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cameronk97

Sydney Audio Club

Updated: Dec 11, 2022

This weekend in Sydney, we are the honoured guest once again.

Please scroll all the way down to see the playlist.

  • We will be launching the New Pulse Mini from Innuos as the music source $1,990. The Sound that everyone loves just got more accessible!

Running all music via Qobuz Service.

  • We will be introducing to Sydney, Merason in the form of their entry price point DAC of $1,990. This simple yet stunning product will find many lovers in Australia for is ability to process the finest detail to delivery a well rounded sound.

  • We will also be introducing to Sydney the newly created - connection series of cables and interconnects from LAB12, starting at $1,200.

  • Piega will be the speaker brand, bookshelf, not quite the global entry model but one we see as the best starting point to really hear what this brand can do. The Premium 301 ( from $4,990 ) and Premium 301 in active will play side by side.

  • Powering up the passive speakers, we have the new LAB12 Integre4 Mk2 , the beautiful sibling of the one we have presented previously. Featuring one pair of XLR inputs and KT170, this amplifier is winning hearts everywhere.

We have a few giveaway prizes for this Christmas gathering so if you are not yet a member, drop John an email enquiries@sydneyaudioclub.org.au



[…] Bowed double basses and cellos, but also low-playing saxophones growl, growl and glow (yes, yes...) with fervor - that's real tube art. […] Hardly any amp in the four-figure price sphere can outdo the Integre4 MK2 in terms of tangible projection, and voices and the fast impulses and transients act like an adrenaline injection. […]The direct response of the Lab 12 Integre4 MK2 is intense, almost intimate - a musical adrenaline rush that makes it easy to access the emotional expression of the performers. […]

The rest of this review is as attached,, note we will leave this post up until Monday Night.




The LAB12 INTEGRE4MK2

The new, upgraded integre4 MK2 is here to bring your audio experience one step higher by taking advantage of all new powerful KT-170 power tubes.


With an exceptional build quality, separate power supply for each channel, higher Signal to Noise level, integre4 MK2 can be the ideal driver even for the most demanding speakers out there.


Our innovative bias built-in system thru a powerful processor and the vivid OLED display are here to give you the pleasure of the easiest way of tube rolling ability and sound tuning according to your personal taste. No extra equipment or technical knowledge is necessary. Direct Anode current indication and instant setting directly from the face panel.


An exceptional headphone circuit that fully engages the upgraded power transformers, offers you all the advantages of tube amplification in private with any kind of headphones.


An optional tube cage for increased safety and different aesthetic approach of your amplifier is available to obtain.

Features Integre4 MK2

• EL34, 6550, KT88, KT120, KT150 compatible

(KT170 from factory)

• Remote Control

• Large OLED display

• Blue Velvet ALPS motorized potentiometer

• Sophisticated protection and bias monitoring system

• No feedback design

• SRSG® implementation

• Upgraded noise reduction chassis

• Upgraded output transformers

• Redesigned dual mono topology

Specifications Integre4 MK2

• Power: 230VAC 50Hz (115VAC 60Hz)

• Power consumption: 350 VA max

• Output power: 75 Watt per channel (KT170)

• Frequency response: 15 Hz – 60 KHz (-1dB)

• Input impedance: 50K ohm

• Recommended speakers: 4-8 ohm

• Tubes complement: 4x 6n1p dual triodes, 4x KT170 power pentodes

• Inputs: (5) 5x unbalanced line stereo RCA connectors, 1x unbalanced line stereo XLR connectors

• Available Colours: Matt Black, Frozen Silver

• Dimensions (WxHxD): 43x19x29 cm

• Weight: 22Kg


Please see the PDF Below for the Premium Series and some summary notes on the PREMIUM 301 models.

Premium 301

The Premium 301 is a compact loudspeaker with a baffle about the size of an A4 sheet. Behind the removable fabric cover, a 140 mm MDS low mid-range driver and the LDR 2642 MKII ribbon tweeter ensure homogeneous transmission of all frequencies from 39 to 50 kHz. Whether on the shelf, on a sideboard or on a stand – the PIEGA Premium 301 is an illustrious and elegant sound transducer for small to medium sized rooms.

Redesign : Once again, mastermind Kurt Scheuch’s research and development team has succeeded in making the already very illustrious aluminium columns and bookshelf loudspeakers even more audiophile. A step forward has also been made in aesthetic terms. In order to refine the appearance, Swiss designer Stephan Hürlemann has fitted the front covers flush into the C-shaped cabinet profile, creating a formal harmony that fits perfectly into every room.





The Premium 301 Wireless boasts an impressive performance with its latest active technology and fits brilliantly on a sideboard, shelf or at your workplace. Play your music directly from your smartphone or tablet, or integrate the loudspeaker in a multi-room system and experience perfect musical integrity. The system's PIEGA connect module provides the wireless connection between the amplifier and speaker, enables music streaming from a smartphone via Bluetooth aptX and integrates the loudspeakers in a multi-room system via the WiFi network.





