Western Electric 124 amp with 755a speakers

After a long wait and long journey, the WE 124 finally reached home. This morning, I have finally managed to take the amplifiers out from its box and connected it with my Western Electric 755a. Finding the Western Electric requires lots of luck as it is not easy to find as many collectors will only buy and they rarely sell.

Getting the We 755a speakers was the first step in painting the overall Hifi picture. The serach for the WE124 was another challenge as I have very little knowledge of the amplifiers plus one rarely see the amp in the shop. I have went to the Hifi shop at Hong Kong Central on several occasions wanting to audition the amplifier but the sales lady always remarked that the amp are in the warehouse and the boss was not around. I must have visited the shops more then 5 occasions but all without success. I have also reqested a vintage hifi shop to bring one set in from US but after months of waiting, the shop at Tak Fak was still unable to find them. Without much choice, I would have to search overseas for them.

Finding the amplifiers is the first task. Matching them is another challenge. Luckily, Mr Huang has ten units of WE 124 amplifiers for me to select and match. He has managed to matched mine with both having the same WE 124 "B" series and the serial nos is relatively close serial nos of 1613 & 2059.

The music from the 124 was exceptional naturally....西电 WE124单声道功放

Western Electric 124 - Finally got it!

Yesterday night was a very eventful night as I have finally collected my fully restored WE 124B amplifiers together with the NOS Western Electric 350B tubes, depsite having suffered long flight delay and heavy rain!

My pair of WE 124B were specially selected from the wall of Western Electric in order to ensure the best matched.

The listening session at the workshop was great as I was able to listen to a varieties of music using the WE124b amplifiers. I must say the WE124B was truly a great pair of amplifiers as there were able to reproduce music in its original form and it sounded very natural and smooth, which suited to my taste and preference of music.

I have AB test using both the vinatge 6L6 tubes and the much famed NOS 1940s WE 350B tubes. The WE350B tubes has much more depth, warm and authority vis-a-vis the 6L6 tubes! I have decided not to have th 618 line input as the gain would be too much for hifi use at home. Using the money "saved", I have used the $$ to get great tubes such as the NOS WE350b. The prices of the WE350b tubes will varies according to condition as well as the year of production (1940s, 50s,60s,70s,etc).

Special wooden boxes were made to ensure the safe transportation of the WE 124. Even though the boxes of WE124b were heavy, my heart was filled with so much energy..

With the acquisition of the WE124b, I think I have found the "ultimate" amplifiers that I desire! With the WE124 amplifiers, I feel that my decison of letting go some of my other amplifiers was a right one as "Quality" is more important than "quantities", where less is more..

I would continue to streamline my other amplifiers such as the Pye Mozart HF10, Sound Master No 36 and WE KS16608 (mint condition) in order to get a pair of Brooks 12A using 2A3 tubes. If I am able to streamline to that, my amplifiers set will look like these:

• Marantz 7 + Brook 12A (to replace KS 16608) + Tannoy Cantebury or LS3/5a 15 ohms
• Fisher 50C + Leak TL12.1 or WE 124 + WE 755a speakers

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and may all your Hifi dreams come true!

The search for sound

Many of my friends have asked me why do I like vintage amplifier and why do I keep changing my gears. These are the questions that I have asked myself too!

When I first started with hifi, I used modern tube amplifiers (Mini Houston, Unison research with dali Manuet 2 speakers) and I was immediately attracted by the sound from tube amplifiers.

When I came to Hong Kong, the sound of vintage Quad II immediately captured my ear and from then on I have started to like and listen to vintage amplifier using the famous LS3/5a speakers. In my view, items produced in the past were using better quality component as there were "luxury" item made to last. In modern days, many of the items were all mass manufactured lacking the "soul" and the lasting quality.

The reason for my changing of amplifiers was due to my eagerness to search for the best condition possible vintage gear. I sold my first pair of Quad II very cheap as the transformers have been replcaed by modern type. From then on, I have began the process of upgrading and testing of different classic amplifiers, pre amplifiers and speakers with the common theme of being vintage.

I was lost at the world of hifi for a period where I was virtually buying any well know vintage brands available at the market ( Quad II, Pye, Leak, Mcintosh, Fishers etc) and sucked into the rat race competition. This has resulted in my apartment being filled with vintage gears. Along the process, I can sense lots of red eye and white eyes treatment from audiophiles that I have thought were my friends. I began to see the growing competition among some audiophiles who like to "win" and own the most.

Fortunately, I have managed to meet Alan who has pointed to me the important of finding my own hifi direction as the gears are merely tools helping us to reproduce music. With that in mind, I have began streamlining my vintage gears all over again but this time, the objectives & criteria are very clear in my mind:

• The vintage gear must be strong in producing vocal as almost 90s% of my CDs collection are vocal music - e.g. Western Electric 755a & Ls3/5a speakers
• The vintage gear must be in its best condition possible despite the age where quality is more important then quantities - Leak 12.1, Tannoy Cantebury, Marantz 7, WE 124, Radio Craftsmen etc
• It must be a real classic item and flagship of the era - example Fisher 50C, Western Electric 124, Leak 12.1
• It must have collector values and investment potential where prices will escalate with time (examples Leak 12.1, WE 124, 755a, Marantz 7, etc)

With the above simple rules, I am able to cut love many of the other nice vintage items which have note been able to meet the criteria set to other collectors and keep those with the most numbers of "ticks" following the criteria set as above. Using the excel sheet, I am able to work out my top "must have" lists and using that to guide me in my hifi journey. The list of criteria acted like the "map" and my ears and eyes are the "compass".

