Editor's Note

Click pic to enlarge. PJ Miaolai (Douk) U4 (Bluetooth) with Holland Amperex 6DJ8 on adaptor. Headphone Output as Preamp Output (Cable Sommer SC Club Mk II with generic 3.5 to RCA adaptor) into BRZ (Weiliang) FU50 (old-stock 6J7 on adaptors and WE422 rectifier). Loudspeakers Beydas "Stirling""15 ohm".

Letter from Hong Kong (24-18): The Thin Red Line

Dear Readers:

This is another letter from one of my better days...dictated more than a week ago, and edited now:

"...Last night Hong Kong's English television, the Pearl Channel, which usually airs lousy action flicks, suddenly put on a decent movie, Terence Malick's The Thin Red Line. Now, I am a big Malick fan and have actually seen almost all of his movies except this one. Imagine my delight when I found out it's on, and together with the commercials it was long - over three hours, just. All the Malick character traits could be found, except in this movie he uses mostly original music and less classical music, which is regrettable to me because I still remember his use of Mahler etc

My illness has mostly breached my body's defense and I am commencing more intense therapy which I am sure will cause ups and downs. Nonetheless, I am really pleased that the first round of therapy has improved my condition to the point that I am writing this article. This shall be a protracted struggle but I hope there will sometimes be windows of relative comfort which will enable me to write a little bit more. I actually miss writing and for the first time I am using Voice Typing, which saves my energy a bit.

From the above pic you can see that I have picked up enough energy to set up a system by the television, and longtime readers would recall this station, which was fairly complicated in the past (featuring one of my longtime favorites the Yamaha NS1000, as in here). As my illness limits my energy and forays I now seldom return to the old house where I still have some of my treasured gear (much of my best gear though followed my move to NYC in 2018). Instead, I hope that I will find enough energy to move some of those precious gear into my current abode so I hope that you shall see changes in the system very soon. Right now it is the most primitive system consisting of gear that I have brought back from Shenzhen. Reasonable sound but having those stuff here will enable me to do a little bit more in depth comparison which shall be perhaps interesting.

With my limited energy I would prefer and I hope you will understand that I will spend them on my own writing. This means I shall change a bit the way I edit. In a word, I shall probably not edit very much and you shall notice the difference. For me, Editing is not just proof reading but also an effort to enforce a uniform style, which may or may not be preferred by all. The Blogspot software is full of bugs and there is basically no support and little update. So authors who write on their own templates and then transfer them to Blogspot will find things deranged a bit. I used to try to ameliorate this and I have my ways but it has been time consuming and I shall not continue to do that. Hence, you shall find articles in more conversational or streamlined manner, which may actually be a good thing. In my own writing, I may also simplify. For example, although not read by many, my Classical Recommendations are important to me. Creating them is actually cumbersome as I try to import pictures of the albums into the troublesome Blogspot template. I thought of discontinuing this series, but I think I just may write things in a more notepad approach, raw.

There are articles coming from our other authors. ELO has actually accumulated a few and I am going to publish them soon. Shawn P also has some interesting stuff up his sleeves and I hope to read about them in due time.

For the meantime, I'm still here and I am very happy to be writing to you, as I have always been. I hope the next communication would come soon..

Cheers..."

以上来自我最喜欢（无二）的饭店，深圳的老大昌。超正宗的上海本帮菜，别的地方找不到的味道。由上而下：冷盘：醉鸡，熏鱼，海蜇，马兰头；草头，烤麸；韭黄鳝糊炒面，萝卜丝酥饼，素菜包。我每星期都会想去。

人气素食连锁素满香深圳店爆红，30元任食，被港人挤爆。

味道是不错的，不过不是每人都会喜欢搭台和磕磕碰碰。

回到街坊，现在少见超大平底锅煎的锅贴。深水埗元州街这家及格，

底脆而连在一起。馅也不错，只是皮稍薄。当然，要吃更好的，

只能飞去台北。

桂林街新荣记20元艇仔小碗但料足味道OK。肠粉等冷的就不要叫。

这面是即炒的，质感OK.

On the Move

Click pics to enlarge. Casual LR system. Micromega Stage 2 (and el cheap Magnavox TDA1543 CDP); Shindo Monbrison and Akitika GT-102 are not used in this iteration. The BELL 3DT borrowed from Andy is making magnificent music! Harbeth P3ESR; on top 新时 "WE" 597 passive resonators.

From the Editor: The Wayfarer and his Clouded Mind

Letter from NYC (23-1): Home Alone, again!

By now, many regular readers are likely wondering why it has been so quiet in this Blog. The answer is simple - I have been very busy for the past month and a half to write or even to co-ordinate. Even Part IV of the Nobsound E6 mega-trip, already fully etched in my head, was shelved for the moment. But rest assured that full activity shall be resuming in a short while.

I have been moving around quite a bit. Months ago, after the abandonment of China’s Zero-Covid policy, and then following the abatement of the resultant huge covid wave, China and Hong Kong removed their covid quarantine requirements and restored cross-border travel. Many immediately crossed the border, but for quite a while I was not among them. Having lived in Shenzhen for almost two and a half years, I was getting lazy really, or used to “lying flat”. It took me at least 2 months to take the first trip back to HK.

Disorientation
The older one gets, the harder for one to adapt quickly. The first time back in HK was disorienting. It’s like slowly putting back a familiar jigsaw puzzle. A kind of Haziness not unlike jet lag pervaded me. The main purpose of the trip (and the ones after) was to update administrative matter and check out my old home, which took up considerable time. Within a month I made several day trips for practical matters. I always started my trip around 6:30 and returned in mid afternoon so as to avoid the peak commuting hours. After a few trips, the haziness mostly cleared, but never went completely away. It was tiring. The good thing is I managed to fix an electrical problem in my old house and even enjoyed some SET amps. Although only for a period, I had some revelations which I shall share with you later.

About 10 days ago, I left HK for New York, but with a 4 day stop-over in Taipei, Taiwan, where I visited my uncle’s family. I tried but did not successfully hook up with local audiophiles.

Arriving in NYC was even more disorienting. I suffered from quite severe jet lag. As of this writing, the haze in my head had not completely lifted. It was like HK redux, putting back the jigsaw puzzle again. After an absence of almost 3 years, given the American bureaucracy there are a lot more to take care of than in HK. I made some progress. Of course, that did not stop me from hanging out with friends Andy and Mark the other day. I had brought Andy a pair of the 15 ohm Beydas LS3/5A and “WE” 597 (新时). You shall read about them later.

