Loving the phat look of the protype arm!

Thanks for posting that, saves me doing it!
I've meant to but been busy with travelling then being at the Show.
So a few more details of the new products:

New arm, tentatively called Wand Dark-Light Tonearm. But comments / suggestions welcomed here.
-10.3 in but can be mounted at Linn / SME 210mm or Rega 222mm or Wand 246mm distances.
-Medium mass
-Everything adjustable in including azimuth and zenith.
-Arm tapered to maximum that sill misses edge of the record.
-Sits above current arms and priced similar to Kuzma 4 point etc.

Wand 14/5 turntable (an additional higher spec model above the 14/4)
-Added carbon fibre layer in platter (will be sold as separate mat too)
-carbon fibre top-plate
-Base unit of same ply with
-battery supply (same as Wand EV) integrated in
-IsoAcoustic feet for additional isolation and easier leveling
-Second arm mount
- Black finish dials etc.

Pricing in the order of 1.4x 144/4

End of year availability for both products.

PS: Michael Fremer has quite a bit of time in the room today, so watch out in his Munich video....

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

How about The Wand Darklantern? 🤣

May 21, 2023 8:46:49 GMT 12 Citroen said:

How about The Wand Darklantern? 🤣

+1

+2

The new platter design looks like some brake rotors I had on an earlier car

Simon and I caught up at the show as well, great to hear a kiwi accent. The new tonearm looks fab! The Dark Light (Dark Lantern?) turntable was sounding regal. My boss was impressed!

AMR-iFi R&D

Thanks guys,
Yes, I'm sure the Dark-Light name came partly from an unconscious homage to Dark Lantern, but happy with that.
Met Richard Krebs too who I'd never met so interesting to get a run down on the OMA turntable.amazing beast! ( though little compared to some turntables at Munich)

The logic in the platter mat 'slash' marks is that the sound is semi-compartmentalised giving more decay time as it moves away from the stylus. Regardles, the mat is a useful gain, so will be selling The Wand Mat separately.
Could have a loan mat to move round Dark Lantern folk who are interested. WIll start a thread when I get back to NZ.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Starts from 27 minute mark to 31 minutes

Thanks Citroën!
Quite interesting to meet Michael in person, certainly a bit of a character. Was fun chatting to him.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Analog Planet has just posted an announcement about the forthcoming 14-5 turntable and the Dark-Light Tonearm.

Thanks bruise

www.analogplanet.com/content/wand-14-5-turntable-dark-light-tonearm



"Here’s another cool turntable and tonearm combo that caught our collective eye of late: namely, The Wand 14-5 turntable — which follows in the considerable wake of the New Zealand company’s deservedly vaunted 14-4 ’table — and The Wand Dark-Light tonearm, which follows their original, notable, and standard-named Tonearm. Back in May, both of these new Wand products were shown and demo’ed accordingly at High End Munich 2023 by the ever-estimable Simon Brown in the DeVore loudspeaker room, which was located in Halle 3 K15."

Nice photo of the Wand arm on a Genesis turntable?? Super system with the big Genesis Prime+ speakers :-)

jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/2023-pacific-audio-fest-hear-the-680000-genesis-prime-loudspeaker-system/

Not sure how to slot a photo in here :-(

Audionut - Artisan Audio At Its Best
www.audionut.net

Using imgur.com/upload

Much thanks for the photos Mr Citroen :-)

Audionut - Artisan Audio At Its Best
www.audionut.net

Jun 23, 2023 11:57:09 GMT 12 audionut said:

Nice photo of the Wand arm on a Genesis turntable?? Super system with the big Genesis Prime+ speakers :-)

jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/2023-pacific-audio-fest-hear-the-680000-genesis-prime-loudspeaker-system/

Not sure how to slot a photo in here :-(

Right click on the photo you want, then click Copy Image Link and paste into the Insert Image Image URL box from the tool bar above the box where your write stuff

A quick one as it is time for bed and I'm trying not to be Sleepless in Seattle!
Yes, all set up in the big Genesis room with the massive Genesis Prime speakers at one end with a custom Wand 14in (which Genesis call The Wand of Origin) on a big VPI and running custom Goldenberg cartridge. Plus several real to reels.
(So similar to the photo but not quite the same as it was last year with a prototype Genesis turntable)
Impressed by it as a system as it is genuinely effortless and natural.
But I am planning to have at least one go with Fat Freddie's Drop on it!

