i went to watch colbie caillat's (pronounced as "kay-lay") showcase in the curve tonight. i must say i fell in love with her simple and melodic music which conjures up images of clear skies and warm breezes.

i have heard about colbie few months back but i thought she is just another teeny-popper. but tonight she impressed me with her music, mostly acoustic folk, light pop/jazz that is easy on the ears. she has a unique voice. she is definitely better than jack johnson, the male singer she is often compared to.

colbie reminds me a lot of singapore's tanya chua (cai jian ya), one of the most talented singer-songwriters in the chinese pop scene.

i am going to get her album tomorrow!

stage III magnus - a gem of an interconnect

for some time, i have been puzzled as to why the current-generation (circa 2007/2008) stage III magnus (my reference interconnect) doesn't sound as good as the older-generation (circa 2005/2006) magnus, which i bought for RM6000 (USD1,500) for 1.5m XLR.

now that my dealer has lost the distributorship for stage III concepts, i pushed them for an answer to my puzzle.

apparently, when stage III first released my version of magnus, 2nd ranked interconnect after the USD5K (RM20K) vacuum gold reference (VGR), they didn't know that magnus is so good and so close in performance to the VGR. my dealer admitted that the magnus has 70% of the VGR's performance, at 1/3 the price. they brought in only 4 pairs to malaysia and i was the lucky owner who bought 2 pairs.

the problem with stage III concepts is they keep evolving (changing models and changing configurations), while supposedly increasing performance. when they released the current version of magnus in 2007, i borrowed a pair from my dealer and tried out. i wouldn't say the new magnus wasn't good but its winning attributes are all gone. the new magnus is way too refined and "dainty" and the way it compacts images (everything shrinks and becomes smaller!) is not to my liking. i expressed my views to my dealer but they didn't make much comments then.

now, i confronted them and they too, admitted that the new magnus is falling short of the old magnus. my dealer actually sent back the old magnus (my version) to stage III and demanded that they reproduce the same magnus using the same specs and materials, for the malaysian market. what happened was really surprising - stage III confiscated the old magnus but agreed to refund money back to my dealer.

so, what does this all amount to?

i don't really know and i don't want to guess but i am elated that i am the owner of 2 pairs of outstanding interconnects that can compete with the best of the best even at the USD3K price point (like the AQ sky and kubala-sosna emotion, the subject of my next review) ;-)

kubala-sosna emotion speaker cable

i also hooked on the k-s emotion speaker cable to replace my AQ volcano DBS.

kubala-sosna emotion interconnect

for an interconnect that cost well over RM10K (for 1.5m), kubala-sosna's packaging is rather modest and unassuming.

my first impression is a positive one. despite joe kubala's refusal to reveal to me the material for the cables, i could guess that it may contain silver, because the highs do not lose out to my stage III concepts magnus (which is my gold standard in highs), my reference for RM10K-and-below interconnect.

i was shocked when i found out that k-s cables do not need breaking-in. in that case, i would immediately point to its rather controversial character of a SLIGHTLY bloated midrange (just slightly). if we use an analogy of a woman's body - albeit a little sexist - k-s emotion would make jessica alba looks like angelina jolie, which may or may not be a good thing. on the same token, it would make gywneth paltrow looks like jessica alba, which is definitely a good thing!

on my system, which is a jessica alba (i.e. perfect figure, neither lean nor overly-endowed), k-s emotion is too "full-bodied" for my liking. however, the emotional delivery is ABSOLUTELY top-notch and it is fantastically natural. i have never come across cable that is so good in conveying the emotions of the music. this virtue itself is worth extolling.

despite kubala-sosna's claim of no need for breaking-in (which i don't quite believe cos it sounds way better after 2 hours), i would cook it for 2 days before i assess it again.

ad for our marketing campaign [click to enlarge]

malaysians have made history by helping themselves to vote for the opposition parties last weekend. what a marvelous and heart-warming change of political scene.

one has to admit that the new and alternative media like blogs played a big part in being the catalyst to disseminate first-hand information which is not covered (and often barred) by the mainstream media.

we at desirable audio boutique are equally excited that finally malaysians have come of age to embrace the alternative media and make their collective voices heard.

to this end, we would endeavor to bring even more readers to this blog in the near future.

we are going to start our marketing campaign - one of which is advertising with nuffnang, the asia's blog advertising community - to bring in more young readers. admittedly, we don't have any budget but we would work around our constraints.

we are at a new dawn indeed.

