Review: YBA WD202

Review: YBA WD202 DAC
Overview: YBA

I shall not mince words. This is a wonderful DAC with a quite distinctive sound. I think I can pick it out from a crowd.

Status of YBA
According to the web, Chinese manufacturer Shanling (a good company in my book), said to have long been majority shareholder of YBA, bought the remaining shares in early 2010, but have retained the service of Monsieur Andre.

The official website, now revived, makes no mention of this fact. You shall note that YBA has 3 levels of products. Top-of-the-line is the Signature series, which has retained its classic looks (and I hope the good sound I have heard before) and is rumored to be still made in France. The Passion series is one tier below, extension of their more recent efforts (I'd guess made in China now?). In the HK AV Show recently I spotted the new look, ghastly in my opinion.

WD202 DAC
The WD202 DAC belongs to the budget DESIGN series (which has its own website), made in China but they look better than the Passion series! All products sport a solidly milled case with three-pronged support instead of the usual four rubber feet. Assembly is intricate and you have been warned that removing the case to take a glance at the innards is a risky proposal.

The WD202 is full in features and has been rave reviewed. The Stereophile review is excellent and extensive. Read also the Techradar review and goodsound.

Initial Impressions "...The most special thing about it is the way it "speaks"...Most CDPs and DACs sound more similar than dissimilar. In my experience, very few DACs sound distinctive. I know people are going to trudge out the absolute sound/neutrality thing, but as any vinyl person would know, each good sound has a personality. Early Naim digital is also memorable in this regard...As soon as I plugged in the YBA, I was shocked by its personality. It "speaks"! It gives punctuation to music, makes the musician's phrasing easy to follow. comm-buddy says its quite analogue and indeed it is...It is not often I call up people to talk about a DAC. With this one, I called up 2 people..." (posted in R33)

More What is it that intrigued me? Techradar has nailed it: it is the way the YBA handles microdynamics and rhythm and pace, way beyond what we usually hear in a digital player. All of a sudden, you can hear all the stressed beats effortlessly. This kind of replay enlivens a track like Take Five from Brubeck's Time Out. Focusing on Morello's drums, the bad CD player can make the strong beats only that little louder than the weak ones; the average CD player gives you an approximation of the playing; but the truly outstanding player, like the YBA (or an old Naim, say the CD2), makes you aware of the infinite dynamic shading and brings out the full flow. Whatever the CD, the YBA delivers the music in spades. In my system, the bass has a slight tendency to be a little ripe, but the way it moves is excellent. It is a cliche to praise digital gears as analog-like, but if a piece of gear qualifies for that term, the YBA is it.

There is very good detail and soundstage, possibly superior to the Musical Fidelity M1 I praised previously, but the two players cannot have more different sounds. In comparison, sonic images of the M1 are more spotlit and leaner, the rhythm not as felicitous. When it comes to ability to play loud I feel the YBA trumped the M1, hence here I take issue with Techradar's review.

USB In and Other Impressions I loaned it to my friend com-buddy to try out the CAS. He did, and more (posted in R33)...

"...Totally amazing performance and very high price/performance ratio. Sound is pretty analog (which is a must to reduce the harsh CAS sound). Good details and accurate. At this price, what else I can say?..."

"...I have tried to use the coaxial out from the Wd202 to feed into another DAC..Amazingly, It improves the sound for the other DAC a lot(20-30%). I think the jitter has been reduced by the buffering of the coaxial out. (editor's note: this is corroborated by fellow R33 mate chkwan:"...I have connected the Coaxial out from WD202 to my Aqvox II and my friend's Northstar. Both have very significant improvement. If anyone has more than 1 DAC, why not to give a try...I have discovered it many months ago and emailed to YBA to ask if it can be used to reduce the jitter, but they did not give me any answer...")

"...this decent YBA WD202 performs like a $20K+ dac with fool-proof operation...may jeopardize some self-claim superior designed DIY trader's business..."

"...After another month of usage of this fabulous DAC, I found it is improving after a one month non-power-off torture. Without losing the original analog taste of sound, it offers even more details and textures on every note. Piano just sounds more piano. Nothing more and nothing less..."

