New Additions

January 2012: Happy New Year! What is an enthusiastic audio dealer do to usher in the new year? Attend CES in Las Vegas, of course, and gawk at all the new models of products just beckoning to be brought into the store. This year was a positive overload. Virtually ever product line we carry had new exciting pieces on demonstration, including Neat Acoustic's flagship Ultimatum XL10, Cardas Audio's new expanded Clear line and new world class ear bud headphones, Manley Labs' new $2250 Chinook phono stage, CJ's new Stereo ART amplifier and USB DAC, Regas's RP6, new reference speaker line, and Apollo-R CD player. etc., etc., etc. Whatch for all of these new products and many more to hit our store in the near future.

December 2011: Our first shipment of Neat Acoustics speakers have arrived and are quickly reshaping our thoughts on how realistic a musical presentation can be. Beginning with Neat's new IOTA compact design (compact in size only), and continuing through the widely acclaimed Petite SX loudspeaker and Ultimatum series, Neat Acoustics has added an entirely new dimension to Auravis' speaker offerings.

Naim's ground breaking NDX music server and Super Uniti all-in-one players have arrived to up the Naim anty. These products are all about the future and represent the ultimate in lifestyle oriented audiophile grade audio components. Combined with a Unitiserve and network enabled hard drive, these pieces may well drive the last system you'll ever need in your home.

Our first shipment of RP3s have come and gone. Along with Oppo's BDP 95, we can't bring enough of these high value pieces in stock with the holidays advancing. Give us a call to reserve one of these outstanding products before Christmas. What better new present to play your new Christmas vinyl or DVDs on. 

November 2011: Our "hot off the production line" Conrad Johnson LP125-SE mono blocks arrived this month and are winning us over with their power, dynamics, and natural beauty. These amps are not in the least bit euphonic, but retain the beauty of valve technology in a package that simply gets the music right. We've heard a great many renowned tube components and short of the world's finest at three plus times the price, music reproduction does not get any better. If in the market for new tube equipment, these amps warrant an audition.

October 2011: Synergistic Research's Basik series of interconnects, power cords, and speaker cables have redefined the highest level of performance we have heard for under $400. At $250, the power cord and interconnects, are simply mind boglingly great!

Burmester debuted the production model of their new state of the art Model 111 Music Server. We are still trying to come to grips with the fact that the piece incorporates an 069 CD drive, 077 preamp stage, and reference level DAC in a single box all for less than the cost of any one of these reference level components. We simply can not wait for this beauty to hit our floor.

September 2011: The new Rega Brio-R has landed at Auravis with resounding approval. This is a world class intergrated amp for the budget. Absolutely nothing that we have heard for under $1000 can compete with this piece. Further, consider the fact that the Brio-R includes a very competent phono stage and the value climbs even higher.

Our new Cardas Clear-M power cords have arrived and have quickly replaced many of our under $600 cords being used for source and line stage components.

August 2011: Auravis Systems is pleased to anounce the introduction of Neat Acoustics Speakers. Neat Acoustics products are making their USA debut at Auravis after being out of the US market for over five years. 20 Years in business, Neat Acoustics speakers are custom built in the UK and renowned for their synergy with Naim electronics, as well as many other UK electronics. Neat Acoustics' speakers fall into four product families ranging from lifestyle/home theater models through their classic series and culminating with a reference level series named the Ultimatum Series. We could not be more excited!

July 2011:  Rega certainly has been busy taking their well known and well received products to the next level. The first shipment of the new high performance, high value Brio R arrived at the Sound Organization and as usual we made sure that we had our units included. Here’s an integrated amp (with built in phono stage no less) that at a budget of $1000 or less is simply a “game over, slam dunk” choice. We’ve been marveling at this mini-mite and are so pleased to be able offer an audiophile grade product for less than the price of most ‘Mid-Fi” consumer electronics being offered throughout the industry. Add a Rega RP1 Table and pair of Dali lector book shelf speakers, all for under $2000 and we’re talking about a system that simply blows away the competition.

As if the new Brio wasn’t exciting enough, Rega announced the next generation of it’s long running and wildly successful P3 Turntable. Named the RP3, these tables are due to start shipping in August we’ve ensured that we’re on the first shipment dealer list. Among the multiple upgrades is a brand new tonearm designed from the ground up. In the mean time, we must say that a part of us is sad to see the colorful P3-24 tables ushered into retirement. We’ve been addicted to their flamboyant colors and packaged “TT PSU” external power supply since the table’s inception. So being the sentimental audio geeks that we are, we purchased the few remaining Rega P3-24 tables in some of our favorite colors before they disappeared forever. Who does that with discontinued products?

June 2011: Our latest treat from Conrad Johnson arrived this month. CJ’s newest preamp, the ET5 fits in the line as their mid-point preamp. Don’t be deceived, however, this spectacular piece yields reference level performance in every way. Though less than half of the price of the flagship “GAT” preamp, we’re hearing a hugely disproportionate level of performance. Needless to say, we’re impressed and we’re only about 100 hours into a “burnin” that won’t approach ideal until well over 200 hours. Stay Tuned!