However, many of the real vintage and classic items such as Leak 12.1, Western Electric 755a and WE124 are so rare that luck often played an important part too! Nevertheless, if one keep searching, one will be able to find them. There are so many pessimist saying that it is impossible to find these items which I have managed to prove them wrong : )

Will I continue to hunt for new items? The answer is yes, of course! The wishlist for 2007 are a pair of 12 watts Brook 12A power amplifier and the Western Electric preamplifier. However, to get the Brook 12A, I will have to adhere to the "one out one in" policy as I do not wish to fill my whole apartment with items that I seldon use and of course the itemmust be in its best condition possible.

For those who wished to build their own "ultimate hifi system", all you have to do is to keep searching and you will be able to find them. Remember "Just do it" and "Impossible is Nothing", taglines from Nike and Adidas..

Good CD recommendation: Jacky Cheung

Jacky Cheung CDs have been often classified as pop Cds. For audiophiles who is looking for great audiophiles quality CD, this CD is a must. In addition, the made in Japan version is also a must as you can truly hear the different in qualities of recording.

I was able to find this 1995 recording in mint condition and aftern comparing with the made in HK version, I can really hear the different from my system.

If you only want ONE Jacky Cheung's CD, this is a must as it captured many of the very popular hits of the 90s...with the added advantage of excellent recording!

I have started the process of searching for quality recording Cds as the "softwares" part of the hifi is often the neglected portion as we often spends more time, efforts and money on the power amplifiers, the pre amplifiers, the cables, the tubes but not enough time for the search of good quality CD...An irony isn't it?

Cheers and Be happy!

Hifi Equipments

Listening to music is a hobby. It helps to reduce stress and gives one sense of peace. Hifi equipments are the vehicles that help to reproduce and deliver the music to our ears. A "good" set of equipment (which is subjective) will help to deliver the music that suits one's taste.

The problems with many vinatge audiophiles are that different brands, makes and types will reproduce sound which will appeal to different set of ears and when playing with different types of music. Thus, like what Alan said, finding the muisc direction is critical in order to avoid spending too much money & time on equipements.

I like female vocal alot which is why I prefer the Western Electric 755a speakers as well as the Western Electric 124 amplifier which emphasize on strong mid. In the end, I think one could only manage at maximum 3 sets of amplfiers at home at a given time. The plugging and unplaugging and the shifting will take up more time then active listening of music and enjoyment of music if one wants to rotate the various amplifiers that one has.

For 2006, I am glad that I have managed to streamline my amplifiers to a very manageable level and keeping only those that I really like namely:

• Leak 12.1 or Western Electric 124B + Fisher 50C + Western Electric 755a (HKG)
• Western Electric KS 16608 + Marantz 7 + Rogers LS3/5a 15 ohms (SIN - Study room)
• Pye Mozart + Tannoy Cantebury (SIN Living room)

Spares speakers that I would cut love to collectors are:

• Phass fullrange speakers.

I am glad that I no longer participate in the rat race competition of owning the most number of vintage amplfiers! In addition, selling hifi equipemts in teh Review 33 is really a pain. Firstly, there are those who say they would come but didnt turn up. Secondly, there are those who came and spent 3-4 hours listening and didnt want to buy. Third, ther are those who asked you to reserve the amplifier for them but didn't want to put down deposit.

There was one occasion when I advertised for sale of vinatge Tannoy and one guy called Chow came. Aftern much audition, he has mentioned that he was making an audition on behalf of a friend overseas and he could not confirm and still wanted me to reserve for him for 12 hours. I have told him that it will be first come first serve and there will be another interested buyer who is on his way to test the speakers. I have told him that unless he place a deposit, I will let the other interested party view and if the second buyer didn't want, I will then reserve for him for 12 hours. In the end, the other party Mr. Sin paid the $$ and took the speakers.

This incident occuured close to 9 months ago. Unfortunately, Chow has mentioned in the recent R33 post claiming that I have broke my promise. I am always amused that a well educated person can be so self centered that he only see his point of view and claiming that he is right. If he really wanted the amplifier, all he needs to do is to place a small deposit and I would have kept the amplifier for him. However, despite hours of audition, no deposit was placed, plus the undertainties of the need to check with overseas friend before he could help his friend buy. I have sold the speakers in a very friendly and low price in the hope of quick sales. With such customer, who has refused to place deposit and still insist of seller reserving the speakers, I wonder will any shop willing to do such a deal? After such an incident, I have began to see how a person character is not based on his level of education or his job or his wealth but by his manners and the way he carry himself.

I have checked with some of my audiophile friends and it seems that they have similar experiences too.

Phew..What a relieve that I have managed to streamline my amplfiers! : ) My family members will be glad too!

Good Vocal CD - 蔡琴 Chai Chin series

With the completion of streamlining my vintage hifi gears, I have spent more time in search of nice CD and spent more time listening to the various music.

