Capitalising Chengal as tone wood

Still come in here, audio bastard? Where is your dignity? Where is your bloated ego? Go fly kite! Above was an episode that someone lashed out malicious attacks on me. Being meek is not being weak. I can't see no reason to put up with this, an eye for an eye.

Let's get back to our usual agenda, shall we? Just when I was feeling a little "demoralized" with Chengal, I knew I am missing something. In the midst of cluelessness, uncle Y text me to offer guidance. Uncle Y is one of the nicest men in the local audio community, a humble, soft spoken person. He reckoned that I did not use Chengal in a way that was supposed to be and offered to give some pointers. I chanced upon an excuse to visit him. The banker too, was eager to tag along with me to probably learn a thing or two, more so, an insight to real high end audio. It was also nice to see uncle T there that evening too, whom has just returned back to audio. He too was armed with a poisonous tweak, and we are the lab rat running into it....

Apart from pre and dac, uncle Y's audio rigs remained the same the last time I visit. He loves to tweak and seldom resorts to changing gear unless something really extraordinary come along. Talk about attention to details, he prepared my usual listening materials! His seating distance was spot on, I tried listening with one foot forward, half a foot forward and his normal seating spot. The sound was well balanced. A common mistake people made is they apply near unilateral triangle for big multiple drivers floorstanding speaker system, highs, mids and lows did not sync. Uncle Y's system is 2 + 2, the skills to integrate the subs is essential to make the speaker system work. This is no easy feat, requiring patience to sync phase and timing to achieve oneness. 

This is an "eye dotting" ritual for the banker. Exposure is essential to shape one's audio route, a check and balance measure. I first offered the banker the sweet spot. Within seconds into the familiar music, I heard sighs of admiration from the banker albeit at very low volume. "That's how the big boys play! Time and fossil fuel is not wasted after all.  The banker has hopped in Hogwarts Audio Express and needless to say, he was totally blown away, a fact that you can tell from the expression of his face. Love to play poker game with him one day, he has his cards written on his face. On Maastricht Salon Orkest Serenata by Andre Rieu, our birds appeared to be a little grainy, a little vicious, a lot less airiness, the birds fly to great height...and especially on the violin reverberance, the bow brushing the metal strings, as if the violin is breathing. It is a very life like experience like you were right where the event takes place. There and then, I knew that a little tenacity and 10kg weight loss (imaging) to my system is most desirable. Maestro Andre reveled in his play, so palpable. Oh! The scent of the rosin... how sweet sounding. Who needs 30kHz, 40kHz or 50kHz engineering excellency?

 

On Chai Qin's smash hit "Lover's tears", we cranked the volume to 3th row from 5th row of the stage, the vocal was refined, smooth and jitter free. The images was rock steady, with a mouth of 50 cents coin imaging. Uncle Y played us "Don't cry for me, Argentina", this has got to be the best I have ever heard. "Grand Canyon" presented a wide and deep stage, we could almost touch it. Uncle Y's formidable front end consists of a CD Pro2 based transport, dCS debussy and an atomic clock combo, and with some help from Nordost Quantum. The front end is as best as you can get for a red book play back, no hard and cold digitis is traceable.

 

Me feeling the goosebumps that night, not any better than the banker. Felt like being run down by a car (staging). Uncle Y's system has got more body, more effortless, more finesse and better integrated than before. Bursting details is always attention grabbing, they scream in your face. Uncle Y made his details sounded implicit on first account, the more I listen, I don't find myself missing anything. The details on the silver disc is all there, perhaps a little more immediacy.... Uncle Y knew what is lacking, he pulled a rabbit out of his hat - a sticker and stick on the CD, remedied that shortcoming. This time around, I felt like being crushed by a truck. This story comes later pending for permission. Resolution and musicality go hand in hand. The micro details retrieval is world class.  I suspect Chengal effect and two Power Bank also help to contribute. And third Power Bank is coming. I knew what evil is Power Bank. "Everybody says one (Power Bank) is enough, but they will order a second unit, a third......" uncle Y says. Uncle Y is meticulous in CD playback, demagnetising CD is part of his Standard Of Play, high quality playback every time, guaranteed. So, it is hard to tell exactly which constitutes what. Trust me, his speakers do not sound like that in nature.

