Less is more

Christmas carols fill the air, it's the best time of the year. There isn't a single day that goes by I'm not working on my system, more precisely, acoustic. My friend texts me one day, "I don't want to find you die next to your speakers". "O man, I didn't see it coming. I have passed 50, do whatever makes me happy."

My evening with "Ella live with MPO" on Dec 2 was electric. Third-row center seat, about 15 feet up close with Ella. Honestly, I'm not familiar with her works but a career span of 30 years for a performing artist in the entertainment business is a long-long time, the art of keeping oneself relevant with time is something extraordinary while falling stars only managed a short-lived brilliance and AWOL. Going in not knowing what to expect, I was treated with familiar tunes, tunes that I didn't know are hers.

Her band comprises of two guitarists, a Fender guitar, a piano, and a drum, backed by Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra. Hit after hit, she rocks us for two hours. On my way home with her tunes playing in my head, I'm glad to hear her live. Yes, she used a mic, her band used a mic, the orchestra uses none. Not surprisingly, the amplified sound was dominated, the orchestra added a touch of elegance, by no means, it was standing in the way of the music.

A powerful voice, vocal dynamics and the ability to hit the high notes on a whim propelled her to becomes one of the leading rock stars. It was her fans night, but I enjoyed her performance throughout. Live offers second to none charge, intensity and directness that our systems fail miserably to making the connection, not at the magnitude. The sound quality is vastly more consistent in a controlled acoustic environment than in the open field that subjects to wind and noise. Listen and feel the ambiance breathed by the sing-along crowd (the fans seated near to me too), I was living in a time capsule (time and space) as when I in music hall and listening to my system. Good seats, ones that don't stray far off from the center will accord a more balanced sound and less of the wall effect. Good seat matters.


The amplified sound came at the expense of depth to the sound and transparency, an infertile sound as I coined it. Lifeless. The highs were veiled, they are short of the extended and the radiance quality. Moreover, you can't miss the electric fuzz tainting the sound, none of the diverging energies best exemplified by the plucking of acoustic guitar.

Pardon my blatancy, learn the ropes of music first before audioing. Knowledge empowers, you gain the power to determine the right and wrong. With that knowledge, you work on system building up from there, determining which is the keeper and which is the spoiler or incompatible. The real sound can be pleasing and harsh. If your definition of pleasing sound is midrange-centric, fractionally roll-off highs and useful bass up to 70Hz, BBC monitor right at your sweetspot. The kind of system many would bring to the desert island. On the other hand, you can rock the house down with 110dB SPL or the outstanding finesse of ribbon speakers that breathe incredible amount of details in a narrow frequency range, you're spoilt for choice. Not forgetting the hair-raising horn speakers. But all high-end systems are unanimously endeavoring the natural and accurate sound. This goes without saying things have moved on for the better without no prejudice to nostalgia.


Buying equipment is as easy as chicken feet, so easy, getting them to sound right is not. Having a limited budget on audio hardware, I turned to acoustic. Meddling with acoustic doesn't cost you an arm and a leg like upgrading hardware. It was a humble beginning, getting rid of booming. Soon enough, I discovered a lot more is possible with acoustic, sculpturing the sound properties. Week in week out, compounded improvements, most notably in transparency, bigger soundstage and extreme frequency extension are adding fuel to fire. Madness. One tweak after another, some new tweaks out to replace the old ones, I absorb the sonic improvements faster than I thought I would. Not before long, I started losing interest going out listening to others' systems, I realised that I have made notable advancement.


To sum up what I have journeyed, the room is a big sonic contaminant. Start overhauling your thought, the better equipment merely makes it better, good acoustic brings out the best in your system. And such, the best room configuration, in my opinion, is a room in a room where the equipment sits in a room next to the media, pre amp and speakers in another room. So, you get a neat looking room listening room doing away with the cold industriousness electronics.

Make a hell of sense to keep your system simple, don't introduce anything more than required in the link. Concentrate on getting the sound quality up via acoustic, equipment upgrade will not get you there. Furthermore, the law of diminishing value sucks. You don't need to mortgage a house to attain high fidelity. On the contrary, you need the right attitude, paying attention to detail and plenty of work and drop the ego, will you, you'll get there. Lastly, I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, be happy and stay healthy.

Cloud Nine

If you're reading this, Argento FMR had been returned to the rightful owner by now. Now, wipe that grin on your face, you have done enough damage already. Stop rubbing salt on my wounds. Thank you for pointing out the weak link. You have got the better of me, for temporary only, I will rise again. And no, I'm not getting a FMR. I can't afford one. Time please, I'll think of something.

This friend of mine tried every high cables available, almost. All of them were heavily advertised and promoted, high prices too. I turned to boutique brands. A painful revelation, my first cord wasn't good enough, ouch! The first cord is of paramount of importance, the chain reaction shows its shortcoming.

I turned to google search for my cord, plenty of research. Wired the payment and patiently waiting for its arrival. The new cord has the utmost emphasis on shielding, the maker couldn't stop stressing how non-shielding weighting down the performance. Judging by his plug and IEC AC power connector selection, I believe that he's crazy as in an audiophile context. Because audiophiles listen while engineers read specs, take for example the earlier German audio products, you know it lacks musicality. The common "engineer" approach is getting the best parts available and assembling them together, and tada, you got the best product. Present nice measurements and technical white paper, tada. Me say, thank very much, see you next time.

Suffice to say, there are engineer family audiophiles who "worship" technologies, and ended up with a sound, let's just say not living up to the asking price. In engineering school of thought, there is no bad engineering but whether for the betterment or not, the user is the better judge. Stuck up is the what it is, most engineers know what is good for you. They simply know. Guess what, even the Swiss audio products too never show many measurements.

My cord finally arrived, no garden hose, no fancy packaging either. It ain't cheap, the maker knows exactly how much his cord worth (in sound). My friend smirked, "Are you nut? It costs almost an equipment." I know. Money coming out from my pocket, I sure feel the pain. The pain will go away. We must always tackle the weakest link, mustn't we?

Specifically stated, it is meant for 10A application ha. Not ideal for power amp. Ok, CD player it is. Run for 200 hours before I pen down my notes. First note, the silent background caught my attention without pawning away the details, some say the notorious infinitesimal electrical buzz. Ahem, you got my attention now. I am not sure if it was me, the sound gets purer. Dense and solid.

Whew, the soundstage grows in spatial volume! The separation too is corresponding to the expansion. This cord starts to worth its money, not bad eh? And for goodness sake, this is the second model from the bottom. How on earth would the top model get to sound? Not that my present cord is of any inferior but it loses a little of every single department, and it becomes significant when all add up. Particularly in this soundstage, the new cord is miles ahead of my present cord. We know that the lateral and height expansion are of herculean task and yet highly desirable. Now, let's brush aside the idea of raising the height of speakers, because doing so will cause the bass to lose its splendidity or you may add a sub to compensate the bass. How do you get the enormous soundstage? SAVR doesn't give you that. Schumann Resonator doesn't give you that either. Panoramic soundstage is a very attractive proposition, a virtue to die for for the sound has leaped out from the box. Everybody loves big sound. Big sound without big room, that's really something special.

The third virtue, I must give that to the bass control. Seriously, the bass was not as plumptious but the bass has enough volume and great tenacity to discern double bass notes. These translate to texture. Other cords may have overdo the double bass that bring about dull and cloudy notes. I'm not sure if this is system dependent, my bass nose dives more effortlessly without a hint of reluctance. As such, the music maintain the groovy-ness minus the grouchiness. The fact is I don't really care much for drum reproduction because the tendency of wanting a bigger bass could have screwed the overall balance of sound, the audio commandment you should abide. I must have my system must be able to show forth the double bass notes truthfully. 