For those who is keen on Mandarin vocal music, 蔡琴 Chai Chin is a must. The "蔡琴民歌 Ming Ga" CD is a must if you only want to own one of her CD. Her Golden Voice series 1 & 2 蔡琴金片子 are a must for those who is keen to listen to some jazz format songs as well as some slower pace songs for the late night.

For those who like the "old songs", there is the 蔡琴 老歌Old songs. For those who wants a very smooth sounding Cd, the "Ji Yi"蔡琴.機遇 Cd will give you a sense of peace when listening. Without knowing it, 40 minutes has passed quicky....

I was surprised at the number of Chai Chin's Cd that I have bought...Even though there are many mainland Chinese singers who produced audiophiles CD, few can compare with 蔡琴 when coming to strong emotion in her songs..being so natural and so smooth..

2006 Hifi summary

December month is coming to end. Everyone is preparing to celebrate Christmas and the coming for the new year.

For me, 2006 has passed very quickly. In term of hifi, I have learnt a great deal with the testing of the various amplifiers. Along the way, I have found my hifi path. I have tried many branded amplfiers as well as some DIY items as well. I used to be active in some of the forum but I have learnt to keep silent so as to avoid "troubles".

Even though hifi is only a hobby, very often there are so much conflicts of interests and "bad mouthing" in the local forum scene that it is wiser to keep silence. This has reflected the low tolerance in differences in views here. In addition, there are occasions when they are the "red eye" & "white eye" treatment from fellow audiophiles reflected an inflated ego..

During the course of 2006, I have learnt the art of silence and keep a sharp focus in my own hifi path. I have enjoyed keeping the amplifiers that I like and selling away those that I can live without. Take for example, there are many who criticise so much on the Marantz 7 but I like it!

In the end, hifi is a personal hobby! One needs to be happy with what one wants..What other people says or feel is their own business.. Be happy!

National Union 350B Military tubes (for WE124)

These 1940s National Union tubes were made by Western Electric.

Western Electric 350B Military tubes (for WE124)

These are very rare NOS 1940s Western Electric 350B tubes made for military use. I seldom collect tubes. However, with the WE124b, there is a need for me to start searching for these exotic and keep some for future use.

According to Huang Sifu, if you spend 3 hours a day for listening, one can use these tubes for the rest of one's life!

Even though it may appear to be expensive, it is still values for money + very good sound!

Western Electric 124 - Some History

Alot of people has the mis-conception that the Western Electric 124 was made for solely for telephone amplification which was not the complete truth.

According to Huang Sifu, the Western Electric 124 models were made for the US radio stations when the whole US was at a transition from AM to FM stations. As such, the Western Electric 124 was made for the broadcast station usage and meant for audio use first. Later on, with the widespread popularity of the telephone lines, there was a growing demand for telephone broadcast amplification. Owing to the reliability of the Western Electric 124 amplifiers, many tele-comunication began using the 124 for amplication of telephone communication linking the East coast and the West coast. At that time, the price of the We124 was equavalent to the price of three houses, which was expensive.

The Western Electric was produced from the 1940s-1956. The WE124 model was later replaced by the Western Electric license KS16608. For those who long to listen to the Western Electric sound but didn't want to pay too much can opt for the WE KS16608 series as the sound resembles that of the WE124. The only condition is that the set must be fully restored in order for one to enjoy and listen to the sound of the KS16608. I have known a few audiophiles in Hong Kong who own the Western Electric KS16608 and none of them is selling which reflected that it is one of those amplifier that has the potential to escalate in value and the Japanese and Korean have always been on a look out for them as well, especially when the prices of the Western Electric 124 and 142 are on the upward trend...

Western Electric 124B (after restoration) : )

My pair of Western Electric 124B amplifiers have been carefully cleaned & restored by an experienced overseas Sifu using NOS vintage parts in order to keep its originality and ensure it being able to be restored back to its glorious days of the 1950s.

There are two version of the Western Electric 124 amplifiers namely the Silver version (from circa 1939-41) and the Gray version (from 1942-1955) and 5 types A,B,C,D,E (made for different purpose). The Silver version is more expensive then the Gray with the Silver version being older and rarer with better Mid sound. The disadvantage of the Silver version, on the other hand, is that most of the caps and resistors and output transformer tends to be leaky and "dried" making it neccessary for complete overhaul in order to be able to perform in its optimum. However, complete overhaul will affect the originality and "re-sale" values of the amplifiers. Moreover matching the early version is also a challenge which explain why the high prices. It would be very nice if one could find a nice pair of Silver WE124 but one must be prepared to pay top dollars to get them as most nice WE amplifiers are in Japan now!

Even though the gray version is from the later period, the advanatges of gray version includes the slightly "cheaper" price, in better condition, and is slightly easier to matched them into twin pair having the same alphabet.

According to Alan, an expert in WE, Fishers & Pilot, the differences from 124A to E are from the input section which were made for different commercial objectives. Alan has mentioned that the 124D is not suitable for home hifi use as the gain are too high. I must really thank Alan for bringing me into the world of Western Electric!

The prices of the WE124 amplifiers depended a great deal on the conditions of the amplifiers, its originality and whether it is "matched" pair or not. Besides, the prices will also depend on whether it includes the front input (618C, 170B, 285L,618c, 618B, 618A) and what tubes (WE350 or 6L6) comes with them. I was told that sometimes in order to make it into stereo monoblock, there may be occasions, inevitably, where one unit is WE124a while the other is 124B.

