Andy Duffield(left), with my KLIAV show buddy Lin, the Terenganu PMC Club President(right). Lin has a pair of the original PMC LB1 and hopes to grab the pair of LB1 Signature out of AV Designs showroom soon! Readers eyeing the LB1 Signature better hurry before Lin grabs em! I guarantee the LB1 Siganture is a special breed indeed.

Andy Duffield is Sales Manager for PMC speakers. He came to the KLIAV accompanying the latest PMC PB1i and Fact 8 speakers on demo/display.

I had the opportunity to sip a cuppa with Andy during the show and learn more about the man, the company and the products.

Panzer: Hi! you've been to Malaysia before?

Andy: No, actually this is my first visit to Asia, after KLIAV, I'll be doing the Hong Kong and Taiwan shows next month. Any other Asian hifi events that I should be aware of?

Panzer: You should really check out the Guangzhou AV show in China, which is probably held during the later part of the year. It's possibly the largest event catering to the AV markets in the region.

Andy: O.K. I'll check with our partners in Hong Kong about that.

Panzer: So how did you get in the business of selling hifi speakers?

Andy: I've been working on the professional side of PMC for a long time, probably 8 years or so, very recently Peter(Peter Thomas, PMC founder and chief designer) had ask me to help out on the consumer side of things and so, here I am!

Panzer: Care to explain the latest rational behind the i series speakers? By the way i stands for "improved"?

Andy: Yes, i is for "improved" indeed! The i series upgrades happened mainly because as we gear up to comply with the newly regulated RoHS program(for those whom do not know, RoHS is a set of strict environmentally friendly guidelines, which all electronics sold within EC must comply to) , effectively enforced within the EC this year. With that objective, Peter set out the re-evaluate every component in the speaker manufacturing line to ensure compliance. Whilst at it our previous driver supplier, Vifa had moved their manufacturing operation out of Europe, which makes it less convenient for them to supply us the drivers that are custom ed to meet PMC specs, which are subjected to very tight tolerances in specifications. So we looked around and found SEAS, which is a reputable speaker driver manufacturer of the highest quality in Europe. The i series tweeter are built by SEAS to meet our very exact specifications.

Panzer: Ahh......SEAS!, I know their drivers sonic character very well. They tend to sound very clean, articulate but at the same time so..... analytical too!, which is not what I'd like in my hifi sound reproduction. However, my brief experience with the PMC GB1i speakers in my own system revealed the sonic character of a different kind. The high frequencies were still articulate, detailed, clean, and if I may add somewhat a little sweet too, which is good.

Andy: Exactly!, we do not take just any standard, off the shelf SEAS driver and plonk them in to a PMC box, whilst the drivers cosmetically and physically look similar, some of the materials used, like the voice coil windings, and the dome fabric process is somewhat different from the standard SEAS drivers. Which explains the difference you've heard between the standard SEAS tweeter and a PMC spec SEAS manufactured tweeter. They are made differently and therefore will sound different!

Panzer: What sort of a L/R tolerance in decibel spec does PMC applies to it consumer speaker lines?

Andy: Our in coming QC procedure makes sure each and every component that goes in to our speakers are checked to ensure they meet very tight tolerances in the 1st place, like for example, all our capacitors are 10% and our resistors are 1% spec, for use in the speaker's crossovers. The drivers are matched to very close tolerances before final speaker assembly. Peter personally listens to every pair of speakers manufactured, compared to the final R&D approved test pair, before they are boxed and shipped out of the factory.

Panzer: I heard that Peter has a huge collection of all the British speakers ever made worthy of vintage status?

Andy: Not only that, Peter has a museum in the PMC factory that is a collection of every speaker model that PMC was ever manufactured! It's usually the last pair of the production line.

Panzer: So, what hifi system do you have at home?

Andy: I've been privileged to work at PMC, where we are allowed to take speakers and amps from the R&D for home trials and report our findings. I personally do have a pair of the original PMC GB1s at home. They are powered by an old integrated amplifier and sourced by a Linn turntable.

Panzer: No Bryston amps for your own system?(PMC distributes Bryston electronics in the UK, just in case our readers didn't know)

Andy: Ohh... that too, I get to bring back various Bryston gears back home to evaluate. So there's really no hurry for me to purchase one right away, but if I really wanna upgrade my home audio system, when my kids are a little more grown up, I'd certainly be going with Bryston amps.

Panzer: PMC uses Bryston amps in their powered monitors and speakers too right?

Andy: Well, yes, we do get amplifier modules from Bryston for our powered monitors and speakers. Peter then strips away all the un-necessary bits off the modules, like the protection and non-audio related circuits, and in the process, he usually beefs up the power supply section too! The end result really does sound very different from a standard Bryston amp. That's why we call them "Bryston by PMC" amplifiers.

