My favourite singer: Shinji Tanimura

JBL Aquarius IV leaving home : )

This evening, another newly met audiophile came over to my place and took home my pair of JBL Aquarius IV speakers.

I was very happy to see fellow audiophiles being happy with what they have found. I have stopped buying for a while and I have been busy doing various AB listening with my existing gears.

Contentment! I am very glad to be out of the hifi "rat race" where audiophiles keep incresing their number of gears.

Of all the speakers that I have bought, my favourite goes to Tannoy Cantebury, WE 755a, LS3/5a, AR3 and WE 1o inch speakers. I hope to find a pair of Gold tag LS3/5a one day.

Pilot 216a

This is the Pilot 216a pre amplifiers. It is excellent especially for male voice. When using with my WE124b, the sound is more dynamic while the WE120a has a more natural sound....which I have much preferred..which is why hifi is ultimately a personal choice..

This morning, someone who appreciate the Pilot pre amplifier more has taken it home!

Happy Listening...

The Joy of music

This evening, I have finally managed to find some time to properly listen to my new Shinji tanimura & Julio CDs.

With only one set of system here is HKG, I can really take my time to listen to the music without having the worries of switching gears..

There are time when I was tempted to get new gears but thank goodness, I have managed to control my desire to own more. Now, listening to the set and exploring the full potential of my geras became my sore objective..

In the end, like what they say, hifi equipement is the means while enjoyment of music is the end! Enjoy!

Julio Iglesias CD

I have also love Julio Iglesias deep vocal...especially the song, To all the girls I love before.

The new album of Julio Iglesias, written and composed by Pascal Obispo, David Gategno and Didier Barbelivien. It includes the titles «Donner», «Partir quand même» (a duet with Françoise Hardy), and «Quelque chose de France».

The artist who has sold more than 250 million albums, and who has more than 1500 gold and platinum records, returns with a new French album. A tribute to a country, France, which has given him so much, this disc will surprise with the quality and timeliness of its songs, («Donner», «De vous à moi»), the elegance of its texts, («Quelque chose de France»), and the participation of Françoise Hardy («Partir quand même»). For detail, please visit:

http://www.julioiglesias.com/mainen.htm

Music for enjoyment

I have not write much on my hifi blog lately owing to the frequent business trips. In addition, the quetsion of career switch has also been occupying my mind lately. Currently, I am deliberating on the possibilities of working in Beijing or Shanghai, Guangzhou, back to Singapore or remain in Hong Kong?

The economy within Asia Pacific is good and thereby the growth in career opportunities. It is not very easy to uproot yourself when you have much hifi equipments to bring along as packing and shipping will alsways be an issue.

Given the current stage, my desire to look for new vintage hifi items has dropped to the rock bottom which, in turn, may not be a bad thing as it has given me the opportunities to spend more time listening to music and enjoy my current set up to its optimum.

Back in Singapore, the property prices have been on a steep upward thrend. This has prompted my intention to sell away my smaller apartment which is currently being rented out. Hopefully, the small condo unit would eb sold soon as the latest marklet transacted price is S$550,000 and my targeted price is between $610,000- 650,000.

With the issues of career switching & relocation, thought of selling my second property, my mind has been very active and busy. Luckily, when I reached home at the end of the day, I could just turn on my vintage WE grears and let the music sings...and bring my mind to the music land

My favourite Japanese singer : Shinji Tanimura new CD

After much waiting, Shinji Tanimura, my favourite Japanese singer has finally released his latest CD. The CD is not available in Hong Kong. Thus, I will have to order from HMV Japan.

Really eagerly waiting for it to arrive!

Speakers placement made easy

For those of you keen to learn the art of speakers placement, please visit:

http://www.audiophysic.de/aufstellung/beispiel_e.html

Great CD: Janice

This is a great CD. Janice's singing ability is great!

My visit to Guangzhou

After 2 years living in Hong Kong, I have finally taken the trip to visit the famous hifi site at Guanzhou Sin Tao Yuen. After taking almost 2 hours of train ride, I took a cab to visit the famous site for audiophiles.

There are many DIY stuff there as well as finished goods imported or localy produced. There are more hifi shops in these building then in Hong Kong, reflecting a growing in wealth as well as interest in finer things in life among the population. However, most of the imported items are more expensive then in Hong Kong.

