As if we weren’t impressed enough already!  Ever since we unboxed Polk Audio’s RTi and LSi speakers and started using them in our show room, we have been consistently impressed with their performance, and have struggled to find a single person who didn’t agree with us.

When it came to testing the OWM3 satellite speakers, we weren’t sure what to expect.  Polk Audio have made quite an impact with their top end speaker models.  Could we expect the same level of quality from a set of speakers that costs just $439 per pair?

The key to getting the most out of any product is in understanding its strengths, and applying it in applications for which it was designed.  The OWM3 is a small speaker with a smart design, allowing it to be mounted in many different positions or alignments, while still offering optimum performance.  This aspect of the speaker’s design clearly has benefits in applying it as a rear effect speaker.  Because they can be neatly mounted anywhere, placing and aiming the OWM3 as surround speakers becomes an simple task.

This speaker’s greatest strength however is clearly its sound.  For a small satellite speaker, we were not expecting the amount of depth, image clarity and spread that it achieves.  Using them as the rears in a 5.1 system, we had to check that we didn’t have our 7.1 system running!  The complete 360º surround experience that you feel with 4 surround speakers seems to be quite effectively mimicked with just these two!  

Have a listen to the OWM3 satellite speakers for yourself, currently set up as surround speakers in our home theatre showroom, 9-11 St Johns Ave, Gordon.

Pro-Ject Turntables

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The Turntable is undoubtedly the most fashionable component of the modern HiFi system.  They are often available in many different colours, and constructed from a wide variety of materials, from metallic to wood to acrylic and glass designs.  Pro-Ject turntables offer many different designs, from the Debut III available in a variety of vibrant colours to the impressive and visually striking RPM 9.1X - in transparent acrylic plinth and frosted glass platter.

These modern turntables offer exquisitely clean and quiet performance with an warmer and more organic sound quality when compared to the pristine digital output of a CD player.  Premium turntable manufacturers engineer the mechanical components of their turntables for quality and consistency which equates to excellent audio performance, and these Pro-Ject turntables show off these impressive feats of engineering with both their appearance and quality sound.

With these turntables currently set up, we invite you in to experience and enjoy the earthy tones of vinyl in our showroom at 9-11 St Johns Ave, Gordon.

Rotel RB-15 Series Stereo and Surround Sound Amplifiers

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Rotel’s new RB-15 series stereo and surround sound amplifiers are now available, and have been getting a thorough workout in our showroom for the past few weeks.  The new amplifiers continue Rotel’s legacy of dynamic and vibrant sound matched with a sleek new design.  These amplifiers tend towards a more raw, edgy sound, making them an excellent choice for home theatre applications where good quality 2 channel stereo performance is also a requirement.  The Rotel power amplifiers excel at bringing powerful, explosive sound effects to life with clarity and realism.  That is not to say the the Rotels don’t handle subtlety well.  The performance of the RB-1580 Pre and RB1582 Power Amplifiers with 2 channel music retains the same dynamic, edgy quality and imparts a sense of vivid expansiveness and depth to the sound that is indicative of a quality music amplifier.

One of the strengths of the new Rotel line is the extensive range of amplifiers, both two channel and surround, allowing for many options in creating a customised home theatre solution.  Combine a 7.1 Preamplifier with a 2 Channel Class AB Power and 5 Channel Class D Power amplifiers for the ultimate combination that will offer the best performance for both music and film.

These new Rotel amplifiers are a strong contender in the mid-priced audio market, offering a bold sonic statement with designer looks and a very reasonable price.  Contact us for more information (02) 9880 2111 or info@electronicenterprises.com.au or visit us in our showroom at 9-11 St Johns Ave, Gordon 2077 to see, hear and experience them for yourself!

Polk Audio RTi A9 Floorstanding Speaker

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The Polk Audio RTi A9 is currently sitting in our showroom connected to our Bryston system, consisting of CD Player, Preamp, and 7B SST2 Power Amplifiers.  Polk Audio products all adhere to a strong aesthetic design sense and despite an impressive six forward facing drivers and port, the RTi A9 maintains a very stylish appearance with its gently curved cabinet design and satin real wood veneer finish.

We have taken stock of Polk Audio’s entire RTi range, in addition to their premium LSi range, and the performance of these speakers in their respective price ranges has been particularly impressive.  The RTi range definitely punches above its weight, delivering a detailed and refined sound that we would usually expect from more expensive speakers.  One of the common features across the Polk Audio range is the unique PowerPort feature, a small flanged attachment to the rear ports which effectively disperses the air flow and minimises the whirring wind noise that some ported speaker designs have.

