Bringing the finest audio equipment to discerning music lovers
Welcome to Nirvana Sound, a place for people who love the wonderful art of music and appreciate the equipment which presents it with realism and emotional engagement. Do you yearn for a deeper connection with the artist’s message or desire to experience music in a more realistic, engaging way? Some of us wish to be able to re-create a musical performance as if it is happening live in front of us. We want our hair to stand up on end, we want to feel the joy of the performance in our heart and share it with others.
If you consider yourself an audiophile, a purist, someone who is looking to occasionally step out of the world of convenience gadgets and enhance your emotional experience with music, or simply someone who’s curious to see what’s possible in the world of audio reproduction, we exist to serve you!
Located in Melbourne Australia, we operate as a consultancy for high-end audio systems and as a distributor. Our brands are available through a small, carefully selected number of dealers and consultants around Australia and New Zealand.
In a very short period of time, I have developed great trust in your advice. Everything you have recommended has elevated my listening experience to another level.
Dealing with Nirvana has been a revelation. I can’t believe that you actually advised me to spend less money and I achieved the sound that I was looking for.
I have been around the audio traps for over 20 years and I can’t remember the last time I had such a great experience. I have learnt so much and my system sounds better than ever. Thank you!
Speakers, Analogue, Furniture
Founded in 1989 and located in Sheffield, England, Wilson Benesch is a globally recognised brand that is synonymous with excellence, designing and manufacturing some of the world’s most desirable high-end audio products. From their original A.C.T. One speaker through to the Taurus Infrasonic Generator, Wilson Benesch have built a reputation for innovation and expertise with carbon fibre technologies, Tactic drive units and building speaker systems that simply sound like no other. Adding to their long list of awards, their flagship Eminence speaker has been awarded The 2019 Absolute Sound’s Product of the Year Award and the 2019 TAS Golden Ear Award. Simply sensational!
Digital, Amplifiers
There’s a good reason why Ypsilon Electronics have developed such a universal respect and exalted reputation around the world. In their quest to push the limits of music reproduction, Ypsilon ignored convention and implemented high quality transformers as coupling devices in the amplification stages of their designs. After almost a lifetime of studying & learning the rare art of traditional transformer winding, Ypsilon now wind their own transformers in-house specifically tailored to meet the needs of each design. Often wound from rare metals, their transformers have become legendary and along with the single-ended Class A topology, are at the heart of the fabled ‘Ypsilon Sound’. As a result, Ypsilon equipment often appears in some of the world’s most well known reference systems, often wins ‘best sound at show’ awards and has earned a reputation to be among the very best amplification available.
Amplifiers, Digital
In order to best make sense of the extraordinary experience of listening to a darTZeel amplifier, one has to understand the mind and motivations of its creator Hervé Delétraz. “Listen first, measure afterwards. Theories of physics will never explain how the beauty of music can have such a profound effect on us. When it comes to music, only humans should be the judge.” darTZeel is the result of exceptional engineering wisdom, Swiss craftmanship that would put watchmakers to shame and the unwavering passion of a once-in-a-generation designer. Transcendent sound quality that reveals the emotion, heart and soul in music, breathing life into a live performance. Often found in the reference systems of experienced audiophiles and reviewers around the world (eg. Michael Fremer), darTZeel occupy a rarefied position at the pinnacle of what is possible in high-end audio amplification.
Speakers
Since 2010, audiophiles around the world started talking about this new brand of loudspeakers from Switzerland that were replacing established brands in reference systems. Stenheim speakers quickly developed a reputation for excellence and a hype that was not driven by the press but rather by audiophiles who were hearing them and then telling others about this ‘special sound’. Their refreshing approach has resulted in truly heirloom quality loudspeakers that have become the ‘new establishment’.
Digital, Amplifiers
“Audio design is part science, part art. No great audio product has one without the other.” This quote is from Jim White, engineer, music lover and the creative force behind Aesthetix, an awe-inspiring brand of high-end audio electronics that has been bringing musical enjoyment to the audiophile community since 1993. Often described as ‘extremely musical’ Aesthetix components have become industry benchmarks at virtually every level, along the way garnering Golden Ear, Editor’s Choice and a myriad of global accolades and awards. To this day, every single unit is still meticulously hand assembled by Jim and his team in Moorpark, California. Be prepared to fall in love.