One of the best shop I visited was the Chi Ping (志平) store - he is one of the most suceesful DIYer who has managed to curve our a niche market and reputation. So, those who intend to produce their own range of products should learn from him. I liked his Chi Ping speakers alot as it could really compare with those International ones with superb finishing and made.

In addition, he has DIY many famous Western Electric items as well using vinatge or DIY parts. Talking of WE, I am really glad that I ahve managed to take the right decision to chase after a pair of vintage Western Electric rather then accumulating so many others. I was once lost in the desire of collecting many set of vinatge amplifiers. At one stage, I have managed to collect 2 set of leak TL12, 10.1, Quad II, Mcintosh MC240, Pye HF91, Siemens amplifiers, Fisher 400CX, 2 Marantz 7c, 2 set of Fisher 50C, etc etc. which has become a burden in term of space and time for enjoyment of music.

When I was sitting at Chi Ping's store, I could listen to very fine, detail, and musical music from his Chi Ping speakers and We replicas, which has made me wonder the essence of music. I have stopped being "active" in the forum as they are more "quarrels" then "genuine sharing" nowadays. In addition, I can also see many audiophiles slowly drwan in the circle of "collecting" massive collections of vintage gears.

Why do we need so many gears since the ultimate purpose of the gears are to reproduce music? I don't know. Perhaps it is our desire to upgrade the sound and music..which can be much fun too! Anyway, Enjoy what you like to do as you only live once!

Cheers and be happy!

Leak TL12.1

After matching my Leak TL12.1 with many pre amplifiers, I like the Marantz 7 + Leak 12.1 combo the most.

I have a friend who is keen to sell his Leak TL12.1 (220V) in very good condition at HKG$40,000 excluding tubes. Let me know if anyone is keen.

The prices of Leak TL12.1 has been on an upward trend. It seems that the prices in China has excceded HK$50,000.

Given the strong economic growth in China and the growing wealth, it is not surprising that prices of vintage gears have increased so much. Previously, Mr. Huang who sold me the pair of Western Electric 124 has 10 sets in his collection for me to choose. Recently, owing to the growing interest in WE, he has only 4 set left of which 3 set will not be sale as he has planned to keep one set for himself and the other two for his 2 sons!

So, with one more set to go, interested parties better be quick! ha ha

I have been quite busy lately with my constant traveling to Malaysia, Singapore, Shanghai and Taiwan. In addition, with the recent purchase of AR3, I have managed to stop buying any more new items...

Cabinet for 755a - New

My specially ordered cabinet for the 755a have finally arrived. The dimension is about 450mm X 510mm using the vintage design from Western Electric. The Western Electric classic design is only 50% of the size, which has imposed limitation on the bass and low.

With almost 2 cubit feet in size as well as the slanted side and curve, it should be able to bring out the full potential of the 755a.

Unfortunately, I have sold my spare 755a drivers and my tight traveling schedules have prevented me from continuing the DIY project further...

CD - Burning In

Great CD: Chinese Orchestra music

I have been traveling to Malaysia and Shangahi lately and my current hectic travels have taken away time for music.

Luckily over the weekend, I am able to take advantage of the HK 10th anniversary celebration for some serious music listening!

這張專輯邀請了戲曲音樂界最具盛名的作曲家孟慶華擔任音樂編配，整體風格上力求達到“形神兼備”的境界，即在完美展現戲劇曲名段的旋律美感的同時，創新性地以管弦化的手法和現代音樂語彙加以補充和昇華，將難以言傳的古典意境韻味和青銅質感表現得豐潤玲瓏而富有層次，令人不由感歎。同時2了再現民族文化瑰寶，特意精選出十個劇種各自最膾炙人口亦最由代表性的劇目唱段，將熟系動聽的旋律以充滿新意的方式驚喜演繹。京昆川粵冀豫皖滬越，富有地域特色的音樂元素使得專輯中的樂曲非但豪不冗長，而且深具獨特個性。創造性地保留原創劇種的特色主奏樂器，並且類比人聲唱念，當真是千人百面，趣致逼真，聲口情態都能令人著迷。中西結合，國樂交響化的整體編曲配器風格，使得原本單薄幼細的唱腔外觀呈現出恢宏景致。像越劇《紅樓夢》裏生動的二胡模仿者寶玉的好奇與一見鍾情，清泉潺潺的古箏則描摹出黛玉的秀妍和微微頷首的姿態，板鼓聲聲清脆的敲擊令人心神具震，暗喻愛情的輩情的悲劇結局。

