Vienna

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Location:Parkring,Vienna,Austria

Les miserables French version

I have managed find the Cd of Les miserables in French version, which is very interesting. There are vast differences between the English singing and French. I have found the singing in French version more romantics while the English version more dynamic..





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林志炫：One Take

非常喜歡one take, 尤其鳳凰花朵開的路口...






詞：樓南蔚　曲：陳熙
演唱：林志炫
又到鳳凰花朵開放的時候
想起某個好久不見老朋友
記憶跟著感覺慢慢變鮮活
染紅的山坡　道別的路口
青春帶走了什麼　留下了什麼
剩一片感動在心窩
時光的河入海流　終於我們分頭走
沒有哪個港口 是永遠的停留
腦海之中有一個　鳳凰花開的路口
有我最珍惜的朋友
也許值得紀念的事情不多
至少還有這段回憶夠深刻
是否遠方的你有同樣感受
成長的坎坷 分享的片刻
當我又再次唱起　你寫下的歌
彷佛又回到那時候
時光的河入海流 終於我們分頭走
沒有哪個港口 是永遠的停留
腦海之中有一個 鳳凰花開的路口
有我最珍惜的朋友
幾度花開花落　有時快樂　有時落寞
很欣慰生命某段時刻　曾一起渡過
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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Guitar : Nicolas de Angelis

When I was in college, for piano music, is Richard Clayderman. For guitar, my favourite is Nicolas de Angelis and my favourite music is Quelques notes pour Anna....
For those who wants great guitar music, this is a must..when listening, just let your mind free and enjoy the great music..







http://www.delphine-artists.co.uk/nicolas_de_angelis.htm
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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Khun hat dem mua : Dinh Nguyen

I have enough of those lousy recording and cd using fake instruments.. This is a nice Vietnamese vocal cd. The cd is well produced using the actual instruments like violin, guitar, drums etc. Highly recommended for those who enjoy vocal and light instruments music and stereo music. The singing is emotional.



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Old jazz is good jazz

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Manley symphony 1 by Sir George Solti

This is my favourite Mahler by Solti. For me, listening to Mahler require much efforts as there are much to remember and absorb...


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Les miserables

I really enjoy listening to the musical...

















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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Hifi sifu experts house visit

I remember many years back, I was busy visiting fellow audiophiles apartments to listen to their set up. I remember one particular sifu while inside the fellow audiophiles apartment, complimented on the owners set up. However, upon stepping out of the apartments, the master immediately start criticizing the set up, which is a shock to me. After which, my desire to for hifi house visit has diminished...
Anyway, hifi is a personal hobby. Just enjoy the music...




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NOS old German EL34 tubes

Today is Easter holiday and I took the opportunity to trade my pair of unused vintage KT66 tubes for a Quad set of old EL34 tubes for my Unison Research Simply 2. I have changed my amplifier from KT66 Amplifier to amplifier using EL34 tubes and the seller is the reverse as he has changed from using Mrantz 8 using the EL34 tubes to KT66 tubes. Good for both of us!

The advantage of the Simply 2 is that it only requires 2 EL34 tubes and a pair of 12AX7 tubes, making changing of tubes easy and economical.

I am glad that even though I have sold most of my precious vintage amplifiers, I am still able to enjoy the joy of playing with vintage tubes for my amplifier and experiment the different sound for the different tubes. 平有平玩！






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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Linda Ronstadt Canciones de mi Padre

For those of you want to experience the feel of the Latin American music, this Cd by Linda Ronstadt is a must. Besides the good vocal, you can hear the combination of nice instruments and harmonies in singing...


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Location:Gascoigne Road,,China (strange as I am in Hung Hom but the location is elsewhere)

蔡幸娟

除了蔡琴，我想另一個會唱歌的蔡幸娟，大家一定會記得吧!

