Dynaudio Excite X32 Lab12 Preamp Mark Levinson ML9 Weeput Bluetooth Cambridge DacMagic Plus

Click Pics to enlarge. Dynaudio Excite floorstander. Linn loudspeakers sold. Right rack ML9; center, Marantz, Cambridge, Weeput; left McIntosh combo.

Letter from Hong Kong (23-4): ELO Home Visit, From Below-Par to Highly Enjoyable

As I was instrumental in the selling of his Avalon Avatar to my friend, I have known Seven for almost half a year. Since then, we have been texting on hifi matters. He has a tendency to buying and selling often, sometimes reselling quickly, and equipment come and go like merry-go-round.

At first the performance of his setup was quite mediocre at best and did not arouse my interest at all. I admire his courage but the purchases he made are not things that I would usually consider. Recently, when he said he would like to try McIntosh amp, I told him about my bitter experience with my Dynaudio Compound 2 and McIntosh MC7300. Of course, like many Hifi lovers, he bought it anyway. Luckily, he actually bought the Dynaudio Excite X32 and Lab12 Preamp based on my recommendation.

He said he compared the X32 with Focal floorstander and Wharfadale Jade 5 and preferred the Focal (a name I also respect) to Dynaudio. He also told me the Lab12 Pre was not as good as his other DIY preamp.

Well, sometimes you never know! I just want to verify if what he said is in line with my ears, so one day I went to his rented space purely for hifi listening (what a luxury!) after work since it is just a stone throw away from my workplace.

Powered by his McIntosh combo and Marantz CDP, we tested the Focal against the Dynaudio. It was apparent in the interim the sound had improved from quite mediocre to acceptable, though still with some booming in the mids and lows. My preference was with Dynaudio and, after prolonged listening and sharing views, he came to my views and eventually sold the Focal. The Lab12 Preamp was not played on this occasion.

After a very short period of time, he bought a classic Mark Levinson ML-9 Amp and hooked it up to the Lab12 Pre. I revisited, bringing with me my Luna Orange speaker cables (that I have previously reported on) to see how it would sound in his setup. On this occasion, the CDP sounded OK, but was nothing to write home about. Then, I spotted a tiny Bluetooth device (oddly named Weeput, 小沛知音, from China) that was hooked up to a Cambridge DacMagic Plus. I immediately streamed Tidal from my cellphone to his BT device. Sound completely trumped his Marantz CDP, which in comparison sounded tired, veiled and lacking in sparks. While the McIntosh combo sounded rich, fleshy, slightly coloured and musical, Lab12 Pre/ML9 provided more details and better imaging, but with a leanness and slight austerity that was not to my taste. Luna Cable came to the rescue and once again shined with its true orange colour. The sound became more organic and musical, with good bass and convincing soundstage. Everything began to make sense, PRAT was preserved, and I was starting to enjoy the music tremendously through the BT device and Tidal music - what a transformation from before! Yet, a trace of hadness is still detected .

I also suggested he paired the Lab12 Pre with his McIntosh Amp. Surely, the next time I visited, it was hooked up and immediately uncovered a perfect synergy - the neutrality and speed of Lab12 paired perfectly with the lush and big sound from McIntosh. Previously on the verge of being dumped, the Lab12 Pre had become the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle that completed the picture! I am happy that the Lab12 has found a good home!



I then played the songs from my playlist, with different genres, and Seven was enlightened since I have opened up a whole new world of music to him and he found it so fascinating! He said he had never heard his setup's performance to be so good. He has upped his understanding of music 升呢 big time lol. Once you taste the best, you can no longer settle for less (not quite yet, but I like the rhyming)!! But, right now, I can spend extended time to enjoy music at his place, and that does not happen often to me.

The surprises for me are the superb quality of the Weeput 小沛 BT receiver/DacMagic combo as well as the quality of McIntosh Amp (all it just needs is the right preamp to pair with)!

Incidentally, I also found out on why before he and his friend had preferred Wharfadale. The bass coming out from the speakers was big and with copious quantity. However, to me it's lacking in finesse, timbral accuracy, details and shimmer. Musicians played as if they just had a hearty meal and were ready for a siesta, which to me is a big NO. What really shocked me was that I found out why his peers prefer that type of sloooow sound. They mainly listen to Canto pop with limited dynamic range! They seldom listen to any other types of music and actually enjoys SLOW sound even when it is supposed to have PRAT!