Audio Analogue Component Specials

primo VT components and systems
verdi VT amplifiers and rossini CD player

Sometimes you get lucky. Imagine finding a new stereo component or system that sounded far better than you expected for a fraction of the price you would have paid just a few months ago.

Audio Analogue are one of our very favorite companies - handmade in Italy, their range has flown under the radar in NZ. Because let's face it, there are hundreds of brands out there and quite often there is precious little connection between advertising budgets and real quality. How do you find 'the good stuff' when its just one of many products that seem to be doing the same thing?

It was the association with Sonus faber that originally led us to Audio Analogue - it seemed logical that Italian amps and CD players might go nicely with Italian speakers. Funnily enough, this proved to be the case. But we quickly realized that the reason they made Sonus fabers work so well was not some strange synergy born of a diet of red wine and pasta - it's just that the Audio Analogue amps were a lot better than anything else we'd been listening to. Suddenly we found that the NZ made Image speakers sounded much better with these than our previously recommended options. Then Quads, then Monitor Audio.

This then prompted us to dig further into the range - we were seduced by the tube hybrid Rossini and Verdi models - then completely floored by the new Maestro Settanta Rev2. We even went a bit crazy with the huge Class A integrated which was simply the best sounding amplifier we’d ever had through the shop by a good margin - as you expect for $23,000.

Yet below all these models Audio Analogue had a little secret range which we knew about, but never stocked - probably for all the wrong reasons with the benefit of hindsight.

The Audio Analogue Primo range looks almost like a 'mini system' product - half normal component width. Which almost implies compromise. But when you actually get them, it's suddenly clear that this is far from the case - all that has happened is they have dramatically rearranged the proportions and the Primo components are deeper, slightly taller, and packed full of goodies.

Key to the Primo performance is the vacuum tube hybrid design - in each component, the tubes are used on to define the warm organic sound that Audio Analogue do so well. But there is nothing retro about this - it's simply that tubes sound great and when used appropriately they are very reliable and hassle free. Unless you were told or looked very closely, it would be easy to assume that these are conventional components. The Primo amplifier is also labelled 'Cento' - which is Italian for one hundred and is actually the power rating. Only the Italians could get away with a range where their smallest product is the most highly rated.

The special tone it produces is may be due to the vacuum tube technology used in the preamplifier stage, which is the first stage the signal meets just after the input signal selector. But the power stage is no less innovative - based on the LM3886 power integrated component (used also by The Jeff Rowland Design Group in its Concentra Integrated Amplifier...) configured as a "bridge circuit" with two LM3886 components for each channel - this amp literally has power to burn with a very real 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms.

'there's plenty to admire in the Cento VT's handling of detail, imaging and, especially, swiftly changing musical dynamics and textures. It is, as one listener commented, very agile. As a result, it relishes musical complexity, having a whale of a time with the swirling, kaleidoscopic orchestrations of many early 20th-century composers, but also gets on well with complex studio productions of contemporary rock and pop.'

Just as the Primo Cento VT amplifier oozes character, the matching CD player does likewise. And the tuner for that matter - put them together and the magic produced is far more than the sum of the parts. Audio Analogue are masters of synergy - it's obvious as soon as you listen that while each piece is individually special, it’s the combination that really shows you what the best of Italian audio is all about.

Which brings us to the specials - we've been able to acquire the importers entire stock in NZ - new and demonstration units - at substantially less than cost. The reasons for this are rationalization via their Australian head office and the introduction of the lower price Armonia range. As you'll see on the Audio Analogue site, many of these components are still a current part of the range. Most units we have are in fact the newest Rev 2 specification. The pick of the bunch are -

Primo VT system - Black, Cento Amp, CD and Tuner all Rev2 and in black finish, new in store now - $2300

(new price $5997 save $3697 in total)

Primo VT Cento amp, VT CD player (both Silver and Rev2) Silver VT Tuner $1800 as system

(save $4197)

We also have the silver components available individually - contact us for pricing.

Component page links

Primo VT CD player
Primo Cento VT amp
Primo Tuner

These systems sound just fantastic - we have nothing new that even comes close at this price. If you want to match speakers, we've got the new Sonus Faber Toy range, the NZ made Images (this works sooo well) and the new Monitor Audios - BX, RX and Gold GX ranges. Take your pick!

As if this weren't good enough, we've also snaffled the last few of the importers Verdi Settanta VT amplifiers and just one Rossinni CD player - where appropriate we've upgraded the tubes on the amplifiers. Again, it's mixture of new, demo, original and Rev2 versions - we're putting them all out at the same price to keep it simple but whoever gets in first gets what we see as the best units. Better again than the Primo components, these are hard to beat at any level. It was only the arrival of the new $5500 Maestro Rev2 amp that managed to pry a Verdi out of our home system - and the Verdi had replaced a much, much more expensive NZ made amp.

Verdi Settanta VT amplifier - silver only, $1850 each ($2799 new)

Rossinni VT CD player - one only in silver $1850 ($2799)

Take a tour of the Audio Analogue factory

Now - don’t think that this is us getting out of Audio Analogue - we love the brand and products - the Puccinni and Paganinio amps and CD player, both in Rev2 incarnations are ongoing models and a indespensible part of our range. Until the new Pure Audio componets turned up we found it hard to conceive of anything better at home than the Maestro and given it is still less than 1/3 of the price, it won't be replaced anytime soon - and the new Armonia 'Crescendo' range (at $1300 per piece) will keep us going as soon as we run out of the Primos. Nothing else sounds quite the same with Sonus faber and that alone is enough for us.

Direct Contact

John Ransley and Sharon Guytonbeck are the principals behind Totally Wired. It’s our own business and we take pride in building something worthwhile.

If you want to contact us directly per mail:

• John Ransley
• Sharon Guytonbeck

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