News/ Blog
First Review of The Wand Master Series....and it is a good one! September 24 2017
The first review of The Wand Master Series is now up on NZ audio/ tech site Witch Doctor and Reviewer, Richard Varey said "...As a regular user of The Wand Plus, I can report that The Wand Master delivers even more outstanding musicality in the listening experience. The soundstaging has firmer, solid fine detail, with hardly any background noise, even on 45-year-old records. It improves on the impressive ability of The Wand to pull convincing detail from the grooves. That’s pretty amazing, ..." For the full review see; https://witchdoctor.co.nz/index.php/2017/09/the-wand-master-series-tonearm-review/ 
Thorens TD160 Kit now available. August 14 2017
We now have a kit available for Thorens TD160 and related turntables to enable The Wand 9.5in tonearm to be mounted directly without modification to the Thorens. (And removed again later) This kit also allows the existing arm lifter to be used, which we think is cool.
To see what is involved, click Here (There is a different kit available for the TD320 family)
The Wand on ELAC turntable and a blog.... August 08 2017
One of our best customers from Australia has been experimenting with The Wand on the recent ELAC turntable (to match the four or five other turntables with the Wand he owns), Walter has now written a Blog about this experience and posted on the website of our ACT dealer The Factory Audio; Blog
Sound Travels; Blogette.... July 28 2017
Sound Travels....Simon's Blog about Munich High End and visiting Hong Kong audio shops is now up on NZ tech site Witchdoctor. https://witchdoctor.co.nz/index.php/2017/07/sound-travels/
Also a really good write-up on The Wand at Munich on The Audio Beat;
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/highend2017/highend2017_tonearms.htm
The Wand Tonearm is now Distributed in France and Italy. July 21 2017
We are very pleased to announce French and Italian Distribution for The Wand Tonearm.
France is now covered by Acoustic Precision who also distribute such notable brands as Lamm amplifiers, Lyra cartridges, Raven turntables and Puresound speakers.
Italy is now enthusiastically distributed by MadForMusic Sas a Milan retailer who also distributes Shelter cartridges, Gato electronics, Wilson Benesch speakers etc
The Universal Tonearm! HiFi & Musik Magazine Sweden July 07 2017
Swedish Magazine Hifi & Musik have just reviewed The Wand Tonearm® and applaud it as the “Universal Tonearm” after using it with no less than ten different cartridges. (in particular, saying it was the perfect arm for the Clearaudio Stradivari cartridge, which costs around 5x The Wand Plus that they reviewed it with)
They said; “Are there any disadvantages to in sound quality? In this test, the truth is, that I have not found a single problem with how The Wand presents music. It's could be said it does not have the same grip and precision as our familiar SME V, but being a unipivot, they have their own particular virtues of sufficient quantity. And in that way The Wand delivers less of the poetic story of Nottingham Analogue Ace Space can provide, So we’d say the combination of abilities is greater than the sum of shortcomings. …… The design points to a perfect balance of these abilities. Against the fact that he wanted to create a good deal Tonearm for a reasonable money. What he has succeeded in constructing is one of the world’s best compromises between sound quality, operation and finish. In the final say The Wand always is a good alternative. No matter what tonearm you jam with. Highly recommended!
…and what they say about using it on a Linn is worthy of a separate post…..
Peripheral Equipment;
Cartridges;
Clearaudio Stradivari,
Dynavector Karat 1703,
Gold Note Donatello Red, Hana SL,
Klsekl Purple Heart NS,
Koetsu Black,
Lyra Kleos,
Transfiguration Axia-S
Turntable Nottingham Analogue Space 294 HP Phono Stage · ASR Mini Basis Power Amplifier: ATC SIA-2 150 Speaker ProAc Response 2.5
The Wand Tuntable! May 16 2017 1 Comment
The Wand Turntable at Munich High End Show; We will be showing a prototype of The Wand Turntable at the stand of our German Distributor, Input Audio Halle 3 Stand N08 We think it is pretty cool! with large 14" Smart platter. Of course you can fit 9.5in, 10.3in or 12in Wand Tonearms.Strictly speaking it is a Table as currently not turning.... we hope to have it available at the end of the year.
