SoundStageAustralia.com

Details: Written by Mark Busby Mark Busby; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 01 March 2026 01 March 2026

AFI FLAT.DUO Record Flattener & Relaxer

For record collectors it is not uncommon to come across a warped or dished slab of vinyl that cannot be played correctly. Vinyl flatteners have been around for a number of years now, but a new generation of flattening machines are on the market that can handle two records at a time and even flatten Shellac records! The German made AFI FLAT.DUO is designed to flatten records and can be used to improve the sound quality using a heat setting called ‘Relax’. This review will cover before and after results for Flattening and Relaxing various records from my collection.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Features Features; Published: 01 March 2026 01 March 2026

Listening Sessions With Famed DJ Gilles Peterson

The Penthouse, a VIP area at Sydney’s flashy Ivy nightclub, was the setting for an invite-only gathering of 200 guests who linked-up with Gilles Peterson, renowned DJ, record label founder and broadcaster, for an evening of music and his favourite cuts. The sound system? A premium audio system curated by Bondi’s own Atlas Gouverneur from Atlas Harmonic.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 15 February 2026 15 February 2026

Yamaha YH-4000 Headphones & HA-L7A Headphone Amplifier

The growth of the personal audio space has yielded an abundance of options spanning diverse technologies and product types that encompass all price points. Like the audio industry at large, boundaries have been freed, and even pushed as far as the laws of physics allow, and brands have been increasingly motivated to deliver a wider selection of top-end products as vanguards to the state-of-the-art. One of the newest entrants is Yamaha’s upmarket YH-4000, which showcases the company’s latest headphone technologies. For this review, I pair them with the uniquely styled HA-L7A headphone amplifier, itself a remarkable multi-function specimen from that closely associated corner of the market. Yes, the high-end headphone space has been a powerful audio market driver. Can this high-technology duo launch towards the sun at an escape velocity greater than the speed of… sound?

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 02 February 2026 02 February 2026

Nagra Audio Recently Dropped PREAMP II-S Preamplifier

Switzerland’s Nagra Audio kicks-off the new Series II product line with the PREAMP II-S with trickle down technology derived from the highly regarded Reference and HD series products.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 01 February 2026 01 February 2026

Marantz LINK 10n Reference Streaming Preamplifier

The humble solid state-based preamplifier has gone through what can only be described as a transformation on a radical evolutionary scale. To the point that simply calling it a preamp would be like reducing hypercomplex analysis down to a simple algebraic formula. Once not much more than a switching and volume control device, advancing technologies have transformed preamps into a platform for features that, not that long ago, were not even imagined. Since the early naughts, the technology gap between a traditional preamp and its contemporary counterpart has evolved to a point which is like comparing a Model T to a software-bulged self-driving computer on wheels. Reflecting its membership in the exclusive ‘10 series’ club, Marantz’s LINK 10n is an exemplar of exhaustive features packaged in flagship-grade construction. So, contrary to old school dogma, can enriched functionality coexist with equally abundant sonic performance to deliver musical joy?

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 27 January 2026 27 January 2026

Secret Chord Analogue Launches Confluence Loudspeakers

Australian analogue specialist Secret Chord Analogue announces the Confluence loudspeakers featuring a single full-range driver in both unique and bespoke open baffle designs.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: Features Features; Published: 22 January 2026 22 January 2026

SoundStage! Talks Australia Video: AudioQuest Founder Bill Low: Music, Cables, and a Lifetime in Hi-Fi

In this in-depth conversation, SoundStage! Australia’s Edgar Kramer speaks with AudioQuest founder Bill Low about music’s influence on his work, the early days of AudioQuest, his long pursuit of better cable design, and how the modern high-end audio industry took shape.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 21 January 2026 21 January 2026

SVS Launches New 3000 R|Evolution Subwoofers

Following on from the release of its 5000 R|Evolution series subwoofers in 2025, low frequency transducer specialist SVS announces the 3000 R|Evolution systems.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 19 January 2026 19 January 2026

Advance Paris APEX Line Arrives

In an upscaled tier of Advance Paris’ Classic line, now with revised design and engineering across the entire series, the French company has announced the new ‘APEX’ range.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 15 January 2026 15 January 2026

Wilson Audio Sabrina V Loudspeakers

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how we may have reached a point in loudspeaker design where the immovable laws of physics are being… nudged. Possibly, ever so slightly stress-bent even. In my recent experience, the humble small floorstander has been amped-up, particularly in the areas of dynamics and low frequency extension. Modern design tools, computer simulation software, advanced measurement systems and refined testing techniques have enabled clever engineers to maximise every last drop of performance. These efforts are further bolstered by updated driver technologies, improved crossover components, and the implementation of advanced materials. The result is a new generation of relatively compact speakers capable of delivering extraordinary scale and authority. Have we entered a Golden Age of speaker design? The answer may well be in the affirmative. Wilson Audio’s newest creation, the Sabrina V, is a modestly-sized floorstander that sounds downright… BIG. Let’s take a closer look.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: Uncategorised Uncategorised; Published: 13 January 2026 13 January 2026

Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Launches Momentum Z Monoblock Amplifier

The highly acclaimed and multi-award winning Momentum electronics from Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems are updated with the celebratory Momentum Z monoblock amplifier.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Ed Comment Ed Comment; Published: 15 December 2025 15 December 2025

The SoundStage! Australia Products of the Year Awards 2025

Am I getting on, or is some alternate parallel universe compressing our dimension’s linear timeline? Has it really been a year already? Get out! It feels like only weeks have passed since I was sifting through products for last year’s awards… and now here I am once again, compiling the shortlist for SoundStage! Australia’s Products of the Year 2025. It’s a process that, once finalised, bestows recognition to this year’s most remarkable designs while celebrating products that signal the very best performance, innovation, and creativity in high-end audio.