Some crazy guys including my partner and myself have gone nuts when we have discovered the weakest link in our typical mid to high-end car audio. Top-notch equipment alone and tuning expertise of well-known enthusiast and competition cup holders just does not cut it when what we are seeking is analog (vs. digital) sounding and tonal quality close to the best of home audio or actual performances. We are two certifiably crazy dudes that are willing to venture into the unthinkable even when it means spending more time and money than actually making money, seriously! Besides, the importance of proper signal cabling in our car audio system and a robust power supply to the equipment, our attention has gone to examining quality of crossover components that come with typical car audio components or even the active/powered ones from external processors or crossovers built into the player or amplifier. Understanding the different materials used in capacitors and inductors/coils can be interesting but what really drives us is the end results. Simply satisfying beyond what we have experienced in conventional car audio! Cost aside... :P
publisher of absolute sound and hifi+ has just launched an online music journal called "playback". i spent a good hour downloading it and reading the contents and i am glad to say i find the whole idea smart and makes business sense.
you often see hifi magazines having music as a by-product or secondary contents, playback turns the table around - it is a music magazine with hi-fi as a by-product and i think this is damn cool.
first, you will attract more readers (you know hifi mag readers are dropping by the day), those musicphiles as well as audiophiles. musicphiles don't mind reading secondary contents about hifi to find out how to improve their systems but they would definitely not touch a hardcore hifi magazine. whereas audiophiles would read playback to find out what software (CDs or LPs) to buy, in addition to their regular hifi diet. either way, you win.
malaysia has done this via the MUSIC magazine a couple of years ago but it was such a disastrous project. the contents were poor (predominantly focusing on boring classical music) and very few hifi dealers advertised in it.
let's hope that playback will succeed in converting more musicphiles into audiophiles.
i have always wanted to add interesting audio-related feeds to this blog but i don't want to clutter up things. today, out of inspiration, i have added the following: (please look on the right side of this screen), please scroll down....
1) ear doctor's story - taiwanese ear specialist's audio escapades. be warned, ear doctor is into ultra high-end, so are all his doctor friends! you will notice that taiwanese audiophiles love clearaudio, wilson, siltech, mbl and ARC! almost all doctors in taiwan use ARC R3 preamp! this is a mandarin blog. fret not, you can still admire the beautiful pixs. (ear doctor is also a fantastic photographer!)
2)little kc's audio blog - interesting and hardcore hifi blog from our ex-blogger, who is now residing in tiny dot. kc dabbles in many brands that are unheard of in malaysia. it's in mandarin tho' :-(
3) hifi 4 sale - this is fast-emerging as the echoloft of malaysia, with many secondhand stuff updated daily. alas, we have an exciting online marketplace in malaysia!
4) the absolute sound - the most authoritative audio magazine on earth. it would be great if HP blogs too ;-)
hope you like these little additions.
it is quite regressive when digital technology is so advanced these days that audiophiles are still going back to the (concept of) analogue sound. i am writing this topic because i am one of them.
you may argue that if you want analogue sound why not play turntable or cassette but that's missing the point. i am telling you that you can get quite some measure of analogue sound even from digital playback like cd. my co-blogger here, mikey, can tell you that as a car audio consultant, he too embraces the analogue sound, that's why he is strongly advocating analogue-sounding head units by the likes of mccintosh.
the main 'problem' with digital playback - especially for car audio - is that it can sound a tad too artificial, bright, thin, shrilly and cold. how then would we be able to convert this sound to a fuller, thicker, bodied and warmer sound, which essentially and collectively constitute what we call the analogue sound? better still how could we combine the best of analogue with good attributes of today's digital playback (such as a quieter noise floor, clean highs and bass)? it is possible, let me tell you.
i am not going to reveal the whole recipe, as it takes years of experiment, system matching and trial and error. of course, a tube-based system helps a lot. i am not saying that you can't achieve analogue sound with a solid-state-based system but it is much harder. just the same, a lot of tube-based system sounds mushy, coloured, overly-romantic, ill-defined ("mong) and" slow.
a good power line management system like the shunyata hydra is absolutely essential. (cos it lets your system perform to the best of its ability, sans the nasties in the power line) in my case, it transforms my system from a rather showy and hi-fi-ish sound to one that is essentially, for want of a better word, analogue-sounding. the shunyata is also stunningly airy and atmospheric.
