What a Difference a Year Makes – How A Mighty System got Mightier

Posted by Tan

I visited Mr. Soo’s system about a year ago—you can read about that visit here. Recently, I paid him another visit, after knowing that the system had undergone a major transformation. The changes were not limited to equipment; the room’s acoustic treatment also went through a major rework.

The front end is now driven by a Taiko Audio server, while amplification from CH Precision has been fully upgraded to flagship models. The setup includes the L10 preamplifier in mono configuration with separate power supplies, resulting in a stereo preamp housed in four chassis (two preamp units and two external power supplies). The power amplifier is the two-chassis M10, a stereo amp with external power supplies. The trusty Magico M6 speakers and the 2 JL Audio subwoofers remain in place.

CH Precision L10 preamplifier in mono configuration with separate power supply for each each channel

CH Precision M10 power amplifier with separate power supply

Taiko Audio and TotalDac digitial frontend

Equally significant was the overhaul of the room acoustics. The ceiling and walls are now fully treated with diffusers and absorbers, and Mr. Soo told me rockwool has also been added to the cavity between the ceiling and roof.

Diffusers and absorbers on the ceiling

The impact of these treatments was immediately noticeable. The acoustic environment had improved significantly—I found that having a conversation in the room was easy and natural, among the best I’ve ever experienced. We could speak at normal volume without straining to hear, and every syllable was clear, free from smearing or disturbance.

Performance-wise, the system had advanced a few notches. Dynamics were more expressive, giving the sound a muscular, impactful character. At the same time, the refinement I admired during my last visit was not only preserved but enhanced—the sweetness and smoothness in the highs were a particular highlight. Overall clarity and background quietness were exceptional, no doubt aided by the successful acoustic treatments.

Mr. Soo’s approach to bass management with the Magico M6 and JL Audio subwoofers (as described in my previous report, where he used an active crossover to send bass to the subs and mids/highs to the main speakers) continued to deliver excellent results. There was no hint of bass boom; instead, the low frequencies were supple and seamlessly integrated with the mains. It was impossible to tell where the Magico ended and the JL Audio took over, very well done indeed.

As for what comes next, I’m not sure how Mr. Soo will push his system further. But our hobby is about pushing the boundaries, so, who know, my next visit may reveal yet another big leap forward!

The Mighty Magico with the Equally Mighty JL Audio Subwoofers

Posted by Tan

 This home visit stands out as one of the most memorable in my experience at 3 different levels – the sheer size and quality of the system, the meticulous care and attention the owner, Mr. Soo, put into setting it up, especially in the bass region, and its final sonic performance.

When I first saw this system, the question that came to my mind, which would also be the question many audiophiles have, was whether full-range high-end loudspeakers like the Magico M6 need to be augmented with subwoofers, and whether they can integrate successfully, Furthermore, it was with not one but two subwoofers, both being the massive JL Audio G213.

The system owner, Mr. Soo, had done a tremendous job. Before I get into the subwoofer matter, let me first say that the sound performance of this system was beautiful, and I meant this quite literally. The sound was refined, from the first song on, I could detect no graininess anywhere at all. The highs were silky with a smidgen of sweetness, the midrange was pure, together they rendered female vocals rather intoxicating and seductive. Transparency was top notch, the sound was wide open with clarity and high definition details. The soundstage was well formed both in width and depth, aided by  the room size and skillful speaker positioning. There were lots of air and ambiance, likely enhanced by the subs. Image focus and definition were excellent, the kind that you can “look” at and pinpoint.

As a testament to the match between the CH Precision amplifier and the Magico M6 loudspeakers, the delivery was always well in control and well defined. There was a gentle touch and civility in the presentation throughout, letting the listeners enjoy a cultured and relaxing experience.

Now, about the subwoofers: The integration was so seamless that it was impossible for us to tell where the Magico ended and the JL Audio subs began, such was the seamless integration between the two. The subs were working for sure, providing a firm anchor on the bottom end, with good body on the sound and no thinness.

Bass boom is one of the if not the biggest bane for a HiFi system. It diminishes our system’s ability to deliver music enjoyment, limits the kind of music that can be played, and in the worst case makes some audiophiles give up the hobby altogether. Bass boom is difficult to treat, so some find peace with the situation by narrowing their music selection, playing music that won’t excite the room; some switch to smaller loudspeakers with less extended bass to avoid the frequency that causes the boom problem; some may just resign themselves to live with the boom issue; some even take boom as impactful and thunderous bass performance.

