sweet surrrender

before visiting ck, we (me and hifi kaki)already had some expectations that ck's system is going to be a tweaker's delight since he uses resonators and shun mook throughout and his speaker is audio physics so expectation of a good soundstage is naturally there.

the V.A.L 211 mono

ck's system is based on a marantz sa11 cdp, connected via stage III concepts vacuum gold interconnect, powered by two V.A.L 211 monoblock, which is then connected via a TVC preamp, driving the audio physics scorpio speakers via luminous cables.

his listening room is not big (a bit squarish, in fact) but he has obviously spent considerable time with the room acoustics to come out with a clean and rather conducive listening area.

the first thing that strikes us is how spacious the soundstage is. is is deeper than it is wide; the depth gives a good sense of layering, which is always the forte of audio physics. the initial tone is rather recessed and lacking of highs but ck performed some magic by adjusting his resonator (see pictures below) just millimeter higher up and the system is transformed instantly. we were baffled how this could be so!

soundstage champ - the audio physics scorpio

playing some really dynamic music sees the system coping well with very good rhythm and pace; the details are aplenty and the bass is really tactile and bouncy with no boominess at all. we guess the roomful of resonators has to do with the good bass. it is hard to imagine a SET giving out this sort of bass. however, i felt a sense of restraint when it comes to ultimate dynamic expression - it is as if the system is strangled by some bottlenecks somewhere. with the permission of the kind host, i passed this constructive comment to him in order for him to enhance further in this aspect of freedom of expression of music.

french made resonators - acoustic system

amazing resonators


but you haven't read the best part about the vocal presentation. this is where the magic of SET comes shining through in ck's system. we are absolutely honest about it and we don't mean to butter up the owner to make him happy. using 2v1g's original master cd, the outcome is shocking to say the least. because the recording is minimalist and high-resolution (192KHz downsampled to 44.1Khz), ck's system seems to produce all its glory in the most delicate, detailed and naked manner. it is as if my two singers are singing naked, emotionally speaking of course, in front of us. we could hear every nuance, breath, vocal chord movements of the two singers and roger's delicate fingers' movement on the fret. the level of transparency and details is simply astounding, it even surpasses my own ARC push-pull with maggie 3.6R in the areas of transparency and details. i caught hifi kaki talking, or rather uttering, to himself repeatedly about how great the SET handles vocals. in addition to the transparency, the emotional involvement and the musicality are also worth mentioning. we were pulled into the music uncontrollably but willingly. something is very right about this presentation on vocals. it is amazing. it is the best part about ck's system. i seldom experience this.



ck's system is one that would convince SET detractors that something must be right about SET amplifications. granted, it has its limitations and we shall wait to see how ck can address the weaknesses in the ensuing months. but its forte in communication, transparency and detail rendition is almost in a class of its own.

this is sweet surrender of this most willing kind. i love how my 2v1g sound in ck's system and i am sure ck would buy more than one copy of my cd for his listening pleasure ;-)