UMI Class A Amp JBL 4365 K29800SE Air Tight Meixing Raphaelite

Preview: UMI 优美 Class A Amplifier
Letter from Shenzhen (23-15): Great Food 吃喝玩樂 and JBL

All of a sudden, with a few days on hand, and access to a car, we embarked on an impromptu journey to some nearby Guangdong cities. It was a jam-packed 2 days, chronicled here in order. 天時地利人和，又有两位任勞任怨的司機，故臨時起義，驅車北上，兩天壹夜，吃喝玩樂之際沒忘音響正事。

Shunde, 顺德
Shunde is famous for its authentic Cantonese food. I had some advice from our own ELO, who apparently goes there often. He remarked that there is no bad eat there. This past Thursday, we started out mid-morning from SZ and had lunch at a famous local restaurant 黄但记 (new shop). Very nice! 順德菜不用介紹。本刊作者ELO 常去，说揾食容易，鲜有不好吃的。星期四中午打卡黄但记，吃得快樂，普洱茶也不俗。自家陳村粉質感壹流，薄但彈牙，XO 醬兜兜，就把其它油膩炒河粉比了下去。鵝腸超值，最關鍵是新鮮，咬下去不止有咬的爽脆感還有延續的延綿質感，不是冰凍貨可以比。那微甜的醬味不是香港人熟悉的，但吃上海菜大的我覺得非常棒。柚皮本身好的，鮑汁卻過濃，好此味者應該點蝦子。點心也不錯。

Then, thanks to the suggestion of ELO, we went to the nearby He Museum 和 美術館. Designed by no less than Takao Ando, it was a perfectionist endeavor 7 years in the making. We didn’t have that much time so just walked around the immaculately finished and landscaped exterior (a rarity in China) and went in to survey the cafe and admire the pond. Still, we got a glimpse of some classic Ando touches, like the regularly spaced small punched out wells in concrete walls in which one can glimpse small bits of exposed supporting steel rods. I attach at the bottom some ELO photo of the inside. In case you wonder why is this museum here? Well, it was built as a statement by Chinese Appliance Giant Midea 美的, whose headquarters are right across the street. 然後去打卡電商巨頭美的總部旁邊的“和”美術館（嚴謹制作，打造7年！）。不用說，建築師名家安藤忠雄出品，必屬佳作！

Foshan City 佛山市, Lingnan Xintiandi 嶺南新天地
Then we drove another hour. Built by Hong Kong’s Shui On Group, the first and most famous Xintiandi (new world) is of course the one in Shanghai, which I have never been to. This one though is mightily impressive (for pics and comprehensive plans, see here). The Lingnan style roof structures, color scheme and deliberately carved out alleys and backways seemed quite authentic. I didn’t take any pics but we did enjoy coffee here. We perhaps only did half of it, so big it is! Lots of wonderful looking cafes and restaurants and interesting shops and stalls. 瑞安打造的嶺嶺南新天地非常大，除了經典的顔色和屋頂，還喜見非常多細節，雖然花街柳巷是營造的，卻毫不違和，值得壹贊！喝了杯咖啡，舒服！

Class A Amp in center, flanked by matching mini loudspeakers. But we mostly heard the much larger 35 clone on stands. Own CDP (lower left) was used, fed into the UMI 1:1 transformer (small black box on top). 

UMI 优美 (UMLAUDIO)
Another hour of driving and we arrived at a vast industrial district (Foshan is one of the important industrial centers; all our apartment steel doors come from there). UMI is actually a maker of transformers, especially step-downs, that are sold world wide. Regular readers would have read about its astonishingly good 1:1 Audio Transformers 音频牛 (Report by ELO, who now cannot do without it; I can't either, but have yet to write a detailed long report, soon...). The audio section is a hobby and fringe part of the UMI, not its main business (strangely, note that officially they are UMLAUDIO, not a typo!). The section is small, with a couple of technicians working and a small audio room. I had been wechatting with the Engineer Mr Li, David 李工, who had told me about his small and cheap Class A amp. It sounded very good with their own 3/5 clone loudspeaker and top loading CDP. But what truly impressed me was the focused sound I got from my cellphone Tidal via the built in Bluetooth Receiver. I was quite smitten by the full bodied sound of the cello and piano I got from the new Sony album of Raphaela Gomes (now a personal fav). I should have a review sample in due time and look forward to testing it out in detail. We also listened to the very cheap matching small speakers and they are really quite decent by themselves (when not compared to the bigger 3/5s)! A very good (in both looks and sound) complete system for a reasonable price. The inside of the amp shows quality parts, including capacitors. Of course, the transformers are all bespoke. The small one is for digital and standby functions. There is no heat-sink. Instead, the output devices are affixed onto metal tunnels with fan cooling. Parts quality is decent, so I don’t understand how they can make money! 行也匆匆，接下来去了一个工業區探访优美音响的李工。李工是個非常溫文的人，話不多，是個實幹派！我們報道過他那冇得頂的1:1音頻牛，是個寶物。這次聽了他那膽前石後的甲類合拼機，雖然只有20瓦，配搭他家的仿35，聲音却非常靠譜。更令我驚訝的是藍牙非常好聲。也聽了那配對的小小喇叭系統，都非常稱職。看看機器裏面那些零件，尤其電容，都不錯的。變壓器都是自家的，這個價，我覺得沒錢可賺，屬于打天下産品。其實音響只是這公司的小副業，主業是各種變壓器。我將會詳細測試這部合拼機，請留意下文。

