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Anthony

Nov 18
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Sounds and Visions – November ’20 Newsletter

By Newsletters

Happy Thanksgiving, Specialty Sound & Vision Dealers!

More Than 20 Top Brands And Not A Turkey In The Bunch…..

 

Dear SSV Partners: Starting this month, the SSV Newsletter will be divided into two parts, “SSV News” and “Special Promotions”

 

SSV NEWS

NEW SSV Dealer Marketing Resource

As both Specialty Sound and Vision and our Vendors continue to grow, we’ve been developing better ways to deliver marketing content and collateral to our Dealers. Our latest effort places the most important Marketing Resources on a discrete “Resources” tab on our Website:

http://www.ssvreps.com/resources/

 

Leon Welcomes NEW Design Center Showroom: Epic Systems of Randolph, NJ

One of NY Metro’s largest and most successful Control 4 Dealers, Epic Systems is finishing their impressive new showroom and will be displaying a full complement of Leon and Media Décor. Welcome Aboard!

 

Audiolab: NO Shortages!

We have received news that a fire has destroyed a large Chinese factory that manufactures chipsets for most CE companies; fortunately, Audiolab is one of the few vendors that doesn’t rely upon this supplier. Audiolab is in-stock and will be available throughout the coming months. Please keep this in mind as you plan your holiday merchandising.

 

EAT E-Glo I Earns December Stereophile Cover

EAT’s first amplification component, the Pure Tube, Pure Mono E-Glo I, receives a “Glo-ing” review (what else?) from Ken Micalef in the December 2020 issue of Stereophile, as well as a nice insert on the cover.

Read the full review: https://www.stereophile.com/content/marten-oscar-duo-loudspeaker

 

JL Audio Sales: October Sets A New Record!

As we reported in our last Newsletter, SSV had beaten last October’s sales with more than a week left in the month. We’re happy to report that we finished October with our best single month in the history of NY Metro! Thanks to Doug Henderson, Regional Sales Manger, Ed Meenan and most of all, to our supportive and enthusiastic dealers!

Download the NEW JL Audio Brochure here https://jlaudio.widen.net/s/0mzmsrvwiz

 

Thorens: TD124DD Coming Soon!

63 years after the original TD124 established a new standard of turntable performance, Thorens unveils the TD124DD. Utilizing a high-performance direct drive system in lieu of the original’s idler-wheel drive, no expense has been spared in evoking the classic beauty of the original. The new tonearm, for example, is thoroughly modern in design yet matches the aesthetic of the original, as does a NEW Ortofon SPU cartridge (SPU TD 124) which is included in the package. An extremely limited edition, the TD124DD also comes with a Flight Case and individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Sure to be a Collectors’ Item! Please contact SSV for pricing, availability and demo programs office@ssvreps.com

 

 

Wisdom Audio: ICS3 and SUB1 Installation Manuals

We have just received a series of six (6) Installation Guides for Wisdom’s ICS3 “Minimum Aperture” speaker and SUB1 “Snorkel Sub” and assembly is progressing according to plan. Please ask us!

 

 

Promotions

Audiolab 6000-Series Holiday Promotion

SSV is excited to announce a Special Holiday Promotion of Audiolab’s most popular components!  The promotion will begin on November 15th and conclude at the close of business on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2020. This promotion is based upon sell-through, so Price Protection does not apply. Please contact SSV for Details. office@ssvreps.com

Sell through claims must include documented customer purchase info for the promo period.  All claims for sell through must be submitted by Friday, January 29, 2021.

Cambridge Audio Promos

$250 OFF CXA61

For the month of November, Cambridge Audio is lowering MAP on their best-selling CXA61 Integrated Amplifier. With its high quality DAC, Bluetooth aptX HD and USB Audio Input accepting up to 32bit/384kHz & DSD 256 digital files, the CXA61 is THE BEST Integrated at $999.99. At $749.99 it’s an absolute steal! Orders accepted staring October 26, $749.99 MAP Pricing November 1-30 ONLY. Ask us!

