simplicity. Like the Jasmine
Piano tube amp, the Qinpu A-8000 MK II
is a very basic two-channel integrated
stereo amplifier with stunning looks.
With just four inputs, a volume control,
and a source selector, the A-8000 Mk II
is a simple but effective device for
listening to music. I especially liked
the user-friendly speaker binding posts
and the cool blue LED on the front
panel. Installing speaker cables is a
snap. The plastic grips on the five-way
posts require only finger tightening to
get a good grip on bare wire, spades, or
banana plugs. There’s no need for
wrenches. I really appreciated those
binding posts.
My system is
not set up for an integrated amp, but I
made accommodations. Fortunately, I had
some meter-and-a-half Analysis Plus
cables that reached to the floor, where
I had placed the amp (on my usual Black
Diamond Racing platforms). The
interconnects from my CD player to the
amp remained from my usual setup.
Although I played the A-8000 Mk II for
more than 100 hours to ensure break-in,
it sounded pretty good from the get-go.
I immediately noticed how much gain this
amp had. Its 150 watts were more than
enough to drive the big Dalis. My need
to crank volume levels to 11 went away
(although, every once in a while, us
geezers like to live on the wild side
and crank it up).
The Qinpu
ably delivered gobs of distortion-free
gain. After break-in, the musical
surprises just kept coming. This amp is
very taut and focused, but its greatest
strength is its coherence, from the top
to the bottom of the frequency range.
The way it presents timbre and tonal
color is notable. Two CDs on the Telarc
label showed how well the Qinpu handled
this area of performance: Alan Hovhaness
Mysterious Mountain and The
Symphonic Music of Howard Hanson.
From the more frantic pieces on the
Hansen disc, like the "Maypole Dance,s"
to the more deliberate "Summer
Seascape," the Qinpu held the music
together in a natural manner. Hovhaness'
Storm on Wildcat Mountain sounded
even more dynamic—bold, yet very taut
and together. Both recordings sounded
more spacious and open than they do with
my Margules tube amp, which closes in
the soundstage a little on both sides,
especially in triode mode. The
soundstage of the Qinpu is clean, with
no fuzziness around performers, yet the
music does not sound etched. I heard a
very good balance of detail,
spaciousness, and timing. On Don Byron’s
Bug Music CD, with its many
horns, no instrument sounded closed in.
On the contrary, performers were treated
to a generous share of air and space.
The panoply of horn players was placed
on a clear stage with plenty of elbow
room, each instrument sounding separate
but equal.
The little
Qinpu hit the mark both tonally and
texturally. It gave little away in
instrumental tone to other, considerably
more expensive solid-state amps. Tube
amps seem to have a monopoly on tonality
and harmonics, but the Qinpu A-8000MkII
doesn't disappoint in this respect.
Switching to the Qinpu from either of my
tube amps resulted in very little tube
withdrawal. Although the Qinpu is
missing that last bit of tube richness
and fullness, it has very good
dimensionality and creates a decent
amount of air around performers. It
doesn't smooth over anything, either. It
showed all the slight distortions in
Steely Dan's Can't Buy a Thrill,
including the slight breakup of the
guitar at the beginning of track four,
and the slightly distorted vocals on
track three. The sound never became
harsh, and even when I played music very
loud, it handled dynamic peaks
effortlessly. The Qinpu held my speakers
with a solid grip.
On the first
track of The Pat Metheny Group’s Here
to Stay CD, Metheny's guitar notes
sounded clean, clear, and round. The
music was not a bit smeared. Every note
rang true, and at the same time, the
music was fast, dynamic, and robust.
Detail was also very good. On Lyle Mays’
self-titled solo effort, the spacey
arrangements flowed effortlessly, and I
could easily hear small details in the
mix. The guitars and pedal steel on the
Notting Hillbillies’ CD sounded
excellent. There was a smoothness to the
music that made for a very inviting and
involving listen.
Partly out
of curiosity and partly out of cruelty,
I took out the Qinpu and substituted my
trusty old Monarchy SM-70 and Reference
Line Passive preamp. Could my sweet,
hot-running little class-A 25-watt
wonder outclass this new amp? It did and
it didn't. The Monarchy sounded
noticeably cleaner and sweeter. The
Qinpu is not grainy, but the Monarchy
outclassed it in this area, so much so
that it squelched the idea I had
entertained about buying the Qinpu.
Could the Qinpu's smoothness be an
impediment to clarity? No. The Qinpu
out-muscled the Monarchy in its handling
of dynamic swings and in overall bass
performance. It was smoothness,
coherency, and dynamics versus clarity,
sweetness, and see-through transparency.
It was the convenience of an integrated
amp versus the inconvenience of
separates. I like my separates because
it enables me to experiment with four
amps, and to play with tubes in two of
them. It’s a gearhead’s paradise, if you
will. The Monarchy SM-70, run in mono,
is a fully balanced, dual differential
amp, and it is inexpensive to boot, yet
the Qinpu's styling is a far cry from
the Monarchy’s thick little black box.
There are
many combinations of separates at or
(more often) above the price of the
Qinpu, but the Qinpu can compete with
them, sonically, ergonomically, and in
looks. There also some integrated amps
that are stiff competition. While I have
not heard them all, the Qinpu more than
held its own against the amps I had on
hand. The sonic strengths of this
amp—plus the fact that it is fun to
listen to, easy to use, has very good
build quality, and is affordable—means
it is well worth a serious audition.
Francisco Duran
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Price:
AUD
$997.00
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NAKAMICHI CA5 II Pre-amplifier
manual volume ( bass /trebble
On /Off ) MC /MC
switchable Cartridge EQ the Phono pre
amp has one exception in
detail and dynamics
" Excellent High pre amp for Hi end Stereo Audio
reproduction
Line Cd Aux tuner inputs , tape in out /rec
2 line outputs
( Good Condition )
Product Code:CA5 II