Sanshui 三水
Another hour of driving to Mr. Lai’s 黎先生multiple award-winning restaurant 假日豬肚包雞. Mr Qian 钱先生met us there. I first visited this restaurant in 2007 while on a trip with some HK audiophiles, and the superb signature dish (chicken wrapped in pork stomach) had been etched in my memory. So wonderful to have a second act! Most gratifyingly, the second act was just as good as the first! 又壹個小時去到三水。時隔15年又去到黎先生獲獎無數的餐廳假日豬肚包雞，新店環境更好，重要的是重溫舊夢壹樣那麽味/美好！黎生溫文典雅，像書生多過餐館老板，端莊的太太也熱情招呼我們，壹謝再謝！你如果去三水，這是必需打卡的地方！深圳，甚至香港，豬肚雞到處都是，但你吃壹次你就會明白檔次。那酸菜魚也是驚喜，酸菜自家腌的，而魚是即殺的，微辣也惹味！牛丸超正，是軟的，牛肉味重，不像潮汕那些只有質感的。如果香港飲茶那些所謂蒸牛肉是用這丸子就發達了！正哦！

Click pics to enlarge. Center Air Tight 2-chassis Preamp. R Philips CDR700. JBL K29800SE. Air Tight amps behind. See bottom pics.

JBL K2-9800SE
After this, we retired to Mr Lai’s home nearby to listen to his JBL K2-9800 SE. I had heard the regular version many years in HK. It was to my liking and so it proved here. Unfortunately, we could not listen for very long as one Air Tight 211 monoblock developed a problem that made the sound wax and wane. 跟著去了黎先生家聽 JBL 9800SE, 聲音不錯但有問題，壹只後級有故障，右聲道時有時無，需要維修。希望下次來可以正瞻風貌（还要喝多点酒）。

Goodnight! 累！休息！
Exhausted, we retired to a local hotel. For 2xx rmb including breakfast, it was a good deal (but the coffee was horrid). 入住了三水的佳田酒店，OK, 二百多連早餐。早餐非常好，味道可以，居然有牛腩粉，我吃了兩碗，還有皮蛋瘦肉粥，各種雞蛋配菜，超值。可惜咖啡是三合壹，非常糟糕！只能喝菊花枸杞茶。啡友不宜。

JBL4365. Center top Meixing 300B Preamp driving the 211 PP monos. Flanking R top Philips CDR700, below which (silver chassis with 2 knobs) a SE version of UMI 1:1 transformer. See bottom pics.

JBL 4365
In the morning, Mr Qian picked me up and we went to his large room (about twice or thrice the size of Mr Lai’s) to listen to his JBL 4365, which is like a professional (and cheaper) 9800. Sound was very good and typical of modern JBL monitors. As for the equipment, it was obvious Mr Lai just followed Mr Qian, a lot of duplication. CD source was the same venerable Philips 700 (TDA 1547 1-bit), so you know the host likes things musical. Here were also the Air Tight 211 monoblocks, but not in use. Instead, Amplification was all Meixing (Mingda), a monstrous 300B Preamp and a back-breaking monoblock pair of 211 PP (only one pair for PP; the other 2 are for rectification!). Vinyl was played on an Amari TT sporting a Hana SL cartridge, fed into a delightfully retro-looking 2-chassis Raphaelite Preamp. As is the norm, the amps took a while to warm up and just when I started to really get into things my cohort came to pick me up for the next stop. It’s worth noting that Mr Qian is very exacting about details and power cleanliness. He DIYs all his own cables (also used by Mr Lai) and spends a lot of time tweaking. It’s also interesting Mr Qian does not believe much in damping the room, nor cares much about soundstaging. Yet music sounded very clean and focused. 早餐完，錢生把我接去了他家。器材不少，但非常整潔。錢生個性豪爽，直來直去，岩我嘴型。系統聲如其人，也是直接爽快。玩音響方面，錢生可比我執著甚多，凡事壹絲不咎。電是直拉入房間的，經過多重處理。所有線都是自家焊的。音源必需有相位選擇。CD 出來接優美李工的1:1音頻牛，不過是特別版。放大是美星旗艦一套（這篇文章描述非常詳盡）。那300B前級比我的300B後級重3倍，用膽2倍！單聲道211壹邊四根，兩根是推環，另兩根原來是整流！真系，哦地見識少！Amari 唱盤經拉斐爾前級播放，聲音濃郁，和數碼截然不同。另外，虽然钱生对音场定位不是特别注重，东西还是聚焦的。钱生也不特意房间处理，这点和我一样，但他花很多功夫在避震上。值得留意，黎先东西很多都是钱生设置的，所以结构和声音略同。可惜，正進入狀態之際，同行來接我，只有期待下次拜訪！

Back to Shunde 顺德 2
Our trip back to SZ passed through Shunde again, so we quickly hit a clay pot rice place. Again, very good! 匆忙原因之壹是我要趕回深圳晚上聽音樂會。回程又經過順德，順路快快打卡了一個網紅煲仔飯。非常地茂，不便宜, 但食料超新鮮，淡口但美味。那腐乳通菜我們吃了兩碟，沒吃過那麽美味的！味道和香港的完全不壹樣，我琢磨有加酒和糖。

Back to SZ 回到深圳
Thanks to my drivers, I made it back in time for the concert by the SZSO. Mahler 3, wow! Just lovely! What a fulfilling 2 days! 趕回深圳聽音樂會，深交的馬勒3棒！

Midea Headquarters 美術館對面美的總部

Chicken wrapped in Pork Stomach Hotpot 無敵猪肚鸡

Air Tight Preamp (PS separate)

Air Tight 211. All Cables by Mr. Qian 黎生處所有線材都是錢生做的

錢生 美星 300B Preamp 前级

Amari 唱盤。墨綠2部是拉斐爾前級

右側是煲仔飯餐廳 黃鳝，排骨，臘味都好，但米粒太碎，是敗筆。

鹽水雞，五柳旦都淡味，我喜歡。

SZ Symphony Mahler 3! 深圳音樂廳深圳交響樂團馬勒3！

Below are ELO's pics of the Interiors of the He Museum 和 美術館 内部

Air Tight PC-1 Koetsu Black Goldline Denon DL-103 Ortofon LH-9000 LW-7N AQVOX 2CI Mk II Aurorasound Vida Fosgate Signature Mono Button

Click pics to enlarge. David and Goliath? In the US, David is priced at 1/50 the price of Goliath.