Testing system :
CD-- Studer A734 Limited (original Pikatron transformer output) ; Arcam D137 (Haufe transformer output)
CAS--Compaq notebook
Preamp: Revox B286; Telefunken STP-1.
Amp: Dynaudioacoustics T1000; Klein Hummel SB280.
Speakers: Dynaudio D40 3 way floorstanding. Revox Studio MK-IV 3 way bookshelf.

"...This little inexpensive DAC is just too much fun...."

Headphone Amp I have not yet tried out the earphone output.

Conclusion
A killer and a bargain. In the US this sells for around $800, but I think price may drop later, because in HK this sells for around USD 500. I suspect the difference may reflect clearance. Given the sea changes at YBA I'd wait if not in a hurry. No matter, even at list price it is a must for audition.

Brief Note on Audio Refinement Audio Refinement is a Taiwanese company that used to collaborate with YBA. It is not clear whether YBA still has ties with it now that the company is sold to the China PRC. Many years ago I heard one of their CD players. It did not at all give me any of the feelings I have with the WD202.

Below pic: Innards of the WD202 from Greek website AVMentor:

CD Recommendation: Popular

CD Recommendation: Popular

For this audiophile, it seems something nice always happens at the end of the year. Yesterday I borrowed several items from the local library, and I am happy to report that I have discovered two wonderful singers and re-visited two old favorites.

Stunning New Voices
Remember the early years of "fusion", "one world" and "New Age"? Well, I have to say towards that end some current efforts are much more sophisticated than those from earlier times.

Previously Jon Balke's work on ECM did not really impress me, but Siwan, the 2009 collaboration with Moroccan musicians and singer Amina Alaoui strike me as a superbly worthwhile effort. Grant you, I have always had fondness and admiration for Arabic music and tradition (not the gender issues and political stuff) , and this re-creation adds to it. Amina Alaoui sings in several languages, and her voice is wonderful sultry, yet strong. Balke and the band deliver great atmosphere and the recording is impeccable. For once, the ECM booklet is not empty or full of BS, instead with useful notes and lyrics. Imagine, poems by not one but two deposed and imprisoned poet-kings! A resounding success. A youtube clip of what to me is the most Arabic cut, Ya Safwati, is included below.

Less innovative is the collaboration between Afro-Spanish "flamenco" songstress Buika and Cuban jazz pianist and bandleader Chucho Valdes. The songs are a tribute to the great Spanish diva Chavela Vargas. I must say Buika's voice is at least as distinctive, if not more so, and I enjoyed the album immensely. This is not a voice for those couch-potato audiophiles who listen to bland female singers (the majority). This is a woman on fire here! The old songs are impeccably and tastefully rendered by the band. Those who like the sound of the old Trios Los Panchos will find much to like, though Buika's voice is far removed from, say, their collaborator Eydie Gorme. Below I have embedded 3 youtubes of the title song El ultimo trago, Spanish for "the last drink", meaning the last breath: the CD recording; live; and as originally interpreted by Vargas.

Old Favorites
Some silly audiophiles only buy old versions of CDs. While it is true some older issues sound better than later generations, one should not be categorical about this. When it comes to pop, many new re-masterings sound distinctly better.

I enjoyed this seminal Cat Stevens album more than the old LP I had. The sound is rich and full, the songs timeless. Salute to the tillermen of audio remasterings!

The Beatles Mono Masters delivered awesome mono sound quality that allows one to focus on the music. Never before had I been more aware of the rhythmic swagger of this band! This 2-CD set is from genuine mono masters. This wikipedia entry explains the difference of this set from Past Masters. Highly worthwhile!

Review: Belden 8471

Review: Belden 8471

Official Spec

I have long been a fan of Belden cables (not their power cables though) and it is always a pleasure to try out a different model. Recently I got to try out some Belden loudspeaker cables. I highly recommend the cheap Belden 8471 (16 AWG stranded (19x29) tinned copper conductors, PVC insulation, twisted pair, PVC jacket).

You may remember that the Belden 9497 (write-up and spec here) has long been one of my reference cables. So how do they compare?

Material-wise, the 8471 is similar, though judging by the description the conductor of 9497 is likely faster. Both are completely unshielded and have two twisted conductors. The 9497 is more distinctive by having a much greater twist angle (almost unique in its severity). The 9497 has lower inductance and resistance (capacitance not rated, likely high).