她有非常感情的聲線，聽過她唱歌的人都會被她的歌聲感動




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Location:Hung Hom Bypass,,Hong Kong

My hifi set 2013

After the recent changes in the hifi gear, I have finally settled down with my new "old" gears.
With the exception of the new Sonus Faber Cremona auditor M SE speakers, the rest of the gears are all second hand used gears, but luckily there are still in very good condition.
My intention is to have a "low FI" price hifi system and i would want to achieve good music with proper matching of the gear rather then getting the best of the best by paying top dollars. In addition, I would also want to have the hifi gears which also looks nice in appearance and not bulky in size (for ease of moving in the future).
After months of research, I am so happy that I need not spent huge dollars to get the sound that I want. One of the lesson that I have learnt is to start the hifi music system with the speakers in mind. I have audition many pair of vintage and new speakers before settling down. My aim is to have a hifi system that is versatile enough to play vocal music as well as orchestra music.




There are many who get lost in the hifi world as they have chosen some very hard to drive speakers to start with. Following which, he will have to find powerful amplifier to drive it and hopefully being able to bring out the best of the system.
As a project, i have started a "spring cleaning" with garage sales. i have sold my Dali Minuet ii speakers, sold the Artist speakers cables, traded in my Philips CD player, sold the small lap top, sold the unused Sony recorder etc in order to raise funds for the change in hifi. With a total budget of not exceeding HK$70,000 only (for the SF speakers, Unison Research Simply 2 power and Music First pre amplifiers, Yter speakers cables, Marantz 63, mkii KI CD players, WE CD isolation transformer, Matisse sound conductor, the current set up is really value for money and is capable of producing music three times its value. Yea! Cheap and good!




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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Marantz 63 mk II KI cd player

I have finally bought the Marantz 63 mk ii KI CD player. Even though this is a used 2010 CD player, the overall condition is fantastic and it comes complete with the remote as well.
Only two external details identify the K.I. Signature: the flashy name plate on the front and large copper-coloured areas visible underneath. The CD player weight much heavier then my previous vintage Philip CD players. Sound wise is much more control and better clarity and resolution. At HK$2500, this is really the best buy CD player where the sound quality reflects the CD players over hk$10000.
According to a review, the CD-63 is a slim-line budget player jam-packed with every facility expected of a CD player, plus remote volume control. It uses Philips' CDM12.3 three-beam laser assembly with digital servo-drive (DSD), a single-bit converter and Hyper Dynamic Amp Modules (HDAM) to reduce noise in the analogue output section. The latter devices are probably the secret to the CD-63's supremacy in the entry-level arena. What Ken Ishiwata has added to the SE's recipe to justify the Signature tag are a new, over-sized ultra-low-impedance toroidal transformer, a completely copper-plated anti-vibration chassisand improved copper versions of Marantz's HDAMs...




























With the change in speakers, power amplifiers, speakers cables, and now the CD player, my hifi transformation is complete. The Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M SE matches well with my Singale ended Unison research SE simply two, and the Yter cables are the best match for the Sinus Faber speakers. The Marantz Cd with its clarity and dynamism will be perfect! All is well now!
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Marantz cd 63KI make II

My initial intention is to look for a nice new modern CD player. However, I came across a Marantz CD 63 KI signature version which made me change my mind. KI is the short form for Mr. Ken Ishiwata, a famous audiophiles engineer that has made the Marantz CD player special.

As any keen audiophile will know, this Marantz special edition CD-63 MkII KI Signature was painstakingly modified by legendary hi-fi guru Ken Ishiwata to give the most natural, transparent, musical and rhythmic sound possible.

From what i have gathered reviews from the net says that unlike so many CD players, this one is very, very enjoyable and engaging to listen to, regardless of what genre of music is spinning in the drawer: there is none of the flat, sterile sound which characterises so many players, old and new. The player benefits from copper plating of many of its parts, and features Elna Silmic and Cerafine audio-grade capacitors as well as Marantz's own discrete Hyper Dynamic Amp Modules (HDAM) in place of the much more widely used but sonically inferior op amps. Thanks to such high quality engineering, this player is made for long listening sessions, as it sounds so good it's difficult to hit the stop button. The sound is punchy, toe-tapping, three-dimensional and has excellent tonal colour.

