Clarke Audio in Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia | Electronics

Clarke Audio

Locality: Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 9561 6567

Address: 11 Diosma Drive 3150 Glen Waverley, VIC, Australia

Website: https://www.clarke-audio.com/

Likes: 109

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Shopping & retail
• Electronics shop
• Electronics
• Audio-visual equipment store

23.01.2022 No: 30 Reference Digital Processor and PLS330 Power Supply. Now, if that isn't a fancy name for a DAC, I don't know what is. Truth is, it is a pretty fancy DAC and has become something of a classic. This one was a late casualty of the capacitor plague and needed some intensive care.

23.01.2022 Luxman SQ38FD Vintage (circa 1970) Integrated Amp After many years of operation, this amp's output valves were totally depleted and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately the type of valve required has been out of production for almost half a century and the few NOS ones left on Earth sell for unbelievably crazy prices.

23.01.2022 DOGE 9 Monoblock. (don't try this at home) Fault: Valves light up but no sound. Very heavy and impressive unit with a LOT of iron behind that mirrored partition in the back. Interesting configuration; unlike a lot of Chinese amplifiers, this isn't just a re-hash of a classic design and uses several power supplies. Why no sound? The EHT power supply (Extra High Tension) power supply had gone down and needed to be repaired. Why not try this at home? Well, there's over 1200Volts in there! Feelin' lucky?

22.01.2022 NU-VISTA M3 Cable Makeover. I'm often asked to rework cables that have become ratty and tatty over time. Most times, I'll finish a cable makeover and then immediately wish I had taken some pics at the start so I could do the 'Jenny Craig before and after' thing to show off what a nice job I did.

21.01.2022 Aesthetix Rhea Phono Stage Repair. Anyone who knows me well also knows that I'm generally unimpressed by most audio products. Sure, just like every other audiophile, I rate things by their sound, but I also award points on the basis of build quality, reliability, serviceability, factory support, value for money and design in general. Aesthetix does a pretty good job of ticking all of those boxes as far as I'm concerned and the Rhea is beast of a valve phono stage in which the... designers have achieved a high degree of sophistication without a great deal of complexity. One of its really nice features is a heavy stainless steel shroud (not shown in this shot) that encloses the power supplies and the CPU to prevent any noise from getting into the phono stage. This unit was out of warranty, had a dead LED on the input selector and some broken connectors on the back so it had to come apart.

21.01.2022 NEWS Marten introduced a whole new Parker Range - Quintet, Parker Trio and Parker Duo.

19.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXhhyD1hs_4

19.01.2022 One for the BOSE boys! It's fair to say that there are very few audio products that attract more radically opposed opinions than the BOSE 901. People either love them or they hate them and it seems there's absolutely no middle ground! If there was one thing that both sides could possibly agree upon however, it would be this: The equaliser is the weakest link.

19.01.2022 LEAK TL12 (circa 1948) Rebuild There's not much to say about the iconic LEAK 'Point One' amplifiers that hasn't already been said... I can only add this: Old Harry knew what he was doing! They are mono only because they pre-date stereo! It's rare to find two of these in absolutely original condition, but that's what we started out with here.

18.01.2022 The original volume control had an extra long shaft to accommodate the thickness of the front panel and the big groovy knob. There was no easy way to fit the DACT with its stubby little shaft and keep the fancy knob so a shaft extender kit was modified to suit and the DACT got mounted to the side of the chassis with a custom L-bracket. A Uni-joint coupler gives it an extra smooth feel.

18.01.2022 Four Mundorf EVO Supreme Oil caps just fit between the top and bottom panels of an Audio Research Ref 3 preamp.

17.01.2022 Bad Kids to the Back! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEHpq-BxFm4

15.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYmwV537kAQ

14.01.2022 Unexplained Phenomenon: Sometimes, I won't see a particular brand or type of audio unit for years - then, all of a sudden, a bunch of them all turn up at once from different sources. This was a most unusual occurrence! I called it "Leak Week". I've always enjoyed working on these classics, whether they're fully original like the Stereo 20 on the right, Fully re-furbed and hot-rodded like the TL25s on the left or just in need of repair like the TL50s in the middle.

14.01.2022 SMOKE BOMBS! Many classic audio units and including vintage Luxman products have these RIFA capacitors wired across the mains. They were originally considered to be ultra reliable and are supposed to provide some noise suppression but these days, they just crack up and die. If you have a vintage audio unit, especially if it's Luxman, it's a good time to get it checked to make sure the smoke doesn't get out.

14.01.2022 WE INSIST! Max Roachs Freedom Now Suite This is such a great record. Featuring the tenor sax of Coleman Hawkins and passionate vocal of Abbey Lincoln. What ar...e you playing tonight? #nirvanasoundau #maxroachsfreedomnowsuite #weinsist #maxroach #colemanhawkins #abbeylincoln #jazz #instavinyl #vinylcollectionpost #vinyjunkie #recordcollector #vinyl #vinyladdict #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity #vinyloftheday #vinylchampions #vinyligclub #recordcollection #vfrecordcollections #instahifi #döhmannhelix2 See more

12.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrYPRx7SwRw

10.01.2022 STRIP SHOW! Mark Levinson 332 has wrap-around heatsinks which are a big part of its structure. They'll support the amp on its back, front & sides so in storage, they'll often get parked sitting up to save space. It's built around a central tunnel which houses two massive toroids and has a slab of rubber on top. Or it did once. Now there's a black stain where the rubber was. Where did it go? Well it de-vulcanised and turned into goo while the amp was sitting on its back end...... Then, is started to seep out of the front panel when the amp was sitting on its front end... Then it got under a bunch of components on the 20-sided power supply and control logic board... And then got in the tunnel all over the toroids. BTW, the first pic in this sequence is the "after" shot. After two days of getting covered in crap, a bulk pack of paper towels and a bucket of Isopropanol, that is!