The sound of the the 8471 can be described in one word: beautiful. It is balanced and detailed. Its greatest strength is a top-class treble, incredibly refined, airy and seductive and comparable to anything else I have heard. Its possible weaknesses are a barely noticeable, very mild "slowness" and bass that is perhaps very slightly on the light side. Users of 9497 who would like a little more treble air will likely like the 8471. A winner.

The Belden 8471 is easily available both in the US and in HK. In Hong Kong, a seller on the internet offers irresistible price, and he is a nice guy! Buy with confidence.

Note: I also tried out 8471's bigger brother, the thicker (10 AWG) Belden 5T00UP, similar in construction but using ETP copper (that is more similar to 9497, though it doesn't say tinned). The 5T00UP does not have the outstanding treble of 8471 but is a little faster. Bass is more prodigious but I feel it is possibly less coherent than the 8471 and 9497. YMMV.

In Memory of Those We Loved and Lost

In Memory of Those We Loved and Lost

This article is dedicated to our friend feikeung

《大圈仔》《旗兵》之由來
The Yumcha Diary: December 24th, 2011
Backlogged, seriously backlogged. There are so many articles in the mental pipeline, but so little time for execution, particularly at this time of the year. I console myself that I can allow myself to be backlogged in my writing, but not in meeting with friends. On this day, still reeling from AL's party the previous night, I was delighted to find JCR33 has brought his lovely wife to the table, and she took quite a few wonderful pics of us!

Once in a while, late in a yumcha session, the waitress would come by saying there is someone on the phone looking for people from an audiophile gathering. Of course, that could only have come from our eccentric friend feikeung. Mind you, he has my cell number; yet he prefers this more grandiose method!

So, in mid-afternoon, feikeung materialized in front of us. Conversation was immediately energized, and there was considerable controversy on the origin of his latest moniker, bigcircleson, transliterated from Cantonese vernacular 大圈仔。After research, I found out our friend k.c. was absolutely correct in everything!

From the wikipedia entry on the 1984 HK classic gangster movie《省港旗兵》 : "...電影名稱中「旗兵」指紅旗派中的紅衛兵，因劇中匪幫曾為紅衛兵。戲內常稱呼之「大圈仔」其實指來自廣州的人；因之前中國出版之地圖將人口過百萬之特大城市以三個同心圓圈為標誌..." (more info on Baidu)

In Memory of Those We Loved and Lost
During conversation, I found out feikeung had just lost his elder sister this past September. As one who had lost his sister (in 2007) I empathize.

This Chinese ink cartoon by my sister is one of her best works, and fit for the holiday season. Today I just browsed through all her drawings and paintings, and remember her.

Editor's Note: Season's Greetings 2011

Editor's Note: Season's Greetings 2011

To start on a grim note. Two days ago the Chinese celebrated Dongzhi, the Chinese Winter Solstice (if you are interested, here's a wikipedia entry). In Hong Kong, this day is as important as Thanksgiving in the US, and, instead of turkey, a chicken on the table, preferably freshly slaughtered, is almost a must. But this year no live chicken was to be had. Just a few days ago the H5N1 virus strain was discovered in some random samples and wholesale slaughter and dumping was ordered by the government.

From a broadly compassionate and green viewpoint, Buddhist or not, the action is regrettable. If animals are to be farmed for food, they should not be wasted. As a physician, I personally believe this kind of interventionist action, espoused by trigger-happy virologists (a discipline of more tall claims than substance) and "scientists" who do not have a broad view of life in its most basic term (that includes the WHO), not only do not save lives but may be more dangerous than letting things run their due course. Who is to say an inapt effort at containment may just trigger an even more dangerous variant? Think about natural wildfires: the debate on the appropriateness of intervention has continued to this day. Do we have enough respect for nature, which includes other animals?

Seasons Greetings
Here I wish my readers and friends, a wonderful holiday season. May you be healthy and surrounded by family. I cannot resist to say I wish something you have long wanted is finally on sale! Treat yourself!

Merry Christmas chez Shidi
The people of Hong Kong will celebrate any holiday if it is pretext for a good time and if money can be made. Christmas in HK mostly is a distorted version of what it is in the West, consisting of fancy dinner at restaurants and crazy shopping (for the self, not as gifts).