Have I unlocked an impasse? I like think I did. With the new cord, I'm not missing FMR. I could not have enough of the transparency. As a tone control cord, it is not. What it really matter is it does not stand in the way of the music, cheer! Worth very penny.

My shit hole

It isn't every day you get to test high-end cable, what more a friend surprise you with a high-end cable at your door front, with a grin. Nobody home? The temptation proved too strong. A Chinese proverb says to get tigress cub, you must get close to her, no risk, no gain. High-end cable is really my uncharted waters, it's an expensive endeavour. Everyone in my group is singing "we..... are in this together", you go buy first when comes to doubtful purchases. They jump to encourage everything and anything with audio, less with other matters. @#$%&*+ What kind of friends are these?

Long story short, Argento FMR power cord from Denmark is today's highlight. A flagship product from the Scans, you know it will not be cheap. The thickness of the cord resembles Voodoo cables, already spells high price, comes with immaculate finishing. FMR makes my cord collection looks like junk, my expectation on FMR rose. Deep down, the happy ending would be it's a very good cord but it's not for me. I gladly return the cord back to the rightful owner and I get to keep my money. Nobody lose.

Stiff cords errr...., I don't have the luxury of space to accommodate them, that's a real big problem of small room. Me and my cord ritual, nor over bending, no anti-clock wise twisting, no stepping, assist resonance support, I'm good to go. Believe or not, these steps give better sound.

Corresponding to its thickness, FMR isn't that stiff, still, you can't make small roll. Thank god it's 2-meter length, a great allowance for flexibility. The shielding and resonance control account for the cord thickness I suppose. Both ends housed in aluminum can which is said to reduce EMI interference. When comes to sound, use the right tool; the hearing, the sight stops there as far as I concern. Let hear what FMR has installed.

Without delay, I hooked FMR to my preamp, if there is any changes, it will be apparent. And my pre consumes little current, generally believed as the guardian of tonal balance. Well, it wasn't an instant revelation, I wasn't impressed. The sound was veiled and muddy. Absolutely doesn't live up to the asking price, FMR needs time, more time. While no scavenge online review to avoid developing preferential bias, very scarce information on their website but the usual cable luring. USD6200 isn't inexpensive but there are many cost more, the value proposition begs to sing louder.

Gosh..., I was told FMR was left idle for two weeks though it is a broken in cord. The old saying “good things come to those who wait", it miraculously happened. Take 50 hours to discern a change in sound and another 50 more to stabilize. A confident sound, if you know what it means. Bold, composed, detail and quiet. Quite extraordinary, the addition of FMR in my system is a TKO, it is everything I ever wanted in my system. It complimented my system, bringing out the best of my system.

From blur to clear

Where to start? The fluidity of FMR glued me to my seat, it isn't like listening to stereo but a live music experience. A buzzing bee, hard to get pass the electro-signal carries that fuzziness. It is a brand new experience to me, and rare too. No single frequency spectrum was emphasised, except there is a slight hint of warmth in the lower midrange. Put in a perspective, the music is intact like from the same cloth through FMR. I must say it is most apparent on digital playback where the harsh digital artifact is in included in a package. So, in a way, FMR smooths thing a bit but still very much keep the detail intact.

FMR uses silver alloy as conductor is the only information available on their official website. The sound of alloy is unpredictable. Same with Echole cables with silver, gold and palladium alloy, Yter in a similar regard, as far as the metallurgy is a concern.

Because classical music is my sonic diet, I inclined to a balanced sound. FMR cleverly gets out of the music to conserve the steady flow of music. Yes, the slight warmth at the lower midrange does render a fuller sound. The energies extended all the way to the bottom, the mids is seductive, sweet but not overly so. Silky highs, the use of silver alloy did make a presence in the treble department, a tad more highs extension and a touch of lightness too, audibly. This cord combines the benefits of silver and copper, extended highs and weighty bottom, a Godsend for nonactive sub speakers.

Moving on to the pace, neither fast nor slow. An indication of balance, too fast suggests lightweight-ness, too slow indicates a drag. The owner told me his findings, partially contrastive description. My continued rolling of power cord confirmed that FMR amplifies the sonic character of the upper link.


My audio budget this year is yet recorded the highest ever, o... blame me. I'm not going to bore you with tuning and soundstage expanding techniques, this is more for the ears than to the eyes. Like a wise man says, an audio system is for the ears only. So, what is the story now? Argento FMR cord could be the missing puzzle of my system. I have dug myself a shit hole and jumped into it, heavy-hearted to return the cord. FMR is an abbreviation of Flow Master Reference, it seems me and the manufacturer do agree upon something, the flow thing. They used to tell me that the speaker is the weakest link but I would disagree now, cables are. If you couldn't discern the sound of different cables, good for you, you have one less avenue to spend your money on. For now, I'm thinking how to get myself out of this shit hole.

Which is your pick?

KLAV is over. There will be much to talk about, which room sounded good, which room sounded not so good, which chick looks hot and et cetera. KLAV nevertheless creates a buzz in the local audio community or otherwise another dull and boring year. Isn't great to come to the show to check out things, talk to the dealers and catch up with your fellow audiophiles rather than munching online reviews and audio mags? Be kind and reasonable with your words, in all fairness, given the show condition, what do you expect? Harsh comments go without saying, all the signs of a stuck-up person, everything isn't good enough. Do some research before you make a fool of yourselves.

Rarely, the local audiophiles talk about visiting Bangkok AV show, Vietnam AV show, Indonesia AV show or the Philippines AV show. Size does matter, Hong Kong and Taipei audio shows are the top tier show in Asia Pacific rim. A good show will only get better. What do they have in common, a vibrant market, the Chinese population and strong spending power. Mainly, just about anything the Chinese set their eyes on, the prices are set to go crazy, regionally and globally. After all, China's economy is the one of the few that is growing while the rest catches a cold. Show me the money is the ultimate act of power. No money, no talk, forgive my bluntness.

This year KLIAV traffic is good, it should put a smile on the organizer's face. Ability to draw more new comers to this hobby promises a healthier future growth as the old goats will exit at some points of time, the next generation is off to continue the charge. From my view, the demographic of the show goers provides the first hint of the industry, no hard statistics but from my observation. While Tokyo AV show only attracts about 10,000 attendants given the nation's population of 127 million, the ratio doesn't look promising. Most of them are elder and rich, made their money in the 80s right when the Japanese economy was booming. Meanwhile, Akhibara stores remained the younger consumers preferred shopping. The KLIAV organizer should up their game, I don't mind they up charge the entrance fee in return of commemorative SACD, invite some reputable gurus or recording engineer for talk or free system tuning, why not? We begin to see some familiar exhibitors missing in the exhibition, the organizer needs to make more noise and have more girls at the show.

High-end products, new debuts, useful tweaks are the candy to the audiophiles. Experience helps, don't rush, engage eagle eyes. A wise audiophile must be able to find something to enhance or compliment his system. High prices are the main complaint, well this is the timeless complaint, anytime, anywhere. Live with it. Make your own judgment, to buy or not to buy. Every link in the chain has to make a living, no point bitching about it. Alternatively, you can buy from factory direct without after sales service. Too expensive? They are not meant for you, crazy prices are driven by the consumers, mainly. Prices will come down when the buying stops. Don't behave like a baby crying over spilled milk.

