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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.
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.
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.
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.
Recently there are many audio companies is coming out with new product with vintage look and feel. Is really quite catchy if we talk about fitting in your home. Most people probably play their gear in the living room or some in the bedroom. Look of audio gear is becoming more and more important to capture the not so audiophile group. Mission a very old audio brand started back in the 70's is also a well known brand to many. Is not being just good but also affordable.
Mission had earlier launch the 770 which is base on the older model which debuted in 1978. The most current Mission 700 is the trickle down of the 770. The design look pretty similar and technology use is also past down from the bigger brother of 770. The Mission 700 has 2 different colours, is either black or walnut. The colour of walnut is a total match to the vintage theme and more over the front face white colour is the perfect match to the bookshelf. It really bring you back in time.
The speaker has single binding post. Which I will is not a deal breaker. The binding post itself is solid and doesn't feel like entry level. It matches well with the speaker. The post is the standard type which can fit banana or spade. I have user the banana plug which fit in very nicely.
The speaker also comes with its own dedicated stand. As the stand is design to fit the speaker, from the look at it feel like the stand is part of the speaker. The stand is not assemble ready. This makes it easier to transport. The assembling of the stand is pretty easy, won't take more than 10 mins to assemble both stands. The stand itself weight 14kg. Definitely not slouch in that area. The stand comes with spike feet and footer
The height of the stand is 48cm, its almost the same height as the speaker. The entire stand is made of high carbon steel. That should keep any rust away but will still avoid humid area I suppose. The black colour stand really compliment well the speaker.
With the speaker on the stand, it just look gorgeous. This is one big thing that really draw me to the speaker. It can easily fit into your home without have to compromise. Just like another piece of furniture to the home. The other good thing is the weight of speaker and stand is close to 30kg. This is a good thing not just for the audio but is steady without much worry it can be down over.
Of course other than the look the audio quality is something impresses me. In the picture is the Leak 230 integrated amplifier powering the Mission 700. The speaker cable is QED silver XT from source of Asus Tinker board running on Volumio.
Playback from the volumio with hi-res files and streaming from Apple Music are use to try out. The hi-res file playback is generally better than streaming with the streaming sounded more compress. That is to be expected. The first song tested with "Leona Lewis" - Happy. I will describe the vocal to be crispy clear. The sound easily fill the room. Seating 6 feet away from the speaker still gives the feeling how enveloping the sound is. Totally doesn't feel like a bookshelf. The bass is pretty solid too. From 6 feet distance can feel the chest thumping bass. Although it can hear slightly boomy. Probably is the distance among the 2 speakers is too close. Both speakers are seating just 5 feet apart.
Next song test with "Michael Jackson" - Black & White. The song is very energetic and the fast pace music is handle well by the speaker. The background music is all well handle, doesn't get muddle up with the vocal. Also the high are just nicely round off, the speaker is consider warm but still give the excitement when listening to pop song.
3rd song play "Adele" - Cry Your Heart Out. Adele is well known for her powerful voice, is just mesmerizing listening to it from the Mission 700. The center staging and imaging of the voice is just so good making the speaker totally transparent.
Overall wise the speaker is well rounded with different genre of songs. Its also not fatigue in listening for hours. I will say British speaker are well known for being warm sounding and Mission does it well. The speaker is also easy to drive with just 70 watt integrated amp is more than enough to make it sing. The speaker is not quite the entry price point but is definitely won't cost a bomb. Job well done by Mission.
Yukimu as the name sounded Japanese and indeed it is a product made in Japan. The company only made audio accessory like brush for vinyl, noise absorber. I got chance upon the product from a local dealer here (Begins Acoustic). There 2 pieces of product as above picture are the noise absorber. Is quite self explanatory as its main purpose is to reduce noise in the audio chain. Again noise absorber or noise eliminator and many other names is nothing new in audio world.
Yukimu noise absorber has 2 different options. One is the USB type and the other is the RCA connector type. This are the very common types of connection is almost every kind of audio equipment available today. Is also quite obvious the 2 different types are to cater for different need dependent on the connection available of the audio chain. The question will be if there 2 connection available are they to be use together ? The answer will be yes but I don't hear any kind of benefit at least from myself.
Lets see on this RCA type connection. The unit came in a wooden box and the warranty information as stated in the card if you can read Japanese. Is pretty need and like many Japanese product, even the packaging is well thought of. One personal thing for me is the confidence it gives you when buying made in Japan product. The unit itself is just 52mm in length and 17mm width. Is a little bigger than the usual RCA head for a cable. It can easily fit into any RCA connection on the hardware of the audio chain.