With this in mind, the new CD player can now wait..haha..
















http://hometheaterreview.com/marantz-cd-63ii-ki-signature-cd-player-reviewed/

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Back to the 80s music

This cd has a special meaning. The songs are mostly from the happy 1980s, the time when I am still in school. The Bangles, Shakin Stevens, Bonnie Taylor, Spandau Ballet, Wham! Sade, Paul Young are singers that were active during the happy era.

I can sing most of the songs during the 80s. Music seems to be one big part of my life then. Sometimes, I think the MP3 music and music download has taken away big part of the fun ..especially in shopping for CDs. I remember listening to the DJ music every Sunday for the top charts in USA and UK and many of the singers are great!

Tonight, I would like to thank these singers for giving me so much fun during the 80s and even now...




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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Yter

After several hours of running in, the sound gets to be so realistic...







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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

My simple system 2013

2013 is a new start and my hifi journey continues with a simple set up consisting of Sonus Faber Cremona M SE speakers + Unison research SE simply 2 (single ended) power amplifier + Music First audio passive pre-amplifier.

Even though I sometimes missed my vintage gears but given the busy schedules and lack of time for maintenance, my current set up is good enough for my listening pleasure.

There is a recent debate on how should one set up one system with limited budget. My recommendation is that it starts with the selection of speakers. If one has a high efficiency speakers, one need not buy a powerful amplifier to drive the speakers. Thus, the speakers should be the starting point..



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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Sonus Faber + Yter speakers cables

After a tiring trip to Shanghai, Vietnam and Bangkok, I have finally back to Hong Kong. Immediately after I have unloaded my luggage, I quickly made appointment with the seller of Yter cables and wa laa... the speakers cables are now connected to my Sonus Faber speakers and the speakers sings beautifully. This is the first time I am trying to ensure that all system matches with one another Firstly, the Unison research amplifier with its 4ohms output matches with my Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor 4 ohms speakers. Next, the Yter speakers cables match well with my Sonus Faber.

This is the first time is I am using the silver + palladium cables to replace my copper cables. My initially listening is that it provides more clarity and analysis..

Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired by her when she slew Pallas. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs). These have similar chemical properties, but palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of them.




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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Sawadee

Sawadee everyone! Life is good and I am currently in the land of thousand smiles...

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Location:ถนนเพลินจิต,Lumphini,Thailand

Les Miserables

Went To watch the London cast Les Miserables. Was fortunate enough to get the ticket for the Saturday night performance...


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Location:Millstone Close,London,United Kingdom

Les Miserables

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Location:Millstone Close,London,United Kingdom

Yter speakers ables

I was informed that the Yter speakers cables are the best match for my Sonus Faber.

Some facts :
To intervene at a metallurgic level to obtain order and homogeneity of the conductor's crystalline structure, thus providing greater compliance of the music signal within the signal path.
Pairing Silver(Ag) and Palladium(Pd) using a new three-phase fusion process is the basic element of the alloy.
The crystalline homogeneity of the special alloy is the basis for the metallurgic harmony found in our conductor, almost as if it were a metal "tune".
It's all in the process:Well Tempered Argentum Alloy
The result of this development is a speaker cable (YTER) that ensures metallurgical coherence in the path from the amplifier to the drivers.







I don't know much about the scientific combo but i know silver and palladium...
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Location:Công Trường Lam Sơn,Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

Unison research simply 2 ~ LS3/5a 11ohms

Yesterday, I went to a audiophile home to buy the Unison Research Simply 2 limited edition. He is the second policeman I know in Hkg after John. He was using the Simply 2 with a pair of Ls3/5a. During the audition, I was impressed by Simply2's ability to drive the Ls3/5a. I was so tempted to buy the pair of LS3/5a for keep sake.