The audio industry has never been so polarized as of today, high-end audio, head-fi and home theatre the divide holds true. The mid-end is pronounced pre-mature dead, mid-end audiophiles buying new is lessen, many old goats are flocking to pre-owned markets. And the fact is this group remains the most vocal. High-end wannabes are here too. The half cooked sifus are here. The real McCoys are here too. To some, mid-end products aren't good enough, they want flagship products even though it is past model. Undeniably, high fidelity is fast becoming a costly past time.

Psychologically, the consumers equate low prices with low quality, a preconception that the marketers have long cast in our mind. To them, a penny paid is a penny made, "Too good to be true" is almost non-existence, prices will self-adjusted. Even though the wages haven't risen in tandem with the cost of living, there are still a lot of people getting lucrative deals and fat paychecks. These people spend on things that genuinely reflects their social ranking, good for them. They drive the industry forward. Why are some of us bitching since both don't share common value? It is their money and we have no business telling people how and where they spend it. Get off their back, will you? Seizing the opportunity, Munich High-End show, a trade show anyway, charged 15% up in 2017 on top of the already expensive floor space, and yet, the floor space is still fully taken up. It also sprouts some mini shows too around the vicinity due to limited and expensive floor space. Munich High-End show has established itself the mother of all high-end show in the world.

Face the truth, mid-end players are the aspiring high-end audio audiophiles. Vinyl continues to grow, we are seeing Elac, Teac and Bryston jumping into turntable foray. Thoren too has re-entered the forsaken market. The return of the Japanese giants, Technics, new brands pop into the scene. Even the traditionally mid-end audio player like Monitor Audio and Paradigm Audio are trying their luck with their flagship speakers; Monitor Platinum PL500II (USD29k) and Paradigm Concept 4F (USD40k). While the Far East not sitting there and doing nothing, Sony announced that they will start pressing LP, the supply follows where the demand goes, the law never go wrong! The statistics show music in digital format, hi-res download, suffer a minor setback in worldwide sales. Though I believe digital is still the future for many reasons, convenience and cost but we all audiophile have been taken for a ride for more than three decades. The resurgence of LP as the preferred choice for playback tells the failing of digital playback, the industry has made little progress. Anyway, the turntable is a much more complicated setup, requiring skills and knowledge to attain optimum potential, not to mention the cost too. Mid end turntables? You will be left with neither here or there. Even a USD8k sounded pale by a large margin with USD15k cartridge, I'm only just talking about the cartridge. The bigger issue is total isolation from resonance, stopping the resonance from coming into the turntable. That's why a piece of carbon composite board can introduce a big difference. I'm no stranger to carbon composite, it is like a drug and a poison at the same time. Knowing where to use is critical. Albeit backward, I am perfectly happy with my CD playback. To me, I wish to keep it simple, one cd player, one pre amp, power amp and speakers. Shorter signal path, lesser cable, less loss.

Audio knowledge is deep and wide as like the medical studies with so many sub-fields specialty. No one can master everything in audio. Every audiophile has his audio inclination too. Some with turntables, some with digital, some with amplification, some with speakers and some with cables and hence with the outrageous nicks. I confess that I'm a speaker nut. For their distinctive characters, it has a personality. Here's the deal, some manufacturers go the extra distance, they bend the tonal balance to create "newness" and give a cool technological name to attract sales. Compressor is turbo, turbo is compressor, a cut from the same cloth but the marketer creates the differentiation. A minor change is claimed total crossover redesign with the use of exotic passive components, internal wiring and binding posts to raise prices. The consumers feel good about differentiation I supposed. Audiophiles generally fall for something unheard of, newness, differentiation. But as time wears, you will find that you screwed yourself. Notably, the very reason you fell for it will be the very reason you ditch it too at the end of the day. In this case, the frequent concert goers will quick to recognize tonal rightness.

Hmmmm...., what can I say about Yamaha NS5000. Surely, they will not go down well with those accustomed honeyed euphonious tone, too brutally honest for their liking. To the face fi, Yamaha branding is mostly associated with AV systems that dilute its brand legacy. A similar fate to Sony that once tries to enter the lucrative high-end audio. To the eye fi and WAF, the glossy utilitarian box is not inspiring, reminiscent of money coffin. So, who does Yamaha builds NS5000 for? The dealer will have to position it rightly.

Dynamic and resolution stand out, this is where the money. But Malaysian audiophiles, in general, are the cautious spender, greatly influenced by reviews. Sigh! If only they know the state of the reviewer's system and their personal preference. For their asking price, Yamaha NS5000s are a steal for me.

KLAV 2017

KLAV is like a hajj to the local audiophiles, an event the local audiophiles come checking out what's new and exciting coming to Malaysian soil. The event took place at Sunway Putra Hotel instead of the usual JW Marriot Hotel due to renovation in progress. Unfamiliar room, unfamiliar acoustics. I like the venue for two reasons, one, cheaper food and secondly, easy exiting the city. Alternatively, I could take the LRT.

Ticket price remained unchanged, at a nominal charge of RM10.60 in return for a RM5.00 petrol voucher and a commemorative CD. It equals to free entrance. All the exhibition rooms were fully taken up, missing this year show is Tropical Audio. Hosting the big rooms on 9th floor, all had been taken up by the usual big boys, leaving the rest of the smaller rooms on 12th floor. Just one entire floor, 40 rooms, not required to take the staircase down. Hate the staircase, we could exit the show via the elevator. What more, the hotel was going all out to please the show goers by serving free water and chicken pops at the walkway. Not bad, eh?

Nope, I will not do the run down of KLAV 2017, it is well covered by some good men. From my observations, some dealers were going extra miles to put up a good show while other just displaying their merchandises. Not forgetting the show girls, eye-catching in a male-dominated show. Sex always works, who's complaining?

Voices is deep-rooted in most audiophiles, after all, we started from voices at some points. That goes without saying voices always occupy a special place in audiophile's heart. A good voice reproduction requires a fuller midrange, a tad slower, a dose of mong cha-cha (misty) to infuse the emotional connection. Tubes, of course, for to die for 2nd harmonics. When you moving up the ladder of high fidelity, you become greedy, you begin to demand more. Looking beyond tonality, you want a bigger soundstage, presence, wide bandwidth, dynamics and bass. These sonic attributes cost money, you are at the road junction to move up or remains status quo. Ability to play loud and maintain composure is in another league, that's the big boys' territory. We are talking about over two million Ringgit set up, the least. That's a lot of zeros. A decent size room of 18 feet width, 26 feet length and 11 feet height is a pre-requisite. Good that you have that kind of money to spend. Lower income group wouldn't understand the rich's spending because they have not possessed that level of wealth before, so don't always look at things from your narrow perspectives. They don't even look at pre-owned stuff. The mid-end is almost dead, only high-end audio is moving. We must congratulate them instead.

If you are into audio long enough, you will know the real test of a system is going loud. It is a system scanning where no weaknesses can hide, your system will be stripped naked. To attain composure, drive, rhythm, resolution and room filling, your amp-speaker relationship must be synergized to sing. Secondly, the room influence will come in when you over-excite the room and confront a mess of sounds. You ought to feel the sensation of in-room acoustic energies moving freely, the anchored images, the cultured tingling sustains and more. In short, you need to do a lot of rights to get there. No more about the system but the musical experience.

We see all walks of audiophiles in the show, and we could almost identify the people. While we can't stop people from bitching, spewing harsh comments on the exhibitor's Facebook is totally a disgraceful act, not a civilized man's right frame of mind would do.  You're way out of line! What are you trying to prove? Better than everybody? Or a grouchy man who wants attention? 