At the other end of the room. Genesis has some new entry level* (for them $US 8k) speakers being driven by full rig of Heed Thesis amplifiers from a prototype of my new 14-5 turntable (additional rothe 14-4) and new Dark-Light tomearm.
More tomorrow...

*The Primes are $US800k+

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Hi Simon, the turntable looked great. I hope the show was fun :-)

Audionut - Artisan Audio At Its Best
www.audionut.net

Great videos.

Love the sheer honesty about the fancy CF top

Beat me to it again!
There is another video  by the same folks of the turntable playing Reb Fountain as I like to sneak a bit of Kiwi stuff in. I also played Fat Freddie's Drop both on that system and on the big rig Genesis Prime (sort of IRS Mk 10 with 12x 12" woofers per channel...)

Show has been good. Ejoyable as it is a proper enthusiast show. I will probably write something about it.

Yes, was actually a bit disappointed the carbon fibre didn't do much on the ply but very happy with it as a platter mat. I'll probably have a loan one available)

Many interesting experiences being in the Genesis Loudspeaker room with lacquers etc. 
The one in the closing hour of the show comparing 3x different vinyl formulations  presses with the same stamper under identical conditions.  I thought it would be hard to spot but it was really obvious (in a $NZ 1m system 😏 )

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Interested in how you set your pricing.

Need to consider cost of
R&D
Materials
Manufacturing
Intellectual property rights
Advertising/Dealers etc

But how much does comparison with competing models, assessing competition with comparable features etc play a part?

Back in the day, Harry Pearson of The Absolute Sound said every serious manufacturer needed to listen to their gear on a speaker system the calibre of an Infinity IRS.

The beasts reveal things that lesser systems miss.

Jun 26, 2023 17:15:54 GMT 12 simonb said:

Beat me to it again!
There is another video  by the same folks of the turntable playing Reb Fountain as I like to sneak a bit of Kiwi stuff in. I also played Fat Freddie's Drop both on that system and on the big rig Genesis Prime (sort of IRS Mk 10 with 12x 12" woofers per channel...)

Show has been good. Ejoyable as it is a proper enthusiast show. I will probably write something about it.

Yes, was actually a bit disappointed the carbon fibre didn't do much on the ply but very happy with it as a platter mat. I'll probably have a loan one available)

Many interesting experiences being in the Genesis Loudspeaker room with lacquers etc. 
The one in the closing hour of the show comparing 3x different vinyl formulations  presses with the same stamper under identical conditions.  I thought it would be hard to spot but it was really obvious (in a $NZ 1m system 😏 )

Stop right there Simon!
So for max lacquer listening, we each need, at least, 3x different NZ$1m systems right?    "...somewhere over the rainbow..."     

"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]

Hmm will ask my US distributor who also has the three lacquers at home how obvious the difference in vinyl formula is in a more real world system.
The difference to me was mostly in how full the piano tone was and how long the sustain was. Ie the basic grade was thin and stopped quickly.

In terms of pricing I use a spreadsheet that Gary Morrison gave me. Most of the things mentioned are included. But only about 30% of the retail price comes to the manufacturer once freight, tax and retailer & distributor cuts are taken off.
So that is before any of the costs mentioned above come off.
Also need to balance prices across the world and between different models.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

Talking to my US Distributor who also has the three pressings on different materials, his take was that on a mere mortal system, the better vinyl would probably come across as warmer, but wouldn't be so obvious as to why that was.

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

I wouldn't be too fussed about vinyl formulations, there are more important factors in making a good record - source material, mastering.

Back in the 80's JVC vinyl was said to be the best yet those using them - Japanese records, MoFi and other audiophile companies produced some of the worst sounding records ever.

In the 90's, 2000s Classic Records had Quiex 2 or something - again, poor to mediocre sound.

Now well into the 21st the experiments begin again...

Part time audiophile coverage

parttimeaudiophile.com/2023/06/29/genesis-the-wand-heed-and-much-more-paf-2023/

Highlight  of the rooms at the Show was the carpet...

Simon Brown
Design Build Listen Ltd,
Makers of The Wand Analogue Products
Distributor of Hana Cartridges

🤣

All those geometric patterns make good markers for speaker placement.

I like the carpet ... I want some! 

Audionut - Artisan Audio At Its Best
www.audionut.net