My hifi journey has been an interesting one. If I have plenty of time, I would have continued my vintage hifi routes. However, with the need for constant travel, my hifi requirements and needs have changed as I need to ensure that my equipments are easy to maintain and lasting in condition. Moreover, the constant move of apartments have made packing and unpacking of these very delicate and expensive vintage gears a challenge. Moreover, the costs of maintaining these vintage gears are getting expensive as the old sifu retires..Perhaps one day when I have more time, I shall return to the vintage amps but at the moment, I shall just be contented with the one I have.

Originally, I was thinking of just getting a simple and budget set of hifi for leisure listening. However, once you have tasted good music, it is not easy to settle for less. as such, I have decided to even "upgrade" within the limited budget with changing the speakers as priority as the speakers are the final "output" where the sound appear! Many audiophiles have focussed their attention in getting great amplifiers but have neglected the speakers. IMHO, even if one gets an expensive amplifiers, if the speakers have limitation (such as no high on low), how can one expect to extract the best music out from the good system? As such, perhaps, the start of any hifi should be from the speakers and then work backward to get the amplifier etc.

Moreover, given the wides range of choices, should we limit ourselves? This is the question that I have asked myself. With the exception of the large Tannoy Cantebury (which is a lovely pair of speakers), owing to space constraint in Hk, I have been limiting myself in playing with small speakers at a price range of $Hk10-15k. i have decided to my jump out of the budget range with the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M and it has enlightened me a great deal. If the hk apartment is mine, I would have bought the floor standing Sonus Faber Cremona speakers in order to enjoy the full spectrum of music...
For now, I shall focus on getting an apartment in Hkg first....






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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong

Simply 2 + music First preamplier

Hi-End音響圈好聲的擴大機品牌眾多，但要提到造型出眾、令人印象深刻，來自義大利的Unison Research絕對可以排到前三名，他家產品的特色就是巧妙地結合原木與金屬，製作出宛如藝術品一般的機箱，即使不發聲，靜靜擺在那裡都像是一座藝術品
http://www.hifidiprinzio.it/en/prodotto.php?id_categoria=405&id=3389
The Simply Two is the little integrated tube amplifier that has had unparalleled success all over the world, winning many awards along the way.
The Simply Two is not only an important and innovative realization in terms of aesthetics—it’s also an amplifier that has extraordinary capabilities when it comes to music reproduction, especially in terms of image, clarity, linearity and musical precision. By just looking at the Simply Two you can immediately see its simplicity. The circuit, which has become an absolute classic, places the tubes in their ideal working conditions. The remarkable advantages offered by our new technologies, when coupled with the best components available, yield noteworthy results.
The design of the Simply Two starts right at the EL 34 tube, where the valve is matched with a pure class A bias, ultra-linear configuration and an high-quality output transformer. It’s a well-known fact that the output transformer has always been the most critical and important component in valve amplifiers, so for this reason our research concentrated on this component from the very beginning. We have performed a variety of interesting tests on the different kinds of windings for transformers, and in the end we have found an ideal solution by using low magnetic sparse flux and low stray capacitance.
In addition, the wooden parts used in this amplifier have a very important role: they reduce the mechanical resonances of the chassis so that the tubes can operate in ideal conditions without vibrations.
For the 15th anniversary of our prestigious and highly successful amplifier, we have proposed the Simply Two integrated amplifier as a limited series.




Unison Research Simply 2 + Music First passive preamplier + Matisse + Sonus Faber Cremona auditor M SE

In summary, the Unison Research Simply 2 tube integrated amplifier produces active music with smoothness and quick transient and elasticity plus a splendid high low frequency performance. The magnificent scene control is not vulgar, so long as the choice loudspeaker effectiveness for a period of time rate do not have too to be low, then it will be able to have the very good performance.


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Location:Metropolis Drive,,Hong Kong