The fact that I’m writing this is sign that I’m recovering from my fatigue. More articles shall be coming in short succession. A few pics now for your perusal.

A serious drawback. I don't have WiFi here. The Portable Hotspot of my T-Mobile is virtually useless. This article was finished with help of the library WiFi. A pain.

Wow, finally, a decent bagel for breakfast!

HK old home. Sun Audio VT-25 amp and DIY 45 Amp

B&W Matrix 801S2 and Ruark Crusader II

In HK, best to start the day with dimsum and tea. Rice with meat pattie and salted fish.

The wonderful Bell 3DT

Jean-Luc Godard

Jean-Luc Godard Passed Away at 91

One of the most pivotal figures in Cinema had passed. A truly independent intellect, it’s not surprising that he died by assisted suicide, legal in his homeland of Switzerland.

As a fan of cinema, especially auteur films and European films of the 60’s and 70’s (which I caught up with in the revival houses of NYC in the 70’s and 80’s), I had watched quite a few of his, but not too much of his more political later efforts. I shall not go into details here, as the internet is replete with tributes. Many are well-written and I urge you to read a few.

My favorite Godard film is Vivre Sa Vie (and he also lived his life truly as he wanted), perhaps because of the mesmerizing Anna Karina (the stills here do not do her great charm justice). I had mentioned it in this blog before. One scene had Karina working in a record store, and of course that endeared it to this vinyl junkie.

As someone who pays great attention to film music (in the context of the films), Godard was a pioneer in the use of music in films (read here). In Vivre Sa Vie, the great Michel Legrand’s contribution is only 3 minutes long, but it is memorable and repeated throughout the film. In fact, if you play it on repeat you will feel a sense of the film.

Below you can make out the Record at front is an Igor Oistrakh Recital

As even now, record Stores sell some equipment. Now, those Radios and TVs are TUBED!

Record Stores appear in many films. Here is a UK article on 25 Best Record Stores in Films. You may have been in one or two. Me, Tower Records in NYC.

Aosibao APPLauseAudio Union Audio Anubis LS3/5A Xinyi Sini

Click all pics to enlarge. Above, from National Geographic, a man living on the receding shoreline of Java, Indonesia, has his house flooded with water as a permanent and worsening state. I doubt he still listens to his audio, but it's obvious they are his worthy possessions. 

Editor’s Note: A New Trajectory, Previewed
Letter from Shenzhen (22-11): My Lowest Fi - but a High
HiFi Basics: What’s the Correct Audio Value (and Why Bluetooth can Help You)

Editor: Subsequent events prove that I was not entirely on the money with the Anubis. Its place in the living room means less critical listening. Simply put, the clone ("Stirling 史特灵") just completely killed it. I have opened up the Anubis and a post-mortem is coming. 

I shall start with myself (and it’s lengthy), but this Note is not just about myself. Collectively, this Blog has some new and surprising articles coming from its authors. This is kind of a Preview.

This letter first traces an Inner Journey of mine that led to the start of a new phase here in China. Shenzhen is literally a stone-throw away from Hong Kong (where I still have quite a bit of treasured audio equipment). Yet, with the complicated requirements of border crossing, and consideration for family, one cannot easily move around, and so for now I don’t have access - neither to equipment nor the large number of exceptionally endowed fellow audiophiles (only in terms of equipment).

The past 10 years For most of this period, although I had drastically (by my standards) scaled down my activities, whether in NYC or HK. I still had access to my stuff and would buy something now and then, not to mention I still had all my audio friends around - and so I still had things to write about.

Pandemic and Watershed Moments The pandemic changed everyone’s life, as it did mine, in more ways than I would want to relate here. In NYC From the Fall of 2018, when I repatriated to NYC, till March of 2020, when Covid hit NYC in full stride, I had not acquired much, nor did I feel the need to. Then, finding myself alone and in isolation, for the next few months (before I exited NYC for HK) I did what many audiophiles did (I’d think): I perused listings and actually acquired a few things (the most notable being my Yamamoto preamp). But by far the most significant event during this period was getting into Streaming and Bluetooth. Reviewing the small and inexpensive gadgets in many ways re-affirmed this blog’s cheaptubeaudio roots. Even more importantly, it portended a way of listening which has extended into my current life here without my humongous collection of LPs and CDs. Mind you, many of my friends in HK, at least those around Icefox, had long been pioneers and influencers in this respect, and I was a latecomer. Now, they are emphatically not novices, but seasoned audiophiles (many use complicated and ultra-expensive horn systems and WE) who play LPs and CDs, but who employ BT a lot for casual listening. I know there are skeptics, but I’d say (and I think my predecessors would agree) that if you can make your BT (or low-res files) sound satisfying to you, your system is right on the money. Yes, given the right circumstances (like in my NYC home) for the greatest pleasure I’d simply play LP, but the portability and comprehensiveness of Streaming is just indispensable, and not partaking in that can only be your loss. In Shenzhen The Past Year and A Half In terms of audio, this period had been the most atypical in my audio journey, indeed an anomaly. I just streamed music and didn’t buy a thing. People like ELO repeatedly reminded me that Taobao is audio heaven (and it’s true), but I never perused it. Indeed, I had gone into Retreat. In terms of exploration of music, if you read my Streaming articles, you’d know it has been the most fruitful. Before streaming it’d have been impossible to think of living here. Without diddling in audio, I had time to expand my musical horizons. Let’s not forget: Audio Hibernation is not Inaction; Music Appreciation continues unabated, or even heightened in sensation. As Alex, once prominent in tri-state audio activities, said in our wechat group, it forces one to listen harder to the music. And that has its considerable rewards (not that my setups sound so bad).

Hitting the Play Button Again
As I mentioned in my recent article on the wildly popular Aiyima T9, the audio aspect of my life here (as opposed to musical appreciation) had started to change after its arrival. Like the advent of Spring, or a single digital switch from 0 to 1, it woke me from an audio hibernation. The last was no exaggeration, for during the preceding year and a half I had not harbored any thought of new acquisitions. It’s not that the Aiyima, competent as it is, is an earth-shattering event in my long audio life; it was just the right timing.