Well this isn't ground-breaking news but did you know that car audio can sound as good or better than a similarly priced home audio setup or pretty close to an actual life performance if the foundations are looked upon and tweaks are employed?

For the past 10 years a crowd of well-wishers have thought that car audio will move along with the technologies found in Pro-Audio and AV applications, such as time-alignment (Delay), electronic crossovers (to filter off frequencies going to your speakers drivers), electronic EQs (parametric and graphic equalizers), little did they know that it caused the equipment to sound even worst than before. Yes, of course CD players sounded better and offered more convenience than the cassette deck but over time, cheaper and cheaper CD players were introduced, forcing to us a sound that is very digital and artificial. Thin, emotionless and boring is how I describe it, which makes us miss our analogue cassette deck at times. New players came with even cheaper components, plastic lens, puny non-discrete power supplies but a whole lot of features ITELU! (I tell you :P) Technology triumph over quality! Players now come with MP3, iPod ready, USB ready and one day, it will even make you drinks!

It is still a misconception that many people with car audio systems like loud, deep thumping bass or fancy blinking lights to impress the passengers. Fortunately, it is not true because there are also groups of audiophiles and music lovers in the car audio scene.

These are guys that go for pure decks, with no fancy dials,no built in amplification and features but a player that deliver the best reproduction possible from the media. Car audio cd players from makers like Mcintosh, Denon, Fujitsu Ten comes into mind. Some of the commercial brandnames like Clarion, Alpine and Pioneer have pure decks that are worth considering at their respective price points.

What is really holding back the performance of car audio to achieve similar pleasures that our 2ch home audio can produce lies in the basic foundation. Acoustic for one. Yes, the car is a more hostile environment for good sound but can it be remedied or cured? If in Japan, they can solve small room problems with tweaks, why can't we solve acoustic problems in the car?

Power supply is another flaw. In car audio, power delivery to your cd player and amplifiers can be a major hindrance to the actual potential. By changing equipment alone without addressing power management is probably one of the most common mistakes of installers in the industry. Beefing, conditioning, regulating, isolating etc. can help make cheaper setups outshine expensive ones.

Cables are important in car audio, although longer runs are really damaging to the pocket. Typical car audio cabling is simply insufficient. Imagine putting Monsters and Stingers in your audio path. My goodness, what is wrong with these guys. Even an entry level Transparent, VdH, XLO, Supra, Ixos is a much better choice and not suprising similarly priced compared to top-of-the-line car audio cables. Keep cables short by installing the amplifier under the front seats. Go to the extent of using good high-end silver cable if you have a spare from your home audio. Trust me, you will never want to take them out. 1.5 meter pair will be sufficient in most cases, if not 2m pair.

Finally, car audio speakers suffer mainly from crossover issues. Does that cheap little box that comes with your component speakers work? Oh yes, they do but they sound pretty crappy. They sound okay to me, some kid will say. Hey, kiddo we want good, excellent, marvelous, out of the world... and okay is not in my vocabulary. Does that high-end cd player or shiny amplifier with built in electronically controlled crossovers able to do a job of a purpose build custom passive network (crossover)? Hell, no! Are we all being taken for a ride by the manufacturers? No, but you've been taken via a short-cut with zero scenery.

So, the next time someone tells you it is a waste to invest in a car audio system, tell him/her to pay a visit to Audio Creations, a niche car audio dealer that did not sway along with the industry towards the no-where-land, but dedicates itself to bringing music to your automobile in the most interesting ways. It is by no means rocket-science.

