10Qs For Giovanni Sacchetti, Founder, Unison Research.

Despite my current on going AV project, I've not forgotten about our hifi heritage. Hifi is in our blood, and what company better to reflect that heritage than a talk to Mr Gianni Sacchetti of Unison Research from Italy?

I threw him 10 questions in a jiffy, and his answers were really interesting, especially for tube hifi connoisseurs, read on!

A very proud Giovanni testing a Unison Research tube amp.

Big E: When was Unison Research started and what is the company history?

GS: Unison Research was founded in 1987 by a small group of audiophile enthusiasts led by Giovanni Maria Sacchetti. G.M. Sacchetti was born in 1945 and inherited from his father – an accomplished pianist – both an understanding and passion for music. From a very early age he began to experiment with making amplifiers, which of course in those pre-transistor days were all valve-powered. After completing a degree course in electronics he dedicated himself to teaching for 25 years, whilst at the same time developing and designing all the products for Unison Research. Among the first products to wear the Unison Research badge were the GLOWY, a preamplifier using 5 twin triodes in an all-valve circuit with both line and phono, and the RULER, a fully solid-state amplifier of 80 watts output per channel. These were followed by the NIMBLY, an all-valve power amplifier using KT88s in push-pull which was switchable between triode and pentode operation to give 25 watts or 50 watts according to the mode selected.

The constant search for improvements to sound quality led Unison Research to more profound investigation and experimentation into integrated amplifiers; not because integrated amplifiers are either easier or less expensive to produce but because integration can give real benefits by optimising the interface between pre and power stages, and also by eliminating interconnecting cables which, as well as adding cost, introduce (even in the case of the best cables) some degradation to the sound. The first integrated amplifier from Unison Research was the TRIODE 20, using two pairs of>br ?> push-pull EL34s in class-AB. An important page the company`s history was written with the introduction of the SIMPLY-TWO. As is well known, this amplifier marked the beginning of a long series of projects based around the single ended class-A output stage. The SIMPLY TWO with its 12 watts per channel enjoyed enormous success; within the space of less than 4 years around 10,000 units were produced and sold throughout the world, most notably in Japan and other Far-Eastern markets. The SIMPLY TWO became a renowned audio product and gained accolades and prizes throughout the world. The larger SIMPLY FOUR belongs to the same family, using twin pairs of parallel EL34s in the output stage to give 24 watts, twice the power of the Simply Two. A triode coupled version of the SIMPLY FOUR was also produced, also using EL34 valves in the output stage.

The 845 valve, first used more than 50 years ago, has been successfully employed in some of our most important models. We can say with pride that the present-day popularity of this valve is largely due to Unison Research, as we were the first to champion its use in modern pure triode valve amplifiers. Several of our more recent amplifiers have been designed to incorporate the 845; some are mono blocks, some are stereo integrated amplifiers and some are switchable stereo/dual mono designs. Audiophiles will recall the SMART 845, the SIMPLY 845 and the ABSOLUTE 845; this latter model is still in production and is widely considered to be a point of reference for its electronic concept as much as for the sound quality it is capable of providing. The ABSOLUTE has been the recipient of awards and accolades across the globe.

Big E: Why tubes(and not solid state)?

GS: It's difficult for me express my preference between transistors and valves used in the hi-fi amplifiers. The working principle of these two devices are very different so it's impossible for a direct comparing. However we can affirm that the solid state circuits can produce higher output power with higher efficiency with easy and advantageous way than the valves circuits. Moreover the semiconductors allow compact and inexpensive equipments. To the end must be consider that the digital technology without the semiconductors can't be. Anyway for my personal taste I prefer the sound of valves.

Big E: What's your favorite tube technically and why?

GS: If the constructive technology of the valves was the same development of electronic technology, now we would have valves with higher performance, but the economic interest of the manufacturing company are not in this direction. Except some particular kind of valves for medical, industrial and military processing, the valves for audio equipments are the same used after the second world war. It's my opinion that the valve par excellence is the 300 B. This valve have been specially designed for audio applications and up till now this valve is of great interest.

Big E: What's your favorite tube audio circuit(push-pull vs single ended)?

GS: After many years dedicated to the design valve amplifiers, the valves that have given me more satisfaction have been the EL34 and the KT88 / 6550 for the indirect heating ( valves with cathode ), and 845 and 300B for indirect heating ( valves without cathode ). I have not find in all these valves particular properties so to prefer some of these for push-pull or single ended use, but considering that the push-pull circuits have carried out to get higher output power, the KT88 / 6550 in this sense must be preferred. It's very important that the type of valves used for push-pull circuits must be very linear because the typical second harmonic distortion of valves be transformed by push-pull circuits to the third harmonic distortion. I remember that odd order harmonic distortions, even at low level, the human sensitivity can degrade a lot the sound quality. For all this, I consider the KT88 / 6550 suitable for push-pull circuits. In the single ended configurations the output power is not a priority component, so also the low efficiency valves like 845 or 300B can be used with excellent results.

Big E: Are NOS tubes really better than modern production tubes?

GS: In general the industrial productions till up the immediate years after the second world war had been aimed not to high productivity but to the high quality and precision, this has compensated for the electronic field the limited technology. The valves produced in that years are clear mark. The precision of construction of that old productions can be comparable to the watchmaking precision, not only, also the rigorous selection of used materials give to the NOS valves an higher quality, so to be preferred to actual new production.

Big E:  How about those new Russian designed for submarine tubes like 6H30 or 6C33, what's your opinion about them?

GS: At present the most important production of valves are in two countries : China and Russia.

The Chinese production are mainly dedicated to the reproduction of old American and European valves, while the Russian production is involved also in new exclusive implementations for military, medical and industrial applications. From these new implementations, in the audio use, for example, there are : 6C45P, 6H30, 6C33C and others, are all very good valves ! It's my opinion that the actual quality production of Russians are better for signal valves than power valves, in fact the life of these are shorter.

Big E: Will Unison Research have plans for a high powered(200W min) tube power amp?

GS: As it's well-known to obtain high output power from valve amplifiers it's necessary high costs, big dimensions and big weight. In expensive amplifiers the sound quality is a priority component, for this reason, it's my opinion to consider only single ended class A configuration. Normally the power valves can't produce singly power more than 20/25 watt, for this to obtain higher power it's necessary a parallel of same valves. The Unison Research has in its catalogue a single ended class A monophonic amplifier with four 845 in parallel.  The power of this amplifier is more than 100 watt. I don't think that in next future the Unison Research will produce a valve amplifier with higher power. For my experience amplifiers with more than four valves in parallel is to avoid.

Big E: How did Opera loudspeakers became part of the company?

GS: The Opera and Unison Research companies were born separately. In year 2000, both operations had joined the same building. This mutual symbiosis has given notable advantages, not only for the development and for the research of Opera loudspeakers, but also for the Unison Research electronics. As it easy to understand every tests of Opera loudspeakers have done with Unison Amplifiers and vice versa for Unison Research amplifiers.

Big E: Can tube amps complement the new digital music delivery, i.e. computer audio?

GS: The digital modern music has produced with not traditional instruments and electronic equipments, moreover its reproduction has expected with different standards from the traditional hi-fi devices. The audio signals are so strongly compressed to allow their storage in small devices for hours and hours of musical reproduction. In these devices the priority characteristic are the reproduction times, while the sound quality is in a second level. It's obvious that the valve amplifiers can play this kind of music, but it's also obvious that valve amplifiers are wasted. The digital music has it's different consumption audience that is not an alternative to the traditional classical music, so these two kind of music are not in conflict, but their are on parallel roads without reciprocal interferences.

Big E: What's your favourite music carrier format, vinyl, CD, or hi-res downloads?

GS: The music is a component of our emotions, for this we select it in the basis of temporary need. For me that's in not a limited kind of music that I prefer, but the music that I frequently listen are the classical and baroque. I don't contempt the most recent musical expressions, merely I don't understand it, so I don't listen to it. The musical reproductions are very faithful if they can recreate the sensation of live so to distinguish the dialogue of instruments and to follow the orchestral phrasing and articulation with high emotional involvement. If the an apparatus can reproduce this, it's an ideal system. A very good reproduction system is from the magnetic tape, copy from original masters. These tape recorders are unfortunately hard to find. In my listening there are magnetic tapes, vinyl LP and digital CD. The other digital reproduction apparatus are for me, unusual.

After my brief chat, Giovanni and Bartalomeo kindly invited us to a Unison Research factory tour, which we will feature soon. Wood, tubes and Italian craftsmanship is a highly seductive combo indeed. Stay tuned. 

10Qs For Ansgar Sperling & Michael Bonninghoff Of Sperling Audio.

If there's one thing you can accuse Sperling Audio of, is that it's definitely a company run by two engineers with vinyl as hobby and passion for music. However their Sperling turn table seriously looks constructed unlike anything close to a hobbyist project. It's as much as an industrial design triumph as a precision musical playback instrument.

I spoke to both the designers of the turn table and their German based company Sperling Audio. 

Ansgar Sperling(left) & Michael Bonninghoff, owner and co-designers of Sperling Audio turn table.

Big E: You guys don't seem like Swedish?

MB: That's because we're Germans!

Big E: I taught Swedish Statement only sold Swedish products?

MB: You'd have to ask Mr Koo(of Swedish Statement) about that. He met us in the Munich Show and I've never seen anyone wanted to represent our products so fast! (Mr Koo chips in, "good things must get fast, otherwise will lose out!")

Big E: Tell us a little bit more about yourselves?

AS: I am a broadcast radio engineer by profession before founding Sperling Audio.

MB: I was a microphone engineer before. We met on our job and very quickly became good friends, because of our love for vinyl and passion for music.

Big E: What made you guys wanna make your own turn table?

AS: We were never quite satisfied with what we could buy off the market, and we are always modifying other manufacturer's turn tables.

MB: Yeah, our business started out as an after market turn table mod shop, and eventually, we wanted to make our own turn table design, which was the next most logical step to take.

Big E: What do you think makes your turn table stand out from other high end designs also in the market today?

MB: For our turn table design, we started with a fresh sheet from ground up, we left nothing to chance, and no budget limitations. We wanted to take our turn table design expression and engineering capabilities to the limits of today's technology. For example, our noise free motors are built in house with load regulators built in to the speed control circuit. The tape drive stub mounted on the motor is custom finished with CNC tolerances of less than 0.01mm.  Our bearing is an over sized design to handle the extreme pressures exerted by the heavy platter. The wood inserts on the platter also makes the sound different compared to other materials. We allow owners to customized their sound by offering optional insert materials. Just to mention a few examples of our engineering work gone in to the turn table.

AS: Our turn table design has three patent pending features which would make it different from other existing turn tables in the market today. The three patent-applications we have for our turntable are:
1) The dials for tone arm mounting with graduation from 0-360°
2) The arm mounting system with the rotary plates to mount arms from 9 - 12inch
3) The on the fly regulation of the tape tension

Big E: Talking about the bearing, why not use the magnetic bearing design much favoured by much high end turn table designs these days?

MB: If you have done as much test as we have on bearings, you'd find that the magnetic bearings which causes the platter to float slightly for reduce contact force, and therefore reducing noise which is good. However, there's also a down side to the magnetic bearing which floats, but it is not exactly on even plane as the platter turns. It seems there is some bounce, only visible under magnified conditions during the float, due to the opposing magnets trying to push each other away. It causes the VTA to vary very slightly always as the tone arm and cartridge tries to track the grooves on an LP's surface, which to us is not ideal, because we are trying to get the tone arm and cartridge to track the LP's grooves in a consistent contact point and angle all the time.

Big E: You're demoing the turn table today with a tone arm from another manufacturer(an Ikeda tone arm and cartridge was used, if you have to know). Is this the preferred partnership, or do you have plans to make your own tone arm designs?

MB: Yes, we do actually, but it may take some time before you can see it. We actually tested our turn table with many tone arm designs, from the budget Rega RB250 to SME V to Graham pivoted arms and even Air Tangent linear tracking arms, of all lenghts between 9-12inches, and found that our turn table will work well to any one of them. The Ikeda is a great match for the Sperling turn table, but it's not the only one!

The Sperling Audio turn table which struck a chord with the high end KLIAV 2012 show crowd.

Big E: Which do you think is the most important element of an analog system, between turn table, tone arm and cartridge? Where would you put most of your "budget" in to, if you ever assemble an analog play back system?

MB: I think there is no wrong or right, or if there is any one part of the equation more important than others. It's what the person assembling his own analog play back has to choose his sound preference in accordance to the music that he plays. There is no "the one" magic combo out there, as I've seen some combining our turn table with an Rega RB300 arm for instance and still turned out very musically satisfying performances.

AS: I feel the more important part actually belongs at the cartridge to tone arm matching, which is technically more crucial, due to the compliance issues, compared to tone arm to turn table matching. However like my partner says, there is no magic formula and one has to try things out to know one's preferred combination.

Big E: I notice that you mentioned on the fly regulation of tape tension, which is a patent pending feature. Does it help to prolong the life span of the delicate looking tape pulling the heavy platter?

MB: The on the fly regulation of tape tension does the following, and that is to regulate the perfect contact point of the tape tension between the motor pulley stub and the platter, to ensure consistent speed and prevent the tape from slipping down as it spins. The drive tape does not look like much, but it was design to drive much heavier loads without stretching. That drive tape will last for years, under normal usage, and should it stretch or break, we have spares to back up the end user.

Big E: There are also two patents pending on the tone arm mounting dials. Care to elaborate more about them?

MB: We designed those dials to take the guess work out, and make setting up or re-mounting of tone arm an exacting procedure. Every single tone arm design is unique in it's mounting and especially setting up properties. Should the turn table owner has as many arms as we do, and likes to rotate the use of his various tone arms, then all he has to do is to mark down all the dial measurements for a given tone arm and re-used those dial positions the next time that same arm is intended to be re-mounted for use. With this feature, every time a tone arm is mounted or re-mounted, the result will always be exactly the same, and repeat able. we spent much time in designing this feature, which we felt is worth while.

Both Ansgar and Micheal also does recording in their spare time. They brought along a jazz LP which was recorded by them, performed by their friends who are members of the band. The LP sounds wonderful, and I wanted to buy a copy, but it was no more in pressing and no longer issued, which is a shame. These guys are truly engineers with a musical passion!

10Qs For Frank Denson, International Sales Director, Dynavector Systems Ltd.

Dynavector Systems Ltd, is a Japan based company who makes high end MC(Moving Coil) cartridges and electronics with strong links to their offices in Australia and New Zealand.

Thru Frank Denson, an elderly Kiwi gentleman in his 70's, I get to learn about the people behind the great history of Dynavector. I now share with you, our dear readers, especially analog fans, my new found admiration for the Dynavector brand. 

Frank Denson is Dynavector's International Sales Director. He's also a keen audio engineer and designer at heart. 

Big E: Frank, which part of New Zealand are you based?

FD: I am from Christchurch, south island of New Zealand.

Big E: How is Christchurch recovering from the devastating earth quake two years ago, and are you affected in any way by the tragedy?

FD: Christchurch is being re-built slowly but surely, and I consider my self lucky that I was not affected in any way, because I live 20 kilometers away from the epicenter.

Big E: Tell us about some of the illustrious history of Dynavector?

FD: Dynavector developed a coil winding machine which gave them the capability of producing high output moving coil cartridges in the very early 70's. Dr Tominari, then a professor in automation science at the Tokyo Metropolitan University, founded Dynavector, along with Mr Masaaki Sasa, an apprentice who was one off his students, went on to manufacture one of the very first cartridges with very short cantilevers made from precious stones such as Ruby and Diamond. He also produced a very small production of tube electronics which have become collectors items throughout the world.

Big E: Other than cartridges and tube audio electronics, what other engineering interest did Dr Tominari pursued?

FD: In 1985 he became very influential in the development of a Mikuni fuel injection system but was frustrated by the strong worldwide patents of Bosch in Germany. He was an avid car enthusiast, owing  heavily modified V 12 Jaguars and Alfa Romeos. He also has completed many circuits at Brands Hatch motor racing track in single seat race cars.

Big E: How did you, as a Kiwi, got involved with Dynavector?

FD: I had always represented Dynavector in New Zealand, where I run an audio specialty retail business. On the event of his untimely death in 2003 and because of a lack of English speaking personal at Dynavector Tokyo, I was invited to take up the position of International Sales Director, a position I have held to the present day. Fortunately Dynavector are blessed with the brilliant, now senior engineer Mr Masaaki Sasa who had been with Dr Tominari since a university graduate and even greater cartridges have evolved in the Dynavector stable which makes my job an exceptionally easy one.

Big E: Is it true that you designed the Te Kaitora Rua cartridge and got Dynavector to manufacture it?

FD: Yes, I designed the original Te Kaitora Rua cartridge and got Dynavector Tokyo to make it for me. The latest version is an improvement over the original design, but I didn't do much design input by then.

Big E: How did the popular P-75 phono stage came about? Was that your handy work too?

FD: The P-75 phono stage was a collaboration between Mr Davis of Dynavector Australia and myself. It has been produced since 2003 and will be getting its first serious makeover this month.

Big E: Any other new Dynavector products that you'd like to announce which is coming our way?

FD: We also have a new Step Up MC Transformer SUP-200, which started shipping recently.(By then Nelson of Centre Circle Audio was trying to order some already, so expect them to be here soon!)

Nelson(left) of Centre Circle Audio, Malaysian distributor of Dynavector seen with Frank Denson. 

Big E: Why are there scale model airplanes available on Dynavector's website?

FD: The model airplanes are a project of Taro Tominari(son of Dr. Tominari). They are very special kit sets of quite rare airplanes. Dr Tominari's other son Jiro has an interest in restoring and racing in Tokyo, vintage & classic British Motor Cycles.

Big E: Obviously, you're very good friends with Dr Tominari, how would you like to remember him by?

FD: Dr Tominari's legacy, not confined only to the Hifi World is significant and is testimony to the man's genius.

Incidentally, Frank Denson is also owner of the Well Tempered Lab turn table brand. He designed the latest Simplex turn table which was also on demo at the KLIAV show this year. Out of curiosity, I asked about the use of a golf ball integrated in to the tone arm's design. Frank said that the golf ball is the most aero dynamic(naturally also the most hydro dynamic) item with natural self damping properties, most suitable for the fluid damping design mounting base on the turn table.

I tried to asked him more about his turn table ventures and he said, "That's another long story best left for another day!" I agree to him finish his cuppa and get back to his demo sessions. Many thanks to Nelson of Centre Circle Audio for arranging this most interesting 10Qs session.

10Qs For Bos'ko Pjescic Of Beyond Frontiers Audio.

KLIAV is becoming increasingly popular with hifi manufacturers in the last few years. BFA is a relatively young Canadian/Serbian company with high end aspirations who certainly thinks so too.

They sent two of their audio engineers to this year's KLIAV to showcase their products, especially the latest Tulip integrated amp, which looks heavy and built like a vault. I spoke to the more senior looking and vocal guy, called Bos'ko Pjescic, and find out more about BFA and the personalities behind it.

BFA or Beyond Frontiers Audio is an industrial multi award winner too. Audio engineer Bos'ko Pjescic stands tall.

Big E: Tell us about the origins of BFA, or Beyond Frontiers Audio please?

BP: If you could remember the high end Canadian brand called Sonic Frontiers? Zdenko Zivkovic who is founder and owner of BFA was formerly an audio engineer in Sonic Frontiers. Since Sonic Frontiers brand has been bought over by new owners, Zdenko has been busy preparing to start his own high end audio company, and Beyond Frontiers Audio was chosen as the name, so that it will reflect the continuation in product design philosophy.

Big E: But wasn't Sonic Frontiers all about Chris Johnson?

BP: Yes, Chris Johnson was doing most of the marketing for Sonic Frontiers, but he had support in the design and production aspect from Zdenko Zivkovic, who was then little known.

Big E: How did the Canadian/Serbian connection came about?

BP: As you already know, Zdenko has already been living in Canada for the past 20 years or so, since the days of Sonic Frontiers. He still lives and works all his designs there. In fact much of the R&D process is done in Canada. In Serbia we import the PCB boards and bespoke parts from Canada, do the board stuffing and final assembly of the products prior to shipping.

Big E: Why don't you do it all in Canada then, perhaps the cost is lower in Serbia?

BP: I think the cost to quality ratio is best in Malaysia! That's my honest opinion. There's already a well established supporting industry catering to our parts supply needs here, plus cost is certainly one the most competitive, and ultimately Malaysian engineers have quality deeply ingrained in their work, especially in the electronics sector.

Big E: Malaysia? That's rather surprising, but what kind of terms and conditions, if any needs to be met before you can consider making BFA products here?

BP: As in any production work, there needs to exist a certain amount of manufacturing quantity, before it becomes worth while. I think if we can achieve a consistent manufacturing volume of 50 units/batch, then we can truly consider having BFA products made in Malaysia. That's why I am here, to evaluate our business expansion plans in Asia.

Big E: I noted that you mentioned that PCB boards are supplied from Canada, are they so special that you cna't make them else where, like in Serbia instead?

BP: As you may understand, technically the whole amplifier circuit is printed on the PCB board, which makes it extremely important to have a well designed and good quality board in the beginning. Zdenko has worked with some of the best suppliers of the industry during his days in Sonic Frontiers, and most of them, including the PCB board supplier are located in Canada. That's our way of guaranteeing genuine value and top sound quality with our products.

Big E: As for your business plans in Asia, is BFA sold elsewhere, other than Malaysia?

BP: Malaysia is our first Asian export market at the moment, but we are looking at Singapore, China and Taiwan next possibly. In the long term, we aim to make Malaysia as the base of Asian business.

Bos'ko, don't hide behind the speakers!

Big E: Amplifier circuit topology wise, what makes BFA designs different from other brands?

BP: We employ zero negative feedback in all our amplifier designs, which are fully balanced inside, from input to output. We believe this gives measurably ultra low distortion, and more importantly audible performance that gives more music, less noise when you listen. Even though our product's audio performance are strictly high end, our pricing is comparatively reasonable.

Big E: Would BFA consider making class A amplifiers in the future?

BP: We have no plans for that at the moment, but with currently improving circuit topology and transistor technology, there is less and less reason to go class A in the future.

Big E: What about class D?

BP: While there is potential to be harnessed from the class D topology, like cool running, huge power available from small, efficient box. However, we feel it's audio performance does not match the standards set by high end analog amplifiers for now. May be in the next few design evolutions, who knows! We are watching the developments of class D with anticipation.

While at it, Bos'ko asked if I knew who distributed BFA in Malaysia, and if I had met him? I said no.

Well in case if you didn't know too, BFA is represented in Malaysia by Acoustic Alchemy. You may contact Mr Danny Lim at 016-2187398 for an audition appointment, and general enquiries.

10Qs For Aure'lie Gonzalo, Export Sales Manager, Triangle Industries S.A.S.

With the KLIAV show gaining strategic importance as a regional AV showcase, I see more and more industry executives making their way to be part of the show. It means something for so many manufacturers sending their executives, despite Malaysia being a rather insignificant market by size.

However the effects are all good, so that I can talk to and get some first hand information out of the hifi manufacturers. A rose(and exotically French!) made her way here, in a hobby and industry dominated by thorns. I had a date with her, chaperoned by Maxx, Triangle's Malaysian distributor. So here we go, ladies first!

Ms Aure'lie Gonzalo is Triangle's Export Sales Manager.

Big E: How did you get in to the hifi industry?

AG: I was formerly working for Elipson, who also makes hifi, but targeted at less traditionalist buyers. Then in January this year, I joined Triangle, and here I am now.

Big E: How do you pronounce Triangle in French? And how should the non-French speaking say it?

AG: In French, it's pronounced as Trie-an'gle, whoever for everyone else in the world, Triangle(the English word) is fine and very valid.

Big E: Other than your home market France, where else is Triangle sold in big numbers?

AG: You may find it surprising, we are no.2 in our home market, after Focal, a competitor whom we highly respect. However our loudspeakers are also very popular in Germany as well. Our next big market is likely to be India, which is a huge and un-tapped market.

Big E: Are most of the French who buy hifi music lovers or audiophiles?

AG: I am not sure how to answer this, but most homes in France do have a hifi system, because music is culturally important to us. However, it would be hard to determine if most of our buyers are audiophile or music lovers. There's also a group of buyers who like to balance their priority of good sound reproduction with decor friendly finishing, which is why we made the Color range of speakers. We certainly see an expansion of this market segment in the near future, based on the successful market penetration of the Color range. How about in Malaysia?

Big E: The people in Malaysia who buys hifi are more likely audiophile first, then music lovers(Maxx nodding in approval). Do you agree with the general statement, that loudspeakers do reflects their country of origin, as in French speakers sound different, compared to English speakers and German speakers have their own sound?

AG: I absolutely agree! I think French speakers are musical sounding, with a softer tone, compared to the German speakers, which I can't stand. English loudspeakers have their own sound which is strong on vocals. However, these are just my personal observations only.

Big E: Anything new from Triangle you'd like to share with us here?

AG: Yes, we are about to revamp our Genese' range of speakers, which have been in the market for a long time. We feel we can make the Genese' range sound closer to the flagship Megellan, because it'll contain a lot of trickle down technology.

Big E: Tell us more in detail about the trickle down technology?

AG: First, the new Genese' range will benefit from a titanium tweeter very similar to those found on the Megellan, the only difference being it'll be stamped instead of being moulded in to shape. The tweeter flange(or horn) will be made from aluminium, just like in the Megellan. Next are the all new mid/woofer drivers and x-over design. Lastly, the cabinets will, once again, be made in France, because it will feature more complex bracing and resonant control techniques.

Big E: You mean at present, the cabinets are made elsewhere, and which country in particular?

AG: The cabinets for the present Genese' range is made somewhere in Asia, however we cannot be too specific about the country which makes them. Very sorry, but it is confidential trade information.

Big E: I noticed you mentioned titanium tweeter, which was very popular in the 1980's, the speaker world today talks about more exotic materials like beryllium, or diamond for example, for tweeters. Do these exotic materials truly offer technical advantages or just marketing speak perhaps?

AG: At Triangle, we have tested all the so called alternative or exotic materials for use in tweeter production, but in the end, each material has it's merits and disadvantages, depending on what one is looking for technically. We still think the titanium metal dome used in conjunction of our phase plug design, combined with machined aluminium flange is the most effective match to our choice of x-over application and overall speaker design philosophy.

Seen here with Maxx Loh(left) of Maxx Audio, whose showroom is in Seremban.

Big E: Coming back to the speaker cabinet manufacturing, is it practical and cost effective to move production back to France?

AG: There seems to be a trend where manufacturing the speaker cabinets outside Europe no longer yields any cost advantages, further more we can control quality more tightly if the components are made near the factory. Triangle is in the process of moving back all component and assembly production back to it's in house facilities where possible, and if not, hopefully the work is done not too far away. We feel that brings stricter quality control, and where possible, the pride of having our products made in house, to give them a unique identity, not available else where, in today's competitive market place.

At this point, Maxx Loh was saying that he'd have to offer the existing Genese' stocks in his showroom for clearance, to prepare for the arrival of the newer range soon. Any takers out there?

10Qs For Martin Harding, International Sales Manager, Parasound.

Martin Harding showing off Parasound's CD-1 CD player, due to arrive sometime in September 2012.

Martin Harding, International Sales Manager for Parasound, was in KL for a one day visit. Nelson of Centre Circle Audio arranged a meeting, so we can talk to Martin, about the Parasound brand and products. As usual, I shoot my 10 Qs to Martin.

Big E: Care to update us a bit about the latest in Parasound?

MH: As you may already know, last year was hugely successful for Parasound, where our products won 5 Golden Ear Awards with the TAS publication, amongst many other awards elsewhere. Last financial year was also our most successful. Richard Schram, owner of Parasound, is no doubt a very happy man. For this year, Parasound will be getting out of the home theater market, except our multi chanel power amps which will continue for some foresee able future. Problem with the HT processor market is that the specs are just moving too fast, for a small specialty audio company like Parasound. The Japanese corporations typically launch a new range of HT processors, with new features and firmware, every 12 months or so, which makes it too hard for us to play catch up all the time.

For 2012, we'd be launching our brand new CD-1, CD player. We'd also be launching a 24/192 capable DAC, which is the hottest product in the hifi market today. The Z-Series will be re-launched too, with a rounder silver finish face plate, sans the rack mount, for that more elegant domestic home look. The satin black finished with rack mount models will continue too.

Big E: How does John Curl, and the products he designed fit in to the organisation of Parasound?

MH: Yes, John Curl is our product designer, however, he has no equities with Parasound. JC usually works on products that we ask him to, he sends us a circuit design, we evaluate and improvements made, then back and forth, until the product is ready for the manufacturing line.

Big E: All Parasound product made in Taiwan, under OEM arrangements?

MH: Yes, the factory in Taiwan makes Parasound products based upon OEM arrangements. We make about 500 or 1000pcs of a certain product each batch, which makes it too costly to be made in the US. We then distribute the products in the US and around the world.

Big E: Back to your new CD-1, CD player, isn't it a bit late coming in to the market now?

MH: We certainly do not think so. We know that CD is still the most accessible music carrier format today, and there are millions and millions of CD in people's music collection. There is still demand for a high quality CD player.

Big E: How about the soon to be launched 24/192 capable DAC, I think that it may be more forward thinking to do a 32/384 capable DAC, with the recent emergence of such hi-rez music files?

MH: Practically, most of the music you'd want is hard to come by, even as 24/192 music files today. No doubt more will be available as time goes by. However, I've been reliably informed that our 24/192 capable DAC, has allowed for firm ware up grades as a form of future proof.

Martin posing with more Parasound amps.

Big E:Would Parasound ever consider getting in to class A type amps?

MH: With the current standard of sound quality available from our class A/B designs, it is unlikely we'd be looking in to class A bias operating amps. However, you'd never know what John Curl dreams up next!

Big E: Is the US still the biggest market for Parasound? How do you compare Parasound against the likes of Krell or Mark Levinson?

MH: Absolutely, the US accounts for 50% of our business, with the rest of the world taking the remaining 50%. Parasound is about getting serious sound quality within what is still considered an affordable price for many music lovers and audiophiles. The two big brands that you've just mentioned is just way too pricey for most people. I'd like to use the automobile analogy, if you liken Parasound as the Mercedes, which offers great engineering performance and prestige at a reasonably affordable price, where else Krell and Mark Levinson are more a kind to the Bentley or Rolls Royce of the hifi world. Seriously, how many music lovers who turn on their system every night, can afford Krell or Mark Levinson? Only the very rich audiophiles can afford to buy them.

The mini Z-Series components will soon be available with a silver finish option.

Big E: Are you happy about the iPod phenomenon amongst the younger music consumers?

MH: I personally think iPod is certain a good thing for the future of the audio industry. Just like the Walkman generation, which many eventually up grading to full fledged hifi system as they grow up. Now if only 25% of today's iPod users become tomorrow's hifi consumers, then the industry would pick up again. I know because my kids consume their music on an iPod now, but eventually they'll want something that offers better sound quality. The emerging after market headphones and head amps are proof of it.

Big E: Do you use an iPod?

MH: Yes! I use an iPod for music when I am working out or when I am travelling. When I am home, I'd listen to music on a proper hifi set up.

Big E: An all Parasound system?

MH: Yes, except for the speakers, which we do not make!

Martin also mentioned a little known fact that Parasound amplifiers which are THX certified, have been used extensively in Hollywood for the motion picture sound tracks, including the all last three Star Wars prequel. Many of the Hollywood film producers insist on using only Parasound amps, which are THX certified, to meet the most stringent THD standards, set by George Lucas himself.

And no, Martin Harding has left the building, so he won't be attending the KLIAV 2012.

10Qs For Andy Wilson, Technical Manager, PMC Loudspeakers.

James Tan(left) of AV Designs and Andy Wilson(right) of PMC Loudspeakers.

I had the good fortune to talk to Andy Wilson, Technical Manager for PMC Loudspeakers. He was in Kuala Lumpur to complete a few active speakers installation for PMC clients, to ensure that the speakers are set up and optimized for sound quality to meet strict standards, required by company policy. I caught up with him just before he made the dash for the airport on his return journey home to UK.

Big E: Hi! Andy, your first time in Kuala Lumpur?

AW: No, second time actually. I was last here more than a year ago.

Big E: With a name like Andy Wilson, do you feel perhaps people may ask if you could perhaps be working for the other high end loudspeaker company in the US?

AW: Ha! Ha! Other than name sake, I share nothing in common with the other high end speaker company in the US, with one exception, both are speaker manufacturers with a design priority for excellent sound quality!

Big E: As Technical Manager at PMC, what are you responsible for?

AW: I go around setting up, installing and optimising all PMC active speaker systems for clients.

Big E: Can you elaborate exactly what are considered active speaker systems by PMC?

AW: Well, technically anything upwards, starting from the PMC IB2S XBD-A in the product catalogue is considered  an active speaker system. These are not just a pair of speakers, but a whole integrated system solution, including electronic x-overs, amplifiers and finally, the actual speakers themselves.

Big E: So if I shall hit the jackpot tomorrow, and do buy a pair of MB2S XBD-A, you'd come to install, set up and optimise the pair of speakers in my home?

AW: Absolutely!

Big E: Can you elaborate step by step, exactly your installation, set up and optimization process of a pair of PMC active speakers?

AW: I would first measure all drive units again, to make sure they are performing up to specifications before I do anything else. This is to ensure that the internal wiring and drive units are not some how damaged in transition between our factory and the client's place. Even though we do measure the speakers before the leave the factory, it's still better to make sure everything is in order, before I proceed further. I then proceed to hook up all the components that make up the speaker system.

I then start physically placing the speakers in the given room, usually about 1/4 of the way in to the room from the front staging wall. I then try to balance between the bass response and sound staging depth by moving the speakers forwards and backwards from the front stage wall, at this point of setting up all the parameters on the electronics x-over is left in it's neutral setting. It always a compromise between the two(between bass response and sound staging) . Once I get the bass response correct, than I'd work on setting the mid range gain, followed lastly by the tweeters. This is to ensure I get a fairly even tonal response from the pair of speakers. The final step in the process is to do an in room frequency sweep measurement to confirm with what I heard.

At this stage, the client will be called in to give his opinion on the sound quality and small degrees of final adjustment can be performed to suit his or her preferences. Another round of in room frequency sweep will be performed to confirm the tonal response differences, compared to my original setting.

Big E: I noted in the set up process you did not mention any x-over point adjustment for the active speakers?

AW: You're right, there's no x-over point adjustment allowed in the PMC active speaker system design. The x-over points are pre-set at the factory and I can only change the gain setting of the drivers.

PMC BB5 XBD-A, the biggest, baddest speaker in the range.

Big E: What happens when you get an acoustically poor, or un-suitable room which does not do justice to those PMC big boy active speakers?

AW: There have been cases like that before, but thankfully it's not often we have a problematic room. The PMC active speakers are pretty room friendly, despite their size, but just don't put them in to too small a room, after all, they are still big speakers, and they do need room to breath. Our knowledge able dealers like James, will usually advise potential clients about the suitability of a PMC speaker model for the room size available, which usually ensures the speaker room match equation is workable in the first place.

Big E: I noticed that the latest PMC IB2S XBD-A uses in-cabinet class D amplifier modules instead of the usual Bryston supplied amplification in previous products. Is PMC choosing to go class D from here on, without Bryston?

AW: The class D amplifier modules are only specific to the IB2S XBD-A. We will continue our association with Bryston for all other active speaker models. And quite frankly, I personally feel analog amplifiers are still the best solution for sound quality. The only reason we selected class D amplifier modules for the IB2S XBD-A is because of the market positioning for this model, which is meant for home/small studio installation environments, hence there are budget and space restrictions that we have to consider in the product design. It's a work horse pro-model, rather than a hifi speaker used for domestic environment, where sound quality take precedence above all other considerations.

Big E: Which area or market are all the big boy PMC active speaker systems going to most?

AW: In Asia they mostly go in to big custom home theater installations, and in Europe and US, where they mostly go in to recording studios. I think it's because Asian homes tend to be bigger, and are able to accommodate very ambitious home theater installs. The typical European home is too space restricted for the PMC active speaker systems, we tend to put them in to studios. In the US, most of our active speaker systems go in to Hollywood studios for sound track and music recordings, and some big custom home theater installs too.

Andy's ride to the airport manage to arrive for pick up on time, and with that I wished him Bon Voyage, he very quickly left my 10Qs session. I wish to thanks James and Tony of AV Designs for arranging this talk session.

10 Qs For Ivor Tiefenbrun Of Linn Products Ltd.

Ivor Tiefenbrun was in KL earlier this month to promote the stable of Linn products. Perfect Hi-Fi, the local dealer hosted Ivor at their Jalan Maroff, Bangsar showroom. Ivor gave a philosophical talk about why music is so important for humanity's well being, whose origins may have well started in the form a worm with vertebrae, which only had a sense of pressure, sensitive only to vibrational movements and rhythm, much like a fossil found in the Canadian Shale. He emphasized that proves that rhythm has the most profound effect on humanity compared to our other senses. Which is why, a hifi system that excels in maintaining rhythm and pace will always be considered superior.

He also did a demo asking the audience to listen to short burst of MP3 comparing to hi rez file formats, played back on a full Linn Klimax system. The reason for using short, 30 seconds burst of music for the basis of comparison is that our ears can adapt and our minds easily forgets, said Ivor. The system that sound closest and most like "live" music is the better one. Ivor adds that one should always use un-amplified music as a source for comparison.

Ivor insist that each and every human being has that ability to tell the difference in sound quality, but most did not know how to. With a bit of practice, it's easy to evaluate audio systems.



Ivor Tiefenbrun, the legendary LP12 designer and Linn founder.



Some of the crowd attending to the "Sell By Demo" session, conducted by Ivor Tiefenbrun.

At the end of the talk, the press people were invited to a Chinese dinner, and over some Macallan single malt scotch, Ivor mellowed down and was a perfect candidate for 10 Qs. There was too long a list of questions from all quarters of the hifi press, but I choosed 10 Qs of which I thought was best for your reading pleasure!

Big E: Ivor, when was the last time you were in Malaysia?

IT: I think I was last here 22 years ago. So this may well be the last time you'd meet me as I may take another 22 years, which I obviously may not have, to come round again! Ha! Ha!

Big E: How did you get in to the hifi industry?

IT: I was a young man working in the kitchen of a restaurant. One day, it dawned upon me about my goals in life, call it the awakening if you want. I asked the owner of the restaurant if I could achieve my life's goals in his place, and he told me that I should go else where. It was easy to join Linn, as my father owns the engineering company.

Big E: How did you came about with the LP12's design?

IT: Now we're getting in to controversial territory here. I was trying to make a turntable based around a bearing that my father designed for some of his projects, and by the eleventh revision, I was fairly satisfied with the results, and thus the Ariston RD11 turn table was born. It was initially marketed by Hamish Robertson who later registered the Ariston company, without my knowledge at the time. Sad to say that in a series of events, it all erupted in to by then a highly controversial court case, which ruled the origin of design in Linn's favour. The LP12 is in fact a revision, based on the Ariston RD11 design.

Big E: How many of the Ariston RD11 turn table was sold then?

IT: Linn made about 180 of the first batch of Ariston RD11. Hamish sourced the remaining later batches of RD11 elsewhere.

Big E: What are the main difference between the Linn LP12 compared to the Ariston RD11?

IT: For one, the main bearing is different. The LP12 uses bearing designed that is further refined from that of the RD11. The plinth has been completely re-worked with corner bracing as well, which by now the horizontal lines were added on to the deck for a more distinct look, now a classic.

Big E: Do you now still use an LP12, or a Linn Klimax DS at home for musical pleasure?

IT: I have both at home now, plus I've not given up on the CD12 yet. I still have lots of CDs to spin at home.

Big E: You've mentioned that music as an important foundation to humanity, because we respond most to pressure, as a kind of rhythmic vibrational sensation, justified by in the early days of human civilisation, that song and music came before speech and languages. With the current decline in today's popular music quality and creativity, does it reflect upon humanity's general decline as a species?

IT: That's a pretty bleak picture scenario you've painted there! I beg to differ, with the advantage of hindsight, having being in the business for the last 40 years or so. I see it this way, The hifi and music industry inter wined in more ways than one would assume. Every quarter of a century or so, the hifi, and hence the music industry takes paradigm shift. The hifi industry started in the fifties, coinciding with the introduction of stereo recordings. By the seventies, the LP took prominence, the LP12 design was introduced by then. By the nineties, the compact disc became the de-facto music carrier format. And now, digital down loads is the latest evolution, with LP's making a surprising comeback. You see, every time a paradigm shift occurs, the music and hifi industry under goes a transformation, weeding out the weaker players, while the strong and innovative companies(like Linn) propels to the fore front. What we are going thru now is a period of paradigm shift.

Big E: That's an interesting way of looking at things, but one that certainly holds water, coming from an esteemed industry veteran. Now we move on to another spicy question. Knowing the history of French/British diplomacy, what's your personal view on the JM Lab/Naim merger?

IT: Hmm.......... Having known Julian Vereker, founder of Naim, since it's earliest days, I doubt that's a move he'd approve off. Just so you know, we've worked with Naim since their amplifiers have proven to be excellent partners for our original Isobarik speakers.

Big E: Are you sad to see more and more British hifi brands falling in to foreign hands?

IT: Of course it is a sad, sad situation, when there's only a handful of British companies still manufacturing in the UK. I blame the UK government's business and tax policies for it. It has created an environment that does not encourage young entrepreneurs or new business start ups.   

Ivor, making a point!

Big E: What keeps you working everyday?

IT: First, I like music. I also like traveling and meeting people. It doesn't really feel like work, at least not like now, when we having this nice conversation over an indulgent meal. I spend like at least eight months of a year travelling, doing exactly the same as I did this afternoon, which is a sell by demo session. Some people told me that there are easier ways to sell hifi products. However, by doing it this way, even if it's more difficult, is very rewarding for the long term. I am slowly but surely selling more products one demo at a time. This more personal approach is surely more sustainable for the company's growth in the longer term.

There were many, many more questions and I can assure you, where some of the answers are just so shocking, we just cannot divulge. It's been an honour getting to know Ivor.

I wish to thanks Andy Tan and Perfect Hi-Fi for organising this session.

10 Qs For Brian Russell Of Bryston Ltd.

Brian Russell hokding the award winning Bryston BDP-1 Digital Media Player. That's hard work Brian, one more wood fire pizza for you. Ha! Ha!

It's been more than 2 years since I met Brian Russell, marketing head honcho at Bryston Ltd. The Canadian company has had a successful run with their amplifier products and has since branched out in to the digital arena, first with the BCD-1 CD player, then a BDA-1 DAC and lastly, the TAS 2011 Product Of The Year Winner, BDP-1 Digital Media Player, which incidentally is also my resident reference digital source.

AV Designs invited a few local hifi scribes to ask Brian 10 Qs, which are not all entirely mine, however, I cherry pick the 10 best bits for your reading pleasure!

Big E: Welcome back Brian, what brings you to these shores again?

BR: I am en-route to Bangkok after attending the Australian Hifi Show, held in Melbourne last week. However, since Bangkok is now flooded, I'll stay here instead.

Big E: Congrats for the success of the BDP-1 Digital Media Player, which I heard just won TAS 2011 Product Of The Year!

BR: Yeah! The BDP-1 is quite the game changer in the digital music market, because it allows music lovers to interact with their whole music libraries with a different experience. It's like when people just went from LP to CD, now that was a fundamental shift in music experience. Now the same is happening all over again when people move from CDs to music files.

Big E: Do you use a BDP-1 at home?

BR: Not yet, due to the fact that it's so successful in the market place, our production output is still catching up with market demand. I am now taking my sweet time to ripp all my CD collection on to the computer for storage. Once my collection is ready, I'll take the BDP-1 back home with me. I am currently using a BCD-1 as digital source. By the way, we are now shipping the last of the BCD-1 CD players out of the factory, because Philips has officially stop ed manufacturing the VAM series transports. We've been thinking about building a final Bryston CD player that you can buy, and we're thinking to make it the best CD player we can. What do you think?

Big E: Actually, there are two ways of looking at it. I believe there are people like me who already have a BDP-1 and would like a integrate it with a state of the art CD player that allows DAC input capable of the next generation of 32/384 hi rez file precessing. The other way is just a simple but well engineered transport to be added on to the existing BDA-1 DAC, which in my opinion, is a very high performance unit.

BR: There are few things we're considering at the moment but our market feedback shows a preference for top loading CD players in the premium market. Do you agree?

Big E: Actually, I have neither preference for top loaders or tray drawer based CD players, as long as the drive is well designed with equally high attention to build quality. Of more importance is the elimination of jitter error. Other then a next generation CD player, what other products can we expect from Bryston in the near future?

BR: We've just successfully launched the SP-3 Surround Processor and we have a back log of orders to clear at the moment. However, the next product on the launch pad is called the BHA-1, a head phone amp. It's already in the final stages of design, and will be ready for production very soon.

Big E: A head phone amp? Wow! Is it a portable unit or a regular hifi sized box?

BR: It's actually a full size unit, just like a BP-26 pre-amp box, without most of the knobs. We've designed the BHA-1 to have multiple inputs, and a front panel volume control. The circuitry is designed to drive any, and I mean ANY head phone design you can find in the market, including the very demanding high end electrostatic models. We feel this is an area that we can draw a new generation of hifi consumers who are now just using an iPod for their music and are used to head phone listening habits. We hope that once they experience the effects of a great head phone musical performance, they'd feel more comfortable about stepping in to the high end audio.

Big E: What is the expected price of BHA-1 when it hits the market?

BR: We have not finalized the product pricing of the BHA-1 just yet, however in Bryston tradition, we'd like to price it afford ably, so more people can have access to our quality products.

Big E: How is the Bryston affected by the current turbulent world economies, especially in the US and Europe?

BR: I'd be lying if I say we're not affected in any way. However, I dare say that in the scheme of things, we are less affected than many other high end audio companies. You must believe me when I tell you that times are really bad.... out there right now.

Big E: Since you're rather less affected than others, do you see this as a good opportunity to pick up some other high end brands out there for portfolio extension?

BR: Well, I wouldn't say it to you even if I have any such plans! Not here any way, but seriously, NO, we are not looking grow via the acquisition or merger route.


Jo sharing some insight on the BDP-1 and future Bryston CD player with Brian.


Big E: What did you do prior to joining Bryston?

BR: I was actually a chef, would ya believe me? Then one day, I woke up and asked my boss "If I wanted this, and that, in my life, would I be able to achieve my goals here?" He said no! And told me to look elsewhere in pursue my dreams. Joining Bryston was easy, because my father was one of the founders of the company! That's how I achieved my dreams, because everyday, it just doesn't feel like I am going to work! See, I am now here having fun just chatting with you guys. Hey! I am very hungry now, where's wood fire pizza we're talking about? Ha! Ha!

At this point, all the cakes and coffee became meaningless, and so we adjourned to have some wood fire pizza, and Brian shared his killer recipe of it too! Yummy, yum, yum. He's right, this doesn't feel like work after all.

We'd like to offer our thanks to James and Tony at AV Designs for making this fun session possible.

10 Qs For Mario Binner Of Audio Note UK Ltd.

Wng Tatt Yew of Audio Note Malaysia told me that I should meet up with "Super Mario" because he's a very experience industry veteran, who has lots of interesting stories to tell. And then we went "away" from the KLIAV show, for just a few hours!

We spoke about so many things, related to Audio Note, tubes, music, DIY, and hifi in general. Here are 10 of the more interesting topics.

The Audio Note boys, "Super Mario" and Wong Tatt yew.

Big E: Mario, it's nice to met you. Now, where did the "Super" bit came from?

MB: You know the game called Super Mario Bros? Ha! Ha! At this point Tatt Yew chips in, "you know, all the systems he set up sounds "Super". Hence the name!"

Big E: Tell us a little bit more about your role in Audio Note?

MB: At the moment, I am mainly the AV show demonstrator and system set up guy. The last few years, I've been really busy, which includes about 10-12 scheduled AV shows world wide every year, with system set up in between those shows.

Big E: Does that mean Audio Note clearly believes in the effectiveness of AV Shows over advertisements then? Because I never see printed adverts of Audio Note in the major hifi rags.

MB: That's correct. Advertisements are very costly and you can never be sure about their effectiveness. I think that advertisements are great exposure for a new brand just starting up, however Audio Note is at different level of business development stage. We are an established brand, with a loyal customer base. We find that by doing AV Shows, we can physically touch base with our existing customers and interact with new ones. I mean in the hifi business, what better way to sale your product other than thru a successful demo? For us at Audio Note, doing AV Shows seems more logical and offers us a more effective way to communicate with our customers, both existing and potential.

Big E: You mentioned about doing system set ups, does that mean at the customers home, when they make a purchase?

MB: Yes, when a customer purchase a full line of level 5 Audio Note components or higher, I'll be made available to set up the system, at cost(meaning travel, meals and accommodation cost will be bourned by the customer).

Big E: How many levels of product does Audio Note have and at what price in RM$ would a level 5 full Audio Note system cost?

MB: We have from level 0-6 currently, but a level 7 system will be available soon. 0 being entry level and the higher the level, the more expensive the component that form a system. A Level 5 Audio Note system would probably cost from RM$800 thousand up wards!

Big E: The excellent system on demo at KLIAV 2011, which level would that be?

MB: The KLIAV 2011 demo system is between level 3 and 4. The CD transport and DAC are level 4 components, while the amps and speaker are level 3.

Mario at ease with a cup of coffee.

Big E: Now, we move to Audio Note DIY products, I've heard many DIY-ers complained that the kits do not sound exactly the same as the original Audio Note equivalent product, especially the Ongaku kit, when it was available. Any reason why the kits do not sound the same as the original?

MB: There are a few reasons why the kits sound different from our original Audio Note factory built products. First, it's a well known fact that if you give the same kit to 10 DIY-ers, all the 10 kits would end up sounding different upon completion. That's very much due to the fact that all of us uses different soldering iron and each person's soldering technique is just a little different. Next is the fact that most DIY-ers will never truly follow the assembly instruction strictly, as they'll make changes along the way when building a kit, these changes, no matter how small they may seem does have an effect on the final sound. Lastly, this is probably the biggest contributing factor to the kit's sound. The parts. Most parts we throw in to the kits are the ones that didn't make the final pair matching specs when we build our original Audio Note products. Not that the parts are defective or anything like that, they're just probably slightly off the tolerance spec during the stringent pair matching process. Having said that, I still feel that our amplifier kits does offer great value for money, sound quality wise, for those who enjoy a bit of tinkering them selves. However, I do caution about buying our speaker kit though, well if you really want to, then at least do buy the built up cabinet too. That's because the carpentry skill required to build a speaker box is just something that most people do not possess. Lastly, I'll also like to say that to these ears(as he points to his pair) the speaker kit does somehow sound inferior to the original Audio Note speakers.

Big E: Since you mentioned speakers, I noticed that Audio Note speakers share more than just a passing resemblance to those old Snell designs. I know as I used to own a pair of Snell Type J speakers. What's Audio Note's relationship with Snell, if any?

MB: You're right about our speakers looking much like the older Snell designs. It's a long story, but I think it's as good a time now to tell than any other. We started of as Snell's UK importer. Peter Qvortrup loved the sound of Snell speakers when partnered to our tube amps. For years, it was the way we sold our systems. However, tragedy struck with the passing of Peter Snell(the original owner and designer of Snell speakers). He used to scribble his designs of scraps of paper that was conveniently found, it could be on an old envelope or a piece of napkin, if he was having a cup of coffee and cakes! You get the idea. With his untimely passing, no one knew where he kept his designs, not even his family members who eventually took over the business. They employed a new designer to fill in for Peter Snell, and the rest is history! The Snell speakers from that point onwards bear no resemblance what so ever, to the past designs, and worst of all, to Peter Qvortrup's ears, they just don't sound as good. It was also from that point on where Audio Note would reverse engineer Peter Snell's speaker designs, and in doing so over the years, improve upon them too. The speakers at the KLIAV show are Audio Note Type J, the same as the Snell Type J as you used to owned, but better sounding, due to some of the improvements we've made.

Big E: The 300B based mono block amplifier on demo at KLIAV 2011, I've never heard a 300B tube amplifier design sounding so dynamic, tell us a little more about it?

MB: At Audio Note, we believe that small watts does not mean small sound. The Quest Silver, is a 300B based mono block amplifier which out puts 9W. All our amplifiers will preserve the music's dynamics and transient reproduction no matter how small the out put may seem. The magic is in the way we actually match the output transformers(which are made in house) impedance to the tube's circuit design. My own personal favorite tube amplifier is 2A3 based which outputs only 8W, it's the most linear power tube I've come across.

Big E: What about CAS(Computer Audio System) source, what's Audio Note's opinion?

MB: For us at Audio Note, when it comes to digital, CD is just about acceptable as far as sound is concern. We're still pretty much dugged in to analog as source, either vinyl or master tapes. Which is why Peter Qvortrup has just bought an old LP cutting lathe, waiting to be restored and given the full Audio Note treatment when time permits. The intention is to produce or re-issue some of the music dear to our hearts on vinyl. However, don't hold yor breath for them just yet. It's likely to take a long time to restore the cutting lathe, and add that to the music which we will choose to produce or re-issue, and by the time the copy right lawyers sorts out the legalities, and you'll get the idea how long it's gonna take! It's really any one's guess at the moment.

After that chat session, "Super Mario" proceeded to demo to me some his personal music collection, which are superb, by the way. Now, if only Audio Note re-issues some of those music played that day, I am all ears for those Audio Note LPs! Mario is the last person I spoke to at KLIAV 2011.