ALVA TT: NEW Lower MAP

Complete with Moving Coil cartridge, phono preamplifier, aptX HD Hi-Res Streaming and British-Made one-piece tonearm, Cambridge’s ALVA TT was a steal at $1,699. MAP has been lowered to $1,199 making the ALVA one of the best buys in Analog!

EAT Prelude Promotion

EAT’s “Best Buy” turntable is now an even better deal!

Through the end of the year, Preludes are shipping with complimentary accessory bundle including a Revolv stylus gauge, our goat-hair cleaning brush, and a 16oz bottle of ready-to-use Revolv record cleaning fluid

Thorens: Save $250 On Purchase Of TD103A/TAB1600 Combo!

Thorens NEW TD103A turntable ($1,299.99 MSRP) arrives at the end of this month and we’ve got a strong Introductory Promotion: for every TD103A you sell, a TAB1600 Isolation Base ($249.99) will be provided at NO COST! This program enables you to show a $250 Package Discount while maintaining your full margin! Conditions apply, so please contact us at office@ssvreps.com for details.

 

As always, SSV is here to support you. Please let us know how we can help!

 

– Representing The Finest Brands –

    audio-physic        Brinkmann     Dynaudio-logo    EAT                     Leon Speakers                                   Okki Nokki         PrimaLuna Straight Wire              Wisdom Audio

Oct 22
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Sounds and Visions – October ’20 Newsletter

By Newsletters

Specialty Sound and Vision

Happy Halloween, Specialty Sound & Vision Dealers!

Please enjoy our latest newsletter…..

 

Mikodam

Introducing….MIKODAM
SSV proudly announces our partnership with Mikodam. An established design firm specializing in room treatments and furniture, Mikodam’s extensive line of wall claddings combines extraordinary acoustical performance with stunning aesthetic beauty. Mikodam’s ability to deliver truly custom products and interiors offers a powerful tool for all Integrators and Retailers.
(For more information, please visit https://www.mikodam.com/category/wall-claddings/acoustics)

Cambridge Audio Promos

$250 OFF CXA61

For the month of November, Cambridge Audio is lowering MAP on their best-selling CXA61 Integrated Amplifier. With its high quality DAC, Bluetooth aptX HD and USB Audio Input accepting up to 32bit/384kHz & DSD 256 digital files, the CXA61 is THE BEST Integrated at $999.99. At $749.99 it’s an absolute steal! Orders accepted staring October 26, $749.99 MAP Pricing November 1-30 ONLY. Ask us!

 ALVA TT: NEW Lower MAP

Complete with Moving Coil cartridge, phono preamplifier, aptX HD Hi-Res Streaming and British-Made one-piece tonearm, Cambridge’s ALVA TT was a steal at $1,699. MAP has been lowered to $1,199 making the ALVA one of the best buys in Analog!

 

ALVA TT

 

JL Audio Sales Continue To Skyrocket!

Seems like every month we set a new JL Audio Sales Record. With 10 Days left in October, we’ve already surpassed last October’s Total Sales: a month which had been the strongest in SSV history.

Download the NEW JL Audio Brochure here: https://jlaudio.widen.net/s/0mzmsrvwiz

 

Marten Oscar Graces Stereophile Cover

Marten’s NEW entry-level Oscar Duo earned the cover of Stereophile’s November issue, along with a rave review form Senior Editor Michael Fremer.

Read the full review: https://www.stereophile.com/content/marten-oscar-duo-loudspeaker

Simaudio: Trade-Up And Training

“Reach for the Moon:” The Industry’s Best Trade-Up Program!

