Divertimento: Change, in the Sky and on the Ground

Divertimento: Change, In the Sky and on the Ground

And so, time to fly again. Though some may enjoy it, I have always thought human beings are not meant to be moving around so much, if at all. Are we supposed to conquer nature, conquer other nations, wreak havoc on economies all over the world under the banner of "globalisation"? And who are the beneficiaries of mobility - the majority or the minority? No wonder there now is "Occupy Wall Street". As you shall see in some of my coming articles, perhaps there will soon be an "Occupy Hi-end" movement in audio; about time, don't you think?

Now and then

Progress, Two Chinas, Two Generations As I wanted to stop over in Taiwan on my return trip, this time I opted for China Airlines, not to be confused with Air China, the (PRC) People's Republic of China's state carrier. That meant I had to take a red-eye flight to Tapei and wait for an early morning flight to NYC.

As soon as I got on my connecting flight I was surprised. China Airlines, which I had used countless time decades ago when I was in a long distance relationship, had reeled from a few disasters, grown old and allowed herself to deteriorate over the last decade. But everything interior now seemed revamped. That is, thankfully, with the exception of the beautiful traditional qipao worn by the stewardess. In the right pic above (click to enlarge), you shall also see the qipao worn by three beautiful ladies over 50 years ago in Taipei 永康街. Time has not diminished the beauty of the captured image in my heart. Note also the tricycle in the background, a luxury in the fifties.

Inside the cabin, I was even more surprised when I browsed the in-flight magazine: Aviation Week’s 2011 Top-Performing Airlines study ranked China Airlines as the world’s tenth mainline carrier! Wow, who would have thought!

An airport finally tries to re-invent itself I had to move from one terminal to another. So around 2:30 am I was shifting around the Taoyuan International Airport. Even more than airports in the People's Pebublic of China, you feel the weight of history here. Its change of name (see above link) had signaled seismic changes in Taiwanese politics. The airport was a much-criticized drab structure, but this time I saw tremendous efforts being lavished on its renovation; it seems to me it is perhaps modelling itself on the Korean Incheaon airport, which is not a bad thing. It is about time. Considering how much Taiwan has re-invented herself in the past decades, the airport has a lot to catch up to.

The transit lounge was yet another surprise. Modern and reasonally comfortable, though not quite as luxurious as Incheon. We are talking about the common man here, not the VIP lounges. I was able to get some rest.

In the morning, I was not hungry but went looking. The eateries are comfortable and I decided to try out the classic staple Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麺. The staff sliced open a package of noodle and took quite a while to prepare. I said this ain't going to be good, packaged noodles! But it turned out just the other way. The noodle was al dente (Q 感), the broth flavorful and not heavy in MSG, the beef succulent. A generous sprinkle of scallions and non-salty but flavorful pickled vegetable 酸菜 enhanced the flavor. Why, it was one of the better bowls of noodle I have had in Taipei!

Boarding the flight to NYC was an even bigger surprise. The cabins have been modernized and finally every seat gets its own screen (they must have been among the last international carriers to do so).

click pics to enlarge

The Beauty of Kansai
The flight refuels in (Osaka) at the Kansai International Airport. I must say, the descent on a clear day was a spirit-lifting experience, perhaps not as dramatic as Vancouveur or Seattle, but possessing a calm beauty its own.

It seems all airports now have undulating roofs, and this one predated the HK airport. I rather liked the intimacy and scale of this unusually laid-out airport. The control tower immediately grabbed my attention. I liked its isolation, seemingly devoid of population, a NASA station in the desert. When I got home, I did some research and found out that Renzo Piano was the architect for this airport on a man-made island. Make sure you read the fascinating wikipedia entry and discover this airport's technological advance and its link with the HK airport. In terms of design, if you ask me, it speaks to me more than the coolly grandiose Norman Foster, whom I have always thought over-rated.

