Audio Solutions
Aslight change to our installation awards, this year — they’ve been dominated by home cinemas in the past, and we continue to recognise those, as featured in Sound+Image and our Yearbook, but we were keen also to recognise hi-fi stereo installations. So we have two sections this year, in which we are giving Sound+Image Gold Awards for the highest levels of custom installation. And our first Gold Award goes to Audio Solutions in Sydney’s Mascot, for this stereo installation in a purpose-built space. The home-owner here is a longterm customer.
“He has been a client since the beginnings of Audio Solutions, so that’s more than 15 years,” says Tony Stantzos, co-owner of Audio Solutions. “We’ve built many systems for him over the years in the many houses he’s built or renovated.”
Those ‘many houses’ are an indication of the owner’s job heading a team that tackles major projects in urban design and master planning, as well as apartments, houses, public buildings and more. So it’s no surprise to find that this music room was purpose-built for his new system as an extension to his existing house.
“It’s another living space that has a connection to different outdoor areas”, the owner explained to us. “It’s really a retreat for relaxing and listening to music, away from kids’ movies and family-room action. The existing system is a more all-round 5.1-channel set-up for music, DVDs, TV and Apple TV, whereas the goal for the new system was pretty simple: the ability to play only pure two-channel hi-fi in vinyl, CD and streamed HD music formats... a system that the kids have no control over!”
The equipment was chosen early in the piece, which explains how very neatly the selected two-channel components fit in the new space. The speakers are, clearly, the B&W 800 D3 in their very latest satin white, while the Japanese Luxman electronics provide the choice of both compact disc and vinyl sources plus streaming, with the C-900u control amplifier and two M-900u power amps. The result?
“Transformational,” says the owner. “Sound that I’ve never heard, from both CD and vinyl. The Audio Solutions team did what they always do — deliver painlessly, maintain their interest in the project, always remain accessible and nothing is ever a problem.”
More info: audiosolutions.net.au
“A thrilling system in a dedicated architectural space, for a long-term client who describes the result as ‘transformational’.”