The original common diode rectifier.

The Schottky diode, manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductors. My phono stage requires 8 pcs of these very chunky diodes.

It's been a while since I held the soldering gun. I've been a little lazy lately and my DIY parts bin and half completed projects have been pilling up. I suddenly had the mood to do something about it today!

The idea was to fit all those stuff listed below in to my Pass ONO clone DIYed phono stage:

1) Furutech Inlet G, a chassis mount IEC socket for the quality conscious.

Furutech IEC Inlet G(what else?), available from Audiomatic, cost RM$52.00 per pc.

2) Schottky diode rectifiers, something which I've always wanted to try, as the DIY world has plenty of stories how this little diode transforms the sound of the humble "modded" Marantz CD63, AD 815 JRDG clone pre amp amongst other stuffs.

Schottky diode, available from Farnell Newark, part no.955-6770, cost RM$2.19 per pc.

3) Refit a proper grounding post, I could not find it when I started building the phono stage 2 years ago, but I recently manged to acquire the proper grounding post.

Grounding post(green coloured), available from an electronics store in Puchong. Cost RM$4.20 per pc. My Rega doesn't require grounding, but I'd just like to have it.

The work to remove the old parts took out and replace the new ones took about an hour. After which, I tested the phono stage again for function and sound. With the item confirmed to be working and sounding as per normal, I proceeded to put back the cover(top plate) of the phono stage. It was then I also decided to torque set all the chassis external screws. I set the torque to 4kgs as per my other "original" Pass X2.5 pre amp torqued earlier.

The mounted Furutech IEC chasis mount socket.

After all the work, I sat down to play a few LPs. But the moment I switched "on" the system and let it settle down, I was stunned by the relatively silenced back ground of the phono stage. Previously, when I left the system to settle down, with the phono stage on, and the pre amp volume setting at 12(my usual listening volume), I could hear a faint hiss emanating from the speaker's tweeter. Now, this hiss is no more, and free from all other electrical noises. I proceed to play Tsai Ching's Lou Ge 2008 re-issued 180gsm LP, with the silenced back ground noise, I also noticed that there is no more sibilance in female vocals. The high frequencies are also tidier and cleaner then before. More low level resolution is revealed now.

The innards of the Pass ONO clone DIYed phono stage, balance topology. All signal cabling(red/black) are vdH SCS18.

Is it the Furutech? or the Schottky making most of the sound improvement? I don't know, but what an excellent sonic up grade to spend almost RM$80 for parts cost and an hour's handy work.

Foot note: I did another Furutech IEC Inlet G install for a friend's CDP today(12/05/2009), but subjectively found it's contribution to the sound improvement, very minimal. Hence I can only speculate that in my case, most of the perceived sound improvements to be contributed by the Schottky diode high speed rectifiers. In the end I'll borrow my dear friend Ken's caveat again, YMMV!

Jazz is the alternative universe of Classical music. Jazz is as free as classical music is structured; Jazz is improvisation, classical music is faithfulness to the score; Jazz is individualism first, team second, classical music is the other way round.

Family Photo - My Top 10 Jazz Albums

I started to listen to Jazz extensively only 3-4 years ago.

Before, though I was interested to listen and know more, I could not find the right start somehow. My problem was compounded by not having friends who were seriously into Jazz and could guide me. When I walked into the Jazz and Classical section of Tower Records in KLCC then, and wanted to pick something Jazz-y up, I was intimidated by the available artists and record titles, not knowing who was who, what was what. Though strictly speaking, Tower Records' Jazz section wasn't that big, I invariably would turn to the Classical music section because of the familiarity.
The first Jazz record that really bowled me over was a compilation of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's songs - 'Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong for Lovers' from Verve (0602498807989). Believe or not, this is the first CD I have of Ella Fitzgerald (now, you know how 'baby' I am in Jazz music). This compilation takes all the cream from the classic duet album between her and Louis Armstrong -"Ella and Louis", and put on one disc, with a few more great tracks from "Ella & Louis Again" and "Ella & Friends" thrown in - an extremely great value with surprisingly good cd transfer sound quality.

I was totally bowled over at the first track already, this disc became my favourite and was spinned again and again thereafter. Ella's phrasing and control was simply great, she imbued emotion into her songs but eschewed sentimentality, everything was done just right, and this warranted the disc to be heard again and again. The chemistry between her and Louis Armstrong was really something to marvel at.