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NAKAMICHI
CA7-E Legendary Preamplifier
with remote (
with remote control functions and volume
) MINT
Nakamichi Top Shelf
switchable Cartridge EQ the Phono pre
amp has one exception in
detail and dynamics is one exception in detail
and dynamics
" Excellent High pre amp with remote volume and mute for Hi end
dynamic and details Stereo Audio
reproduction
Line Cd Aux tuner inputs , tape in out /rec
2 line outputs ( 3band Equalizer on/off)
( Good Condition )
Product Code: CA7-E

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Price:
AUD
$1577.00
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NAKAMICHI 500 in
" "Original Nakamichi
Box " " one owner
fully overhauled record play excellent
3 Microphone inputs mixer level control
plus 2 line inputs with 400 Hz
Calibration ref Odb VU
tone
( good condition
). One of the better sounding decks
because of the discrete simple circuits
. This Deck comes with guarantee
and full technical back up
Product Code: Nak500
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Price:
AUD
$297.00
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NAKAMICHI HI
COM II Noise reduction Unit ( "Excellent
" condition ex Stones Sound Studio )
Comes with the original the " Owners manual "
Fully tested and Guarante
Noise Reduction System, it comes in very
good clean condition, 100% fully
functional, all tested. With Nakamichi
Analyzer and Tape deck in record
and Play modes ,, I also tested
the unit with new recording and as
well tapes I had recorded in 1978
with high com and its dynamic range and
noise reduction are second to none
true High end sound !!
This unit was designed for
Professional tape machines by
Telefunkin Germany for
Nakamichi Japan and It works
very well on any kind of music and play
back , has built in 400Hz
calibration tone master and sub
master level controls rear
panel record and play level controls
plus yes , Its got a Phono
Noise processor actually
lowers records noise and has
manual subsonic filter for warped
records . Bingo its got the
lot
Product Code: NAK-Hi COM II
 
