Design Stories

The home audio designers behind the components that we’ve lived with, listened to and chosen for you.

These aren’t just a list of brands — they’re the innovative audio designers that Carolijn and I trust enough to recommend to you. Every brand here has earned its place through months of real-world listening in a space that is very much a home, complete with cats.

We invite you to read our guides and detailed component reviews so you can understand not just how they work but why they sound as they do and what you’ll hear when you live with them. This is a carefully curated collection. Some such as Quad represent decades of heritage and craft, others like NuPrime bring bold new thinking, but each has been hand-picked because it complements the others and serves the music you love.

We stand behind every one because we’ve heard the difference they make. This is the range we proudly offer from our home showroom, thoroughly tested by both of us, personally selected, and ready for you to explore.

NuPrime in New Zealand

NuPrime design and build some of the most innovative and best sounding amplifiers in the world. Many NuPrime components are also remarkably affordable given the often astonishing sound and power they produce; this is directly attributable to their unique approach of combining Class A and D designs in designs that are entirely their own.

NuPrime have been a key partner with Totally Wired for over a decade and have a comprehensive eco-system of specialist audio components. We are here to help you navigate the NuPrime range and find just the right right component or system for you.

Lumin

Your gateway to great sound – the Lumin network player family

Are you looking for an unbiased take on both the Lumin brand and information on how better streamers and network players work and perform?

The reasons we have chosen to carry Lumin will align closely with your own interests – we still go through a process of careful research, selection and listening before recommending any product. The Lumin network players have changed the way we listen to music for our own personal enjoyment and we say this as long term analogue enthusiasts.

Quad 3

All about the new Quad 3 integrated amplifier and matching components; history made modern.

Quad products are designed with the single aim of reproducing recorded music as accurately as possible. Simplicity of use and elegance of design are purely consequential to the application of sensible engineering principles. Quad have never sought to design statement pieces or style icons, yet almost every Quad product has become regarded as such.

KLEI Cables

Making your music sound much better – the innovative new audio cables and plugs from KLEI made by Keith Louis Eichmann. The range includes interconnects, speaker cable, AC power cables, jumper cables and plugs.
We know from our own experience that the new KLEI cables easily better the finest cables we have previously listened to and sold…”to say the KLEI cables are quite remarkable, is nothing short of fact.”

Monitor Audio

The British loudspeaker designing and manufacturing company Monitor Audio may have been around for over 5 decades, yet in the last few years we’ve watched (and heard) them re-invent themselves to become one of the most progressive and focused specialists in the world of home audio.

STAX Ear Speaker systems

In the world of audio headphones Japanese company Stax with their Electrostatic Ear Speaker systems are legendary. It has been this way for around 40 years and while lots of other headphone brands come and go, it is Stax who still set the standard.

Read More “STAX Ear Speaker systems”

Sonus faber

Sonus faber hand crafted loudspeakers from Italy. To be a Sonus faber reseller is a pleasure and a privilege – for us at Totally Wired, Sonus faber embody all the good qualities of audio which bought us to the business in the first instance. A conscious choice to place quality before quantity. Faultless workmanship combined with originality of thought & design.

Well Tempered Labs

All about the The Well Tempered record playing system – doing it differently

We’ve previously focused on specific components within the Well Tempered range but now want to introduce you to the complete Well Tempered Record playing system options; Do you get an even better result by choosing to run with a single designer’s vision, and is the end result more than the sum of the parts?

Rega Turntables

We’ve always been big on analogue so when it was recently announced that the New Zealand Rega agency had moved to one of our best partners – Denco Audio – it made sense for us to look again at the brand. Having been around the audio industry for so long, I used to sell the original Rega models. But that was then and this is now. While some of the models still look very much like those produced decades ago, there has been a huge amount of development and refinement.

Consonance Wax Engine – Updated

All about the updated and improved Wax Engine turntable – a collaboration between Consonance Audio and Well Tempered Labs. We introduced you to the Consonance Wax Engine turntable around 5 years ago. It quickly became our best seller and redefined what we thought of as entry level. Given the whole idea of analogue and owning a turntable based system is to enjoy better sound than digital, there is every reason to take things further than might have been the case in the past.

The Dynavector range of Moving Coil Cartridges

Vinyl records can still sound fantastic. We’ll show you through the best value models in the Dynavector range and take the mystery out of buying a new cartridge for your turntable. If you enjoy playing records, a new Dynavector Moving Coil Cartridge may be the greatest improvement you ever make to your system. The trick is to work out which model best suits you. With many years of specialist analogue experience and turntable setup, we’re uniquely placed to help.

Bassocontinuo

‘You can’t eliminate vibration but you can always reduce it’

This simple statement from Lorenzo Belloli the founder and CEO of Bassocontinuo, during a zoom meeting with us in July 2023, is one of those wonderful moments of clarity. It defines what makes Bassocontinuo better.

Kimber Kable

Kimber is where you start for cable if you want to have great sound at home. With the high standards set by modern audio components you’ll gain far greater benefit from better cables than was ever possible in the past, making your music that much more enjoyable.

Introducing Nordost – the new QBase III mains distribution unit and White Lightning III cables

It’s a big world out there and no one company has a monopoly on better sound. Nordost is one of the premier names in audiophile cables and while we have been aware of their products, it’s taken till now for them to actively come into our orbit.

The Essential Tivoli Radio

Welcome to the world of Tivoli Audio from Totally Wired. The most loved radio in Aotearoa-New Zealand. On this page you’ll find easy ordering information, the range of Tivoli products, connect to our online shop and everything else there is to know about these great little radios. Table, portable, alarm clock radios, Bluetooth players and all-in-one systems. Original design by Henry Kloss, made by Tivoli Audio.

Read More “The Essential Tivoli Radio”

Nagaoka cartridges, styli & accessories

We still love records and anything that helps them sound better has got to be a good thing. There are very few cartridges that we haven’t listened to or set up, yet the Nagaoka models stand out as not just…

Design Stories

The home audio designers behind the components that we’ve lived with, listened to and chosen for you.

NuPrime in New Zealand

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Lumin

Your gateway to great sound – the Lumin network player family

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Quad 3

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KLEI Cables

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Monitor Audio

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STAX Ear Speaker systems

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Sonus faber

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Well Tempered Labs

All about the The Well Tempered record playing system – doing it differently

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Rega Turntables

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Consonance Wax Engine – Updated

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The Dynavector range of Moving Coil Cartridges

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Bassocontinuo

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Kimber Kable

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Introducing Nordost – the new QBase III mains distribution unit and White Lightning III cables

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The Essential Tivoli Radio

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Nagaoka cartridges, styli & accessories

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The home audio designers behind the components that we’ve lived with, listened to and chosen for you.

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Your gateway to great sound – the Lumin network player family

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All about the The Well Tempered record playing system – doing it differently

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