As such, luck often plays an important part in the search for WE124 amplifiers as they are so rare that often "option" is a luxury rather then the norm. This is the reason why it has taken me so much time and pain to find a matched pair & in good working condition. I have seen a few set of WE124 namely We124B & 124c and I have been told by many experience audiophiles that it is near impossible to find WE124 now as the Japanese collectors have bought them all.

Like what they often say, "when there is a will, there is a way". I have bought the WE KS 16608 and tried listening to the the KS16608 in order to see if I really like the sound of these amplifiers with strong emphasis on its Mid.

"Owning" the KS16608 has also invited lots of sarcastics remarks by audiophiles in HKG saying that the sound is rubbish, not the REAL Western electric etc..which I must say was quite discouraging as many tend to have a very biased mindset. However, I know that the KS16608 could not be so bad (being the decendent of the WE124) and after I am sure that I like the sound of the WE KS16608, I have to deliberate again for a long time before finally making the descion to take the "jump" into the world of Western Electric.

In order to be able to afford these WE124B, I have to cut love the Radio craftsmen C500a and the Fishers 400CX, Mcintosh MC240 in order to free up some funds for the quest of the Western Electric dream. These pair of amplifiers have costs me my holiday or another unit of vintage watch.

Next Week, I will need to fly overseas to "collect" the amplifiers which is quite hard work but rewarding. After so many months of trying, asking, buying, listening, selling, and then buying again, I have found my own hifi direction which is the true advice from Alan. In the end, I think I would go for Quality rather then Quantities as I have never intended to be a "collector" of vintage amplifiers owing to space constraints. In the end, I would most probably keep the Leak 12.1, Western Electric 124B, and if I am able to sell my Pye Mozart HF10 & Mcintosh MC240, I may search for the Brook 12A which is also a perfect match for my Western Electric 755a speakers..

The dream of Leak 12.1, WE124 plus Brook 12A ..will really make my world, like what Louis Armstrong will sing: "what a wonderful world"!

Tannoy Cantebury going home to Singapore

My Tannoy Cantebury is on its way home to Singapore. Since this is a pair of vintage speakers, special care has to be taken to ensure that it is best pack...

Western Electric 124b (before restoration)

After many months of continuous searching, I have finally managed to find a matched pair of Western Electric 124b. It is currently under cleaning and restoration by an experience Sifu. I am hoping to have this lovely amp before Christmas. According to the 梁文光 Sifu, the input 如果有 輸入的 618a牛或放大謄，會太高 gain ，因此最好要抽起. Thus, rather then spending addition HKD$10,000 on the 618, have decided not to have the 618 input, which was meant for microphone input use and save the $$ for serching of good tubes for the amplifiers.

In the mean time, I am still busying packing and getting ready to move to a new apartment as well as streamlining my collection to a minimum for ease of moving. Following the advice from my good friend Lee in KL Malaysia, I have decided to let go my Pye Mozart as well : ) 聽過就可以了, 無須事事擁抱 ha ha

For detail review on other Western Electric 124B, please see an article written by a famous Sifu in Hong Kong:

http://www.wowhififever.com/We_124b/we124b.htm

Year End stock take

2006 has been a very eventful and happening year with the trying of many interesting amplifiers and speakers. With the need to move to a new apartment by the end of the December 06, I will have to let go some of my much loved amplifiers and continue my streamlining exercise as my new aprartment has much more furnatures which limit my ability to store more amplifiers.

For year end stock take, my system has been streamlined to:

Singapore's set :

• Western Electric KS16608 + Marantz 7 + LS3/5a 15 ohms (while belly)
• I will shipped my Vintage Tannoy Cantebury back to Singapore this Tuesday by air cargo

Hong Kong

• Bed room : Pye Mozart HF10 mono block + Phass Fullrange speakers
• Hong Kong's Living room :
• Leak 12.1 or WE 124+ Western Electric 755a + Fisher 50C
• KLH 8 radio + KLH 13

Sold items : Mcintosh MC240, Quad II, Fisher 400CX, Radio Craftsmen C500a

Sometimes, I realy envy my friend John who has a permanent home that could be used to stores all the wonderful vintage amplifiers. He is very close to complele his hunt for the entire Leak collection!

For me, Less is More now..

Interesting hifi blog from Poland

For those of you interested in knowing the hifi atmosphere in Europe, please visit the blog by :Wojtek

http://www.younghifi.com/2006/11/19/vintage-hifi-whats-that/#more-9

Moving Apartment

After staying at Lam Tin Sceneway Garden for nearly 18 months, I have decided to move to another area in order to fully experience another part of Kowloon. After much seraching, I have finally found a fully furnished serviced apartment at Harbourview Horizon at Hunghom, which is a newly built one ready on 1st December. As I would have to give the my current owner 1 month notice, I can only move at the end of December 06, which give me about a month to plan for all my logistics of moving (especially for the vintage amplifiers)

Originally I have wanted to stay at Hong Kong area but there are very few newly built apartment there. As the next alternative, I have decided to stay near Tsimtshatsui.

As it is fully furnished, I will have to face the issue of space constraints again. For a start, I will have to ship my Tannoy Cantebury back to Singapore and keep the WE 755a and Phase speakers in Hong Kong. As for the amplifiers, I will need to decide which one I would like to hand carry back and which one I will keep in Hong Kong...what a difficult choice!