You don't expect all systems to please you. Please understand it is not your show. The exhibitors have every right to play and tune their systems to their liking for the public. Save your opinions in your private group chat. Your act hints your audio supremacy, I think the exhibitors can accommodate that by asking the organizer to allocate you a room next year to show off what you have. Get to be judged in the court of public opinion. One, satisfy your ego and next, come out from the dark, no point self-boasting in the dark. Since the organizer is celebrating silver jubilee next year, they would like the idea. You will become famous, probably recruit some followings and start your fan club.

Personally, I am looking for a system that makes music, with minimum congestion and room influences. I do guard my mouth. Come on the third day of the show next time, the sounds will be at their best.

Different strokes

Which flavor, sir?

Hosting guests? What the heck do you have in mind? To impress people? To make a statement? To prove I'm better than you? You're opening yourself for contempt not screening your guests, I have none of the intentions. My system is my private journey. Good or mediocre, that's my business. Can you believe this? Giving big comments beyond their capability will one day backfire. Here's a little advice, keep your comments to yourself to save you from embarrassments for words do come around.

Can I ask you a simple question? What do you want your guests to listen? What if your guests are looking anything and everything but none from your system, how then? Expectation, every audiophile comes with an expectation. Relax, you don't have to satisfy their expectation. Play your audio exactly the way you listen. Love-hate is none of your concern.

If you were to play your system to what they want to hear, make sure your system is up to the task or politely decline the request. No one will bad mouth you. The best excuse is system building in progress, let no one disconcert you. No shame. Doing so, you throw the ball to their court. If they condemn your system, leave them. Hang around with like minded people and helpful people, good men build each other up. Leave if you find yourself out of the place, there is always a place for you somewhere else.

Look closer, even as most audio companies claim the highest fidelity, one way or the other, they flood the market with a diversity sounding equipment. Thus, the million dollar question is if one is true, what can be said about the others? They all can't be true. Hard not to notice the hype going on in the audio industry, the pricier the product, the more outrageous the hype.

Accurate sound and pleasing sound, the great divide. Pro sound upholds the former, serving as an instrument to meet the requirements of their line of work while the later for the vast consumers like you and me for domestic entertainment. Everybody and his dogs are happy with how things go. Pro sound has the notorious reputation for being coarse, lean and dry but I supposed this generalization only applies to low-cost pro sound like Behringer SRC2496. Apparently, audiophiles long for sweetness, succulence and refinement. Capitalists go where the money is, we're witnessing the crossing of pro audio gear to the lucrative consumer audio, like FM Acoustics, Prism, PMC, Bryston and et cetera. As of today, the consumer market is realigning to a new pricing paradigm, USD40K is the new entry point. Genie, I wish for a money printing machine.

Propagating audio religion is a taboo, no one like preaching. You see, preaching involves a top down order. Fine if the other party is superior in his audioing skills or else don't. I have this thought, why must I explain my tweak since I enjoy the fruit of it? My latest acoustic endeavor fills the air in the entire room, smooth air flow with no black hole or standing waves. The room effect has been further diminished. Commonly in a closed room, room stuffiness is a sign of bad acoustics that will lead us to sound congestion. That feeling of dullness is evidence during high driver excursion as the drivers are moving a good deal of air.

Soundstage is the byproduct of your room, I'm not shy to admit that it is not a strength of my system. In regard to music, I enjoy being deceived make believe listening to a big system. The loading of sound pressure in a small room stimulates the energy of the music and the wonderful enveloping effect of a mega system. The downside is I got to keep a watchful eye on the volume, I couldn't crank the volume up at will. The standing waves will eventually get into the way, the magic will be gone.

Different strokes for different audiophiles. It is so rewarding getting the sound right, a close replica of the real thing. Let's not forget, we are meddling with sound reproduction. The keyword is sound reproduction. If you have attended live performances periodically, the constant reinforcement of sonic memory helps a great deal ascertaining the rightness of sound, it is easy to decide if the recording is edited. Our brain is much capable of analyzing harmonics than any scope. The silky string section, the brassy brass, the gushing air of alto saxophone, the warmth of woodwind, the resonating of a concert piano, the tenacity of double bass, the exuberating drum play, the rumbling of the timpani, the crowd applause and even the serenity of the ambiance during the pause. More so, the composition and the rich harmonics. I supposed that's why we go listen to audio products to decide to purchase and not reading the technical data sheet.

My visit to Tombo Audio in Bangkok enriches my aural experience, as well as many other audio shows. I appreciate what Tombo Audio wanted to promote, these little tweaks do improve the sound. From Five Tone Sticks, Noise Drainer, Multiple Crystals Frequency electromagnetic waves buster, top of the line Spooky power cord, Red Sun and Blue Moon Grenade, they help to tailor the sound. Lastly, he demonstrated the surface treatment effect on the sound. Bizarre but I could detect the difference in sound. Some tweaks are really complicated, I'd rather do the undo and let the customers found wanting for the missing qualities. Easier that way than bombasting the aural with a plethora of tweaking, leaving the customers query which is which.

Skepticism is deadening. Tweaking is never an avenue in high-end audio, High-end audiophiles don't want to look awkward with tweaking, they wanted a showroom like sound room. Shouldn't we stop awhile and think for a second, why do the tweaks perform like they do? Only an engineer with a true inquisitive spirit can scientifically explain. What is measured we could hear, what we hear couldn't be measured.

KLIAV 2017 is around the corner. Year in year out, people complain about too little to listen at the show. Depending on how you look at things, You must be able to weed out stuff and find gems. See how far the modern technology has advanced the sound reproduction. I enjoy the time chatting with all walks of audiophiles. Spare your negativity, complaining doesn't make you a better person. Your attitude projects the kind of person you are, wanting to be served, wanting everything to go your way, selfishness and refusing to budge. Life would be wonderful if you are born rich, you can it any way you way. But if you're not, get down to earth to learn to live with what you have. The truth is you need the world, the world doesn't need you.

The little man

What are you thinking? Are you happy audioing? Lost and miserable? Take a break, come back with a fresher mind. Sometimes, the idea doesn't come when you seek it, it just appears. I must tip my hat off to some Whatsapp users. Incredible energies. Not for me, my Whataspps day is over.

Yes, writing makes me think. I'm a thinking audiophile. I must also first profess that I was "equipment first, music is secondary". Classical music changed that order. I listen to mostly everything except hip hop and rock, I still come back to classical music at the end of the day. Classical music has that universal standard for a good sound guide. When in doubts, I could pop in the local orchestra for a sound check. Everything has to give way to commercial, in order to sell more copies, the recording engineer always has a hand in editorializing recording. You name it, the deliberate loudness war, noise filtering, compression and a rise in upper mids, I have had enough of these artifacts. It isn't a bright idea using your favorite music as a reference. The emotional appeal and as a sound guide is obviously two different things, not to mention hits and misses. A biased system will always be selective on music. Make sense that you don't take all comments to heart, screen them, find out whose comment is worthy and work from there.

A balanced sound is the key to a good playback. Please, I have grown weary of Chinese CDs. Can't stand the artificial detail, to many folks, boosts the perception of airiness and detail. Totally bullshit. The voices are rendered the honky and punch out when cranking the volume up, inducing the irritating listening ringing. No fatigue sound in high volume playback, calm and at ease, imagine you're in a state of utopia. Plainly psychology, we must refrain the little man in our head dictating our preferences. Vocal cords, breathing, slurpy sweet, coquettish, bass and loudness for instance, the bigger bass and the higher sound pressure level, the better, music doesn't need to play any louder than it should have. Secondly, let your ears do the job. Never subcontracting it to the little man even if you're tempted to.

