It has been more than 1 years since my last visit to AV Designs. So, when I had the day off on Xmas eve, I did not miss the chance to visit and get updated with their latest set up and offerings. In the past 1 year, AV Designs have brought in a number of new names under their belt - ARCAM, Lexicon, JBL, ASCENDO etc.
SET UP 1
In the smaller HT room, AV Designs have set up a 5.5.2 speaker configurations using JBL HDI-3800 fronts, HDI-4500 centre speakers, ASCENDO CCM5-P surround and ATMOS speakers and SV12 subs. All driven by ARCAM FMJ AVR.
I was entertained by 5.5.2 and 5.3.2 settings and I prefer the latter as it provided a more relaxing but still punchy experience. The ported ASCENDO SV12 subs provides a more extensive low frequency but hard hitting bass is not its forte. This is actually my preference as I get uncomfortable if the bass is a really hard hitting physically.
My main amazement came from the fronts HDI 3800 fronts. Looking at the top horns on them, I was worried that it would be too sharp on my ears especially during blasting of movie tracks. However, to my surprise, the speakers did not sound 'horny' at all. Very musical in fact when playing concert movies.
The second part is the ASCENDO surround speakers. The unique design disperse the effects in all direction, providing a more realistic surround ambient as oppose to a unidirectional sound form the unit itself.
All of these were driven by an ARCAM FMJ AVR (no longer in production but wait for my review of the AVR20).
SET UP 2
In the main room, a 7.7.4 set up was the main highlight of my visit there. With PMC remains as the LCR speakers, the subs were 4 units ASCENDO SMS G18, 1 unit of SMSG24 and 2 units of SMSG15 and the surround and ATMOS speakers are ASCENDO CCRM6P. All were driven by the JBL Synthesis SDP55 processor and PMC Active amps (LCR) and Bryston power amps.
I have seen the evolution of this room ever since AV Designs was in Rohas Perkasa. Many different speakers and AVR were installed previously but I must say, this is the best set up I have experience in this particular room thus far. With the calibration done properly, the ambient of any movies played through this set up is so natural that I felt like there live sounds around me and not coming from any speakers. (Refer to El Hefe HiFi Review Facebook for video samples)
SET UP 3
The open area hosts a number of new speakers and hifi equipment. I was particularly attracted to the newly opened, Limited Edition for Malaysia and Singapore only, Falcon Acoustics Maida Vale speakers. Only 10 units in the shop now with total 50 units only to be produced.
There was also the huge JBL Model 4349 Studio Monitor on static display and also ARCAM ST60 streamer being played through PMC Cor amp and PMC Fact 12. Of course, I cant resist but to take home the streamer for a review.
Why not start 2022 with something special for your hifi set up? Head down to AV Designs and request a demo for any of these items you fancy.
H-2-6, Block H, Boulevard Business Park, No. 115, Jalan Kepayang 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
There have always been debates on cables, may it be power cables or even speakers cables and interconnects. Does it make a different in one's system? How can a short power cable makes a different when power supply from utility company is as raw as it can be with some of the toughest industrial cables being used? Yes, I had a series of power cables being installed in my system, ranging el cheapo came in the box cables to 5 figures priced cables as well. My resident cables are a mixture of Siltech and QED. In my experience, each power cable that came into my system, it does give me different experience. It is however a matter of whether it is significant enough for me to actually spend more on new power cables when my existing ones are already doing its job for my pleasure.....
.................until Chorus Audio contacted me.
The Siltech and QED have been in my system for over 10 years and whilst there were many other power cables that came in throughout those years for review, I never changed them. However, with these 2 Chorus Audio power cables, I am finding it a bit hard to return them.
Read on....
Chorus Audio is locally brewed, professionally hand made with over 30 years of passion in audio. The cables are made from few types of cables and hand weaving technique with triple insulations. For the 2 power cables I received (Moonlight Reference and Moonglow), both of them are copper based but Moonlight Reference is combination of solid core and multicore combination of OCC while Moonglow is only using multicore pure copper.
The craftmanship is actually of high professional level. Very sturdy and have high level of stiffness (Moonlight Ref). On the other hand, Moonglow is more flexible. The sleeve on the Moonlight is a matter of personal preference. To me its OK but some might say its leaning towards unattractive :). Most importantly, both ends are terminated properly and it fits well into my units and also Furutech US plug points.