Simaudio offers original Moon owners 100% Trade-up credit up to one year of ownership, 75% up to two years. Please ask Anthony to explain High End’s BEST Trade-Up Program anthony@ssvreps.com

Training Webinars

Now’s the perfect time for you and your salespeople to refresh your Simaudio product knowledge. We can schedule webinars for your team: please contact us at office@ssvreps.com to schedule your training.

 

Thorens: Save $250 On Purchase Of TD103A/TAB1600 Combo!

Thorens NEW TD103A turntable ($1,299.99 MSRP) arrives at the end of this month and we’ve got a strong Introductory Promotion: for every TD103A you sell, a TAB1600 Isolation Base ($249.99) will be provided at NO COST! This program enables you to show a $250 Package Discount while maintaining your full margin! Conditions apply, so please contact us at office@ssvreps.com for details.

 

Torus “Key Benefits” Page

As I wrote in my last blog, Torus Power offers a level of protection and performance enhancement that no other line of Power Conditioners can match. Torus has just created a new page which explains their technology and benefits in a short, easy-to-read format:

https://www.toruspower.com/key-benefits-of-torus-power/

Please also check out our Torus Blog: http://www.ssvreps.com/torus-blog/

 

Trinnov: Back In Stock

Due to extraordinary sales increases, Trinnov has had “Out-of-stock” conditions on several of its best-selling Processors. We’re happy to report that all models are now back in stock and orders are arriving twice monthly! As of 15 October, we have a NEW Price Sheet, so please contact us at office@ssvreps.com

 

Wisdom Audio

Wisdom Audio: ICS3 And SUB1: Order Your Demos!!!

Arguably the two most exciting and universally saleable products in Wisdom history, the ICS3 Minimum Aperture” speaker and SUB1 “Snorkel Sub” have arrived at Wisdom and are being assembled and QC-ed NOW! Given incredible demand, please place your demo order NOW! First come, First served.

Wisdom’s NEW Full-Line Brochure is here! Get your digital copy:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ab80gks223j45as/Wisdom%20Full%20Line%20Brochure%20US%20hi-res%209-4-2020.pdf?dl=0 

As always, SSV is here to support you. Please let us know how we can help!

 

Specialty Sound & Vision

Email: office@ssvreps.com

Phone: (201) 690-9006

www.ssvreps.com

Oct 20
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Torus Blog

By Anthony's Blog

“Did You Just Buy A New TV?”

…or, Why You Need A Torus Power Conditioner

 

Can a product actually be “…too good for its own good?” Sometimes, a component does its job so well, it’s possible to take it for granted. Case in point: Torus. Torus line conditioners are among the highest-performance brands SSV represents but, because they never call attention to themselves, it’s easy to forget about them.

I’m ashamed to admit that Torus has occasionally slipped my mind, even though I have FOUR of their units supplying perfect power to my various audio and theater systems, with never so much as a hiccup out of any of them. It took a visit to one of my dealers to remind me of just how much of a difference Torus Power products can make.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited Craig and Elena Abitz of Installation Specialties in Albertson, NY. Craig has been a long-time supporter of both SSV and Torus. He told me that, recently, he upgraded a loyal client’s system with a Torus unit. When the customer’s wife came home, he and Craig were watching a movie. She stopped, looked for a couple of minutes and asked: “Did you just buy a new TV?” He hadn’t. The simple act of plugging the television into a Torus Power product had profoundly improved its image quality. That story drove home just how impressive Torus Power Conditioners truly are.

More than a decade ago, when SSV represented another (now defunct) brand of power conditioners, one of my most technical—and skeptical—dealers proclaimed their product “…a black box filled with snake oil.” I have to agree that many power products offer dubious performance claims which cannot be supported, either by measurements or technical specifications. No one will ever accuse Torus of such pseudo-science: the company’s technology is both straightforward and unimpeachable.