 

This is not a review on uncle Y system but I couldn't stop praising uncle Y attitude for "going extra miles". FYI, Uncle G and uncle Y are the unsung hero in pioneering Chengal as tone wood that many doubt it. All I can say is talk is cheap, never try never know. There are people in Hong Kong too messing around with Chengal. A carpenter whom toys around with tone wood opined that Chengal has a very close tone to Ebony albeit different properties. So, it seems that what I read is correct, do not over isolate your rigs. The sound gets dry, hard, cold, thin and uninvolving. The first truth that hits me hard is E&T rack (right pix). The assembled rack is lightweight, far from drop dead rigidity and solid. Resting my rigs on the  rack, the sound just opened up. KF has had the same share of experience.

"Nothing substitutes good engineering" makes a lot of sense. Likewise, "Nothing substitutes good logic." If you can't accept the logic, drop it. Go live your life happier.

Let me lay down the truth, all active equipment vibrate upon powered up. Can you eliminate energy? No, reduction is possible. Why? Go ask Einstein. You can not kill energy!

To apply Chengal as resonance control, the first principal is you got to rest Chengal on the floor indirectly. No floor, less magic as I was advised. Second principal, oberve the wood grain, rest the equipment on horizontal wood fibre grain. Third principal, big plank for heavy equipment, small plank for lighter equipment. Fourthly, avoid rubber footer on Chengal. 

An audio veteran once asked me, if I conduct audio post mortem before embarking the upgrade path? Yes and no. There are certain things in audio that you do not realise inadequacy until you have heard other systems. Tenacity is what I would like to strengthen in my system. 

There is no hard and fast rule on Chengal on audio application. If you do not have an ear for it, ignore this. If you are lazy, walk away. If you complain about the aesthetic, forget about it. For me, this is jolly good fun. I do not aim to be a giant killer, but a baby giant killer. Ha ha!

And so, Chengal plank should be used with care. I had experimented Chengal on pre, dac and power amp. Due to power amp footers, I rested power amp heat sink on Chengal plank. The weight distribution was uneven, the carpeted floor amplifies the problem. The sound suck. No go, thus, I ruled out Chengal application on power amp or Power Bank in my case. I could still apply Chengal on pre and dac, plus a little improvisation. My findings concur with uncle Y that positioning Chengal in horizontal wood grain  sounds much much better than vertical wood grain, sounded, quicker, snappier and without too mushy. I also find Chenggal works on rack. The key issue is how to capitalise the Chengal resonance. There you go, a window of opportunity is opened. On CD player or transport, I have my reservations because the resonance on CD player or transport is among the worst, horizontal resonance at spinning mechanism and vertical resonance at the toroidal transformer, these called for different resonance control. I like the idea that CD player is dead levelled at all angles to ensure the signal pick up is constant and optimum. How to deal with the resonance, I like ball bearing isolation cone.

 

Trying out things take time, I shall come back with more detailed stories ........

 

The fading Chengal magic

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me  to grieve - "Nobody, nobody but me". The story goes like this, my lappy quit on me and I drove to Digital Mall to get a replacement. There was an officer dutifully giving tickets to offender. Instinctively, I walked straight up and asked if it is alright to park on the other side. The officer said it is ok. When I got back to get my car, I noticed a ticket on my windscreen. Lenovo (你老墓), of course I can't help feeling discontented, for sure. This is totally unaccpectable, penalising a law abiding citizen. Why not go catch snatch theft? Why not go rob a bank?

 

Anyway, as with the sweet surprise from Chengal blocks, I was contemplating to sit my gears on Chengal plank. I also read somewhere that you should not over isolate your gears. My inquisitive got the better of me, I bought Chengal plank to have a go for it.

Fast forward, the planks are in place, fire up the gear and spin the silver disc. Straight away, I did not like what I hear. I tried tweaking around Chengal with glass, marble, spike, interconnects and etc, let's just say I have failed to make Chengal plank work in my system.

It is time for me to temporarily cease tweaking but sit back, take a sip of coffee and enjoy my music.

Friends reminded me that I should not write with an audio baggage upon my shoulder, the ego will eat me up. I'll become self opinionated, self consumed.

So,  audio bastards read this, there is no respect for others without humility in one's self. You guys condemn me and dare come in here, what does this tell you?



 

Blocks that dramatise

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Friends have been complaining my blog is dated, they are right about that. However, I'd like to stress that firstly, I had retired my old blog. Secondly, you do not complain or demand especially when you do not have to pay for it. You don't like what you read, go read something else. Nobody needs to please nobody, nobody is indebted to nobody. People are taking advantage of people, knowingly and unknowingly, I see it everyday. Residents do not pay for their share of security cost. Enough said, only others can be a better judge on yourself.