Fortunately, the dinner and wine tasting chez Shidi (the savant I introduced previously here) was a much more congenial affair. For once, the significant others were invited and I must say their presence enlivened the gathering. I say it was also a relief not to have to be so immersed in audiophilia-trivia. That said, we did conclude audio makes us young and healthy. For proof, just look at 余師傅 (top pic below)！

When we got there, shidi (aka AL) was still reeling from the wine he had at lunch in Sai Kung (what a life!). His lovely wife Jane, despite spending much time in the kitchen, found time to be sociable and attended to our every need.

First we were served delicious hors d'oeuvres: 醉雞翼 drunken chicken wings, 滷牛肉 Chinese stewed beef slices, 芙蓉蟹肉 crab meat sauteed with egg white (middle pic below) and 煎鯪魚餅 fried dace patties.

Then came daiwok's 白酒煮青口 Normandy Mussels in wine sauce (pic above). I must say this minimally yet perfectly garnished Moules au vin blanc was a veritable masterpiece. It brought back memory of Bruxelles thirty years ago, but I think daiwok's version was actually better! The sauce was mopped up with French bread.

This was followed by daiwok's 咖喱牛腩 curried beef brisket. daiwok revealed he had an Indian roommate, no wonder the authentic flavor! By the time the 炒蒜苗 sauteed garlic shoots was served we were hopelessly over-stuffed and inebriated.

That was not all, we were served a delicious French cheese (bottom pic below) and home-made chocolate courtesy of food-photographer Edwin. Too bad I could not have coffee so late in the evening. Too bad we had to leave after just one glass of champagne! It was windy outside Victoria Park, but our hearts were warmed.

Thank you all so much for a wonderful evening.

All the large and beautiful photos courtesy of JCR33

Letter from NYC 2011 (21): Martin Logan

Letter from NYC 2011 (21): A Moveable Feast 
A Day with Old Timers

Revised December 2nd, 2011

I ask, how often are you unconditionally offered two full meals a day by your fellow hobbyists? Well, thanks to my friend AL, whose best-of-2010 system you may recall, that was exactly what I got the other day.

Aside from the royal treatment and the conviviality, what impress me the most is the undiminished enthusiasm these old timers exhibit, for audio as well as for music. AL and his friends are all my seniors, but they are all young at heart. I returned convinced that audio shall make us live longer, and more healthily. Here's a toast to you all!

Click pics to enlarge. L, the big lunch; R, the beautiful roomElectrostatic Old Timers
After a pleasant drive up the Palisades, my chauffeur AL, Lao Wu (Peter) and I were the first to arrive at the cozy home of Milty. We were soon joined by Al, Larry and Lao Tang. The hosts were effusively warm and engaging. Imagine, a shot of McCallan as greetings!

While we were feeling the sting of the mid-morning scotch, Milty's lovely wife was toiling away in the kitchen. The crowd was served a huge and delicious lunch of home-made barley soup, roast turkey and corned beef, washed down with two bottles of wine. We ate and talked for a long time, a little on audio but mostly on classical music and other sundries, during the course of which it was determined there are 4 Quad ESL users present, a majority. I must say it was the kind of long lunch that I really enjoy, and I cannot thank the host enough.

The host was proud of his sculpture in the center of the front wall, a smaller replica of the 2 century B.C. The Wrestlers (in the Uffizi). Close inspection shows excellent quality.

We had two sessions, a short one before lunch and a longer one after. We listened only to digital, mostly CDs and, unusually, a little DAD and DVD-A too. The sound produced by the unusual system, "augmented electrostatic" if you will, was wonderful.

The gears, roughly:
Analog: VPI early HW/Eminent Technology arm/Decca Gold (unfortunately not heard)
Digital multi player: Oppo 93SE
Preamp: Luxman CL-35 MkIII (restored; up to spec)
Electronic crossover: DBsystems
Amp: Parasound 2250 (old)
Speakers: Martin Logan CLS (with augmentation)

Sympathetic Vibrations Although Milty's ML is "full-range", for him, a music lover and avid concertgoer, it does not go low enough. To flesh out the sonic picture, with only minimal use of electronic crossover, Milty made elaborate use of surplus. The DBsystems crossover was used only for bass augmentation, to a Belles One amplifier for the low base, driving M &K double woofers with KLH 6 1/2 inch woofers (high base speakers). Interestingly, the small B&Ws were used to beef up the mid-bass a little. High frequency was augmented (connected passively with caps) by the Decca horns in the center (6 of them)! I am sure purists would frown upon reading this, but the great result speaks for itself!