I could not stop, I wanted more, I sought out more Ella Fitzgerald CDs, I went on to know Billie Holiday, then Sarah Vaughan.... Then I wanted to go elsewhere too.

I went onto Amazon.com and read people's recommendation lists and culled from them Jazz titles that cropped up again and again. Almost all are from that golden era of mid 20th century.

Out of all the Jazz albums I own, these are the top ten that I'll never want to go without:

Sonny Rollins (always melodious, always warm playing):

Saxophone Collossus (Prestige PRCD-8105-2)

Way Out West (XRCD24 VICJ-61040)

The Bridge (Bluebird 82876 52472 2)

John Coltrane:

A Love Supreme (Impulse! B0000610-02)

Blue Train (Blue Note 7243 5 41757 2 5 SACD)

Miles Davis:

(this one is from the Jazz heavens)
Kind of Blue (Columbia/Legacy CK64935)

Cannonball Adderley:

Somethin' Else (Blue Note 7243 4 95329 2 2)

Charles Mingus:

Ah Um (Columbia/Legacy CK65512)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet:

Time Out (Columbia/Legacy CK65122)

Duke Ellington

(Electrifying live atmosphere)

Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete) (Columbia/Legacy C2K64932)

Happy Listening.

P.S., If you read chinese, you have to read the excellent article on his favourite jazz albums, written by Tay Cher Siang, the pianist of JZ8. Available in MTX Issue #1, downloadable from the link on the right of this page.

P.S., note to audiophiles, none of the sound qualities of the cd transfers mentioned can be described as excellent (the XRCD is the best among the lot). Some are mono recordings. I picked them more for their music content.

An early X'mas present from Santa!? I've been a good boy too, Ha!Ha!

My friend called and told me ecstatically that he's just got the JPS Aluminata power cord, and he'd like me to cook his new toy with my home brew kable kooker.

Packed with classy aluminium case, ribbon and all, inside a certificate of authenticity greets you.

I cook the JPS Aluminata for about 18 hours or so, during which the cable ran moderately warm to touch, always a good sign when cooking! Stone cold cables when cooking means a non-effective cook!

Cooking the big snake.

After which, I proceeded to plug the 2 meter length JPS Aluminata in to my Marantz CD7, replacing my AOR Reference 003, I heard a sound that is very familiar, but with much better resolving low level resolution. I guess it was the Marantz CD7 doing it's thing again, i.e., not responding to tweaks!

I then proceeded to plug the JPS Aluminata in to my Pass X2.5 pre amp, again played my favorite music, lo-and-behold! It was an immediate show stopping moment from time the play button was pressed on the CDP. The rest of the sound impression below is done with the JPS powering my pre amp.

The sound now took on an whole new dimension. The first thing I noticed was the bass, full, in control, gutsy and extends very low!, about as low as I've heard before in my room. The mids give vocals great body and mass(I listened to Tsai Chin's Lou Ge on a recently re-issued 180 grams LP), pianos and violins have just the right amount of balance between strings and wood reverb(I was listening to Tube Hifi Violin, by Wilhelm Dennigen playing the Sennhauser, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu 1735 violin, accompanied by back ground piano). On that CD, I have never heard Wilhelm breath so much in to the mike so closely and each with diferent intensity! Also never before apparent is the bowing and playing techniques which he executes that sounds so melodramatic! I didn't know I was missing that much of musical experience on this very familiar CD.

My all time favourite violin/piano duet CD! I must have listened to this a million times by now.

The highs are smooth, extended and at once airy. The whole sound stage and image had an organic, believable aura to it! Compared to the PS Audio Plus, post listening to the JPS Aluminata, I've found the PS Audio to have a certain artificial, some what edgy sheen added to the violin, of the above same CD. I've never picked this out before. But to be fair, at RM$11K(recommended retail price, my friend told me he got it for a lot less as he ordered it during the JPS cable sales at Center Circle Audio) the top dog JPS is almost 10 times the price of the middling PS Audio!, no contest here for sure.

The JPS Aluminata, laying over the AOR Reference 003(underneath), for a size able comparison?

That's my brief few hours with the JPS Aluminata, to date the most expensive, but probably, the very best power cord to have grazed my humble system! In a way, it made me felt that I've just graduated from a top dollar hifi lesson, hence my alumini! I would not call this a review, but rather a preview, just from a few hours of enjoyment with the JPS Aluminata.