China Airlines used to be known for its food. I am glad to report on this international flight the food was excellent. The fish I had was presented Japanese style, simple and flavorful. The flight was only half-full. I suppose people don't even want to be near Japan in the wake of the quake.

El Nina?
Just as we were to descent, it was announced there would be a delay due to visibility, which had never happened to me before on my trips to NYC in the fall and spring. When we finally descended through the clouds, I found out why.

It is extremely rare for NYC to have a snowstorm in late October. Fortunately, it was not too bad in Queens, and after a bit of waiting I got my car service and got home.

Review: Verity Audio Rienzi meets Softone ICL

Click pic to enlarge.

Review: Verity Audio Rienzi III
1, 2, 3, Go! Softone ICL

OK, I admit it, part of the reason for the revisit was for the fantastic and wholesome breakfast: eggs, sausage, fresh carrots and cabbage, and home-made bread! Thanks and thanks again! How am I going to do without today! :-(

Before and during breakfast, we had round 1, which used the resident ASR Emitter I Exclusive. Since the sound was not much different from before, I shall not dwell on this part and refer you to my previous reports (here).

Mostly Softone ICL (official website)
This came about because our host Sang just acquired the ICL Model 3 CD player. Yes, contrary to what you read in the commercial press, many people still buy CD players! He wanted to play with my ICL Model 2 DAC and I wanted breakfast, so the visit was arranged. Since I have read that the Verity Audio Rienzi is friendly to flea-powered SET amps (based on a review in Ultra Audio), I decided to take along some extra stuff, and the challenger system was as follows:

Transport/CD Player: Softone Model 2
DAC: Softone Model 3
Preamp: Bryston 0.4B
Amp: Softone Model 1 (300B amp; discontinued; on the floor in the pic)
Speaker: Verity Audio Rienzi
Cable-Analogue: Canare (cheap 75 ohm) and Belden teflon silver-plated (looks like Cello String, but white)
Cable-Digital: Belden (yellow)
Cable-Speaker: Belden 9497
Cable-Power; generic

ONE OF THE MOST JOYFUL MOMENTS IN MY HIFI JOURNEY. Yes, in terms of fun and delight, not absolute performance. And vindication for Verity Audio also. Previously, I had not been too enamoured of Verity, indeed for all speakers of this kind, with one small speaker on top of a "subwoofer" module.

But, on this historic day, with the full system as described, the system cast a huge soundstage, with instruments reaching into the far corners (whereas the ASR only had the center, not even particularly full at that). Instruments gained presence and size, with beautiful and correct timber. Amazingly, the sound had excellent live presence. The voice of Buena Vista Social Club's Omara was smoky and the band swinging. In the duet of Ray Charles and Nora Jones, not only were the voices beautifully differentiated, they tightly inter-weaved to covey a feeling of duo partnership. Grappelli's violin was sinewy, and the system coveyed effortlessly the rhythmic finesse, as it also did with Take Five.

Even with the classical and bigger stuff, the system did well. Yang Tianwa's violin on this most delightful Naxos series was bewitching; with a good system, you should be feeling the bow's return as well as the finger's action, and I did. The orchestra accompaniment had good weight. Musica Antiqua Koln was swinging in this wonderful account of the Brandenburg's. Even more impressively, the second movement of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony showcased the gutsy playing of the lower strings and very good dynamics. The only track that exposed the limited power on hand was a closely miked piano track.

Now a few words on particular components in the system. I shall not be exhaustive as I am sure I will write a Softone/ICL overview one day:

Softone Model 3 This is a wonderful CD player as well as a transport. Using the same Philips CDM Pro2 laser mechanism, I wonder why people buy over-priced transports like Orpheus and Weiss. As a CD player, the sound is refined and very clean.

Softone Model 2 This is a best-buy DAC that handles up to 24/96. Being tube buffered, the sound is warmer and weightier than the Model 3, and hence likely more suited to the high resolution Rienzi.

