A Hi-Fi Revisit Trip to Ipoh - Esoteric, Audio Research, Wilson, Vitus, Magico, GIK Acoustics, Torus

Posted by Tan.

Time flies. The last time we made a HiFi trip to Ipoh was in 2020 (you can find my visiting impressions under the 'Home Visit' label). A few weeks ago a few of us made another day trip and re-visited 2 systems. I am glad to note that both systems showed clear and significant improvements in sound quality, where their owners had put in effort not just on equipment upgrade but also acoustic treatment and power conditioning.

The first system we got to was Mr. Pung's Esoteric-Audio Research-Wilson Audio system. Since my last visit, Pung upgraded his digital frontend to an Esoteric K-01X SACD/CD player, which we listened to exclusively during the visit, giving his analogue frontend a rest for the day. It sounded so good that none of us had the urge to ask for Pung to switch to his analogue rig, proving that this top-of- the-line single-chassis Esoteric player is a real force to reckon with. 

The other area Pung put a significant effort in was room treatment. He added a number of bass traps from GIK Acoustics, placed at strategic corners of his room. He also did further fine-tuning with the positioning of his Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 7 loudspeakers, we could see that the loudspeakers were now placed further apart and with shallower toe-in.  

光阴荏苒。我们上一次的怡保音响之旅是在 2020 年（你可以在“Home Visit”标签下找到我的访问印象）。几周前，我和一些友人又进行了一日游，并重新访问了2个系统。我很高兴的说这两个系统在音质方面都显示出明显而显着的改进，它们的主人不仅为器材升了级，而且还在声学处理和电源处理方面下了功夫。

我们探访的第一站是 Pung先生的 Esoteric-Audio Research-Wilson Audio系统。Pung 先生已将他的数码前端升级为Esoteric K-01X SACD/CD机。我们在这次探访中就只听了数码音乐。这Esoteric K-01X的声音表现听起来非常好，以至于我们都没有要Pung 先生切换到他的黑胶唱盘的冲动。这说明了这架在Esoteric产品线中排名第一的一体CD机是一股不可忽视的力量。

Pung先生也在房间处理方面投入了精力， 主要是在房间的角落中添加了GIK Acoustics低音陷阱。他还对Wilson Audio WATT / Puppy 7扬声器的摆位进行了进一步的微调。我们可以看到扬声器之间的距离拉得更开，而toe-in角度也减少了。

This system was sounding excellent during our 2020 visit. This time it sounded even better. The one big improvement was in the bass region, which I'd attribute to the GIK Acoustics treatment. This time round, bass was more articulate and was better defined. The bass region shed just a wee bit of fat and took on more muscle tone, making it more agile and punchy.

The ambient background noise level improved too, music now played on a blacker background. While the Wilsons continued to portray a big sound and being dynamic and impactful, they also added on a small amount of gentleness and softness (as opposed to 'hard') in their voicing, toning down the analytical side and making the system sound more natural.

Since this visit, we gathered that Pung was further upgrading his system. He was moving on to the impressive Wilson Alexia. I think another visit to Ipoh is due soon. 

这系统在2020 年的家访时听起来已经很棒。这次听起来更好。一个很大的改进是低音，我将其归因于GIK Acoustics的声学处理。这一次，低音的表现更清晰，线条更好。低音部位减掉了一点脂肪，呈现出更多的肌肉和张力，听起来更敏捷更有冲击力。

聆听环境的背景噪音也有所改善，音乐呈现在更漆黑的背景之中。Wilson喇叭继续描绘出一个大音场，声音充满活力和冲击力，但这次它们在发声中也加入了少量的柔和度，稍微淡化了细节分析，使系统听起来更自然。

这次家访后， Pung先生进一步升级了他的系统。Wilson Alexia喇叭已经到位。我看另一次到怡保的家访即将到来。

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Our second stop was Mr. Lam's Kuzma-Audio Research-Magico system. Lam had recently upgraded his Vitus amplification from a power amplifier to the massive and imposing SM-103 monoblocks. He also added a Torus TOT series power conditioner to his frontend equipment which did wonders to the sound quality according to him and it tempted him to consider upgrading to a bigger model that can handle the power demand of his entire system. A bigger Torus was coming to his system. 

第二站是Lam先生的Kuzma-Audio Research-Magicco系统。Lam先生最近将他的Vitus 后级升级到Vitus 的巨无霸SM-103 monoblocks。他也在他的前端设备中添加了一个Torus TOT系列电源处理器。据他说，这Torus对音质产生很明显的改进。这促使他考虑升级到可以处理整个系统的电源需求的更大型号。一个更大的Torus将入驻他的系统。

This was also an excellent sounding system during our last visit. However, Lam's upgrades elevated the sound quality further, and this was not just felt by me but a consensus of everyone on this trip. What we heard during our last visit in the area of scale, dynamics, detail retrieval etc. continued to impress, but now there was an additional heightened sensation of  naturalness and realism in the sound. Honestly, I could not put my fingers on what the exact changes in the sound were, but there was this instinctive recognition that the music just sounded right, like what we'd hear in real life. That was a quality that not only made all of us enjoy the music but also want to listen on and on. I'd venture to say that this is the best Magico based system among the handful that I had heard over the years!

So, that was a satisfying day for HiFi. More visits will surely come now that the MCO travel restrictions are lifted. 

在我们的上次家访中，这也是一个很好声的系统。然而Lam先生的升级更进一步提升了声音表现，这不仅是我一个人感受到的，而是家访中每个人的同感。上次感受到的大编制，大动态，细节表现等在这次家访中继续让人印象深刻，但这次又增强了音乐的自然和真实。老实说，我很难描绘声音的确切变化是什么，但有一种本能的认知，即这音乐听起来是正确的，就像我们在现实中听到的那样。这种品质让我们一队人享受音乐，而且欲罢不能。我敢说这是我多年来听过的几个Magico系统中最好声的！ 

这是令人满意的音响一日游。现在MCO限制解除后，我们肯定会做更多的家访。