At the Melbourne Hi-Fi Show, we assembled a system that drew rave feedback from visitors. The genuine excitement in the room was impossible to miss, and a few listener comments captured the spirit of the weekend:

"I have goosebumps listening to your music!"

"I came back to the show today because my friend insisted that I visit your room. You've done a fantastic job-this is the best-sounding room in the entire show. You really connect me with the music."

Angelic Sound is featured in the 2025 StereoNET Melbourne Hi-Fi & AV Show Report & Gallery.

The show organisers praised our room set-up “…the sound was delicate and smooth with lovely mids…the tonal richness of Yo-Yo Ma playing his cello was outstanding. In fact, all natural instruments were reproduced with authentic texture and timbre, as well as tonal integrity. There was a hint of tube warmth, but I found the sound to be uncoloured and neutral, with absolutely no harshness. Big orchestral tracks were reproduced with fullness, dynamics and scale.”

Angelic Sound’s first appearance at the StereoNet HiFi Show was truly unforgettable — an event filled with emotion, challenges, and genuine connection. The team left Melbourne with wonderful memories and immense pride in what was achieved over four vibrant days.

The showcase featured the industry-leading Cen.Grand GLD1.0 music player and DSDAC1.0 DAC as our digital source, seamlessly feeding the celebrated Line Magnetic LM-212 Premium integrated amplifier. Paired with the vibrant orange Focal Sopra No 3 loudspeakers and connected with Tellurium cables, the system delivered a performance that captivated organizers, fellow exhibitors, and attendees alike. Countless visitors described our room as “the best sounding room in the entire show,” praising not only the world-class components but also the thoughtful setup and engaging presentation.

Most audio systems today use USB. It’s convenient, but USB was never designed for Hi-End, uncompromising sound. USB works by sending packets of data across a shared bus. If something is delayed or lost, the system resends it — fine for printers or hard drives, but not ideal for real-time music. Those retransmissions and buffering add timing errors, noise, and jitter that blur fine musical detail.

PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is different. Instead of moving audio as packets that can be delayed or resent, PCIe establishes a direct, point-to-point connection between the music source and processor. The data path is deterministic, with no allowance for loss or retransmission. That means the timing and integrity of the music signal are preserved from start to finish.

At long last, the Line Magnetic LM-212 Premium has arrived! Unboxing this beast was an experience in itself: two massive roller flight cases on casters, each weighing around 90kg, plus two cartons dedicated to the towering 212 vacuum tubes.

In his recent 6moons review, audio critic Srajan Ebaen described the GLD1.0 Deluxe as:

“Fuller, fruitier and more suave… softer without losing definition, billowy yet substantial… the gap widened with challenging classical works like Bruckner and Tchaikovsky.”

This month, Cen.Grand officially launched its revolutionary GLD1.0 Digital Music Player in China. 

Here is the media release: https://en.cen-grand.com/news/133.html

Angelic Sound, the sole distributor for Cen.Grand and Line Magnetic will showcase their flagship products in the upcoming 2025 StereoNet Home Entertainment Expo during 29-31 August in Melbourne, featuring two major new product releases:

• Cen.Grand DSDAC GLD1.0 Deluxe Media Player

• Line Magnetic LM-212 Premium Integrated Amplifier

In a field long dominated by USB-based digital audio solutions, CEN.GRAND has disrupted the high-end streaming landscape with the release of the DSDAC GLD1.0 — the world’s first consumer-grade Audio Music Player (combining the function of a Network Streamer and a Music Server) to implement direct PCIe-based data transmission between transport and DAC.

This breakthrough addresses a longstanding technical bottleneck that has plagued digital audio: the inherent limitations of USB asynchronous audio protocols. With GLD1.0, CEN.GRAND replaces USB entirely, achieving 100% data integrity and setting a new benchmark in digital playback performance.