My friend called up to ask how a felt about his new toy, I told him the above, he came over straight away, took it home, and as I checked on him in the late evening, he was still listening and immersed in his music! He sure is one lucky fella!

In case you're wondering, Center Circle seems to still have some stock of those wonderful JPS cables for sale! Do hurry if you've not check it out just yet!

JPS cables are sold by Center Circle Audio, tel:03 77282686.

there comes a time where even the hardest working audiophile needs to take a rest, to take stock of the present and evaluate the future or just simply indulge in his work of labor.

the past 2 months have been so blissful as far as music is concerned for me. no more analyzing, no more paranoia, no more neurosis... just pure musical enjoyment.

i gather that i have come this far in my audio journey and it is time to reap what i sowed and put hifi aside for pure enjoyment of music.


this stage also marks an important chapter in my life because i am starting my own indie label (in addition to my existing audiophile music label, musictoxin). together with my partner, we have built a mini workstation-cum-studio in my house. we spent a couple of thousand dollars to refurbish one of the rooms (which i used for my AV last time) and made it into a cozy and intimate little cave for studio and live performances. yes, you hear it right, i plan to do unplugged mini concerts in my house for special occasions like press conferences, listening parties and general sharing of new songs composed by my partner.



as you can see in the pix, it is really a nice and cosy place to do music. we have a complete facility to record demos, perform MIDI programming and do mixing. we have a kawai piano and a norman acoustic guitar for live performances. the AKG microphone used is quite high quality but it can't beat the stage III interconnect that it is hooked to it! talking about indulgence!

i have also come to realize, as much as hifi (as a hobby) being immensely satisfying, it can't beat the joy and pure ecstacy of making music. hifi, to me, is just a conduit to music, a bridge, an enabler but it can never replace music.

hifi is to serve music not vice versa. the ultimate reason for hifi to exist is still, music.

thanks goodness, i have panzer and hifikaki to keep you interested on all things hifi in this blog while i am taking a short break.

Torus Power RM8A sitting nicely on it's own equipment rack amongst the Audio Physic speakers and Pass Lab Aleph 0 mono blocks.


As you already know about my purchase of the Torus Power RM8A review sample, here's a follow up of what I did to integrate it in to the rest of my system, replacing the once faithful Isotek Sigmas in the PLC duties.

Since the Torus Power RM8A only came with 5, 13 amps rated British outlets, whilst I really need 6 for my system to work, I had to do something about it. I chanced upon a Wireworld Electrifier power strip recently and got that too. So here is how all the power re-management resulted.

From the left: Input from wall followed by 2 outputs to the Pass Aleph 0 monblocks and the last one on the right goes to Wireworld Electrifier power strip(see below).


I feed the Torus Power from the wall, as usual with my big red JPS Inwall terminated with 13 amp rated Britsh Duraplug at the wall, and Furutech FI11CU(what else?) on the IEC side of the equipment. I then used 3 of the Torus Power's output with more big red JPS Inwall, of 2 which are terminated with Duraplugs on the male end and Furutech FI11CU(copper) on the IEC end, that powers my Pass Lab Aleph 0 mono blocks. Another big red JPS Inwall similarly terminated on the male side as the other 2 mention earlier, then used Furutech FI11AG(silver) on the IEC end connecting to the Wireworld Electrifier power strip.

From left: Input from Torus Power(side entry), followed by AOR Reference 003(to CDP), PS Audio Plus(to Pass X2.5), then another AOR Ref 003(to DIY phono stage), lastly Rega stock power cord. On extreme right used with convertor is for a reading light!

From the Wireworld power strip, which splits to 6 American style outputs that powers all my front end sources and pre amps, like the Marantz CD7, Pass Lab X2.5 pre amp, Rega P25 turn table and a Pass Lab ONO clone DIY phono stage. I had to re-terminate all previous 13 amps rated British plugs on the male side of all these cables, namely, the 2 pcs of AOR Reference 003(for the CDP and phono stage) and the Rega stock power cord[using Furutech FI11MG(gold) for both the AOR Reference 003 and Furutech FI11MCU for the Rega stock power cord]. The standard PS Audio Plus power cord already equipped with American style male plug was left alone. All re-terminated plugs are once again checked for polarity.

The Torus sitting own it's own lill' stool!