In the pursuit of sonic excellence, music should be the core of this passion. Develop your interest in music, you will find audioing so much rewarding. It gets closer to musical truths corresponding to the articulation, and the depth of music too. The highlighted note contrast, the stark dynamic, the emotional connection, everything is inter-related. Classical music is the catalyst that fuels my audio endeavor. My deep admiration to the composers for their works, the art of composition, the techniques, the tone color/texture, the mood creations, the harmonies and the drama. By all mean, classical music is not like fast food music, it takes measured and calculated arrangements. From the music sheet to the conducting, the conductor was given the power to make sound through the orchestra and he is the commando who hears all. If the performance is poor, blame the conductor, not the orchestra! Benjamin Zander, the conductor of Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, conducting music requires knowledge, emotions and music intuitive. The question is since women are the better listener, why is the field of composing and conducting male dominant?

To help you springboard to classical music, turn to Youtube, look out for Benjamin Zander masterclass. His class is so inspiring, easy to pick up. Come see the transformation in the young musician's play in the end of the class. Pardon me, I'm not musically trained, but I could comprehend Zander's insights and his touches on the music. He is truthful to the tempo of the composer's work. Watch and be inspired.

Hanging to dry

Jun has been utterly fruitful audio-ly, yet another milestone for my audio performance. Firstly, I had managed to squeeze a considerable amount of detail from the highs, reduce midrange clouds and improve the bass linearity. The reproduction of the piano, for example, the notes are flowing out from the piano, the nuances are supercharged, the notes end with a gradual of shimmering diminishing, just like the real thing. Nimble and polite, never aggressive. Even the harsh sibilance, I could live with it. Whole lots of remedies to make my highs sings the way it is now, including speaker cable change and highs facilitating tweaks, from direct beaming to 360-degree dispersion, the work is finished with a grueling CD playback. From piano to guitar, cymbal and hit hat, violin to cello, my ears decide if my work towards a smooth integration attainable. Passion knows no hardship.

One down two to go, lower midrange boom is a universal problem. Make worse if you have a small room. The secondary reflections time delay is a tad short, they introduce wooliness. The whole idea is to prolong the delay time of primary reflection. Though it is difficult to totally eliminate the ill effects, still, my panels reduce a considerable uncleanness. So effective that I have gotten rid of all my generic 6 well diffusers.

Utopia

Lastly, bass is always a hindrance of a big thing, a real pain in the neck. Bookshelf speakers are spared from the curse. Always keep watch to prevent the bass intrusion into the critical midrange. Homogeneous bass is nonetheless a failure, not being able to differentiate what is what. Standing waves is a second-degree murder, an insufficient drive is a first-degree murder. In both accounts, a serious audio crime is committed. Eliminating standing wave, the airflow shows less tumultuous, I am now happily living with either double bass and drum bass. Definition/tenacity and the other extreme; voluptuous, gushing and rippling properties, I choose to take the middle road. What is better than Tutti by Reference Recording, it literally shakes the room with a neglectable overhang. The bass goes like a wind. My second Power Bank improves the tone weight but it wasn't adequate. Michael Jackson's Billie Jeans reaffirming my lighter tone weight, I instantly become an unrest soul. Crawling up in the dawn, make adjustments and eagerly awaiting sunrise to replay Billie Jeans. The dust has finally settled, it is time for a private champagne celebration. The tone weight is now a close book, I'm feeling a little like living in a utopia, the truth is I am a little tired now, I should get some rest. Adios amigo.

Say what?

What's up with the audio spat? People bitching about tonal balance, give the guy a break. I don't question about personal preference on tonal balance. There is no room for negotiation. If he insists, play me a classical solo piano then I tell you what I think. Vocal always occupies the center stage due to emotive appeal, something we understand on a go but I wanted to stress also there is a life after vocal, the accompanying instruments.

When vocal gets too much attention, the crave for the warmth, sultry, honey sweet, moisture and et cetera, the accompanying instruments will evitably deviate from the truth. In a severe condition, a violin becomes a viola. What's the use of a lemon if it loses the pungency? The salt loses its saltiness? We should stop and reflect are we not taken tonal balance a little too far on our own desire? The opera singer serves a better reference, no microphone is a good thing here. No coloration, no toothy, no jarring, very direct and impactful.

Instead, tonality, aka tone quality should top the audio priority. Refined, smooth, presence, texture, dense, lively, tonal contrast among others, are the desirous description, depends on how creative the reviewers get. These promote transparency. Most misconceive transparency is tone thinning giving a light bottom presentation in which not supposed the case. Likewise, the upper bass always muddies the resolution. Many speaker companies cut back the bass to project more resolution, in a similar fashion, the cable companies too, do the same things. No names, you go check out yourself. In my opinion, transparency is noise floor, see-through quality, our deeds fending off EMI and RFI, resonance, room acoustics. These are the real murderer of transparency. Well, I don't know how a faraday cage could help, I just don't know, I'm sure it helps. Regardless what, the higher transparency the more lifelike performance, you will not be sorry.

Oriental cousin

Unpredictable, we aren't having rain in April and May in the past, neither we see our currency at all time low against major currencies. Most unfortunately indeed, every import becomes more pricey than ever. I sigh at my falling spending power, my daily meal cost has increased considerably. We have everything to worry about. So, the talk of two jobs is no more a joke in the future, very near future. What more the cost of medicare when age catches up? I wish not to be bled dry financially in my old days, really.

Years of system optimizing, I am delighted that my system has achieved so far. My hearing sharpened in the course of tweaking. I hold true to the principle that "stay status quo whenever in doubt, come back later". While my speakers are not of blue blood, they do many things well, perhaps too well in many respects for their asking price, of course. What can I say, audiophiles, in general, have little respect for a mass market brand, they are entrapped by the brand perception. I do not bother with branding, because value speaks louder to me.

S1-EX strikes a chord due to its well-balanced tonal balance, fairly close to character free. Magnesium midrange driver introduces a very clean midrange. It offers no exception to the rules, the paper driver still reigns supreme in emotional connection. The Beryllium tweeter confined in the midrange driver is relatively reserved, not something I'd expect given 100kHz on the paper. Anyway, Pioneer engineers did a remarkable job marrying all the drivers and maintained in phase. Try as hard as I could, I couldn't discern the crossover point, perhaps my aged hearing didn't do justice to the task. Coherency ranked high in my audio priority, I subscribed to "lesser driver, lesser issue". Having said so, I didn't get caught by surprise that Kalman Rubinson, the Stereophile reviewer felt like listening to flat speakers. From my own experience, I couldn't agree more. Did I sound like self-boasting?

Point source is a brilliant idea, a speaker wisdom from the past. This design kills two birds with one stone, the tweeter nestled in the midrange driver, the membrane of the midrange driver serves as a waveguide to permit single source sound propagating. It handles 400Hz and above, covering the human most sensitive audible frequency range. In comparison to conventional speakers where the tweeter and midrange drivers are separately located, the sound varies to the ear height when seated, more so with a stand-up and sit-down listening.We have got different listening heights.