More Personal History

It was not the first time I had taken a hiatus. For the longest time in NYC, as chronicled here, I just used a modest system as a means to listening to music. Thirty years ago I repatriated to Hong Kong. For more than a year before that, having rented out my apartment (and sold or given away my stereo, but not my LP collection) I was kind of nomadic. I then spent some time living with my mother (and saddled her with my LPs) before leaving for HK, and did not really keep a steady system, though by this time I did start to acquire some vintage electronics. When I arrived in HK, as an expat, the University paid for my stay in a hotel. I had in advance shipped about a hundred CDs and listened to them on a Discman I bought, through generic earphones. After 4 months, I was given a cavernous University apartment but I still felt impermanent and did not really install a decent stereo system. Another 8 months later, given a different contractual arrangement, I moved out of the campus into a local “village” type apartment. And gradually there I started to build a meaningful system. I bought a second-hand pair of Spendor LS3/5A (plentiful and cheap in those days) and brought back from the US one of my Dynaco ST70s (with the more desirable earlier trannies). My student DIYed a “Marantz 7” for me and I was all set with a cheap Philips CDP - the rest is history, albeit a very long one which I may write about some day (I am inspired by Signore Surdi’s recent Tannoy article, very much down his memory lane)

Quitting vs Hibernation

I have met many audiophiles who, for various reasons, often rather abruptly, called it quits. Many reasons were offered, ranging from WAF factor, interest in another hobby to lack of money. It’s not my place to question anyone’s choice, but my observation is most of these individuals lost interest in music. If you look into what they listen to, you’ll find a lot of audiophile picks (much mediocrity) but few selections of their own liking. Mind you, the reverse is not necessarily true, as quite a few who are only obsessed with audiophile tracks soldier fearlessly on (but usually the longer they go, the more they begin to like some real music - the power of music is such that few remain incorrigible to the end). Suffice to say, the more one really likes music for the holistic aspect, the more one stays an audiophile (who wants to get more out of music).

Audiophiles are Very Lucky Today

Cheap equipment has improved to such a degree that, if one loves music and develops a strong personal value system, one does not need to spend much to really enjoy music. Even more than that, streaming has put an end to having to own all that physical media (and in cases like my generation, moving them around wherever we go, which btw showcases our dedication to software). Of course, ultimately, vinyl and tapes sonically reign supreme, but those are only for stable (and discriminating) folks to enjoy, and who today will count himself as destined to stay in one place?

Chinese Audio Products, Then and Now
For the last twenty years, perhaps more, many people, including older yahoo cheaptubeaudio group readers, have asked me why I don’t “review” more Chinese products. Well, there had been many reasons, and I must say that my early exposures in the mid 90’s were not encouraging, which stopped me from buying Chinese products (with few exceptions, I only review what I buy), or even from looking at them as bargains. Over the next decade, things started to change as I heard some very competent stuff. Much of it was DIY oriented, but things by then started moving in the right direction.

It was not until the Digital and T-amps arrived that I started to consider the cheap and cheerful stuff. It was really a revolution, as it made good sound available in a small and green package (even an old Class A veteran like Ray of Rayaudio recognizes the development as such). There is no question the Chinese manufacturers saw an opportunity and they surely wedged themselves into the preeminent positions in the bargain market - deservedly so (and here, especially as one who champions efficient loudspeakers, I shall re-emphasize that all the “high-end” digital amps are mostly nonsense).

Bluetooth, and Why it is a Good Audio Tool
As mentioned in detail above, during the pandemic, I finally took up Streaming and BT and never looked back. In terms of Streaming, I use free sources (mostly NML through the NYPL, and sometimes others,) which are not hi-res. I use mostly USB, but sometimes resort to BT, and I don't find the divide so big. Mind you, I’m aware that I’m likely a laughing-stock in some circles. Like everyone, I know BT is lossy, but BT today can be surprisingly listenable (I have been streaming for 2 years, sometimes eschewing USB for BT). What most people forget is that BT is kinda like Radio Wave which is analog in its transmission, and that could be a strength. Talking about the latter, remember the many audiophiles who sneer at FM, who (just like with LP playback) decry its limited bandwidth and dynamics? It’s likely these people have never heard a great tuner. The superb sound of Analog Sources serves as the best proof that there is something seriously wrong with over reliance on measurements.

In audio, I maintain that it matters very little if your system can play audiophile tracks well; whereas it matters a lot more if you can stream over USB or BT well. The former usually means there are many “unlistenable” stuff in your encounters; the latter however conveys pleasure even in musical but not sonically impeccable material. Many years ago, my friend Hoi (a horn user and a classical fan) said to me that it’s most important to be able to playback mono well. Time only makes me agree with him more. There’s a treasure trove of mono stuff that are heritage material (especially jazz) that should be listened to (I spend at least a few hours per month exploring the latest jazz, but I’m sorry to say most of the stuff sound tepid next to a mono Ellington or Miles). One my friend Andy likes is Ellington Uptown. It will likely sound execrable in a “high end” system, but I can enjoy its music with my humble setups, and that is what I advise you to strive for too. This kind of album mercilessly exposes the over-inflated audiophile “values” that often in the name of resolution creep into the system: wiry treble, lean midrange, un-natural bass. When a system is right (especially with horns), this kind of album can be listenable and enjoyable, and our sonically vastly superior audiophile albums that we enjoy for the physical thrills (make no mistake, I love them too) will not be worse for it. In passing, I cannot help to mention that this album, even in a latter day “mono” Columbia pressing (ubiquitous, as it was likely a best-seller in its days) really comes to life with a true mono cartridge (even the ridiculously well built and cheap Denon DL-102)! We often say there has been no progress in audio, which I agree with in sonic terms, though I make an allowance that compact and green and ridiculously cheap modern digital amps have changed the landscape (including mine) forever.

Value, that is what it is. NOT audio value, but musical value - more often than not, you cannot have “all” of both (but you can have most of it if you listen and work hard), and it is YOUR CHOICE. But audiophiles are a masochistic bunch: we mess up ourselves as much as we make improvements, meanwhile murmuring to ourselves that it must be our fault!

A New Budget and Acquisitions
Now, what’s happening to me. After the Aiyima T9, I have decided to spend not much more than USD 1k on Chinese products, and I finally went for some tube equipment (just to remind myself)! This is a much harder decision than you think. Given that I have tons of gear and good tubes in NYC and HK, I’m not about to spend a lot on swapping tubes here. But there is little doubt in my mind that Chinese transformers have gotten a lot better (indeed likely the best in the world now in general), so bring forth the tube amps!