in the past, i am a sucker for highs, the more extended the better. i did achieve that - rather spectacularly - with the combination of ribbon tweeters, silver interconnects and richard gray but in the long run, it proved to be too much of a good thing. too showy and too attention-seeking. i soon grew tired of that.
to me, highs must be still extended but it must also have body and meat and most importantly, it must not rob the midrange of its body as well. now that's where the compromise/dilemma lies. too much highs and lean mids can often result in better image delineation, giving the illusion of "sharp focus and better imaging". but in real life, images of vocalists are often fuzzy and "fat" and not really as focused. once you get a full midrange, you often lose out in the image/focus department.
in short, the analogue sound i am seeking is one that is full of liquidity, warmth, richness, meat and devoid of digital artifacts like what commonly plaguing most car audio and many home audio systems. the acid test for this is, for me at least (let me qualify this statement carefully lest i offend people) is to check whether your system can play multi-instrument multi-musician studio recorded pop albums. on most systems, car audio notably, these kind of recordings often sound harsh and over-bearing. if you dismiss that as "oh, this cd is badly recorded" then most likely you are running away from the reality ;-)
if you can achieve the above, coupled with the clarity, pristine highs, airiness, quiet noise floor, better headroom, good bass of modern digital playback, you would then have some kind of best-of-both-worlds combination. and my friend, that's where audio nirvana is.
fake ARC amps have been found in hk!
the fakes are easily identified by the sticker (like the one in the picture) which carries the serial number. the real mccoy has it engraved on the metal chassis (as all ARC fans should know).
i wonder how the fake ARCs sound like!
Sounds like a cool name for a band, isn't it? Simo Disc Repair Machine Revives Your Bad Discs!
Music lovers who have kids or pets at home will sure encounter this - damaged or scratched optical disc like DVDs, CDs that are unplayable. You just don’t know what to do with them. Throwing them away is such a waste but having them around is also an eyesore.
Fret not. SIMO's new Disc Repair/Cleaning machine is just the solution you need. Even if your discs are still playable, you can use SIMO to help clean and maintain your collection of disc to its original pristine condition!
Simo can repair/clean CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, DVD, DVD+-R, DVD+-RW, GAME DISC, PS II, X-BOX DISC and other optical discs. It supports 12cm and 8cm disc.
Intro Price: SIN$240.00/each.
Reserve your unit today @ MUSICLINK AV DISTRIBUTION
100 BEACH ROAD, #02-46-49
many of my audiophile kaki told me that i am a rare audiophile in that i don't quite subscribe to audiophile cds. instead, my main diet is pop cds!
over the past 3 years, i have many cds that impressed me musically and sonically, but i find myself going back and forth to the same couple of cds whenever i need some "shiok sendiri" self-ingratiating satisfaction from listening to my system.
these three cds have continually given me immense joy and pleasure.
(1) cheer chen's [a glamorous adventure] (top in the picture)
this is fast-becoming my best chinese pop CD for the last decade. i own 4 different pressings - china, taiwan, hk and malaysia. the quality of the music and recording puts shame to many of today's chinese pop albums.
cheer chen has become quite legendary in that she is the only indie singer-songwriter that rose to mainstream fame. and this cd has a lot to do with her unwavering status in the chinese pop.
try playing track #7 "self" in full blast. the full glory of cheer's angelic voice coupled with the intensity of the melodious soup of noise come unabated. i get multiple aural orgasms every time i listen to this track.
trust me, if you only listen to western music and think lowly of chinese pop music, this album could very well change your perceptions.
and the recording, my oh my, is simply marvelous.
(2) deserts zhang xuan's [my life will] (left in the picture)
zhang is a breath of fresh air, much like cheer chen when she first came into the scene 10 years ago. But zhang is rockier and edgier. her guitar-playing is not as delicate as cheer chen (Cheer's chording is more sophisticated) but just as effective no less. think alanis morissette and suzanne vega rolled into one.
this superb recording is raw and zingy and the ambience is warm and airy. in no way should your system present a sissy and tame sound with this CD. it should have plenty of oomph and drive.
only in taiwan will you find talent like zhang xuan. and only in taiwan will you find chinese pop recordings with such finesse.