Brinkmann’s new PI cartridge showed up to give us a new analog toy to play with. Also arriving in timely fashion was VPI’s new Classic 3 table. We could not have planned these arrivals better, as they turned out to be meant for each other. The PI, based upon a Benz engine but tweaked with a carbon fiber body, provided just the perfect blend of speed, timing, and warmth to bring out the best in the new VPI reference Classic. 

May 2011: Power cords, always near and dear to our heart, were added by Cardas to the outstanding “Clear Series” of products. Knowing that George Cardas adds “no product before it’s time”, we’ve been anxiously awaiting these new additions. Verdict? Well, suffice to say that these new cords were worth the wait. Equally as exciting is the value that these power cords represent given their reasonable cost.

April 2011: Manley Laboratories’ Mahi mono-blocks arrive at Auravis for the first time. Talk about a fun, “mini-mite combo” with remarkable versatility and musical fun. “Tubes Rule!”

OK, so not all of our excitement has to involve spending a great deal of money. Many who know us, know that we’re “tweak geeks”. We brought in a half dozen C8 power cord adapters from our friends at Synergistic Research to play with. Frankly, we wondered whether or not components like game systems, SONOS boxes, and SAT boxes would benefit from the ability to add an aftermarket power cord. OK, we’re “sold”. Anyone looking to upgrade their mainstream consumer boxes should give these a try.

More Tweaks? Sure, why not? We’re always game for fun “widgets”. For those that feel that our remarkable Weihzi, HRS, Harmonix, BDR, or Cardas isolation devices are a bit much, we now stock Dayton Audio’s full line of cones, feet, and accessories. Their absolutely beautiful small size brass finished cones are less than $40 for a set of four.

March 2011: Auravis joins the Conrad Johnson Team. The new ET3 Special Edition preamp w/ phono stage and ET250S hybrid amplifier arrive. The best mix of finesse and power in CJ’s classic styling. The brand new, “giant killing” ET5 preamp and economical LP125 monoblocks are on the way. (After listening the CJ’s reference gear at CES, we can’t wait to get our hands on a pair of Art mono-block amplifiers.)

Cardas Clear is here! As excited as we were to add these renowned new cables to our “bag of tricks”, we greatly underestimated the shear musicality and realism of these amazing cables. Those of you who know our obsession with cables and power conditioning also know that we are not easily stunned by cables in this price range.

We just received our first Velodyne Digital Drive Plus evaluation piece in the 12 inch configuration for evaluation. Given extensive experience with JL Audio and Rel products, we were a bit skeptical of just how competitive this new sub from Velodyne would be. Suffice to say that we are adopting the Velodyne as our new high performance reference sub.

February 2011: Our Auravis Unity based Naimnet music serving network is upgraded using Naim’s solid state drive UnitiServe-SS and Synology 15 gig Network Attached Storage (NAS) hard drive hardware. Our music and video library not only sounds spectacular but our capacity is now essentially limitless.

More Brinkmann just arrived. (We haven’t even gotten over the Bardo yet.)

We just finished an in depth, formal review of Wadia’s S7i flagship CD player. Simply put, this is Wadia’s finest work, and we don’t pull punches on expensive CD players. Keep in mind that the Wadia’s competition at Auravis comes from Rega Reference, Audio Aero, Burmester, Reimyo, and Zanden (coming soon).

Announced at RMAF 2010 in October, Running Springs’ long anticipated budget option for world class power conditioning is shipping. We’ve received our first two Elgars and barely had enough time to put them through a thorough evaluation before they sold. While taking longer to break in than we are accustomed too with Running Springs products, the Elgar is absolutely unmatched at under $1000. This is another product that belongs in every household with a stereo or video system. Bring us your Monster or Panamax boxes. We’ll take them on trade and substantially raise the performance of your system with an Elgar.

January 2011: Analog at Auravis has been taken to a whole new level with the addition of a fully optioned Brinkmann Bardo Table with HRS M3X Isolation base and Graham Phantom II tonearm. We added a Dynavector XV-1 cartridge and run this magical setup through Burmester’s unparalleled Phono 100 preamplifier. It’s a miracle that we ever get any work done with this “rig” around

The new OPPOs are finally shipping. We’ve received the first shipments of the BDP 93. The BDP 95 is right around the corner. The original Oppos were stellar with extraordinary performance. The new pieces add even more performance and raise the “style factor” beyond that of players costing 5-6 times the price.

December 2010: Rega did it again. Debuted by Rega this month, our new Rega DAC just arrived. This level of performance for under $1000? Shocking. And it’s not just the performance. Taking a cue from the Rega Reference line, the build quality and styling is simply amazing. Run the economical SONOS system through it, or a $3000 plus level CD player, sit back and enjoy the music.

November 2010: Our UnitiQute arrived. Cute…yes, but we were not ready for just how good this unassuming box could sound. Living with the full size Unity for nearly 8 months, it was hard to imagine that we’d be newly impressed by the Uniti’s “little brother”. With remarkable versatility, the full internet radio, digital output Ipod support, Naimnet ready features, and internal DAC make it perfect for every home’s family room A/V room. Our TVs never sounded better. This is a must audition product!