With all the re-management of power cords and the Torus Power RM8A sit on top it's own equipment rack, I powered up the system. No un-toward incident happened so far, which is a good thing. The first thing that hit me was how silent my system had become! Totally free from hiss and all other minute noise irritants, when ears are put right next to the tweeters of my speakers(with no music playing, and pre amp volume cranked up to my usual playing level). That's a real bonus. The moment music started playing, I immediately marvelled at the musical tonal colours palette all flushed out by the new power management. Also improved were the areas of image focus, mid range density and stage depth perception. Whilst I previously mentioned(during the Power Struggle review of the Torus Power RM8A), that it's strength was micro rather that macro dynamics. I am happy to report that while micro dynamics remained it's strong point, with proper connections(i.e, all the male American style and IEC Furutech plugs)macro dynamics gained some prominence too. However, I must stress that the Pure Power AP2000 is still king in that respect!

Also noted that the previously slightly splashy highs, are now presented in a very tidy, organic fashion, with plenty of air and extension smoothness to boot. The bass is now more gutsy and seem to go lower in extension. Note to note bass play are at once bouncy, clearly audible and yet tune full.

The front end: Marantz CD7, Pass Lab X2.5 pre amp, Rega P25 and Pass ONO cloned DIY phono stage.

In short, I love the way my system sounds now!

James of AV Designs called up to check on me, and ask "So, how does the second time(with the Torus Power) taste?" I replied happily, "Sweeter the second time round man! That much sweeter!"

I am sure some of you may have read, or at least are aware of the inspirational book, Dare to fail! Some day, I might just write a book too. Probably tittled Dare to dream. Yes that's it!

All I can say is, one must "dare to dream", because, sometimes they might just come true! I've had a few experiences in my audiophile life, some dreams may take longer to materialize than others, but eventually I got what I dream of. Here are the examples.

a) When I was a nappy wearing green horn high end audio aspirant, my dream was to have a pair of Pass Lab Aleph mono blocks. Thanks to my very good friend, Felix whom help me to secure the pair that I have now. Thanks again man.

b) When I was dreaming of the Marantz CD7, I wanted it so badly, I even prayed for one to appear on the local hifi classifieds(by then all 750 units made were already snapped up world wide, you could only get em "pre owned" and hopefully un abused). 3 years later, my prayers were answered! Thank god.

c) After hearing the Audioquest Sky interconnects at Hifikaki's place, I marveled at the level sound quality it could help a system achieve. I secretly wished for a pair too. 2 months later, a colleague helped me with the transaction and I have the Sky in my hands. Thanks to my esteemed and extremely helpful colleague(and he certainly knows whom he is).

d) I reviewed the Torus Power RM8A PLC a few weeks ago, see my post tittled Power Struggle? Torus Power RM8A, dated 14th March. I was totally floored by the Torus Power's ability to bring out the music's emotional nuances, so essential for my enjoyment. I didn't think I could afford it at that time. However, for the last 6 weeks or so, my friends have been betting, if I could hold off my lust for it. I am sorry guys, if you really believe I could go on without the Torus Power, you've lost your $$$. Ha!Ha!

Truth is, the last 6 weeks have sort of been a cooling off period for me, but the magic of the Torus Power proved too strong to resist. I surrendered to my audiophile lust and my musical dreams. Thanks to all whom have help me to procure the Torus Power.(and I am very sure you all know whom you are too!)

I am so very grateful to all my friends(and certainly the al' mighty and all powerfull one too!) whom have help me over the years to make my audiophile dreams come true.

Go on, have a dream, and may your dreams come true!

God Bless.

Proac Response Tri Tower. The slim and lanky profile permits better WAF(wife acceptance factor).

This is a speaker in which it's design brief probably means form first, but sound is almost if not equally as important. In today's expensive real estate environment, where spouses and kids thread places in the home, with every family member trying to elbow just that bit more room for each other's activities, audiophile compromises sometime takes precedence, for the sake domestic harmony. No wonder then space saving and sexy products like the plasma/LCD and lately LED screens have been top family entertainment equipment choice. Couple that flat screen to a set of equally sexy lifestyle designed speakers and an AVR receiver and you have the basic recipe for today's home entertainment system. Problem is, most of today's sexy lifestyle designed speakers also tend to have very un sexy voices, if strict audiophile standards are to be met!

Tri Towers, top-down view. Note the transparent cone on the top driver.