THE SET UP
The Moonlight is recommended to be used with an amplifier while Moonglow can be used for amp or sources. For this review, I tried the following:
Moonlight - SPL Audio Performance Power Amp
Moonglow - SPL Direct Mk2 pre amp, McIntosh MCD350 SACD player and HiFi Rose RS150 streamer
The best impact to me is to use the Moonglow with the HiFi ROSE RS150.
At the point of review, the cables have been run in for more than 300 hours easily.
THE TRACKLIST
Easy on Me by Adele - TIDAL MQA
Enter Sandman by Metallica - WAV 24/96
Whiskey In The Jar by Metallica - WAV 16/44
Take Five by Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band - TIDAL MQA
Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman - WAV 16/44
THE SESSION
Easy on Me
This is my latest favorite track. Something about Adele that I feel no other singer can deliver is how she relates her personal experience in her performance. With the introduction of these 2 Chorus Audio power cables, I feel that the delivery of of Adele's vocal sounded sweeter and more luscious with lots of energy behind it. Cleaner performance as I can get really engaged to Adele's husky voice when she belts out the chorus. This is a simple song with piano, a bit of percussion and bass but the power cables really opened up my system and provide a bigger staging and made the track sounded large, bold and 'full'.
Enter Sandman
Now that I feel the power cables can really make a laid back song like Easy on Me to sound lively and energised, I like to see how will an already energized song like Enter Sandman will sound like. To my surprise, my system continue to sound very open and at the same time, the low end spectrum sounded even more solid and controlled. I just love the sound of the toms and bass drum being played by Lars on this track. Sounded full, bold and heart pounding indeed. Clarity is another aspect that I find was further enhanced after using these power cables.
Whiskey In The Jar
Just to ensure my ears are not playing tricks on me with Enter Sandman, I then played Whiskey In The Jar. Although I did not get the same experience with Enter Sandman (somehow did not feel the same level of energy), the open presentation was still there but a little thin on the bass. Lars drums did not sound as impactful as on Enter Sandman. The overall sound was a little bit too laid back to my liking. Clarity was still evident with clear and cleaner vocal by James. The heavy guitar riffs also sounded a little bit thin. Could it be because Enter Sandman was played on hi res while this was on 16/44 ripped from CD? Maybe.
Take Five
While I usually use the original Take Five by Dave Brubeck for reviews, I decided to use this upbeat version given the fun and livelier sound I am getting using these power cables by Chorus Audio. The delivery of the brass instruments and saxaphone is the highlight as oppose to the percussion from the original version. With this track, the power cables again open up my system even wider but the beauty of it is actually, it does not loose any grip on the bass. Very often I feel that when a system opens more, it looses its grip on either the bass or mids. Not with these Chorus Audio power cables. Its like I am in a club and the band is asking me to get up and put on my dancing shoes and dance along with this upbeat tune.
Time To Say Goodbye
Can't complete a review until I play my all time favorite track. This is when I can confirm that the addition pf these power cables have elevated the sound experience in my system particularly on tracks with vocal as its main strength. Sarah's vocal in which can be a bit ear pinching if played on a bright system, did not show any signs of that but instead, the same energy that I felt from previous track was again evident in this track. Cleaner vocals with an injection of energy behind it that made the overall performance to be livelier and engaging. Andrea's vocal also benefitted as his deep voice was further refined, delivering a remarkable blend into the music and compliments Sarah's vocals too. Mesmerizing indeed.
THE CONCLUSION
Both these Chorus Audio Moonlight Reference and Moonglow definitely have something special in it. It has really open up my system even further without deteriorating the bass that I love from my PMC speakers. It did wonders to vocals sweetness and enhance the engagement of music. Clarity is another aspect that I find to have improved too. At first, I was a little bit confused as these cables are copper based (which I believe will usually enhance the low frequency spectrum) but what I am hearing is more emphasis on mids and highs, bringing out the clarity even further and also vocals. However, after many hours of listening through various genres, I can conclude that what it really does is creating a 'cleaner' environment for the music to be reproduced by the system.
Overall, I feel these power cables will help to open up many systems that may sound a little closed in or struggling with sound staging. If anyone feels that their system is a bit restricted and less engaging, these power cables may be something that you want to try to audition in your system.
If you are interested to know more or would like purchase these cables, you can either Whatsapp Chorus Audio on +60 11-7010 9244 or email them at info.chorusaudio@gmail.com
How much you ask? If it was based on the impact I get, I initially thought these cables will hit 5 figures. Lo and behold.....Chorus Audio is giving a promo price now....
