En route to off mainstream

Audio is great fun with home visiting, a private peek at one's man cave how others are audioing. This is where the real thing is, this is where the audio wisdom lay bare. Whether a standing ovation or speechless comment, it is time for reality check. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, perhaps not. Facts is you may not know your guest preferences, the response would be unpredictable. The question is can you take the heat? In all account, we should all embrace diversity, audio shouldn't be that boring.

And so, we decided to check out Ipoh friends. Hopped in a car before the sun break, we headed north on Saturday, two days before Hari Raya. Bad traffic is expected, we joined the large crowd "going home convoy". We never have thought it would be this degree of madness. Traffic was at snail's pace. At some point of time, we managed only 12km per hour. A 230km route that normally take two hours, took us eight that day. 30 odd km per hour, that's a scary record. Make no sense paying toll. Exhaustion and frustration all written on our face, compounded with tiredness and hunger, it fell short of someone suggesting a U turn going home. Exited express way at Sungkai for fuel and food, we pressed on. Patience brings sweet reward, the traffic eased somewhere at sleepy Kampar town. What's a relief! Vroom... we stomped on the speed pedal for the lost time.

The weather had been kind to us, not as burning hot and stuffy as few days before. Waiting is annoying, the host felt the stress too for an unexpected long wait, kind of "stuck" situation. Anxiety drives people nut. He had since expected to receive us at 12pm, got us at nearly 5pm. We made two home auditions that day, hit the sack at 200am calling it a day.

After dim sum in the next morning, we stopped by Alan Wang's place. He is the owner of Kinta Valley Audio whom runs a home based small audio boutique. He imports audio equipment, parts and tubes from all over the world, refurbish and resell them. Alan is silently running a vintage audio campaign off mainstream. Truly, audioing is indeed for all walk of life, any budget, there will always something in-store for you. Just drop the prejudice, different budget vary fidelity and enjoy the music.

Below is his vintage audio collection. Here's his vintage audio collection.

Pioneer vintage speaker with proprietary beryllium tweeter and midrange unit

A closer look

Magnavox FM cum pre amp 

Eico electronics

Darling 1626 tube amp

Eico tuner

Eico tuner again

Eico

First system featuring the rare Shahinian Arc based system, Arc measures 14 ¼" x 27 ½" x 9 ¾" in a 12' by 20' room and with a cathedral ceiling approx 14' at the apex. It is a two way design. Arc's tweeters, midrange and bass units fire up at tilted angle, there is a 8" rear passive radiator claiming 28-18,000Hz -3dB. The figure is a little ambitious without the help of front wall bass reinforcement especially the Arcs were placed out in the middle. Nevertheless, a neat and clean room is eye pleasing.

Alan Wang in his room

Driven by Chinese made Audio-gd pre and Secret Audio 211 SET monoblocks, the source was Denon professional CD player. Secret Audio, an epic DIY goes commercial. The very amp at Alan's place, set to premiere in the coming Hong Kong AV show. The MRSP is RM30,000, slightly under 10k USD. Comes in with Shuguang 300B. Alan tube rolled, GEC 300B if  I remember correctly. In this room, Arcs was about 8' apart, we were seated 9' from the speaker plane. My qualm, IKEA Poang chair is not an ideal chair, that thing rocks. It also sink at varying degree with body weights.

Arc is clearly a different breed of speaker for a reason. Big sound, warm and relaxed. Best suited for classical treat. Arc paints the wall of sound to give you an illusion that you are listening to big speakers.

The sound was relaxed that you could feel the tone harmony, cohesiveness is admirable regardless whether you stand up, sit down or walk around. The bass was rather lightweight, Arc could use the wall reinforcement to aid bass quantity. The fact that 87dB and 8W of power did not jive with me, Arc needed more power to come alive. That's my biggest reservation. Nothing substitute power.

The presence was there but did not have the strong leading edge nor the tone density of conventional straight firing speakers. The stage is without a spotlight. Neither, the microscopic detail and pinpoint imaging. And do we not distracted by non musical microscopic detail, and got carried away with "my system let me hear this". Over emphasizing detail can be fanatical, this is a common acute disease of fi. I placed strong emphasis on harmonic richness, the music. Togetherness. What's there is there, what isn't, don't deliberately looking out for them. Soundstage freak with strong fondness to spatial things need not look here as you will feel getting off on wrong foot.

For jazz, Arc is a little falling behind in pace department, hence, lessened excitement. Again, the power could be the issue.

Have you grown tired of those constant attention grabbing sound that induce listening fatigue over time? Constant spanking you in your face? It is attractive at first, slowing it wears you down. Enter the realm of horn, flat speakers and some exceptional front firing speakers for tireless listening. Arc is one of them, projecting a semi Gothic sensation. I guess we could expect experiencing spookiness of Roger Water's amazing album, Amused to Death. This album will leave you a life long memory perplexing.

Meet the Duevel family

German Physiks 

In view of similarity, Duevel and German Physiks take thing to another level. High fidelity has since evolved, time bears witness to pivotal sound, from forward midrange to flat response, to imaging, to transparency, to immediacy, to super airy, driven by technologies. These aspects were notably improved by leaps and bounds. Even horn is making a comeback on its own way these days, just refer to the number of new horn in CES. It all comes down to the sound matching your listening profile. If Arc fits your listening profile, I urge you to pay Alan a visit, kintavalleyaudio.

Another breaking news, KF has quietly become an audio celeb in Ipoh!