Luxman CL-35 MkIII A word on this classic preamp, revered mostly but denigrated by some. This 70's preamp was likely designed by the great Tim de Paravicini (EAR). There is not much solid information on the net. Try this translated German website (original in German) for the spec's as well as some nice pics. Here I'd have to chime in. My previous experience with an early, and regarded, Luxman all-tube preamp (forgot model number) was not as favorable. It was just a little slow and not dynamic enough. Not so here. Perhaps it has to do with the restoration and of course the speed of the electrostatics. I'd not mind trying out this CL-35 one day.

Oppo 93SE It was great to be able to have just one player that could play everything, including DAD and DVD-A. But without a screen, we could not navigate to get some of these played. Sonically, Milty said he misses his old Meridian 508-24. The player is likely responsible for the little whiteness when the going gets rough.

Reassured Sound It would be a given that the MLs delivered utter transparency and fast transient speed. But even more impressive was the ability of the system to play loud. Integration of the large number of drivers were seamless. The DAD replay of the Classic Records issue of an old Everest classic, the exotic Corroboree of Australian composer John Antill (not to be confused for American George Antheil), was scintillating. Knowing I liked Bruckner, Milty took out his stack and we played both the new Jaarvi/Frankfurt and the old Jochum/Dresden; all preferred the latter. What an orchestra! The DVD-A of the second Kempe Ein Alepnsinfonie with the same orchestra was likewise a pleasure. Just as in the Alpine symphony, one has to make exit when daylight dwindles, so we bade farewell as it was getting dark.

DIY Paradise
Next we hit Lao Tang's house. His dedicated listening room is on the small side. Strangely, his wife decorated the room and the "hifi cabinet" and setup are unusual to say the least. For best sound, we opened the cabinet doors.

Digital Transport: Roksan ROK-DP1
DAC: Parasound D/AC 1600
Preamp: DIY 5998 with tube rectification.
Amp 1: Canary 300B SE monoblocks for high
Amp 2: Modified organ amp using 2x KT88 per monoblock, for low
Speakers: Celestion 662 inverted; tweeter replaced by Morel
Earphone amp: DIY 5998 with tube rectification (not auditioned)

Celestion 662 I was surprised by the full and balanced sound, with no booming even in the small room. The Celestion 662 surely was a quality (and expensive) speaker in its days, and is probably a tweaker's delight. It has 2x 12" bass units, one active, one passive, a 3" dome midrange and a tweeter (which most people replace). Whether it was classical or rock, the results were highly musical. The inverted placement likely helped to keep the bass clean. With classical though, it was also obvious the last degree of resolution was not there, limitation of the speakers. Even so, I was impressed by the cost-effectiveness of the setup and the quality of the DIY.

5998 According to Lao Tang, the quality of the 5998 as preamp/headphone amp tube is nonpareil. If I am not mistaken, the 5998 (made by Tungsol) is a close kin to the WE421A, and similar but not identical to the ubiquitous 6AS7/6080. Lao Tang is obviously an experienced DIYer, who concentrates on substance and not cosmetics. He eschews cathode followers and prefer direct outputs and OTL, hence his fondness for the 5998.

Home made Shanghai Cuisine As wonderful as the sound was, I have to say I was even more captivated by the host's cooking. He had apparently informally "apprenticed" himself to a chef uncle in his younger years, and it showed in his cooking. What a feast! The centerpiece was the ham and whole chicken soup 火腿燉雞湯, the stock of which were also used to braise Chinese cabbage 煨大白菜. Complementing the main dish was an immaculately prepared 四季豆, a variation on the dried string beans version (乾扁); and sauteed beef with home-made Shanghai preserved vegetable (雪菜牛肉). This was some of the best home-cooking I have had in a while! Thank you Lao Tang!

Many thanks to AL for arranging the delightful trip!

Letter from NYC 2011 (20): Empire 2000E/III 2000Z

pics of E/III: R, original stylus; L: replacement

Letter from NYC 2011 (20): State of the Empire
Vinyl Talk: Empire 2000E/II and 2000Z

Introduction 物極必反
The Chinese saying loosely means "Order shall unravel itself when it has reached Extreme". And so it proves in most arena of human activity. Audio is no exception.