Once I have moved into my new place, I could then quickly decide which pair of Western Electric 124 ( 124A or B or C) to acquire. The WE 124 should be my last pair of amplifiers which I will acquire... : ) I have decided to drop the idea of baloon tubes amplifiesr such as the Dynatron, Yamamoto, as the apartment would look like a warehouse once I have itch fingers again...and my Boss at home will sure make noise again..(unless of course, I got promoted and be given a larger housing allowance..ha ha ha)

Cheers

6L6GA tubes

I have started to hunt for NOS 6L6G tubes for my KS16608 and I was lucky to be able to get one set of NOS National Union and another set of made in UK, 6L6GA tubes by B.T.R.W at reasonable price for my Western Electric KS16608. Currently, the KS16608 is using vintage Brimar tubes and the sound is exceptionally sweet.

The good thing is that the Western Electric 124 can also use the same 6L6 tubes!

Western Electric 124 - Another look

The Western Electric 124 is really my dream amplifier. I have been dreaming of it for many months. During these months, I have also tried to "force" myself to give up the idea of wanting to own WE124 amplifiers owing to the high costs as well as the need for constant maintainance for these vintage amplifiers.

After much deliberation, I have finally decided to put the Western Electric as the ultimate power amplifiers that I will try to find for 2006/7. The costs of the WE 124 is about HK$100,000 or more depending on condition which is really alot of $$ to pay for... : (

But I am sure the joy of listening to it will compensate for the investment we put : ) Moreover, WE is a true vintage amplifiers with very good reputation and collector value. Since I am a collector of vintage fountain pen and watches, having the Western Electric 124 will complete my little dream plan of owning the best (In my view) and focusing on Quality amp that matches well with my speakers and my taste of music.

After much searching, I have managed to hunt down three set. There is one set available in Hong Kong, one set in Guangzhou and another set in Taiwan. One of the set is Western Electric 124a, another 124B and the 3rd set 124C. Which is better sound is the key qesution and answer I need.

I am hoping to learn as much as possible and see which set is in better condition and better sound and try to save $$$$ to get one of these nice amplifiers! This is going to be an interesting chase....I am enjoying the journey of searching as I can feel my adrenaline and blood flowing very fast even when I am writing......

Good Vocal CD recommendation

This is a good vocal CD with from Taiwan. All the songs are in Hakka dialects with guitar as the main instrument.

Many of the songs are full of emotion and feeling. Even though one may not understand much of the lerics, the emotional expression of the songs will totally touch the heart of the listeners.

Listen to his emotional expression of the songs..especially during quiet night and you will be touched! It will also be a god test of your vocal representation in your hi fi system.

A nice CD!

Plan for 2007

For my hifi system, I have more or less confirmed with the following arrangement and direction:

• Singapore's set : Western Electric KS16608 + Marantz 7 + LS3/5a 15 ohms (while belly) (may upgrade to Rogers Gold Badge, if I can find in 2007)
• Hong Kong Bed room : Pye Mozart HF10 mono block + Western Electric 755a
• Hong Kong's Living room : Set (A) Leak 12.1 + Fisher 400CX + Tannoy Cantebury
• For the study room : Set (B) Radio Craftsmen (In the future Western Electric 124.. still cannot forget..) + Fisher 50C + Phase Fullrange speakers

I have come to realise the cruel fact of "playing with hifi". If one wants to "play", one would have to constantly listen and try the different amp and different combination of set up in order to know the system. Playing with hifi is the same when my son plays with his gameboy. One minute he is playing with gameboy, the next with Xbox, then followed by PSP. I have often asked him why can't he just choose one (i.e PSP or Gameboy) and play with teh various hgames.Upon sharing with him, I then realised that for the video game industries, such as PSP, Xbox, Netendo, all three has different charateistics of game and types of games.

For hifi, the combination is even greater i.e by countries (UK, US, German made), by tubes type, by circuit (Single ended,troide, etc) and not forgeting different pre amplifiers + different types of speakers.

Hifi system I am eager to try : WE KS16575, Yamamoto (my friend is buying one set so I may get a chance to try them with my 755a), Dynatron L58

Spares for sale to raise $$ for WE124 : Mcintosh MC240 ($28,000) / Radio Craftsmen C500a ($18,000). need to raise $100,000 : (

With this goal, it will make the hifi journey an enjoyable one as once in a while, I can dream a little..., hunt alot..and continue to explore new toys..

聽過就可以了, 無須事事擁抱

聽過就可以了, 無須事事擁抱..

I have been trying to listen to as many amplifiers as I could. To really understand the charateristics of the amplifiers, one would need to actually bring them home and matches them with the other equipments and listen to them in a "home environment".

Very often, when I travelled along the hifi path, I have to rely on my friends' advices and the forum to start. After much audition, one can then truly understand what one needs. At one time, I have wanted to collect all the top five 6LL6 amplifiers namely Quad II, Leak 12.1, Radio Craftsmen C500, Mcintosh MC240 and the Western Electric 124. I have almost managed to complete collecting all 5 amplifiers but the journey of collecting has been a very tiring one both in term of time, efforts and resources.

