Great room, great Show! June 17 2016 1 Comment

We were so busy at the Downunder Audio room (Colleen Cardas Imports) of THE Newport Show that I had neither much time for posting nor much visits of other rooms till the last hour or so. That was a great reality check. It was a reminder how effortless natural Brad's Brigadier BA2 speakers with the Pureaudio amps were, I'm sure I had blood dripping out my ears after visiting a couple of uber-end rooms.
it was a scary privilege to be using my (tone!) arms on the Audio Union Helix 1 turntable. What an amazing piece of technology Creating a sound that was just 'there'. Blurry photo attached (and more posts coming...)

ANZAC Audio to Storm the US (Newport Show June 2016) May 23 2016

What could be termed the First ANZAC Audio Expeditionary Force is set to make a landing at Newport Beach for T.H.E Show there next weekend. A group of manufacturers from Australia and New Zealand have combined to share two rooms hosted by Colleen Cardas Importers. (Rm 1012 & 1011). This is being promoted as "Downunder" audio.

Kiwi makers Pureaudio and Design Build Listen (The Wand Tonearm®) are sharing a room with the very high quality 'Compact BA2' monitors designed by Australia's Brad Serhan from Brigadiers Audio. The turntable is the extraordinary Audio Union Helix 1 designed by Melbourne based Mark Doehmann. All products will be isolated using isolation devices from Les Davis Audio of Sydney Australia.

Gary Morrison said that Pureaudio are showing a full analogue vinyl system including their Vinyl Preamplifier, Control Preamplifier, and an updated version of the Duo Class A stereo power amplifier. There will be a sneak preview of the new The Wand Tonearm Master Series which features a raft of refinements and a sophisticated silver finish.

In the next door room, Australian amplifier makers Redgum will be rocking with the high flying Aussie speaker maker Axis.

Stereoplay Magazine (Germany) gives The Wand Plus "Highly Recommended" May 17 2016

Stereoplay Magazine (Germany) gives The Wand Plus "Highly Recommended"

....apparently a good review but we can't read it.....

High End On Tour Stuttgart 2016 April 12 2016

Our German distributor Input Audio has been busy again, this time at the High End On Tour Show in Stuttgart.

The Wand Tonearm this time featuring on the starter  (nee Michell) turntable and fully tweaked using Trichord external " Never Connected " power supply and with a Ortofon "Quintet Black" Moving Coil. Bernd reported that this setup provided very high level of quality. To the delight of his visitors who returned for more ... The phono preamplifier made ​​DinoMK3 with Dino + power supply via its MC input again an exemplary job. Harbeth speakers completed the system driven by either Creek or Croft amplifiers.

I had a quiet chuckle at the photo of the system which included a Nina Hagen LP. As a New Zealand university student many years ago, friends had a very angry Nina Hagen LP. None of us could understand German but we knew if we did it would be offensive. We played it loud.

Next Two Wand Tonearm Videos now On Line March 24 2016

Then there were three....

....thanks to Jemma's video skills we now have;

1. Fitting & Balancing -   Link
2. Drilling the Mounting Hole -  Link
3. Fitting the Mount - Link  
4. Fitting the Arm & Setting Overhang - Coming Soon
5. Vertical & Horizontal Balancing - Coming Soon

Iconoclastic Classics! February 29 2016

Recently we’ve posted a bunch of images of cartridges that cost several times the cost of The Wand Tonearm® being used on it.

Just to rock the boat a bit we have now posted on Pinterest some rebelliously cheap cartridge being used.

The Shure SC35C ; has been described as “A Wolf in Cheaps Clothing”, this DJ cartridge with the tracking force of half a brick….   …..but with the redeeming feature that it can sound great! Dave in the USA has tried it fitted to his Technics SL1210 M5G on his Wand 10.3in arm, commenting

So far I've had a Shure SC35C, Zu Denon 103R, Shure M55E and a Stanton Fluxvalve 380 installed and they have all performed great. Way better than these budget carts should and better than any of them have performed for me in the past.

The Wand Tonearm® - Linn LP12 armboard available now! February 22 2016

The Wand Tonearm® - Linn LP12 armboard is now available here! This board is a drop in replacement for a Linn Armboard and has an elongated mounting hole that copes with both 9.5in and 10.3in Wand tonearms . This lets you fit a longer arm to your Linn and benefit from ~20% reduced distortion compared to ‘standard’ 9in arms.

The Wand-LP12 armboard is made of ply to be similar acoustically to the standard board and has resonance reducing pockets on the underside. Balanced skins of black laminate are etched with The Wand Tonearm® logo (or to order without).