Audio has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. While some (like CAS) are nominally progressive (as digital vs analog is regressive), perhaps even more look back for their inspirations. Witness the flowering of flea-powered SET amps and hi-efficiency loudspeakers. So, is it time for the MM again?

MM or MI in the World of MC
For three decades or more, the MC cartridge has dominated the high-end. It is not hard to see why. For a long time, the trend in audio, under the banner of resolution and neutrality, has mostly been towards an ever more explicit treble mostly without comparable improvement in the midrange. The MC, with its innate penchant for lighting the treble, fits the bill perfectly.

This is not to denigrate the MC. With more powerful magnets, fewer coils, lower impedance and all, for the modern audiophile the MC has arguably reached its Golden Age, when incremental improvements become more difficult to come by. There is only one catch; they are mostly so expensive that they are out of reach to most people. No wonder there is an MM renaissance of sort. There are two parts to the equation:

More new high quality Moving Magnets and Moving Irons are now being made In the September issue of TAS, when asked what is the biggest innovation in LP playback in the last ten years, Harry Weisfeld of VPI says: "...The rebirth of moving-iron and moving-magnet cartridges. When done right (Soundsmith, Grado, Ortofon), they can be wonderful, and young people can afford them and enjoy music. If its just us old farts buying $4000 moving coils, this business is doomed..." Although I believe he has a point, and I can attest to the quality of some of the current MMs (from the humble Ortofon Red to the more upmarket Clearaudio Virtuoso), it is the second part of the equation that is more intriguing.

Revival of old vintage MM cartridges One of the more interesting thing about the information explosion is the re-appraisal of vintage audio equipment. I of course have long belonged to the crowd who respect and use vintage equipment. It helps that mass magazine writers like Art Dudley writes a lot about vintage equipment (in his case mostly in analog). When it comes to vintage cartridges, the advocates have always been there, though less vociferous than those interested in other sectors. This is understandable, as the cartridge is fragile and stylus of finite life. It shall always be a minority sport, and better that way.

Empire Cartridges
As much as Shure or Stanton, one of the important players in the MM era has been Empire. Their turntables were used in transcription and the Troubadour series have always been coveted by collectors (here is some good info). No less than Harry Weisfeld of VPI cites Empire as influence, and indeed his current best-selling Classic turntable is said to have derived inspiration from Empire.

When it comes to cartridges, Empire had a long history and made many. Surviving documentation is scanty and there is much confusion on the internet, especially when it comes to replacement styli.

Old timers have likely had some experience with Empire, and I am no exception. In the late seventies and early eighties, before I got serious in hifi, I had been an Empire user, first the 2000E/II, then III, then the 2000Z before switching to Shure V-15 (my stint started with the Type II and ended with the IV). As I wasn't wearing my audiophile hat then, I don't quite remember why I switched my allegiance.

Empire 2000E/III
One of the most well known Empire cartridge series was the 2000 (Info on 2000 and 4000 series from Mantra Audio; vinylengine database), and I was a partaker of that experience. I think everyone agrees they are very musical cartridges. The trouble, again, is the confusion regarding replacement styli (read the vinylengine thread).

Recently, my friend icefox, one of the 食客 of my Shidi, told me that in one of their debauchery sessions an NOS Empire 2000E/III shone when matched with a Fidelity Research step-up. This piqued my curiosity. As recent as a couple of years ago, I had last listened to it as part of the bedroom system on my Pioneer PL-10. Sweet, but I had never thought of re-installing it in my main systems.

Back into the Arms of...吃過番尋味 This is like taking it up with an old girlfriend whom one has almost forgotten about! My particular 2000E/III surprisingly still has an intact suspension and works fine, even if I had stored it without any protection to the stylus! Must have been a sturdy built. Installing it in my systems was an eye-opener.