曲目：

01：越劇《紅樓夢》生動的二胡模仿著寶玉的好奇與一見鍾情，清泉潺潺的古箏則描摹出黛玉的秀妍和微微頷首的姿態，板聲聲清脆的敲擊聲令人心神俱震，暗喻愛情的悲劇結局。

02：豫劇《花木蘭》秀氣婉轉的琵琶與深沈厚重的大提琴交替奏出主題，一聲脆響的板胡精氣神十足，大鼓和絃樂隊勾畫出遼闊的北方天空。

03：昆曲《牡丹亭》古琴撥開傳奇的輕紗，芒鑼洞穿時光的惶惑。洞蕭如人聲幽咽婉轉。一支“皂羅袍”在工尺譜調間複生明代光景的煙絲醉軟，燕語如剪。

04：粵劇《蝴蝶夫人》木魚叩一板三眼，南梆子空殼問闌，輕擊碰鈴似點滴琉璃清冷，拂動音樹如串串珠玉歎息。高胡萬般雍容華貴現身，琵琶千回百轉應和。

05：黃梅戲，《天仙配》大提琴低沈的背景上，秀美的琵琶婉轉而倔強地吐露出繞指柔情。清麗的竹笛和寬厚的大提琴唱和問答，弦樂如和煦的暖陽柔美照拂。

06：川劇《荊釵記》竹相訇然，尺八蕭瑟，板鼓逗出了二胡委婉 迂回。溫厚真摯的弦樂，索回的卻是那般隱忍的蒼涼激越。

07：評劇《花2媒》二胡抑揚頓挫宛如生旦相謔，竹笛輕盈幼脆，大方持重的柳琴串珠疊玉，鑼兒‘鈸兒’鼓兒們亦嘈嘈喳喳地來歡喜幫腔。

08：河北梆子《大登殿》大鑼威嚴開道，大鼓開天動地，管鍾的回響震落雕梁棟上的每一寸灰塵。管子惟妙惟俏的學著喜氣洋洋的人聲。

09：滬劇《羅漢錢》音樹清冷拂過，琴竹起落紛飛，弦樂柔和明媚，串鈴波光粼粼。二胡頓挫的聲口似吳儂軟語，吟來那支無人不曉的紫竹調。

10：京劇《霸王別姬 蘇三起解》板鼓輕敲，鐃鈸緊跟，旦角吊足嗓子的咿咿呀呀裏，鑼鼓點有條不絮德搖晃著它四平八穩了一百年的節奏。一道京胡拉出了旋律，也拉出了夜色深沈的弦樂背景

Great CDs - Singapore style 許美靜 & Jacintha

Over the week end, I have managed to find time to listen to singers from my country， one in English and one in Mandarin.

Both the singers are great! The recording for Jacintha is excellent and your vocal is extremely warm and full of emotion.

Following the acquisition of the AR3, I have not added any new gears to my collection as I am very pleased with my current set up. The WE124 + WE 120a + AR3 combo is able to give me the varieties of music from vocal, jazz, light instruments to the full orchestra.

Enjoy!

許美靜:

唱片列表:

1994年 《明知道》〈于新加坡发行〉。
1995年 《遗憾》〈于新加坡发行〉。
1995年 新加坡电视台"豆腐街"。
1996年 《遗憾》〈于台湾发行〉。
1996年 与李翊君、许如芸、阮丹青等上华歌手出版合辑《争奇斗艳》。
1997年 《都是夜归人》。
1997年 《静听精彩十三首》〈香港版〉、《静听精彩十三首》〈台湾版〉、《蔓延》〈台湾版〉、《蔓延》〈香港版〉。
1997年 电视《我们一家都是人》。
1998年 电视《韦斯利传奇》。
1998年 发行首张粤语专辑《好美静》以及EP《一场朋友》。
1999年 电影《三条人》Away with Words
1999年 发行个人专辑《快乐无罪》、精选辑《Review 1996～1999》。
2000年 《静电》。
2001.05 《明知道》 国语 专集
2003.10《完美静选》 国/粤 精选集
2005.02 國語真經典
2007.04 (永遠的朋友典藏系列) CD+DVD

Hifi Experts' view

There are many so called hifi experts around. The original function of the hifi system is to reproduce music to the listener. As diffenet individual has different standard of good music, differences in view often prevail, which may not be a bad thing. However, very often, there are many who are over zealous that they tended to impose their view to others as if their words are the authority. This, in turn, has led to many quarrels and the clashes in views.