The No1 Botswana Tonearm; January 24 2017
Like many others I have delighted in Alexander McCall Smith’s; No1 Ladies Detective Agency series and its positive portrayal of Botswana. So I was happy in sending my first tonearm to a customer there. Anthony ordered a 12in Wand tonearm to go on his rebuilt Garrard 301 (with Ortofon MC cartridge) This is apparently sounding great via his Audio Research preamp and Quad II power amps powering DeVore speakers.
Thanks too to Roy Davis from High End Audio for helping in the installation.
We’ve been Blogged! and on one of the coolest audio websites out there…. January 19 2017
The Factory Audio from Canberra, Australia has a really cool website, all black with white lettering and moody images. A music page isn’t surprising for an audio dealer / modifier /installer but it also has the big plus of a ‘Whisky of the Week’ page… (and we are not talking Johnnie Who here)
One of their customers, Walter has written an interesting blog about audio progress, this includes quite a few Wand Tonearm references. This may have something to do that he has Wand tonearms mounted on a Thorens TD160, Lenco, Orpheus and Garrard 401 turntables, with more for a Technics SL1500, and the mighty Commonwealth turntable.
The full blog is at http://www.thefactoryaudio.com/blog/ if you scroll down a bit.
But few extracts;
….speaking of retro, the ‘new releases’ featured in the article about the Munich show included amplifiers by Dynaco and Hafler, and turntables from Perpetuum-Ebner. Until recently all these brands were dead (though apparently not, to quote a recent head of state, buried and cremated). ……
Naturally enough it occurred to me that a magazine story involving similar products from these manufacturers might have been written about a Munich hi-fi show of 50 years ago or more. But how is this possible when there have been so many changes in hi-fi over the years, and when hi-fi itself, as a branch of science and technology, is predicated on ideas of innovation and progress? It seems that within hi-fi at the moment there are two contradictory historical visions: on the one hand, belief in technological progress surely remains most people’s default position; yet, on the other hand, it is difficult to make sense of the ‘new’ products at Munich without using metaphors of cycles, spirals, and even, to borrow an idea from Nietzsche, eternal return.
Is it even possible to answer this question? Strictly speaking, it is not, for to be able to do so would involve possessing a perspective that somehow transcends one’s immediate paradigm. But it is surely permissible to draw upon our own experiences in thinking about such questions. In my case, a comparison between a system I had around 1980 and the one I have now comes to mind. Simply put, is the one I have now better? If I were to answer ‘no’, it would be because of the magnificently wide and precisely positioned sound stage that my old Amcron electrostatic-conventional hybrid speakers presented when I played records on my AR turntable with its JH arm and Nakamichi moving-coil cartridge. I have been attempting to recapture that soundstage ever since, along the way making a virtue out of a necessity by trying to convince myself that musical coherence is more important than the clear separation of instruments, tracks, and channels.
……
There is, of course, also a ‘yes’ answer. I’m sure, for example, that my current Merlin-Naquadria amplifiers are much better than my 1980 Amcron-Dynaco combination and, for that matter, everything else I’ve ever had including the celebrated Naim 250 power amp. I also feel that a decent medium-priced modern tonearm represents a significant improvement on even state-of-the-art vintage arms. This opinion was confirmed recently when I replaced the early-model SME 3009 on my vintage Orpheus turntable with a 9” version of The Wand carbon-fibre tonearm from Design Build Listen in New Zealand. One reason for the huge improvement I perceived is the tonearm cabling involved, and I think that cabling in general is an area where one may well speak of progress; I shudder to think that in 1980 I was feeding my Amcron electrostatics with the sort of speaker wire that one buys at Bunnings these days. Cabling aside, though, current unipivot tonearms like The Wand still seem better than their antecedents such as the once highly regarded JH Formula 4 and even the legendary Naim Aro.