It is also expensive. The lowest-priced Torus model—suitable for a couple of low-amperage source components—retails for $799, while Torus’ largest and most sophisticated units flirt with $28K. The reason they’re pricey? You can’t cheat physics. The “Core” (pun intended) of every Torus product is an oversized, over-spec-ed and overweight toroidal transformer engineered and manufactured by Torus, the most capable of which weighs over 600 pounds. These pricey transformers are the only universally accepted means of lowering noise, eliminating ground loops and protecting electronics from power surges, voltage spikes and more catastrophic power problems without introducing problems of their own. No snake oil here!

Further proof of their technical “Chops,” Torus is managed by a team of engineers who, upon request, often help design and specify power systems for their clients of whom are recording studios. These enterprises are notoriously frugal, yet they seek Torus’ engineering expertise for one reason: they deliver results.

Whether it’s cabling, resonance control or power conditioners, the “Accessory” category, more than any other, is rife with products and manufacturers whose performance claims can’t be proven; however, it would be unfortunate, as well as incorrect, to assume that all accessories are snake oil. Nothing could be further from the truth. HRS (Harmonic Resolution Systems) resonance control products and Straight Wire cables—both of which are proudly represented by SSV—deliver the goods in terms of manufacturing, materials and measurements. In the category of power conditioning, Torus reigns supreme. Let us show you why.

Oct 06
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Anthony’s Blog – October 2020

By Anthony's Blog

Maybe it was the irresistibility of the Cambridge Azur 851W or maybe I struck a chord with tales of my “Forced March” into old age: in either case, my last blog generated an unusually high number of responses, the first of which came from my good friend—and oldest client—Jerry Willsie of Straight Wire. Jerry loved the blog and suggested that I try the amps with a pair of Straight Wire Pro Thunder Power Cords. Five days later, the cables arrived at my doorstep.

At $700 for a one-meter cable, Pro Thunder is, in absolute terms, expensive. In relative terms, however, it’s a downright bargain!  Straight Wire’s flagship AC Cable is actually less expensive than many companies’ entry-level product but its build quality is absolutely top-of-the-line, employing the superb WattGate connectors at either end with artistically accomplished terminations: shrink-wrapped, crimpled and encapsulated in silver solder. Eight Compressed, 14-gauge OFHC (Oxygen Free High Conductivity Copper) conductors—3 for each polarity and a pair for the ground path—add up to 9 AWG of ultra-pure copper for both positive and negative power paths: more than enough to handle 20 amps. (Interestingly, Straight Wire recommends their less expensive “Black Thunder II” Power Cord as the sonically superior choice for source components, where current draw isn’t an issue. Gotta admire this company’s downwardly-mobile honesty!) The white mesh “Tech-Flex” jacketing adds an upscale aesthetic.

Driving the Cambridge AZUR 851Ws, the Pro Thunders improved dynamics across the volume range, but especially at the highest output levels, where musical climaxes of all genres were at once more relaxed and composed. At the other extreme, silent passages seemed marginally more silent and backgrounds blacker which, in turn, seemed to render images with a touch more dimensionality.

The preceding description is an accurate assessment of my listening sessions. It is also cliché. Audiophiles expect High End power cords to lower noise and improve high-level dynamics and the Pro Thunder most certainly does. What was more impressive was the manner in which these cords added humanity to the music: inflection, breathiness, that silence in between the notes that is as important as the notes themselves.

At $700 each, the Pro Thunders are more than a third the cost of the ($1,699 MSRP) Azur 851W power amps with which they were used. So, the question becomes: are they worth the money? For me and, I believe, most audiophiles, the answer is obvious, as cabling has become a component in its own right and the Pro Thunders endowed the Cambridge amps with a greater degree of refinement than they—or any other high-power amps at this price range—otherwise exhibited. More importantly, in a world where Power Cords routinely cost over $10,000 (really), the Pro Thunder delivers a family-sized serving of the very best available for an insignificant fraction of the price.

I wonder what a system wired entirely with Straight Wire Power Cords—Black Thunder on the front end, Pro Thunder on the back—would sound like? Highly recommended.

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