Still, many decide to take the problem head-on, taking the route of acoustic room treatment, or go the electronic way by resorting to DSP, or a combination of methods.  

Mr. Soo did face the bass boom issue with his listening space, so he devised his innovative approach to solve the problem, which he generously shared.

Here is where the subs come in. The first point is that the two big JL Audio subwoofers were not there to add more or to extend the bass from his Magico M6 loudspeakers. The Magico M6’s positioning was the best for every aspect of stereo performance already, so loudspeaker positioning could not be used to further address the boom issue. Mr. Soo’s method was to split away the frequency range that caused problem from the main speakers and used the subwoofers to recover it. An active crossover from JL Audio, the CR-1, was used for this, the crossover point was set at around the 40Hz region, with the high pass going to the power amp driving the main speakers, and the low pass going to the 2 active subwoofers.

Once that was done, he had all the freedom to deal with the offending frequency range via subwoofer positioning and tweaking the volume and the phase setting (the crossovers on the subs were not in the signal path, they were set to max). Using two subs, instead of one, allowed him the freedom to find the best position for each channel. Indeed, we saw that the final positions for the subs were not symmetrical. The subs’ phase and volume setting also ensured that they were integrated seamlessly by avoiding cancellation or addition of sound wave.

The 2 subs placed close to the left and right walls with different distance from the loudspeakers and listening position

Mr. Soo did not do all this with only his ears, he did a lot of measurement on REW of his subwoofer setting effort over many months.

This is the most extensive and innovative way of using subwoofers that I ever came across, and the owner’s effort paid off handsomely. The sound was full range with rock solid bass extension, the dreaded bass boom issue was totally banished, and the subwoofers just ‘disappeared’. Bravo to the owner for a job well done!

Experiencing the Designer’s System – Frank AB2 Tower Sub

 Posted by Tan

It’s rare to have a chance to listen to a HiFi designer’s own system, but if one ever comes along, we should seize it, as it offers us an insight into the designer’s personal listening preference and, not least, how far the designer’s own product could be pushed.

So when Frank Voon, the owner and designer of Frank Acoustics invited me to listen to his system in his new home, I jumped at it. Frank’s system was set up in a dedicated rectangular listening room, with the main focus on his Frank AB2 Tower Sub.

The Frank AB-2 is essentially a passive subwoofer in tower form, mated to a bookshelf loudspeaker of your choice. There is a 'cutout' in the middle of the tower to accommodate the bookshelf speakers (you can get more information on the Frank AB2 Tower Sub here and here).

Frank’s system was straightforward, consisting of a TEAC streamer, a Marantz disc player, a preamp and a power amp. Of course, he also had a few Frank Powerbanks installed, though they were placed close to the distribution box rather than in the listening room. From the photos, you can see that getting the room acoustic right was also important to him, thus the absorbers and diffusers that were placed at various strategic positions.

The loudspeakers were placed well apart from each other and well into the room, slightly more than halfway of the room’s length. This created one of the most memorable characteristics of this system, which was its soundstage. The soundstage was detached from the loudspeakers, wide and deep (with more sensation of depth). Centre imaging and solo voices were placed far into the stage with their positions almost right at the front wall, and the ambient details extending beyond the front and side walls. This would be an uncanny sensation for those who are unfamiliar with such an experience, especially among the non-audiophiles.

Image focus was well defined, and imaging was well delineated, and with excellent depth perception, layering was very well done too. The sound was not voluptuous or fat despite the bass and volume capabilities of the towers.

Overall, the music delivery was, well, musical, with a grain-free treble region and an articulate midrange. It could do sultry vocal and dynamic attack. The bottom end created a solid foundation for the rest of the spectrum to play on. I appreciated this balanced approach Frank applied to his system, avoiding the temptation to boosting the bottom end just to showcase the AB-2’s bass prowess.

The power amp Frank made for his own use. Unfortunately, Frank has no plan to commercialize it yet.

Indeed, I believe these Frank AB-2 bass towers could extend the performance envelope of any bookshelf loudspeakers they are paired with (you can also request for Frank’s custom made bookshelf speakers to mate with the AB-2, which was how I heard them during this visit). If you want floorstander performance but loath to give up your favourite bookshelf speakers, consider the novel Frank AB-2 Sub Tower perhaps. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Contact Frank Voon for enquiries, +60122981011.