But, as I’ve said before, the thing to do is to put something like The Wand on a good vintage turntable. In fact, my two current favourite turntables, the Orpheus and a souped-up Thorens TD 160, both have Wands. The Orpheus is from the late 1950s and the Thorens the 1970s. The Orpheus has an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge, which is a – perhaps the – current cutting-edge moving-magnet design, while the Thorens has a Decca London cartridge, which, although new, is essentially the same design as its Decca predecessors from the 1950s. (contd)
Dr Walter Kudrycz
Audiophile Jazz Review; The Wand 12in/ S.A.M. Reference Turntable / ZYX 4D (and other) cartridges… December 29 2016
One of our customers Mike Sands, runs a website; Audiophile Jazz Review. He has recently published a review of his experiences with The Wand 12in (some extracts…)
Let’s just cut right to the chase for those who are impatient….like me….! If you’re looking for a tonearm that will allow whatever cartridge you use to be heard as designed. Then this strange looking, carbon fiber, cigar shaped marvel called “The Wand Plus” is it! There you have it. Now the details….
For over a year I’ve put this arm through its paces on the S.A.M. Reference turntable using such notable cartridges as the, Denon DL160, ZYX R100H, Jasmine Tiger, Dynavector XX2 Mk II, Haniwa HCTR-01, and my current reference the ZYX 4D. Whatever cartridge used, the Wand allowed me to easily hear the characteristics of these fine pickups. The Dynavector’s characteristic ballsy bass and smoothness was easy to discern, as was the detail, clarity, and spaciousness of the Haniwa. But It wasn’t until I mounted the ZYX 4D that the magic started to happen. No disjointed hi-fi spectacular, just music!
Setting up the arm is a snap. It is easier than any arm I’ve had before which includes the Syrinx PU3 MKII, Zeta, Linn Ittok, Premier MMT, SME 309, and Origin Live Silver. This I attribute most to an ingenious setup jig supplied with the arm, which allows correct pivot distance and bearing height adjustments in less than a minute!
…..every now and then you find that special component whose performance belies their affordable price and relax knowing that you are hearing the truth from your system without having to mortgage the home. Such is the realization with the Wand/ZYX/Reference combination.
For the full review go to ; http://www.audiophilejazz.com/?page_id=56
There is a ZYX 4D focused review higher up on the page and a Wand 12in focused one lower down.
Soundcraftsman Zephyr Cartridge / Wand Tonearm / Lenco Turntable November 26 2016
Arm of the Week; Jason from the US has mated a Wand Classic to a Lenco and a Soundcraftsman Zephyr cartridge, running thought some seriously considered gear. He says;
Ok. I (we? Ha!) have officially ruined my enjoyment of digital at this point. Even high-resolution digital doesn’t seem to compare, and I have 4 different DACs, all of them at least good. What an arm! Particularly when paired with a cartridge that works well together with it. I’m still trying to get my mind around it.
The latest round of the upgrade sickness means eight Sorbothane feet for the table and the piece of marble under it, as well as some new silver-mica capacitor upgrades for my phono stage. The old Mylar caps I’d put in years ago were fine for the previous incarnation of turntable/arm/cartridge, but the Wand and the Zephyr have suddenly put a spotlight on what those are doing that I don’t like. There is a certain sheen or glassiness to the upper-midrange into the treble that a few experiments with the caps has already revealed to me.
Wand Weinyl (x3) November 18 2016
Our German/Austrian distributor Bernd from Input Audio reported from the Wien (Vienna) Show;
Last weekend at the Vienna show "Klangbilder". …., this was a very small show with just 1500 or a bit more visitors. But my products were very well presented : the Wand Tone arm appearingin 3 demo rooms, the Croft amps in 2 rooms and all together with Harbeth speakers in our room, which was driven by the dealers from "simply hifi", "Longtone" from Vienna and me. …Our room received the best comments regular during the show from visitors, who came quite often several times to us to enjoy music in its most natural kind. Most of the time our room was full of visitors. The Harbeth SuperHL5plus speakers, well driven by the Croft regulated amplifiers, delivered a spectacular good sound – very dynamic, refined and with an absolutely natural flow, full of musical emotions. For us, it was a very good show and my dealers in Vienna were very delighted and well motivated.
For more photos see; http://www.inputaudio.de/klangbilder-wien-2016/
The Silver arm picks up the Silverware..... October 26 2016 1 Comment
The Silver arm picks up the Silverware.....