Bryston 0.4B This is a surprisingly musical preamp of older (and better imho) vintage. It has absolutely nothing "transistory" about it. To this dedicated tube preamp user, this is the highest praise.

Softone/ICL Model 1 This is a surprisingly sophisticated design (as most ICL products) 300B amp (there is also a 2A3 version) of fixed bias design, with 330V at the plate and the 300B run at 65 mA. Surprisingly, using only small output transformers, it can be driven very hard and outperforms many a costlier SET amp. Since I had not used it in a long time, I randomly took a pair of Chinese 300B and tested it in the morning. I measured it to make sure it was not over-biased. Boy, it was only running at 33 mA, lower than you'd run a 2A3. You know what? I did not re-bias since it sounded just fine with my Tannoy. So, this amp now is running at much less than full power; I'd estimate only outputting 3 watts or so.

Verity Audio Rienzi This experience completely changed my view of VA. Previously I had heard several pairs at shows and in homes. At best I'd say they were hifi-ish, not particularly attractive (I'd say the same about the over-rated Wilson Watt/Puppy). I had even heard a higher model driven by a full Monty DIY EL34 amp and the sound was sleep-inducing. So imagine my surprise this time. The Rienzi is lightning fast and superbly transparent. It may be a trifle too bright for my taste but I think that can be easily rectified. More importantly, unlike most Wilson Watt/Puppy, the two boxes appear to be coherently integrated (although not so when the ASR was used). Most surprisingly, it has excellent rhythm and pace as well as a live presence, very rare qualities in loudspeakers.

The Rienzi is obviously a tube and SET friendly loudspeaker. Given the already mightily impressive performance with the lowly Softone/ICl amp, I would say it is a marriage made in heaven. My great happiness is not only for the host, but also because I am happy there is another good loudspeaker for SET amp users. There is no way I personally would use this speaker with anything else but tubes, and preferably SET amp at that.

Of course, the Rienzi is still not a large, nor fullrange, speaker, but given its modest footprint it is a worthwhile effort.

Epiphany!

The Yumcha Diaries 飲茶後記: 24-10-11 Tannoy Wavac

Click pic to enlarge; note new Wavac monoblocks on top of cabinet

The Yumcha Diaries 飲茶後記: 24-10-11 Tannoy Wavac
Overview: Wavac Part III

I am severely backlogged!

We have heard so much in the past 2 months, but I am dragging my reporter feet. One of the reason is the beautiful weather lately, making me want to do other things than sitting in front of the computer. Another is my recent effort on cleaning up my house; it all started with Robin's rack, which he left for me. That called for creating space where there was none!

Of course, Tannoy gets priority, so this report jumps the queue. I shall try to tie up home visit loose ends later.

On this day, after yumcha, we re-visited Karma. First, congratulation for the successful back surgery! The household had not been idle; since the last visit, the living room had been completely re-arranged, and with sonic benefit!

One of the great things about Tannoy (and big horns like our friend JC's Avantgarde Trio) is room-filling music. You don't have to sit like an idiot (which is most audiophile) fixed in one spot. I sat off to one corner, stretched out my legs on the sofa, and enjoyed the music! At the new spot for the dining table, where we had tea, the sound was wholesome even with a pillar blocking the view (look at the pic in the previous visit report, where the clock was)! This is how a proper system should sound. Besides the re-arrangement, the other significant change is that Karma purchased the Wavac MD-805 monoblocks (perched on top of the cabinets)! We tried many things, but I shall only briefly touch upon some of them:

Wavac PR-T1 - XLR vs RCA input I brought my Musical Fidelity M1 DAC, which has an excellent balanced output. We compared the Wavac PR-T1 preamp's RCA input (using Gotham GAC-4) and XLR input (GAC-3). There is no question in my mind the balanced input is more composed. This is a more significant comparison than most, because the PR-T1 uses an input transformer for the XLR input. There is no bandwidth loss, attesting to the excellence of the input transformer.

