2016 in Review
Letter from NYC (58) 2016 (14)
A belated Season's Greetings!
This Blog is now over 8 years old. Due to family matters, my output (in terms of articles written) hit an all-time low in 2012/13. Since then, there has been a small but steady increase. However, since I am buying fewer things and the stuff I do buy in HK tend to be small "gadgets", there is less to report on "serious" current products. However, I now focus more on older products and my own things that I have neglected previously, a valid trade-off. A little more than a year ago, I started the "HiFi Basics" series, but due to my somewhat compulsive nature have managed only 3 articles so far. I hope 2017 shall see more entries under that label.
Most Significant Events
- Kondo System Re-Make In a coming article I shall detail my efforts at matching loudspeakers to my Kondo Ongaku. Mind you, this is at my present small abode in HK. There were quite a few candidates and the results were, to say the least, quite surprising! After I started this effort I acquired an old Audio Note (Kondo design) M7 with built-in Phono. Its smaller size allowed me to use it in on an IKEA shelf (see pic above). It would be a shame not to use a turntable, so I just managed to squeeze in the smallest that I have, the humble Pro-Ject RPM 1.3. Then I added a subwoofer!!!! I assure you the end-result was quite satisfying, earning the approvals of my music lover friends Seng and wss! Coming soon...
- Vintage Cartridges Although this started 5 years ago when I re-tested my Empire 2000 cartridges (here), things didn't get serious until recently. Shure SC35C After initial failure, I finally got this "DJ" cartridge right (here)! Although my sample is current production, it is a replica of a vintage creation. I have yet to put this low compliance cartridge on a heavy arm, and it is already darn good. Warning: In some systems the treble could be just a little on the unrefined side. I rather think of it as a "monitor" type product, not the kindest to bad recordings. I just noticed its street price has gone up quite a bit to around $59. Still, quite a bargain! Shure M44-7 The ones currently sold are replicas of this vintage relic, beloved by DJ's. My sample just happened when I spotted a vintage body and NOS Empire replacement on Ebay, and so may not be representative. In any case, I just installed it yesterday as replacement for the SC35C on my cheap AT PL-120 and was absolutely floored - my cartridge of the year! Stanton 380 I heard this at my friend Andy's and took one back home to play. It has a very attractive rich hue and plays anything well. There shall be big article on these cartridges soon. Happy New Year already! Mono Cartridge Finally I got a mono MC, the Taiwanese Raos, and I am very satisfied. Unfortunately, Master Rao has passed away and these are not obtainable. Nagatron Ribbon Cartridge heard at Andy's was very impressive!
Vintage Loudspeakers Although in 2016 I have heard megabuck loudspeakers of the caliber of Magico Q7MkII, top-rated in any magazine, my kudos go to much older designs:
- Dahlquist DQ20 (reviewed here) was astonishing in how it made the music come alive, unequivocally leaving an expensive and well reviewed modern loudspeaker in the shade.
- JBL L20T Even this unassuming vintage JBL (reviewed here), which can be had for perhaps $200, is over-achieving. I was thinking of trying out Andrew Jones' new Elac B5/6 just for fun (I have a thing for inexpensive bookshelves), but after I got these JBL's I completely dispelled the idea (after all, I know his designs, as I have his recent Pioneer SP-BS21LR).
Buffer Amp Though a niche product, the iFi iTube is just wonderful. If you need some bloom, give it a serious thought!
Cable The Gotham DGS-1 continues to gain my admiration. Although not the best in hifi parameters, there is definitely something that is very attractive to this simple cable - a fluency that just makes music come alive with great presence and PRaT (the best analogy is non-oversampling in digital conversion). More and more of this cable are finding their way into my systems.
Brief Mentions My 47 Lab 4718 Shigaraki Phonoamp is finally running in and providing solid support for my mono Raos cartridge. My resurrected EAR 509 Mk II dealt a coup de grace to unreasonably priced Conrad-Johnson. I also acquired a Naim Nait I - no surprise as I previously owned and loved a II and still have the III. Sound is in the same mould.
Happy 2017!
Posts
What are the supports you are using under the Pioneer speakers? Is that the 47lab 4731 insulator board?
ReplyDeleteNo, a friend gave them to me. He said they are some sort of inexpensive industrial shock absorbers. They are grooved on one side. I have them under my heavy Yamaha NS-1000 as well. Reasonably effective in controlling bass boom caused by wood surface.
DeleteDo you have any experience with the DIY Audio Note kit amps?
ReplyDeleteThe old Kit One is a good amp, with parts from AN UK. But the current so-called Audio Note Kit is not really associated with AN UK. An industry person tells me the boss behind is someone from Hong Kong. No wonder in HK there are kit operations. I'd not consider them now.
DeleteThank you for the information re: ANK 1. Also, if possible I would like to hear how you came to obtain such a prized 'holy grail' audio component as the legendary Ongaku? I know your blog is geared towards the more affordable spectrum and "bargains", so seeing the Ongaku in your set up always made me curious to how and when you acquired it.
DeleteHa, difficult question to answer. Actually I don't spend big money easily, though my Western Electric stuff are even more expensive than Kondo. Well, curiosity got the best of me, perhaps. That would be the simplest answer.
DeleteIn reality, it is not a good piece to own. In many ways, Kondo does not reveal its secrets easily, and there are many BAD Kondo setups. This led people, including some friends, to want to find any excuse to put Kondo down. Of course, this is true for many SET amps too, immediately disadvantaged by the low power. It is also true that much cheaper SET amps, like Wavac and Verdier, not to mention even cheaper Sun Audio, deliver much much performance for the buck. Kondo is definitely of low C/P ratio, but it has (better have) unique virtues, which unfortunately are of subtle nature, not easily revealed to the casual, not to mention, the skeptical listener.
As expensive and coveted as it may be, Kondo is in some practical ways actually ANTI-hifi. It silvery nature can easily sound too bright, and in my opinion some Kondo systems are ruined by too much of this. Playing loud and dynamic hifi discs is also not its virtue. Rather, it will rewrad those with an intimate connection to the myriad and subtle aspects of music (same case for Western Electric, and there are many bad setups too).
One reason is loudspeaker matching. Like most SET amps, you really need efficient loudspeakers to get its best. In my old house, it did very well with my Canterbury. In my current small abode, I could only manage to do it the way in the pic, which is absurd to post in a way. Which is also why I actually carried out a small project of bookshelf loudspeaker matching, which I have just started writing. I learned a lot in the process. Watch this space, I thin it shall be one of my best articles.
Another interesting thing is, "legendary" as Kondo may be, there are really not much written about them (in English). Maybe I bought these just to contribute to the literature! :-)
As reviews of the Ongaku are rare, I thought I would post this recent review from the Polish site, High Fidelity. It is of course in Polish but a translation should appear next month on the site's English page.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-2954&lang=
Thx for the link!
DeleteDear Dr. John,
ReplyDeleteFor the NAIT1 , did you refurbish the unit?
cheers and Happy New Year
Eric
Hi Eric, no, I didn't refurbish it. I usually shy away from upgrades unless absolutely necessary. It sounds fine to me.
DeleteI mean not to upgrade, but just to replace deteriorated parts like transistors and caps etc which is recommended by others and can be done by NAIM distributors at a substantial costs and wondering if it worths it...
DeleteI know. But if it sounds well, just forget about it.
DeleteTake the case of electrolytic caps. Refreshing them won't get you that much more power.
Open it up and take a look. If nothing is leaking, just sit back and enjoy.
Thanks for your advise, I'll give it a try! It's my first serious amp and has a lot of sentimental value~
Delete