One of my first priority is to find the amplifiers in as pristine conditions as possible as I believe in QUALITY rather then quantities. For the Westren Electric KS 16608, I have to find two pairs in order to get one pair in near mint condition. Similarly, I have to buy 3 set of Leaks TL12.1, two units of Marantz 7, two units of Pye mozart in order to get one perfect set respectively. Fortnately, for the Mcintosh MC240 and Fisher 400CX, there are in such good condition that they became truly a collectors items.

With the constant changing of gears, many of the audiophiles could not understand what I was trying to do which is fine as hifi is a very personal hobby as the only condiseration is one should be happy with one's game.

Now, I have more or less found my true love in Pye mozart HF10 (using EL34 tubes) with Western Electric 755a; Tannoy Canterbury & RogersLs3/5a 15 ohms with WE KS16608 (using 6L6 tubes) & Leak 12.1 (using KT66 tubes) with Marantz 7 & Fishers 400CX or Fisher 50c.

I have sold many nice equipements away such as Siemens & Lafayatte single ended amplifiers, Coral Beta 8 speakers, Quad II, Pye Mozart HF20s, Rogers 11ohms, pusedo 15 ohms, Rogers Black badge, Tannoy Chartsworth, RCA & Telefunken full range speakers, leak 10,..as like what they say, 聽過就可以了, 無須事事擁抱..

However, rather then collecting all the 6L6 amplifiers, I do wish I could create more space to find ampifiers using EL84 tubes, and some ballons tubes amplifiers..

Items for sales

Hifi is about matching. Following months of matching and trying, I am streamlining my items and letting go the following as part of my year end cleaning:

• Radio craftsmen C500a mono block amplifiers in fully restored condition HKG$18,000 without tubes. - SOLD!
• Phass 4 inch fullrange speakers HKG$4000
• Mcintosh MC 240 with complete original box, papers, certificates, test results $28,000
• Sound Master integrated amplifer HK$2000

Like what they say, 聽過就可以了, 無須事事擁抱. :)

Great CD - A BING Er Hu

This is the second traditional Chinese instruments Er Hu CD that I like. It differs from the first one as the former was the horse head Erhu, while this one is the traditional Erhu.

A Bing (1893-1950) was a talented musicians who life was hard and he was blind at a later stage. However, his blindness has not stopped him from performing not in the concert hall but in the streets. I can imagine life must be tough going through the foreign invasion of China, Revolution and the endning of the Ching Dynasty, the Japanese occupation and the internal civil wars..

The music from his composition reflected the hardship and sadness that surrounded A Bing..

Using the Fisher 50C preamplifiers, the emotional sadness is really strong..

Pye HF 10m monoblock amplifiers

I have always regretted selling my Pye HFS20 single ended amplifiers. This weekend, I have managed to find a nice pair of Pye Mozart in a mono version called Pye HF 10M . It uses one ECC83 as the driver for a single EL34 to give 8W. I have seen a pair in a hifi shop at Central but the condition was not very good.



The condition of this pair is very good as it comes with the original cage as well as the metal frame. The internal conditions are also good making it one of the best buy for the sound! These pair has been carefully selected by its previous owner Micheal, and he has managed to pair them up from 5 other units of Pye HF10 to ensure that these selected are the best of the best.

I have tried using 5W Lafayatte single ended amplifiers for my Western Electric 755a but I find the sound sounded slightly "weak" compare with these 8W mono block Pye amplifiers. Pye amplifiers are not as well known as the Rogers, Marmat, Mcintosh, Fishers. However, Pye was responsible for many military equipements for the British government in the early days making them very reliable and good sound. There are not many affordable and good single ended amplifiers and I must say the Pye HF 10M is exceptional!

There are three versions of the Pye Mozart and their estimated prices depending on conditions are:

1. Integrated version with separate power HF20; Price range between HKG$9000-10,000


2. Mono Block version of HF10; HKG$9000-13,500


3. Later All in one Integrated version HF20 HKG $9000-$10,000

The Mono block HF10 is slightly more costly as the sound is much nicer then the HF20 as it has one additional output ( 2 each while the HF20 has 3 output being shared by both). The prices of these are getting higher and higher as there are many DIY who buy the amplifiers but stripped off the amp for the output transformers as valuable parts for their DIY.

Thus, for those who has high effeciencies speakers and looking for nice single ended amplifiers (at affordable price), the made in UK Pye should be your top selection!

KLH Radio

The KLH radio was a legend. The most famous model is the Model 8 tube radio. The reception from the KLH Model 8 is really remarkable!

In 1960 KLH introduced a high fidelity vacuum tube FM table radio. The speaker was sold with the radio and was specially matched to the radio's output amplifier. The KLH 8 might best be described as a cross between a hi-fi receiver and a table radio. It was designed by the late Henry Kloss and set a standard that may other companies have tried to match.

The KLH Eight was designed to work with a stereo adapter before a multiplex standard was adopted. When a standard was chosen, the KLH Model 13 transistorized adapter was introduced. The KLH 8 and KLH 13 are shown here side-by-side.