A Fabulous HiFi Trip to Sarawak

Posted by Tan

A couple of us from our HiFi gang made a short weekend visit to our audiophile friends in Sarawak, it was a feast for our ears (and for our tummy too, the food was also fabulous to say the least).

We visited multiple systems in Bintulu and Miri. It is my pleasure to share our friends’ pride and joy here.

There are 2 learnings I made on this trip. One is that our Sarawakian friends tend to prefer to tune to a slightly “softer” sound in their set-ups (as opposed to ‘hard’ or ‘hifi-ish’ sound). Rather than having a brighter, hard-charging, metallic treble region, their systems’ highs were refined and well behaved, not calling out for too much attention, but also never dark and not lazy. The midrange had body and never lean, the bass region had some warmth. So, the listening sessions were always aurally comfortable and never fatiguing despite we covering multiple systems with multiple hours of listening each day.  

The other of my learnings was that everyone paid attention to their room treatment. They knew that our listening space had a significant impact on the sound quality, so a lot of attention and effort was paid to getting the room acoustic right. This is definitely a good approach to avoid the never-ending equipment merry-go-around that many audiophiles got themselves into.

Let’s get to the listening impressions. These are presented according to the sequence of our visit:

System 1 Bintulu – Soul Note cdp and preamp, Accuphase monoblocks, Estelon loudspeakers

Our listening kicked-off to an auspicious start. This was an excellent sounding system. I gathered that the owner started his HiFi hobby just a few years ago, but the progress was fast in getting to his current highend setup, and the sonic achievement was significant as confirmed in our listening session.

I was very impressed with this latest iteration of the Estelon loudspeakers, the XB-Diamond mkII. The sonic presentation was invariably refined and smooth, as smooth as a baby’s bottom 😊. This is not saying that details were glossed over; rather, lots of details in the music came through but were presented in the musical context and never irritating to our aural senses. When dynamics and impact were called for, what we got was the steel-fist-in-the-velvet-glove type, there were both strength and composure. The highs were a standout, they were silky and always full of details, never lost their footing even with challenging recordings. The diamond tweeters on these beautiful loudspeakers were outstanding.

Of course, the supporting cast’s contribution was critical in achieving the final results too. What can I say? The Japanese electronics, all flagship models from Soul Note and Accuphase proved themselves to be a great match with these Estonian beauties.

 

System 2 Bintulu – Marantz cdp, Rega turntable, Leben pre and power amp, ProAc loudspeakers

I have fond memories of my time listening to British loudspeakers in my system (mainly Rogers and Harbeth). I never got around to own any ProAc, though I was mighty impressed when I first heard the ProAC 1SC – a tiny bookshelf that sounded sweet and musical, on top of a seductive midrange and dynamics that belied its size.

This ProAc system brought back memories of all the good things about the British sound. The sound was warm and musical, rhythm and pace flowed, vocal, especially, was natural and articulate. The highs from the ribbon tweeters on these D20Rs sounded more natural and neutral to my ears than my previous experience with ProAc’s dome tweeters. 

Being a floorstander, this ProAC also presented more bass than its bookshelf sibling, it was balanced more on the richer, rather than the lean, side of things. Here, the bass provided a sonic foundation and contributing a nice bloom of the overall sound, attesting to the owner’s skill in room acoustic treatment and system setup. This is a system that allowed long hours of fatigue-free listening.

 

System 3 Bintulu – Marantz cdp, Jadis pre and power amp, ProAc loudspeakers

Here, we have another pair of ProAc loudspeakers, the bigger K6. I always had the impression that ProAc generally matched very well with tube amplifiers and it seems to be the case here with the Jadis pre-power combo.

In this big room, the system conjured up a big, room filling sound. The K6’s delivery did not depart from the character of ProAc in general, there was a warmth to the music, the bass region was rich and also prominent, the midrange and vocal stood out with good body coupled with more richness.

The owner just moved into his new home for a few months, I think you can see from the photo that this system’s setup was still a work-in-progress, there was a lot of work being done on the acoustics, I am sure there will be more to come from this system.