Round 1; vs Benz Micro Silver I installed the Empire 2000E/III in my early morning listening Casual Listening Station , which has undergone minor changes:

Analog: Audio Technica AT-PL120 with Empire 2000E/III
Digital: Meridian 506-24
Tuner: McIntosh MR-71
Preamp: ARC SP-9
Amp: Sunfire 300; Elekit TU-8300
Loudspeakers: Martin Logan Source

This is the system I use at a low level every morning in the wee hours, before I can blast my big horns. If you have read my previous report, you shall see that the Empire 2000E/III replaced the previous Benz Micro Silver, a high-output MC. Well, the findings are favorable. An even-handed performance that lacks nothing in either resolution or tonality. Good soundstage, solid images. There is little question the massed strings have more body. The Benz in comparison is more hifi-ish, whiter perhaps (as I am using electrostatics) though it plays out with a more exciting PRaT.

Round 2: vs Koetsu Black and Denon DL-102 Next I tried out the Empire on the Day-to-Day gig, which I had just written about in the previous post. This time the equipment used was as follows:

Analog 1: Clearaudio Concept/Koetsu Black
Analog 2: Technics SL-1200/Empire 2000EIII
Preamp: Shindo Monbrison with MM and MC phono inputs
Amp: Wavac MD-811
Speakers: YL Acoustics 4-way horns

This was made easy due to the similar construction of the Audio Technica and Technics; the arm geometries are close enough to allow for a simple swap. After quickly re-balancing and setting the counterweight I was in business. Comparison of the 2 gigs through the same phono section was enlightening. The Clearaudio/Koetsu has somewhat higher resolution and, again, more pacey, but the difference was not as big as you think. On the other hand, the warmth of the Empire was quite alluring; it makes images just seem more anchored on the ground, and certainly the feeling of massed strings is enhanced. Considering the difference in price the Empire did an outstanding job, and depending on preference it is not hard to imagine some might prefer the Empire outright. Comparison with the Denon DL-102 shall be made in the next installment.

Round 3: Aftermarket replacement stylus Given the great performance I decided to order a generic aftermarket stylus for myself as well as Shidi. There are a few variants for the styli I believe. Mine was I think a Pfanstiel "Polished Elliptical Diamond .0003 x .0007", made in Switzerland, labelled 4237DEC. I listened to this only on the Casual Listening Station. The sound is definitely not as rich and nuanced, though not nearly as bad as some description on the net, but it ceratinly does not quite measure up to the original. The most unusual thing is that the output is quite a bit lower and I have to crank up the volume. Can anybody tell me why?

2000Z
The 2000Z was an upgrade to the E/III at the time, and I had used it for a long time. Read the 2000Z 1976 review in Gramophone. My specimen unfortunately suffered from deterioration in the suspension. I also ordered a generic replacement stylus and soon put it into action in the Casual Listening Station. As it uses the same frame as the E/III, it was just a matter of swapping the bodies.

The replacement stylus I think is another Pfanstiel ".2 x .7 Elliptical Diamond", labelled 4239DET, but made in Japan. This one seemed a better replacement than the E/III, and I was rewarded by a sound that was quite similar to the E/III with the original tip. It is staying on my AT turntable.

The other day I took the AT turntable with the 2000Z to a friend's house. He uses Audio Note M5, Audio Valve EL84 monoblocks (8 per channel) and Sonus faber Electa Amator I. Even with the AT's built-in phonoamp, he was surprised to find the sound at least on par with, if not surpassed that of his digital source, the capable Meridian 508-24. Such is the magic of Analog!

Conclusion
I am most impressed by my re-acquaintance with the Empire 2000E/III and 2000Z. It leads me to think, as our equipment improve, we should sometimes re-hear some of our forgotten toys that are lying around. The Empires have fine musicality and excellent resolution. In a modern system, they don't sound dated, indeed can compete with many a more expensive cartridge, especially if you are tired of the treble zip of some MCs.

If you already have one lying around, and the stylus is good, you should give it a second chance, but the situation becomes more complicated should you need a new stylus. If you don't have one, I don't think you should go out and buy just a body.

Last thought, I think the 2000 series is good enough to warrant a re-tip with a better stylus. maybe one day...

Letter from NYC 2011 (19): Thanksgiving YL Acoustics

Letter from NYC 2011 (19): Thanksgiving
Reorganization and Consolidation
My Corner: My Listening Stations (III) Day-to-Day
YL Acoustics 4-way Horn Part I

This article is dedicated to my friend Gingers, who recently suffered the devastating loss of one of his sons. As one who had lost his sister to an accident and watched his mother gravely grieve, I can comprehend the pain. May closure arrive for him in due course.