Here comes the Proac Response Tri Towers to fill that market niche. A pair of very slim and lanky towers, almost 4 feet tall, designed to complement the sexy flat screen look, and blend seamlessly in to the room/lounge decor, yet still sound sexy enough to satisfy the lust of a typically domesticated audiophile!

For the speaker to look slim and lanky, big woofers are out of the design brief. Instead, Proac opted to use 3 pcs of 4 1/2 inch aluminium bass drivers to do the equivalent work of a typical 8 inch driver. The remaining 2 drivers are a Vifa sourced tweeter and a transparent cone material mid driver, also measuring 4 1/2 inch, sitting a top the previously mentioned tweeter, probably lifted off the Proac Response 1SC. With a total array of 5 drivers per tower, the concept is not un similar to the line array concept, much used in the pro concert speaker set ups.

From another angle! Rated sensitivity is 90db @ 4 ohms. It goes very loud cleanly too.

All 5 view able sides of the speaker is lined with book matched veneer(the review sample featured cherry wood). There's a flared port at the bottom of the speaker box, supported by a X- designed plinth, with spikes at the four corners, which keeps the whole speaker tower very steady when set up. These slim, lanky Tri Towers are very heavy for their size, at 23kgs each! A knuckle rap test indicates very thick panels were used with much bracing enforcements inside the box.

The design looks very attractive indeed, but does it pass the muster where it matters most to the audiophile whom has to compromise on his speaker choice for the sake of keeping the domestic harmony? How much sound quality does he have to compromise?

The generic looking bi-wire able speaker terminals. Note the van den Hul CS122 cable used.

With the Tri Towers, I initially put the speakers where my Audio Physic normally sounds best, but ended up moving the speakers much more in to the room(I felt a little space for the speakers to breath will result in better sound). Finally settling for 48 inches from the speaker back wall and 20 inches from the side wall, in my 10ft x 12ft room, bass response was still a tad strong. I totally underestimated the performance of the dinky 4 1/2 inch bass drivers!. I also ended up moving the speaker cables to connect to the highs of the bi-wire able speaker terminals. That way the bass response is much more even in the room. I also found my regular speaker cable, the Straight Wire Maestro, is far too bloomy in the lower mids to complement the Proac. Instead I used a pair of silver coated vdH CS122, which seems to match this speaker better. All further comments in regards to the sound of the Tri Tower are based on these final set up and ancillary used.

First up, the Tri Towers presented a huge sound stage and imaging that is nearly life sized in my room. The speaker's ability to totally disappear in to the room sonically, is amongst the best I've experienced in my audio cave. This must surely be the result of the slim baffles, I think. The density of the images, especially rendering of vocals, must be highly commended. The speakers also presented string instruments like violin and piano, portraying their full richness of harmonic decay.

The nicely extended highs are vibrant and airy, yet never sibilant. The mids are rich, full and seemingly have that classic British lower mid bump signature in overall frequency response. That's why the bloomy nature of the Straight Wire Maestro speaker cables, which suited the more neutral Audio Physic Spark so much, is a little over whelming when used with the Proac. Where else the previously thought to be leaner sounding vdH CS122, seems so balanced when used here.

The bass response is strong, as I mentioned earlier, I under estimated those dinky 4 1/2 inch drivers. Whilst Proac specs claimed frequency response of down to 35hz, I think it's probably quoted at -3db or so. The Tri Towers just doesn't seem to go that deep(at least in the context of my room, that is). However, bass quality it delivers is very good for a floor ported design. Bass notes never sound one notey, the notes are always clearly audible. Over the period of 2 weeks or so in my audio cave, only 2 or 3 tracks, manages to up set the almost impeccable bass response. The killer percussion track no.15 on the Musik Wie Von Einiem Anderen Stern, or what most people call it "Manger CD" for short, is one short example. The big drums in the percussion ensemble does indeed sound a little hollow and somewhat insubstantial, comparing with speakers of more normal design. On the flip side though, the equally big Chinese drums on track no.5, tittled Three Plays Of Plum Blossom, in Koo Shuen's Melody All Over The Land, sounded very realistic, just as how my regular Audio Physic would present it to be. It's quite a paradox, the bass quality element of these Tri Towers.

Twin Towers! I like the way it matches the Pass Aleph 0 mono blocks.