Turntables
From their workshop in Melbourne, Australia, Döhmann Audio leads a no-holds-barred assault on what is possible in contemporary audio turntable design. Incorporating state-of-the-art technologies, Mark Döhmann’s creations are heirloom quality industrial works of art that aim to give listeners the ultimate enjoyment of their record collection. With an ever increasing collection of international awards, reviews and best sound at show accolades, Döhmann Audio have earned a well-deserved reputation as the Formula One of analogue design.
Streamers, Digital, Amplifiers
When Sony needed to develop the SACD format, they turned to one of the world’s leading experts in digital converter design – Ed Meitner and his company EMM Labs. At the forefront of digital audio design, EMM Labs developed many ‘world firsts’ including the first complete multichannel DSD playback system. Today, EMM Labs is synonymous with superlative high-res audio recording and playback products. Their partner company Meitner Audio incorporates that cutting-edge technology into a range of innovative, accessible & exciting products. Peerless!
Amplifiers, Cartridges, Analog
Legendary audio designer Atsushi Miura has been designing some of the most exquisite pieces of audio equipment for more than 60 years (30 with Luxman and 30 with Air Tight). A recipient of the Absolute Sound’s High-End Audio Hall of Fame award, Mr. Miura continues to contribute to the high quality reproduction of music with the same passion as when he began his career. Continuing to evolve and pursue the ideal of absolute sonic enjoyment, Air Tight are one of the world’s most revered brands.
Loudspeakers
Cessaro Horn Acoustics create bespoke horn speaker masterpieces. With exclusive technologies and exceptional workmanship, Cessaro evolve the horn speaker concept to an incredible new level. Aside from their significant design and engineering achievements, these creations simply sound extraordinary. From idealists for idealists.
Speakers
We consider ZELLATON® to be the Patek Philippe of high-end speakers. Unprecedented attention to detail and an obsession with quality characterises these handmade German speakers that have been the benchmark for lifelike music reproduction for more than 85 years. Their speakers, including the unique multi-component hard foam diaphragms, require an elaborate manufacturing process that takes rare expertise & months to complete. Rare works of art that redefine the concept of ‘natural sound’. Heirloom build quality, archetype shattering sonics… the perfectionist’s choice.
Amplifiers
Designer Fulvio Chiappetta has been building highly respected tube electronics for 30 years while secretly working on a project to make an ‘ultimate amplifier’ with capabilities that have been until now, thought to be impossible. When he unveiled his Alieno amplification system, the reaction from the audiophile world was unprecedented. Within a very short time, the Alieno was being embraced as the new global reference for tube amplification, incorporating a completely unique single ended class A design to produce 250W of power from two 300B tubes. Many experienced audiophiles and distributors are describing the sound as ‘simply redefining the genre’ and auditions ‘leaving people speechless’. Unique design, unprecedented performance… ultimate sound quality. Alieno!
Tonearms
True revelatory innovations in tonearm design come along once in a generation. In recent times, a small boutique company from England (Supatrac) unveiled its new Blackbird tonearm, which has a patented ‘Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm’ bearing that directly opposes stylus drag at a single point of contact, eliminating microscopic play in the time axis and avoiding the scrubbing and roll movements which can degrade the performance of conventional uni-pivots and all pivoted arms. The Blackbird’s SUPA bearing delivers unprecedented performance which gives the music a planted, solid, detailed, consistent sound. Beyond being a mere ‘giant killer’, the Blackbird is one of the best tonearms available. Period. Done. Case closed.
Phono Preamplifiers, Preamplifiers
Operating out of his workshop in Switzerland, Robert Huber is a designer with a gentle, curious nature, an infectious smile, an approach to design that makes the word ‘perfectionist’ seem inadequate and an immense talent for creating one of the most revered boutique brands of amplification in the high-end audiophile world. Using ultimate level military grade components and engineering, each one of his hand-crafted artisanal quality creations is an expression of luxurious purity and heirloom quality. Considered to be in the very highest echelon of performance, HSE pieces are rare and sonically peerless.
Cables
Since 1996, Stage III Concepts have been an innovator in audio cable design, being the first company to offer ‘floating’ silver ribbon and air dielectric technology. Hand-made in the USA using materials of the highest quality and intricate construction techniques, their attention to detail, build quality and sonic performance are in a rarified league. Not satisfied with commercially available components, they even make their own connectors and provide a limited lifetime warranty on every one of their products. Superb!