....last week The Wand Master Series picked up a Silver in the 2016 BEST Design Awards. See; https://bestawards.co.nz/product/consumer/the-wand-tonearm
nice match to the silver-copper hybrid wiring and the Silver carbon fibre. (For those of you waiting for arms, all the bits are now on order, so not so far away...)
An Antipodean Insiders View of T.H.E Show 2016 October 08 2016
An Antipodean Insiders View of T.H.E Show 2016; now up on NZ Tech site Witchdoctor. I've written an article to give Kiwis a feel for T.H.E Show we exhibited in, in LA in June. See: http://www.witchdoctor.co.nz
The Hero of our Tonearm! September 23 2016 1 Comment
The Wand Tonearm Master Series is a finalist in the 2016 BEST Design Awards August 09 2016
More NEWS! The Wand Tonearm Master Series is a finalist in the 2016 BEST Design Awards (Designers Institute of New Zealand). http://bestawards.co.nz/entries/product/category/consumer/
Downunder Audio Room given BEST ROOM AWARD at T.HE Newport 2016 Show August 08 2016
Hot News! Our Downunder Audio Room (Colleen Cardas Imports) was given BEST ROOM AWARD at T.HE Newport 2016 Show by Rafe Arnott of Part Time Audiophile. Due significantly to the Brigadiers Audio BA2 Speakers which Rafe awarded a 'Best New Product Award' to (of two awarded). PureAudio amps and Les Davis equipemtn feet all played their part. I particually thank Mark Dohmann / Audio Union for trusting us with their wonderful Helix 1 turntable.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/…/newport-2016-wrap-up-best…/
Blog; Unipivots, V8s and straight sixes…… July 31 2016
Hana (no)Bull Review July 15 2016
While it is only a few weeks since Richard Varey's TNT review of The Wand Tonearm with budget cartridges which included Hana EL and SL cartridges. Now Geoff Husband from TNT-France has put up a complementary (and complimentary) review of the Hana SL. It echos many of Richards findings concluding "I could live with the Hana... If tomorrow all the other cartridges I had disappeared I would be quite happy to continue listening. I wouldn't feel short-changed, and though I might miss certain things they wouldn't 'bother' me so much. No other cartridge under 1500 Euro has passed this test. That the Hana is well below this limit is quite an achievement. "
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/hana_sl_e.html
Oasis the Room (Not the Band) July 08 2016
As mentioned earlier, our 'Audio Downunder' Room (Colleen Cardas Imports) at the Newport Show was given an Audio Oasis award my Positive Feedback magazine, you can now read more about it (even if The Wand Tonearm reference is rather obscure...)
New TNT Review The Wand tonearm (and Hana cartridge) July 04 2016
New Review! TNT Audio (Italian - English Audio Review site) has a new review of The Wand Tonearm 9.5in Plus model with a bunch of budget cartridges ranging from a Rega Carbon to Hana SL (with the Hana models coming out top)TNT Audio Link
Another Show Stopper...... June 29 2016
SoundStage Global magazine featured The Wand Tonearm in it’s Newport Show Report section on Source devices, commenting “It’s weird to think of a tonearm costing more than $1000 as a fantastic bargain, but The Wand sure looks like one. The tonearms, which were being demonstrated on a $40,000 Döhmann turntable, start at $1050 for a 9” model” Link
Audio Oasis Award! June 26 2016
Wow, our room at THE Newport Show scored an "Audio Oasis" award from Positive Feedback magazine. They apparently only give this to a few rooms where you genuinely want to stay and listen to the music! Thank to the Brigadiers Audio Speakers, Pureaudio amps, Les Davis feet, Audio Union Helix One turntable with The Wand Tonearm (despite having dropped off the certificate!) and all organised by Colleeen Carda Imports.
Great Press for Downunder Audio June 22 2016
Very slow catching up after the Newport Show but there is already some great Press out there. Rafe from Partime Audiophile loved us! (he took some great photos too) http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2016/06/14/newport2016-brigadiers-pureaudio-wand-and-dohmann-bring-the-down-under/
