To be or not to be - inserting a proper preamp. Less is more?

Letter from Hong Kong (23-11): ELO on To be, or Not to be...

One thing that I have been avoiding to do ever since I have moved into the new flat is to tamper even slightly with my current setup, which is so well tuned, being afraid even the slightest mod will alter the "perfect" balance that I have achieved. May not be Audio Nirvana to someone else, but I'm very close to mine.

Rule of thumb is if it runs smoothly: DO NOT CHANGE!! But, over many days and nights I kept thinking about how I can improve the sound further, or if I need to replace the little wonder Aiyima A08 Pro ,or sif I should re-insert my Elekit TU-875. Or, whether a better LPS on WEA will elevate the performance further? I am seriously looking into upgrading to SPEC amps which has gained a lot of accolades over the past few years. Yet I have a strong feeling that it will change the style but not ultimately improve the sound. At this point, I am open to any changes, even if my hunch is telling me to stay put.

After DJ's latest post on Food and HiFi trip to Shunde, somehow I started to itch was again. Last night , I finally installed my serviced Elekit back into the setup (just repair of the wall wart). I have the WEA > Elekit TU-875 > Aiyima A08 Pro lined up now using all "Studer" cables. Luckily all my equipment weigh less than 10lbs, though it still took me an hour to reconfigure as my i.c's. are quite short. While reconnecting the power back to my Aiyima, there's a tiny spark upon contact! Yikes, hopes all is well.....

The moment of truth came.....enter the drum roll.  

I could not believe my ears! I thought the tweeters of my Dynaudio Crafft had burnt out and I had to put my ears right next to the tweeters to confirm that there were still sound coming out of them!

The high frequencies of the whole setup seemed to have vanished and it was like listening to a mid-fi system! To give it benefits of the doubts, I let it run overnight at a very low volume to see if things would settle down and improve. I woke up damn early in the morning and sat down properly and re-evaluated the new setup. No improvement at all! Without hesitation, I removed the Elekit from the setup.

As soon as I reverted back to my previous configuration, the change in overall sound was so significant that it is almost like a transformation! Everything, the transparent highs, openness, clarity, details and nuances of music came back. At this point, I could tell whether my Elekit had not been properly repaired or had it simply been a subtraction by addition.... Less is more in this case?

For now, I will refrain from attempting to add a preamp in front of my Aiyima A08 Pro! Elekit may not be the culprit, but I need to further investigate!

My POTY of 2023 (only limited contestants actually LOL)

Time is ticking and 2023 has almost come to an end. My biggest upgrades of my setup is  the SPEC RSB-301 and UMI 1:1 Signal Transformer, and of course the new flat.

I can now confidently say, my own POTY goes to the UMI! How I regret not having immediately installed it into my system (I had received it from DJ in June or earlier?). SPEC RSB-301 came in second place and is already providing a very good improvement in sound, but UMI simply shocked me by its performance!! I simply cannot wax more accolades on it and mind you, I'm not paid to write these posts.

Since October, I have reached a point that I would not want to tamper even slightly with my system, being afraid the "magic" will disappear even with the slightest move. And this is how good the UMI is in my setup. Go hear it yourself, but mind you, your current setup must be reasonably well tuned as it otherwise it cannot show its full strength. Don't blame me for that~ I have learnt my lessons well and don't tell me that I did not forewarn you.

For now, I will retreat back to my world of music gleefully and until next time, adios!  Upgrade the SMPS  of WEA to a proper LPS is another step I would like to try.

Some nice eatouts recently in HK. BTW, as much as there's a lot of great restaurants in SZ, there are equally or more great places to eat at a still reasonable price even in expensive HK! 

Come 捞 is a local hole in the wall eatery in TKW serving great and quality food for the neighbourhood. 麻辣花螺正到痺，越南法包鬆脆但唔界口，料夠。流心疍係我近期最好食嘅一间 thick sweet and gooey，羊肉湯飯肉味濃湯頭清甜，飲得出係用心機煲出來的

新三興 is probably the best Chinese restaurant I have been to recently with superb food quality and immaculate cooking skills combined! Succulent ans juicy grilled pidgeon, thick cut of large eel grilled to perfection, bouncy and QQ. Such as the salted egg yolk fried prawns, - seldom had I tasted the freshness, juicy and bounciness of prawns and the crunchy egg yolk making a perfect combination! 

Went to Jiu Zhai Gou 九寨沟 in early November and this is probably the best scenic spot I have ever been to! Mind you that I have spent years in Vancouver with Rocky Mountains in the backdrop!