Click pics to enlarge.
Home Visit (22-2): Audionet, Audioplan, Lumin, Holo Spring, Watson Emerson Analog
Due to COVID pandemic in HK, home visits have been almost non existent. Lately, COVID cases are steadily in decline and I took this opportunity to visit my long time audio buddy Kwong.
We are all for spending wisely and we both are cheapskates who dig cheap tweaks.
He lives in a village flat with a decent and spacious, rectangular living room ideal for hifi listening. After all these years, his core equipment was originally based on the Audionet ART CDP and SAM int. amp and the lesser known but reputable Audioplan mini tower Kontrast III with internal silver wiring. Later, he added both a super tweeter and a cheap but highly effective Roger ASB 100 subwoofer. Also an Audionet AMP3 was added for bi-amping: the super tweeter LCY 100K MK1 and loudspeaker tweeters were driven by the amp section of SAM and the loudspeaker bass woofer by AMP3.
More recently, he added Lumin A1 Streamer and Holo Spring 1 fully moded DAC, using AES connection, which is the preferred way.
He is also using the monster Longyu Magic 5000 power re-conditioner and Rayaudio's power regenerator. Power supply of A1 was being upgraded by Ray. He is very particular in treating electricity right!
For IC and speaker wires, he uses mostly Gotham. Power cords are Ray's DIY.
I also brought along my Wattson Emerson Analog (WEA) to compare against his Lumin/Holo combo.
What I heard was a really top quality system. The sound is smooth, analog and superbly detailed, yet musical, with a wide and deep soundstage and accurate timbre. Bass department is no slouch, rounded, taut, ripe with impact. This 4 way system is actually competitive with many large floorstanding speakers!
WEA face off with A1/Holo combo I think there is no clear winner. Both are smooth, analog sounding, with great detail retrieval but different presentation. The WEA was slightly more upfront and immediate, with more defined instrumental outline, and background was a tad darker. The A1/Holo was a bit more laid back, but equally musical, with ripe and authoritative bass and natural midrange! Of coz, their brand new tag for the latter was over 60k combined! Even Kwong was initially surprised on how good WEA was when it was first hooked up. He even thought it was even better than his A1/Holo, but of coz with more serious listening, there was no clear winner and that each of the two setups had its own forte!
Songs played through Tidal:
Bass drops (Nened Vasilic), great demo for plucked bass, yet entertaining.
Birds and the Bees (Jim Hall and Pat Metheny Live), Jim's guitar is so slick, like matured claret.
Madiba's Drive (Antonio Forcione), musical, hifi and joyful Afro tune!
These Bones (Fairfield Four), the bass voice is so... bassy and throaty lol.
Cherry (Masaharu Fukuyama), great voice and the guitar is so realistic. Great melodies.
Japanese Roots (Take Dake, Neptune Kaizan), great hifi demo, yet interesting music.
At James Infirmary (Baba Blues), the guitar, his voice and the penetrating sax are so raw, yet genuine and with anger.
It had to be you (David Gris and Martin Taylor), Gris' dobro has so much attack and realism.
Practical Arrangement (Emil Scholsberg), such genuine voices.
Mon Soleil (Ashley Park), Ashley's got great talent in both acting and singing!
Over the Rainbow (Live, Melody Gardot), always so sexy; lazy voice, great interpretation and reinvention.
I will Survive (Live, Musica Nuda), raw voice and bouncy bass.
Limit to your love (James Blake), showcasing crazy low bass test track.
Day O (Live at Carnergie Hall, Harry Belafonte), better than CD, but not LP.
Practice Love (jazz version) (JJ Lin), the bass can really carve sharp turns!
Visit me if you have time off (Chen Guo) male speech is so magnetic, his voice is not even the main theme of the song...
Due to COVID pandemic in HK, home visits have been almost non existent. Lately, COVID cases are steadily in decline and I took this opportunity to visit my long time audio buddy Kwong.
We are all for spending wisely and we both are cheapskates who dig cheap tweaks.
He lives in a village flat with a decent and spacious, rectangular living room ideal for hifi listening. After all these years, his core equipment was originally based on the Audionet ART CDP and SAM int. amp and the lesser known but reputable Audioplan mini tower Kontrast III with internal silver wiring. Later, he added both a super tweeter and a cheap but highly effective Roger ASB 100 subwoofer. Also an Audionet AMP3 was added for bi-amping: the super tweeter LCY 100K MK1 and loudspeaker tweeters were driven by the amp section of SAM and the loudspeaker bass woofer by AMP3.
More recently, he added Lumin A1 Streamer and Holo Spring 1 fully moded DAC, using AES connection, which is the preferred way.
He is also using the monster Longyu Magic 5000 power re-conditioner and Rayaudio's power regenerator. Power supply of A1 was being upgraded by Ray. He is very particular in treating electricity right!
For IC and speaker wires, he uses mostly Gotham. Power cords are Ray's DIY.
I also brought along my Wattson Emerson Analog (WEA) to compare against his Lumin/Holo combo.
What I heard was a really top quality system. The sound is smooth, analog and superbly detailed, yet musical, with a wide and deep soundstage and accurate timbre. Bass department is no slouch, rounded, taut, ripe with impact. This 4 way system is actually competitive with many large floorstanding speakers!
WEA face off with A1/Holo combo I think there is no clear winner. Both are smooth, analog sounding, with great detail retrieval but different presentation. The WEA was slightly more upfront and immediate, with more defined instrumental outline, and background was a tad darker. The A1/Holo was a bit more laid back, but equally musical, with ripe and authoritative bass and natural midrange! Of coz, their brand new tag for the latter was over 60k combined! Even Kwong was initially surprised on how good WEA was when it was first hooked up. He even thought it was even better than his A1/Holo, but of coz with more serious listening, there was no clear winner and that each of the two setups had its own forte!
Holo Spring fully modified R2R NOS Mode
Lumin A1 streamer (you can forget about its internal DAC
LONGYU power re-conditioner helped shape a solid foundation
LCY 100K MK1 Super tweeter gives all the air in the top end
Bass drops (Nened Vasilic), great demo for plucked bass, yet entertaining.
Birds and the Bees (Jim Hall and Pat Metheny Live), Jim's guitar is so slick, like matured claret.
Madiba's Drive (Antonio Forcione), musical, hifi and joyful Afro tune!
These Bones (Fairfield Four), the bass voice is so... bassy and throaty lol.
Cherry (Masaharu Fukuyama), great voice and the guitar is so realistic. Great melodies.
Japanese Roots (Take Dake, Neptune Kaizan), great hifi demo, yet interesting music.
At James Infirmary (Baba Blues), the guitar, his voice and the penetrating sax are so raw, yet genuine and with anger.
It had to be you (David Gris and Martin Taylor), Gris' dobro has so much attack and realism.
Practical Arrangement (Emil Scholsberg), such genuine voices.
Mon Soleil (Ashley Park), Ashley's got great talent in both acting and singing!
Over the Rainbow (Live, Melody Gardot), always so sexy; lazy voice, great interpretation and reinvention.
I will Survive (Live, Musica Nuda), raw voice and bouncy bass.
Limit to your love (James Blake), showcasing crazy low bass test track.
Day O (Live at Carnergie Hall, Harry Belafonte), better than CD, but not LP.
Practice Love (jazz version) (JJ Lin), the bass can really carve sharp turns!
Visit me if you have time off (Chen Guo) male speech is so magnetic, his voice is not even the main theme of the song...
Posts
Nice gear nice sound and nice price!
ReplyDeleteSince me and Kwong are cheapskate!!
DeleteOld gear still sound superb if match properly!