Frank Prowse Hi-Fi

05/08/2026

We have had a pair of eagerly awaited speakers land here on Friday that are rather special.

Some months ago now we recommended to a client he consider a pair of Franco Serblin Ktema speakers to replace his current Sonus Faber speakers. He had for many years greatly enjoyed his Sonus Faber's but it appears he was not connecting to their current offerings.

The Ktema was Franco Serblin’s final masterpiece project before his passing. It uses a distinct 4-way, 5-unit curved "proscenium" geometry where the woofers are compression-loaded and fire out of the rear of the cabinet.

There are only 50 pairs of Ktema speakers built each year, which is why it has taken some time to see them arrive.

These were until recently, the pinnacle offering from this company that was founded by Franco Serblin after selling Sonus Faber in 2006 to persue his own creative design concepts under his own name.

If I recall correctly, Sonus Faber has since been sold another 3 times across its history, passing through Italian, Japanese, and American corporate hands.
It is currently owned by the Bose Corporation, which acquired its parent company, the ⁠McIntosh Group, in November 2024.

Our client is however, currently travelling overseas and on advising him of their arrival, I asked if he would prefer them to remain in their boxes until we install them, or if he preferred that we get some hours on them, so that they are sounding perfect when we install them.

With his love of music so evident in all our dealings, it was not surprising that he elected to get some good run in time up on them.

So this has gifted us the opportunity to be able to have an extended listen to them ourselves, as well as being able provide the same opportunity to others as well, all while acheiving the end result for our client.

These are not only a beautifully designed speaker, (you would expect nothing else from Franco), but they have an ability to deliver an exceptionally engaging sonic signature that draws you into the music in a manner that few speakers can do.

If you have the ability over the next couple of weeks to call in, it will be well worth spending a moment in front of this remarkable pair of speakers as this is rare opportunity indeed.

Happy Listening
Cheers
Dave

06/06/2026

A customer asked me recently why Acoustic Energy speakers have managed to stay relevant for so long in such a brutally competitive industry.
Simple answer really.
They’ve never forgotten the music.

I first encountered the original AE1 many years ago and still remember the true surprise of hearing such scale and attack from a relatively compact enclosure. They had speed, transparency and an honesty that immediately separated them from the crowd. It is the speaker that put AE on the map and on buyers wish lists.

Fast forward to today and the current range still carries that same DNA.
The 100 Series offers astonishing value and is one of the easiest speaker ranges to recommend to somebody wanting to step into “real Hi-Fi” for the first time.

The new 300.2 Series adds refinement and sophistication, while the 500 Series with its unique Carbon Fibre drivers and Tweeter moves confidently into serious audiophile territory with tremendous composure and scale.

The AE1 40th Anniversary though… that one hits differently.
It’s one of those rare products that feels respectful to the original rather than simply borrowing the name. Beautifully judged, wonderfully revealing and deeply engaging to listen to.

And then there’s Corinium.
No gimmicks. No hype. Just Acoustic Energy quietly building one of the most musically convincing loudspeakers they’ve ever made and boy, are they putting some noses out of joint in the process. What Corinium is delivering for the asking price is nothing less that staggering.

That, to me, is how good brands survive.
They evolve without losing their soul.

We are very fortunate to be the only place in Perth where you can hear the entire range of Acoustic Energy speakers from the exceptional value AE100.2 all the way to Corinium.

Check out what AE may be able to offer to your own personal listening experience.

https://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/

Happy Listening.
Cheers
Dave.

21/04/2026

18/04/2026

Well, the wait for us is finally over.
Since exclusive German speaker designer Avantgarde Acoustic announced the release of the new Opus 1 fully Active speaker late last year, we have been anticipating their arrival and official Australian release.

Now in our showroom and beautifully run in, we now have the opportunity to offer a speaker from this award winning manufacturer, that can deliver the quality of sound that Avantgarde are so well known for that has the unmistakable family pedigree at a really great price.

There are some pieces of hi-fi gear that simply play music… and then there are those rare few, that “bring it to life” and that aptly describes the Avantgarde Opus 1.

I’ve spent my entire working life involved in the audio industry and around so many different sounding audio systems over the years, but every now and then something comes along that stops you in your tracks. Not because it’s loud, not because it’s flashy, but simply because it is effortless and feels real.
The Opus 1 does exactly that.

What strikes you first is those beautifully engineered horn drivers that don’t strain or push the music, they simply breathe. Vocals step forward with a presence that feels almost tangible, and instruments carry a weight and texture that reminds you why you fell in love with music in the first place.

It’s not just about detail (though there’s plenty of that). It’s about dynamics — the quiet moments feel intimate and delicate, while the crescendos arrive with authority, yet never lose their composure.
There’s a sense of scale here that’s hard to put into words until you’ve experienced it.

And yes, they’re certainly a statement piece visually, unapologetically bold, but so beautifully designed.
Like all truly great Hi-Fi, their purpose is really simple, as it allows you a greater connection to your love of music.

If you have a moment to call in and sit in front of this pair of speakers, we would love to throw on some of your favourite music and just let you bathe in something rare and special.

The Opus 1 delivers you smiles when listening and isn’t that what it is all about in this passion we all share for great music.

Happy Listening.
Cheers
Dave.

05/03/2026

A first for us and for Australia.

Some days in this business can feel quite ordinary.
Other days, something truly exceptional can arrive in the front door that will have you racing for the box cutter.
Especially when it is the sort of product that redefines your expectations of what streamed music can sound like.