10.01.2022 Manley Neo-Classic 250 Monoblocks Something about these always reminds me of an old Harley - big and heavy and loud. The most remarkable thing about this product is the fact that it wasn't named after a fish. The fact that both amps failed in exactly the same way at the same time is a strong indication of a design oversight.

09.01.2022 The Audio Experts Official New Store Launch The Audio Experts (formerly known as Whatmough Audio) has some exciting news and an amazing event coming up on Thurs...day 30th May. After calling Clayton home for 7 years the time came to look toward even bigger things for the store. For those who dont already know, The Audio Experts has moved to an amazing new location (Level 1, 1277 Nepean Highway Cheltenham) right near Southland Shopping Centre. The new shop is simply stunning! It features a modern, open layout with 6 demonstration rooms (3 cinema and 3 Hi-fi) as well as a lifestyle audio zone. For the record lovers, Audiophile Reference Recordings (Australias premier Audiophile record store) operates from within the showroom. The other big change for The Audio Experts is the range of products on display. The new store is stocked wall to wall with some of the biggest and best brands in the industry. To celebrate the new store opening there will be brand representatives on behalf of Arcam, Bowers & Wilkins, Kef, NAD, Bluesound and PS Audio. The event will be catered so come and enjoy some finger foods, wine, beer and soft drinks. Best of all you will be given a raffle ticket for the mystery door prizes that will be drawn on the night. Event guests will also be eligible for some extra special offers we arent allowed to mention. Places are strictly limited so register now for this unmissable event. Contact us to secure your place, 9545 5152 or [email protected]

08.01.2022 Coming Soon June, 2020

07.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVHeiMVzZV4

06.01.2022 PRESTIGE & POWER Another classic piece to work on, the big Thorens Prestige. Apparently, this turntable had not turned for a very long time.

06.01.2022 https://www.albumism.com/celebra/happy-birthday-miles-davis

06.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGzBwkCg2TE

05.01.2022 Mark Döhmann setting up the Wilson Benesch Circle 25 turntable and Nanotube One tonearm. #nirvanasoundau #wilsonbenesch #circle25 #nanotube #markdohmann #audiophile #turntable #highendaudio

05.01.2022 clarke-audio.com is online now New site coming soon... Stay tuned!

05.01.2022 Clarke Audio Website --- UPDATE --- New link on this pageClarke Audio Website --- UPDATE --- New link on this page

05.01.2022 DE-BUGGING the Luxman M-05. If there was ever a competition to make the heaviest, most complicated amplifier, I'd rate this one as a contender. It's surprisingly compact for its weight due to the fact that it has forced air cooling and it's very tightly packed. As it's a pure Class A amplifier, it gets pretty hot so it will need some corrective maintenance from time to time. Accessibility of the parts we need to inspect is not the best because of its compactness, so it really has to come apart.

04.01.2022 REVIEW CH Precision A1.5 Stereo Amplifier review in The Absolute Sound Magazine May / June 2020 Complete review at https://absolutehiend.com/index.php/news

03.01.2022 CL-360 Luxman -- Major Refurb and Upgrade. Beautiful preamp but sad and manky inside - plus, it had been visited by the Deoxit monkey and looked like it had been in a deep fryer! Owner wanted some new RCAs, a re-cap and a DACT attenuator to replace the old RK27 series volume control. With the old caps gone, we get down to the archaeological layer dust, grease, flux, nasty glue, capacitor leakage and corrosion. The valve sockets were loose and filthy so they got the flick too!... Stage 2: removal of contaminants, chemical wash and re-load with ceramic sockets, all new electros and Mundorf EVO Oil caps in the signal path -- then re-soldered and de-fluxed. Stage 3: Selected gold RCA sockets for Phono, CD, Line Outs 1 & 2. Tape 1 & 2 left as original. Re-assembly for testing!

03.01.2022 RCA Re-birth! These ancient, dusty, rusty, allegedly RCA mono amps came in with major issues. The only thing they did reasonably well was hum and pick up radio 3AW. They had been the victim of some particularly appalling monkey work! The instruction was clear: "Make them nice - do it your way"... Challenge accepted!

02.01.2022 Went to the official opening of The Audio Experts' new showrooms in Cheltenham this evening. Kee Whatmough and her associates have done an incredible job getting it all just right - the rooms, the acoustics, the record store, the whole package is magnificent. Congratulations, Kee - wishing you every success!

02.01.2022 WE INSIST! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite This is such a great record. Featuring the tenor sax of Coleman Hawkins and passionate vocal of Abbey Lincoln. What ar...e you playing tonight? #nirvanasoundau #maxroachsfreedomnowsuite #weinsist #maxroach #colemanhawkins #abbeylincoln #jazz #instavinyl #vinylcollectionpost #vinyjunkie #recordcollector #vinyl #vinyladdict #vinylcollection #vinylcommunity #vinyloftheday #vinylchampions #vinyligclub #recordcollection #vfrecordcollections #instahifi #döhmannhelix2 See more

01.01.2022 And now, for something completely different. JVC 4MM-1000 Quadraphonic receiver (circa 1970) With it's groovy circular tuning dial and quadraphonic balance radar display with joystick control, this looked like it might be a fun project.