Welcome to the premier issue of "Alternative News", the newsletter that let's you know what's new at Alternative Audio. We've got alot of info and announcements to fill up this first issue, as we begin our third year in business! To begin with, we're proud to announce the recent opening of our second dedicated listening room. With a 7 foot ceiling and dimensions of 14 X 25 feet, this new room is similar in size to most family rooms. We've gone to great lengths to create a comfortable and relaxed listening environment, so that you'll feel right at home...

We're also celebrating the arrival of some exciting new product lines!:

Vacuum Tube Logic (V.T L.):

Recognition and respect for this product has soared since Luke Manley took over the company from his father, David. This fall marks the completion of a new line up of products designed completely by Luke, starting with his entry level ST85 amp and TL2.5 preamp. Both were critically acclaimed in Absolute Sound.

* At 85 watts per channel and utilizing the EL34's, the ST85 is a real workhouse and "best buy for the money" product. It's companion pre-amp, the all tube TL25 also provides excellent value, delivering more life and emotional involvement than the darker, grainier sounding Audible Illusions Mod. 3A.

* The ST 150 is based on the Svetlana 6550 C and can be switched from 150 watts per channel tetrode to 75 watts pure triode.

* VTL's Signature monoblock series is led-off by the Signature MB 175, which Michael Fremer so gushingly recommended in Stereophile (Vol.20 No.6).

* The Signature MB 450 is a solid category "A" in this month's recommended components, delivering 450 watts in tetrode or 200 watts pure triode. This high current, all-tube, amp delivers sweet, liquid highs and mids, along with solid bass.

* The brand new TL 5.5 all-tube pre-amp comes with balanced outputs to match the balance inputs on the Signature mono-block. It should be available by the time of this publication.

But don't just take our word for it! Come hear the man himself, Luke Manley, on Thursday October 23rd. The president and chief designer of VTL will be here in person from 5pm - 9pm, discussing and demonstrating his latest products. Don't miss this opportunity to hear tube technology at its finest!

Jeff Rowland Design:

Often referred to as the "Rolls Royce" of transistor products, Rowland amps and pre-amps, with their dazzling polished faceplates, are as pleasing to the eyes as they are to the ears.

* The Rowland Model 2 amp is firlmly established as a Stereophile Class "A" recommended component. "The best sounding amplifier I've had a chance to evaluate" says Robert Deutsch. At 75 watts this is also the smallest amplifier in the Rowland line-up, but could well be called "the iron fist in a velvet glove" for it's ability to maintain tight control of subsonics, such as organ pedal notes, while resolving with great detail even the most complex passages of classical music. As with all Rowland Products, the Model 2 offers fully differentially balanced circuitry and robust power supplies, all housed in a chasis precision machined from a solid block of aluminum alloy!

* The Synergy pre-amp is the latest addition to the Rowland line. Beautifully housed in a two-piece alluminum alloy chasis and featuring an external power supply, the Synergy also comes with a full function, user friendly, remote control. This pre-amp offers versatile gain and impedance adjustment, which is automatically memorized for each input, creating a perfect match with any associated equipment.

* Also new this fall is the 100 watt remote-controlled Concentra integrated amp, which garnered rave reviews at the 1997 WCES show in Vegas. The Concentra is a spectacular blend of some of the best features of the Model 2 amp and the Synergy pre-amp. The result is a component that sets a new standard for integrated amp design!

* Also available from Rowland: the Coherence battery powered pre-amp, Model 6 150 watt mono block amplifiers, Model 8T 250 watt stereo amp, Model 9 350 watt mono block amps, and the Cadence stand-alone phono stage. Battery power supplies are available for all Jeff Rowland amps and pre-amps.

Audiolab:

A classic line of British amps, pre-amps, integrated amps, CD players, and tuners.

* The Model 8000S is the latest updated version of Audiolab's excellent 8000A 60 watt integrated amp. It features remote control and a beefed-up power supply.

Jolida Tube Products:

S.G. Jolida is the manufacturer of highly-regarded, budget priced, tube-powered integrated amps.

* Check out the SJ 202A, a line stage 40 watt / channel integrated that utilizes EL34 tubes. At under $1000 Canadian, the 202A offers amazing sound at a reasonable price.

* The SJ 502 has been very favorably reviewed by Absolute Sound, Stereophile, Fi, and Audio magazine. At 60 watts, using Svetlana 6550C tubes, this integrated amp is killer and won't break the bank at under $1500.

* Also on display, we have the JD601A, Jolida's tubed output CD player (watch for a favorable review in the November issue of Fi magazine), and the JD401 tubed AM/FM tuner, complete with remote control and retailing at approximately $600 Canadian.

Merlin:

* The Merlin VSM (Very Scary Monitor) has been impressing showgoers and reviewers for the past four years. This past spring, the generation lil model of the VSM had a very impressive upgrade in the form of an external R/C network, which works in much the same manner as those in M.l.T. cables. These R/C networks act as high frequency RF filters and EMI ameliorators. They also present the amplifier with an extremely high impedance load (8 ohms nominal, 6 ohms minimal), making the speakers an ideal partner for tubes. The R/C networks also get rid of ultra-high frequency resonance, and in turn stop a form of interference that occurs between the speakers and other system components.