Wavac PR-T1/MD-805 vs PR-X2/MD-300B I was glad finally I had the chance for a re-match of my much cheaper Wavac PR-X2/MD-300B combo vs the expensive PR-T1/MD-805. Last time when we compared them at Danz' place (report here), I appreciated the more expensive system's authority but had a nagging suspicion that the cheaper one has a bit more nuance. This time, I am sure. For sure, the big brother is more commanding, but I would say the younger one is a little lighter on foot, more on the fly, a little more spontaneous (at the expense of weight of course). At this point, Karma's Canterbury are new and harder to drive, but when he finally runs them in (which shall take at least months of heavy use) , I'd like to have yet another re-match. For myself, I shall happily continue my romance with my Wavac set. In my place, I don't quite need the extraneous power. However, I'd not mind to be able to upgrade to a higher Wavac 300B model at some point.

A wonderful afternoon, and I think Karma has found his partner for life in audio!

CD Recommendation: Music for a Rainy Day, Sadness in the Soul

Click pic for CD details

CD Recommendation: Music for a Rainy Day, Sadness in the Soul

This little article is dedicated to my friend Karma, whose spiritual learning and leaning has entertained, moved and enriched me.

For a while now, successive tropical storms had coursed around us. One day it was cool, the next muggy Indian summer. Finally, yesterday afternoon catharsis came in the form of a heavy downpour. The sky darkened and the air cooled. Sitting by the open balcony my whole being relaxed.

The 2 discs I played moved me deeply. Yes, they are superbly recorded, audiophile standard in fact, but the music is intensely private. They demand your total attention; more, they require you go on a journey together. It is not every day I can do that, so I was grateful for the rainstorm. Two hours later, I emerged cleansed and renewed, just as the air was fresh.

Valentin Silvestrov's music has always stimulated me. Unlike many modern compositions, they always feel logical in their progression, and along the way one finds much breathtaking beauty. Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 here are widely embracing in their discourse, spellbinding in peroration. Meticulous performances.

Peteris Vasks is not as well known as his fellow countryman Arvo Part, whose music I follow advidly. Previously I have listened to small bits of Vasks, but nothing moved me nearly as deeply as this superb Wergo disc. Both the title work, Viatore, and Musica Adventus are for string orchestra, and I cannot imagine Arvo Part lovers not equally taken to them. The CD booklet mentioned that "...Flaubert once said that enjoyment of genuine beauty leaves behind a feeling of sadness in the soul, and this feeling is present here in great abundance. .." I cannot agree more.

Enjoy the youtubes!

Vasks' Viatore for string orchestra:



Vasks' Musica Adventus:





Silvestrov's Symphony No. 5:

Review: SinoVT Raphaelite TP-215AI Part I

Review: SinoVT Raphaelite TP-215AI Part I

And now for yet some more cheaptubeaudio...Now, don't say I don't review Chinese products! :-)

Taken in dim light. Click to enlarge.

One Night in Taipei
Rewind to 2009. I was in Taipei, staying at my uncle's place in 復興崗, near 北投, an old and humble residential neighborhood. Imagine my surprise when I accidentally chanced upon a tube audio shop on the street. But it was never open during the day. Finally, one evening during a stroll I was able to get in the dimly lit place.

The boss apparently is a respected DIY and modifier kinda guy, some sort of guru with a following. The place was loaded with SinoVT-Raphaelite gears. That was my first encounter, and I found the retro hammer tone chassis highly attractive. I seemed to recall the brand as Chinese, and asked the owner about it. He said it is a Taiwan company based in China. I did not express my skepticism.

I forgot what speakers he used; I think horns with DIY cabinets. Regardless of origin, using the transformer output 5842 preamp driving a modified version of the 6L6 SE amp (see pics above), sound was not bad, in fact much better than at the HK dealer, whom I recently got to hear, unfortunately.

