AUDIO NEWS

Gold Note Bellagio, Pioneer VSX-832, Stax SRM-T8000, Playback Designs Dream Series, Sony WS623 Sports Walkman, Richter Audio, McIntosh MA9000, Music Hall mmf1.3, Magico M6, Wilson Benesch Resolution, Dynaudio Special 40, Questyle QP2R, Pioneer SE-CH9T, Harbeth Monitor 30.2, J.A. Michell at Radiance AV, Clearaudio Concept Active and more…

The first Gold Note Bellagio Reference turntable has arrived in Australia, and it’s spinning vinyl for prospective buyers down at Sound Gallery’s premiere demo room in Melbourne. ‘ This is the very first time this amazing Italian-made turntable has been demonstrated in Australia,’ said John Ong, of Sound Gallery. ‘ The Gold Note Reference features five different curved plinths that are interfaced with aluminium spacers of different thicknesses joined together with custom-machined solid blocks of aluminium. We’ve fitted our Bellagio Reference with an Index B-7 Ceramic tonearm that uses high-precision micro-ceramic ball-bearings manufactured in Germany by GRW, and fitted the arm with the new Donatello moving-coil cartridge, which has a Micro Elliptical diamond developed in collaboration with AdamantNamiki.’ The complete turntable/tonearm/cartridge package can be yours for $22,632… or probably a bit less if you twist the salesperson’s arm after your demo! Sound Gallery is also demonstrating Gold Note’s XT-7 floor-standing loudspeakers which, although they’re made in Italy, use Swedish SEAS bass and midrange drivers and German AMT Ribbon tweeters. They sell at Sound Reference for $25,461 per pair. ‘ I’d like to tell your readers that we are now also an official retail outlet for products from Balance Audio Technology (BAT) and YBA Acoustics,’ said Ong. For more information, contact Sound Gallery on (03) 9578 8658 or at www.soundgallery.com.au.