 

System 4 Miri – Esoteric cdp, Accuphase pre-amp and monoblocks, B&W loudspeakers

This system is stuffed with flagship level equipment. The digital frontend was Esoteric’s top integrated SACD/CD player, the Grandioso K1X, upgraded with the matching Grandioso PS1 external power supply. We were given an A/B demo on the contribution of the external power supply. I was very surprised by the magnitude of improvements wrought from the Grandioso PS1, they were not at all subtle. With the Grandioso PS1 plugged in, the sound grew in stature, had greater resolution and came with more saturated tonal color. I couldn’t imagine going back to the lone cdp after hearing it with the power supply.

For amplification, most of us would be happy with a pair of monoblocks, or a pair of stereo power amps for biamping purpose, but here we saw 4 Accuphase monoblocks being used to biamp the B&W 800D3 loudspeakers. The Accuphase monoblocks were in turn plugged into 2 units of Accupahse PS-1250 power conditioners, situated behind the racks.

This substantial system produced a huge and deep soundstage in this cavernous room. The B&W 800D3 produced substantial sonic images with excellent body, the sound blanketed the listeners with warmth and airiness. Dynamic expression was done with great control, which was to be expected from the 4 class A monoblocks, Vocal was outstanding, I can’t really put my fingers on what the secret sauce was, I’d just say it was imbued with just enough sweetness and magnetism such that it was really attractive to listen to (the young Jackie Evancho’s voice was so beautiful). I imagine it would be difficult for one to live without that ‘secret sauce’ once one got used to it, but I believe all this was just a walk in the park for this flagship in B&Ws renowned 800 series.

This was again a very listenable and non-fatiguing system for long hours of listening.

 

System 5 Miri – Orpheus cd transport and dac, Goldmund pre and power amps, Dynaudio loudspeakers

Many people would think that the big Dynaudio C4 Platinum loudspeakers could not work in this relatively small room. That was indeed the case when I visited this system a number of years ago. The bass boom was somewhat pronounced then, such that much of the frequency spectrum further up was obscured when there was substantial bass energy in the music.

That was pretty much history now. In the intervening years, the owner experimented and did substantial acoustic treatment in the room (I saw a number of GIK bass traps). The bass problem was now solved, and it proved again the importance of appropriate and targeted room treatment.

This system had not one offensive bone in it, I am sure the legendary Esotar tweeter used in the C4s had a substantial role in this. The sound was smooth and the presentation was warm. Detail delivery was good, nuances in vocals were clearly resolved. Again, a system that would allow long hours of comfortable listening and one of the best Dynaudio based systems I have heard.

 

System 6 Miri – dCS Vivaldi digital system, AVID and Techdas turntable with multiple tonearms, cartridges and multiple phono amps, Naim Statement pre and monoblocks, Focal Utopia loudspeakers

This was one massive system. The owner was an analogue fan, so the LP frontends were especially extensive, I can’t recount all that I saw on the LP rigs as I am not that knowledgeable in that area, except being impressed by the two turntables, each with multiple tonearms and cartridges, everyone playable, all high-end.

Following on from the frontend, the amplification was equally high-end, being the Naim Statement trio (pre and 2 monoblocks). We could see only the pre in the listening room as the monoblocks were situated in another room behind, which also housed the owner’s massive digital music server system. The end of the audio chain was the imposing Focal Utopia Stella EM Evo loudspeakers.

No music could faze this extreme and extremely capable system. I liken the experience to sitting in a sedan with a 6L V12 engine, one got the sense of limitless power and yet it was power delivered with smoothness. The soundstage was wall to wall and enveloping, each sonic image within the soundstage was clearly defined and delineated. The sound was fine-grained at all volume and dynamic level.

We listened to LP almost exclusively, vocal was as sultry as it come and the airiness was pervasive from every track. The sound was silky, there was not one note that got harsh, too bright or ear piercing. I noticed that my nerve never got tense nor my attention got bored throughout the listening session. Music enjoyment, without saying, was extremely high.

Without a doubt, this system occupies one of the top spots on my list of impressive HiFi visits.

 

System 7 Miri – Audio research cdp and pre-amp, Krell power amp, Dynaudio loudspeakers

Another pair of Dynaudio floorstanders in a not-too-big room, but this setup worked too. In fact, my impression was that these Dynaudio Contour 60 loudspeakers and the room were working hand-in-glove as if they were made for each other. All in all this was a testament to the owner’s excellent setup effort.