Back in HK I checked and of course the company is very much Chinese, based in Tainjin. The Taipei place is listed on the Chinese home page, but not as distributor. And price? If you buy from China, from taobao (list here), price is about half of what I was quoted in Taiwan. In HK, the dealer concentrates on the more expensive items, and does not make buying the cheaper kits easy. Mark up varies from model to model.

Why the name Raphaelite, I wonder? In case you don't know, Archangel Raphael is the angel of healing. Perhaps that attests to the power of music? Of course, there is the painter Raphael, but that seems even further removed.

click to enlarge

SinoVT TP-215AI
I have always wanted to try out their most popular SE kit (here), only about US$235 or HK$ 1831 from taobao, at today's exchange rate. But I never got to it.

Just a few weeks ago, by chance I saw this beautiful integrated amp second-hand, for a fair price. Since I have always liked 6V6, I bought it. When I opened the bottom I was impressed by the superb built and reasonable component quality (click pic to enlarge). As evidenced by the Bennic coupling caps, perhaps there is a Taiwan tie after all.

The model numbers of SinoVT are confusing. The TP215 apparently is a series. The AI I got is an older version (official manual). It operates the 6V6 in fixed bias push-pull. There is a meter up front that shows the current for each tube. But you have to open the bottom to adjust the bias. There is only one bias pot for each channel, so it is desirable to have tightly matched pairs.

A newer version, the TP215AB, seen on the website but not seen in taobao, looks virtually identical except for the improvement of adjustable bias for each of the 4 power tubes, and adjustable from the top, without having to open the bottom plate!

Yamaha NS-10M pentode vs triode This amp is rated at 7 wpc in pentode operation. Switching to triode operation halves the power. I first tested it with the 90db legendary Yamaha NS-10M. It proved a match made in heaven. Not surprisingly, a little tube warmth complements the neutrality of the Yamaha. Even in my 300 ft room I could listen to big orchestrals at reasonable volume. However, triode operation (3.5 wpc) proved not too ideal for the Yamaha.

Adding a preamp As with many budget (actually even many expensive ones) "integrated", the volume is passive. With the volume maxed and used as an amp only, the Leben RS-28CX preamp added a great deal of control, and that was how I used it from that point on.

Tube Rolling The stock Chinese 6P6P (6V6) were used throughout. Substituting metal base 6SJ7 and RCA 6SN7 immediately brought more refinement. Although I usually prefer direct-heated rectifiers, in this flea-powered amp, the (similar to the Chinese 5Z4P) indirectly heated 5AR4 (with its lower voltage drop), just edged out the 5U4 in solidity, but the difference was not huge.

Tannoy Canterbury Convinced of its worthiness, I hooked it up in the reference system, with the Tannoy. With the much higher efficiency, the SinoVT sounded more effortless. Indeed, the bandwidth seemed quite reasonable and sound balanced for such a cheap product. Compared to my SET amps, the midrange is more recessed and there was a loss in details, but that is hardly surprising. The performance was still beyond expectation.

In sum, a great little amp. In Part II, I shall try out old-stock 6V6 as well as compare the amp to the much beefier Audio Note Kit 4. I am sure it would not measure up, but it would be fun to see how close it would be.

Click Schematic to view in full.

Cassette Revival?

Cassette Revival?

I case you do not know. the humble cassette is miraculously creating a niche for its survival.

Apparently, the pop music underground and indie groups employ the medium for cheap production of their music. In NYC, where there is a large music industry and aspiring musicians are on every street corner and subway platform, it is a common sight to see street musicians selling their own cassettes. I have even bought one before!

In depth articles:

Stereophile, USA Today, Boston Globe, Guardian, LA Times

Lastly, an over-serious cultural examination:

Pop Matters

All the news has me thinking of restoring my Tascam 122 MkII (suffering from some pitch instability) for occasional fun.