Someone posted this in a local forum today. http://consumerist.com/362926/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables. It claims that a home-made coat hanger interconnect sounds as good as an aftermarket Monster cable. Although I am not a fan of Monster cable and the character it gives, I find the extreme claim a little preposterous. After reading the article, there were comments left by some readers that they agree interconnects or RCA cables make very little significance in both home or car audio. Are they seriously deaf or did God not give them ears?

pioneer, as a brand, is known as a mass consumer electronic brand. its closest and most successful brush with two-channel audio was the pioneer A400 integrated amp many years ago, which was touted as the budget king of integrateds. can you believe that now pioneer wants to venture into high-end?

pioneer is the parent company of TAD (technical audio devices), a famous pro and home audio badge and as a result, it adopts many trickle-down technology from TAD's top-range speakers. the result is S-1 EX speaker - pioneer's latest assault with high-end.

andrew jones of TAD designed this pioneer beauty. under andrew's leadership, a multi-national team reconfigured the TAD beryllium technology into the 145 lb, three-way, USD$9000/pair pioneer S1-EX. it uses coincident tweeter-midrange array, with the midrange unit being magnesium cone.

stereophile has awarded the S-1 EX as "the speaker of the year". according to them, the pioneer floorstander sounds fast, dynamic, detailed and transparent. those who’ve admired the sound of the speakers from TAD, but could not afford them will find the pioneer a cheaper alternative, alto' RM49,000 is far from cheap.

for brand snobs who look down on pioneer as a serious audiophile badge, you are invited to hi-way laser to hear it yourself:

Hi-WAY LASER ELECTRONICS SDN BHD
11A, JALAN SS2/75,
47300 PETALING JAYA
MALAYSIA
+603.7873.8325
+6019.281.3399 (kenny sin)
http://www.hiwaylaser.com (map inside)

Guys, let's welcome the maiden review from my reviewer, T-Bone

Love Standards is a winner. Eriko Ishihara has all the characteristics of a star-class entertainer with an attitude only she can deliver. As a singer, her style is natural and understated, yet “an almost conversational intimacy combines with subtle power” to produce feelings that it’s hard to put your finger on. The ten-song compilation has musical arrangement, melodies, and vocals made for each other.

This is a very solid and thoughtful disc, though with its slow and graceful music making the majority of the disc, it's best for those patient enough to explore its quiet mysteries. Ishihara being an established pianist, showcases great piano skills with tunes pleasant to the ears. Her interpretation of the songs through her piano will surely lead you, to understand that Eriko is part of the music.

There is a song for what ever mood you are in on this album. Special mention should be made of the valuable contribution of her talented musicians that knows Ishihara’s strengths and helps her singing, glow through luminous accompaniment, rhythmic interest like that of I’ve Got You Under My Skin , What A Wonderful World and Shall We Dance. Meanwhile, her sterling performance in My Funny Valentine captures that memory of years gone by. She has a beautiful voice that is also quite flexible, as she shows throughout this consistently interesting release. She sings what she likes and it shows. Pure clean vocals. She doesn't have the biggest voice out there but she sure has the prettiest.

Love Standards is charming and a delight. You undoubtedly will find musical areas of reflection, excitement and serenity. My final verdict on this offering is, all of Ishihara’s songs have a pleasant rhythm to them; nothing flashy or distinctive, more like a friend you’ve known for a long time and are comfortable with.

Thanks Ishihara - can't wait to see what you come up with next time!

Reviewed by T-Bone.

alan tam, the godfather of hong kong cantopop, bulging tummy notwithstanding, is going to re-record his best-selling and legendary 1984 album "the origin of love" [愛的根源], complete with orchestra and chinese instrumentation and the title of this new album is a pompous "the best sound ever reborn".