When conflicts occur, the purpose of hifi is no longer the enjoyment of music. What a shame..

Trip To Malaysia

I came to Malaysia for market visit and meeting today till Friday evening. In adiition, I have also taken the opportunity to hand carry a set of Altec 755a tomy friend KY in KL.

It was a wonderful evening catching up with KY after a day's work. We went to the local beef noodl whch tasted fantastic! During the dinner, we talked about hifi and buying and collectinh hifi gears. We came to a conclusion that enogh is enough and we should focus on getting Quality gear rather then keep growing the number of hifi items plus the fact that we have only limited number of hours to listen to hifi per day.

Less is more!

Great CDs - Dadawa & EruHu

Using the new WE + AR3 Combo to listen to these Er Hu and Dadawa (Zhu Zheqin) CDs is a joy as the speakers are able to capture all the little details and all the mood of the singer & performer.

Dadawa is the artist name of Zhu Zheqin (朱哲琴), a Tibetan-inspired new age singer, who is well-known for her vocalization. She was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, and she is often referred as the "Chinese Enya"by fans.

He Xuntian, a Shanghai music professor, has been collecting Tibetan folk music for twenty years. In 1992, he invited Zhu Zheqin to perform his Tibetan-inspired compositions. Following which, their copllaboration has led to the various CDs.

Dadawa's CD:

Yellow Children (黄孩子) (1992)
Sister Drum (阿姐鼓) (1995)
Voices From The Sky (央金玛) (1997)
Seven Days (七日谈) (2006)

悲歌《江河水》是中國的傳統曲子，1977年世界指揮大師小澤征爾帶波士頓交響團訪華，曾被閔惠芬演奏的《江河水》感動得流淚，稱讚她「拉出了人間悲切」，聽起來使人痛?肺腑，小澤征爾推崇她為「世界上最偉大的弦樂演奏家之一」。閔惠芬的演奏基本功扎實，富激情，對樂曲內涵理解深刻，處理細膩，具有動人的藝術魅力，她是中國二胡領域的大師級演奏家，大可以養尊處優安度晚年。
出生於1945年的閔惠芬，今已年近花甲，談及她為奮鬥一生的二胡及民樂，不管多勞累，她都是滿臉熱忱和興奮，在她藝術生涯開始輝煌的1981年，發現患癌症，此後揮別舞台開始長達6年並多達6次手術的治療，經過這6年的抗爭，戰勝病痛，87年復出，為中華民族音樂的振興和推廣奔波努力，一生經歷風霜，體會人生的起伏跌盪，還抱著熱愛音樂的熱忱，這一曲江河水絕對是最精彩而發自內心的演繹。

Acoustic Research AR3 audition

My initial listening of the AR3 + WE 124b+120A has been a very pleasant one. For the WE 124b, I would have to turn the gain to about 1 o'clock position while the volume know for teh WE120a at 10 am position as these speakers require more power then my WE755a or the WE 10 inch speakers.

As the speakers have been in "cold storage" for many years, I would have to start running in and burning in before the real AR3 sound can be heard.

From my initial audition after 1 hours, I can feel that the overall sound is very well balanced, with good Mid, high and even base. For a price below HK$10,000, I think its a steal as the use of metarials are superb (all 3 magnets are alnico magnet) and each speakers weigh about 50 pounds and are very well built. With HK$10,000, one could not even get a decent 15 ohm LS3/5a speakers. As such, the AR3 is clearly underrated and has huge potential for price increase in the future.

There is not much review on the AR3 in the net. In my opinion, the AR3 is a very well designed speakers with very good bass as well as high and mid. Overall, it has the ability to present the live like atmosphere and detail..

Using the AR3 to listen to full Orchestra music is excellent and one could easily feel the mood of the music and the various instruments playing together. When using the 755a for full orchestra music, one could sort of listen to "less" sound owing to the limitation of the speakers (insufficient high or low). As such, no one speakers can be strong in every aspect. The 755a is the best in vocal, while the Tannoy is excellent for relax sound and enjoyment of music, while the AR3 is very musical and balance!

I am hoping to find a pair of AR1 soon to complete my hunt for the speakers...crazy thought isn't it?

