It has been a quite while, more two months since my last posting, I know. Needed a break to free my mind and perhaps to figure out how to step up my game. Time for reflection. Time to look into what has been done, to try things out differently and to reaffirm the effectiveness. I walked away with something at the end of it. You know what they say about complacency breeds mediocrity, it's so true. Complacency and ignorance is a thin line that separates the two, the saddest thing is you're missing something you don't know missing. The in-depth exploration of sound goes beyond equipment, cables and power but room acoustics, resonance management and RFI control. Room acoustics, in particular, is the silent kingmaker.
Listening is an acquired skill. We distinguish good and bad sound from listening. Technical prowess and accuracy is only a mind game. Do you absorb what has been given to you by the manufacturers? On what ground the manufacturers make their claims, nobody knows misleading marketing claims. It may not be exactly what you think, just a matter of perspective. Whatmore a single piece of equipment by itself cannot make sound, it requires other associated equipment to produce sound, the finale, this adds complexity to the matter, the root of the blaming game. Furthermore, a plinth or isolation feet could alter the sound at a whim. So, real-world results speak volumes, hands down. Prove your worth, let nobody pushes you around.
If you needed to buy only one watch, watch connoisseurs would tell get a Rolex Submariner. Prestigious, iconic, retent value well. Everyone loves Submariner but no one dives with one? What does this say? You go figure. Things aren't always form follows function. Anyway, RMCO has returned, thanks to our ignorance and self-interest. How vulnerable we have become in the face of this deadly virus. We pride ourselves landing on Mars but yet to have no answer to this virus? Everyone stands equal in front of the deadly virus, the rich, the poor, the young and the old. Coronavirus changes our lifestyle for good, embrace the new norm.
The lookdown offers us time to relook into our passion, again. The audio industry enjoyed a sale surge in the last lockdown, many have returned to audio in the light of stay home. Anyway, I never claimed single-driver speakers are the best transducer, it's really not. They run short of volume to fill a big room. 18 months, yes, you heard me. It takes that long to fully break-in my Belles. To my delight, the lower treble peakiness gives single driver speakers a bad name and turns people off has miraculously gone, zapped, AWOL. I can imagine many give up on them prior due.
There's no perfect system regardless how much you spend, you damn well know that. With more money, you only inching closer but still a far cry from perfection. Does it occur to you that the first-line of fidelity is the recording? Moreso with vinyl playback. A vinyl based system live or die on the recording quality, the recording quality variance is outrageously bewildering. Make bloody sense to invest in good recordings because it's so much easier and cheaper to get the highest fidelity through this route. In time, they will appreciate in value if they're out of print. Nope, I'm not talking about audiophile recordings but well-recorded common music. Norah Jones, Sarah McLaughlin, James Taylor, Nil Lofgren, Joni Mitchell, jazz, classical music in general and the like. So much more music. This brings to how much our system relies on audiophile recordings to shine? Digital recordings on the other have been rather consistent in this regard.
For our listening pleasure, we must assemble a system that serves most of our music staples well, not building a stone-cold, super clean, uninvolving hi-fi-ish sound that lives on only audiophile recordings. That's my view. Music in real life is never like that. Never bother about the most accurate playback, it's only a castle in the air. A realistic sound is more within the reach.
I come prepared going into RMCO (Recovery Movement Control Order) with an audio buffer, a pair of interconnects and a reintroduction of a subwoofer. A lot going on, huh? Especially on female voices, Eve Cassidy came that close rupturing my ears, I need to volume down. No jokes. Man, I want to listen for another 10 years. Thank God, this is history now. Given the subdued peakiness, I'm now more than ready to introduce super revealing interconnects at my source to the buffer with one primary objective in mind, to open the sonic floodgate. I risked a slap on my face mentioning this DIY interconnects rival the performance of high-end offering, says a ballpark RM20k. Open, direct, transparent, fast and almost none in euphonic, maybe a little lightweight. Gone are a pleasant colouration, warmth and muted treble, perfect for my system there and then.
My old buffer, a sorry-looking schoolboy project housed in a flimsy metal box is an eyesore, it resonates like crazy despite my efforts to curb resonance. Ending the resonance at the root is the right thing to do. Besides a more sturdy box, an improved circuit motivates me. Before long, I start ordering parts.
What does the buffer brings? To put it plain and simple, literally zero listening interest without the buffer. Does it sound so familiar with our new toys? Me, no execption. The openness throws a wider and deeper soundstage, the system disappears leaving the air and nuances to make up the ambience and the spatiality. Think along the lines of Harry Belafonte return to the Carnegie Hall, an all time great recording with the sound expands beyond both speakers flanks. This is similar to live music experience, free roaming sound. Except that live music produces much more ambience. My buffer digs deep into the recordings to produce the feathery nuances, super lower in noise floor and remarkably open. I want my playback to emulate live experience. And so, my system may not be totally honest with studio recordings due to the added ambience. Who doesn't enjoy good imaging? My image projection is vivid with adequate blooming, I could almost reach out to touch. A friend was waxing lyrical echoing "You got to listen to this (with the same buffer as mine)!" He said his vinyl playback with the aided buffer kicks serious ass. I never listened to his system so I take his words the benefit of the doubt. But sorry guys, only three were made. Few will know.
Listening to multi-driver speakers in one fine afternoon makes me realize my bass deficiency, the revelation prompted me to do something about it. My bass is fast but lightweight. Then, I took a long stare at my REL Storm that has been collecting dust I couldn't remember since when. Probably 8 years? I worry about the subwoofer integration. Don't believe what you think, just listen to it. I carried my Storm into my room, hooked up and powered up. Not taking thing easy, I looked up the setup manual. The integration was far easier than I thought it would be. Organic is the word. After four placements, Storm settled at one corner behind my listening chair. I'm good to go.
Well well well, I have now elevated my fullrange speaker to Full Range assisted Subwoofer Technology (FAST). The added bass heft makes the sound fuller, pop-rock is now packeged with some substance. Those who played around with subwoofer can't explain the freed top-end, the growing soundstage. The truth is in the listening. The sound is laid on solid bedrock. My 60-watt solid-state amp paid a handsome dividend many were sworn by fullrange speaker tube amp configuration. I raved the solid-state-ness bass grip even though 60 watter isn't really a powerhouse but more than enough for 95dB speaker requirement. Say no to lethargic sound.
You see, audioing is an embarkment of personal sound exploration, no exploration is the same under a set of conditions. So take my words a pinch of salt. The results may vary under your conditions. I optimised room gain to the benefits of my sound and having a whole lot of fun working with my sound.