"the origin of love" is without doubt the single most successful and influential album of its time, spawning many memorable hits and breaking into charts and winning countless awards for alan tam.

certainly a good news to younger audiophiles but to purist like me, why not leave a classic as it is and leave the perfect memories intact? besides alam tam today is not alan tam of 1984, especially his aged vocal chord. look at how disastrous air supply's audiophile album is (see under music review).

i received 4 copies of my alan tam "the best sound ever reborn" today from HK, the other 3 copies are for my dealer.

when the play button is pressed on my meridian, i was greeted with a familiar tune, title track "origin of love" played with such grandeur and grace that i uttered uncontrollably, "this is great!".

indeed, alan tam sings greatly in this album. i was wrong in my preview above. his matured voice and singing skills are still able to maintain the essence of the songs while adding a degree of polish to them. at times, alan even teases the music with syncopation, which manages to add some elements of improvisation on the music. the chinese orchestra, amusingly called the headmaster orchestra ("headmaster" is a affectionate nickname of alan tam), certainly add grandness, texture and richness to the music. the fast tracks like "summer cool breeze" (ha yat hon foong) and "marianne" are injected with steroids and sound even more uptempo and have more oomph than the originals; totally cool.

unfortunately, the recording is kind of bottled up, much like what reader canto-fanatics said in his comment - "recessed and compressed". it doesn't sound bad in my system once i blast up the volume. you really need a high-resolution and highly-resolving system to make this recording sound palatable. true to canto-fanatics' word, the recording needs to be mastered by bernie grundman and the like - food for thought for producer chan fei young.

at the end, what we have is a great recap of the golden era of cantopop, delivered in a modern style and arrangement, with more polished singing from alan tam. certainly, a must-buy for every cantopop fan.

music: 10/10
sonics : 7/10

p/s i got this from HK for RM49 and it is selling in malaysia for RM89...so malaysia boleh?

how to spot a rich audiophile

i am going to open a can or worms, so arguments/opinions are welcome.

you know, one thing you can't deny about audiophiles in malaysia, and this is not a generalization but a fact admitted by many local hifi dealers - that those who buy expensive high-end stuff are mainly chinese-educated. the biggest wilson, the biggest marten, the biggest audio research... most big things are owned by chinese-educated audiophiles.

why is that the chinese-educated ones (heck, some not even educated) are more willing to spend on hifi? do their money come easier than those english-educated ones? or, are most of them their own bosses hence they earn easy money? do they live life with a different philosophy? or are they simply more serious audiophiles?

are the english-educated ones more prudent on their spending? or because they are normally the middle-class and hence have less disposable income?

i want to do a mini research on this, and you input is appreciated.

come, voice out! (the good ones will get his opinion published in av xpress!)

disclaimer: i don't mean to comparmentalize audiophiles or insinuate chinese-educated audiophiles as i myself am chinese-educated.

the first time i "tasted" the forbidden apple, adam, short for advanced dynamic audio monitor, was in TIS recording, the HK audiophile label (with artistes like le mon and fong sum lui) started by chang and vili. as fans of TIS recording can attest, TIS's sound is one of extreme transparency, openness and sometimes, over-the-top high frequencies. in the right systems, TIS cds can sound a million dollar.

adam is german and it was founded in 1999 primarily as pro audio studio monitor brand. in only a few years, adam has established itself as one of the 3 world-leading manufacturers of professional monitors and this success prompted adam to advance to home audio. their famed tweeter, called the ART (advanced ribbon technology) tweeter has much to do with producing high frequencies that are well-extended, open, airy and precise, a criteria that today's audio engineers demand.

adam offers both active, semi-active and passive loudspeakers as they believe each option has its merits. featured here is the entry model, gamma, from the top-end series called tensor. gamma has both active and semi-active version, the active one equipped with a 250W amplifier that drives its proprietary hexacone woofer. gamme uses adam's new X-ART (extended ART) transducers for the mid and high frequencies, which results in even greater clarity, airiness and precision.

folks, let's face it. when it come to tweeter technology, you can have your beryllium, ceramic, diamond or whatnots but nothing can quite compete with ribbon for practicality, cost/performance ratio and sheer musicality.

adam has eaten the forbidden audio apple in audio matic in amcorp mall and eugene ngoh is there to offer more apples....