Speakers Length

There has always been huge debates on the ideal speakers length. Some expert has said that the ideal length are 8 feet, 10 feet or 12 feet. Of course, the shop keepers will be the happiest as the longer the length, the more expensive it will be and more profit as well. So, it it a truth or myth?

Please visit: Speaker Cable Length Differences: Do They Matter? by Gene DellaSala

http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/speaker-cable-length-differences-do-they-matter

Acoustic Research 3

I have quite lucky to be able to find a nice pair of the classic AR3 speakers in excellent condition!

The AR3 were produced from 1957 - 69 using 12 inch woofer, 2 inch mid cone and 1.375inch tweeter. All the 3 cones were alnico magnets. The selling price for the AR3 were US$216 while the AR1 (1954-1962) were selling at US$185.

The desire for a more "complete" speakers grew as a result of shifting my Tannoy back to Singapore. With these speakers, I should be able to play more "Pow Pang" music!

AR Speakers

I have read lots of good review on the AR speakers and there are 3 Ar speakers which are real classic the AR1, AR3 and AR LST, which are my dream speakers.. ha ha

The AR1 is very rare as it was using the famous 755a speakers drivers plus the woofer.

I am hoping to find the AR speakers soon!

Western Electric 124 Replica

With the increasing demand in Western Electric gears, there are an influx of Western Electric 124 replica using WE parts.

In partcular, this replica looks quite alike. At the price of RMB$9800 (10% of the original), it may be a good alternative for those who wants to enjoy the Western Electric sound.

I have not audition the sound but the look is quite attractive!

It looks like the mainland Chinese are very enterprising with a strong desire to compete in the hifi markets. In Hong Kong, other then the previous Audio Space, they seems to be focussing on DIY rather then catering to the mass markets...

Western Electric 86a legend

There is one single unit of the rare Western Electrric 86a at ebay now at US$19,100 with 1 day 19 hours more to go.

I am glad that I am not chasing after this unit as it would really costs me an arm and a leg. It seems that there is and will continue to have a strong demand for WE around the globe. Really curious to see where this piece of classic would end up utimately. Even though price is not equivalent to sound quality, I am interested to know the rationales behind the chase. Is it due to emotional desires to own? or the love of the sound from the 300B? i guess, we will never know unless we can ask the owner who won the item.

Western Electric has always produced items for professional use rather then hifi usage. The Western Electric 86a would have to be modified in order to be able to use it as home audio.

Recently, there has been lots of comments on the R33 forum arguing that High price not being equal to bets sound. Personally, I think the "argument" is bull shit as it is already a known fact (like stating Air is free). In addition, how do you classifed "best sound"? Music reproduction from a system may be liked by some and hate by others.

Thus, the name Western Electric as a legend, will definitely has its mystical "power" and attraction. For me, I am very happy that I have managed to find a matched pair of Western Electric 124b in very good condition. Does it sounds best? Yes, to my ears and to my preference. Otherwise, I would not have paid for it. It's just like asking if Rolls Royce is the best car as "Best" has different definition to different people. Some define Best as having control while others see best as having speed or prestige. One fact remains is that the expensive Western Electric gears, will get even more expensive in the future since supply is limited while demand is on a continuous growth.

Please visit: http://www.wowhififever.com/we86a/we86a.htm

Hi fi vs Lo Fi

Ever since I stopped getting in "new" vintage gears, I have been able to experiment with sound and music enhancement (such as the use o WE111C). From what I learnt so far, the greatest impact on sound change comes from the speakers as well as its cabinet.

Last week, I have managed to find a nice pair of vintage cabinet, traiangular in shape similar to my Tannoy corner Cantebury for my 8 inch fullrange speakers. I can't wait to experiment it with my 755a speakers drivers as well as my JBL LE8T drivers! I have realized that keeping speakers are easier then amplifiers as they are relatively maintainance free!

In the past, I was rather consicious on what many "high hands" comment on my system. However, upon reading many of the forum at Review33, I have realised that Hifi or Lo fi in fact is very subjective since music preference is subjcted to own personal liking. Many of these Sifus are making comments that are reflective on their own views onwhat constitute "good" versus bad, which can be very judgemental and bias, of course.