For detail of these KLH radio, please visit:

http://www.somerset.net/arm/fm_only_klh_8.html

http://www.antiqueradio.com/Jun05_Hayden_KLH.html

Tak Fak Mongkok

For audiophiles visitors visiting Hong Kong, one of the must visit place is Tak Fak Mongkok

Tak Fak shops selling hifi used to be a very hot and popular place. One of the most friendly and reliable shop is Wei Lee with chen Sifu. He has many Fishers pre amplifiers including the Fisher 50C, 400CX. For Mcintosh lovers, he has the MC275, for Marnartz lovers, he has the rare Marantz 5, 8b; In addition, he has the rare Acxiom 80 speakres, Altec amp, Lafayatte pre amp, etc

The number of visitors have reduced as much as 70%. In the past, at around 7pm, many professionals lawyers, doctors and executive will be waiting to get into the shops. Now, the place is so quiet around 7pm.

The reduction in number opf people may be due to competition from the world largest hifi shop - EBAY! Much of the business have been taken away from ebay which may and may not be a good thing as there are risks involved when buying from ebay.

In addition, some of the other shops owners' attitude really frustrate any potential buyers as unless they are very sure you are keen to buy, they would not be interested to entertain you. Nevertheless, for audiophiles tourist visiting Hong Kong, this will be a good area to visit as you may be able to find interesting vintage stuff...but one must be prepared to pay and bargain..

Fisher 50C mono bloc pre amplifiers

According to the Fisher expert Alan: "The goody of Fisher 50-C included very sweet, natural and realistic tone, it has outstanding mid-high and high, but rich of harmonic extension but also extension of both end. The disadvantage of Fisher 50-C is slightly lack of solidity of bass, the harmonic extension is too long so it slightly affect the detail but mid range is slightly laid back if compared to later period product. However..this preamp has very outstanding flexibility of emotional expression, but very pure and emotional tone...!"

I have always been struggling on whether I should take another chance on the mono block pre amplifiers. However, having read so many positive review on the famous Fisher 50C amplifiers, I decided to take a chance on these rare amplifiers. The search for these amplifiers has been a difficult one as it involved some small misunderstanding, which fortunately has been resolved in a win-win happy ending!

The Fisher 50C was sold as mono pre amplifiers during the 1950s. As such, there are variations in the colours of cainet and the type of RCA sockets at the back of the amplifiers. Other then that, the amplifiers were prefectly matched internally as well as in sound reproduction. Comparing to the Fisher400Cx, the Fisher 50C sounded less hifi and smoother.. What a nice pair of Fishers!

The next question is whether I should get a carpenter sifu to restore the colours of the cabinets? or should I just leave it alone?

I know I should have controlled my "buying" desire but these fishes are so tempting that I have to catch them. To follow my "One in One out" policy, I have managed to cut love my spare Western Electric KS 16608 to a fellow audiophiles......

Wish lists 2006/7

Even though I have tried to restrict myself on buying "new" old toys, the desire keeps growing day after day.

I still cannot forget the sound from Western Electric 124 and 142 as well as Brooks 12A. I like amplifiers using 6L6 tubes as the sound is great! Moreover, vintage 6L6 tubes are relatively cheaper and easy to find! (when compare to the much demand KT66, EL34 and KT88 tubes)

Another item that I like is Dynatron LF59B but I was told that the tubes are relatively expensive and difficult to find.. plus the Dynatron amplifiers is so rare that it would be expensive.

Brooks 12A and Yamamoto amplifier using 2A3 is something very exciting! I have never owned any 2A3 amplifiers and I am so tempted to try...In addition, I am also keen to try again the Mono block pre amp..this time the Fisher 50C perhaps..

My new web page

I have finally managed to build a hifi web page. Enjoy!

http://www.vintage-hifi.2itb.com/

German Amplifiers

Recently there are quite a lot of interest on German amplifiers owing to some magazine write up. Brands such as Klangfilm, Siemens were recently being chased by "collectors".

I have a brief experience with the Siemens projector amplifiers. The pros for the ampplifiers are very well built & good sound. The cons are that the watts are very small around 5 watts, which work well with high efficient speakers. For those of you who is thinking of jumping into the world of German amplifiers, please take note of the following. The Siemens projectors amplifiers watts are small.

Those bigger Klangflim ones have very huge power (50 watts and above) meaning that unless you have a big house, you may find the amplifiers too BIG for comfort. Talking about BIG, the size of the many V69 models for example are really huge. It will be like having two huge "fish tanks" of amplifiers sitting in your living room. As mentioned by one expert in Hong Kong, these amplifiers were meant for cinema usage, normal home pre amplifiers may not be suitable for some of the power amplifiers. Moreover, look of the amplifiers (being able to see through the capacitors, resistors may not be too appealing to the female Boss at home). Moreover, the costs of these amplifiers are NOT cheap now and the resale values will be questionable as currently it is only limited to the few audiophiles.

I have started with Mcintosh MC240 with a power of 35-40 watts which I think is already good enough for low sensitive speakers such as the LS3/5a (some says that it is the best for LS3/5a). Imagine having German cinema amplifiers with power watts over 100 (we are talking about tube amplifers power watts). The gain in power would indirecly mean the loss in smoothness.

Thus, while it is interesting to play wit the German amplifiers, unlike the Marantz, Mcintosh, Fishers, Quad etc who were meant for home use, one has to think properly before jumping into the black hole of German amplifiers.