Talk Vinyl: Mono Button, Headshell, Cartridge Wires, Viennese Waltz
New York Diary (19-24):
Air Tight PC-1 Re-visited vs Koetsu Black Goldline vs Midas Denon DL-103
Aurorasound Vida vs AQVOX CI Mk II vs Fosgate Signature
$5 Ebay Headshell vs $240 Premium Headshell 
Review: AQVOX 2CI Mk II, Part III
Calibration of Analog Sources in System II

Revised 12/28: AQVOX tested with Midas Denon DL-103
Revised 12/26: Addition of Fosgate Signature Phonoamp

Mega Article on AQVOX, Parasound and Aurorasound (this older article features all the phonamps and cartridges in this present article, which can be regarded as a Part II of the older article).
Fosgate Signature Phonoamp as last heard

After I finished my long and gratifying session with the VAS Ebony Mono, and after brief flings with the Denon DL-102 and Shure SC35C (here), I reinstalled my Midas Denon DL-103 on the Thorens TD-124/Schick 12". This was all into the Parasound JC3 phonoamp, which has a Mono Button, which is fed directly into the LTA MicroZOTL.

One thing led to another, and this article snowballed.

Mono Button with Mono Cartridge
Whether with the VAS Ebony Mono or Denon DL-102, engaging the Mono Button produced no discernible effect. This is also true in my System I, where the Mono Button of the Aurorasound Vida phonoamp produced no effect with these two cartridges. This shows the cartridges are not picking up anything from the vertical plane, and are hence true mono cartridges. Nonetheless, I usually habitually engage the mono button anyway when I play mono records.

Mono Button with Stereo Cartridge
I really wasn't doing any critical listening and was typing away on my computer but, after listening to two stereo LPs, it disturbed me a little that the sound of the Denon DL-103, while good, was not open enough. I looked around a bit and suddenly saw the Mono Button of the JC3 was still engaged!! Pressing the button again immediately opened up the soundstage and distributed the instruments. That is to be expected but what was not was a smoothening of the treble and small loss of bass impact. I then went back and forth with the button and confirmed that with stereo records the Mono Button firms up the bass but also paradoxically makes the treble a little sharper (?focused). Of course, the Mono Button is designed to let one cancel out the vertical modulations of the stereo cartridge when playing a mono record. But judging from the above, it may benefit the playback of some sub-optimally recorded or non-RIAA stereo recordings (which a mono cartridge does too).

Headshell and Cartridge Wires
After a while, I got itchy again in trying to improve the replay with the Midas Denon DL-103. This cartridge was permanently installed on the only expensive headshell I have, the heavy magnesium-carbon fiber Ortofon LH-9000 (here) which was an impulse buy (always a wrong thing) in HK when I acquired the Schick arm in 2012 (in the pic in the original post). Somehow, despite its hefty price, or because of it, from the first sounding I have always been suspicious that it may not be the headshell for me.

See, for a start, I don't like the cartridge wires that come with this headshell (left pic); I frown upon the relatively thick strands. The wires are the LW-7N that Ortofon sells separately at an outrageous price. They are much thicker (lower in AWG) than the generic ones that usually come with my generic headshells. Ortofon actually sells all sorts of cables but they have never caught on with anyone, certainly not in HK and US. Almost all their cables are LC-OFC, 6N/7N copper, and all made in Japan, just like most of their tonearms and tonearm cables (basically Jelco). In my experience, these Japanese cables are smooth but lacking in dynamic expression.

It has always been my belief that thick cables sound worse than thin ones (as stated in this HiFi Basics article). So, 7 long years later, I swapped out the Ortofon for a generic Korean made perforated metal one that costs around $5 on Ebay, roughly 1/50 the price of the LH-9000 at established US retailers (cheaper on Ebay, at maybe half the price, which was around the price I paid for mine in HK)! In the case of the cartridge, the output signal is so small that a very small-gauged wire (high AWG) is enough to carry it; the larger the diameter (lower AWG) of the wire the more the delicate signal is going to be altered.

It has always been my audio belief too that one flat surface should not be placed upon another. This is true of smaller loudspeakers and their stands. For small loudspeakers like LS3/5A, one may get away with a little blue tac at the corners, which serves the dual purpose of securing the loudspeakers as well as decoupling. For larger loudspeakers, stands with flat tops are more often than not suboptimal. Two examples: The original Epos stand for their medium sized ES-11 and ES14 (great loudspeakers btw!) has an open-frame top, and they sound best that way; ditto the magnificent but voluptuous Spendor SP-100, which also sounds best on an open-frame stand. This is likely true of the cartridge/headshell interface too, particularly if both headshell and cartridge body are metal. I happen to like the look of these generic headshells, cool and retro. I also like the perforations, which should help resonances - witness Rega derived tonearms that have so many holes punched into them that they look like they are bullet ridden from an ambush! There is a reason why the open-framed Orsonic headshells fetch good sums on Ebay. For my cheaper plastic body cartridges I fuss less, but in my mind I don't like having the top of a metal-bodied cartridge right against a metal headshell (of course the metal screws unavoidably do bind them together at two points), and if the sound is not entirely satisfactory I'd insert a shim of cut expired credit card between them. I did that in this case (you can see in the pic; it helps with the VTA too). Note too that the Ortofon LH-9000 also has a thin strip of anti-vibration material taped onto its underside, so someone there was thinking along the same line.