The Wand is a good match musically to the LP12 as it can add a depth of musical information while maintaining the virtues of the LP12.

Swedish translates beautifully! February 10 2016

Swedish translates beautifully!

A couple of weeks ago our Swedish distributor Stylus Audio  sent a review from a local magazine Hifi&Music of The Wand Tonearm® fitted to an Analogue Works TT2 and using a Lyra Kleos cartridge. Only we couldn't read it.

Now we have a translation on the summary at the end of the review...

Sure, the combination costs a pretty penny and it is hard to discount the vertiginous precision in the detail that the Lyra cartridge contributes. But, I cannot recall having ever heard a Lyra sound as muscular and dynamic, and clearly the mechanically stable and low loss tonearm contributes to this. Yes, it feels as if the stylus movement is directly coupled to the amplifier. So, considering the price, the Wand presents itself as a true bargain!

Another good review.....apparently! January 28 2016

Another good review.....apparently! HiFi & Musik magazine from Sweden were apparently impressed by the Analogue Works TT2 / Wand 9in / Lyra Kleos combination. Only we can't read it. But Stylus Audio our vigorous Swedish Distributors say it was great!

The Wand Tonearm hanging out with Funky Turntables on Pinterest..... January 25 2016 1 Comment

We have just uploaded a bunch more images on Pinterest of The Wand Tonearm® mounted on a number of cool turntables, including a a Funk turntable and a EAR Disc Master turntable which is the work of renowned tube amp designer Tim de Paravicini . Simon from the US commenting “The good news is relative to my old SME-IV the energy level and impact is much improved which is just what I was looking for” See; https://www.pinterest.com/…/the-wand-tonearm-on-cool-turnt…/

Hana Cartridges score 5/5 with HiFi World (UK) January 12 2016

The first magazine review of Hana cartridges has come out in the UK magazine HiFi World.

They reviewed the Elliptical stylus EL & EH models and awarded both ‘Five Globes’ (of five)

With the verdict (EL); A wholly tolerant cartridge that is smoothing and engaging while praising it for –musical engagement, romantic mids, bass and value for money (at a UK retail of £276)

This is a nice symmetry as it was HiFi World who ran the first The Wand Tonearm® review (again awarding it five globes).

Design Build Listen is the New Zealand Distributor for Hana cartridges.

One of our local customers also commented;

The improvement in 3 dimensional accuracy was immediately obvious. It is a solid and precise sound without being at all clinical. The Hana has great timing and I very quickly forgot about the cartridge and just enjoyed the music. Richard B. New Zealand

Dortmund High-end on Tour (HOT) Show 2015 January 02 2016

Input Audio www.inputaudio.de  the active German Distributor for The Wand Tonearm® has done a number of Shows this year. The last one was the Dortmund Hi-end on Tour Show. The Wand Tonearm was mounted on a Palmer 2.5 turntable with Soundsmith AIDA cartridge. Driving the Harbeth 40.2 speakers in these photos were the newly released Trichord 500W monoblocks. This combination sounded very dynamic. Croft and Creek amplification also provided good alternative perspectives.

Hana Moving Coil Cartridges have arrived! December 30 2015

We are proud to announce the arrival on of the new Hana Moving Coil cartridge range from established Japanese cartridge makers Excel Corp.

華 or Hana, which means “brilliant and gorgeous” in the Japanese. Hana cartridges are produced by Excel Sound Corp from Japan, a long established cartridge making company who produce for many other companies. In picking the best bits for their own cartridges, HANA Phono Cartridges use high rigidity aluminium cantilevers, and cross-shaped armatures with the aim of providing brilliant and gorgeous sound.  The Hana “SL” uses a nude natural diamond Shibata-stylus, capable of excellent high frequency response, giving transparency and excellent trackability.  Hana cartridges are available as ‘low’ and ‘high’ output versions. The latter being suitable for quieter Moving Magnet inputs but are only available to order.

These cartridges are available directly on this site or ask us about a retailer near you (Retailer enquires welcome) for $595 for the elliptical stylus EL/EH models and $985 (inc GST) for the Shibata stylus equipped SL/SH models.

We are only authorized to sell these in New Zealand but we can help find your nearest Distributor if you struggle to find them.

They sound great on The Wand Tonearm!

The improvement in 3 dimensional accuracy was immediately obvious. It is a solid and precise sound without being at all clinical. The Hana has great timing and I very quickly forgot about the cartridge and just enjoyed the music. Richard B. New Zealand

Cartridge Heavy Hitters! December 13 2015

New Wand - Dunedin Sound Teeshirt, any interest? December 06 2015

Having sold our our our Kiwifuruit turntable teeshirt. We are looking at a new one. Dunedin Sound on the front, The Wand tonearm on the back. Any interest? Keen to get expressions so we can get a mix of appropriate sizes. Around $NZ30 plus airmail at cost.