(3) a-ming's [someday, somewhere, someone] (right in the picture)
this is my fave audiophile CD for the past couple of years, not so much because of a-ming's singing but the supreme recording that comes with it.
you definitely need a top-notch tube amp to fully enjoy the glory of this sumptuous recording. the liquidity of the midrange, the layering and separation of the musicians in this cd is par excellence. a-ming 's singing may be weird, especially his english diction but you can't take away his musicality.
this is the best cd from the catalogue of abc records (an audiophile label started by simon tsui), which apparently has suspended its business due to legal problems with their teresa teng releases. what a shame.
Another new cable manufacturer enters the already saturated market of audiophile cables! Black Rhodium is from UK, not exactly a land famous for audiophile cables, as far as Malaysian audiophiles are concerned. But things are going to change with Black Rhodium garnering rave reviews in many Hi-Fi magazines.
We have tried their POLAR series of power cords and came away very impressed. All “POLAR” cables are Deep Cryogenically Treated by Frozen Solid Audio Limited in a process specifically designed to meet the needs of Black Rhodium’s high performance audio cables. The special Cryo treatment results in stunning clarity, rich overtones and crystalline highs. It also adds depth in music as a result of more precise imaging and a quieter background. Starting at RM1,800 for the Polar Knight (2.0m), Black Rhodium is fiercely competitive.
As far as we know, Black Rhodium is one of the very few who offers Cryo treatment at this price point. Siltech and Stage III concepts are the other two, though they play at a higher level playing field.
Home Audio Design. (012-3223239)
the whole production team went to no black tie tonight and watched the singer-songwriters round organized by pete teo.
it was a stunning night of good music and exemplary showmanship. of the four singer-songwriters, pete teo and mia palencia stood heads and shoulders above the rest. mia was especially outstanding. from a top-notch jazz vocalist to a guitar-playing singer-songwriter, her progress in music is nothing sort of phenomenal. both regine and winnie were so enthralled by mia's performance that winnie uncontrollably uttered to me halfway thru the show, "leslie, i think i want to quit 2V1G project now. mia makes me feel so small and little." i can empathize with her because when you compare chinese pop delivery with western pop delivery, the latter is so much more expressive and entertaining. the right words to use on mia palencia are "commanding presence". she is such a entertainer on stage; she is born for the stage and she belongs there.
the same goes for pete teo. he is such a natural performer. whether you like his music or not, you can't deny that this seasoned troubadour is witty, charming and convincing on stage. from loud sing-alongs to tiny whispers, pete had the audience sitting on the edge of their seats to savour every minute of his poetry. he is so very good.
back to the studio, regine was recording one of my fave songs in the album, 心动 (tempting hearts). for reasons best known to her, she started weeping during one of the takes and we have to take a short break because of that. female singers are sensitive souls; they can weep when the sentiments call for it. we wonder if the song touches her or that she is frustrated with herself for not getting the right feel for the song.
from commanding diva to weeping songstress, music makes the world go round. my world, for sure.
If you are having problems with noise from your car hi-fi, specifically irritating alternator whines that comes and goes or permanently haunts your music enjoyment, I may have a remedy for you.
Causes of alternator whines or locally termed "aeroplane noise" are bad wiring (running signal cables and wire cables together), a weak battery or charging sytem, bad grounding or ground loops and in many cases cheap amplifiers that are prone to a high noise floor.
If you are haunted with alternator whine and additional grounding does not fix it then you might want to consider this gadget. Unlike the suppressors you see being used by low end installers, this really works without actually limiting the current flow or in layman's term supressing the power.
The Cap 33 works like a small capacitor and is only rated at 33,000 (μF) microfarad. You basically connect it between your car's battery and it's alternator. More details in the Helix website - Audiotec Fischer or contact Autocraft Electronics (M) S/B @ 603-80709231
Shanling MC-3 High-end Music Centre
Even China is catching up with the rest of the world! China Hi-fi manufacturer Shanling has released an iPod-compatible, fully integrated audio system. The MC-3 combines a high quality CD player, tuner, dedicated iPod input and tube power amplifier all in one chassis.
The CD player is a top-loading Philips VAM-12 pick-up mechanism with a high-quality analogue tuner and a full iPod interface. It uses a high quality Burr-Brown PCM1738 DAC chip, as used in many high end CD players, with upsampling to 24bit/192KHz.
The amplification stage uses a pair of 6P1 single-ended tube in the output stage. The whole package oozes class with its incredibly stylish stainless steel chassis.
MC-3 could be your solution if you are looking for a compact system without compromising on sound and build quality! Audio Synthesis 012-3203380.
just got my hk pressing from yes!asia online cd store. now this is what i call an audiophile cd.
those who have bought the malaysian pressing, sorry, mate, please throw it away or chuck it into the drain. it is at best 60% of hk pressing. hk pressing is richer, more transparent, more air, more details, better imaging...more of everything. even the printing is more superior.
to universal malaysia, you also screwed up the 2nd photo in the booklet. so much for made-in-malaysia goods.
this is one last straw for me. never ever again.
note: i was told that universal malaysia only brought in a single batch of 100 pieces of hk pressings, so you have to be fast if you want to buy the imported version locally.
tonight's recording session ended earlier than expected cos our winnie girl is tired and totally off form. her voice is lethargic and uninspired. my producer decided to call the session off.
regine had earlier recorded 黄莺莺 (tracy huang) 哭砂 (crying) in the afternoon. i took a listen. it was a very emotive and excellent recording.
we will be taking tomorrow's evening off to attend the singer-songwriter round in no black tie. mia palencia and pete teo will the artistes performing at the gig.
have you ever fallen in love just by listening to your fave singer(s) singing infront of you? seriously, you should experience that at least once in your lifetime.
tonight we begin the all-important stage of our recording - vocal recording. previously, our singers have only been practising leisurely while roger played his guitar. now they have to sing like a real pro. and sing they did. and i was practically moved to tears, not to mention my goose bumps were all raised.
the AKG mic gives out superb tonality - clear, rich, layered and textured. listening to winnie's voice coming out from AKG is worth a million dollars. my dealer-friend michael describes this experience succinctly - "so sweet and full of emotions that one is salivating and perspiring over with excitement". yes, it is that superb. our astro champ is simply the best malaysian singer that i have ever heard in a long time. our recording engineer, vong and producer, chow, kept joking that winnie sounded a lot like fish leong, their former protege, in certain parts of the singing. i interjected and said that winnie is even better than fish leong because she has a wider vocal range and a far more expressive voice. whereas winnie commented the similarities could be due to the fact that both fish and her like sandy lam a lot and they were influenced heavily by sandy.
singing in duet 陈洁仪 kit chan's [喜欢你] (liking you), winnie is all sweet and demure (you can detect her smiling when she sings) while regine is equally convincing with her dulcet voice and her healing-from-love-lost voice. i even dare to say if kit chan were to listen to it, she would approve it instantly.
it was exciting and eye-opening too to see how my producer, chow, "designs" the two-part duet with vocal backup and harmonization. i can tell you that only with the right vocal backup and harmonization the song will come alive. it is like decorative accessories on a beautiful woman; with the right accessories, a beautiful woman will look even more radiant and sparkling. ditto for a good song. it is beautiful to hear how winnie and regine backs up each other in the duet.
i was foolish to listen too much to the raw mix cd from the practice sessions, half knowing that the raw mix is the worst and rawest version of the recording (even worse than demo), and made some premature conclusions. the raw mix is supposedly just a guide and should be listened only by the producers and singers and not third-parties. i will be wiser the next time around.
if the ensuing 11 songs are as good as this one then i will go completely gaga. i can't stand such subliminal delivery. i will die of extreme joy and enjoyment.
p/s i can't take photos as i don't want to disturb our singers during vocal recording
roger showed his real substance in the last session of the recording, a positive sign that he is getting the hang of playing chinese ballads. which poses a question to us - are we going to re-do the previous songs? in the end, we chose to re-do 3 songs from the last two sessions.
it was great delight to see the real roger wang at play, his full mastery is evident in the jazz-meets-classical-meets-pop song [我要我们在一起] ("we want us to be together", original sung by 范晓萱 mavis fan) where it takes a guitarist of the highest order to emulate the piano prelude of the original song. winnie was visibly impressed with roger's arrangement and if all goes well, this is going to be our hit single.
as an indication of roger's come of age with chinese ballads, we did a record 7 songs in the short span of 3 days, with most songs taking only 4 takes to complete. that was a remarkable feat. even roger himself is pleased with his productivity. so we rewarded him with more pork dishes! i think out guitar man has put on weights after his 3 trips to kl!
we re-do the guitar for [回家] "coming home" as we felt that winnie's intensity doesn't not match roger's casual picking. in the end, roger added more appergios and winnie reducing her rubato to make the whole song faster and less draggy. this is going to be one refreshing cover!
my favourites for this session, apart of from winnie's [我要我们在一起], is regine's [心动] (tempting hearts). the guitar intro by roger is heartbreakingly beautiful; it pierces thru the listener's heart and make it bleed, this is the most romantic song of the album. regine's rendition has the appropriate measure of romantic sentiments too. superb ballad!
two dealers, wong tatt yew of audio note and michael ng of audio creation respectively, paid a visit to the studio over the weekend. i guess that now that they have witnessed our recording process, they would have no choice but to give me sponsorship money ;-)
as we bid farewell to roger at the LCCT airport, my producer chow shook hands with roger and said, "thanks for the talents, roger". i guess that sums up our sentiments towards our guitarist, without whom this project would never be complete.
Many music lovers have started yearning for compact lifestyle systems in their bedroom. It has to look cool and stylish and the sound has to be good. To some, Tivoli Audio has answered their prayers with supremely stylish lifestyle systems. But to many, Tivoli Audio is still considered high-end.
Here comes ENZER Gold Harmoni Personal Music Center, with a styling that is sure to please a price tag that won’t hurt your pocket. Crafted from a single continuous wood, the Harmoni sounds every bit as great as its looks. It houses a CD player, a tuner and an alarm clock to wake you up, in case you get too indulged in the music. The CD sound quality is pristine with good bass response.
Retailing at less than a grand, The Harmoni has been a best-seller for Enzer since its launch.
Call Enzer Malaysia 03- 2092 1660 to find out more about this great product.
i realized that i had been focusing on the quality of music in my review and didn't talk much about recording so here's an addendum.
the recording quality is good but it just doesn't have the richness and warmth that i yearn, considering that my system (for a cd-based system) is already very analogue and rich-sounding. taken in that view, i would expect this cd to sound a bit anaemic in most systems.
but i like the hall ambience and airiness. the musicians are spaced out quite sparsely around the stage (you can double check by watching the excellent accompanying dvd) hence giving the whole presentation a "distant" and less "intimate" feel, compared to, say, jian pain zi part 1.
having listened to it for more than 10 times now, i still would not retract my negative comment that the arrangement is too old-school and classical for my tastes.
i would post another review on the recording once i receive my HK pressing.
i write this review after listening to this cd for 5 rounds, to make sure that i am fair. frankly, i am not even the slightest moved by cai qin's renditions. 一点感动都没有. i even fell asleep halfway during the playback.
what went wrong? the arrangement. no disrespect for the award-winning producers/arrangers, but the arrangement here is too safe, too easy-listening and lacking the creativity, clever improvisation and sparks of a one-take recording. these are essentially perfect pop songs but they were given a rather academic and chinese classical (read boring) treatment, resulting in the songs losing some of its pop sensibilities. i would expect the kind of exciting arrangement like 金片子(jin pian zi), cai qin's previous studio album. in fact, some of the golden classics like jacky cheung's 吻别 (goodbye kiss) and dave wang jie's 一场游戏一场梦 (a game and a dream) sounded contrived with the unimaginative arrangement.
what's left then is cai qin's voice to carry the whole weight of the song. as usual, her velvety voice and rich tones are every audiophile's delight. the recording, too, is excellent, tho' nothing near to the standards of jin pian zi part 1.
the best song for me is track 11, lo da you's 海上花. the rich ambience of the concert hall is fully heard and the soundstage is well laid out, with the whole ensemble spread out nicely around cai qin.
i won't say that this is a poor album but coming from cai qin and the top-notch production team which includes maestros like eik yew goh of hugo as the recording engineer, this is a mild disappointment and definitely a letdown to the most highly anticipated album of the year.
there are two pressings here. the malaysian pressing is selling for RM49.90 at victoria; the HK pressing is selling more than RM65. i haven't compared the two pressings yet as i still haven't gotten my HK pressing.
music: 3.5 out of 5
sonics: 4 out of 5
What do you get when you team up an automotive firm with the pioneer of digital audio? A terminally cool product, that is for sure. In conjunction with Meridian’s 30th anniversary and Ferrari’s 60th, the Meridian-Ferrari partnership is looking to sweep the rug out from under your current home entertainment setup with the F80. The funky F80 is an oddly-shaped and still mysterious "home entertainment center." Aside from looking more like a semi-circle and less like an AV component, the device purportedly packs DAB / FM / AM tuning, a CD / DVD player (no word on HD DVD / Blu-ray just yet), and 80-watts of power dispersed through the two front-firing speakers and rear-mounted subwoofer.
The F80 is out now in five official Ferrari colours – yellow, silver, red, white and black – while limited edition luxury finishes will be unveiled later this year. Retailing at RM11,800, not exactly cheap but it sure boosts your ego factor!
You can visit AV Synergy in Amcorp Mall (012-3310223) if you can't wait 'til race day!
One of the biggest spin off in the iPod series is the amazing number of accessories developed for the iPod audio players. It's a whole industry of its own. I am guilty of spending a small fortune on these things as well ranging from docking stations, remote controls and of course, external speakers.
The latest and greatest made-for-iPod external speakers to date is the B&W Zeppelin. I was very interested when I heard that B&W has gotten into the iPod bandwagon. Being a B&W fan (speakers and of course BMW cars as well.. .), I went to the B&W showroom in HK a week ago to listen to it. Unfortunately the manager told me that it will only be available in Dec or early 2008. What an anti-climax...
Hence I was rather surprised when I saw this speaker unit in the local Apple dealer (which B&W showroom swore is a grey import) in the mall just now. While I did not have time nor was it the right environment to test it out, what I heard playing through it was lovely. Good tight bass, lovely mids and highs. This is definitely the one to go for if you are in the market for a pair of iPod speakers.
The only thing that may stop one from buying it is the price. It sells for USD599 in the US and HKD6,750 (about RM2,800) here in HK. You can pick up a decent mini system for that price that plays CD/DVD and comes with a radio. The B&W is only an amplified speaker unit with no frills except for a basic remote control unit for your iPod. It does have aux in though in case you want to connect other audio players to it.
Worth the money? For the sound... I would be very tempted though.
the undisputed queen of chinese audiophile music is back with yet another smouldering hot audiophile cd! this time, cai qin covers classic hits by legendary singers such as jacky cheung, dave wang jie, angus tung and phil chang. anticipation runs highs as these songs are the best songs in the chinese pop history, can cai qin outdo the original singers?
from what we read, it is recorded in one-take using some esoteric microphone and mastering is done in germany.
is it another best-seller in the making? we are waiting with bated breath. watch out for a review here!
p/s i am organizing a group buy so that you can enjoy a good discount.... stay tuned!
I have to keep in mind that the masses know they have a cd player and it's either a sony, clarion or something that starts with an A. It came as an OEM or it was once changed to an aftermarket replacement when the original konked out. I have to remind myself that they do not listen to audiophile cds or anything close to it and the younger generation may say, ya mp3s!! while the older will nod their head telling me which radio stations. For added enjoyment gospel comes to mind and as a distraction for the kids, childrens songs is a must.
My initial answers to these questions were full of explanations. Since I focus a lot on high-end gears, it is hard to give an approximate figure. I came to realize the more they nodded, the more they could be lost. I understand too that if I mention that depends on the budget, it could sound like I am trying to find out how much they can afford.
Now I find it simplier to give a response by asking a question or two in return. Are you a music lover? Do you know what an audiophile is? The reply helps me figure out how much interest is actually tied to the question and if they have the knack to understand what it takes to reproduce good music.
our former blogger kc (aka little kc) is now a reviewer in an online hifi site, enjoythemusic.com. i believe he is the first malaysian to be invited to an international online hifi publication.
here's his debut review article...
(note: the last character is "m"... i don't know why it is half hidden!)
way to go, young man!