Australian Hi-Fi Feb/Mar 2001 Article:
AUSTRALIAN HI-FI SPREADS ITS WINGS
Cliff and Gloria de Souza’s Audio Synergy store in Perth has been a haven of affordable audiophilia for more than a decade. A Bachelor of Economics — and a rock and soul musician since his early youth — Cliff ran a hi-fi business back in his native Singapore, based on home demonstrations.
Arriving as business migrants in 1989, the couple immediately put their experience into a retail hi-fi shop: the first Audio Synergy store in Churchlands. Moving to more spacious premises deep in Perth’s hi-fi district in Claremont in 1991, Cliff set out to take on all comers with an impressive list of (mostly) British audiophile brands.
Over the years, Cliff has pruned what was more a mini hi-fi show than a brand list. He currently sells Alchemist, Arcam, Atacama, Audio Note, Audio Synergy, Axis, B&W, Cable Talk, Cambridge Audio, Cyrus, Denon, Epos, Flatline, JVC, Mission, Myryad, Musical Fidelity, NVA, Ortofon, Rega, Radesign Labs, REL, Solid, TAS and Unicones. “We’ve steered away from the super high-end,” says Cliff. “You can pay $20,000 to $30,000 for a preamplifier that really doesn’t sound better than what they produced two years ago. Customers are tired of diminishing improvements at escalating prices.
In 1995, when Australian HI-Fl last spoke to Cliff, he had just launched his first Audio Synergy product — the Charmaine bookshelf speaker. Five years on, the company fields a complete, high- performance Audio Synergy system including DAC, pre- and power amplifiers, two loudspeaker models and an active sub- woofer.
Cliff’s guiding philosophy is that “listening is the most important factor” and since 1991 the store has run four large (around 7 by 5-metre) demonstration rooms. The main hi-fi room Cliff calls his ‘mid-fi’ room, though it’s closer to the high end than most stores ever get. Next door is his ‘Anything Goes’ room. Cliff explains, “Here we demonstrate everything new and wonderful that comes in from the manufacturers. This room tells no lies. The acoustics are good; very warm, with the walls covered in diffusers and wooden panels used throughout.”
One lounge is given over to home theatre, but not the usual forest of speakers and towering stacks of electronics. Says Cliff, “We limit the range to Arcam and Harman-Kardon amplifiers and B&W and Axis speakers to minimise confusion. I will never have a room full of speakers hooked up to a comparator.” As befits a ‘music-first’ man, Cliff also reminds his customers that they can get their home theatre sound by using an add-on processor that won’t affect the main system sound when it’s not being used. “We’d usually recommend Arcam’s Zeta II processor,” says Cliff, “though we’re currently waiting for the new model.
The fourth listening room is given over to sonic accessories—especially anti-vibration devices such as his Platforms and Unicones. “Unicones are made from natural Australian timber and use damping, absorption, dissipation and conduction to move vibrations away from signal sources,” says Cliff. “We’re not so hot on specil cables these days. If a system is superbly designed in the first place, you won’t need fancy cable. That’s why we’re called Audio Synergy.”
Cliff’s original $4,500 Charmaine has evolved into a $6,000 solid Jarrah-wood creation, and has been joined by the $3,000 Chantal (named after Cliff’s younger daughter). Drivers are from Focal and Dynaudio, cabinets are made locally in WA, and inductors are wound using pure German silver wire. Cliff hand-winds these air-cored inductors himself. “I wind to the value I think I should have,” explain Cliff, “and then wind it back to the point that it sounds best. We do this tuning for each individual speaker—that’s why we charge what we do. We’re getting great response to our speakers. In fact, I’m now selling more of my own equipment than anything else. You’d really have to spend twice or three times as much on an import to get the sound we’re able to achieve.”
Axis speakers to minimise confusion. I will never have a room full of speakers hooked up to a comparator.” As befits a ‘music-first’ man, Cliff also reminds his customers that they can get their home theatre sound by using an add-on processor that won’t affect the main system sound when it’s not being used. “We’d usually recommend Arcam’s Zeta II processor,” says Cliff, “though we’re currently waiting for the new model.
On the drawing board back in 1995 were Cliff’s Audio Synergy Clayton preamplifier and Chad power amplifier designs. “After hearing the best in the world,” said Cliff, “we could see no point in making a cheap amp. They’re all-valve; we even use valve rectifiers, the works—pure-copper chassis, all-silver wiring, point-to-point soldering—and no circuit boards whatsoever. Components were chosen purely for their sonic qualities. It was a long, but enjoyable development process and our initial budget was blown sky-high. But if you’re going to do something, you should do it properly or not at all.” Clayton (named after Cliff’s eldest son) comes in two versions and two variants: with and without a phono stage, and in one and two-box configurations. Says Cliff, “Through years of evolution and fine-tuning, we’ve managed to perfect a one-box preamp that sounds better than ny two boxes.”
DVD-Audio we’ll offer an upgrade, keeping the valve
analogue stages.”
Though Cliff sees a big future for SA-CD and DVD
Audio, he says he’s still not heard anything to equal
vinyl. “If you go to Singapore’s Adelphi hi-f i district,”
said Cliff, “you don’t see them selling a $400,000
amplifier using SA-CD as a source: they use a
turntable. What does that tell you? But you can light
technology, and if they’re implemented properly, SA-
CD and DVD-Audio will be phenomenal—no two
ways about it!”
The next new Audio Synergy release will he a 150-watt, fast-response, active suhwoofer called the Nat
(after Cliff’s youngest daughter Natasha.) “I used two eight—inth woofers
facing each other
according to the
compound principle," explained Cliff.
"The crossover network and amplifier are both external,
though there’s an integrated model on the way. The prototypes sound very, very good."
In addition to handing-winding his own inductors, 'hands-on' Cliff also hand-makes the store's own pure-silver and Teflon custom interconnects, as well as personally delivering and installing equipment when requested - even turning his hands to custom installation work when he can spare the time.
Service has been handled by the same three expert contractors for most of the store’s history: one for valve, one fot solid state and one for speakers. The store accepts and sells hi-fl trade-ins, there’s hectares of parking out hack, free home delivery and installation is otfertd as matter of course and Cliff will often arrange for a follow—up home visit to ensure e erything is sounding as beautiful as he can get it.
Audio Synergy’s opening hours are from 930am to 500pm (Monday to Saturday) but Cliff is happy to make appointments if these hours don’t suit. “We are also very happy to arrange home auditions,” ,says Cliff. “When people experience the level of quality they tan get in their own surroundings, they’re in much more confident about their choices.
By Chris Green