Guess what, my worst premonitions all came true! The cheaper headshell was more to my taste - more air around instruments, a larger soundstage and a livelier and more subtle presentation. Whether it is due to the wires or headshell or a combination of the two I won't say. Of course I could swap the wires and try out all combinations, but I am not about to do that - one is just as unlikely to use an expensive headshell with generic wire than to use expensive wire with a generic headshell. Somehow, I just love the cheap package!

Which brings us to: how complicated vinyl playback can be! Aside from the turntable and the arm and the cartridge, even the littlest things, the headshell and cartridge wires, influence the sound greatly. In my experience, people who constantly tinker get bad sound (how can they not if they only concentrate on a few records for A/B); people who don't tinker can go either way; the best is to tinker less and concentrate on the music more - improvement comes with experience and in due time - there is no expressway to "heaven".

Unwanted Noise/Resonance/Vibration Control in audio has always fascinated me. In my experience, most of the time, the "solution" is worse than the "problem". Most, if not all, AC Line "Conditioners", Spikes and Cones, ridiculously expensive racks like Finite Element are just some examples that kill the liveliness of music, perhaps only suitable for those who use hot solid state amps and "state-of-the-art" loudspeakers. Those of us sympathetic to tubes seldom need these paraphernalia's.

Air Tight PC-1 redux

I then rearranged the positions of the 3 turntables in System II for some easy testing. For the first time in at least 2 years I played my Linn LP-12/Ittok/Air Tight PC-1 (here). I had looked forward to this moment ever since I got my Koetsu Black re-tipped by VAS. A comparison is in order.

For this part, as usual everything in System II went through the Shindo Monbrisson preamp, which drove the same LTA MicroZOTL 2.0 amp. Aurorasound Vida was the phonoamp for the Linn. I played 3 LP's that I had played using the gears in the above section, and the result was both spellbinding as well as instructional.

with Aurorasound Vida Henry Krips is almost forgotten today. He previously amazed me with his Suppe Overtures (here). This time, I got his Johann Strauss Favourites (HMV Concert Classics). Before, I thought it was well played but not quite inspiring. Not so with the PC-1: all of a sudden, the orchestra swinged and swayed, and Krips deftly applied to the English orchestra a Viennese lilt. The all-important upbeats acquired more emphasis, subtle retards became evident. Most delightful were the percussions, which felt purposeful, a sine qua non of good reproduction. In the Thunder and Lightning Polka, the rapid bass notes depicting the thunder were superbly resolved, no easy task. This LP is so telling that it is going to be my go-to test LP for cartridges. As amazing was Swarowsky's Saint Saens Symphony No. 3 (Urania). Despite excellent sonics, it was a straightforward account that bordered on boring, and the pickup Viennese orchestra had some weak playing. Again, not so with the PC-1: orchestral texture became more refined and colorful, and dynamics improved to the extent that it was actually not bad at all! Similarly, on Beecham's Ein Heldenleben (HMV Concert Classics) the Royal Philharmonic seemed like a much better orchestra with the PC-1, and combined with the subtle conducting (no bombast) of Beecham it deserves its reputation as a great interpretation.

vs Koetsu Black Goldline AQVOX As the Aurorasound Vida's MC input is now occupied by the PC-1, I first connected my Koetsu (on my Thorens TD-309 turntable, here heard with the Vida) to my AQVOX 2CI Mk II, and then played the same 3 LP's. Although better than previously with the Midas Denon DL-103, compared with the PC-1, it was evident the music was rendered with a broader stroke. I fiddled with cables, which did not help too much. Aurorasound A little piqued, I did the hard work of disconnecting the Linn/PC-1 so as to connect the TD-309/Koetsu rig into the MC input of the Aurorasound, which was how I played the Koetsu last time (here). Ah, the playback became more focused, and the Koetsu found more of what the PC-1 did (like the Viennese lilt). However, ultimately, the PC-1 was just more detailed and dynamic. The Koetsu Black is already a top-notch cartridge, but the PC-1 belongs in even  more rarified company. From this, I concluded that I wanted to use the Koetsu on the Aurorasound, so I recruited my Bob's Device SUT (here) for input to the MM input and the result was largely the same, perhaps with just an extra touch of force, which I didn't really need. Based on the Koetsu Black alone, it would seem safe to conclude that the Aurorasound Vida is better than AQVOX CI Mk II. Although there is no question the Aurorasound is formidable, but, as audio, particularly analog playback, is all about matching, I was not ready yet to draw this conclusion... Fosgate Signature The next day I connected the Linn/Koetsu rig to the Fosgate and, as they say, the rest is history. In this system, the Koetsu did even better than on the AQVOX, and perhaps even better than on the Aurorasound. The Koetsu did everything the PC-1 did, but at a somewhat smaller scale, but I feel it has been optimized. What amazes me is that the all-tube Fosgate yields not one iota to either the AQVOX or Aurorasound in the transient portrayal of the leading edge; every emphasis is microdynamically portrayed, no mean feat, with the additional benefit of a smoother sound.

with AQVOX I then connected the Linn/PC-1 rig to the AQVOX. The PC-1 was instantly everything it was on the Aurorasound, but with a little more grain. Remembering that I had bypassed the capacitors before (here), I switched them back in and now there was more warmth needed in this very high resolution system. I also adjusted the gain (front knobs; not = volume knobs) and experimented with cables (Gotham DGS-1 and GAC-2111 in lieu of the previous GAC-2) and got closer and closer to what I was hearing before. There were several thing that were amazing: 1) as some have commented, the current amplification phonoamps thrive on low-impedance or low-output cartridges, and the PC-1 vs Koetsu is 2.5 vs 5 ohm; 2) even with the gain turned way low, the AQVOX was even more dynamic and even faster than the Aurorasound, with either cartridge. Make no mistake, for my taste, because of its more refined nature the more expensive Aurorasound is still the better phonoamp, but the AQVOX would not be easily dismissed and I am going to explore more around the findings of today. For now, given that I had found a home for my Koetsu (i.e., the Fosgate), the PC-1 going back to the Aurorasound (the MM used for the Denon DL-102).

