Small world isn’t it! I have family in New Zealand, haven’t managed to visit but would like to one day. The Island changes very little, one of it’s charms and I do get to go back to visit frequently, it’s only a few hours away.
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Yes it is.
I had a few Onix units over the years, the OA-21s, OA20/2, and the OA-60, might not have been all that uncommon, but I think the SOAP power supply was. The shoe boxed sized units sounded amazing, the only issue I had with both of them was that over time the source selector knob got loose and I could never find the correct sized Allen wrench to repair it. The OA-60 was a nice sounding dual mono 60 wpc unit but I sonically, I thought the other units were far superior
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I have only recently caught up with this topic and it has been a fascinating journey down memory lane.
A few months ago I helped a friend clear a relatives house and came across a long neglected HIFi system, the record deck was a Sony and the amp a NAD 3020. But the speakers were unknown to me, the manufacturer was “Reference Products” based in Botley Oxford. The system was purchased in 1981 from the long departed “Erricks” in Bradford (a former Naim and Linn dealer).
Sadly, I did not get a photo of the speakers before they were put into the skip! But did salvage the user instruction card with the company logo and some info on the rather attractive Z shaped stands.
I would love to know if anyone has any knowledge of “ Reference Products”?
How about NVA they make some nice tunefull amps…
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A search of Companies House is interesting, Reference Audio Products is now Absolute Computers. The list of directors includes names still in the audio business.
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I had, still have actually, an Onix BWD1 tuner with SOAP power supply. A fine sounding unit, but needs a strong signal to work well and I’d need a big aerial here, which would probably be unacceptable as we live in a conservation area.
Roger
Great kit - Tony Brady designed too. Not to be confused with the Onix ‘rebirth’, the later kit and the ‘owners’ shenanigans which somewhat sullied the brand name…
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I recall an integrated amp from Reference products called Reference Master. It was around '81 and it received a bit of a drubbing from Hifi Choice. That was pretty much the last I heard about it.
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I recently purchased a Uniti Atom, and a used mint pair of Royd Conistons for our youngest grandson. Great sounding little system that he has now!
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I used to have an older NVA AP70 on trial in my system many years ago and it sounded above average. Pure, fluid and natural with ample detail. That is the way I would describe the amp. The latest versions of the NVA integrated have gone up in price, and they still maintain their minimalistic approach by not providing any balanced inputs and outputs. All connections are single-ended RCA.
Also, I’m not sure if a remote is available, and it appears that the amp comes with a non-detachable captive power cord.
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Tonbridge HiFi Consultants were at the Quarry Hill end of town while Standens were at the other end up near the castle opposite Woolie’s. I bought a Denon tape deck and a Heybrook TT2 from them in 1984.
Tonbridge HFC moved to the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells in 1986/7. I bought my LP12 (with the TT2 in part exchange) from them in December ‘87. The guy who sold it to me is now my nephew’s father in law, by a weird coincidence.
When I upgraded from a Linn LVX to an Ittok LVIII in March 1989, Tonbridge HFC let me pay it off in instalments- I just had to pop in with cash or a cheque whenever I had the funds!
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You know you could probably start a thread on obscure US audio companies. There are definitely a few gems on that side of the fence too.
I knew Standens quite well, and I also used the ‘pop in when you have the spare cash’ and pay off the balance as and when. In those days lots of shops worked this way, and it was just a matter of trust. The other option was to leave post dated cheques, but now no one knows what a cheque looks like.
I di not visit Tonbridge HiFi Consultants at their Tonbridge shop at the Quarry Hill end of the High Street, but did visit them in Tunbridge Wells High Street, where the high pavement is, near Little Mount Zion, but I do not remember them in the Pantiles (just the Pantiles Camera shop I used to visit, and of course the excellent kitchen ware shop).
Thanks for the memories.
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@fergch – you could well be right – the 1980s were a long time ago! Next time I speak to Sean I will have to ask him exactly where THFC was in the Wells. Incidentally, for a year I lived in a flat above that camera shop on the Pantiles!
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Well, it so happens my son spent a year or two in one of those flats in the Pantiles, not sure it was above the camera shop, maybe next one along…
Quite a community there…
Thanks
Happy memories. I bought a Sansui tuner from Standens. Also bought my first LP12 from Tonbridge hifi consultants in the early 80’s when Tom Baron was there. Always a fun place to visit and to chat about music. I heard my first CD player there and was very underwhelmed at the time. I still go back to Tonbridge for the Audiojumble and sometimes bump into Tom there.
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