The effectiveness of Polk Audio’s PowerPort system is evident upon listening to these speakers, with a clean bass that is not boomy or muddy, but tight, controlled and extending into very low frequencies often reserved for a dedicated subwoofer.  The midrange and treble is clear and transparent with a smooth top end devoid of the harshness that some metal dome tweeters can impart.  The overall sound quality is incredibly natural, with accurate imaging and a real palpable sense of depth in the soundstage.

As a HiFi stereo speaker the RTi A9 is very impressive.  However, its 500W power handling would make it a fantastic choice as front speakers in a Home Theatre environment.  Paired with Polk Audio’s matching CSi A6 Centre Speaker and FXi A6 Rears would be enough to fill any room with the realism and intensity that modern HD Audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HDMA can offer.

Innovative and attractive design coupled with superior sound quality and an amazing price tag are just the beginning.  See and hear these great speakers for yourself - visit our showroom at 9-11 St Johns Ave, Gordon or contact us on (02) 9880 2111.

Lehmann Audio

Black Cube Linear Headphone Amplifier

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The first opportunity I had to listen to this headphone amp was at the recent Sennheiser HD800 product launch at the Sydney Opera House.  It was my first time listening to both the HD800 and the Black Cube Linear, but the sound quality I experienced was a good indication that neither headphone nor amplifier were adding any impurity to the sound.  Whilst we wait anxiously for the HD800 to become available in Australia, I decided to trial the Black Cube Linear with my longtime favourite headphones, the Sennheiser HD650.

I have always been a big fan of the high end headphone system, as it is possible to build an amazing sounding headphone setup with a fairly modest budget when compared to a traditional loudspeaker based system.  The benefit of an amplifier such as the Black Cube Linear is its availability with optional USB connectivity.  This allows the user to incorporate the amplifier into a computer or laptop based system for playback of uncompressed digital music, an alternative solution to using a high end CD player.

Performance with the HD650s was impressive, with clarity evident throughout the entire audible spectrum.  The Black Cube Linear seems to impart a smooth and distinctly analog character to the sound, providing a sense of organic warmth that really enhances a digital music source.  That is not to say that the amplifier lacks accuracy however, it will reveal the tiniest details in a recording, but in a way that is neither harsh nor fatiguing to the ear.

The Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear is the perfect amplifier to drive the Sennheiser HD650 headphones.  If you live in an apartment or otherwise have noise and space restrictions you can still experience very high quality sound with this combination.

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 3-6-09

The Cambridge Audio DacMagic is not entirely a new product.  Originally introduced in 1994, the DacMagic was intended to be a simple and cost effective upgrade for a CD player.  Reintroduced in 2008, the newest version of this highly acclaimed DAC offers even more options for connectivity, with Digital Coaxial and Optical connections supplemented by a USB input for use with any computer or media center PC.

The DacMagic is one of the most impressive products we have encountered in recent times.  It has unquestionably improved the quality of every mid priced HiFi system that we have inserted it in, and even made a very noticeable improvement to some high end systems.

The DacMagic is an upsampling digital to analog converter, which increases the resolution of the sound.  For a simple analogy, think of it as the difference in picture quality between DVD and Blu-Ray.  The visual improvement in clarity, depth of field and realism is thoroughly obvious.  In the same way, an upsampling DAC increases the quality of imaging, depth of soundstage and general sense of realism in audio reproduction.

We were not surprised at the DacMagic’s performance, given Cambridge Audio’s track record of quality products.  The part that really impressed us however was the real, palpable increase in sound quality that the DacMagic offered.  This is not one of those small, incremental upgrades where you hear a very slight improvement, which in some cases may or may not even exist (a situation we have experienced many times before with other products).  What you get with the DacMagic is a very solid bass with tight response, clarity and detail in the mids, and an extremely natural top end without any hint of the artificial and processed sound that one might expect from an digital upsampling processor.

If you would like to know more about the DacMagic, please contact us or visit our showroom.  Bring your own CD player and you can listen to it with and without the DacMagic to hear the differences for yourself.

Escalante Fremont with Hoodooh stand

Sunburst Finish on Bamboo veneer cabinet

The modified Scanspeak R2904 Tweeter