While so far so good, I'm not without any qualms. My goodness, fresh aramid, carbon fiber and polypropylene composite bass drivers are tight and take forever to break in. Before I come to the bass performance, I'd like to draw your attention to the bass character. Metal bass driver and paper bass driver represent the two extreme bass character, the former is fast, lean, clean, tenacious while the latter is warm, fuller, sluggish and unprecise. S1-EX sits in the middle ground. S1-EX bass deficiency really bothered me before break in, there isn't any meat to the bone, in which led to a recessed mids. This is not a speaker that sings like a canary out of the box or even 1000 hours on them. To remedy this, I did lots of bass enhancement and hours on them to get the bass back up. On the upper end, the highs are reserved even though they claimed of reaching 100kHz. It somehow renders a more civilized, poised and refined demeanor, a very precious asset indeed. The harsh, coarse highs and constantly calling attention to itself top the list of irking you. For me, it is easy to enhance the highs than to tame it. Having said that, to uncolor the speaker is an arduous task that often doesn't pay, a silly idea I must say so. You never know what you will get yourself into. There goes my wishlist, not a perfect specification fit speaker though, but easier to work around to attain my sound goal. Be realistic, the sonic anomalies surface with the room nodes, they will derive the sound from what it should have been. You need to try a few cables on them, the least and room treatment to get what you wanted.

Everything falls into the right place once the bass drivers loosen up, eventually. My tuning has been to facilitate a more conducive listening environment. Not forgetting, adding a healthy dose of spark to give life. S1-EX loves to be driven hard, it was designed for AV at heart. Bass volume shouldn't be the Achille's heel. The bass becomes profoundly gratifying after two Frank Power Banks came to aid, they mark a milestone transformation. I am sinking in the energy sensation, loving it.

Energy/power, resolution and dynamic, S1-EX excels without skimping the emotive department. This is a three years culmination of my work. Says who? Our natural intuition to sound is astoundingly accurate, I often benchmark it against live performance. What measures well doesn't necessary sound good. If otherwise, why undergoing subjective listening if the measurements can fill the bill? Food for thought.

Lastly, buy a speaker to your room size if you don't intend to wage a war against room acoustics. This is a battle you have little chances of winning.

Happy Labour Day

Friends advised that a second Frank Power Bank will do a lot of good to my system, I say play it by ear. They know the ropes because they all got two serving units or otherwise their comment will fall on deaf ears. When comes to money, I'll do my due diligence, you'll too I suppose. Spending myself out of troubles is not typically me, it's my last resort. It is the easiest way out but not always the solution. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it is easy to see the audiophiles get crazy over the hardware upgrade. Reading the audio reviews is adding fuel to fire, your burning desire will be unstoppable.

I can't stress enough of sonic optimizing. Tweaking and fine tuning are essential to attain a desirable sound, even tuning after a fine tuning. We are responsible for our systems, how we voice our system as much as the speaker designers voice their speakers. Take heed, blame no one except yourself. Even the world best speakers will "submit" to the new set of parameters they are homed in.

They say everything happens for a reason. The time is right now, bring on my second Frank Power Bank. Frank's boys came to install my unit. I wanted my second unit to be placed at the opposing wall of my first unit. The creator advised the length shouldn't exceed 7 meters, any further will have its performance compromised. So, 7 meters it is, the adjoining power cables went directly into my sub-distribution box. Another concerning matter, the different lengths of power cable work in favor to me because they produce a better result, says the wizard. Well, I have no answer to this. Honestly, I got pretty nervous about people walking around my system that could displace my tweaking. A note worth mentioning; both Power Banks were rested on an isolated piece of granite. It sounded to my liking, maximum dynamic, minimum sluggishness. I'm a big fan of dynamic.

It is said the promised performance will come after the 6th hours but I was disappointed. Cold soggy ramen sucks. The sound was like a train running on and off the rail, so many peculiarities that I can't live with. Frank told me the Power Banks will receive a second blossom in 200th hours. We shall see.

About 160 hours of powered up, things are beginning to take shape. Fair enough, I started my critical listening only at 200th hour. Holy cow! I was pinned in my seat. I have been run down by a buffalo sonically. Be it timbral or textural concern, there was marked improvements. The first impression is spontaneous, often right. Remarkably bodied, this didn't go unnoticed. Some relate this to realism, the images are coming out from the woods, yes, they're coming out with convincing depth.

I was blown away by how my bass was manifested. The new leash of power, I didn't have wait long for the crescendo to reaffirm my impressions on the command and authority. Like it or not, a seismic bass is the undisputed test of audiophile approval, universally. On Alborada del Gracioso composed by Maurice Ravel, the timpani drums produced an astonishing scale-like and layered resonance never before heard in my system. The immediate bass impact was hugely reassuring, followed by a lengthier fading. However, the real test is the successive timpani stroke, whether the successive strokes maintaining the composure. I must say here, I'm happy with what I hear. It is a failure if the bass is playing the catch-up.

Power Bank audibly reduced noise floor. In the stillness in the musical passage, a quirkiness like the cloud of dust under a spotlight emerges. Listen, I'm not trying to pull your leg, the CD playback for long been accused of the restrained, sparseness, and inadequate bass delivery, now I know it's untrue. Mostly, the inability to reproduce the wholesome bass causes the brighter sound. The screwed tonal balance is the area you should correct.

Takes two to tango, two Power Banks in this case. The explode of information overwhelmed my brain. So much more nuances, longer sustains, floaty notes, splendor and et cetera goaded the rhythm. High octane music will groove you, your heart goes in sync with the rhythm. But, I can't vouch for your preference. Personally, I'll yawn with a rhythm hampered system. The plucked strings that lose their snappiness like a curry lose its spiciness, homogenous tone.

Gracious and elegance are never easy to describe (sonically). Perhaps, the effortlessness would fit the context. Upon the revelation of Power Banks, I come to apprehend the flow resistance of electro-signal in the link. Picture this, grease and bearings work hand in hand. On this matter, Power Banks acts as an ever-ready power reservoir, meeting the sudden surge of current demand at the complex passages. No complications with Power Banks. Furthermore, Power Banks treat the whole system instead of specific equipment, in short, you get the maximum effect which brings us the most asked question; power amp or Frank Power Bank, which to upgrade? Rule of thumb is, if your amp is up to the task, get Frank Power Banks, if not, upgrade your amp instead. 

Conclusions

Long story short, while it is not plain simple 1+1=2, I'd predict a 1.7 or 1.8 to be on the more optimistic side. What concerns me most is the peculiarity of which my worries are unfounded. Bass, the flesh, depth, dynamic, rhythm and effortless in a single package. They unclipped my system's wings, I am truly living my audio dream. Lastly, I'm not in any way affiliated with the FV Euroaudio or any other manufacturers, your mileage may vary. Happy Labour Day.

Unwrapping Frank Power Banks

The facet of Frnak Power Bank

The butt of Frank Power Bank

The heart of Frank Power Bank

Frank Power Bank at work

The adjoining cables 

A toss-up

There are people walking into any store, picking up anything they like with no regard to the asking price.  Anything, I mean anything. Ultra high net worth, some people are born with a silver spoon, others are really good in making money, fate is something you don't question. These people don't have to worry a thing about money. It's about their fulfillment of life. It's about living the moment. Their needs are different from the working class people, food, shelter and love.

In all fairness, the smarter guys should be wealthier. But I think the rich guys are getting richer because of their business acumen. The smarter guys are well to do but rarely rich. Business guys are natural high in emotional intelligence that helps them to close deals. Inequality global wealth is a disturbing sign, the Guardian reported that the richest 1% of people own nearly half of global wealth in 2015. We witnessed Occupy Wall Street 2008, citing Wall Street crash is the outcome of the endless greed, sending the financial shocks to worldwide. As the result, the working class people lost their home and jobs, the Wall Street people who created the mess are off the hook unpunished, walking away with millions of dollar. The government stepped in to bail out troubled institution by Quantitiative Easing. The believed the Keynsian economy will restore orders back into the economy, again, I have my doubts. I have doubts on the money without the gold backing. It is our confidence on the money note. As long as the public don't suffer the loss in money note confidence, everything will work out fine. Shouldn't Venezuela a living model, its inflation rate is set to hit 1600% in 2017 according to Wall Street Journal. Venezuelan Bolivar does not hold up the value, the Venezuelan government is on the brink of collapse. The whole world is now everything but an inclusive society. Honestly, I do not and will not see a change in the system. The power seize will not stop, the one stay in power will not give the power up easily. And the situation isn't improving any sooner. With power, comes money. The widening of income gap will and definitely get worst. Perhaps we will not see World War III but a global financial meltdown.