AQVOX with Midas Denon DL-103 With all of this, it is also apparent the TD-124/Schick/Midas Denon DL-103 needs some rejuvenation or upgrade. I went back to the rig and replaced the Parasound JC3 with the AQVOX. Surprise! With those 3 LPs I got back much of the quality missing before. In Johann Strauss Favourites, much of the Viennese lilt was back, and the bass notes in Thunder & Lightning Polka was surprisingly very well resolved. In Saint Saens, the brooding atmosphere was highly satisfying and the strings and winds had surprisingly sheen. And the Ein Heldenleben was positively luxurious, if a little lighter. How good it was can be judged thus: I was getting more than a little sick listening to the 3 LPs, but this round I wanted to hear entire sides and never lifted the needle mid-way, so pleased I was. What is a little surprising is that the end result rivals the playback by the Koetsu Black Goldline - in terms of tactility, the Denon was at least an equal, but perhaps the Koetsu was slightly richer from the mid-bass down. Again a great performance by this humble evergreen. However, it is also clear the PC-1 remains in a league of its own.

All of this is a bit exhaustive and exhausting - audiophile behavior. This article represents the biggest analog testing session lazy me have done in a long while, since the last big one linked above. But it is undeniably rewarding as I have achieved as much parity as I could have mustered. More rehabilitation of cartridges and phonoamps are in order.

Simple Lunch, Spicy Beef with Dried Bamboo Shoots

Lightly Pickled Cabbage as Condiment

Kronos Pro, Air Tight PC-1 Supreme, Audionet, Auralic, Mola Mola, Qobuz, Bow Technologies, YG Anat Reference II

Click pics to enlarge. YG driven by Audionet monoblocks. Screen displays Qobuz.

NY Diary (19-12): Exotic High End, LP Kingdom, Vintage Silent Display

Two posts below I reported a trip to New Jersey. What I didn't report then were the main events of that day, and here they are now. A very full day indeed. The day started with dropping off at Paul's our gears for repair. Then we proceeded to the warehouse, and then a so-so late lunch and visit to Princeton Record Exchange, where I bought nothing, imagine! Then for some relaxation, we visited the home of JY.

Home Visit: Exotic High End
The basement was large and comforting. It housed some serious gear. JY is foremost a classical music man and an analog aficionado. The basement was spacious, comfortable and the wall of LP was inviting and comforting.

The Kronos Pro is a very expensive turntable that has garnered a good reputation. As the well written  HiFi+ review introduced, it combines suspension with twin counter-rotating platters (the latter first used by 47 Labs Koma). This marked the first time I heard Kronos. Cartrdige is the Air Tight PC-1 Supreme.

Amplification was all German Audionet (phonoamp on bottom rack, preamp and monoblock amps). Now, Audionet is very familiar to me. In HK I used to know the grey goods importer and got to hear many systems. Good power and OK/kinda bland sound but like most German gear this is not a favorite brand of mine, even among transistor offerings.

CAS is run via Roon, using a Linux Server. As JY does quite a bit of streaming and because of his classical bent, he uses the service of Qobuz, quite new to the US, which is hi-res. This is run into an Auralic Streamer, then into the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC (another brand that I have never auditioned before), which also serve for CD playback via an old but very beautiful Bow Technologies CDP used as transport (of which I forgot to take a pic!). Bow used to be popular in HK and they sounded as good as they looked.

After suffering damage after a thunderstorm, the YG Anat Reference II were "upgraded" to "current technology" (still available on official website). I did not make a study of all the expensive cables.

Sound
We started with LP. The first one was a current re-issue Decca Ansermet Stravinsky Petroushka, and I cringed in my seat because of the lean balance and threadbare violins, the kind of sound we associate with bad digital. I really question the sound of many of these re-issues, and I as a rule don't buy them. Fortunately, after a few old LP's, sound got to be much better. In this system, interestingly the same album sounds better on London than Decca.

With a loudspeaker like that, it goes without saying that the system was very revealing. But most impressive was the dynamics - in Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Solti), the swing from a whisper to a fortissimo crash was downright awesome. A quibble is that due to the fast speed the bone-crunching dynamics sounded a bit unnatural and crescendos peaked too suddenly. However, impressive it nevertheless was! For sure, the sound was better than the many YG's I heard at HK shows.

We also asked to hear the streaming, which was surprisingly good, on par with the analog actually. Mozart's Zauberflote (Nezet-Sequin, DG) was pristine. We heard a few more cuts and stayed later than usual. In terms of CAS, JY's setup is relatively straightforward but it sounds much better to my ears than those complicated and threadbare systems concocted by many HK self-proclaimed computer audiophile guru's. As in much of audio, the more complicated it gets the worse the sound usually, and CAS is no exception.

Silent Display Then the over-generous Steven insisted on taking us to dinner. Because we had lunch late, we went to his spacious house first. He had equipment and LP everywhere on silent display. Music plays constantly when he's at work so it is no wonder he does not need to fire any of these up. He seems well on the way to become another 陽江十八子 ("Worlds's Number 1 Audiophile?" in this TAS article). Well, but Steven collects vintage only. Well, before I forget, thanks for the dinner! Some pics (click to enlarge):

Pair of Tannoy. In the corner cabinet, Fisher, Scott, Marantz 7C, ARC SP-11.

Study loaded with LP and CD. Pilot, Quad, and many pairs of Quicksilver's.

McIntosh, CJ

Tannoy Churchill, ARC D-79, CJ Premier 7, CAT SL-1, Marantz 8B

Quad 2905, 2812 and Overview Quad

Click pic to enlarge. Quad 2905 behind the Tannoy York.

Home Visits: A Tale of Two Quads

Quad 2905, Tannoy York (Gold 15")
Quad 2812, Audio Note System, Phase Tech EA-1 IIs
Overview: Quad

7/17/20: Overview extensively revised.

A rare occasion: all of a sudden, I found myself with a little time on hand. I first arranged a quick visit to my old friend and occasional taskmaster icefox  (see previous visits, which include audition of Quad ESL57). The object of desire was a pair of Quad 2905. Funny thing, the pair actually belong to another friend, who as yet cannot let them into his own home. This is a common thing in HK, where space is at a premium. A few days later I followed up by visiting another friend, lovingly nicknamed Wo Sir Sir (WSS) by his friends, to audition his Quad 2812. How about that! First, digression...

Hysteresis and Hysteria
Electrostatic loudspeakers have always had a following, and Quad of course is the most well known and loved. But, like many vintage aficionados in HK, vintage Quad ESL lovers in HK are also in my experience among the most exasperating, stubborn and prejudiced. These people overlook all the considerable (and to me unacceptable) deficiencies of older ESL's but nick-pick faults with speakers of any other type. Members of the closely knit group feed off each other, only becoming more and more limited in palette - that is hysteresis. These people regard vintage Quad ESLs as the best ever and frown upon newer Quad's - that is hysteria. More on these people later in the Quad Overview section. For the moment, suffice to say, most of these people get pretty bad sound out of their vintage ESL's.

Mind you, I can appreciate the qualities of ESL, though they are ultimately not for me, a horn lover. Perhaps my friend whlee said it best: "...the only people who should play with ESL's are people like icefox, who has several pairs of speakers of other types..." We recalled one time at icefox's place, where we listened to both Spendor SP100 and ESL57. In icefox's large space, an opera cut was magnificent on the SP100 but hopelessly distorted on the ESL, but the ESL crowd still praised the latter - that is how biased they are.

Perhaps Gordon Holt said it best: "...After all the positive reviews of the Quad system—34 preamp, 405-2 power amp, ESL-63 speakers—that I have read (particularly in the British press, whose views are generally in accord with mine), I must confess to some disappointment now that I have lived with these components for a while...The system sounded smooth! But while there is no denying the musicality and listening ease of this system, the sound is simply not realistic, nor even a reasonable approximation of that. It is too smooth, too rich, too polite, and while certain instruments—fiddles, for example—are reproduced as well as I have ever heard them, most other instrumental sounds are more-or-less tainted with an almost cloying warmth that not even the Quad 34 preamp's Tilt control can cure. Gone is the bite of the trumpet, the thrum of the cellos, the blat of the trombone, the twang of the piano's upper-bass strings...I am not speaking here of preferences in reproduced sound, and there are doubtless many people who will like this kind of reproduction. Indeed, it is exactly the kind of sound that many record collectors, given a choice, will prefer to the hyperdetailed renditions of an audiophile-type system. But to take a $3000 speaker system with the imaging and detail of the ESL-63s, and drown those attributes in a sea of haze strikes me somehow as a moral felony.
I love the richness and fullness of live orchestral sound, but I also love the rough edges that much live musicmaking produces, and it is those that I miss in this system. I still have the feeling that the '63s, mated with the "right" electronics, could deliver that level of fidelity without sacrificing their positive attributes (imaging, balance, detail). But I have not heard that sound from these speakers as yet, and until I do I can only say: Audition them for yourself. You may disagree with me.—J. Gordon Holt

Quad 2905 (Official Brochure)
Forget about the HK vintage ESL crowd. The newer Quad ESL's, the 29 and 28 series, introduced in 05 and updated in 12, have garnered praise everywhere else. For the 2905, the hometheaterreview (which has unannotated but interesting quotes), What HiFi review, and TAS review by Cordesman Part I, Part II all use dependable Quad electronics, which is the way to go. I will forget about reviews by the likes of 6moons.

Chez icefox This time the equipment is almost like a studio. Digital: Studer D730; Preamp: EAR 912; Amp: Quad 50E.

Sound was excellent. In HK, icefox got better sound out of the ESL57 than anyone else I have heard (here), but the 2905 is clearly superior, and by a wide margin. As you can see from the pic, the placement is not optimal, very far from the listening seat in this cavernous loft. I am sure in a somewhat smaller space, with better placement, it will be even more awesome. No matter, compared to the 57, the following are clear:

• Image is tall and full-sized.

• Much larger sweetspot.

• There is good bass, and it goes surprisingly deep.

• Although still limited with big orchestral pieces, it can play a lot louder. Of course, small combo's like jazz are even better. The Youn Sun Nah album is simply magnificent.

• It is every bit as refined, actually more so to my ears.

For the wide range of music I play, including a good diet of symphonic music, I would never consider ESL57/63's, but the 2905 I can live with.

2905 vs Tannoy Actually , we spent more time listening to icefox's main loudspeakers, the Tannoy York housing Gold 15". In icefox's hand, the sound is surprisingly not too far off from Quad, with a very transparent treble and midrange. The York sounds quite modern, though a tad slower than the Quad. The 2905 is also "blacker" in background. But when it comes to large classical pieces the Tannoy wins hands down.


Click to enlarge. Note the WE349A in the "Jinro"

Quad 2812 (official brochure)
The 2812 is the updated version of 2805. It is about half the size of its bigger brother, more in keeping with vintage  obviously made to suit smaller rooms. Fewer reviews: HiFi+, What HiFi (and you may want to read Stereophile review on predecessor 2805).


Chez WSS In complete contrast to icefox, Wu Sir Sir's space is very small (maybe 150 sq ft), but exquisitely furnished. Equipment is quite interesting, basically completely high level Audio Note connected with AN XLR cables:

Analog: JC Verdier La Platine/SME3012R-Air Tight PC-1/Ortofon TA210-SPU (not auditioned)
Phonoamp: Phase Tech EA-1 IIs (no MC; step-up by EAR MC-4) and ARC Reference Phono 2 (not auditioned)
Digital: AN CDT4/DAC5
Preamp: AN M8
Amp: AN Jinro Shochu

Sound Notes Basically, the 2812 is cut from the same cloth as its older brother 2905, and most of the comments above are as valid here:

• Due to the small space, image is inevitably not as tall, but still very good and way superior to ESL57.