If I have excess cash and have a huge living room plus a desire for huge power amplifier, I may try. However, now bearing in mind my Tannoy Speakers and Western Electric 755a speakers with ideal power watts of below 20 watts, I would rather save my money for a Western Electric 124 or 142, or Brooks 10, or Dynatron...all small power watts amplifiers I am afraid.

Some expert says that when one play with power amplifiers, one will start with huge power (such as Mcintosh MC275, Marantz 9) and later to small watts then to single ended....

Let's see how each of us evolve in our hifi journey...but remember the starting point is what kind of music you like and what speakers you like..


For details, please see:

http://klangfilm.free.fr/index.php?lng=0&music=&type=0&frame=1&item=&title=&dir=&num=

http://www.tube-classics.de/TC/Klangfilm/2000amps/2000amps.htm

Simple setup in Singapore

I have finally managed to bring one set of my Western Electric KS 16608 back to Singapore for a simple set up in my study room. The music from the KS16608 + my Rogers LS3/5a 15ohms sounded great!

It was a great feeling to be able to listen to your favourite music whereever you are! I hope to bring back my leak 12.1 back during the next trip or should I ship back the tannoy?

Interesting article & good friend!

One of good friend was interviewed by the Tube World monthly. John has a fantastics collection of Ls3/5a and Leaks amplifiers (including the rare 12.1 (2 sets of 12.1) and 25a) plus a range of other amplifiers.

He is often known as a the Chairman of Leak. I think he should be the chairman of both LS3/5a and Leak.

I have always enjoyed his company as he is always sincere, helpful and honest! When I was having problems with my 12.1, he was the first and only friend who came forward to help!

One of the happiest thing that I have done is to be able to help John pair up his second pair of 12.1! That was really a nice feeling..to be able to help a true friend in return for all his help!

His friendly personality and his enthuasium in vintage hifi really gave me the motivation to join in the lovely world of vintage amplifier! For those who want to get into the world of vintage amplifier and speakers, you must really get to know this great person - Ginger!

CD recoomendation: Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole CD

"The World of Nat King Cole" provides the listener with nearly 80 minutes of the very best that this beloved and legendary performer has to offer. It provides the listener an outstanding overview of a recording career at Capitol that spanned nearly a quarter century and hits includes "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Nature Boy" and "Route 66","Ramblin' Rose", "Too Young", "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" and so many others. In addition, the inclusion of some of the best material from his LP's, Let There Be Love", a "Live At The Sands" LP and three upbeat numbers backed by the swingin' Billy May Orchestra, as well as the 1991 recording of "Unforgettable" with his daughter Natalie Cole made this CD as must for all Nat King Cole's fans. Nat King Cole's voice will sound sweet in every and any amplifier system especially those with tubes amplifiers.

Frank Sinatra on this double Cd goes over some of his most romantic songs he has recorded. Theres some real gems here like "Strangers In the Night","They Cant take that away from Me","Misty", "All The Way" (w/Celione Dion) and all these songs just make you realize how important this man really was. In addition, it contains some very hard to find songs from hard to find and out-of-print Reprise albums. Unfortunatley, the songs My Way and New York New York are not included in these CDs

Listening to these vocal CDs with the 755a is a real enjoyment when one wants strong and precise vocal!

Good CD Louis Armstrong

To better understand Louis Armstrong, please visit:

http://www.satchmo.net/bio/

Great CD - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong II

Some nice CDs from Elle Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Great CD recommendation - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

After months of mixitng and matching my various amplifiers, pre amplifiers and speakers system, I have finally managed to settle down with my current set of system and have more time dedicated to active listening.

These are two great CDs that everyone should get!

The magic started in August 1956 in Los Angeles when these six musicians worked together to produce this fantsatic records. Ella and Louis are the vocalists, Louis alternating on trumpet. The Oscar Peterson Trio and Buddy Rich, drums, complete the sextet.

Rather then joining the "Hong Kong hifi rat race" in competing who has the most gear, I have set my self the task of "active listening" and appreciation of good music. The tracks from the 2 CDs are all perennial favorites at the time and are ensured of immortality by this recording. All tracks has the vintage sound charateristcs but such is the buoyant, easy rhythm music that these artists set and you will find the effect is wonderfully invigorating. The unique features of the CD are the great contrast between two voices between Ella and Louis. Ella's silky and smooth voice versus Louis' rough and tumble.

Both artists had such huge successes singing on their own and have such distinct styles, that you would think that their voices would conflict with each other but instead there is a convergence without compromise and a good mixture of high and low, smooth and rough, like the ying and the yang working in perfect harmony.

Even though Louis' trumpet with tone may sound "loud" at time, the two voices that play off of each other, complementing each other's features, and yet nothing is lost in each's distinctness. They both bring everything they have to the table, and magically somehow, the table is big enough to fit everything.

When listening to the CDs using my Western Electric 755a fullrange speakers, I could hear very clearly the positiong of both Louis and Ella! The 755a really stands the test of vocals with trumpet and other instruments. When listening to the same CD using mini combo system, the sound is too messy and congested for anyone to appreciate the true vocal of the two great talents! Sometimes, you will need a good pair of speakers to bring out the essence in the music...
My favourite tracks are : cheek to cheek; Moonlight in Vermont with the soft piano playing side by side with Elle at the start of the music; Isn't it a lovely day...Yes, it is with Ella and Louis singing : ) singing cheek to cheek..