The flexibility here is the noise absorber will work by connecting it to any available RCA connector. For my testing purpose, I have connected it to the power amp. Of course it can be easily connect to the pre-amp, CD player, or any other equipment with RCA connector. This is a good point to note as it will be easily add into any audio chain.
For try out of the unit, I am using my Asus Tinkerboard running on Volumio which is connected to the Wadia DAC. From the DAC connected to the Accuphase Pre and Power on XLR (Nordost). Since this is a Japanese product it will only be right to try out some Japanese song. The try out with Ayumi Hamasaki (Endroll). Japan Pop use to be the big thing before the Korean came and dominate it. The really noticeable is the vocal being really sharp (not ear piercing). It gives the lively feeling of the singer and at the same time airiness of the audio. The lower bass extension also improve with the feel of the chest thumping. Pop song can be quite easily fatigue in listening with audio crowding when multiple background instruments playing. The noise absorber do help in the separation and at the same time tame the high frequency.
The second option is the USB type which is suitable for computer or media player and according to the Yukimu is also suitable for NAS drive. For my try out, this was connected to a laptop and USB output to the Wadia DAC. Is quite a known fact that common USB on computer has a lot of noise. With this unit connected really have the immediate impact to having a quitter background of the audio.
Trying out DSD audio format on this album of Scorpion. The song title "In Trance". Rock song is quite noisy at times especially with the high pitching singing. Listening on USB connection can be even worse. The Yukimu does a good job here. The overall sound stage improve with the background music loud and clear. The most noticeable is the vocal is not covered by the background music especially with the kick bass and electric guitar. The same effect on the lower bass which become more solid with the noise absorber. The significant part is the feel of the bass on the chest is pretty cool especially on rock song.
In summary both the units of noise absorber has its own advantage but I have to say the USB has more impact to overall audio compare to the RCA type. It also make sense that digital audio is in most system today, USB noise absorber is quite an important piece in the audio chain. Of course, digital audio can comes in many forms especially streaming which might or might not going through USB which the RCA can comes in handy. Is quite thoughtful of the manufacturer in catering for all different needs for the current and vintage audio chain. To know more of it can visit the website https://www.beginsacoustic.com/
At long last, TAD's flagship power amplifier has arrived on our shores.
Over the years, local audiophiles have had many opportunities to savour TAD's excellent-sounding product line-up at AV Designs. However, TAD's flagship amplifiers, the M600 monoblock, and its successors, the M700 monoblock and M700S power amp had remained elusive.
The wait is now over.
The M700S is the stereo version of TAD's top dog amplifier, the M700 monoblock. They are practically indistinguishable from each other on their looks, just that the M700S is rated at 175w per channel while the monoblock doubles that to 350w.
This stereo power amp has a handy feature not normally seen in others, i.e., with the flip of a switch at the back, its operating mode can be changed from stereo to bi-amping. In bi-amp mode, it takes in 1 input channel from your pre-amp, and sends out the same signal on both output channels, one to independently feed your loudspeaker's bass and the other to its mid and highs. This is a great upgrade path, you just add another M700s into your system when the time comes. Of course, this will require your loudspeakers to be biamp/biwire-able, which all TAD loudspeaker models are capable of, but you would be out of luck with some loudspeakers such as those from, say, Wilson Audio and Magico.
The M700S is big, imposing and heavy at 75.5kg per unit. Yet its lines are refined and clean with no unnecessary adornment, the design language simply oozes class and quality to my eyes. Much of the bulk and weight is taken up by the block of solid metal (cast aluminium, as far as I could ascertain from TAD's website) that serves as the amplifier's base, it gives the M700S a wide and steady stance and doubles up as a stand for the amplifier (yep, just plonk the M700S directly on the floor, you need not invest in any additional hifi rack/platform/feet etc.).
The M700S has only balanced / XLR inputs
The M700S is used to drive the TAD Evolution One TX (E1TX) loudspeakers in the AV Designs demo system. The E1TX is also a new arrival in Malaysia and it is the biggest loudspeaker in TAD's Evolution Series.
Like all the loudspeakers in TAD's line-up, the E1TX uses a coaxial driver, the tweeter is made of Beryllium and the midrange magnesium. The upper most frequency response is stated as 60kHz, which is much higher than most conventional loudspeakers
The E1TX has 2 bass drivers. Its bass response goes down to 29Hz
There are 2 side-firing reflex ports, one on each side of the loudspeaker
The E1TX is bi-amp/bi-wire-able
In fact, the entire demo system consists of a complete TAD cast except the streamer, which is a Bryston unit. As seen below, the TAD-D600 acts as a DAC, and the preamp is a TAD-C600 unit. Both are from TAD's Reference Series where the M700S also hails from.