I also got some cheap cables and I’m getting some tools and a soldering station, all to make my life here a little easier and more interesting. I chose equipment that are cheap and good-looking. Some previews:

AOSIBAO 6P1 PSE The 6P1 is not so far away from the 6AQ5/6V6 and EL84. This is a hard-wired, tube rectified, all-tube amp with 2 meters for about USD120. As expected, sweet sound from the 6P1, and it’s a great pleasure to look at! I may do a little tube swapping but it sounds pretty good as it is.

APPLauseAudio 300B amp Finished in hammer tone, in pseudo-WE fashion, this is at least several rungs lower in price from the better known Chinese WE imitators (and miles from that newly launched garbage “WE”). At USD 350, it is hard-wired, double tube-rectified. I also chose it because it uses a 2-stage triode-pentode 6F3 (similar to 6BM8) in front, ensuring good driving power. It is solid sounding and I think will put many competitors to shame.

My preliminary evaluation is that both of these sport decent transformers. I hear good bandwidth and tight bass, signs of quality. They also do not unduly overheat. At this price, especially if you are handy to upgrade parts (which are not bad), they are ridiculous bargains.

Union Audio Anubis LS3/5A (Update 11/27/22: I have kept the original text here, but reservations have emerged - see Editor's Note at top) I wanted another pair of loudspeakers but would not like to spend time auditioning. So I picked this “clone” of the venerable BBC monitor. It freely admits of following the sound but with some updates (and is 8 ohm, though a 15 ohm version is coming). At USD 300, this is an excellent choice. I don’t have my LS3/5As (or Harbeth P3 ESR) with me, but, given my long-term familiarity, I can safely attest that the sound is in the same vein. I’d think it is slightly more polite and less forward in the midrange, smoother and more efficient in the bass. Most of all, it does not suffer from the slower transient of the LS3/5A. It has completely transformed the sound of my System 2 (less used living room). In fact, unlike before, whenever I get the chance now, I happily listen to and tweak this system. I’m struggling over whether to get a pair of cheap stands to use them occasionally in the Study (which houses my main system). See, in audio one thing begets another, and I have to exercise restraint.

XINYI Sini Audio amp Now, this is a real surprise (from here in Shenzhen no less). I bought it with another function in mind, but it came up with such a good effort that I was charmed off my pants. It’s a bluetooth amp with auxillary input and output. The input chip is a Chinese JL bluetooth chip (different from the Aiyima one) but the output chip is the familiar TDA3116 (same as the SMSL I own). There are 4 versions: single 3116 vs double, and audiophile upgrades for both (I guess only caps for USD 2 premium). Given my efficient loudspeakers I opted for the single chip one. The result is so good that I’m contemplating also buying the double-chip one. At USD 6 for the whole amp it is absolutely the LOWEST Fi in my entire life - but that is referencing the price, not the quality! I’d not be surprised if Goldmund takes this, puts it in a nicer case, calls it JOB Mk X, and sells it for Euro 2000. But they won’t as it’ll sound much better than their lousy and crazily expensive digital amps.

I’m just too excited to report all this to you, and there are more, but not too much more. All of these will be duly reviewed in depth soon, so watch this space.

Finally, even more exciting stuff are coming from some of the other Authors! In no particular order:

--For those interested in Tannoy, Michele Surdi has more on amps that he has used and a few loose ends that are quite interesting. Plus, I don’t know where he gets all these nice brochures! His contribution makes sure this site shall contain the most comprehensive useful information on the Tannoy Prestige series. He shall likely contribute on some other surprises too! Maybe the heat in Europe is cooking him to our advantage!

--ELO was abroad and had just returned to HK. His soul searching continues. He has a couple of articles left with me and one audition (albeit brief) is a surprise, on something that I had been interested in a long time. Soon.

--Some of our occasional contributors have things up their sleeves, but they are just too busy. Let’s hope they find a moment to pen something.

--Last, but absolutely not the least, my dear colleague mrgoodosund is boiling soup in a BIG cauldron. I may have inklings, but true to our understanding, I’m not to divulge. I love his surprises, even when his views are not quite in agreement with mine (such as on LTA; but I can totally understand his view). In fact, with like-minded individuals I look at different views as healthy, and contribute to our understanding. No less a mind than the great Kierkegaard argued with himself in Either/Or.

I am thankful for the contributions of all. This blog is not a corporation, does not monetize (even if it can), nor adhere to a schedule or fixed agenda. All in due time. Check back often. Salut!

Capital Audio Festival 2021

pic from Stereophile.

Stereophile's Report on Capital Audio Festival 2021  

Ken Micallef's Report

This is a brief posting alerting you to one of the first Audio Shows around these days. It is, as usual, well written by Ken Micallef. From his musician audiophile series, I know he has a youtube channel, and you may want to search there for some videos (I rarely use VPN to surf youtube here in China, so I'd not know)!

I have never been to this show, even if I have relatives in D.C! Have always wanted to go, and then covid hit. But I have read all the reports, and Stereophile has always done a great job with this one. It seems to me the Show is changing a bit, with more upscale stuff and less bargains. I hope that's not a permanent trend. As an example, I probably know why VK Music, a regular at the show, is not there this year. During these stressful times, it can be a combination of logistics and personal factors.

The borrowed pic shows a horn with field coil driver that took 240 hours to make. It is not cheap, but if you ask me, much more deserving of its price than the many machined and assembly line manufactured loudspeakers. Still, no, I'll stick with much cheaper horns...

I was surprised by the many Linear Array Loudspeakers (all very expensive). Given that my NYC friends who whole-heartedly embrace classic Infinity's and I have heard them to great effect, I am pleased.

I cannot help but notice that Ken mentioned some manufacturers refrained due to mask mandate. As a physician and a civically minded individual, I can only sigh. Yes, if this covid thing drags on (likely) it will polarize even the audio world! You have heard me. I was entertained also when I read that Ken was asked to remove his mask among friends who all have been vaccinated to share cocktails. Wonderful, but this also illustrates the tenuousness of "post-covid" (we're not quite there) contact. I personally regard wearing a mask as respect for others. Here in Shenzhen, we have currently no cases. When I am on the street I wear no mask, but when I enter a mall or shop I don one as a courtesy.

Anecdote: I have a personal connection to this Show. I have exchanged emails and spoken with Victor of VK Music many times, but to this date I have never met him. My friend Richard C, whose system and endeavors have been featured in this blog, who is an essential worker in NYC, went  to the 2019 show and met VK and took back an Elekit amp for me to play with (still, many thanks). Forward to 2020, a reviewer for a trade magazine encountered a minor hiccup in the system. After a barrage of phone calls, Richard C knew a technician nearby and helped solved the problem in no time. Rescues off the scene! Bravo, audiophiles

Taking Leave

Editor's Announcement: Taking Leave

doctorjohn is leaving New York City tonight, to attend to family matters in Hong Kong and China.

Hong Kong: I shall arrive in HK on Oct 22. Since I am arriving from what is deemed a highly dangerous place (fair enough, for the US is precisely that, though NYC is better than most of the country), even a HK resident is not allowed to go home to quarantine. Instead, I shall be cooped up for 14 days in a tiny hotel room. Now, there is of course wifi, and all things Google are available in HK. There is no better time to write! I have several articles down the pipeline and it shall gradually appear in the next 2 weeks. I shall of course also report on my quarantine experience.

After quarantine, I shall return to my HK home and stay around for a few days to run necessary errands. Then I shall cross the border into China.

China: Now, since HK still has some cases, all HK residents have to be quarantined for 14 days in a designated hotel upon arrival. Another 2 weeks of non-life! Now, anything Google is NOT available in China, so I shall not be able to access my own blog! I am not sure how long I am going to be in China - it could be months. I could of course subscribe to a VPN service, like all expats do (hey, I am an expat myself), but we will see.

When I get to HK, I shall write a more detailed Announcement on arrangements.

Meanwhile, I have already made my colleague mrgoodsound an editor, so he will fill in the gaps when I cannot.

You will hear a lot from me in a few days. Just flying to HK consumes 16 hours of my life, and that is just flight time. So much for now.

Thanksgiving

NY Diary (19-18): Thanksgiving

The more bad news there are, the more important to give thanks. I wonder, today, whether thanksgiving is more about turkeys than giving thanks, more about going through the motions than renewal. As time progresses, we curse more than we thank. And I wonder whether people look more at their phones than at each other during the festivities.

For sure, the news, real or fake, are increasingly hard to take. First, my laments, based on my own experience, and not political at all.

Inequity is growing, in every part of the world. Take my own life as an example. Being in NYC, for the first 2 years of my college I went to Brooklyn College, basically for free. When I went to medical school, the tuition for the first year was $3,500 and for my last year, four years later, it was around $5,500, and we thought that was expensive. I put myself through school by working as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. At the time, say, a Moo Shu Pork was a few dollars, say $5. Fast forward to now, my medical school would be around $80,000 in tuition, whereas said dish is perhaps $10-15. So, income earned as tip has doubled or tripled, but tuition increased over 15 times. There is NO way I could have put myself through school now. I don't envy wealth, but things have gone terribly wrong in the last decades. In HK, it is the same, perhaps even worse. Rent is so high many families of several can only afford to squeeze into a 100 ft room, bunk beds for all. Right now, like in the 80's, I see more and more homeless people in the subway and on the streets in NYC. Sigh.

The world is ignoring the very obvious climate change. When I was small, few in HK had air conditioners. Summer was hot, and we all hovered in front of the fan, but it was tolerated (granted, people of yore were more patient too), and relatively short. Now, HK is like summer for 9-10 months of the year, and no one would think of living without air conditioners. Similarly, in NYC, fewer and fewer snow storms and severe weather. And of course, shorter falls and spring everywhere. But we are still blessed. The worst thing is that the weather has gone crazy: warm places can get a snow storm; cold places can get a 100 degree temperature; and everywhere there is flooding.

Meat is now a culprit in the climate change debate. While I'd certainly enjoy good meat, I don't eat that much of it, and probably can go vegetarian if need be. My late mother was a devout buddhist, and a vegetarian for sure. She recited the scriptures everyday, and during thanksgiving would do special sessions for the turkeys that are doomed. Empathy for all beings.

Technology has brought wonderful things, but awful things too. I happen to think the digital age spreads hatred more than love. Hatred goes viral much more quickly than love. The superintendent in my building is Albanian, and I talked to him about this issue. He said, absolutely, in the past, everybody was OK in his country, Christians next to Muslims; but now the religious divide is greater than ever, and people don't talk across the divide.

The average audiophile has much to thank for. Whether we just have some spare change or are more endowed, we at least think of something other than the humdrums of life. We are lucky, to be able to indulge in a hobby, to be able to escape into a corner of our own, have an asylum, to have another sort of community and Peace!

Happy New Year of the Pig

I love Google for taking the care to celebrate everyone's festival and holiday. This year it is the Pig's turn, and you can see the other 11 animals waiting in the wings.

The left pic shows Piggie, friend of Gerald the elephant, in the highly popular children books of Mo Willems that say more about friendship than adult authors. My favorite pig!

Happy Year of the Pig

In the US, it is Chinese New Year's Eve, but in Asia, it is already New Year's Day, and folks had already finished their big family meal.

I wish to say Happy New Year to all my friends in Hong Kong - I miss you fellows greatly. In many ways, HK has shaped my audiophile journey more than the US. Especially in the 90's, exposure to gears, be it modern or vintage, was unrivaled - priceless education.

Pigging Out

It is going to be a quiet evening for us here, but yesterday our unruly crowd made another Long Island trip (roll down page for last trip) and pigged out, not once but TWICE. That was like pre-celebration of New Year for us.

First we visited R. Simon and Andy worked hard to fix his Walker pump, while I continue my "job" of picking fault with the main system. The paella seafood lunch, with risotto and garnished with sweet peppers, was absolutely marvelous.

VAS Stephen brought over the Linn LP 12 he hot-rodded for R. The Akito arm was re-wired with VPI tonearm wire. His ruby stylus Denon "DL-103" was also installed. Together with VAS step-up transformer, the combo seemed to be making good music but I was too deeply in conversation at the dining table to listen critically, only sauntering in and out of the horn room.

Then we re-visited Mark. The Accuphase amp had surely improved the bass but it seemed the treble became coarser. No matter, the real purpose was to eat hot pot, to mop up the leftover from last time.

In all, it augured well for the year of the Pig. The same to you all.