Notes on the Ribbons

Besides their perfect sound quality, PIEGA loudspeakers also come in an attractive and stylish design. We always strive to achieve innovative products in order to meet our own exacting standards. However, two typical features of PIEGA loudspeakers are always upheld – our ribbon technology and our aluminium cabinets.


PIEGA’s tweeter and coaxial ribbon


The principle of all of our ribbon technology systems is the fact that the membrane used here also acts as the voice coil , i.e. the actual driver. This membrane can be kept ultra-thin and thus very light because it is caused to vibrate evenly over its entire surface.

This small moving mass in turn allows the membranes to be accelerated extremely quickly so that they can follow the music signal precisely. For example, the membrane of our LDR tweeters is 50 times lighter than conventional dome tweeters.


Greater efficiency and linearity for sound reproduction


The other benefits of the ribbon technology include its higher efficiency, excellent cooling properties, thus preventing thermal compressions, as well as its highly linear and distortion free sound reproduction. Ribbon systems are therefore ideal for high and midrange frequencies. However, compared to conventional cone and dome drivers, the technical effort involved in the construction of ribbon systems is considerably greater.

The Ribbon in the Premium range

LDR ribbon tweeters


The LDR ribbon tweeters essentially embody all of PIEGA’s experience in the construction of ribbon systems. Designs that have been optimized over decades today enable us to produce virtually faultless sound systems. Besides the optimized layout of the flat coil, the same system is used for damping the membrane as with the Coax and Line Source drivers. Exceptional resolution capacity, perfect linearity in frequency and time, fantastic efficiency and perfect decay behaviour are only some of the features of the legendary tweeters. Extremely light membranes and the strongest driver provide the foundation for unmatched musical enjoyment.

MERASON FREROT DAC




After the MERSON DAC-1 caused a sensation in the audiophile scene, the Swiss manufacturer Dafraud has now introduced a little brother to the DAC-1. The suitably called frérot - "little brother" - is based on the large DAC-1 in terms of sound and technology and comes with a much smaller housing.


In terms of sound, the MERASON frérot is synonymous with analog music playback; technically Dafraud relies on the proven BurrBrown 1794A converters as with the DAC-1 While two of these chips work in mono mode in the DAC-1, a single 1794A is responsible for both channels in the frérot. The signal processing is also carried out symmetrically in the frérot. The analog class A output amplifiers are built discretely. At the inputs, the frérot USB offers two RCA sockets for S / PFDIF signals and two optical Toslink connections. The input is selected using a high-quality Elma coding switch on the front, and the analog output signal is output symmetrically at XLR sockets and unbalanced at RCA sockets.

Note: MERASON frérot processes only PCM data up to 24 bit / 192 kHz.


The housing of the MERASON frérot measures only 7 x 9 x 2 (LxWxH). This means that the compact device is also suitable for use in a high-quality secondary system - for example in a holiday home, mobile home or boat. The housing is powder-coated, the lower part is made of 3 mm thick aluminum, and the cover is made of galvanized steel.



This is a pure and simple DAC dedicated to music and not specs. Topping out at 24/192 kHz is the same as all the best streaming companies top out at. This is a no brainer for the Innuos series.

The Frérot DAC has an incredibly smooth even from PCM files. It is also, as you would expect from the Swiss, a very precise and detailed sound. This is a great combination a, smooth and silky sound

Just some review notes on the Frerot.


The Innuos Pulse Series : Entry Model PULSE MINI

Innuos is the name for High Fidelity Digital Servers and Streamers.

Awarded and Applauded and when you Experience it you will understand Why!




PULSEMINI Network Streamer

PULSEmini may be the entry-level Innuos network music player, but how it sounds makes clear you’re listening to something special. PULSEmini features a chassis with a front panel bead-blasted and anodised from the best grade aluminium for a perfect finish.

PULSEmini has the power and reliability to run innuOS Operating System specifically configured for optimal music playback:

Custom-designed motherboard with an Intel quad-core processor

Industrial-Grade SSD module specifically for the Operating System with power-loss protection, Low Density Parity Check ECC engine and Global Wear-Levelling technologies

4GB of highly reliable Industrial-Grade RAM

PULSEmini outputs PCM up to 32bit/768kHz as well as up to DSD512 via USB to compatible DACs.

It further complements its digital outputs with analog RCA, coaxial and optical SPDIF outputs capable of up to 24bit/192kHz.



Please see Innuos Sense App : Visual Guide File, Note file size 22.56 MB



Innuos Music Servers allow connecting to different types of music systems. Depending on the type of connection used, you will need different apps in order to browse and play music on your Music Server.

Generally, there are 4 main options:

Music Server connected directly to a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC);

Music Server connected to UPnP Streamer(s) via Ethernet network;

Music Server connected to Sonos Wireless Speakers;

Music Server as a Roon Core or Roon Bridge.



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