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Forgive my indulgence for this is my first ever audio thing that I have made (even though I have been fixing things for over 30 years). The genesis: I was fixing a hum issue in a DAC for one of SNA members and he asked me whether I thought that there was any merit in mounting the stuff (DAC and a tube buffer) on a wooden base. He asked because he had read that it did amazing things to the sound quality. I replied that this seems to be rather silly but then again it certainly should not hurt the SQ. Having for months the Lampucera DAC and Lamipizator's anode follower tube stage ready to be deployed, I knew then, that the next project will be my take on "Red Wine Audio". The box: Jack Mann's magnum 1999 cab-sav-malbec. Pat O'Brian from War Audio remarked that this was probably the best wine ever made in WA. Big claim. The glow: As we all know, the best thing about tubes is The Glow... The rear, where the connections are: Inputs are coaxial and optical and outputs are single-ended from the Lampucera DAC and Lampizator valve stage (anode follower). The parts: Sadly, I had to include a photo with the flash, as otherwise you would have never seen all these quality components like Sanyo Os-cons and Elna Stargets, the sockets for swapping op-amps and valves... and of course that it is a 100 year old, reclaimed, real jarrah timber that surely must sound better that just about anything Even though it does not get hot enough to worry about ventilation, it is designed to be used open (mainly for the glow). Life is apparently an open book The unit now has a name badge and transformers are masked. My non-audiophile friends urge me to "sell it, sell it!" See what people would pay! And I tell them that... there probably would be no interest whatsoever. For you can only listen to it. You cannot read glowing articles in the hifi press, can't casually name drop in a conversation, does not have a wow factor. I know this, because none of the 3 audiophile friends that I showed it to, expressed even the slightest interest of listening to it. I could show them articles from Lampizator's web pages where he claims that this DAC is in top 5 DACs ever made but... what's the point? Even the guy who has a very similar unit and is convinced about its superb sound quality is not interested in finding out whether it does sound better in a timber box or not Then, there would be the price. No one would ever pay for the time spent drilling into hardwood with drill bit held with your fingers (as no drill will ever fit to drill into the short sides of the box - even with flexible extension). And for moving components around and re-routing the cables until you do not get any hum or noise at all. Until of course one gets a big name, often by buying sponsored articles in the HiFi press. Then people will pay $10k for the power cable, some without hesitation. This should not in any way be read as sour grapes but merely a fact that I find amusing (and I am not posting it in classifieds forum). Sometimes (and too often) a consensus about sound or quality of one's equipment appears to be more important than one's own enjoyment or opinion which can naturally be different to that of others.

Item: Red Wine Audio Isabellina HPA (LFP-V edition): Battery-powered R-2R tube NOS DAC with passive volume control and headphone amp. Location: Mount Waverley, VIC Price: $700 pickup or buyer pays postage Item Condition: Fair: Unit is in good working condition, however the black anodised aluminium faceplate has faded to a purple tinge - this is common on these units. Reason for selling: No longer in use - I upgraded to the Bellina Renaissance edition. Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only. Extra Info: The Isabellina HPA takes the 16-bit R-2R tube NOS DAC from the standard Isabellina and adds a headphone amplifier circuit with passive volume control via remote/knob. My unit is configured with variable RCA line-level outputs, making this a great DAC + passive tube preamp to put in front of a power amp (NAKSA anyone?). Most will know this already, but being a battery-powered unit it can run completely isolated from mains power (flick the switch at the rear to "BATT") which is a great way to get rid of any unwanted mains noise at the source. The unit can also run while charging from mains (and still operates using the battery), which allows some flexibility and is predominantly how I used it for convenience sake. The RWA Isabellina ended my year-long merry-go-round search for the ideal DAC. I'd owned a number of units prior to finding this one (Stello DA100, PS Audio DLIII, Rega DAC, Audio-gd DAC-19, Audio-gd Reference 5.2, Bryston BDA-3), but once I finally discovered the RWA it quickly made itself at home in my system. I've since upgraded to the Bellina Renaissance version (mainly for cosmetic reasons; it has the same DAC circuit), and can honestly say that I've never felt the need to look further up the market for a better DAC; it just sounds right to me. The NOS R-2R DAC chip is the foundation of all things good; I find myself drawn to these type of designs. The tube circuit adds richness of tone, meat on the bone and a soundstage that has to be heard to believe. Battery power is icing on the cake. Be warned, this is no modern DAC. It is 16-bit only (undisclosed R-2R chip) which means no hi-res, DSD or MQA inputs allowed (phew, you can forget about those rabbit holes!). The USB input works fine but I wouldn't bother with it; the BNC RCA input is where its at. If these things don't bother you, I think you'll find this to be an amazingly capable unit which produces some of the most natural, effortless and fulfilling sound you're likely to hear from any DAC this side of $2k. Here's some reviews so you can benchmark my thoughts above: http://www.soundstage.com/equipment/redwine_isabellina_hpa.htm http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine12/hpa.html https://www.cnet.com/news/the-worlds-best-headphone-amplifier/ http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2011/01/red-wine-audio-isabellina-lfp-v-edition/ (this one is for the standard Isabellina DAC, no HPA). The unit will come in its original box & (fantastic) packaging, along with the manual, remote, mains charger + power lead. Pickup is available from Mount Waverley or buyer pays shipping (shouldn't be more than $80). Pictures:

Item: Red Wine Audio Signature 57 integrated amplifier (walnut finish) Location: Clayton, VIC Price: $2700 including shipping to Australia (RRP = $4000) Item Condition: Mint Reason for selling: Can't quite match it with my (vastly more expensive) Pass Labs amp. Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, PayPal. Details: The Signature 57 is RWA's newest amplifier; incorporating two Liliana power amp modules into one (very beautiful) case. At 57wpc into 8 ohms (115wpc into 4 ohms and stable into 2 ohms), it provides more power for those who love the RWA sound but have inefficient speakers that can't be driven by the smaller Signature 16. Like all RWA amps, the Signature 57 is battery-powered and can be set to run completely off-grid, negating the need for expensive power cables/filters/conditioners. Say hello to an inky-black background - the noise floor on this is astonishingly low! A full charge will see you through approximately 12-18 hours; the amp can also run while charging from the provided A/C adapter. I purchased the amp from Audio Addiction as an ex-demo unit; it is the same one that our very own John Darko reviewed (link below). It comes with a full warranty that is transferable to subsequent owners.The amp is in absolutely mint condition, with not a scratch on it. This particular unit is the standard configuration, but can be sent back to RWA to add extra modules such as a DAC, phono stage or headphone jack. RWA have also recently released a new dual-mono tube input stage that can be retro-fitted; all the details are on their website linked below. The amp will come in the original shipping box with the aluminium remote (a thing of beauty), A/C charger and manual. Pickup from Clayton, SE suburbs or shipping is included within Australia. Demos and inspections are welcome; PM me to arrange. The RRP on these is $4000, so grab yourself the very first second-hand unit on the market, in mint condition, for a fraction of the cost. Review: http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2013/12/red-wine-audio-signature-57-integrated-amplifier-review/ More info: http://redwineaudio.com/components/signature-57 Pics:

Item: RWA Signature 15 integrated amp. Condition: Great. One very small circular mark on the top of case (see photos) Price: $980 pickup or buyer pays shipping Reason for selling: I thought I'd try it in my system with the Isabellina HPA DAC that I've been running. They're a great match but in the end I preferred my current amps. Details: The amp was purchased from Audiogon and shipped from the USA. For those who don't know, these are battery powered and thus run off-grid. It's a great way to eliminate power line noise and other interference; resulting in an eerily quiet background. It comes with the included 115/240V universal charger; you'll get about 6 hours in between full charges. It can also run while charging - so you don't ever have downtime. It's as realistic as I've ever heard an amplifier sound; uncannily so. Tonallity is excellent, similar to the NAKSA 100 in some ways but without the warmth and humidity in the midrange. This thing is crystal clean and transparent. Bass is suprisingly solid for such a low-powered amp (15wpc into 8 ohms and 30wpc into 4 ohms). The unit has 3 line inputs, selectable via the front knob. Underneath the speaker binding posts are a set of pre-outs. The original remote is also included, as is an alternative tube (Miniwatt - worth $100). The amp will come packed in its original box, along with all accessories and the manual. Price is for pickup from Clayton or Southbank; postage within Australia shouldn't be more than $40. Auditions are welcome, PM me with any questions. More info: http://redwineaudio....=fallcomponents Glowing reviews: http://www.tonepubli...e-15-amplifier/ http://www.digitalau...plifier-review/ http://www.6moons.co...edwine14/1.html http://parttimeaudio...o-signature-15/ Pics: