The Wonderful sound of Tannoy

After one hour of running in, I have finally managed to hear the familiar relax sound from the vintage Tannoy! When using the Tannoy to listen to Holst's The Planets, I can really feel the mood and the atmosphere especially the part of getting ready for battle. Listening to my favourite Carmen suite was another joy as I could feel the energy and the zest from the tunes & sound from the Tannoy!

After trying out many pair of speakers, the Tannoy, I must admit, is my all time favourite as one need not worry much about speakers placement, focal point and it has the ability to play both classical orchestra music, chamber music and even light instrument. In short, it is a good pair of all rounder speakers!

Someone has said: Tannoys are like a Rolls Royce, they are always very refined and dignified, Lowthers are like a Ferrari, spectacular when running correctly but requiring lots of tuning".

Tannoy Mallorcan Monitor Gold 12 USA

I have previously shipped back my pair of Tannoy Cantebury red monitor to Singapore when I have to move my apartment from Lam Tin to Harbourview Horizon Hung Hom.

Ever since then, I have been using small speakers such as the 755a, Leak sandwiched for listening of music in HK. However, with my recent change in taste in music, listening to classical music with the 755a and the Leak sandwiched have been a little stretching for the speakers.

As such, I have started my process of searching of larger speakers once again. At the same time, I was also helping my friend KY to serach for a pair of Tannoy with cabinets. Since January 2008, I have began my active search for the vintage Tannoy speakers. This week, I have managed to find a pair of Tannoy 15 inch Gold Monitor Lancaster as well as a pair of 12 inch red monitor in Lancaster cabinets. However, both of these are obviously too big for my current apartment.

Like what they say, when there is a will, there is a way. After much searching, I have finally managed to find another pair of smaller matched pair Tannoy 12 inch Gold Monitor Tannoy Mollrocan (14 inch width X 24 inch length X 11 inch depth) that will fit into my apartment!

: )

To maintain the 1 in 1 out policy, I have sold off my mint condition Leak Sandwiched speakers to another collector in order to keep minimal set..

KSP215k Speakers

Recently, I came across a pair of very unique speakers from the 1970s.

These speakers were made in East Germany when East and West were in cold war. Having accumulated so much sound and radar techology from the Second World War, engineers in East German decided to make their own speakers for studio monitoring and broadcasting. Schulz have 3 types of fullrange tht are being used in studio set up. The flagship is TH315 which is super rare and sometimes they go on ebay for EUR3000 now.

The second is KSP215k which is the 8 inch version with a whizzer cone. These were used in mono originally and therefore you will see a variety of colours of metal frame and magnet pastic cap version, but they are all the same drivers. The magic thing is that they have a cellulose dust cap which gives the extended high frequency response.The Ball Ball speaker cabinets were made by a company called Veb Statron around 70's (the space age era) for using the ksp215k at home. They are cool looking with acoustic material stuffing inside. TO mak space for these lovely speakers, I have sold off my JVC wood cone speakers.

For details, please see:http://www.rft-hifigeraete.de/9465.html

http://www.german-vintage-loudspeakers.com/navid.74/schulz-ksp-215-full-range-driver-alnico-version.htm

Small amplifier for Tannoy

I have stopped buying amplifiers for a long while. For my Vintage Tannoy Cantebury speakers, I was told that even a small powered amplifiers could have sufficient power to drive it beautifully.

Recently, I cam across a very small amplifier (7 inch by 5 inch) with 2.5 watts power. I have tried it with my Leak speakers and it sounded great!

I hope to bring it back to Singapore during my next trip back. In the mean time, I use it to drive my woood cone speakers for the bedroom use. Sounded great too!

Addicted to Billie Holiday!

My favourite jazz singer has always been Elle.

However, lately, I have been introduced to Billie Holiday. I like her late 1950s recording as even though her voice has been "broken" and even though the sound is not as sweet as before, the emotion behind the songs are really true and exceptional.

Of all the CD, my favourite is the Lady in Satin Cd. In particular, the song: I'm a Fool To Want you and The End of a Love Affair" can really bring tears to my eyes when listening to them late at night.

The song could easily expresse her sorrow and her pain...

A salute to the singers before my time! Great songs and great singers can really live beyond time and space!

Addicted to Billie Holiday

I have alays been a great fan of lle for jazz music. However, recenly, I as introduced to Billie Holiday. Billie Holiday's early recording 1930s-40s are quite sweet. However, what captured my attention and my sou was her last few recording from the 1950s when her voice has become"broken" and "tough". I love her Lady in atinCd especially the sound I'm a Fool To Want you and The End of A Love Affair.

Listening to the two songs late at night could really bring tears to my eyes. Her songs truly expressed her deep soorow and the pain that she has gone through all the years as well as her many disspointment in her love relationship! Billie Hliday was truly one of the greatest...together with Elle and Louis Armstrong..My salute to the singers before my time!

Great CD Noye's flddle, op 59

With the recent change of job, I have not been very active in listening to my my hifi. This evening, I have managed to squeeze in some time to listen to the Noye's fidde, op 59..

The recording is excellence as one can easily "see" the children matching t the stage by listening to the CD!

What a joy!

Goodbye Pye Mozart

This evening, my Pye Mozart have left home to another audiophile's home. I have cleared many of my spares amplifiers keeping only my favourite Leak TL12.1 + Marantz 7 + WE 755a for use in SIngapore and the WE124b + NAgra PLL + Altec 755a in HK. I have trie to keep many set of amplifiers but the lack of time to tke care of all of them has made me decided to keep the only set that I need.

With the departure of my spare amplifiers, I have now more time to listen to the music. ..which is the reason for the amplifiers anyway..

Recently, beside listening to my favourite Ella, I have been hooked on Billie Holiday...especially her last album LAtin in Satin...which sounded so emtional and sad...

Enjoy your music!

Some Jazz & classical tonight

I have spent quite a number of hours listening to some jazz muisc from Ella and Billie Holiday using my WE124b + Nagra PLL+ Leak sandwich speakers.

This afernoon, I have spent quite some time placing my speakers and now, the music is flowing with better depth and soundstage.

I have managed to streamline my gears to a very manageable level with one set here in Hong Kong and one set in Singapore.
The propblem of vintage amplifiers gears is that once the items are left un-used, problems will arises... :)

Rogers Gold badge 金牌仔 LS3/5a speakers Re-visited

I have managed to listen to my Rogers 15ohms early version gold badge recently. There are many versions of the Rogers LS3/5a namely: The Rogers gold Badge, the Rogers Black badge, white balley, the White badge, the pusedo 15ohms, and the later plastic logo etc.

I have owned several pair in the past and I must say that the Rogers Gold badge is the best! In what aspects? In every aspects I must say!

For those who are keen to keep one the classic LS3/5a speakers, go for the ultimate Rogers 15 ohm Gold badge! Alternatively, you can go for the Chartwell LS3/5a. If you can only own one pair, just go for the Gold badge and you will be pleased! Go for the very best!

Happy Lunar New Year 2008

Happy Lunar New Year!

I have brought back my Rogers 15 ohms Gold badge to Singapore as there are many who asked me to sell...and I am afraid of "giving in" to these demands... So, the safest way to keep them is to bring them backl to Singapore!

Have a nice festive holiday listening to your favourite music!

Cheers

Classic Records 24K Gold CD

After months of searching, I have finally managed to find 80% of the Classic 24k Gold Cds that I desire.

There are two more classical in my list namely the Royal Ballet, Mother Goose, and 4 more Jazz Cds, namely Elle (2 CDs), Louise Armstrong (1 D) and one more from hirley Horn. In addition, there are 2 more from Belefonte..

The search for good vintage amplifiers has been a challenging task. However, the serach for excellent recording CDs are even harder as these were not popular during the early lauched period owing to its relatively high cost at that time. Nevertheless, my believe that the source of music is critical to good music production as what is the use of having excellent speakers, amplifiers, CD player, cables and interconnect when the source of music is bad?

Enjoy your music!

Beethoven Symphony No 9

Many of my friend has asked me why I have bought the Beethoven Symphony No 9..

Here is the reason:

An aging Beethoven, ill and deaf, conducting the orchestra and chorus in the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, conducting even after they had ceased to perform, after they had reached the end of the stunning new work, after the audience had already begun to applaud, continuing to conduct until a singer turned him around so that he could see the thunderous cheers that were resounding throughout the hall... Whenever the applause occurred, the fact that it passed unheard by Beethoven makes clear that he could never have heard a note of this most magnificent composition. Think about that bitter fact, and then wonder that a man so crossed by fate could still demand a choir to sing rapturously of joy.

Beethoven had first encountered Schiller's poem "An die Freude" ("To Joy") over thirty years before he completed the Ninth Symphony. The poem had first appeared in print in 1785, and from that time on was quite popular in the German states. Evidence suggests that Beethoven may have set the text to music as early as 1792. Other attempts were made in 1808 and 1811, when Beethoven's notebooks include remarks to himself concerning possible settings for the familiar text. These years of toying with Schiller's ode were also years of personal and professional growth. When he first came to know the poem, he was an optimistic young artist who had not yet composed his First Symphony, yet Beethoven's third approach to the poem, in 1812, came with the completion of the Eighth Symphony. Perhaps the professional experience he had gained in those decades led him to consider that a poem of such spiritual power required an equally powerful setting, for he soon embarked on the creation of his Ninth Symphony, the work in which Schiller's words would be given glorious flight.

Ten years would pass before this final symphony's completion, ten years in which Beethoven shed blood over every note, considering and rejecting over two-hundred different versions of the "Joy" theme alone. At the end of that time, he offered to the public a radically new creation that was part symphony and part oratorio, a hybrid that proved puzzling to his less daring observers. The conductor Louis Spohr, who knew Beethoven, asserted privately that the piece was "tasteless," and Verdi, who, it must be admitted knew a thing or two about how to blend music and words, lamented that the grand finale was "badly set." Yet others have better understood Beethoven's final symphonic work, and have defended it eloquently. Let us give Claude Debussy the last word: "It is the most triumphant example of the molding of an idea to the preconceived form; at each leap forward there is a new delight, without either effort or appearance of repetition; the magical blossoming, so to speak, of a tree whose leaves burst forth simultaneously. Nothing is superfluous in this stupendous work... Beethoven had already written eight symphonies and the figure nine seems to have had for him an almost mystic significance. he determined to surpass himself. I can scarcely see how his success can be questioned."

© Elizabeth Schwarm Glesner

I love the final part where they are great vocal!

《魔鬼的颤音》（Diabolus in Musica）

《魔鬼的颤音》（Diabolus in Musica）它精选了1975至1977年意大利小提琴家阿卡多（Salvatore Accardo）演奏帕格尼尼小提琴曲的选段，帕格尼尼最脍炙人口的作品几乎全都网罗在内。

魔鬼附身

阿卡多出生于1941年，六岁开始学习小提琴，1958年参加第四届帕格尼尼国际小提琴比赛荣获第一，一举成名！帕格尼尼是小提琴演奏史上，技巧最出神入化的一位。他的演奏炉火纯青、神乎其技，能人所不能，被“誉”为魔鬼附身！

阿卡多能够在以帕格尼尼为名的小提琴比赛中脱颖而出，技巧之高超自然不在话下。卡拉扬在生前就曾经说过：“假如要我举出10位当代最好的小提琴家，阿卡多肯定是其中的一位。”

Review from:

http://avmagazine.com/06/diabolus.htm

I have done a brief comparion between the three version of the Diabolus in Musica: the LPCD, the 24k Gold version and the normal CD version. The LPCD has the sharpest accuracy and dynamics while the normal CD sounded the smoothest. The 24K gold Cd is a good in between for those who want dynamism and yet long for natural flow of music. It all depends on you listening needs..

Classical music

I have been hooked onto Classical music lately. The beauty of the classical music lies in its depth of musical variation, as well as its tremendous musical presentations.

Extreme hard glass Cd

I have seen many audiophiles making negative comments on the extreme hard glass CD. For example What happen when one drop the CD, the sound would not be better then Lp etc etc.

I wonder how many has actually listened to the CD before making such comments? Have an open mind is neccessary, perhaps?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2AEaQJuKDY&feature=related

Extreme HardGlass CD : Beethoven No 9

After much waiting, my Beethoven Symphonie No 9 glass Cd has finally arrived from Japan.

I did a quick AB comparison between the glass CD versus the normal Cd, I must say that the glass Cd sounded very close to listening to live concert!

When coming to track No 5 vocal portion, the placement of people became very obvious. The voices are full of warm and emotion with clear definition, soundstage and refinement!

It has been a long struggles the price of the CD is equal to a nice Fisher 400Cx pre-amplifier or Fisher 5oC. However, given the important of the source of music (i.e recording of the CD), it is really worthwhile as what is the point of having nice power and pre-amplifiers, CD players plus all expensive cables and interconnect when the recording of the CD is bad? Enjoy!


http://news.u-audio.com.tw/newsdetail.asp?newsid=392

http://news.u-audio.com.tw/newsdetail.asp?newsid=380

http://news.u-audio.com.tw/newsdetail.asp?newsid=388

Great Cd- Classic records

In the past,I have not paid much attention to recording.These Classic records CD were not popular in the 90s..but these great CDs are really great in term of recording quality!

For the classic series,there are a total of 16 Cds...3 more to go to complete the list: 1812, Petrushka and witches Brew!!

Classical Top 100 List

Classical top 100 list

1. Beethoven: Symphony No.9 (Ode to Joy)
2. Beethoven: Symphony No.5
3. Dvorak: Symphony No.9 (From the New World)
4. Beethoven: Symphony No.3 (Eroica)
5. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
6. Pachelbel: Canon in D
7. Beethoven: Symphony No.6 (Pastoral)
8. Bach: The Brandenburg Concerti
9. Mozart: Symphony #41 (Jupiter)
10. Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
11. Handel: Messiah
12. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 (Emperor)
13. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2
14. Beethoven: Symphony No.7
15. Handel: Water Music
16. Mozart: Requiem
17. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Ballet
18. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
19. Smetana: The Moldau
20. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.21 (Elvira Madigan)
21. Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
22. Holst: The Planets
23. Schubert: The Trout Quintet
24. Saint-Saens: Symphony No.3 (Organ)
25. Copland: Appalachian Spring
26. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
27. Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor
28. Mozart: Symphony No.40
29. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1
30. Schubert: Symphony No.8 (Unfinished)
31. Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
32. Beethoven: Violin Concerto
33. Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks
34. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
35. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.14 (Moonlight)
36. Barber: Adagio for Strings
37. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3
38. Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
39. Brahms: Violin Concerto
40. Schubert: Symphony No.9 (Great)
41. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
42. Massenet: Meditation from "Thais"
43. Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1
44. Dvorak: Cello Concerto
45. Brahms: Symphony No.1
46. Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor
47. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
48. Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4 (Italian)
49. Sibelius: Finlandia
50. Bizet: Carmen Suites
51. Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
52. Bach: Mass in B minor
53. Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
54. Ravel: Bolero
55. Strauss, Jr.: The Beautiful Blue Danube
56. Brahms: Symphony No.2
57. Mahler: Symphony No.1 (Titan)
58. Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
59. Handel: Largo from "Xerxes"
60. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream
61. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals
62. Telemann: Tafelmusik
63. Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
64. Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
65. Bach: Anna Magdalena Bach Book Excerpts
66. Rossini: Overture to "William Tell"
67. Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien
68. Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours
69. Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
70. Dvorak: Symphony No.8
71. Brahms: Symphony No.3
72. Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
73. Haydn: Symphony No.94 (Surprise)
74. Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
75. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 (Pathetique)
76. Bruch: Scottish Fantasy
77. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5
78. Elgar: Enigma Variations
79. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
80. Beethoven: Triple Concerto
81. Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
82. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites
83. Brahms: A German Requiem
84. Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
85. Bach: Cantata 140 (Sleepers, Awake)
86. Verdi: Requiem
87. Mozart: Overture to "The Marriage of Figaro"
88. Rossini: Overture to "The Barber of Seville"
89. Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
90. Respighi: The Pines and Fountains of Rome
91. Berlioz: Harold in Italy
92. Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
93. Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture and Venusburg
94. Albinoni: Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ
95. Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3 (Scottish)
96. Liszt: Les Preludes
97. Wagner: The Ring Cycle
98. Dukas: Sorcerer's Apprentice
99. Orff: Carmina Burana
100. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.23

Classic Records 24K Gold CD

Recently, I have been poisoned by Mr Teh who has introduced me to the highly "poisonous" Classic Records 24k gold Cd.

These CDs were not popular during the launch in the early 1990s. However, its superb recording has made them one of the most hard to find Cds among the well informed audiophiles.

I have had an A/B compariosn between a normal Cds versus these Classic Records Gold Cds and the differences were very obvious and clear!

MAny audiophiles have spent much money in the power amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, Speakers, speakers stands, interconnet, CD player etc...but often neglect the source of music..i.e CD or LPs

Quality in Quality out..