• JC Verdier and Air Tight Inevitably, the analog rig out performed the digital by a considerable margin. This is to be expected, as the Verdier La Platine, father of magnetic suspension, is a triumph of engineering, a class-defining icon as worthy of the term classic as, say, Garrard and Thorens. We only heard the SME3012, which BTW is the arm JCV uses himself (though with Denon DL-103). This also confirms that the Air Tight PC-1, which I use also in NYC, is a very even performer of the highest caliber. Apparently, WSS prefers the SME/Air Tight combo to the Ortofon combo. I'd think so too, as I have always found the SPU to be too slow.

• Phase Tech Phonoamp I have followed Japanese Phase Tech (best known for cartridges) for a while. Previously I have heard the discontinued solid state EA-3 phonoamp (here), and the company has since changed its name to Phasemation (website). I have always wanted to hear the flagship tubed EA-1 (now discontinued and replaced by EA-1000), and I am glad with the help of the excellent EAR MC-4 steup transformer (see my EAR Overview) this setup did not disappoint. The pic to the right shows the version with input transformers. What a nice dual-mono, tube-rectified design!

• AN Jinro Shochu Strangely, this power amp version of the Jinro is not listed in in the products section of the AN UK website. However, the EU website lists it, but with the wrong pics. Even more strangely, the UK website has a pdf file of the Jinro Sochu which I found only by searching. WSS has substituted the WE349A for the 6V6. I asked him what is the difference, and he thinks its warmer, but in this setup I did not quite hear the sinuous quality WE often delivers, particularly in terms of PRaT. If you would like to read more about the integrated AN Jinro, here is the detailed review by Art Dudley in Stereophile.

• Large vs Small In terms of ESL, for me, larger is better simply because of better image fidelity. In terms of room size, I think icefox's is too big and WSS's is too small. You can't have everything in this world! :-)

Overview: Quad (wikipedia concise history of Quad)

Over the years, I have owned and heard a lot of Quad equipment. There are tons of info on the net, so I shall be brief in citation. Here are my 2 cents:

Loudspeakers-ESL

• So far, the best I have heard is the 2905 and 2812 (would love to hear the 2912 ) [Editor: fulfilled a year later].

• Then, trailing a good distance behind, I have heard a couple of reasonably good ESL63's (as in here; image taller than 57).

• Now, the heresy: most of the ESL57's I have heard are terrible. A pair in good condition, raised (like daiwok's pair we heard at icefox's place, cited above) can be good. I am also sure stacked pairs, which would raise the image heights and enlarge the sweet spot, are even better (I am sure SME's Alastair Robertson had his reasons). But the average pair in the HK average room (small) is terrible: pinpoint sweet spot (don't you dare move your head!), dwarf-sized images...come on folks, there is nothing real about this (unless you are Japanese, sitting on the tatami instead of a chair, or perhaps you are a fan of Murakami's IQ84)! Even my humble pair of hybrid Martin Logan Source (report here) is way superior.

• ESL 57 Caveat-Conundrum-Room Size: I don't know who wrote the wikipedia article, but did you notice this paragraph? "...In 1957, the company made history when they released Quad Electrostatic Loudspeaker (ESL), the world's first production full frequency range electrostatic loudspeaker renowned for sonic transparency and very low distortion. Its sonic neutrality and transparency were offset by its extreme directionality, moderate power handling, the need for a large room, and moderate bass extension...". Now, large room? This coincides with my view. In 2010 I wrote of icefox's ESL57: "...As soon as I was inside, I was surprised by the big and reasonably dynamic sound the Quad ESL57 produced in this large space, firing in the opposite direction as Spendor...I believe icefox was drivng them with a pair of Manley 4xEL84 PP monoblocks. At less than 30 watts, the music was fluently rendered, once again proving that an EL84 amp is one of the best matches for Quad ESLs. The most surprising thing was that images were full and tall, the sound big. Once again this proves a large room sometimes works wonders. I have heard more "refined" Quads, but I prefer this big-hearted performance..." There, I believe most, if not all, of the HK ESL57 is wrongly used in small spaces. No matter how small, the ESL57 is not going to deliver high SPL, but in a larger room, it works better. I rather think that was the original intention.

• Buyer Beware: unless you are sure someone competent is going to restore it for you, buy ESL's with extreme caution. I have heard too many stories of "restored" ESL's that fail again, yet again. Ultimately, this kind of design is ill-suited to humid Asia.

Loudspeaker-Non-ESL These days Quad makes many non-ESL's. My experience is limited to the excellent 11L which I briefly owned many years ago. The treble purity is extremely impressive (as you'd expect) but the bass unit is not for tube amps, which was why I sold it.

Tube Amplifiers-vintage Basically we are talking about the venerable Quad II, a wonderful amplifier. It doesn't stand out, or shout (the antithesis to many Leak models), and I love its black background (not something that can be said of most Leak's) - perhaps the ESL of tube amps (I still own 3 pairs)! Tip: imho the Quad II sounds best with its matching preamp, be it the stereo Quad 22 or a pair of mono Quad QC/II.  As the preamp draws power from one of the amps, this creates an imbalance. Power transformer failure is not unheard of. But there is a winning wholesomeness to the combo. However, those who want more oophm will have to use an external preamp. Keep in mind the Quad II has low input sensitivity and higher gain (modern) preamp would be more suitable.