Back in December last year, we were asked to host the Official Australian release of a new and exceptional Music Server/Streamer from Portuguese company Innuos.
That release, was heralding the arrival of the Innuos Nazaré, and since then, the international audio world has been in a bit of a buzz, in regard to its spectacular performance capabilities.

As Jason Victor Serinus, reviewer from Stereophile commented:
Coming ashore
"Ignore the subhead: I never returned to shore. The more I listened, the more I decided the Nazaré would not return to Portugal. As with the dCS Varèse digital music system and a host of other components I now use as references, the Nazaré sounded so good and revealed so much more significant information that I knew I had to continue riding its waves".

Nazaré in Portugal is the place where you will likely find the largest waves on the planet. It is then a very appropriate name for this unit as what it can provide to your system is equally large.

Well, we are absolutely thrilled to advise that we are the very first retailer in Australia, to supply and install one of these exceptional instruments of music playback, into one of our highly valued client’s system.

For anyone chasing the truest, most natural sound when streaming music, the Nazaré is a revelation.
It’s so much more than a server and music streamer, it’s a complete reimagining of how music should feel.
Every note, every nuance, every subtle detail is brought to life with stunning clarity.
Listening to it, even on those favourite tracks that you are already so familiar with, it just makes them feel brand new.

Being the first to present the Nazaré to our loyal Perth audio community back in December was a privilege.
But delivering and installing the Nazaré into a client’s home, the first home in Australia to have one, is something we really are, very proud of indeed.

A special note of thanks to Innuos Distributor, Cameron Keating from Maxmedia for all his support with making the Nazaré available to supply and demonstrate in a timeframe suitable to our client.

Happy Listening.
Cheers Dave

19/02/2026

My first post for 2026 and the Festive Season already seems so long ago. I trust that it was an enjoyable holiday season for you.
We only took a short break this year so we have been enjoying the start of another year.

We had a client call in late January who has a couple of Accuphase E-202 Integrated Amps that required a full work over. He is running some amazing old and "VERY BIG" JBL 4344 Studio Monitors, so he wanted to get the first of them into us and through the Authorised Accuphase service agent to take over amplification duties from what was currently in play as a stop gap.

I always get a thrill when one of these original Kensonic Laboritory "Accuphase Series" amps come in for a refurbishment. That first series, released in 1973 comprising of the C-200 Pre Amp, P-300 Power Amp and T-100 AM/FM Tuner followed in 1974 by the E-202 Integrated Amp have really stood the test of time and those that have them will rarely ever part with them.

It is part of the joy of owning an Accuphase that parts availability and local Perth based service experience has remained in place all these years later.

I took some shots of the amp and what was replaced internally on the E-202, as it is always an impressive bag of parts that arrive back with the refurbished units.

When this sort of total rebuild is done, the unit is supplied with a 2 year warranty on all work completed.

I received this email below from the client after he got it home, installed it and fired up the JBL's.

Hi Dave,
Heartfelt thank you for the Service performed on my E202, I have never heard it sound like this before.
I ran the JBL4344 on their internal X-over and powered just off the E202, and it is truly amazing, so much better than the Carver Phase 7’s.
The E202, is as quiet as a mouse and when it’s asked to perform it lapped it up.
Very ,very happy.
Thank your tech for me, he has done a wonderful job,
Best Regards
Mike

So an all round great result.

We rarely see many Accuphase units being traded, but I do currently have an 18 month old E-800 which became available after a client upgraded to a separate Accuphase A-75 and C-2900 Power Pre combo. This is currently on offer at $18000.00 and in absolute mint condition with all box and accessories and a credit to the previous owner. So if you are looking for something very special that will drive whatever you have speaker wise, this could be the perfect solution.

Very happy to provide a demonstration to anyone interested.

Catch up soon.

Happy Listening.
Cheers
Dave

13/12/2025

As our busy week comes to a close, I would like to put out a big thank you, to all our guests that attended our Special Event on Thursday evening, for the official Australian release and first presentation of the Nazare Streamer from Innuos.

An excellent presentation by Cameron Keating from Maxmedia the Australian Innuos and Avantgarde distributor , set the night off with a very revealing listening session.

A real bonus was securing a personal presentation from Nuno Vitorino, Co-Founder and Director at Innuos and the creator of the Nazare, beaming in from Portugal and outlining the development process and thought patterns in developing and achieving the exceptional sonic results that Nazare delivers.

Having previously released the already phenomenally high performance Statement Next Gen it was not going to be an easy task.

There was absolutely no doubting the passion that he and his team have in the quest to deliver Innuos owners with an exceptional listening experience and while remaining totally Roon compatible, many users have been switching across to Innuos' own Sense App which is a wonderful interface that really does deliver in the usability and sound quality stakes.

A huge thank you to Cameron and Sarah Keating from Maxmedia for travelling across from Melbourne for the event, to Jacob for setting up and balancing the Nazare and getting all the systems on the night, sounding so engaging, to my wonderful wife Barb for supporting us to hold this event in mid December (I think her first words were, are you insane) I know how much effort she and my daughter Laura put into the food for our events and to my friends Terry and Di assisting with the bar and everything else they saw needed doing.

But most importantly our wonderful clients that came along in mid December to spend an evening hearing about some wonderful new products.

Wishing you all the most joyful and safe Festive Season and we look forward to catching up in the New Year.

Happy Listening.

Cheers Dave