For me, what constitute a good system must have the basic criteria of easy usage.If one need sto spend hours to twick these and that plus multiple tone control in order to achieve a good sound, these so called system should be thrown into the sea to reclaim land. Hifi equipment is supposed to be the tools for one to enjoy music but not an end in itself. Once set up, one should be able to just plu and play and enjoy. Having said that, speakers placement skills as well as matching speakers with hifi set up are key to good sound !

Western Electric 111C enhancement

I have realized that the the weakest link of my current set up is in the CD player. To enhance the sound, I was recommended to use the WESTERN ELECTRIC ST-111 audio coil which can enhance the sound by making the sound warmer and creating a better large field sound.

Since my CD player is the weakest link, I was told that it is best using it for CD to Preamp as it will help to enhance the sound of CD toward the LP sound.

Long known for their superb sonic integrity and ample headroom capacity, the Western Electric 111C still can outperform most, if not all, the audio transformers of its type made today. There are not many remaining on active duty around the US at radio stations. The changeover to dedicated digital audio telephone circuits over fiber as well as ISDN lines for special “remote” broadcasts has removed the need for these coils.

The 111C is a toroidal type repeating coil was designed for dependable impedance matching applications and for line isolation at circuit transfer points. It is intended for use with amplifiers for program transmission over long or short cable or open wire circuits equipped with proper loading. It was the Bell System standard coil for broadcast radio lines for 50 years.

The factory specifications call for a frequency range of 30 to 15,000 Hz. with an insertion loss of less than 0.5 dB. The maximum power capacity at 30 Hz is 1.1 watts (+30dBm).
In actuality, the Western Electric specifications are quite conservative. Using a Hewlett-Packard 3551A Transmission Test Set on 6/1/2007, the actual measurements are a bit better. Overall loss is 0.4 dB at 1,000 Hz. The frequency response is +0, –0.2dB 28 to 20 kHz referenced to 1,000 Hz. The oscillator in the test set does not go below 28 Hz. The high end was down 0.3 dB at 24,000 Hz. At the upper limit of the test set, the response was down 2.0 dB at 65 kHz.
Input impedance is 600/150 ohms. Output impedance is 600/150 ohms.

Each unit weighs 4.5 lbs. It measures 2-9/16 inches x 4-3/16 inches x 4-17/32 inches. These units are ideal for eliminating ground loops and other electromagnetic hash. They have an inter-winding electrostatic shield that can be connected to the audio ground

Please visit:

http://www.jmu.edu/wmra-eng/archive/repeatcoil.pdf

Burn in Speakers

Recently, there has been lots of conflicts in Review 33 forum. In addition, many of my audiophiles friends have also added lots of intersting new toys into their collection. For me, I have been doing the opposite, i.e cutting down the number of gears.

For the past few nights, I ahve been busy trying to "ran in" and burn in my speakers as my WE 10 inch speakers and JBL Aquarius have been in deep sleep for many years. To accerlerate the process, I ahve bought a cheap mini combo transistor amplifiers with radio. Using this transistor mini combo's radio, I let the speakers play for morning till night.

After 3 complete days and nights of burning in, my WE speakers sound has started to "open up". I am now switching the burning process between the 2 set of speakers. Even though the process is very troublesome, it has helped me to improve the sound quality without having the need to change gears!

One last dance before she leaves

This evening, my second of Western Electric KS16608 have performed their final dance before departing my home to another home : (

I have always loved the sound of the WE KS16608 using 6L6 tubes. After much consideration, I have finally bought the Western Electric 124b. With the acquisition of the WE124b, the KS16608 have been left in the cold. With the departure of the WE KS16608, I am now only left with the following:

HKG : Western Electric 124b + WE 120a + WE speakers/ JBL Aquarius/RCA fullrange
SIN : Leak TL12.1 + Marantz 7 + Western Electric 755a/LS3/5a
SIN : Pye Mozart + Tannoy Cantebury

I have kept quite a nos of speakers as the different in sound is more obvious with the change in speakers. Moreover, the speakers are more or less maintainence free. Teh amplifiers, on the other hand are quite troublesome as once left idle, it will give troubles.

My wish list for 2007 is either Marantz 8b or Marantz 2 or 9???

Like what some audiophile has said: 最好的找到了就keep最好的,其它的可以放給有緣人

Tannoy Canterbury with Pye Mozart HF10

I have tried the Tannoy Cantebury with the Pye Mozart using 6L6 tubes (8 watts) instead of the the EL34 tubes (10 watts). Listening to the music is really a leisure as the relax sound are also full of detail. Listening to Ingram Washington low voice can truly test the system's base as well especially the songWhat a difference a day makes..with his strong low vocal accompanied by the drum, soft piano and the saxaphone, one can easily visualise the music area and sound stage. The part when the solo saxophne was playing was especially musical! Both the Tannoy & Pye Mozart are really amazing gears!