Moonlight Reference - RM1699
Moonglow - RM550
Seriously, what are you waiting for? Chorus Audio just need at least 1 week for Moonglow and 3 weeks for Moonlight to hand make your order. If the materials are available upon ordering, it can be as fast as 3 days.
When I decided to drive up to Penang for my annual solo trip / run this year, I wanted to also visit some friends, old and new. Got to know Dr. Anwar a few months back when I had the chance to review his AA Music streamer. So, being in Penang for a few days and after I am done with my Nasi Kandar and running needs, off I went to visit this audio enthusiast. Spent about 5 hours there.
His system includes Harbeth and Focal speakers, McIntosh amplification, JL Audio subs, Marantz SACD player, a monstrous TORUS power management system, TW Acustic Turntable and of course, various versions of his own masterpiece streamer design -The AA Music Streamer.
I experienced the different sound coming from The AA Music streamer based on different tweaks and design topology by the owner. This particular clip is the one that I like best. The clarity from this model clearly surfaced up his best work compared to when I reviewed his streamer a few months ago.
He incorporated 2 subwoofers in his set up but we only use 1 during the session. The way he set up the sub created a seamless sound with an enveloping atmosphere. As his sub can be easily switched on and off, there was a clear different between having a sub or not.
On the HT side as well, he set up a 5.2 channel which was sufficient for his living room. Testing out Avatar, it was truly engaging experience. Very nicely done.
His set up is another example of a non dedicated Hifi/HT room done right. It may not be perfect with respect to having 2 pair of speakers set up near to each other but nevertheless, it was still quite impressive.
Thank you Dr. Anwar for your hospitality. And big thank you to the Mrs as well for a splendid dinner. El Hefe went back to hotel as a happy man!.
I have not reviewed a local brew for sometime now. Heck, I have slowed down as a whole when it comes to reviews mainly due to the change in my main job. Nevertheless, when I was introduced to Dr. Anwar Ali by Kamali and was requested to review and provide feedback to an AA Music Streamer prototype, I accepted it, The early chit chat with this designer brought back memories of my early years in CAS way back in early year of 2000/2001. I have gone through (or more like killed) 3 Windows laptops and 1 Mac trying to get the best SQ (and cheap) from CAS over the course of 12 to 13 years playing CAS. Once a dedicated hifi streamer came about at a more affordable price, I stopped using laptops and PC as an audio source. I believe my first dedicated streamer was Musical Fidelity M1 CLiC back in 2013 or so.
Anyway, getting back to this unit, the good Dr. Anwar arranged for a unit to be sent to my place. Given the MCO at that time, it took a few days to arrive from northern Malaysia. Properly packed and just like receiving a new PC. It is quite heavy and the chassis deserves 10/10 marks for sturdiness, simplicity and sleekness with just a power button and CD slot in mechanism. The main power switch is located at the rear and my, my, my.... just look at the rear panel will definitely remind you of your home PC. With various USB ports and optical port, potential user will be spoilt with multiple HDD access. The single USB port nearer to the power switch is for user to connect with your own preferred DAC.
For this unit, Dr. Anwar have also installed 2 x 1 TB SSD, complete with a few reference hi res files. Why 2 SSD? This is the beauty of flexibility I mentioned above. One SSD is running on Linux with Euphony as the playback software and Windows 10 with JPLAY FEMTO as the playback software. Potential user can discuss with the great doctor on which route to go for. For me, for a straight plug and play, stick to Euphony as it allows a headless operation of the unit. Opting for JPLAY FEMTO on Windows 10 will give you a better SQ but you need some basic computer literacy to maintain the system.
The unit also comes with a CD ripper function but only when used in Euphony version.