Thanksgiving
First of all, it is again time for Thanksgiving. Whatever our beliefs, it is essential to give thanks for our wondrous existence. My mother, a devout buddhist who lives simply, frequently remarks on how lucky we are. Incidentally, she is a strict vegetarian, and during this time of year a turkey sympathizer!

Any audiophile who is reading this belongs to the lucky ones, not only because he has the time and spare change but also because he is not heavily weighted down by life. While we do not exist just for hifi (though we may appear so to others, especially significant others), we do exist for all manners of good things and with them come obligations and duty. May we all happily discharge them and still have some time left for our hobby.

This time I returned to find that my mother has hung a little buddhist pendant on my storage rack. On it is a saying:

需要的不多，想要的太多；
需要的才要，想要的不重要；
能要的才要，不能要不該要的絕對不該要。

Needs are basic but desires know no boundary;
Acquire only necessities, everything else being unimportant;
Acquire only what you have a right to, never what you could not or should not have.

Great advice for sick audiophiles, don't you think! Me? Well, I deeply understand but it is not yet time - to apply to audio, that is...

May you have time to sneak in a couple of sessions after turkey and ham. And now for some hifi...

click pic to enlarge. Today's Day-to Day Station and YL Acoustics 4-way Horns

Gearing Up - Reorganization and Consolidation
Some of you may wonder why there has not been new articles in a while. Well, no news is good news. Besides having acquired some interesting stuff, I have been hard at work re-organizing my various stations to make things easier, to be more "play" than "work", easier said than done. I have decided to cut the stations down to three for versatility. Please refer to the side bar for my updated equipment list.

More importatntly, I have spent quite a bit of time tuning up my YL horns, and I have been duly rewarded by some of the best sounds I have gotten, but that is for another article. Horns are finicky, and improvements come only in fits, amid much work, frustration, even cursing! But once you get it is a life-long passion.

My Day-to-Day Station This station is housed on 2 racks and has the most frequent permutations, and is the one I operate the most. It currently has 3 preamps. This station can be fully balanced and is also unique in having a dedicated mono vinyl playback.

Turntables:
-Clearaudio Concept/Koetsu Black
-Linn LP-12 Lingo/Ittok LV-II/Airtight PC-1
-Technics SL-1200 MkII/Denon DL-102

Preamplifiers:
-Manley Neo-Classic 300B
-Shindo Monbrison (built-in MM and MC)
-BAT VK-3i

Phono preamps and Step-Up's:
-AQVOX 2CI MkII used only for MC
-BAT P5 (MM/MC)

Digital front-end:
-Theta Data or Data basic II
-Sonic Frontier SFD-2; Audio Research DAC2
-Sony XA5400ES for SACD

Amplifiers:
-Wavac MD-811
-Elekit 8300
-Almarro 318B, Yamamoto A-08S, AES SE-1

Loudspeakers:
-YL Acoustics 4-way Horn Speakers

Click to enlarge. Before stuffing the room.

Getting Horny
My acquisition of the horns happily coincided with our moving to a bigger apartment in the same building. After a quick refurbishment, the first thing I did in the empty apartment was to set up the horns. Unpacking took a long time. Then, with the help of my strong friends Mark and Edward, we installed the heavy metal horns and drivers into the cabinet.

The speakers are in-room because I configured the area to the rear of both speakers as storage space (while keeping the center for equipment), where I installed heavy Home Depot racks. From the front wall, the speakers were placed roughly 2/5 of the way into the room. Using a simple audio system, I decided on the final spot, where there was the least bass anomaly (fortunately the Altec woofer is very clean). Later, heavy cinder blocks were used to raise the speakers.

The 4-way speaker has a well-built original YL 4-way crossover in a bulky wood block. The mammoth wood YL low-midrange horn (with its own driver) that resembles WE or Klangfilm is not currently in use as I don't have the proper crossover and am not about to go with equalization. My plan is to whip into shape the as-is 4-way horn before tackling the fifth element (conceivably as either 4-way or 5-way). We did briefly hook it up by simply adding it to the midrange horn; suffice to say the sound was BIG and promising.

Here are some pics before the curtains were raised:

L: Arrival of all the drivers and horns; R: the cabinets.