Western Electric KS16698 & Matantz 8b

I have bought my first set of Western Electric KS16608 as "trial" and test to see if I really like the Western Electric sound and music from the 6L6 tubes. The purchase of the WE124 was a really a mental struggle as the costs involved are huge as well the rarity making it an almost impossible task.

My second set of the KS16608 came about when I found these mint condition set sitting at a hifi second hand store by chance. The set was so beautiful and matched pair making it an offer too good to to miss.

Last week I hand carried my Leak TL12.1 as well as my Pye Mozart back from Hong Kong. The Marantz amplifier has always been a legend. The famous Marantz include the Marant 1,2,7,8b & 9. Since I have already has the Marantz 7, I have always been tempted to try the Marant 7 + 9 combo. However, I have always liked the KT66 & 6L6 tubes making me being obsessed with the KT66/6L6 amplifiers (Quad II, Pye PF91, Leak 12.1 We 124, KS 16608, Mcintosh MC240 etc). My friend KY has always recommended Marantz 9 but I ws too afraid of the high power as well as the EL34 tubes.

With the Pye Moazrt (8 watts using 6L6, 10 watts when using EL34); the Leak TL12. & WE124 & KS16608 all having 12 watts amplifiers power, perhaps I should allow myself a chance of using the EL34 tube amplifier?

With this in mind, I have set up a task to serach for the Marantz 8b. Why not the marantz 9? Its the cost issue again. I am not sure if the EL34 tubes are suitable for me so the saftest approach is to try Marantz 7 + Marantz 8 first and if I really like the sound, I will then upgrade to Marantz 7 + 9 combo.

Anyone keen to purchase a mint condition Western Electric KS16608?

Real Itchy fingers, I must say.. : )

Leak TL12.1 & Pye Mozart - Back home!

This was my 3rd set of Leak TL12.1 that I have hand carried back. These were really heavy! However, I am very glad that the Leak TL12.1 is finally back home..otherwise I might just lose them by being stupid and selling them away during the heat of the moment!

Besides the Leak TL12.1, I have also brought back the Pye Mozart HF10 (yes, the second time)to match them my Tannoy Cantebury. I was foolish during my last trip to bring back the Pye to HK and sold them. Luckily, I was able to get them back before it was sold. So after, travelling from HKG-SIN, then back from SIN-HKG, and now back from HKG -SIN, I must say that I am a real fool..ha ha ha. I have tried to search for vintage single ended aplifiers and the truth is that there are not much choices out there for vintage single ended amplifiers. If you want affordable vintage single ended amplifier, go for the Pye!

Enjoy your music! I really need to go for a serious massage after hand carrying over 40 kg of vintage gears back from HKG to Singapore!

JBL Aquarius IV S109

My friend Alan Wong has once told me that the best pair of speakers he had listened to was the 8 inch JBL LE8T fullrange speakers. I have been heavily addicted to the fullrange speakers after having acquired the Western Electric 8 inch 755a, and the WE 10 inch as well as the 6 inch RCA. The 8 inch JBL was on my serach list. I have tried bidding it from ebay but has failed to get them. The recent ebay transaction for the pair of LE8T driver was about US$660 excluding shipping.

During my business trip to Taiwan last Monday, I went back to the vintage Hifi shop after work and the shop owner has told me that he has a customer wanting to sell his JBL LE8t with original cabinet using the 8 inch LE8T drivers as well as the 2 inch LE 20 high frequencies. Without hesistation, I immediately requested to audition them. I went back the next evening to listen to it and I immediately paid for the speakers and packed them. There are not very big (relatively speaking) about the size of two golf bags.

Since I am travelling with my colleague, we have managed to check them in (even though the weigh 22kg each) . How's the sound? When comparing with the 755a, it has the advantage of having the high frequencies tweeter, it has more high plus mid. However, when come to vocal, the 755a still reigh supreme. However, at half the price of the Altec 755a, one cannot complain much! I will have to burn in the speakers further in order to have a more detail comparison.

Cheers

JBL Control 1

I have been rather quiet lately owing to the flu. I have always wanted to set up a simple AV for watching DVD.