Tube Amplifiers-current The current crop  (II-40, QC24 etc) were designed either by Tim Paravicini (EAR) or Andy Grove (AN) and they are very good, but they do not quite sound like the older Quad II's. this partly has to do with the output tube in my opinion. Current KT88 may be more powerful, but it is not a very sweet sounding tube, nothing like old stock KT66.

SS Amplifiers-vintage I still own the 303, 405mkII and 306, and have heard the 50E. They are all very good, stable and confident, in a word, mature! They can all drive my ATC20 well. My battered specimen of 303 is rather dark in tonal color, but a good driver (maybe a service is needed). The 306 on the other hand is my favorite for its looks and crisper sound. The 405-II is somewhere in between, ymmv. As for the 50E I reserve my judgement because of a bass issue I am not sure about. The 606 and 909 are also great and confident amps. All highly competent. These come with Quadlink for connection with Quad preamps, which most users are not using. There are users who say removing the quadlink circuitry results in better sound with RCA input. (Ed: Later we got to hear the current and even more powerful QMP, and they are excellent, here and here).

SS Integrated Amplifiers-current and recent I once tried the 77 integrated, and it was very nice.

SS Preamps I only have experience with the iconic 45 but I don't like to use it with a Quad amp, just way too polite and lacking in dynamics, which is why many people modify it.

CD Players I have high opinion of the 99 CDP (mine has the Philips transport, here). The older CDP-77 was much simpler, less resolved but sweet. I still have the vintage CDP-67, a very musical player that is let down by a slight veil and soft dynamics.

Tuners I own the FM4. Very good.

Talk Vinyl: Air Tight PC-1, Ortofon MC-5000 (and MC3000MkII)

Talk Vinyl: Air Tight PC-1, Ortofon MC-5000 (and MC3000MkII)

HiFi Letter from NYC 2010 (9): Magnepan 1.7 ReduxClearaudio Concept Part IV

Right before I left NYC, I invited newly acquainted AL, a vinyl expert, to listen to my new cartridges (he had expressed interest in the Ortofon MC-5000). He brought a friend and my friends Mark and princetonsound also came. I barely had time to set up 2 systems for them to listen to.

Air Tight PC-1
I first heard the Air Tight PC-1 at ML's place several months ago (report here). I liked it but did not scrutinize it too much as we focused on comparing the Continuum and Clearaudio flagships.

Fortuitously in NYC I acquired a used, but low-hours, sample (not Supreme). I swapped out the Koetsu Black (mentioned previously here) on my Linn LP12 and the sound was instantly captivating through my reference balanced system, similar to that reported before :

Analogue Source: Linn LP12 Lingo/Ittok/PC-1
Phonoamp: BAT P5
Preamp: BAT VK3i (reviewed here)
Amp: Audio Research VT130
Speakers: Magnepan MG1.7
Cables: Fully balanced Gotham GAC-3

The PC-1 has a healthy output of 0.6 mV and did not cause the Phonoamp undue distress. Its internal impedance is 2.5 ohm and I loaded it at 30 ohms on the P5.

It excels in mid-range presence, and with its well-controlled yet full midbass yields a very live and direct sound not unlike horns, or a little reminiscent of Decca cartridge if you will (funny that JV in his TAS review compared it to a Decca). Its bass control is obviously superior to the sometimes rowdy Koetsu Black (the LP12/Ittok may be to blame too), but the treble and high-midrange is a little more clinical than the Koetsu. All in all, all my friends, including Princetonsound and AL, were impressed.

Just a brief word on the Maggies. They sound better in my new room, like all other speakers. Bass is more robust and the top smoother. I am pleased.

Ortofon MC-5000 (and MC-3000MkII)
This time I brought both the Clearaudio Concept TT and Ortofon MC-5000 to NYC. The MC-5000, like the similar MC-3000 MkII, has a ceramic body, uses the replicant stylus (same as in the previous Ortofon statement product, MC Winfield, as well as the current A-90!), an has a very low output of barely over 0.1 mV, mandating the use of step-up transformers. Installation on the Verify arm proved a breeze, and I was immediately rewarded by the sound through the more casual setup:

Source: Clearaudio Concept/Verify arm
Step-up transformers: WE 285L and Langevin 402B (into AN silver cable)
Phonoamp: Linn Kairn (using tape out and Gotham GAC-4 cable)
Preamp: Langevin 102 preamp (vintage cable)
Amp: McIntosh 2200 (Acrotec cables)
Speakers: Magnepan 1.7
As I'd expect the sound was wonderfully detailed, dynamic, and with very wide bandwidth. No frequency called attention to itself. I had actually worried whether the 5000 would be a good match with the crisp sounding Concept. There was no trouble whatsoever. In this different system it did not quite project like the PC-1 did, but in terms of neutrality it was well nigh perfect. By neutrality, please do not think of the clinical kind. Percussion were reproduced with all their sheen, not tinged with whiteness as in lesser analogues (not to mention digitals).

I am also very pleased by the Concept, particularly the arm, which seems to work well with everything, and I still have room to spare in the counterweight for a somewhat heavier cartridge (these now are around 10 gm).
America, in music
Mr AL evidently liked the reproduction of one of his favorite LPs, Varese's Amerique (Vanguard). My copy was an early one, not a re-issue. If you don't have it, I'd urge you to get it for the strangely beautiful music that still sounds modern after all these years.

Words about the 5000 must have spread fast! Despite my protest, my copy was snatched up by AL's buddy, guru TM who merits a separate report all by himself.

A brief note before I stop: In HK previously I had installed the "legendary" MC-3000 MkII on the same TT and if my memory is correct, the 3000 is a little smoother and richer, particularly shining on massed strings. Both are cut from the same beautiful cloth and would be great buys. There are out there a lot more users of the cheaper 3000, and very little info on the later 5000. I hope my little bit helps. You'd be sure to hear more of these beauties in the articles to come.
Addendum on PC-1: reviews by Ken Kessler; TAS