contact:
eugene ngoh (012-3222698)
audio matic sales and services

i read that visitors to this year's CES were all stricken by one stark realization - that today's high-end is losing its perspective with regard to pricing. when you call an item with a price tag of USD10,000 as "mid-priced", you know the manufacturer has completely lost touch with reality. i mean, RM40,000 can almost get you a MyVi and for some mid-level executives, it is equivalent to their annual salary.

while there are enough budget gear to entice the newbies, it’s the gear in the middle, the gear that those budding audiophiles will aspire to move up to when they’ve outgrown the entry-level stuff that got them hooked to begin with, that’s sadly in short supply. incidentally, mr. ling's of tong lee has echoed this sentiment to me last week, that's why he is bringing in more mid-fi stuff to his shop.

back to the subject, with rising material and labour costs in the US and other european countries, which manufacturer really has the know-how, capacity and ability to cater to this critical segment of the market? china? not really. you will be shocked at how they price shanling these days. not all MIC stuff are cheap!

i feel that to do mid-fi stuff successfully, you need a radical approach that is going to change the paradigm of how mid-fi is being engineered and manufactured. i think you know what i am thinking, you smart readers.

who's in better position than steve job and co? who has better credentials and capacity to revolutionize this (mid-fi) other than apple computers?

if apple were to take up this challenge then we audiophiles are promised a bright future. i could envision music servers that have superb UI (user interface) much like iPhone - one could flip the virtual album covers when selecting songs; one could, by using fingers' movement, enlarge and reduce the album cover, rotate the viewing angle , and many other cool features that's unheard of in traditional two-channel audio.

the price would be less than RM5K. executives or fresh graduates aged 22 and above could save up two months' salaries and afford it. they may not even need to buy expensive interconnects or speaker cables, or power conditioners. and what's most importantly is - the sound is truly mid-fi!

all these are not make-belief or fantasy. with apple's track record and its "mover and shaker" reputation, this vision is palpably real.

the only question left is, of course, whether apple sees money in the hifi industry.

I always feel like somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy, whoa-oa-oa
I always feel like somebody's watching me
Tell me, is it just a dream
I always feel like somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy, whoa-oa-oa
I always feel like somebody's watching me
Who's playing tricks on me?

hands up those who remember this song, "somebody watching me" by 80s' singer rockwell? it was such a hit, wasn't it?

seriously, somebody is watching me.

i am not sure whether to feel flattered or worried, as some of the dealers who shunned me in the past, have started taking a look at my blog. some of their customers are also checking if i write defamatory remarks about the dealers.

i am so scared.

now they are reading ;-)

CRL's Audition Policy

Listen before you buy. We'll gladly send you demo cables in our standard length to experience with your home audio system.

* Audition for up to 14 days
* Return cables by the return due date
* You pay a 10% deposit of the product's price
* Deposit charged to your credit card
* Returning borrowers pay a 5% deposit

It's your choice. We'll either refund your deposit or deduct the full amount of your deposit from your future purchase. Borrower pays for all UPS shipping expenses. Sorry, we can only make this offer to U.S. residents. Contact us to order demo cables.

CRL's Upgrade Policy

You may exchange your interconnects or speaker cables within 12 months and upgrade to the next level. Copper Series owners can trade-up to the Silver Series or Gold Series. Silver Series owners can trade-up to the Gold Series. Simply contact us to arrange for an upgrade.

Once we receive your returned cables, in their original condition, we'll apply 100% of your previous purchase price towards your choice of higher priced cables of equal length or longer. Buyer pays for all UPS shipping expenses. Policy excludes power cords.