October 2010: It’s been a torturous wait, but but Rega’s RP1s finally just hit the streets and we were thrilled to get our hands on a batch of this first shipment. They are everything we expected and, frankly, raise the bar in sonic performance for any turntables under $500. This is the ultimate entry level table. Looks like we’ll have to wait again. We can’t keep them in stock.
Synergistic Research just raised our in-house bar on economical interconnects and power cables. Fresh off their debut at Rocky Mountain Audiofest, we brought these in and can now officially say that the magic of premier cables can be had at an absurdly low price given the performance of the Basik Strings Interconnects and Precision AC power cords. (Absolute Sound was right!)

September 2010: Our Cardas “Clear Light” cables have arrived and are quickly defining a new level of performance given their modest price points.

August 2010: Another Auravis Systems Premiere! We are the first dealer in North America to take possession of Burmester’s state of the art 100 Phono Preamplifier. In fact of only five pieces allocated to North America for the year, we purchased two based upon our confidence in Burmester’s ability to produce the finest reference phono preamplifier in the world. High expectations? Absolutely, but the Phono 100 still surpassed our expectations. This is simply a “must have” for the “cost no object” audio system.

July 2010: Our first pieces of Stage III Concepts reference priced cables have arrived. These cables exhibit a level of detail, speed, accuracy, and “quietness”, that rival the very best cables we have ever heard. The power cables are simply astounding! These cables raised the level of our most expensive Burmester electronics to a new high.

June 2010: Auravis Systems is proud to join the Running Springs Family. Having made a lifetime career of evaluating high performance power conditioners, we are confident that the Running Springs products are the finest of their kind available. Period!

Previous Firsts & Milestones:
 

September/October 2009: Auravis Systems is the first North American retailer to purchase and “floor” the new Reference Series ISIS CD player and OSIRIS integrated amplifier from Rega Research. “These are not your father’s Rega products!” These pieces are simply stunning, and in typical Rega fashion, represent an absolute bargain for the level of performance exhibited.

November 2008: Auravis Systems is the first Manley Laboratories retailer to take possession of the new remote controlled “Steelhead RC” phono preamplifier. “Serial 0001 is in the house.”

News & Events

April 2011:
Two of our favorite industry friends at Naim and The Sound Organization have joined forces to reinforce the strength of superior British HiFi in the USA. We are, of course, thrilled and honored to be committed supporters of both Rega and Naim electronics, as well as the Chord Cable Company. These synergistic companies, now share the strong support of The Sound Organization. Congratulations!

The Absolute Sound stellar review of the Rega Isis and Osiris is published. (May/June Issue)

The Absolute Sound’s Harry Pearson reviews the new VPI Classic 3. (May/June Issue)

Stereophile reviews the Brinkmann Bardo Table and Pi cartridge. (May Issue)

Stereophile reviews the Rega RP1 Turntable. (May Issue)

Stereophile reviews the Rega DAC. (May Issue)

Stereophile follows-up on the Oppo BDP-83SE. (May Issue)

March 2011:
HiFi+ reviews the magnificent Burmester 089 CD Player. (Issue #78)

HiFi+ reviews the Naim UnitiServe. (Issue #78)

HiFi+ reviews Chord Cable’s Flagship Sarum Digital Cable (Formally named Solstice). (Issue #78)

February 2011:
HiFi+ reviews Naim’s UnitiQute. (Issue #77)

HiFi+ reviews Burmester’s 100 Phono Preamp. (Issue #77)

HiFi+ reviews Spendor’s A9 Speakers. (Issue #77)

January 2011:
Stereophile reviews Synergistic Research’s flagship Galileo Cable System. (February 2011 Issue)

HiFi+ reviews the Runniing Springs Jaco Power Conditioner. (Issue #76)

December 2011:
HiFi+ awards Conrad Johnson’s ET3 Preamplifier of the Year for 2010. (Issue #75)

The Absolute Sound Awards 2010 Editors’ Choice Awards. (Issue 201) Winners include: Dali, Naim, Joseph Audio, Conrad Johnson, Spendor, Gershman Acoustics, Rega, Primare, Manley Labs, Sonos, Sooloos, Bel Canto, Oppo, Wadia, Burmester, VPI, Well Tempered, Nottingham, Graham, Shure, Grado, Dynavector, Benz Micro, Furutech, Synergistic Research, Sennheiser, Wadia, Running Springs, Avid, ASC, Auralex, Cardas, Feikert, Hannl, Shakti, Mobile Fidelity, & Zeostat

Recent shows:
Call us for our show reports.

HIGH END 2011, Munich, Germany: May 6-9
AXPONA 2011, Atlanta, GA: April 14-17
CES 2011, Las Vegas, NV: January 6-9
RMAF 2010, Denver, CO: October 15-17
CEDIA 2010, Atlanta, GA: September 22-26