Look, 500,000 USD a piece audio equipment is unheard of until now. This is absolute madness nevertheless, some on the opposite of the fence applause for such offering for the sake of exclusivity. Finally, a product is made for them! A fulfillment of self-esteem. No offense, there is no wrong in it, after all nobody is committing any crime. Throw your personal value out of the window, it need not apply. It's their money and they're free to spend where they see fit. A piece of an audio jewel of an insane asking price carries a statement stature that bespeaks the eliteness of the owner. We should sit tight to see how far they stretch the magnitude of fidelity with cost no object.

Hard to deny, high-end audio is a lucrative market. It serves as a strong magnet to attract attention. Realizing the supply void, the shrewd businessmen are quick to respond to the call of the demand. Need not look far, take the reinvention of the prestigious Swiss horology as a case study. The Japanese digital watch assault had made them stronger, and today, they have grown from strength to strength. The luxury finds its meaning, the bespoke intrinsic value.

Isn't the flood of high-end system pictures onto the Facebook is all about? They are promoting a culture of wealth showing, with no sound to be heard, is this the true spirit of high fidelity? Observe closely, the advertising is slowly planting the seed of want. A serial advertisement is more effective than a one-off advertisement. It isn't hard to see high-end audio is dominated by the big companies that have the financial might to sustain a year-long advertising and road shows. Moving forward, reading audio mags is self-motivated to upgrade. Fascinating stories motivate you upgrade. Trust me, the acoustic and power stories are academic and dry, these materials can't sell mag copies, unfortunately. You must develop the skill to read between the lines to avoid to be the prey.

I confessed that I sometimes take thing a little too complacently. Laziness is human nature, we tend to make a quick assumption from the opinions of others that reinforce our thought, thoughts that are totally created from the thin air. Similarly, young adults absorb everything on the internet with little care on the authenticity of the story, for the internet can be very manipulative sometimes. Many times it's the individual personality that irks you, it could be due to the brand fondness, past experience and grapevine that contributed your views. Stop the misleading audio gutter, say what you truly knew and experienced.

Mostly I'm caught in a toss-up between under tuned and over tuned. Neither situation you do not want to be. It is like dialing into your favorite radio station on a meter-less analog radio. No such thing as getting it right the first time. Admittedly, I over tuned my system. I gained in roomless-ness and resolution in the expense of rawness and grandiose. So, it is becoming a repetitive exercise.

Tonal balance, details and bass in general, get the most attention from the audiophiles. Nothing wrong with that because these elements are apparent. moving forward, tonal density and tonal weight come forward. Personally, I listen to the naturalness and the room interference, if only you know what I mean. For instance, the plucking of guitar produces the turbulence at the hole or the blowing air from the sax mouth or the reverberation of drum skins, these phenomena give an insight if your room acoustics plaguing the sound. Do not expect a live performance like because the electrical noise, the recording and right down to your system have added their share of "contributions". The absolute transparency, so pure and so articulate is only present in a dream. No adds on, no tainted sound.

But wanting more than that, I went the distance to feel the music. You know that music is not dead air, instead, the acoustic energy whirls. the air after the music pause. The more you stuff things in your audio room, lesser space, sound requires space to work. A strike of balance, it is not easy but takes time and patience. Before you start jabbing me, replace a three seater to a single seater in your room, no obstruction. Listen and you will get what I mean. You will be greeted by the airiness and lightness, wrapping you like a blanket. The harmonious relationship between the soundwaves and room replicates the live experience better. Submerse yourself in a musical illusion, be fascinated by the vast amount of details, depth and emotive of the music. Enjoy.

Branding

You know what? Audio related hearsays are flocking out from the bat caves. Half of them are partially correct, this is a repetition of blind men and the elephant. Everyone is selling their stories from their perspective which is somewhat inconclusive. Patient, time will work its magic, the story will reveal itself in due time.

Ironically, people are saying irresponsible things with no fear of repercussion. I have in the past engaged with these people, stand down was the best thing to do. They don't worth your time. Time is better spent listening to music than listening to their unsubstantiated bullshits. A highly respected audio veteran once advised me, the sound emitted from his system is his credential and the testimony of his ability. I couldn't agree more, hands down. So, go take a listen to his system before taking in his words.

Is high-end audio the only path to the highest fidelity? I was inspired by a cook today, the simple analogy; good ingredients and a bad cook against so-so ingredients and a good cook, who do you put your bet on? Bullseye! I guess your answer is similar to mine. We are the cook of our system, the question lies in our setup ability to realize the full potential of the system. And it is more than plug and play, powered up and you have guessed it right, a big mouth. You might get away with nonexperienced audio folks with your stories, but your lies remained forever because no way you could retract what you had said. The truth will one-day prevails, maybe not tomorrow, not next month, not next year but that day will eventually come.

Now, the things about brand affection particularly the high-end ones, they don't hold all the answers to good sound. High-end audio cures no bad acoustics or corrupted power. You got to hit the nail on the head and get to the bottom of it. Your right limb is wounded, the doctor amputates your left limb, what say you. You are screwed! On acoustics issue, there are more than absorption and diffusion than one might think, that's so elementary. I would rate room acoustics and power above audio hardware. Three together, they make out of the trinity of good sound. So, when a guy comes and tells you replacing your equipment with a high-end equipment, give him a silly grin. If the guy says that he will buy from you if the equipment does not sound good in your system. You should broom him out of your house. He is taking you for a ride, your loss is his gain, that's not a way to treat a friend but a fool. The hell they and their brand affection, go take them to somewhere else. I judge a product by its sound, not brand nor aesthetic. Look at the big picture, will you?

On the other hand, some are eager to prove themselves, wanting the attention by selling bullshits. People who regard themselves too highly, unfortunately, they aren't exposed enough to draw a conclusion. A learned scholar always gives the benefits of doubt that allows for the unknown. I must say that I'm amazed by their gutsy words and claims since their system is rather unaccomplished. Their arrogance knows no bound, may I ask if they know about sound? A sterile sound is not a good sound. A lifeless sound is not a good sound. A colored sound is not a good sound. A fuzzy sound is not a good sound. A congested sound is not a good sound. You got to be kidding me! The choice of their acoustic treatment alone is good enough to shed some light into the level of their sound quality, this is coming from my experience.

We are no saint, we make mistakes, we say the wrong things but we learn from our mistakes, repent and move on. The whole encounter humbles me, makes me guard my mouth, not to make any unsubstantiated claims. It's a terrible feeling that your words come haunting you one day. You will forever carry the name. My confidence comes from my continuous learning and experimentations. My system isn't perfect, whose is? Because I have my sound priority, the naturalness of sound that obliges to play a grand piano well. Why piano? Because piano covers the most octaves in a single instrument, seven octaves plus a minor third to be exact. It is that simple.

Well, don't take my word for it. Look around you and your audio buddies, they have lost their hearing to their sight. Their buying decision is heavily influenced by the brand legacy and maybe peer pressure. Never subscribe to the idea that high-end audio is the only key to good sound, never fall into symbolic audio. Never to be a prey of the media which works on your perception. You don't have to look far to see how the media influences the voters in an election. Media becomes the darling of politicians and celebrities. No, I don't deny high-end audio's sound merit but a well setup system taking care of room acoustics and power, thing can only get better thereon. It is a different story if you want to have a symbolic system to impress your guests and your friends. If that is the case with you, go buy the most aesthetic appealing and the most exorbitantly priced audio, they do enough to separate the masses, to attain an exclusivity satisfying your self-esteem. Sound quality is irrelevant.