Panzer: Why launch PMC LB1 Signature re-issued in Tiger Eye wood finish, so soon after the original LB1 model just ended it's run about a year or two ago?

Andy: I am not really sure about the details of LB1 model, it was discontinued as I took on my present position. However, I do know that the PMC LB1 has had a very long production history and in some markets like Hong Kong and Japan, we keep getting request for them still. In response, Peter has incorporated our latest improvements in to the LB1 and uses parts ultra tight tolerances, plus that special Tiger Eye wood finish which is unique, finally each pair is especially match for L/R chanels. Peter performs all the QC and signs off on every "Signature" speaker himself, hence the designation.

Panzer: Well, thanks for spending tea time with me.

Andy: It's very nice to have met you too.

With that I concluded my quick chat with Andy Duffield of PMC speakers UK. Thanks to James of AV designs, for making the arrangements possible.

That's Franck and his resonator products in the back ground wall.

I noticed many hifi brand ambassadors came to attend the KLIAV 2009 show along with their products. I spotted representatives for McIntosh, Jeff Linn for Telos, Hans Ole' Vitus for Vitus Audio, Justin Cohen for Sooloos Meridian, Andy Duffield of PMC(which I had tea time with, story to come) and Franck Tchang of Acoustic Systems. Some have also mentioned that a Japanese representative for Kondo came to set up the demo system, but I did not see him on demo when I attended the said room.

With the 2 days I attended the KLIAV show, I only managed to chat with 2 of the personalities over a cuppa, courtesy of the exhibitor's time and suitable arrangements. I did briefly chat with Justin of Sooloos Meridian, but that wasn't something I could post here about, not without his approval anyway.

So I start having Koffee with Franck Tchang.

Panzer: You're Asian, yet your company is established in France, why and how it become so?

Franck: I am Vietnamese by birth, by my 2nd birthday, my family moved to the United States where I grew up. I returned to Asia post graduate to work in Taiwan and Japan for a few years before finally moving on to Europe, where I finally choose and settled in Paris, France.

Panzer: Why Paris, France?

Franck: I enjoy the Parisian life style, it's a vibrant city that makes my creative juices flow. I do my audio stuff by day, and play music by night.

Panzer: You mean play in a band for gigs?

Franck: Yeah! absolutely.

Panzer: What instrument do your play?

Franck: I play the electric and acoustic guitar.

Panzer: So you actually used your "live" musical performance to benchmark your products and hifi?

Franck: Yes, there's no substitute for "live" music! We can only try to get closer somewhat in the reproduction of the musical event captured on a recording, by neutralising the room effect on your audio system.

Panzer: So your Resonator room tuning cups are inspired that way?

Franck: Yes, very much so.

Panzer: I understand from what I read, most room treatment devices need a certain minimum surface area vis a vis room area to work effectively. Your Resonator cups are so..... small, tiny even, by comparison! So how does it work?

Franck: I agree and you're right that when it comes to traditional room treatment methods, you need big surfaces to work effectively, and that always bring troubles to family harmony, if you know what I mean?

Panzer: The lady in the house doesn't agree with the home decor appearance of traditional room treatment?

Franck: Exactly, so that led me to think un-conventionally. I needed to do something discreet yet effective for the application. I looked around scientifically and physically, then realised that by using density to replace surface area volume, I actually could make a more effective room treatment device.

Panzer: Huh??? Care to elaborate?

Franck: You see, the Resonator cups come in various grades, the most cost effective being the basic resonator cup to the most expensive being the platinum resonator cup. The difference is in the materials used as indicated by the product name, and in between two just mentioned, there's the silver and gold resonator cups available too.

Panzer: How does the material used to make the resonator cups have a difference to the end result?

Franck: You see, the basic resonator is made of brass(Franck hands me a brass cup sample, after a quick look and feel, he takes the brass cup back and drops it on the glass surfaced table a couple of times) hear that? (as the cup dropping on the table produces a ringing chime like tone) Now (Franck hands me a platinum cup to look and feel). How did that compared to the earlier brass cup?

Panzer: It feels heavier and somewhat more substantial.

Franck: Exactly, you see, the different metals used to make the cups all have different density and weight for the exact same shape! (Franck now drops the platinum cup on the glass table surface for a couple of times) You hear that? Do you hear the difference in the ringing tone?

Panzer: The platinum cup seems to ring with much more clarity and possibly at a higher pitch and frequency level too.

Franck: That's right! That's a result of the different metals used. The platinum, is a purer,and higher density metal, in comparison to the basic brass cup. Hence the different response and effects different areas of the audio band frequency wise.

Panzer: WOW! That's really some clever science behind the resonator cups! Thanks for expanding my mind.