The owner professed himself to be a fan of dynamics and impactful music. He definitely achieved his sonic objectives with his system. We listened to many dynamic soundtracks, drum tracks, and electronic music, all were handled very well, with the Krell power amp exerting a good grip on the loudspeakers, and the room acoustics not allowing the sound to misbehave.

This was another Dynaudio system that impressed me. Together with the Dynaudio C4 system, our Sarawakian friends sure have a way with Dynaudio.

 

Well, my coverage of this excellent HiFi trip is thus concluded. My gratitude to all our Sarawakian friends who so generously opened their doors and spent their precious time with us. I had the chance to listen on-site to systems I only saw in photos and heard through handphone recordings. I got to experience never-before-heard models, setups, and equipment combinations, all of which added much to my Hifi knowledge, something I could not get by playing in my own system alone. So, let’s go out to visit and listen to fellow audiophiles’ systems, and reciprocate by opening our doors to others too.

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。

——————————————

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。

A Hi-Fi Trip to Ipoh - Part 3 - KUZMA / AUDIO RESEARCH / VITUS / MAGICO

Mr. Lam's system was the third and last stop on our Ipoh trip. The system was tucked into a cosy room in the house that also doubled as an AV room. 

The room was tastefully decorated, with the fittings also doubled up subtly as room treatment, as can be seen in the photos below. The uneven bricks making up the front wall, and the timber strips on the ceiling would also act as sound diffuser, while the randomly placed foam pieces on the ceiling and the carpet on the floor would help to dampen the room. 

To treat the side walls, acoustic panels from Vicoustic were placed on the reflection points: 

Lam's system was as follows:

BMC Audio CD player, which Lam did not play during our visit

We listened exclusively to Lam's all Kuzma analogue rig shown above. The turntable was the Kuzma Stabi R turntable...

with the Kuzma 4point arm...

...and the Kuzma CAR-50 cartridge,

...feeding the Audio Research Reference Phono 10 phono stage, which came with a separate power supply

The line preamplifier was also from Audio Research - the Reference 10 line stage also with a separate power supply chassis

A peep into the Reference 10's separate, tube-based power supply

The power amp was a 85kg behemoth, the Vitus SS-103. It came with 50w on tap in class A mode and 150w in class AB mode. Lam thought the class A mode sounded better, that was also how we listened to the amp during our visit

 

The loudspeakers were the Magico S5 

...fitted with very substantial-looking upgrade spikes from Magico

Power conditioning was taken care of by a Powertrans power conditioner fitted with 9kVA isolation transformer

I like this idea. The Powertrans was placed outside the listening room, and the power cables were routed through drilled-through holes on the wall to get into the room. 

The sound from Lam's HiFi system was big. It was room-filling and then some, given the pedigree of the equipment here, that was no surprise. 

The 50w Class A power from the Vitus amp controlled the big Magico S5 very well, I couldn't hear any compression let alone any distortion at any time, not even during orchestral crescendos. The sound also had an overall roundness to it, it was dynamic but never aggressive, very similar to my past experience of Magico loudspeakers. In addition, there was a layer of what I think many audiophiles would call 'analogue-ness' to the presentation, wherein one wouldn't term the sound as 'analytical' but still there was a high degree of details in it. Here, that was further coupled with a buttery, smooth flow of the music. Well, it must have been the combined effect of the LP frontend and the top-of-line tube preamps, perhaps?  

The highs from the Magico's Be tweeters were very smooth. The mid was vivid, it came with a good saturation of tonal colours, definitely not the thin nor washed out kind that lesser speakers could exhibit. The lows, with two 10in woofers per side operating in a midsize room, dug deep and was very strong, just as expected. The bass notes sounded big, but, and this was critical, they never spilt into the muddy, boomy territory. Overall, I thought the bass region stole the show a little bit, though that also added excitement in the listening session. We were invariably swept up in the unbridled energy exhibited by the music and went on a thrilling ride, what a sensation that only a sizeable and capable system like this could deliver!

A well put together system coupled with a conducive room equals sensational music replay. Lam sure has reaped great rewards from his effort!

Thus concludes our Ipoh trip. There are many more HiFi systems in Ipoh, hope I'll get to savour more of them in the near future.