GC Hifi

Who you calling Shirley? ... ;-)

If you are from Queensland then you would already know the secret handshake. ... 😉

We are hosting a Marten speaker night get together on Saturday the 25th April with the Gold Coast HiFi Clubhouse. There will be three rooms of Marten speakers including the $219K Mingus Septets, Parker Trio's and the Parker Duo Diamond stand mounts. I am trying a new event rego system so please click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1983502485328?aff=oddtdtcreator cheers, Terry

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I have had the Klimax with the 150's on a number of occasion's and the combo is truly excellent and if I was only ever going to have one box front end with the 150's and the budget allowed then it would be the Klimax DSM. However an Oladra plus a similar spec Pre and DAC with the right interconnects does edge out the Klimax, but at an expense that is nearly double that of the Klimax's RRP. Horses and budgets for courses. The gentleman who just purchased my demo 150's also purchased my demo Klimax. For him a top sounding one box stop, plus the 150's, was exactly what he was looking for and he should know as he has purchased high end Antipodes, Mola Mola and AC gear previously, plus prior to me starting GC HiFi he was into CH DAC's and Amps. cheers, Terry

Hi Tobes, they are the F1-10's and they sound great with the 150's, very quick, yet still deliver a substantial bass improvement while delivering a whole of range SQ improvement that has to be heard to be appreciated. Love the 150's with these JL's and as previously said only takes roughly 3 minutes per sub to set up. Personally in my opinion if one is only going to ever have one sub then the F1-13 would be the go. If two then I'm more than happy with the 10's, I briefly tried two 13's as well and in my small room preferred the two x 10's. cheers, Terry

Definitely one of my fav's as well, but both good and bad, mine as of Monday arvo are getting ready to be packed in their travel boxes ready for my long road trip down to Sydney next Monday where the new lucky owner will be pairing them with a Linn Klimax DSM and Argento Flow XLR's. This combo is a simple yet great sounding system, he already has some very nice subs so can't wait after setting it up for him to hear it all in action.

Well its been at least six months since I last had the 150's plugged in and playing, that was until yesterday when I finally moved them back into the main room for a listen and I have to admit unfortunately that in that time I had managed to basically forget how good they truly are. I know they aren't the most attractive speaker ever made and often struggle with the WAF factor, but few speakers, especially anywhere near their price point, can deliver the relaxing high end sq that big active ATC's do. One thing though that was quickly reinforced was just how much I enjoy the 150's with well matched Sub's, that is not isolated to ATC speakers though, it is the same for any speaker, great subs that can deliver full range add so much to the SQ level, even when you already have 15" bass drivers. and one of the best mid range drivers in this hobby of ours. While I was at it I decided to try a number of power cables, including the new flagship Vertere HBS cable with the Linn Klimax, which was very interesting comparing them all. Believe it or not I tend to use the standard supplied power cables with my 150's as I have struggled to find a power cable that add's substantially to the sq the big ATC's deliver and doesn't end up taking away something, the only ones I have tried and really liked aren't available in Australia so no point me having them if I can't supply them if someone wants them for their active ATC's.. Where as with the Linn or any other front end power cables nearly always make a serious difference, not always better though. Pardon the crappy pictures. cheers, Terry

The first thing that comes to mind is that you have put together a very special Hifi system.

Just out if interest if you don't mind me asking do you have the Reference Plus or the Reference? You wouldn't happen to have a picture of it would you? And also if you don't mind me asking as well, do you have the SmartHub 3? As for system synergy the only way for one to find out is to actually compare both, the Ref+ Mk1 does an exceptional job on improving the ethernet signal which in turn greatly improves the end SQ, but where it works best in comparison to the Mk2 is with with systems that need, for the want of better explanation, a little system calming, rather than adding more resolution, three dimensionality and where decay isn't maybe as important. The Mk1 easily still sounds excellent compared to any other ethernet filter I have had the pleasure of having in my system though. But as others who also have seriously good sounding high end systems have found when comparing the Mk1 to the Mk2, there has been for them anyway a worthwhile difference. ... Cheers

I'm looking forward to having a Mk1 back again, while it is not the Mk2 it is still easily the second best passive filter that Waversa make, as one would expect as in the end they were in the end the same RRP as the current model. Regarding a new Mk2 I actually ordered another one several months ago, which I have patiently been waiting for, I'm told I should have it early in the new year, Seriously I can't wait. Given I have several different systems set up and plugged in at the same time in the three rooms I do enjoy having both a Reference+ Mk1 along with the Mk2, like you having had both versions in my system to compare it makes for an interesting comparison and given I had tried them with quite a number of system I have on occasion depending on the system enjoyed the Mk1 over the Mk2, but usually it comes a close second to the Mk2, both are quite similar but also very different in what they deliver. Glad to hear you are really enjoying the Mk2 John and yes I do miss it. Talk soon. cheers, Terry

You two gotta stop shouting at each other. ... 😇

System synergy and personal listening preferences is everything in this hobby of ours, in my opinion you did the smart thing in that you tried it and it didn't sound good to you in your system. Personally I stopped reading reviews several years ago mainly because the vast majority of reviewers are paid to write reviews, so trusting your own ears is to me the only real way to have any true idea of how a new component will or might work in ones system. That is why I keep recommending to anyone that is interested that at least go and listen before you buy and preferably try any potential new component in your system if at all possible. Yes as a retailer I sell to people interstate who contact me and yes I have skin in the game when making recommendations but the difference is if my advice is bad/poor then in this small hifi world of ours word will spread which will directly affect my future, that in the majority of cases is the difference from advice from a reviewer and a niche retailer who isn't also just a box mover. Mind you that wasn't an excuse for Jethro to sneak the mighty Pass away. ... 😉 cheers, Terry

For what its worth even power cables take time to settle down and when I first put the 6mm in nearly everything I plugged into them sounded harsh and in your face, but that changed with time for the better. Personally I would consider leaving the 6mm in the wall and add 4mm as well. From memory I have something like 11 double power points behind my main system. Three on 6mm, six on 5mm and two on 4mm As I have mentioned before depending on what components are in the system I find that different components sound better on either 6mm and my preferred other size being 5mm. Same goes for 4mm and something worth a try if you feel so inclined is you can literally fine tune your system by, for example, having the amps on 4mm and the front end on 6mm. I find that more often then not running the front end through 6mm brings the voicing forward when the amps are being driven through the 4mm and or the 5mm and vice versa. As I change in and out components from quite a number of brands and models on a regular basis the ability to fine tune through the gauge of the copper is something I wish I had known about years ago. cheers, Terry

I have listened to many DAC's in various price ranges and bang for dollar and often even at nearly double the cost price is the Mola Mola Tambaqui, it is hard to beat more often then not until you spend quite a bit more. Something else to consider is it doesn't need to be matched with other components from the same manufacturer to sound at its best. I'm also a fan of the Nagra Classic over the Dave, I have had the Classic here and very much liked it, quite different to Tambaqui in what it delivers though, no matter what anyone recommends the only thing that really matters is the sound delivery that you like, so best to try and audition before deciding in my opinion. One audition is worth 100 opinions I reckon. Audio Connection in Leichardt had a demo Nagra Classic recently, might be worth a call. cheers, Terry