CD Recommendation: Spanish and Oldies

CD Recommendation: Spanish and Oldies

This article is dedicated to davwong, a gentleman pure-at-heart.

"Spanish" is a dangerous word. Mix in a little hot rhythm and things become Spanish? What about the difference between Spain and its former colonies? Between various countries of the Caribbean, Central and South America? Never mind.

Believe me, I have listened to a lot of authentic Spanish albums, but my top three all hail from the USA. Strange, this world, no?

Linda Ronstadt-Canciones de mi Padre
Many Linda Ronstadt fans don't even know the rock diva is half Spanish. I like her in some rock songs, but one of the few albums of hers that I can listen in its totality (others being the oldies, below), including the B side, is her most atypical one, the Spanish Canciones de mi padre. It is beautifully produced (by Ruben Blades, himself no small Spanish potato), sumptuously recorded and absolutely beautifully sung. The songs are varied and lively, a great lift to the spirit. Hear this, my mother LOVES this album!

To detour a little, Ronstadt is also a very good singer of oldies (though under-rated). Witness What's New and its sequels. Seriously, she is vastly superior to latter-day Sting and the likes. When it came to re-invention, Ronstadt is tops. This is a lady with looks, passion, and talent, no doubt about it!

The Canciones and What's New both were issued in LP format too, but for some reason the latter is much more often seen than the former.

Eydie Gorme-Trio Los Panchos-Amor
Eydie Gorme is not even Spanish, or maybe she is! She is Sephardic Jewish, and if you don't know what that means, she is descendant of the Jewish people that were expelled from Spain during the Spanish inquisition, who later settled along the Mediterranean, including Turkey.

Gorme is a good singer, but I am not fond of her syrupy standards in English. Rather, her immaculate Spanish, clear as a bell, is spellbinding, particularly when she was accompanied by the great Trios Los Panchos. I can hum every song on this album. My favorite is Sabor a Mi. This LP can occasionally be seen, but CDs come in various iterations and compilations. Just go by the tile; if it contains the song Sabor a Mi, buy it. Recording quality is excellent.

Gloria Estefan-Mi Tierra
Spanish American diva, and great beauty, Gloria Estefan has more "Spanish", or rather Hispanic, blood than Ronstadt. It is no surprise that her album Mi Tierra is absolutely smashing. In terms of hot blood, this one makes the more Mexican Ronstadt seem sedate. It pulsates and gyrates, but has its tender moments too.

Aside from a disco hit or two, Estefan had never done better. She made more Latino recordings, but none measures up to this one's passion. Production value is great too.

I don't think there was an LP.

Typhoon Hour - Man in the Holocene - John Marks Records - Arturo Delmoni

Typhoon Hour

We have just been surprised. Although not among the most mighty, after flooding Manila, where it even breached the thought-to-be impregnable US embassy, Typhoon Nesat sneaked up and launched a Blitzkrieg attack on us. It came as quickly as the stock market downturn and caught many off-guard. In HK now, it is Signal 8, hoisted only when the gale has reached the greatest strength. Miraculously, it even managed the Herculean task of closing the stock market, at least for the morning, to give many people a needed respite. You know, in HK, many would rather close their own shops and cut out their own family than to close the stock market. What else is there to do?


Pigs in the Age of Global Warming
Global warming is changing the world weather landscape. There is controversy, but many experts believe global warming at least increases the intensity, if not frequency, of super storms (for one such view, read National Geographic). Judging from what the Philippines and Taiwan have endured in the past decade, I'd think that is indeed the case. But we in HK have mercifully witnessed a reversed trend; the typhoons have been scrupulously avoiding us, and even when they did visit they have been relatively tame. And there are few precious pigs left in HK to rescue; the only creatures left are pigs of another kind, the big businessmen and, unfortunately the majority, their slaves. Don't you, like I, find this piglet has a more human face, and hence more photogenic than the Li's?