For this review, I am focusing on 2 main elements Euphony and JPLAY FEMTO:
Custom 230VA low-noise audio-grade toroidal transformer from Europe, center potted, with outside magnetic screen and primary/secondary static screen
The final product ATX LPSU (dual LM108x series)
o3A 5V standby
o3A 12V and 5A 12V (either for ATX, CPU, or both)
o5A 5V ATX
o5A 3.3V ATX
o1.5A 5V for USB Audio
oPre-regulation for SSD daughter card
o3 x 1.5A 5V voltage regulator daughter card for SSD & optical slim drive
Total three SATA devices can be powered, maximum 1.5A per device
All linear voltage regulators attached to the sides of FC10 case for best thermal management
Configuration Options
Silver or black Streacom FC10 Alpha computer case color
16GB or 32GB SODIMM RAM
32GB RAM recommended if playing albums in DSD 4x and highest PCM rate
Optional slim optical drive (for ripping CD)
Additional SSD drives for increased music files storage capacity
Maximum up to 4 SSD drives without optical drive
Maximum up to 3 SSD drives with optical drive
Default configuration is a single 1 TB SSD
Optional USB filter to improve USB Audio 5V power supply quality
Playback Software ·Euphony,
USD299 or 249 Euro oArchLinux-based
headless system, no screen, keyboard and mouse required oFor
playback control, smartphone or tablet is required (install Euphony app) oSupports
Qobux, TIDAL, Roon integration oFor best
sound quality, playback from internal SSD storage is recommended using Euphony
Stylus ·Windows 10
+ JPLAY FEMTO oInstallation
requires screen, keyboard and mouse.
Once drivers installed and setups tweaked, can run headless oFor
playback control, smartphone or tablet is required using Android app
BubbleUPnP. May need RM15 optional
purchase for full features without adverts oCan do
streaming oFor best
sound quality, playback from internal SSD storage is recommended using and JPLAY FEMTO Server and JPLAY FEMTO UPnP Renderer
USER INTERFACE (IU)
Euphony UI on Android is easy to maneuver between various sources. It took me about 10 mins to set up the Euphony and be connected to the AA Streamer. Access to the internal SSD was immediate while it took another 10 minutes for me to set up the other over the network sources (NAS, HiFiROSE, SONY HAP Z1 ES and TIDAL). The response time between choosing a song and the playback is just about 3 seconds. Similar to most streamers, you have to add your songs to the playback list.
JPLAY FEMTO UI (via BubbleUPnP app free version) is more basic and involves switching between Library (local, NAS, Cloud, TIDAL etc) and renderers. IT gives various option to play from one source to various streamers as well. The TIDAL interface does not give full details of the track like Euphony and on the free version, it is limited to only 16 tracks at a time in the playlist.
THE TRACKS
Japanese Roots by Takadake (PCM)
Time To Say Goodbey by Andrea Bocelli (PCM)
Come Away With Me by Norah Jones (DSD)
Take Five by Dave Brubeck (DSD)
THE SESSION (EUPHONY)
Japanese Roots
On this track, I was expecting the Euphony to playback with great punch and huge soundstage. While the punch was there but overall soundstage sounded a bit small to my liking. The wind instrument sounded a bit flat as I am used to listening to this track with such high energy sweeping through my listening area. Not the usual excitement I get from listening to this track.
Time to Say Goodbye
Another favourite track of mine for vocal differences. Sarah Brightman's vocal started off nicely with a hint of energy, lifting up the song with a lively atmosphere. Andrea's vocal also sounded wholesome and reproduced to showcase his great voice. It did drown a bit to the background music once more instruments came into the picture and come to a stage where the duet was simultaneous, Andrea's vocal started to dominate the track and Sarah's vocal just drowned behind it. Could not enjoy this track as per my usual experience with my own streamer either the SONY HAP Z1 ES or HiFi ROSE RS150.
Come Away With Me
This track brought joy to me as the Euphony managed to surface the emotion behind this song. Her vocal was surfaced up with high clarity but at times, it sounded a bit too laid back. The piano works was a little laid back too, overpowered by the vocal. The soundstage was sufficient but I needed more from this great track especially during the solo guitar. If there was more energy in the guitar sound, it would have made the playback more emotionally connected to me.
Take Five
The toughest track to me for any streamer to playback decently on my system. The Euphony, while it reproduced the song quite melodious, it lacked the punch that this track needs from the percussion and double bass. It excelled in delivering the airy sax works but I am used to a much more punchier low frequency. The percussion needed to sound spot on and accurate to its classic drum set up.
THE SESSION (JPLAY FEMTO)
Japanese Roots
On this track, the most obvious change I noticed is in the wind instrument in which a livelier and spacious sound can be heard. The low end frequency also is more extensive and more to my liking with respect to my speakers. The overall ambient of the playback via FEMTO seems to provide a more enveloping experience with more energy sweeping through my listening area. The percussion sounded hard hitting with sufficient punch for my speakers.