As such, last weekend I went hunting for a pair of vintage speakers and found a pair of "vintage" 1990 JBL Control 1 spekers in very good condition. The price for these pair of speakers are quite reasonable at HK$650. The seller told me that these 90s speakers are definitley better then the recent made in China JBL series.

Since I have not bought any of the amplifiers for my AV set up, I have decided to plug in my current Hifi set up. To my horror, the sound from the speakers were so flat that my fullrange speakers sounded so much dynamic and so much nicer then these. I was so dissapointed, I must say. After which, I have just left them aside.

A few days has passed, and I remembered someone told me that any set of speakers left un-played for a while will need some serious "burn in" in order to get the sound back. As such, I have decided to plug in a Mini Co amplifiers and let the speakes "burn in" for a couple of hours.

During the evening, when I played the speakers, I must say that the sound is getting much better, with more dynamism and control! For a pair of HK$650 speakers, I must say that these are values for money speakers!

Good CD - Huang De Jiang's Contentment

This CD has a special meaning. It is from a good friend in Singapore De Jiang. De Jiang is a DJ from Mediacorp.

I remember when I first came to Hong Kong, he was bringing me around and he was here to gain inspiration for his Cds.

All the songs from the CD were written and composed by him. I was futunate to be the first few to audition them. One of my favourite was the song title: Contentment, both the Mandarin & Malay version. Yes, Malay version of the song as well.

All the lyrics were full of real emotion and are able to express our various emotions and feelings..If you happen to be at a CD shop, please keep a look out for Huang De Jiang, Kevin's CD produced by Dashing Music..

Contentment...what a strong emotional stage..

Western Electric audition

Last Saturday, Gingers and Limage came over to my place to audition my pair of WE 124 + WE120a + WE speakers.

Limage has a pair of golden ears. He was able to detect that one of my speakers was loose resulting in some light "sizzing" sound when the drivers were played loud.

Following the audition, I went down to Sam Swee Po and managed to buy a proper screw driver to tighten the screw. After the minor DIY, the "sizzing" noise dissappeared!

Ginger prefers the sound without the high frequency tweeter. For me, the high frequency help give a better bigger and soundstage.

Keeping it simple - Hifi

I was down with serious flu for the past few days which has affected my mood and my ability to be active. Luckily, there was music to accompany me during these passive period.

With the acquistion of the Western Electric 124b, I have been testing them with the Fisher 400CX, Fisher 50C and the WE 120a. The Fisher 400CX sounded very modern and "hifi". The Fisher 50c sounded more mallow and warm. The WE 120a sounded more balance.

In the end, owing to circumstances beyond my control, I am left with only the WE 120a to accompany my WE 124.

After much running in, the sound from the combination began to sound much more open. I have added a simple Isophone tweeter to give the whole soundstage more body. Pereviously my Electro Voice 35 tweeter sounded too loud thereby not being able to harmonise well with my WE speakers.

I have decided to use the We120a preampliers as it is newly assembled (using NOS stocks parts), and the background is very quiet. One of my hifi audiophiles friend who used to collect lots of vintage amplifiers and pre-amplifiers are beganiing to sell off his collection. He has commented that vintage pre-amplifier, owing to ageing, will tend to be noisy in background. As such, his personal view is to use a modern pre amplifier + vintage power amplifier in oder to bring the best of both world. As such, I have have decided to keep the WE120a for my WE124 ( I have called them the WE combo)

I have packed my Leak TL12.1 to be ready to hand carry back to Singapore to use with my Marantz 7 in Mid May 2007. The Leak TL12.1 has a strong gain. When used with the Fisher 400CX, I will have to tone down the volume to the minimum in order to listen. Othewise, the sound will be too loud. As such, the Leak TL12.1 is a perfect match for the more neutral Marantz 7 pre amplifier.

In summary, I will only have the following gears:

• HKG: WE124 + WE120a + WE/RCA full range speakers
• SIN : Pye Mozart HF 10 + Tannoy Cantebury (Living room)
• SIN : Leak TL12.1 + Marantz 7 + WE 755a (Study room)

I am currently going against the thrend in HKG as many audiophiles were busy buying and collecting. With the objective of keeping it simple, I have strived to improve on the "quality" of my gears and keeping the munber down to a manageable level, since one can pnly listen to one set of hifi at any given time.