Learning does not confined in a classroom, particularly audio. There is a lot of knowledge you can grasp from cyberspace. The more you read, the more you are informed. You will come to a stage that you realise that you are not that "knowledge" that you think you are. That's a problem with people nowadays, they think they are knowledgable, they know enough. So, before you go tell the world of your big audio claim, do your homework or get ready to be grilled! Audio visit is a great way to learn. I learned two things from my latest visit, dynamic contract and ageing. 

Coincidentally, audio shares a lot of similarities in photography. Now, dynamic contrast as is photography, is the difference between the lightest light and darkest dark in sound and certainly not crescendo. To the extreme end, photography is far more complex than audio. Fork out two millions, you get instant fame and a respectable system but not in photography, avid photographers travel and camp for a perfect photo shot.

If you are not tone deaf, brass has the necessary sheen and somewhat metallic character to them that make them distinctive and assert individuality. Woodwind has a darker and mellower character while strings possess the blazing bright note. All of them inherited a colour, these colour make ready for the composers to create desirable dynamic contrast that evokes mood. Classical music is the pinnacle of this art form.

 

Ultra dynamic contrast is one of the proprietaries of high end audio. Budget gear only mediocre in this department. Worry not, I will reveal a secret that will help to raise performance on this area. This is a Godsend tweak, ridiculously cheap in the world of audio - the homegrown Chengal wood block.

靠山吃山，靠海吃海 meaning you live by your surroundings. Chengal is a tropical hardwood widely available in Malaysia and Thailand. Typically possess 915 to 980 kg per meter cubic of density, durable and termite proof. Chengal is traditionally used for bridges, poles and boat building. It will not sink in the water like Ebony does. More on wood effect on soundon, go google tonewood.


嬌婆守不到寡 is another catchy urban proverb saying horny bitches could not stay true to fidelity, I have got myself 20 pieces of Chengal blocks, they measure 2"x 3"x 6". They cost about RM150. The blocks provide the necessary speaker cables and power cords elevation from the ground to reduce moisture and noise pick up. You could expect improved separation, cleaner and "free-er" sound. At present moment, I use cheap plastic container and empty CD case for the said purpose. Told you, I'm a cheap fella but I don't con people.


Replacing the cheap plastic container and empty CD case with Chengal block ushers in a mystical improvement. The violin on Debussy's Claire de Lune of "The Perfect Tunes" receives a dose of silkiness and you bloody well know what it means, finesse. Damn, I'm spoilt with the quality of "The Perfect Tunes" recording. The strings snappiness improved a wee bit, sound silky and expensive. The texture of the images as if you have just removed your hair and applied a thin coat of make up to cover the pores. No worry if Hasselblad on portrait.

OK, before I wander too far. The silkiness is what the high end audio community is craving about aka the noble sound. Try some silver cable in your system, you'll get what I mean. Photography talks about quality pixel, not quantity of pixel - fine details and high ISO. These properties separate hobbyist and fanatic.

Finesse is synonymous with refinement. On "My Funny Valentine" by Blue Company, spits mouthful of foam. His breathy rendition of this number, is nevertheless unheard of. He was on the verge of falling out of his vocal range on many occasions as if his last song. We, crazy dudes love these!

The banker, another horny fella, always look to cut short learning curve. He, the honourable "Cost-Performance King" has quietly denounced his title. He followed us like in a poker game, wanting to get his hand on everything we try. He too, bought Chengal plank.

The banker has arrived to a high level of mids and highs sophistication that could shame some respectable systems. His bass unfortunately could not keep up, sigh! His Power Bank is coming soon, will push the limit further.

He noticed the changes in my system on that night he came to collect his plank. KF quietly sticking out his white flag. He has long been in hibernation mode. Deep down, he is still murmuring "My bass can storm better ... living on his past glory." Little does he knows, purple fringing....

Aren't most audiophiles like that too??? We get a little too competitive, sometimes. Hey you who read this, O yes, you, you, you.

Two things I can derived from the Chengal block.  Electro-signal less prefers to travel on saggy path. Secondly, the Chengal resonance jives with the cables. Some have tested rubber wood, Lasak wood and many others. Likewise, all of them impose different character. Chengal is preferred.
On audio, Chengal block as if like Botox jab, restores youthfulness. The images are trimmed, somewhat. Everything seems to be in low fat mode. O yes, the edges redefined and the artificial warmth are removed. A sure sign of signal contamination somewhere, somehow, I guess. Don't look at me. I don't have answer to everything. Surely, I don't intend to be Mr. Know a Lot.

Fortunately, the moist of notes are well preserved. Notes gained agility. Better separation. Greater musicality. Now, what do we have here? 5% gain in audio performance if you allowed quantifying. I do know that I will stop here and enjoy my music.

Next, I will explore Chengal on equipment....