First Wand Tonearm Installation video now on line! December 03 2015

The first (of five) Wand Tonearm Installation videos is now on line on Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/147436665 This one is about five minutes long.

Thanks for the video making to Jemma Wells Photography!

The others will gradually roll out in the next few months.

Swedish Style December 01 2015

Swedish Dealer Hembioconsult has been showing The Wand tonearm on an Analogue Works Turntable with Lyra Delos cartridge on their Facebook page, more nice photos and sound.

Linn LP12- Wand experiments. November 24 2015

Stylus Audio (Sweden) Linn LP12- Wand experiments.

Our Scandinavian Distributor Stylus Audio have been busy experimenting with The Wand Tonearm® on a variety of turntables with different cartridges.

Recently they have been running it on a couple of rebuilt Linn LP12s. Shown here with Lyra Delos and Dynavector's top cartridge the XV1.

Apparently the sound is as good as their photography…

It is timely to mention that we are now selling a dedicated LP12 - Wand armboard. This will alow you to fit either a 9.5in or 10.3in Wand to a Linn Sondek.

Trailer; Wand Installation Video! October 27 2015

The video has been shot, we are now recording the voice overs for the five four minute videos showing the Installation of The Wand Tonearm. They should come out in the next few weeks (not at a cinema near you)

So as a bit of a Trailer, have a look at the Jemma Wells Photography website.

The Wand Tonearm at the Bonn HiFi Show 2015 (West Deutsche HiFi Tage) October 22 2015

The Show Season continues with our new German Distributor Input Audio, had a successful room at the recent Bonn HiFi Show 2015 (West Deutsche HiFi Tage). The Wand Tonearm® apparently sounded great fitted to a Palmer turntable and playing through Croft electronics and Harbeth speakers.
The combination even drew applause after playing a Billy Holiday record!
http://www.inputaudio.de/6-westdeutsche-hifi-tage-bonn/

The Wand at Rocky Mountain Audio Festival (RMAF) Room 465 September 27 2015

Our Dallas, Texas retailer, Mockingbird Distribution is using The Wand Tonearm as part of the release for a new range of moving coil cartridges from Japan, 華 (or hana, which means “brilliant and gorgeous” in the original Japanese). HANA Phono Cartridges use high rigidity aluminum cantilevers, and cross-shaped armatures, providing you with brilliant and gorgeous sound.  Hana “SH” and “SL” use nude natural diamond Shibata-stylus, capable of excellent high frequency response, giving you supreme transparency and excellent trackability.

Come and listen at RMAF 2015, in room 465.

New Collection of Cartridges on The Wand Tonearm. September 27 2015

 From Nagaoka MP200 to Jasmine Audio Tiger by way of Grado Platinum...
Over on Pinterest; https://www.pinterest.com/thewandtone…/cartridge-collection/

October 2015 Issue of HiFi Choice now out with interview with Simon Brown about The Wand Tonearm. September 06 2015

October 2015 Issue of HiFi Choice is now out with interview with Simon Brown about The Wand Tonearm.

David Price has crafted a nice three page article from a rambling conversation about The Wand tonearm, it's design aims and origins.

New 10.3in Wand Tonearm (and Series 2) August 24 2015

The Wand 10.3in tonearm has been explicitly designed to be the longest arm that you can fit on a Linn Sondek LP12 or Technics SL1200 family turntable without having to make major modifications.

After a positive response to the 12in version of The Wand Unipivot Tonearm® Design Build Listen ltd are releasing a 10.3in version which promises 2/3 of the benefits of the 12in arm in a format that will fit many existing turntables.

While 12in arms may improve tracing distortion performance by around 30% compared to ‘standard’ 9in arms, a 10.3in arm achieves close to 20% improvement in a format that is achievable for many users.

 We are 12in arm converts but we found that many people are unable to fit 12in arms to their treasured turntables. The 10.3in arm makes this possible for many users, the benefits being heard in the increase in subtle musical detail. The Wand 10.3in remains a medium mass arm (14g) enabling it to be used with a wide range of cartridges.

 Dedicated mounting kits are available for both Linn LP12 and Technics SL1200 family turntables, to make it even easier. 

At the same time we have made a raft of improvements to The Wand Tonearm® culminating in Series 2 status, this includes a new Tungsten Carbide cup bearing, Laser sintered (3D printed) Titanium headshell and a change to brass as the base material for most of the arm parts. These combine to improve both sound quality and finish.