Subjective, Objective, Cables

Pic shows Andy's EMT 930 fitted with EMT TSD-15 Cartridge.

Subjectivism vs Objectivism (via Thorsten Loesch)
Home Visit: Chez Andy

While not this article's focal point of discussion, nothing better illustrates the great divide between Subjectivism and Objectivism than the Turntable, which is inferior to Digital in spec's, yet superior sounding.

The February 2019 issue of TAS was most interesting for Steven Stone's Coverage of RMAF 2018. Not for what he covered (CAS) per se, which is peripheral to me, but for a passage that even when browsing quickly somehow caught my attention:

"...I had a long conversation during the show with Thorsten Loesch of Abbington Musical Research and IFI. He told me a fascinating story about confirmation bias. That’s when you are so sure of something that even strong evidence to the contrary will not persuade you to change your mind. 

Thorsten put together a blind ABX testing where he told participants it was a comparison of two power cables. But when he went behind the curtains, ostensibly to change the power cable, what he actually did was switch the speaker cables on one channel, so the system was playing out of phase. Thorsten had three different types of audiophiles take his test: subjectivists, objectivists, and those who were neither. The subjectivists and neutral listeners heard the effects of the system being thrown out of phase. The objectivists heard no differences. It was a robust test with clearly correlated results.

And how noticeable is having one speaker’s channel out of phase with the other? Ten years ago, at CES I entered a room with an “All Digital System” that had all the DACs and electronics in the loudspeakers. I listened for about ten seconds, then I turned to the gentleman who was giving the presentation and told him, “One of your channels is out of phase with the other.” He told me that was impossible since all the connections were hard-wired. I thanked him and left. A day later he caught me in the hall and explained that indeed one channel had been mis-wired out of phase.

The fact that the objectivists in Thorsten’s test were the ones who were so set in their opinions that it blinded them to the aural facts in front of their ears is a delicious irony. Why? Because those audiophiles who embrace ABX testing with the most fervor are those who believe most strongly in effects of expectation bias, which is why sighted testing is, in their eyes, flawed. Thorsten’s test indicates a strong tendency for objectivists to listen with closed ears whether the test is blind or sighted, which isn’t very objective, is it?..."

Thorsten Loesch I have known (on the net only) him for quite a long time, long before he became an industry figure. I quite like the man. Opinionated, yes, but who isn't? Solidly grounded in engineering, yes, which cannot be said of most of his detractors. But I most admire him for the help he offered many people, and for his fondness for some vintage equipment despite being fully aware of numbers. He is someone who should really know both the subjective and objective sides of audio.

Internet Discussion Of course, his comments immediately seized attention in certain forums. In the long thread here there were debates on what he said, including a little vitriol. Nonetheless, it is an interesting thread:

• I agree with what a commentator said, that the terms "Subjectivism" and "Objectivism" as used in audiophilia bear no resemblance to their more rigorously defined counterparts in Philosophy (or Psychology).

• When it comes to SET amps, Non-Oversampling DAC's (what I like), no reader of Stereophile will have missed the gulf between the Subjective Assessment of the admirers of such gear (Art Dudley, Herb Reichert and Ken Mecallef) and the Objective Measurements (usually terrible in numbers) of John Atkinson. What do I believe when it comes to these things? The subjective side of course.

• One commentator posted an interesting link by an Objectivist, which I found to be good reading despite my Subjectivist bend: "Science and Subjectivism in Audio", by Douglas Self.

As the Subjective/Objective arguments most often pertain to cables, I now give a take on my own experiences by telling you my latest moves.

Two Recent Examples of How I Changed the Sound by Changing a Cable After I installed the Grommes LJ5 in my system to my great satisfaction (just roll down to my last article or click here), something nagged at me. Using the Grommes as Integrated's, I wanted to improve the sound delivered by my System III's Thorens TD-309/Denon DL-A100 (basically a DL-103) - it wasn't quite as good as the Thorens TD-124/SME3012/Denon DL-103 from System I fed into a SUT then directly into the Grommes. Grant you, although the two cartridges are virtually the same, there were differences in setup - the TD-309 goes through a solid state phonoamp (47 Labs Shigaraki) and then through a buffer amp (Schiit Saga); the TD-124, likely a better turntable to begin with, is used with an excellent SUT going into Grommes' tubed phono section. But I wanted to narrow the gap, even achieve near-parity.

What did I do? I just changed the phono cable of the TD-309. Out went the VdH The Second, not a favorite, but a stopgap that worked well when last used with the Wavac MD-811, and in came the Gotham GAC-2, one of my two go-to cables (the other is Gotham DGS-1, which is already in use for connecting the output of the 47 Labs to the Schiit Saga). The sound improved so much that the TD-309 setup no longer feels so different from the TD-124 setup, which is as it should given the similarity of the cartridges.

Another recent example would be the transformational change brought about by the Gotham GAC-1 Ultra Pro in Kevin's system (here). So, what a difference a cable makes! This makes me take this opportunity to write the following:

Cables, do they make a difference? The short answer is: Absolutely, and sometimes even profound (as illustrated by the examples above). This prompts me to write soon a "HiFi Basics" article in which I shall cover some of my beliefs on cables. Watch this space.

Home Visit: chez Andy

Andy and I do not need a reason to get together. Generous to a fault, Andy always cooks a simple but tasty meal and serves fine wines. On this occasion, Kevin and I enjoyed the excellent steak (actually from Mark) and wine.

Before Kevin arrived, I listened to two interesting cartridges. First was VAS Steven's revamped Denon DL-103 with ruby stylus! (on the Garrard 401/SME3012) which was used with a small Fidelity Research SUT (much like my beloved FRT3G, seen at the bottom of pic, right of middle). I also heard Andy's newly acquired EMT TSD-15 (current version; used on the EMT 930). The EMT is well known, as it has been widely and favorably reviewed, whereas the ruby Denon is an unusually tweaked oddity, but it is likely you will hear more about both in the future.

2018 in Review

Click pics to enlarge. To the right, the Grommes flanking and atop the Wavac MD-811; in the middle, the WE 133; to the left, Thorens TD-124 MkI with ad-hoc SME "3012".

2018 in Review

It has been quite a stressful year. Due to my leaving HK, for once, I have sold off far more than I have acquired. Although without many new toys, my experience has not been less vital than in years past.

