6 Australian
Absolute Hi End is now the Aus-
tralian distributor for Tri-Planar
tonearms. Tri-Planar’s founder
and designer,Herb Papier, was
originally a watchmaker who
received official recognition from
the US Navy for his expertise
in chronometer calibration. He
started building tonearms in
1967 in Wheaton, Maryland,
though at that time his tonearm
was known as the ‘Wheaton’
decoupled arm. After Papier’s
death in 2003, the company has
been run solely byTri Mai, who had purchased it from Papier four
years earlier, and produces only three tonearms. ‘All three Tri-Planar
tonearms use the unique dual-pivot design developed by Papier that provides
unrivalled tracking, transparency and resolution,’ saidBoris Granovsky,
of Absolute HiEnd. ‘Tri-Planar tonearms create a musical sound stage
unmatched by any other... one that’s powerful and dynamic, solid yetexpressive, delicate and tactile.’ The
longest arm in the Tri-Planar line-up
is the twelve inch U12 Ultimate,
which retails for $15,500 and has a
carbon-fibre arm-tube. The top-line
standard-length arm is the Tri-
Planar Mk VII U2 Special Edition,
which has an annealed aluminium
arm-tube with an effective length of
250mm, a pivot-to-spindle distance
of 233.5mm and an effective mass
of just 11 grams. The arm-tube is
clamped using a yoke design that
firmly couples the headshell tube to
the bearing tube, making for a single unit yet allowing rotation of the
headshell for azimuth alignment. It retails for $11,800. Also available
is the Tri-Planar Mk VII U2 Classic, which sells for $9,800 (RRP).For further information, please contact Absolute HiEnd on
(04) 8877 7999 or visit the website at http://www.absolutehiend.comTRI-PLANAR IN AUSTRALIA
TRI-PLANAR | DENON | YAMAHA
DESIGN AWARD
FOR YAMAHA
Yamaha has won a ‘Good Design’ award for its Relit LSX-70 port-
able lighting/audio system. A departure in design from Yamaha’s
more traditional audio offerings, the Relit LSX-70 is a portable
Bluetooth loudspeaker system that incorporates a mood light.
‘Adorned with luxurious finishes the LSX-70 presents itself as much
as a furniture piece as a Bluetooth speaker capable of Yamaha’s trade-
mark ‘natural’ sound quality,’ saidSimon Goldsworthy, General
Manager of Yamaha Music Australia who accepted the award for
Yamaha.‘We’re delighted
that it’s won a Good Design
award here in Australia,
which comes on the back
of its success in winning
an iF Design award in
Germany.’ The judges
for the Good Design
Award commented, ‘The
Yamaha LSX-70 Portable
Lighting/Audio System is a
beautifully executed piece
of design—beautiful to look
at and even more beautiful
to listen to. This is an ex-
tremely competitive market
and it is refreshing to see something new and original with this level
of design and manufacturing.’Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good
Design Australia, told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine the Good Design
award was one of the most coveted design and innovation awards
in the world. ‘With seven main categories and 25 sub-categories, the
judging process involves more than 30 local and international design
experts who evaluate factors such as safety, quality, functionality,
sustainability and innovation,’ he said.For further information, please contact Yamaha Music
Australia on 1300 739 411 or visit the local Australian
Yamaha website at au.yamaha.comDENON AVR-X520BT
AV RECEIVER
Denon has released a new entry-level AV receiver, the AVR-
X520BT (RRP $599). Based on Denon’s X Series AV models,
it’s a 5.2-channel full-4K Ultra HD Receiver with Bluetooth
streaming along with a unique Bluetooth App control,
and full HDCP 2.2 for the latest HDMI specifi cation
support. There are fi ve HDMI inputs, all of which are 3D
compatible and three of which support HDCP 2.2/4K60p,
as well as support for full rate 4K Ultra HD along with
4:4:4 Pure Colour sub-sampling pass-through. Bluetooth
connectivity means you can stream your favourite audio
tracks. The receiver can remember up to eight paired
Bluetooth devices and is also equipped with a front-panel USB port.
Denon has a Bluetooth App (Denon 500 Series Remote App) that
allows you to control the AVR-X520BT from any Bluetooth device and
comes with Denon’s Setup Assistant and Quick Start Guide that when
used in conjunction with the supplied measurement microphone
allows owners to easily adjust critical system parameters to best-suit
all connected speakers as well as the listening space. ‘The new AVR-
X520BT 5.2-channel full 4K HD AV Receiver with Bluetooth delivers high
value for the demanding home theatre beginner,’ said Ralph Grundl, of
Qualifi , which distributes Denon in Australia. ‘It’s the perfect combina-
tion of high performance and high value with maximum ease-of-use.’ Avail-
able now, the Denon AVR-X520BT retails for $599 (RRP).For further information, please contact Qualifi on 1800 242 426
or visit the website at http://www.qualifi .com.au