For those in the West, a state of emergency would have been declared for a comparable hurricane, and people along the coast evacuated. No such thing here, not to mention poor Philippines. Last time when the hurricane hit New York, my uncle in Taiwan, a country (yes) frequented by typhoons, called my mother in NYC several times out of concern. This is ironic to me: he did so because of the big deal made out by the influential US media; but we who are used to typhoons never call him when devastating storms hit Taiwan. Well, in any case Taiwan is almost not in the world media map.

Don't these storms all have mysterious and romantic sounding names! Composers of the past just might have written a tone poem or two on these terrifying water spirits. But not in this anti-romantic age of ours. Perhaps one day some composer shall write an opera on the Wenzhou train disaster; may be John Adams? Would a Chinese composer ever be allowed to do so?

Man in the Holocene
One day when you are trapped indoors, I do hope you have this 1979 masterpiece by Swiss Max Frisch with you (wiki entry). This morning, I identify with the protagonist.

For us audiophiles, we usually listen to music (well, mostly, I hope) more than we read books. My recent crop from the library yielded some surprises and a few lemons. Come to think of it, almost down to the last one, the audiophile is a man in the Holocene, obsessing over the insignificant and largely oblivious to the world-at-large.

Survey of John Marks Records
Why do we listen to certain CDs? For audiophiles, for sure sound quality counts. But you and I know the vast majority of audiophile CDs don't cut it musically, nor are necessarily better recorded. Which is why many audiophile labels spend a lot of ink touting their artists.
John Marks Records is the label of John Marks, now writer for Stereophile. Being a subscriber, I must say I find his articles rather mundane, not as interesting as Steven Mejias, not to mention Art Dudley. But we are not concerned about his writings, what about the CDs?

JMR is most famous for their first release, Songs My Mother Taught Me, a collection of violin miniatures played by JM's friend, violinist Arturo Delmoni. This CD's audiophile credential is evidenced by the oop and sought-after Original Masters Recording issue.

I don't own this CD, but of course have heard it before, a cut here and there. But recently, our library acquired a few of them, allowing me in-depth examination. I listened to Songs on my main system, and was surprised by the rather lukewarm playing, refined in a way, with nice tone, but lacking in tension. Since most are encore pieces, they are not supposed to sound this way. The faster the music, the more metronomic here. This album I note has been well received in the classical music press, but I am not too impressed with it.

The more serious Brahms disc fares worse. As in Songs, in the Brahms Delmoni is pretty good in the lyrical passages, but things become four-square in anything that needs rhythmic felicity (always not the easiest thing in a Brahms sonata, with its Hungarian and gypsy elements). The Beach fares better. I note that this issue has not received mainstream classical music review. All the positive reviews quoted in the official website are from audiophile press.

On the other hand, the Faure and Franck disc (apparently some LP still available), also well received in the classical press, comes as a nice surprise and is overall the best of the lot, indeed an intimate performance. The Faure is quite fluent, no easy task, and the Franck retains a freshness that makes it listenable.

Overall, despite the excellent sound on offer, with the possible exception of the Faure disc, I perhaps would rarely return to these albums. While I respect Arturo Delmoni's musicianship, and have even heard him live as concertmaster and soloist of New York City Ballet Orchestra (here), despite his nice tone I often find his lack of rhythmic flair and tension distracting. I also find his playing sometimes quite empty between the notes. Perhaps notes are not being given full value? Curiously, on the cheap desktop speakers I have less reservations.

There are just too many great recordings to choose from, many in sonics just as good, to make these competitive.

Two are Better than One When Garrard Meets Well-Tempered

Home Visit: Two are Better than One When JBL Meets Altec
Vinyl Talk: When Garrard Meets Well-Tempered

Serendipity! Sweet cheaptubeaudio! Only 2 days after the wonderful encounter with Bastanis my jaded ears scaled new heights with a horn system, no, make that a 2-horn system!