Franck: (finishes his cuppa) Time's up! I gotta get beck to work, there's another round of presentation to start in a few minutes.

Panzer: Good bye!

Franck: Bye! and we must meet up again soon.(He gets up and rushes back in to the hotel)

I personally find Franck to be a humorous fella and hugely entertaining, not to mention, enlightening at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed spending my koffee time with him.

Well if you had missed his presentation during the KLIAV, let's hope the good guys at CMY does bring him back again sometime soon.

he is eloquent and charismatic; he is knowledgeable without being arrogant; he is extremely passionate and articulate; he is poetic in his hifi adjectives - he is a true
guru.

i owned a LS3/5a in 1991. i was in singapore then. i bought this tiny speaker from atlas hifi for SGD800. it was an 11ohm version. i partnered it with various amps, including electrocompanient and aragon 4004 (memories, memories, for those who started their hifi in the 80s!) but not until i upgraded to ARC classic 30 + LS1 combo, i would never know what's the fuss about this bbc monitor. the partnership was a magical one. there's something hard to describe about the midrange of LS3/5a that had me hooked for hours. voices just seem right with this speaker. i had countless hours of good music and this chapter in my hif journey remains cherishable till today.

to write another paragraph describing the virtues of the famed bbc monitor would be superfluous in this column. if you don't know what's the fuss about, then google all you can and do your homework first. better still, listen to one.

in fact, if you know mr. k, the personality profiled here, he would probably tell you the same thing "do your homework first" albeit in a amiable manner that is reflective of what a true gentleman he is. it is not his style to be offensive to novice and the less experienced.

mr.k owns 26 pairs of LS3/5a, at the last count (i was told by a confidante of his) and yet he doesn't seem like stopping his investment anytime soon. weak in the presence of beauty, as the song goes. a male's passion in collection is never fully understood until you become a collector yourself.

in the early days before i got to know mr.k, i used to think that this man must be nutty and cultish to the extreme. but as the years went by, my impression of this man grew from neutral, to positive and now, extremely impressed.

admirers of mr. k (there are tons of them out there), who are enamoured by his system (which to me is a miniature gem in all sense of the word) may not appreciate the technicality of his doctrines and beliefs but as you venture deep into the hobby, you would then realize all that he advocates make sense. in my case, since i started producing music, i become fully aware of some of the things that mr.k has all along been advocating.

to me, what impressed me most is his indepth knowledge in music reproduction, sound engineering, room acoustics and music appreciation of the highest order. there are very very few audiophiles that i know whom i consider as possessing all these qualities at the same time; mr.k is a rarity.

mr.k has probably listened to more systems than i could ever dream of. he gets invitations all the tiimes because audiophiles want to know his opinion on their systems, which speaks volume of his credibility and reputation.

to me, mr. k is a hifi poet. you have to listen to his adjectives when he speaks. some examples here:

on the quality of high frequencies - "highs must extend to infinity and then just vaporize in the air ...".

on the organicity of music - "when the music ends, everything must subside, as in the thinning of air, bloom and finally comes a complete silence. only in a good system, you can hear all these remarkable qualities".

on the importance of homogeneous recording - "when you serve fast food, make sure all the food are homogeneous. if you suddenly add a salad, it will be at odds with the rest of the dishes. that's the problem with most recordings".

on audiophile's constant self-denial when facinig criticisms - "good sound is universal. you can't say just because you like it that way, it should sound that way and you don't care whether others like it or not. this is the major problem with audiophiles in malaysia".

there are many many more of such eloquent qoutes that had me clapping in delight. but one thing for sure, this man knows his stuff damn well. don't ever challenge him if you don't have your substance and facts ready.

as i gain a deeper understanding of my hifi and the making of audiophile recording, my admiration for mr.k grows exponentially. he is not your ordinary joe (pun intended). this man eats and breathes hifi; he makes hifi an art form; he is the best ambassaador of hifi if ever there's such an award in malaysia.

every audiophile guru has his detractors. mr.k, i am sure, does have his fair share of non-believers. but my message to these people is simply - unless you have the mettle, knowledge, substance, indepth experience, charisma and strength of character - you can't convince me that you are better than mr.k.

What would you normally do if you were a 26-year-old male? Falling in and out of relationships? Constantly checking your Friendster account and anxiously waiting for your next date? Maintaining a blog with the hope of attracting the opposite sex? Well, Nick Chua, Malaysia’s youngest audio designer and arguably the most successful to date, has no time for that. Instead, Nick is heading one of the most promising audio brands today, Promitheus Audio. And it is from Malaysia.