Time To Say Goodbye
Now, I gave a mixed feeling with this track. At times, I feel that playback through the FEMTO was more on the sharp side especially with Sarah Brightman's vocal. Andrea Bocelli's vocal did not come out as good as I am used to. The energy was still there but somehow sounded a little bit too thin compare to playback on my own streamer. The overall track however was reproduced in such a lively manner that I feel that it was a live concert. Brough me back to the time where I brought my wife to watch his concert in Bukit Jalil several years ago.
Come Away With Me
Somehow, with her recent few albums, I lost interest in Norah Jones. The AA Streamer on FEMTO however reminded me of how much used to love her songs. Her voice juts came out top notch on this playback, elevated in a way that brought up the emotion through. Even the piano works sounded very lively even for a slow number such as this. The solo guitar also was very melodious with no hint of shrilling highs. Again, the soundstage and ambient was huge, filling up my hall with great music. I do not have to even sit directly in front of my set up in the king's throne but still felt that the music was everywhere.
Take Five
This is the hardest track for the AA Streamer to impress me. I felt that with Euphony, there was insufficient energy to really playback this track through my system. It was the opposite for FEMTO. A very pleasant presentation with the bass digs really deep and the snare drum fills sounded well spread out to give me that extensive impact. The toms on the percussion sounded deep but did not loose that hollow sound of a classic drum set. The piano sounded melodious and energised too. The tingling sound of the ride cymbal was sharp, crisp and accurate to each note. Finally, the sax works was the killer where it sounded really huge and spacious, creating that huge soundstage feeling for my set up.
THE CONCLUSION
A tough to be honest to decide which one to go for as a whole streamer package. No doubt, sound wise I prefer the JPLAY FEMTO on Windows 10 despite my previous experience to get a good SQ with Windows PC. It was actually a clear cut between JPLAY and Euphony. However, as oppose to CAS, UI is of an extreme importance when it comes to a dedicated streamer. For this, the Euphony is a much more flexible and easier to use compare to FEMTO. It may sound odd but in my book, a streamer needs to have an exceptional UI. Truth be told, based on various streamers I owned and reviewed (MF, Bryston, ARCAM, Sony, ROSE, CaryAudio, Melco etc), Sony HAP Z1 ES is still the most intuitive and accurate UI.
For me, if anyone is looking into getting a real piece of serious hardware for music playback for CAS, it is worthwhile to have a chit chat with Dr. Anwar about this unit. It is also recommended to identify what DAC you will be using the streamer with as Dr. Anwar may need to pre load the driver for your DAC.
Overall, I feel that this AA Music Streamer excels in reproducing the music in a huge soundstage and create that enveloping listening experience. The low frequency was delivered in great punch and extensive enough to push the ATL on my PMC Twenty5 26i. The highs are sweet and melodious especially on JPLAY FEMTO.
Good to see a really solidly built and good topology by a local hifi designer especially on the low powered motherboard. Dr. Anwar paid extra attention on this as part as his design philosophy.
THE EQUIPMENT
For this review, the AA Music Streamer was connected to my SPL Director Mk2 pre amp built in DAC.
The pandemic impacted not only major industries globally but also our beloved hifi industry. Some are negative and some are positive. For the founder of Kronos Audio, Louis Desjardins the past 1 and 1/2 years have proven to be a period where more engineering wonders have emerged from his passion of music enjoyment. He has translated that passion into the latest addition to the Kronos turntable line up - The Discovery.
I had the pleasure to chit chat with him to hear more about this latest design. In this 45 minutes chit chat, Louis shared his experience in coming up with another step up in analogue performance from the previous Sparta and Pro turntables. This include the chassis and the electronics behind it and also the Kronoscope tonearm.
Louis also explained on what to be expected from The Discovery compared to previous models. Saying the The Discovery is total revamp is an understatement. This is not a limited edition model but its more as an exclusive edition as it will go into a more restricted market.
Louis also shared his exciting plans for existing Pro owners to upgrade to the new Discovery model.
Specific to Malaysia, given that we already could not organised 2 KLIAV shows (2020 and 2021), Louis is still hoping the global borders will start to open up soon and he will come to Malaysia and share more about the Discovery.
Currently, there are already a few units being sent out for reviews in USA and also the UK. There are also a few units already being sent out to new buyers!
Have a listen to this chit chat to know more about the new Discovery.