In the area of transparency, the Proac Response Tri Tower, ever worthy member of the Response series, is very slightly more resolute, in the areas of low level details. However, the overall slightly coloured(I would prefer to call it harmonically rich) signature sound of the Response series, that endured so many fans over the years(Did you know the Proac Response D25 is the most cloned speaker in the world, ever?), is retained. I can now say that I am a fan too!

Priced at RM$16K, you can have your hifi cake and not just eat it, but almost finish it too. The speaker's audiophile integrity is still very much intact, and you can have your family bliss too, all the while enjoying your music, not to mention movies too(Did I tell you that the Tri Towers truly glorifies movie soundtracks too?, making them great for AV duties as well). Needless to say, I am impressed.

Proac Speakers are sold by CMY Audio & Visual, tel:03-21439206.

If anyone were to tell me that classical music as a genre is too quiet, boring, or too cultured, I'd like to sit the guy down in front of a good sound system, turn the volume knob up to the highest level that the amp, speakers and room can take, then blast the guy with Beethoven's Symphony #5. Then I'd like to hear him repeat his opinion about classical music again.

Ok, jokes aside. :-)

Beethoven's symphonies are grand, exciting, dramatic, at the same time it can sound raw, and even angry. This is, after all, sound crafted by an individual afflicted with the misfortunes of life (he was probably suffering from lead poisoning and was growing deaf), yet refusing to take it lying down.

Beethoven's 3rd Symphony marked a departure from the traditional symphonic form laid down by Haydn and Mozart before him, and he heralded the arrival of a new era, what musicologists call "Romanticism". Before this, music was composed for music's sake. Starting with Beethoven, composers used their music to express themselves more freely, music became more emotional, more dramatic, and personal.

Herbert von Karajan recorded a few cycles (four, I believe) of Beethoven's 9 symphonies, the version I have is his excellent 1963 cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic. It is vintage Karajan - majestic, sweeping and full of grandeur. If you want only one version of Beethoven's symphonies, this is arguably one of the top contenders.

Deutche Grammophon 429 036-2

My other Beethoven symphonic cycle is from Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. The first few times I listened to it, I did not 'get it', so I put it in cold storage for quite a while.

I did not 'get it' because I listened like I was listening to Karajan's version. Karajan highlighted and lingered on the many climactic moments in the symphonies. With Harnoncourt, I was waiting too for the same climaxes at the familiar places, but he just did not do these at all. With my expectations not met, I thought this cycle was simply, well, not up to par.

Teldec 2292-46452-2

How wrong I was! Later, listening to Harnoncourt in earnest again, it dawned on me that it was indeed an excellent cycle. Harnoncourt eschewed highlighting moments in this music for thrills - for example, contrast the opening bars of the 3rd and 5th symphonies between the two - Karajan's emphatic opening is exciting and sets the tone for the entire performance. Harnoncourt's is fleeting, almost nonchalant in his approach (I was thinking, "bummer, no excitement from these best moments in music.").

But what Harnoncourt did was to take an entirely different tack to these familiar tunes. Instead of focusing on the climactic moments, he adopted a very quick tempo, he held the energy and tension throughout his performance without letting go. The thrills for the listeners come from the sustained energy and clarity of his vision. The whole performance is done seemingly with one breath (the chinese expression for this is 一氣呵成). Each movement is presented as a unified whole, rather than as a string of moments.

Let me end with an analogy. Listening to Karajan is like you sitting in a big Merc, cruising on our North-South Highway at a good speed. Listening to Harnoncourt was like riding a zippy BMW, tearing downhill on the country roads of Cameroon Highlands.

Me? I like both Merc and BMW, depending on my mood. :-)

However, if you are just starting to sample Beethoven's symphonies, I'd advise you to start with Karajan, just like a comfy Merc will be preferred by most people, I believe. :-) (check out the normal culprits - #3, #5, #6, #9).

If you are already familiar with this music and want to get off the beaten path, Harnoncourt is cool.

Happy listening again.

P.S., another exciting Beethoven symphony cycle is from John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire Et Romantique. This one is even faster than Harnoncourt's, it is like sitting in a Ferrari. :-)

The system view! Though doesn't quite show on the above pic, the back wall is actually a shallow bay curved gently.

I was listening to one of Danny Summer's LP's with the above song tittle on this very system, and then it suddenly dawned on me that it's how this system owner, philosophically sums up in life as in hifi, Never give up!

