As you've probably heard, Colleen and I have been working on the Down Under Audio theme for Colleen Cardas Imports ever since my visit to Sydney last August. Weeks after my return, Colleen and I became the US distributors for REDGUM Audio, one of the most popular Australian amplifier brands for more than 20 years. I also assisted Les Davis in getting his constrained layer damping devices into a commercial product, now called the Les Davis Audio 3D². Finally, I also consulted with Brigadiers Audio in finalizing the voicing for the BA2 2-way monitor—which means I got to sit in a big comfy chair and say “Yeah, that’s sounding really nice.”
Now we're ready for the debut of Down Under Audio at The Newport Show on June 3-5, and we'd enjoy having you visit us and hear the latest products from our good mates from halfway around the world!
We will be featuring two rooms at Newport--Rooms 1011 and 1012. In Room 1011 we will be featuring the Axis VoiceBox S loudspeaker ($2500/pair) to the entire Black Series line of REDGUM Audio amps, along with the REDGUM CD player and their comprehensive line of cables. Axis and REDGUM are both manufactured in the same Shenzhen factory under the watchful eyes of John Reilly and Ian Robinson, so naturally they work together well. John's VoiceBox has fairly low sensitivity (85 dB, 5 Ohms), so they really love Ian's high-current amp designs that are made to work well with speakers that dip below 2 ohms.
Colleen Cardas Imports, for the moment, is concentrating on importing Ian's "Black Series" of integrated amplifiers, the 65wpc RGi35 ENR ($2500), the 125wpc RGi60 ENR ($3500) and the 175wpc RGi120 ENR ($4500).
In Room 1012, Brad Serhan will be hosting the US debut of his BA2 2-way loudspeakers, the ones I heard in Sydney. These feature birch-ply construction, constrained layer damping enclosures, a Raal ribbon tweeter, custom native Australian veneers and more. The US MSRP has not been set yet, but we think they will retail for around $11,000 to $12,000/pair in the States. Dealers in Australia are already lining up to represent Brad’s newest speaker line (which also includes a larger floorstander, the BA1), and the Brigadiers Audio Group is selling every pair they can make.
These will be mated to Gary Morrison's PureAudio electronics from New Zealand, including the Vinyl phono pre ($4500), the Control preamplifier ($9500) and the Duo stereo power amplifier ($9500). The Duo is debuting in Version 2 form, with minor modifications that help this Pure Class A amplifier run cooler and sound just a little sweeter. Gary will be at the show as well--Colleen and I will be meeting him for the first time in person after representing PureAudio for four years.
For our analog source, we will be featuring the Audio Union Helix 1 turntable designed by Mark Doehmann ($40,000), mated to Simon Brown's The Wand Tonearm from New Zealand (which has a range of pricing and is sold direct at this time). We will have a varied selection of cartridges ranging from Denon 103s to Transfigurations.
All cabling and power conditioning in Room 1012 will be Furutech, including Lineflux interconnects, Speakerflux speaker cables and Alpha PS-950-18 power cords.
Finally, we will also be debuting Les Davis and his new company, Les Davis Audio. Les has designed a constrained layer damping material, called 3D². These will be available in various thicknesses and shapes and can be placed anywhere in a system--under amps, sources, power supplies, motors and even between speaker/stand interfaces (there is a version of the 3D² that is adhesive). Les and Brad demonstrated the effects of these devices to me in Sydney and the difference is not subtle. Len Wallis Audio, the largest dealer in Sydney, heard the 3D² and immediately ordered 200 boxes. Again, we're not set on the pricing, but for now we will probably sell 3D² in 12-packs for between $100 and $125.
The entire Down Under Audio theme stems from one idea--that I think audio products in Australia and New Zealand are absolutely wonderful and do not receive the attention in the US that they should. I believe Axis, REDGUM Audio, Brigadiers Audio, PureAudio, The Wand, Audio Union and Les Davis Audio are not only good--they are so good that I can seriously say that this is the gear I personally hope to own one day.
Both Colleen and I will be at the show so feel free to come in and sit down and even talk with all the designers who will be there with us including Brad Serhan, Gary Morrison, Ian Robinson, Simon Brown, Les Davis and more.
Thanks,
Marc Phillips
Partner, Colleen Cardas Imports