This system did all the technical stuff with aplomb - details, separation, definition, dynamics, frequency extension, sound-staging, attack, speed/pace, tonal colour/timbral accuracy etc. were all top notch. But more importantly these were done not for their own sake but with the gaze firmly on serving the music. The musical message was never lost, and the proceedings were always musically satisfying. I found that I could not focus on analysing the sound for long into any track, the sound compelled me to switch off the analytical and nit-picking side of my mind and go into music enjoyment mode again and again.
(Note: video taken with an iPhone SE)
The control of the M700S on the loudspeakers was flawless. Its control in the bass region was especially outstanding. Barring any acoustic issue in your listening room, you'd hear deep, well defined and well-delineated bass notes. The bass played tune. The highs from the M700S coupled to the Be tweeter of the E1TX were never gritty or painful to the ears even when played very loudly. The highs were pristine, fast and very articulate and had the requisite shine and bite if the recording called for it. The midrange was natural and true, I could detect a little welcome trace of warmth in the sound, which I believe was from the E1TX, that would make not-so-good recordings easier to listen to.
The scale of presentation from this system was big. Playing dynamic orchestral music and heart-thumping techno, the M700S remained unfazed. It never lost its grip and the music always remained coherent. I don't know what the limit of the M700S's drive capability is. I thought my ears would give up long before we reach that red line. Credit of course must also go to the E1TX loudspeakers, these guys can really go loud well.
With this listening impression, I don't know what more an audiophile would ask of a system really (but of course in TAD's scheme of things, there are 2 more speaker models in its Reference Series, the CR1TX and R1TX, that would, based on my experience with their earlier generations, somewhat outshine these already very excellent E1TX, though at much more substantial price points). So do yourself a favour and pay AV Designs a visit to listen to them before they found their new owners. Actually I gathered from James Tan that this M700s is already spoken for.
The list prices of the TAD equipment are:
TAD-M700S power amp - RM220,000
TAD-C600 preamp - RM177,000
TAD-D600 CD/SACD player - RM177,000
TAD-E1TX loudspeakers - RM109,000
P.S., I want to put in an extra word for the E1TX - while they cannot be said to be 'affordable', in my opinion they are not over-priced or crazily-priced in the current high-end scene, given its design, technology and workmanship. So if you are looking for a loudspeaker upgrade at this price range, please shortlist the E1TX and give it a good audition.
After a 2 year hiatus, the 2022 version of the KLIAV Show was finally held from 28th to 30th of October at the InterContinental Hotel. Let me share the photos I took during my visit to the Show.
I'd like to start off with, in my opinion, the best discovery from this Show, It was the 2 made-in- Malaysia loudspeaker models from JW Speaker Lab, with their introductory prices set at RM3,699 and RM3,999 respectively. I found them to be of extremely good value with their performance at the Show. They were matched to Bluesound and Kinki amplification. JW Speaker Lab's website - https://www.jwspeakerlab.com/.
Rather than a bass reflex port, JW Speaker Lab used passive radiators on their loudspeakers instead.
AV Designs came up with an impactful exhibit for both visual and audio, as usual. Video clip selections from James Tan covered a wide spectrum of materials, ranging from blockbuster action movies to musical concert. The demo was one of the most enjoyment experiences in this Show for me.
An audiophile friend who was with me commented on how solid and well defined the bass was, which i agreed. Given the number of Ascendo subwoofers (5) and their sizes (ranging from 15" to 24") used in this system, such performance was just to be expected.
In this Show, there were also a number of ultra high-end systems which the showgoers got to conveniently savour in one place:
From Centre Circle Audio - Accustic Arts, DS Audio, Aries Cerat, Pilium and the massive Kharma loudspeakers:
From Audio Perfectionist - McIntosh and Borresen:
From DALI APAC and Lenbook Asia - NAD and the new DALI KORE flagship loudspeakers:
There were a few mega halls in this Show where multiple systems were demo'ed in a rotating manner. You'd need to spend perhaps 1-2 hours in the hall to listen to all the systems.
CMY occupied one of these mega halls, and it was stuffed with multiple highend systems:
Perfect Hi-Fi was also in one of these mega halls, with their main Audio Research, Sonus Faber, Nagra and Vivid product ranges:
These Vivid loudspeakers with their funky shapes and colours attracted quite a bit of attention. I was really interested to listen to them, but my rounds to the Perfect Hi-Fi's room didn't coincide with their demo time, hope I'd have other opportunities to experience them.
Absolute Sound also had multiple systems set up on their hall, here are 2 of them with dCS, Boulder, Neukomm and Stenheim:
Other exhibitors at the Show:
MAXX Audio Visual has its extensive line of JL Audio subwoofers on static display:
YL Audio was producing pretty nice sound from its system:
Hi-Way Laser's ATC SCM100 ASL active loudspeaker was really rocking with rock music:
