By Bjorn Bengtsson
Audio Connection was founded by Josef Riediger in 1987, born out of his passion for high-end music reproduction. When he first started, Josef had a tiny shop in a the Sydney suburb, Bankstown, and sold only a handful of products (like the legendary Gryphon, to mention one brand). After seven very successful years, he had amassed enough funds and experience to move into a much larger facility in Leichhardt, where he continued to build on his earlier success. There, Josef expanded deeper and deeper into high-end HiFi and Home Cinema. Along the way, he met some amazing people from all walks of life, and built a solid reputation throughout the industry and among customers as a real stalwart of the Australian HiFi community.
Nordost’s journey with Audio Connection started in the early 2000’s, when then-distributor Warren Stolmack brought in some earlier Nordost products for Josef to audition. Josef was so intrigued by the results he heard with Nordost in his system that he instantly signed on as a dealer and continued to spread the word about Nordost’s performance for many years to come.
Not long after Mr. Stolmack introduced Nordost to Audio Connection, ‘yours truly’ had the opportunity to meet with the charismatic Josef, or Joe Riediger as most people referred to him. In that meeting I remember that Joe said, in his unmistakable accent, “I don’t need to hear them again, Warren already showed me. Valhalla is the best.” This is a statement he never would have to amend.
From then on, there have been several Nordost demonstrations made in the Leichardt facility. I have had the privilege of spending several enjoyable and memorable evenings with the ever-present customer base of engaged Australian HiFi enthusiasts. One example of such a night to remember at Audio Connection you can even read about here, thanks to Soundstage Australia’s reporting.
Sadly, Josef passed away in September 2020, one week shy of his 71st birthday. His passion for hifi is upheld by the team he left behind, comprised of Janson, Jojo, Michael, Phil, Ken, and lead by his nephew, Nigel. Between this team, there’s almost 200 years of hifi experience, most of which was spent by Josef’s side, and all sharing his passion for audio. Audio Connection has recently gone through an extensive ‘face lift’ with new, superb sounding demo rooms, filled with a full range of some of the world’s most highly regarded high-end brands, as always. Including, of course, Nordost’s entire collection, all the way up to Odin 2.
Audio Connection
| Address: | 137 Victoria Road Drummoyne NSW New south Wales NSW 2025 |
| Phone: | 02 9561 0788 |
| Fax: | 02 97199630 |
| Email: | sales@audioconnection.com.au |
| Web: | www.audioconnection.com.au |