Cartridges
After designing phono cartridges for respected brands such as Koetsu, Air Tight, Miyabi, Luxman, Supex and Audio Craft, master cartridge maker Mr. Yoshio Matsudaira founded My Sonic Lab in 2004 with the goal of designing the ultimate range of cartridges. His unique SH-μX high flux / high permeability core material is one of the few genuine breakthroughs in cartridge design in the last fifty years. Only with the development of SH-μX was it possible to achieve an unseen level of performance with the lowest internal impedance and the highest output.
Cartridges
Back in the 90’s, Aidas Svazas became well known for repairing cartridges with more precision and quality than that of original cartridge manufacturers which led to Aidas being launched in 2010. In the ensuing years, the Aidas Laboratory has developed a reputation as a centre of excellence in cartridge design, often referred to as ‘where science meets experience’ and creating works of art that challenge expectations around dynamic range, tonal balance, precision, natural sound and bass clarity. Artisan skill, exceptional materials and a sophisticated sound crafted by decades of experience. The cognoscente’s choice.
Cables, Signal Protection
High-frequency transmissions from smartphones, WLAN, etc. radiate directly into audio systems. All power, signal and loudspeaker cables act like antennas, absorbing the high-frequency loads in the room and leading them to the inside of your HiFi devices, directly into the signal path. The impact on sound quality is massive, including a loss of resolution and dynamics, distortions of the overtone spectrum, etc. Removing the high-frequency loads on the audio signal is the key to a profound, highly emotional listening experience. German innovators Schnerzinger have developed a comprehensive system which completely eliminates these interfering fields (cables, power grid, HiFi components & room effects) – without any loss of signal speed or bandwidth.
Turntables, Tonearms
What do you get when a radio engineer who has three patented inventions in the field of acoustic behaviour of plasma in ballistic missiles turns his attention to analog audio design? You get some of the most exquisite tonearms and turntables the world has ever seen. Designer Vidmantas Triukas has been working in the high-end audio industry since 1985, pushing the boundaries of tonearm & turntable design using research and solid scientific principles. His passion for the arts has also infused his designs with an innate beauty both aesthetically and sonically. Loved by analog & music connoisseurs, Reed products are a portal to musical bliss.
Tonearms, Turntables
Helmut Thiele is a designer who has made an unparalleled contribution to the art of audio reproduction. His career spans working for numerous brands including Acapella, Tannoy, Mordaunt Short, Pioneer, Marantz, Magnat, HECO, TAD, Genuim Audio and Thixar. For more than 15 years he has been the main designer for Thorens, culminating in the design of the Thorens New Reference. In 2009, he began designing a tangential tonearm that he wanted to produce as his own product. The incredible Thiele TA01 tonearm and the TT01 turntable have been received with great enthusiasm, offering elegant design, superb engineering and sublime sound quality. The music connoisseur’s choice!
Loudspeakers
Building loudspeakers with natural slate cabinets provides many advantages due to its extraordinary acoustic properties. Slate cabinets do not vibrate and absorb energy, thus making available maximum energy for the speaker to incite the surrounding air. The audible outcome is startling – greater dynamics, clarity and a fidelity richer in nuances and detail. Visually, these loudspeakers have a presence and elegance that exudes craftsmanship and technical perfection. We invite you to listen to the difference and enjoy the natural sound radiating from these beautiful pieces of sculpture.
Cables
Audience cables are critically acclaimed for their true fidelity to the signal without artificial embellishments or unwarranted voicing. Ignoring marketing trends and investing in research, Audience was the first cable brand to develop ultra-thin low mass/low eddy current resistant interconnect, speaker and power cables which have since been considered among the world’s best.
Phono Preamplifiers
Ron Sutherland started his career in audio as one of the founders of Martin-Logan Ltd, a globally successful manufacturer of electrostatic hybrid speakers. Later in his career, Ron and his brother John founded Sutherland Engineering, a name synonymous with some of the best sounding phono preamplifiers available. Offering both traditional & innovative transimpedance topologies, Sutherland Engineering amplifiers have a sound that reflects their sophisticated architecture… elegant, revealing, cohesive, beautiful.
Cartridges
In the tradition of Japanese audiophile works of art, designer Eiji Kanda’s latest creation, the RM-Hayabusa is creating some serious admiration in audiophile communities. After the success of the RM-Kanda and RM-Kagayaki, this new breakthrough design stuns technically and sonically, making it one of the most sought-after cartridges in recent times. Proving that intelligent innovation is still possible in the field of cartridge engineering, Kanda has pioneered the yoke-less ring-magnet MC cartridge design and the Hayabusa has instantly become a modern classic. A paradigm shifting musical experience!