This gentleman has been tinkering with hifi for past 30 odd years or so, and through out all the challenges faced and conquered, never gave up or wavered. That's the spirit!

The Jeff and Adam partnership, and an almost perfect one too!

Adam back woofer view, note the top to bottom connected via professional Neutrik Speak ON lock plugs.

The hifi is set up in a dedicated room, estimated to measure something like 15ft x 23ft with 10ft ceiling. The speaker's back wall is gently curved, just like a very shallow bay design. There are some bass traps at the room corners and echo busters at the back of the listening position.

The top range Wadia 7 CD Transport.
Partnering the equally top Wadia 9 DAC.
Wadia 9 DAC power supply, in separate box.

The system starts with a 4 pc Wadia Digital CD player, comprising of a Wadia 7 transport plus power supply, and Wadia 9 DAC linked via clock link cable. The said DAC also has it's own power supply! The other source is a Thorens Prestige, SME V tone arm and Koetsu Onix cartridge, which looks like it weights 50kgs or so! Phono stage is Jeff Rowland Design Group's(JRDG) Cadence and partnering Synergy Pre amp and power supply unit. The JRDG units look very impressive when stack up with FE Cera Balls in between, isolating them. The low level signal is then amplified by JRDG 9Ti 4pc power amps. The power amps have an elegant and sumptuous look to it, each sitting on 4pcs of FE Cera Pucs!

The Wadia 7 CD Transport power supply(left) and Thorens Prestige power supply(right).
Thorens Prestige, SME V tone arm and Koetsu Onix cartridge, excellent combo!

Finally, all the amplified sound is reproduced by a pair of recently purchased, and just run in, Adam Tensor speakers. The Adam is a 3 way design top(with the famed ribbon tweeters mated to a 6.5 inch carbon fiber mids) and a coupled to a bass module, which has a pair of self amplified, with built in volume, phase, low pass and x-over slope control, 12 inch carbon fiber bass drivers at the bottom operating in push-push configuration at the front and back baffles.

From top: Jeff Rowland Desgn Group Synergy power supply, pre amp and Cadence phono stage. Note the FE Cera balls in between?
JRDG pre amp, phono stage back end!

Interconnects are from MIT, Kubala Sosna and speaker cable is from top range Transparent XL SS. PS Audio supplies all power product package in the form of UPC200 conditioner and the Statement power cord supplying to all front end and pre amp components. A PS Audio Duet filters the power source to the power amps. All cables sit on cable elevators.

High end cables galore! MIT, Kubala Sosna, and Tranparent. Cardas is DC power supply cord from power supply module.
PS Audio UPC200, with various PS Audio power cord, including the top range statement(with blue network box).

The sound is confident, big, life size scale(as a big system should be) and very open(with no shut in detected at the fringes of the sound stage). The treble quality is at once, smooth, articulate and extended. The mids very liquid, face, mouth, lips, chest, hips and all solidly anchored within the huge sound stage. Needless to say imaging is first rate. The bass is goes impressively low, loading the room down to the actual claimed spec of 22hz! If you've being a car audio nut like me, and played with the Bass Mekanik test CD, you'd know what I mean. From 25hz downwards, you could hear each bass cycle clearly loading the room, that feeling which moves the guts and heart of a music lover is priceless. In order to reproduced such solid bass, the all the flexible adjustments provided by the Adam's woofer module, has been well tweaked by the owner. The system's transparency is first class, yet always neatly integrated in to the whole presentation of the music, never calling attention to it self.

Jeff's a beast! Never get hot at all. The 2 pcs at the side is power supply units to the 2 mono blocks in the middle.
The back end of the 4pcs mono blocks. Note the cable elevators and PS Audio Duet power line filter.
Jeff Rowland 9Ti, standing loud and proud! This system is capable of ear shattering loudness.

I asked the owner what is his next hifi game plan? Without hesitant, he answered, "room treatment!" He is said to have ordered some custom Auralex stuff, and they are on route to be delivered to him soon. He further explained that because his speakers have just started to run in, he can now experiment with room treatments. Clearly a work in progress system, that can only get better with time. I can't imaging how stupendously glorious sounding it will be once complete.

Another look at the new star, Adam Tensor. Note pyramid tweak at the right of speaker on marble. Supposed to open up the sound stage!

"Never give up!" does indeed sounds like this system owner.