Best Sound

Western Electric + Horns = Great Sound This is a truth, but of course even WE can get mangled in the hands of users with lesser ears. The WE 41/42/43 heard here was not only the best sound of the year, but also likely the best horns I have heard. However, running it very close is the sweet WE 46 system heard here.


Even without using WE, the horns in my NYC circle, three Altec's and my own YL, which I have written a lot on, have all sounded very good.

Sleepers that have given the Best a Run for the Money

This year is just as remarkable for mostly Rediscoveries!

6V6 Amps My two pairs of 6V6 amps heard at Kevin's (here) are now back in my home. I swapped out the Grommes LJ5 for the Wavac MD-811 and was delighted by the results. With both my recently fired up System I (Manley 300B as preamp) or System II (Shindo Monbrisson as preamp), the sound was just as good, if not better than before. Compared to the SET Wavac, the midrange is just as transparent and sweet, whereas the treble is a tad smoother and the bass a tad more fulsome and rolling. Curiously, in my system, there is none of the overly smooth and somewhat restrained manner experienced at Kevin's. I double-checked with my Mangar Test CD, and everything sounded just wonderful. When I get the chance, I shall take this to Andy's place and give it another sounding. Grommes, like Bell, in an old name that has a solid reputation. But I kinda suspect many other 6V6 amps (though not all, as some are pretty flimsy) will sound great too with horns. For more on 6V6, read my Overview (here).

B&W Matrix 801 Mk II Towards the end of my stay in HK, I got re-acquainted with my B&W Matrix 801Mk II. After writing about it (here), I actually got to listen to it a lot more while cleaning house. The more I listen, the more I was impressed. What a deep sound! I actually heard more details than even my Tannoy Canterbury and TAD TD-3401. And that authoritative bass belies the woofer's relatively modest 12" diameter - it managed to sound like a 15" paper woofer, the best in my book. As this article gets ready, I learned that our friend Kevin has just scored a mint pair, so you can be sure of further reports. I am glad I'll get to hear them again imminently - I miss them!

Lowther TP-1 and VTL Straightline DAC/Preamp These are real gems, not a whit outdated in sound. See the same article for details.

Loudspeaker Placement continues to be an important issue, even for bulky horns, which tend to be left against the wall. Significant improvements were obtained with them further in-room, as witnessed in the Altec Systems of both R and Kevin (here).

Subwoofer Use Many systems would benefit from the addition of a subwoofer. ESL In the case of our friend WSS, the addition of a subwoofer (my REL) for his Quad 2812 was eminently audible, not for more solid bass per se, but for an added vitality, which is quite winning! 47 Labs 4737 Addition of subwoofer utterly transformed the 4737 from a great small loudspeaker to a full system!

Honorable Mentions 47 Labs 4737 This small loudspeaker with alnico magnets works a treat with solid state amplification, less so for tube amps (here), but it is with the addition of a Subwoofer that elevated it to the Pantheon. The result was so persuasive that I sold them to my ESL friend WSS! SMSL SA-36 Pro performed way beyond expectation. At my friend R's place, I'd rather listen to it than his Jadis and Cary (here). I suspect many T amps would do a similar job. Blue Velvet Preamp A cheap Chinese implementation of this (mainly) Dick Olsher design, a known DIY entity, was surprisingly good sounding.

Happy New Year!

Season's Greetings

Chez R's, evaluating the latest incarnation of the vinyl setup.

Season's Greetings

Greetings to you all!

It's that time of the year again, when everyone seems to be celebrating. While the younger souls seek fun and parties, it is closer to routine for many older people, without much time for discovery and reflection, sometimes even with burden that come with reality.

But for everyone, one thing is sure - those who think of giving possess the spirit and are the richer for it. And we should all be glad that we get to share and get together with friends, particularly over food. In that sense, my holiday season started early. The right pic shows the wonderful desserts from Brooklyn that I was served at my friend H's house on the last day of Hanukah. The left pic shows the great lunch Kevin served. With the exception of the fried eel, all were take-outs: the other flavored Fried Fish, surprisingly excellent Chicken (蔥油雞) and Spicy Beef with Tripe (夫妻肺片), the last the best I have ever had, better than any that I have had in Shenzhen (HK simply does not qualify), all testament to the prowess of the Chinese chef diaspora. The food was so good that I have forgotten what was on the audio agenda that day.

Chez R The Dining Highlight of my season must go to R's lunch or us last Sunday. The Pork Shank (Osso Buco equivalent) was privately sourced superior meat, brined and cooked to perfection. The fat had only slivers of connective tissue left, melting in the mouth. The garnishing was not to be slighted either: a self-fermented Sauerkraut and Kielbasa (home made by his friend). They looked so good that I forgot to take a pic of the table!

For some reason, this time the great food did not erase my audio memory. In the LR, which I have not reported on for quite a long time, we evaluated the current setup:

Analog: Rockport Sirius II / Jan Allaerts MC2
SUT: Kondo KSL SFz (previously Ortofon T20)
Phonoamp: mammoth Tube Research
Preamp: ARC Reference 2
Amp: mammoth Tube Research monoblocks
Loudspeakers: Wilson Grand Slamm

Most of these have been in the smaller audio room before. For more articles, simply use the search functions in this blog for "R". I'd not mince words - for various reasons I think the first incarnation of the system is still the best. Now it is just too sluggish and tame for me.

Chez Andy After visiting R, we retreated to Andy's place and drank more. Before Andy served us his signature Beef Noodles, VAS Stephen showed us some of the cartridges he had restored/modified for the crowd, including a Denon DL-103 with Ruby cantilever!!!

Classical Recommendations

Listening Notes: Comfort in the Same
Classical Music Recommendation: Neglected Gems from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Other Lost Treasures

Weeding Out The first days back in NYC were spent on household chores, chief among which the redistribution of space ("creation" being a misnomer). This shall prove to be a continual struggle for the foreseeable future, a plight most New Yorkers would share in. I had already put away more than half of my wardrobe for donation; the kitchen and living room are to be pared down next.

In anticipation of the arrival of a large shipment of household goods from HK that demands shelf and closet space, which have long been usurped for audio storage, I shall be weeding out my LP collection, some for donation, and some perhaps for sale as dollar LP's if friends are interested. Anyone local?