This is more than just a audio music player. It’s a statement: lossless digital is finally real.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred didn’t do us any favours. Danube had to detour, unloading in Melbourne and Sydney before finally berthing at the Port of Brisbane on March 19 - a frustrating 10-day delay. After much anticipation, my shipping agent, Willship, delivered the speakers on March 28. Six timber crates arrived, each housing a separate speaker section, weighing between 50 and 75 kg.

Given the significant weight, unpacking and assembly required a team of three. At last, two towering speaker columns stood proudly in my studio - intact and flawless.

The angel has landed - and with it, an audiophile dream realized.

Willship has finally confirmed that the speakers have been loaded onto the Danube. I did some research on the ship:

• Danube is a container ship registered under the Portuguese flag, with a gross weight of 52,000 tons.

• It is classified as a Panamax vessel, capable of carrying approximately 3,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).

• The Danube departed from Yantian Port in Shenzhen on February 26 and is en route to the Port of Brisbane, with an estimated arrival date of March 9.

Once it arrives, it will take about a week for the goods to be processed and distributed, likely around the week of March 17. I’m eagerly anticipating their arrival!

My shipping agent, Willship, informed me that my speakers missed the last shipment before the Lunar New Year and had to "slither" into the Year of the Snake! Unfortunately, China shuts down for two weeks from January 29, with operations only gradually returning to full capacity throughout the lunar January.

The good news is that I now have a confirmed schedule: the speakers will be loaded onto the Navios Miami on February 25, with an expected arrival in Brisbane on March 9. Hooray!

I am thrilled to share that I have received a recording of the speakers. I couldn’t resist listening to them multiple times. Overall, the speakers’ performance and test results aligned perfectly. They delivered a balanced, natural sound with impressive clarity. The details were precise, and when needed, they packed a punch effortlessly. These qualities are exactly what I was looking for.

 The next step is to ship them over to Australia!

This week Fire Wolf shared with me the test results – the Frequency Response Curve and the Impedance Curve – the most important performance data for a speaker design, together with some other basic parameters.

To add a level of objectivity I thought I should seek someone’s help.  After some research and “working” with ChatGPT, below is a high-level performance summary. 

• Smooth frequency response across the audible range (20 Hz–20 kHz) ensures balanced and natural sound reproduction.

• Extended high-frequency performance beyond 30 kHz indicates high-quality tweeter design.

• Stable midrange and high-frequency impedance ensure compatibility with a wide range of amplifiers.

These testing results are promising and align with my design goals! However, the true test will come when I listen to the final product which is still weeks away.

I'm eager to hear the recording!

I am thrilled to share that the completion of the Angelic Sound One assembly! In the coming days, Fire Wolf will carry out final quality control checks through recording sessions.

They look stunning, and I can't wait to hearing how they sound!

One of the most crucial aspects of speaker design is the crossover. The crossover acts like a conductor for the speaker, directing different frequencies to the various driver units to ensure they work together in harmony.

With Fire Wolf's expertise in crossover design, I am confident that the crossover design process is in capable hands.

The speaker's engineering design is progressing smoothly, with Fire Wolf taking a central role in driving the process forward. For now, I’m content to step back and observe, watching Fire Wolf’s expertise and creativity come to life.

(Photo: Fire Wolf in his anechoic chamber)

I’m thrilled to share that the cabinetry work for Angelic Sound One is well underway!

We’ve also chosen American chestnut timber veneer for the finish. Once lacquered, it’s going to look stunning.

I can’t wait to see how it all comes together!

After refining the concept, we finalized a design including driver unit selection that incorporates key elements of a high-quality speaker system.

It’s an exciting step forward, and I’m looking forward to seeing (and hearing) how it all comes together.

Designing the Angelic Sound One required careful planning and collaboration. The goal was to create a speaker system that delivers exceptional sound quality, comparable to speakers priced over $200,000, but at a fraction of the cost. After rounds of discussions and sketches, we settled on a design that balances performance, practicality, manufacturability and cost.

The excitement is building rapidly.