The host, Mr Ng, is a very friendly and humble man. The spacious loft in an industrial building has high ceilings. The speakers were placed against a partition front wall. Furnishing is spartan, but comfortable.

CAS Digital: Opera Audio Consonance D-Linear 7
Vinyl: Garrard 401 with custom 12" Well-Tempered Amadeus arm and with Koetsu Rosewood
Preamp with phono: Spectral DMC-12
Amp of the day: Welborne Labs Laurel IIX
Loudspeakers: JBL 2-way professional horn system + Altec 2-way horn (DIY cabinet)

First I must mention that, the system drives 2 pairs of horns at the same time! This is highly unusual to say the least. I'd think the Altec would be faster in response than the JBL, and would that not smear things? But proof is in the listening!

From the first note, I was captivated, indeed salivated. The sound was so panoramic and fulsome as to even give CAS a good show. Have you noticed that most CAS people (including reviewers) obsessed themselves over bits and computer software, but have too little experience with the system as a whole, and even less experience listening to good systems?

pic of the stock Well-Tempered Amadeus 9" on the Amadeus turntable (from the internet). The host's arm is somewhat different.

Mr Ng soon switched to vinyl. And what a difference the source makes! I'd say his is amongst the most enchanting vinyl replay I have heard since NYC's master AL, and from a modest, even ad-hoc setup! Why ad-hoc? Well, look at the pic below: the "arm board" is just a piece of wood nailed to the perimeter of the equally humble wood plinth!!!

The reasonably priced Well-Tempered Amadeus turntable, manufactured by Opera Audio, has brought the company back into the lime light and universal praise (TAS review here). Mr Ng apparently has close ties to Opera Audio, and his one-of-a-kind custom 12" arm is mounted in an Opera Audio base well filled with thin silicon fluid (not the usual kind used by Well-Tempered; supplied by analog guru Condefly2).

Not to mince words, the setup plays everything beautifully. Mr Ng, a veteran of vinyl and hifi, has a beautiful collection. Leopold Mozart's Toy Symphony (ASMF/Marriner/EMI; pic here) had plenty of joie de vivre, what it was written for indeed, whereas Copland's Fanfare for a Common Man was appropriately solemn and powerful. I shall pay him more visits and shall write more then. Suffice to say, this simple and not expensive vinyl gig puts all of the Clearaudio Statements I have heard to shame (actually many turntables could do that).

I talked a little with Mr Ng about the Garrard. Contrary to prevailing views, he believes a good light wooden plinth works best for the Garrard. He thinks heavy material like slate and granite only kills the sound. Judging from the excellent result and my own experience, I am with him.

Gratuitous Advice to CAS people: Get your system into shape before even thinking of complicated CAS! And listen to vinyl before you think your CAS is even close to perfection! Better yet, better than self-delusion, better than being slave to the latest upgrades and unscrupulous providers, not to mention salvaging your own journey in audio, get into vinyl before big talk!

剛聼完了很好的 Bastanis, 以爲短期内不會再有什麽驚奇，卻讓我在兩天後，一個偶然的機會，耳朵更上了一層樓。

吳先生非常友善低調，工業大廈單位佈置簡單，卻感覺舒服。當然，舒服的另一原因是因爲聲音一級棒。我待的時間不久，但打從第一個音符開始就被深深地吸引了。

留意喇叭是 JBL 和 Altec 兩對一起開聲，沒有半點不協調。高手！

吳先生是黑膠迷，有很多天牒。唱盤是優秀但不貴的 Garrad 401。唱臂是 Well-Tempered Amadeus, 但是生産商 Opera Audio 特別為他訂做的 12" 版本。看看那臂版，就一片木頭釘在木框上， 居然能行！唱頭是個用了好久的 Koetsu Rosewood, 出的是天籟之聲。Clearaudio Statement 用家，換盤吧！