Books too shall be donated - they used to play a role as vital as music, but I guess all titles of my once-favorite authors, such as Borges and Thomas Mann, can be readily found in the library if needed. As I buy ever fewer CD's, I rarely buy books anymore, instead preferring to borrow from the local library. I enjoy browsing the new arrivals and once in a while check one out to read, just like I'd the New Yorker magazine. As streaming is to music, the library is to books, but better, as what we get to enjoy, albeit not to own, is a hard copy. Reading on the Smartphone or tablet screen? No, thank you. Just try to get through The Magic Mountain on a screen!

The big question is, now that I am without HK's surprisingly excellent library resource for new classical music issues, should I contemplate a streaming service such as Tidal? Not now, as time is very limited, and here in NYC, vinyl is king; but I see the attraction and, having a few DAC's, unused cheap android tablets and a Chromecast on hand, I guess I am always ready to go.

Comfort in The Same
Partly due to jet lag, for more than a week I did not fire up my audio. Then one day, venturing a bit further out I lucked out at a small local thrift shop, where I picked up a few pop records, including Led Zeppelin's Graffiti and Stevie Wonder's Innervisions., as well as a UK EMI of Suppe Overtures. A day later, feeling more energetic, I went into Manhattan and bought more than $500 worth of concert tickets for the season (Carnegie and Geffen Hall) and scooped up more classical LP's and a few CD's along the way.

Despite having likely close to ten thousand LP's, these new acquisitions are the ones that motivated me to fire up one of my stations, then another. That is human folly indeed - what one already has more often than not is not as stimulating as new arrivals.

Astonishingly, despite a long period of disuse, the systems sound even better than I remember from six months ago. This had happened before here in NYC, but not in HK - I'd guess the drier and cooler climate here helps.

First System II, Thorens TD-125/SME 3009i/Denon DL-304 into Langevin 402B SUT into Shindo Monbrisson into Wavac MD-811 driving YL horns. I was pleasantly reminded of the power and ease of reproduction, but found the sound improved, particularly in the bass, which is even more tactile than before. Last time just before leaving I had changed the Gotham GAC-2 interconnect from preamp to amp to Gotham DGS-1, and I think that is what I am hearing. Then I fired up System III, and it too sounded just as I remembered, a trifle leaner than System II.

Unsung Gems from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Reiner is famous among audiophiles for his Living Stereo Chicago recordings - who doesn't have his Scheherazade or Thus Spake Zarathustra, among others? But he was actually even more prolific in the recording studio than we think. Although not known for his Beethoven, I was mesmerized by his Pastorale (White Dog), a reading of singular power, not as mellifluous as Walter's justly famous account, but lean and lithe (almost "HIP" informed) and equally valid, and I'd rank it with other great ones like Karl Bohm's. It is also noticeable for its sound - this must be one of the best Living Stereo's I have heard, cavernously spacious, yet every strand easily audible. The other Reiner gem is his Symphonia Domestica, surely the least known of his great Strauss recordings. The maroon label Victrola sounded absolutely resplendent, and made a convert of me for this score, which had previously eluded my grasp in other versions. I reckon the SACD remastering still currently available should be pretty good too (in general I found them better than the first Living Stereo issues). The best Strauss playing has a sheen, illuminated from within and should never sound forced; so it is here, as good as any (Berlin and VPO included) on disc. Jean Martinon had a hard time in Chicago, but his recording of Nielsen's 4th (Dynagroove) is immortal. Talking about playing with fire! Never equalled, but sadly little known.

Also magnificent is under-rated Dorati's Miraculous Mandarin (Mercury; certainly less known than his Firebird), played idiomatically by the BBCSO. What is equally remarkable is that the system renders hard rock euqally well. In Led Zep's Graffiti - the bass and drumming are just tightly rendered, tactile, purposeful, and the music is moved inexorably along, and this from an MC, not even MM!

System III consists of Thorens TD-309/Denon DL-103, Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono, Schiit Saga and Langevin 102 into the same Wavac amp driving YL horns. It is by character a trifle leaner, but suits Martinu's concertante works to a T. I rediscovered the Concerto for Violin and Piano, and I think it is a neglected masterpiece, impeccably rendered by the Supraphon team here. Even more surprisingly was another neglected conductor, Viennese-born and trained Henry Krips (brother of better known Josef), here turning in stunning accounts of Suppe Overtures (EMI), the best I have heard, by a large margin. How the music breathes and how well the rhythms are sprung should provide lessons for modern conductors. The early stereo sound is good though a little coarse, but in my book it now stands together with Arthur Fiedler's Gaite Parisienne and Piero Gamba's Rossini Overtures as the best of bob-bon's. The system also does well with rock, as Stevie Wonder's Innervisions just sound unpredictable, ecletic, kaleidoscopic and, most importantly, interesting.

In System III, I also played CD's through the Sparkler 303 CDP. The sound is commensurate with the analog. I was totally enthralled with Gergiev's first Kirov recording of Shostakovich's 8th (Philips), which is both sonically and interpretively at least as good as the more current version (orchestra renamed Mariinsky, on its own label), and that says something. Highly recommended.

Afternoon chez Kevin
On a rainy afternoon I visited Kevin (previous visit here) and over a glass of wine listened to his many new acquisitions. Hidden from view in this pic are the turntables. His new 2-armed Lenco GL-75 now sports Andy's Decca tonearm fitted with a Shure M44-7, which he (like me, reported here) is very enthusiastic about; it certainly sounded more lively compared to the Rabco linear tracking arm fitted with a Pickering 380 (too heavy, I wonder...). In comparison, the VPI Prime turntable just sounds, eh, dull.

There is a new Chinese tube preamp (top of front rack), but I still preferred the Citation I. Driving a newly restored pair of McIntosh MC-30, the Altec A7 horns were lovely, but I think all that extraneous stuff in front center, especially the equipment rack, ate away at the sound a bit.

We talked about some projects. I'd like to loan him my Shure SC35C for comparison with the M44-7. Also, it is time to match my McIntosh C20, C22 and MX110 to the MC-30! As usual, watch this space!

The bulk of the article was written around 911, a day any New Yorker would never forget. 17 years ago, I was in a HK bar around 9 pm (12 hours from EST). All of a sudden, the TV flashed the extra, with footage of tower ablaze. The silence in the bar was eery.

We all harbor sentiments of disapproval and disdain, but it is a long way to pulverizing hatred that destroys the life of others as well as self-destructs. In face of so much misery in the world, we all shall be more grateful for our existence. Peace.