Racks, Isolation Devices
When New Zealand based Andre and Vanessa Gil, owners of an industrial engineering, design & automation company with 35 years of experience, decided to design isolation products for their personal hi-fi system, they couldn’t have dreamed that within months their AG Lifter products would have received such international acclaim. Isolating source & amplification components allows you to REALLY hear them and often elevates performance to another level. More music, less noise = AG Lifter.
Racks
Driven by a passion for great sound and extraordinary appreciation for quality, Aspire Audio have managed to achieve what has eluded so many – to create an audio rack with scientifically documented, performance proven isolation technology that also looks beautiful and would be the envy of the fussiest interior designers. Manufactured in Sydney Australia, Aspire Audio stands are made of carefully selected kiln dried FSR certified solid timber shelves and solid metal parts that are created by the best artisans in the region. Sonically, these racks are unmatched for their price, a true performance bargain. Elegant simplicity… sonic bliss.
Acoustic Room Treatment
RD Acoustic is located in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in the Czech Republic. Founded by audio purists Radovan Řehořek and David Piska, this small company has recently made a rather large impact in the world of high-end audio. A boutique manufacturer of high efficiency speakers and various audio components, RD Acoustics also create room acoustic treatment solutions that have seen them grace some of the world’s best listening spaces.
Science + beauty = perfection!
Tonearms
Since they started making world class tonearms in the mid-80s, Graham Engineering has been synonymous with quality, engineering excellence, adjustability and sonic performance. Company founder and designer Bob Graham is always evolving his designs for better performance so every design feature is the result of years of refinement. In recent years, the range has been rationalised to two models which sit among a small group of designs that can be considered true reference.
Tonearms
Frank Schroeder is among a select few who make the finest audiophile tonearms in the world today. Each one is meticulously machined and assembled by hand …built with rare precision and craftsmanship. If a high degree of fidelity and utmost naturalness is high on one’s sonic priorities, a Schröder tonearm is the new standard of reference. Minimalist, sonically invisible… simply beautiful.
Tonearms
Austrian engineer Alexey Kornienkov has an infectious love of music. He’s also one of those unique innovators who looks at things from all angles, asking ‘how can this be improved?’ Thankfully for us, he applied his talents to creating a phenomenal ceramic headshell and then turned his attention to making a range of reference standard tonearms that did not require you to sell your family home to acquire. Alexey chose the high mass steel tube curved design favoured by the likes of Fidelity Research and Ikeda and then set aside to improve every aspect of it using modern research & technology. He developed a zero-backlash flexure pivot horizontal bearing and a range of other innovations that make Korf tonearms one of the most exciting developments in recent years. Beautifully musical, masterfully engineered precision instruments.
Analog Set-Up Tools
Brilliant engineer and inventor Wally Malewicz developed the best and most accurate analog set up tools available. Such was the demand for his coveted devices that after his passing, WAM Engineering was relaunched in 2019 in a joint effort between Wally’s former production assistant and Wally’s son. Over the years, Wally discussed many possible improvements and variations to his products with those closest to him but never had the opportunity to do them himself. WAM Engineering is proud to re-introduce his products with the improvements he had envisioned, starting with the most accurate and versatile cartridge alignment protractor in the world – the WallyTractor Universal. The fabled Wally Tools are now available in new & improved guise – Vinyl enthusiasts rejoice!
Accessories
When it comes to tweaks to improve your system, finding solutions that really work is a bit hit and miss at the best of times. We have resisted recommending these devices until we found something exceptional and that we have! Founded in 2021 by Krissy Tetrault , Heartsound Audio is a US based company that manufactures the ‘Holostage’. Place these little black boxes in your listening space and enjoy an expansion of your soundstage, increased dynamics and perceived lower noise floor. There is a real science & innovation behind them with many chemists and academics collaborating and contributing to the technology over many years. Holostages bring fun and wonder back into the hobby – tweaks to customise and improve your emotional engagement. Once in place, they will never leave your system!
Cartridges
Named in honor of the Japanese artist Honami Koetsu, the company was started by Yoshiaki Sugano. For more than 30 years, Koetsu has masterfully blended high purity materials such as 6N copper and rare platinum iron magnets with bodies of natural beauty to create the most sought after moving coil cartridges in the world. Sugano-San’s legacy is carried on by his son Fumihiko who apprenticed under his father to become a master cartridge maker. Every Koetsu cartridge is hand crafted in Japan and inherently limited in nature.