CRL (cable research lab), a cable manufacturer from US, is offering audiophiles the ability to audition their products and upgrade their existing CRL cables through the above mentioned two new policies.

tell me if i am hallucinating. is this a marketing gimmick (to hard-sell the products and outdo the competitors) or a sincere gesture on the part of the manufacturer? also tell me if these policies can work in the malaysian context.

and i will use all my charm to persuade my dealers to offer the same service to you all ;-)

[click to enlarge]


when it comes to mini monitors that can kick ass, there are only a couple of names in my mind - acoustic energy, totem and platinum (by phil jones, who is now with AAD or has he left too?). sadly, all these happened in the 80-90s, today's mini monitors are more homogenized (and character-less, so to speak) as they have to be a complete offering - beguiling midrange, stratospheric highs and kick-ass bass.

but some manufacturers like AE believes that an old formula given a new treatment would still be relevant and be able to entice the new generation of audiophiles. when the AE1 stopped its production in the late 90s, many mourned its demise. time may move on but the classic principles that made AE1 such a hot property in the 1990s don't change overnight. here comes AE1 classic!

the original AE1 was revolutionary in that it was the first professional monitor to use a ceramic sandwich aluminium cone, the first to increase power handling by using the cone as a heat-sink, the first to incorporate a metal dome tweeter, and the first to demonstrate to the world that even a mini monitor can seriously kick-ass.

AE1 driver is known to offer generous power handling and suffers minimal compression. AE1 is also famous for its composite-lined cabinet rigidity. have your had the experience to carry the AE1 by hands? ;-)

all these and more are retained in the new AE1 classic.

AE has decided to bring back its long-time classic, are you ready to bring back your memories of the most powerful nearfield monitor in the 90s?

to find out, visit hi-way laser in ss2:

Hi-WAY LASER ELECTRONICS SDN BHD
11A, JALAN SS2/75,
47300 PETALING JAYA
MALAYSIA
+603.7873.8325
+6019.281.3399 (kenny sin)
http://www.hiwaylaser.com (map inside)

master ken suggested to use double dosage of mpingo disc on my curtain - by sticking one on top of the edge of the other using bluetak and the result is very drastic - even more concentrated vocalist's mouth, a warmer and more analogue sound but at the expense of some airiness in the highs.

while i like the fact that i get much more focus on the mouth, i am not quite sure if i like a slight loss of air in the high-end.

this SM thing is dangerous, don't pray pray ;-)

marten bird - a star performer that can fly high

issue 229 of taiwan's audio art magazine gives a resounding rave to marten bird, rewarding it with a sonic score of 99/100. trust me, the is definitely not reviewer's hyperbole.

indeed, i could share the excitement with the reviewer, having listened to martin miles twice during the CNY.

enjoying great success worldwide, even in malaysia and singapore, marten, now without the word "design" (i.e. no longer called marten design) builds the bird by building upon experience directly derived from the award winning coltrane and coltrane supreme. the materials and components employed in the bird stretch from traditional high gloss veneer on bird’s 26mm MDF cabinet, to the newly developed ceramic midrange, the ceramic woofer drivers and the ultra modern diamond tweeter.

to me, marten's signature sound is unmistakable - lively, explosive, ultra faithful and plenty of details, details and details. if you are looking for the warmth and thickness of ATC, please look elsewhere. marten's sound is modern and shockingly direct.

of particular interest to me is how the reviewer mentioned the details in the backstage of the soundstage where a lot of speakers fail to reveal but in the case of marten bird, there are just so much more sonic cues and finer details in backstage that lend realism to the whole musical soundscape. i fully concur with the reviewer as this is my experience with the lower-ranked marten miles as well.

the coolest statement from the review is in the ending segment where the reviewer coined the phrase - "heaven is in the details".

[local dealers]
KL - audiomatic (012-3222698)
IPOH - audio art (012-5201066)

note: the only pair of marten bird in malaysia is sold to an audiophile in kampar, perak.

balanced neutrality (BN), a revered name in the cut-throat hifi business, is going to launch their GE2008 reference mono power tube amp next month, said to be the most controversial product in the history of the company as it uses a specially made output transformer that would eliminate corrupted power supply as in the past.