* BAM (Bass Augmentation Module): Bobby Palkovic has done it again with yet another improvement on his already amazing VSM speaker! The BAM is designed to smoothly extend the bass another 10Hz, down to 30Hz, with no alteration in frequency response or musical characteristics. In fact, this modification has the ability to remove subsonic hash from the signal. The BAM is an outboard module, inserted in the signal path between the pre-amp and power amp, or between the source and the pre-amp. The sonic improvments are substantial! Images have greater roundness and fullness because the treble becomes even smoother and more natural. The soundstage is deeper and wider, almost holographic in its three dimensional layering and ability to reproduce even the most minute details. Sounds too good to be true? - grab a fist full of your favorite discs and come in to hear them for yourself!

* Also available now is the VSM SE version, featuring upgraded crossover components, specially developed Hovolan inductors, and BAM.

* Utilizing the R/C network found in the VSM, and combining the Morel silk dome tweeter and Morel carbon pulp woofer in its sealed cabinet, Merlin's TSM (Tiny Scary Monitor} offers you 80% of the performance of the VSM at less than 50% of the cost. Not surprisingly, it has garnered rave reviews from Soundstage and Bound For Sound.

Merlin VSM w/R/C network: $6500	BAM modification: $1200
Merlin VSM SE version: $8500	Merlin TSM: $3000

Von Schweikert Research:

Von Schweikert has a new line of speakers that are taking the industry by storm! Large speakers that disappear into the music like mini-monitors, the VRs are noted for transparent highs and mids combined with earth-shaking bass (down to 20Hz!). Von Schweikert has received glowing reviews from Bound For Sound, Positive Feedback, Soundstage, and Fi magazine, and its no coincidence that their sound room at Hi Fi '97 was voted 2nd best (second only to the $120,000 system from Wilson Grand Slam!).

Currently on display are the VR 3s ($3000), VR4s ($5200), and VR 4.5s ($8500). Bring in your favorite recording with deep, deep bass and find out how much resolution you've been missing in those lower octaves! Also, watch for the arrival of the new VR6 - destined to be a Wilson Audio killer at a fraction of the price!

Totem Acoustic Loudspeakers:

Another Canadian product that receives worldwide critical acclaim.

* The Sttaf is Totem's newest product: their first floor-standing speaker, which uses a mass loaded cabinet and the silk dome tweeter from the Tabu. In addition to the Sttaf, the following Totem products are currently on display: the Mite, Rokk, Model 1, Tabu and Mani-2.

Audible Illusions:

A selection of the finest tube preamps available!

* Every major audio publication has printed a glowing review of the Modulus 3A. The new 3A, with stepped attenuation, adds a good 25% more resolution to your music.

* For those of you not spinning vinyl, the L1 offers a headphone amp instead of a phono stage.

Alchemist:

Distinctively styled, solid-state integrated amps and CD players from England, designed by tube guru Tim deParavincini.

Cambridge:

For those of us on a tighter budget, Cambridge Audio offers excellent value for the money. Designed in England and built offshore, the component quality and resulting sonic benefits far excede the purchase price!

Classe Audio:

A Canadian classic and one of audio's innovative leaders, Classe has put Canada on the high-end audio map. 1997 has seen the birth of many new developments in this product line, including the critically acclaimed

* CAP 100 - a remarkable 100 watt, remote controlled, integrated amplifier that Robert Harley placed in Stereophile's recommended component category "A"! At $2700 ($3000 with phonostage), it outperforms YBA's comparably priced 45 watt integrated by a long margin.

* CDP.5 - the companion CD player to the CAP 100, with balanced analog outputs to match the balanced inputs of the integrated amp. The CDP.5 is also HDCD compatable and lists at $2700.

* Other recent entries to Classe's already formidable lineup of products include the CAP 80, an 80 watt remote-controlled integrated amp, and the matching CDP.3 CD player. Both pieces are balanced and list at $1895 each.

* Classe's brand new Tuner 1 is a remote-controlled FM tuner, complete with RCA and XLR outputs, as well as 80 preset positions and a user-accessible threshold which allows you to reject stations that can't be received clearly. The Tuner 1 is priced at $1795.

* Not to be overlooked is Classe's existing line-up of quality products: amps, pre-amps, and the well-received DAC-1.

Cables, Tubes, and Tweaks!

We stock a full line of accessories from Black Diamond, Cardas, Townsend, and XLO, as well as a wide selection of after-market replacement tubes from E.l./Yugos, Phillips USA, Sovtek, and Svetlana.

* Black Diamond has just introduced a new product called "Those Things", which are scaled-down versions of "the Shelf". Used in conjuction with Black Diamond's carbon-fibre cones - Killer!!!

Well that's about it for this issue. If you've enjoyed reading about all of our products you'll like hearing them even more, so drop by soon. It's worth the drive to Dundas! Don't forget our VTL seminar with Luke Manley on October 23rd (from 5pm - 9pm) and watch the classified section of the Toronto Star for upcoming seminars featuring Merlin, Totem, and Von Schweikert!

Until next time...

All the best,
Mike & Rich