Priority check

The lunar new year is now behind us, we have to pick up where we left and move forward. Laziness bugs hit me. Food doesn't drop from the sky, damn, I need to pay bills. The rain was over, the scorching sun caught up, the afternoon heat is unbearable. To my annoyance, the heat is here stay.

Have you ever been asked what is most matters to you in the sound reproduction? I can assure you will receive a poll of diverse views from different people. Some might give textbook like answers or a paraphrase of a long audio wishlist. Come on, you know it's unrealistic. We are not living in a perfect world, "give and take" is a compromise we have to make.

I had been giving some thoughts on this. A friend once said to me that I listen quite differently from the others, who isn't? I didn't read his cute underminer; it carries hidden meanings. Jeez, I smell a rotten egg. Accuracy had topped my audio priority and it goes without saying that my system was tuned in accordance with that in line, the best I know.

Posting makes me think deep; it helps me to maintain a clear mind. It is important to set a clear direction. A clear direction prevents costly wrong turns nor it avoids a wrong turn. If it is so, blame your inconclusive parameters. The more you listen to the real thing, the more you understand the righteous sound. Wisdom comes with age, unfortunately.

Young audiophiles expect too much in high fidelity, a simple recipe to lose focus. The reality and time have their way of humbling us; we can not have a cake and eat it too. It calls for prioritization. If super detail is your priority, focus there and go for it. If the sexist midrange is your priority, work there and go for it. If the bass definition is your priority, concentrate there and go all out for it. Be excel in your prioritized quest, you will be remembered for it per se.

Rhythmic drive is second to none in my opinion, of course. It's the beat of the music, the single most essential element that draws you into the music. Accuracy doesn't move emotions, we can accept some levels of inaccuracies to a certain extent. And for the most part, the audio folks wouldn't bother about accuracy, less is true with the musician turns audiophile. Their instinct on the accuracy of tone instantly in an overdrive mode, it hits me in a similar fashion too. All products exhibit a kaleidoscope of tonal colors, some are simply more colored than the others. Nonetheless, an overly rich sounding system is often too colored for its own good. However, coloration free is a desire mirage phenomenon, neither the mankind nor current technology is capable of "one to one" replication. Hence, it makes sense that our sound reproduction is measured by the least number of flaw.

Bass is a big part of the rhythm, the force that drives the music. No, I don't have a bass that pins you at the chest. That's a 12 inch or bigger bass driver bespoke grandiose and my room couldn't tame the turmoils of the bass siege. A conclusive bass is where it starts and ends smoothly. A rounded bass betters a jagged bass, a fast bass betters a muddy bass, a lesser bass betters a bloated bass. Get it? Well, you can say less is more here.

Rhythm or music flow is essentially what make music; music. An interruption to the flow is the last thing you ever want. You see, audiences are aware of the artist's anxiety that impedes the rhythm like you never own the song. A good musician displays a commanding and surefooted voice. More so with jazz, an edgy improvisation sends jitters. It kills the music. You recognize that picosecond delay or uncertainties, the flow is abruptly stalled and the magic is robbed. In classical music particularly, the half-hearted crescendo is a definite letdown, an unfinished ending.

Secondly, tonal contrast should not be undermined. A homogeneous sound is a boring sound. High tonal contrast depicts tonal insights enriching the sound. Put it simply, you get to hear more. This is important in high fidelity.

With rhythm and high tonal contrast, the music is at the helm. Last but not least, injection of liveliness. You will find yourself nodding head, foot-tapping and body moving rather than as background music. That's my friends, is the greatest pleasure I find in music listening, a window to a world of your own.

Right angles

The largely unexpected rain brought forth a cooler climate, it has always been freaking warm around this time of the year in the past. The heat is annoying and I can't remember the last wet new year. The true spirit of the lunar new year is in the villages. Lunar new year reunites the family members from afar over a reunion dinner, it strengthens family ties. Sadly, this traditional custom is slowly eroded among the younger generations due to job commitments. Their livelihood is at stake, and the Chinese are the pragmatic ethnic. Spending a few days in hometown is ok, any more days you will be begging to return to the city. Fortunately, I'm a local and don't have to spend the time crawling on the congested expressway getting home like the rest. 

With free time to spare after the spring cleaning, I took a long hard look at my room. An idea flashed into my mind and wonder why it didn't occur to me earlier - addressing more right angles. Intolerant of patience, I wasted no time to get my hands on the problems. Having dealt with the room acoustics in the past, I have my doubts on DSP preserving the signal integrity. You just can't get away with bad acoustics. Makes little sense paying so much attentions to hardware and disregarding room acoustics. From what I have gathered, room acoustics is equally important if not the most important element in the sound reproduction. I thump my chest that your sound is as good as your room acoustics. I had addressed 95% of right angles in my room, the remaining is negligible. The ceiling, the floor, the walls and even the heat sinks, all had been duly treated. I give no excuses.

A wise one says you reap what you sow. Time for truth, let's hear what my room treatment had installed. The first grasp of the sounds, refreshing, clean and stretch free. Promising signs! "Violin Showpieces" under RCA recording label requires no further introduction, is highly sought after. Erick Friedman, the American-born violinist's virtuosity is highly commendable. The box resonance travels through the f-holes resembles horn amplification. Apart from the start-stop, his violin artistry stirs the soul. His bowing techniques share the similarities with the likes of Jascha Heifetz and Ruggiero Ricci is magnificent. The articulate and preciseness on the strings is as good as it gets. Hearing the sheen A and E notes, Erick Friedman's bowing was as visible as in broad daylight. If your string turns rope, vocal with added chestiness, time to reexamine your room acoustics. Do not misconceive the pseudo warmth from the in-room rumbles as natural warmth.

Transparency is the synonym of the sound of the twenty-first century. The thinning is noticeable, there are areas you can look at getting around the minor setback. A careful selection of hardware and cables should suffice to maintain a bodied texture. Miles Davis's sharp notes serve a good illustration, his trumpet renders a fairly excruciating but lean texture. It sounds musically correct, it should be brassy. His trumpet overtones open to a new dimension of space in the sound field, this chills. My sonic lens is cleaned, I could see greater musical insights through it. 

Beethoven's most romantic work, Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" 5th movement in music lingo tells the serenity reappears after the storm had subsided. The coda paints the tranquility of the countryside with quiet pauses in between the passage and down to the whispering wind of my air conditioning unit, the lessened in-room rumbles are telling. The battle is not over until you hear the interactions and see the grandiose of a full orchestra. You will not look back once you attain the realization of left to right and front to back sound field. My effort pays a handsome dividend.

Elgar Meyer's brilliance could not be contained. His compositions, in any variations or forms, broke out of the classicism. Unlike Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich or Mischa Maisky, his cello has less of the mysterious dark G note and slow paralytic ripples of the masters. Elgar's work is experimental and light-hearted. Credits to the recording engineer for capturing a colossal amount of detail.

The audio spell - "Hard to go back once you are up there" has been the case for me. I believe this applies universally to all audio enthusiasts. Symbolic aspirations need not applied, audio enthusiasts have only fidelity in mind. Room acoustics sculpture my tonality, period. Administrating right angles is the real deal, it is my ticket to sonic utopia. It should be yours too. Happy Chinese New Year.