2007 has not been a good year for BN. two of their premier products, the ATAN MONGOL Reference 3 preamp (designed and engineered by its deputy designer, najee) and the LINGAM stereo power amp both didn't fair very well with the reviewers, with some calling it a "total disgrace" to such a reputable brand. worldwide sales tumbled and chief designer and founder, andrew andy bladedius (AAB) is said to have been instructed by the shareholders to "make or break" with the new GE2008 reference mono. obviously, AAB's head is on the chopping board if GE2008 fails to bring in the sales.

traditionally, the strength of BN products has always been its balanced power supply , allowing a fair and just distribution of power through what AAB called the NEP (New Equal Power) technology first initiated by its predecessor. but poor and substandard materials used in the output transformer has resulted in badly corrupted power supply that has resulted in mediocre sound that subsequently tarnished BN's reputation as a premier manufacturer of hi-end hifi.

connecting the 50kg behemoth GE2008 is not straight-forward as you may need to use some grease to lubricate the amp's output taps which is very tight to unscrew - 4 ohm, 8 ohm, 16 ohm depending on your speaker's impedance. once the grease is applied, eveything is smooth as a breeze, which is typical of BN's gear in the past.

sound-wise the 200-watter GE2008 is loud but ultimately lacking true power and finesse. it is like an empty vessel that makes the most noise. the noise floor is not clean and imaging is blur, blur and blur. but soundstaging is impressive, indicating the kind of investment BN dumped into the GE2008 to create a 3-Dimensional stage that is truly panaromic and breath-taking. but detractors could argue that this kind of gigantic soundstage can be a tad artificial and larger-than-life.

in short, i am far from impressed as the GE2008's sound is, at best, compromised due to the uneven mixture of gold, silver and copper wirings inside the amp. the 60% gold is said to create a dense but very lazy sound, while the 25% silver gives agile bass and great highs but just not enough of percentage, whereas the 15% copper composition is robust-sounding but insignificant to give its own signature sound.

as i write this review, fierce competitor, dynamic active power (DAP), is also planning to release it own version of GE2008 ref mono, giving BN a run of its money. DAP's implementation is vastly different from BN's in terms of transformer topology. DAP's advocates regenerative power supply (ROCKET) to give a clean and corruption-free supply to the 8 units of 2020 power tubes. pundits think it is the best time for DAP to snatch back the pie from BN.

in conclusion, BN's GE2008 is only an empty promise. it is glamorous but ultimately unfulfilling sonically. we at desirable audio predict the downfall of AAB as the chief designer.

opera consonance cyber-211 mono amp

opera consonance cyber-100s signature 300b amp

mr. ling of tong lee, located at plaze low yat, is one who believes that hifi shouldn't be an expensive hobby. he feels that the market lacks mid-end products, or mid-hi as we call it, the kind with price below RM5K.

to fill the vacuum, ling brings in many affordable brands that are high in value but low in cost and great in sound. brands like ASL (antique sound lab, the one whose "hurricane" model that sold like hotcakes after HP's endorsed it), project turntable, soundstage tube amp (starting from RM999!), opera consonance, CEC cdp are gear that won't dig a hole into your pocket. as a result, tong lee is supported by many frugal but discerning audiophiles. of course, ling's and jenny's (ling's wife) down-to-earth approach to the business has a lot to do with tong lee's success and longevity in the business.

ling is particular proud of the opera consonance range of amplication and cd player. (remember the droplet cd player that looks so sexy and desirable?) opera audio from china has been manufacturing tube amplifiers for 14 years now. opera's philosophy for hifi is "simple, human", which refers to the revelation of the original spirit and artistic content of music.

featured here are two of tong lee's bestsellers - the cyber-211 single-ended class A mono power amplifier and the cyber-100S signature 300B power amp. the cyber 211 in particular has won the 2007 Blue Moon Award in 6moons.com.

it is true that when it comes to tube amps from china, audiophiles are spoilt for choice but judging from the worldwide recognition for the brand, opera consonance is definitely no pushover.

if you were looking for a single-ended amp, or for that matter, any mid-range product, a visit to tong lee is called for.

also, i can't tell you enough just how nice and friendly jenny is. she is the kind who can remember your name forever once you step into her shop.

oh, tong lee is also the dealer for shun mook, conrad johhson and transparent cables and power conditioners.

Manager: Ling Wen Ang (012-5202988)
G19 &21, Ground Floor,
Plaza Low Yat
Off jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 KL
Tel: 03-21414366