Unless you have not been accessing the internet (e.g. Audio Asylum and Audio Circle) or latched onto the audio grapevine for the past 12 months, the word “TVC passive preamp”, which stands for Transformer Volume Control passive preamplifier, has been taking the audio world by storm. Ok, we exaggerate a bit. Let’s say it’s a mild but bracing storm nonetheless. Discussions on the merits and affordability of the TVC have been rife and many users, mostly overseas, swear by the excellent price/performance of the TVC. And one of the reasons behind all this euphoria is a 26- year old Malaysian, whose maturity and foresight simply belies his age.

Nick has a degree in Engineering and lectures part-time in Electronics. At 18, he built his first phono preamplifier (also called phono stage). His ambition and confidence grew and very soon he started a side business in building transformers. Any audiophile would tell you how important a transformer is and that a transformer is the heart of the amplifier and can make or break the sound. Each transformer is painstakingly hand-wound by Nick’s chief sifu, someone who has been building transformers all his life. The transformer business saw Nick dealing with guitar amp manufacturers (i.e. Ceriatone) and audio manufacturers from far and wide. In fact, Nick admitted, rather regretfully, that most of his business is from overseas, with very little support in Malaysia, except for the rare few who are loyal to his work.

The transformer business brought Nick a decent income, just enough to make his audio hobby enjoyable. It wasn’t until the success of his TVC project that Nick started to expand. Currently, Nick maintains a staff force of 10 people, mainly technical staff who work on the full line of Promitheus Audio products. Nick admitted that the main problem with a start-up company is the lack of cash and funding. Being young and inexperienced, Nick faced some difficulties in coming out with substantial cash for the company. But, as luck would have it, Nick’s gamble on the business has paid handsome dividends but refreshingly, he still remains humble. “Being a designer is nothing glamorous. I am not a greedy sort of person. I would like to take one step at a time”, asserts Nick.

With the resounding success of the Promitheus Audio TVC (Nick did not disclose the volume of transactions he does online but admitted it is “very big”), is Nick starting to dream big? “No, this is the trap for a budding audio manufacturer. The pitfall of mass production is that you would compromise on quality. Bear in mind, every single one of our products are hand built with much care and attention to detail. Once we grow bigger, we would lose that competitiveness. We would like to maintain what people call “flexible manufacturing”.” Nick says matter-of-factly. In fact, one of Promitheus Audio’s biggest headaches at the moment is shipping and logistics. Nick has very generous policy on shipping damages and refunds as he believes in doing business “the western way” to suit his overseas customers. And this generosity sometimes can result in losses and lost of productivity.

On his future plans, Nick states that he plans to develop Promitheus Audio into a high-end but still affordable brand by introducing a statement or reference line of products. His key challenge now is marketing and funding. He plans to make an appearance at the giant CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in the USA next year to showcase Promitheus Audio products to a larger audience base. We were curious whether his overseas customers realize that Promitheus Audio is a Malaysian brand. “Sure, they do”, Nick states proudly.

On a lighter note, we asked Nick on his marital status and if he is seeing anyone at the moment. Nick nonchalantly says, “I am still single and unattached. No time at all. I work from 8am till 2am every day, 7 days a week.” Oh dear! Perhaps there may be a few attractive and single female audiophiles among AV express readers who are interested to woo this enterprising young man?

We also asked Nick what advice would he give to an aspiring audiophile who wants to build a successful audio brand on his own? “You must first enjoy the hobby and not think of making big money overnight. You must be willing to sacrifice. You have to build a friendly business that is customer driven. Once customers are happy, your business will grow”. Sagely advice for anyone, in any field.

As we left the Subang Starbucks café that night, we couldn’t help but admire this determined young entrepreneur who has single-handedly raised the Promitheus Audio brand to great prominence in the competitive and cut-throat audio industry. Nick Chua has certainly taken the path less traveled, compared to many young men of his age. This path is fraught with difficulties and challenges but we are all rooting for Nick to shape Promitheus Audio into a successful brand internationally. And looking at Nick’s talent, determination and insistence on high-standards, this isn’t a far-fetched possibility. Go Promitheus Audio!



Website: http://www.promitheusaudio.com/

Distributor:
Audio Image (03-79563077) in PJ distributes Promitheus Audio TVC passive preamp and Power Energizer.

Other Promitheus Audio products:
Power Transformers, Audio Transformers, Non-Oversampling DAC, Tube Active preamp with Output Transformer, MM/MC Phono Preamp, Power Amps, Pure 4N hand-made silver interconnects, Pure 4N hand-made silver speaker cables, Solid state output transformers, Ebony cones, Balanced Power Supply, Power Energizer

click here

wherein leo describes what "pop/audiophile crossover music" genre is, the kind that So Music is trying to do....

it would be great if we could do a pure analogue album like what leo did for pete teo...