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Price: AUD
$287.00
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NAKAMICHI 600 cassette deck
( In Mint Condition )
One owner
The deck mechanism has been fully
overhauled cleaned lubricated
re aligned and speed calibrated to
Nakamichi Standard in our Nakamichi
Service lab .
This decks sound on Playback is
fantastic and Record with standard
TDK tapes is very good but with
TDKSA90 the recording is
EXCELLENT !! very dynamic and detailed
some decks sound better than others this
is one of those . the deck meets and
exceeds specification in frequency
response , WF and speed . Mechanism
and heads have little or no wear..
its top shelf . Deck comes with
guarantee and full technical back
up line
inputs with 400 Hz Calibration ref Odb
VU tone
This is a very rare untouched
electronics & mechanics
( Good
working
Condition )
Product Code: NAK600-1W

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Price:
AUD
$387.00
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Parasound Halo A21 2ch
Power Amplifier
High End " High
definition" reference
level
Comes with "Original Box and all
accessories, including rack mount kit
( Excellent condition )
Parasound Halo A21 power amp, in like
new condition. An absolutely beautiful
sounding amp, in perfect shape, just 12
months old. 250 Watts per side, Class A.
Comes with original box and all
accessories, including rack mount kit.
Trade in from original owner .
This is one of the best amplifiers
on the market and is excellent valve for
money . I use a Parasound
A21 power amplifier in my own
reference sound system for speaker
design and sound quality
evaluation ,The
Parasound Halo A21
Killer
dynamic range Bass mid and top
end details at low to high levels
are excellent with true reproduction
any kind of music or home theatre system
Music or Video Blu ray or Music DVD
. This is a true reference
amplifier that will drive ant type
of speaker from
electrostatics , planar , dynamic
cone " Highly
recommended " Russell Storey
Stones Sound Studio
Product Code: ParaA21-2

Specifications
* Circuitry designed by legendary John
Curl
* THX Ultra 2 certified
* High bias Class A/AB operation
* Balanced inputs with discrete circuits
and XLR connectors
* Direct Coupled - no capacitors or
inductors in signal path
* Complementary MOSFET driver stage and
JFET input stage
* 16 beta-matched 15 amp, 60 MHz bipolar
output transistors
* 1.2 kVA encapsulated toroid power
transformer with independent secondary
windings for each channel; 100,000 µF
power supply filter capacitance
* DC Servo and relay protection circuits
* AC present, channel status, high
temperature indicators
* Gold-plated RCA input jacks, loop
output jacks
* Heavy-duty 24k gold-plated 5-way
speaker binding posts
* Auto turn-on by 12v trigger or audio
signal, 12v trigger out
* Rear panel gain controls; ground lift
switch
* 4U Chassis; carry handles; rack
mounting adapter included
* Parasound's 10 years parts, 5 years
labor warranty
* Continuous Power Output: 250 watts RMS
x 2, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 ohms, both
channels driven; 400 watts RMS x 2, 20
Hz - 20 kHz, 4 ohms, both channels
driven; 750 watts RMS x 1, 20 Hz - 20
kHz, 8 ohms
* Current capacity: 60 amperes peak per
channel
* Power bandwidth: 5 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3
dB at 1 watt
* Total harmonic distortion: < 0.2 % at
full power
* IM distortion: < 0.04 %
* Slew rate: >130 V/µsecond
* Dynamic headroom: > 1.5 dB
* Interchannel crosstalk: > 80 dB at 1
kHz; > 63 dB at 20 kHz
* Input sensitivity: 1 V for 28.28 V,
THX Reference Level
* Input impedance: 33 kW unbalanced; 66
kW balanced
* S/N ratio: > 112 dB, input shorted,
IHF A-weighted
* Damping factor: > 1100 at 20 Hz
* Voltage: 110V - 120V
* Dimensions: 17-1/4" w x 7-5/8" h x
19-1/8" d, 7" h without feet
* Net weight: 60 lbs
This
amplifier is very heavy at 36Kg
packed so shipping
cost is dependent on your
location and post code
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Price:
AUD
$2770.00
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NAKAMICHI
ZX7 Cassette
deck ( "
Mint " condition front
panel with original cal
covers ) one owner
The deck mechanism has been fully
overhauled tested cleaned
lubricated re aligned and speed
calibrated to Nakamichi Standard in our
Nakamichi Service lab .
This decks sound on Playback is
better than fantastic its a reference
machine for sound quality and as good as
a ZX9 in every aspect of sound
quality on Play back and Record
with standard TDK tapes is very
good but with TDKSA90 the
recording is EXCELLENT !! ,,
Metal tapes in record is out
of this planet very dynamic and detailed
some decks sound better than others this
is one of those . the deck meets and
exceeds specification in frequency
response , WF and speed . Mechanism
and heads have little or no wear..
its top shelf Deck has
Manual Azimuth calibration system
with 400 Hz and 15KHZ
reference tones with Azimuth coloured
leds for setting azimuth . has
Automatic 3sec fade in / out
of recording record level
controls . Deck comes with guarantee
and full technical back up
line inputs with 400 Hz Calibration
ref Odb VU tone
Deck comes with guarantee and full technical back up
Stones Hi End demo ref tape
Frequency response Graph
Product Code: NAK-ZX7

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Price: AUD
$899.00
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SONY PS4570
Direct drive
Turntable " with 9" arm High
definition cartridge"
( Excellent condition )
Comes with 9" long arm ,mounted
an Excel ES70Ex ( Goldring Hi End
division Japan ) MM cartridge with
special cut and shaped Shibata
stylus
4Sq Stereo
Cartridge /Stylus has 45khz
bandwidth, This Cartridge is excellent
and kills a lot of moving coils in
dynamic range bas mid and top end and
detail . Stylus is
tested as New few
playings
Cartridge and arm Tracks at 0.8 to 1gm ,
Arm is HQ can take a wide range of
cartridge with Oil damper antic scate
manual hydralic damped lift lower,
45-33 rpm Speed controlled direct
drive motor , Platter Rubber
record damping pads , Cover and
deck in Very good condition .
# Record damper in photo3 not
supplied with TT
This
Sony PS 4570 turntable I have
personal owned and used for
recording and play back
"
recommended by " Russell Storey
Stones Sound Studio
as a V good main or
second back up quality turntable
Product Code:Sony PS-4570


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Price:
AUD
$357.00
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DYNAVECTOR Karat
DV17 MkII Moving Coil Cartridge ( "
Mint " condition ) stylus played
only 6 LPs )
Product Code: DV17 MkII

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Price: AUD
$899.00
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COMPONENTS ( Used )
Speakers ( New )

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PRICE : $ 599.00
pair
New Old Stock |
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Ribbon Material................pure aluminum, no plastic film.
Ribbon Mass....................0.008 grams
Ribbon Width..................8mm
Ribbon length.................66mm
Ribbon Area....................5.28 cm^2
Frequency range............. 2000 Hz to 50,000 Hz.
Recommended crossover...3000 Hz, 24 dB Linkwitz-Riley.
Impedance......................2.6 ohms above 1000 Hertz.
DCR...............................0.05 ohm
Sensitivity.......................94 dB , 2.83 volts at 1 meter.
Power handling with recommended crossover 15 watts.
Speaker system power up to 250 Watts.
Weight 4.5 pounds
Face.......94 mm x 94 mm x 6mm aluminum
Cabinet hole......60 mm W x 81 mm H x 112 mm D
Weight.....4.5 pounds
Raven pure ribbon tweeters are the reference standard tweeter that is
used by several of the best speaker designers in the world.
They have a totally uncolored sound with huge sound stage, amazing inner
detail and stunning dynamic range.
Ravens use a micro foil ribbon that has a lower mass/area ratio than any
other ribbon on the market.
This allows the surrounding air to totally damp all mechanical
resonance.
They also use a huge neodymium magnet with a deep and symmetric magnetic
field to minimize distortion.
RAAL Ribbon Tweeters
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mid-high |
high |
super
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mid-high
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