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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....
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....
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