This is not a typical hifi or HT review as it is more the essentials behind it which is the Internet quality especially for video streaming.
While my previous Internet hardware of a router downstairs and a repeater upstairs seems to do the job for 4K and TIDAL streaming, the seamless connectivity has diminished eversince WFH started in March 2020. With 4 MS Team users and 1 Zoom user concurrently, plus Netflix, Apple TV, TIDAL and Spotify usage, buffering and 'internet not available' issues seems to be getting worst by the day. This happens even with a full wifi signal bar can be seen on my devices.
Video call drops, unable to finish a streaming movie, TIDAL drops, video on YT and on FB not loading....are some of the issues that has become unbearable.
I had read and watched videos about ISPs not telling consumers everything about the state of internet in Malaysia compared to neigbouring countries and this situation could be remedied by some other devices. I was not fully convinced until a few days ago....
A demo was set up to show how to remedy this. It took about 15 mins whereby my Internet wifi experience elevated to a new level soon after. I have been meddling with all sorts of gadgets from power plugs, repeaters, stronger routers, longer antennas... nothing compares to this unit installed by POWER LINK WiFi Solution.
After 2 days of multiple MS Teams session by 4 users, smooth 4K playback from Netflix, Apple,Disney+, TIDAL, Spotify, I now can confidently say that this thing works. Forwarding movies now is really smooth, loading of videos are much faster and no MS Team video calls dropped in the past 2 days.
I am not all well versed on how it works but if you would like to have a no obligation demo, you can contact Tahir Mazlan for a home visit.
Andy or also known as Baba Andy is one of the local male artist that I follow ever since he was in the underground band called Flop Poppy all the way back to the early 90s. When an announcement by Custones Production for the pre-order of his latest masterpiece popped up on my FB, I did not hesitate to put in an order immediately. Based on Andy's previous works, I know I will enjoy the new songs. However, what is unique about this album is Custones Productions first album release.
Custones Productions was formed on 26 Dec 2020 as a record label providing pre and post audio/video production and also artist/band management services. Basically the A-Z of producing and releasing your music to the public. The company is managed by skillful team members lead by music producer cum engineer; Y8 a.ka. Faraque Daud under his privately owned Y8Studio in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Packaging of this CD album was nicely done in a Custones box with also a thank you note. For those who pre-ordered the CD, it arrived a day before the official release of the album. I immediately put on the CD into my McIntosh MCD350 SACD player and got hooked onto the 1st song called Lukiskan Aku Hati which is now my favourite track on this album.
The album consists of 8 great tracks:
Lukiskan Aku Hati - vibes from the 70/80s, a touch of Earth, Wind and Fire type of music. A fun, catchy song. It stuck in my mind throughout the whole day and it made me cover it on my drums later that evening. Not an easy one actually. Lots of shuffling.
Dan Ku Akui - the guitar plucking throughout the track, percussion and I believe is some trumpet works reminds me of some great Latin tunes.
Lain - Yes yes another great drum works on this track. A mixture of U2 and Radiohead.
Terus - A slower ballad in which I can feel Andy's emotional side though his passion on this track.
Read The Book - One cannot shy away from thinking that this is a remix of Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel the first time listening to it. But as you keep on listening to it, you will realise is not even close to Mrs. Robinson. The tune is another fun to listen and play along.
Aku Suami Mu - Such a sweet tune. Reminds me a bit of Noh Salleh's attempt on his Angin Kencang EP. However, again, keep on listening and I realise this is actually a very refreshing song. With a little bit of Barry White in it, strong bass line and lots of open-close hihat works here.
Aku Tahu - Similar to track 3, lots of U2 influence here but with Andy's excellent bass line. The drum works sound quite basic but blended in nicely. The guitar works on this track sounded raw but refreshing at the same time.
Sebelum Aku Tidur - The slowest tempo song on this album aptly name Before I Sleep. Not really my taste but I can feel Andy's emotion singing this song.
Now, on the sound quality. I believe Y8 and his team did a marvelous job for their first official production. This album indeed was mixed, mastered and produced with neutrality in mind. There was no specific focus on any particular frequency range. However, neutral here does not mean flat. The dynamics and energy coming from this CD made me move my feet and shake my head to the beat while working from home throughout the day. Now, for those who follow my reviews will know that one of my way to appreciate a good product or album is when it can deliver that high emotional aspect into my listening pleasure. The music and sound quality from this album did exactly that. Y8 and his team managed to surface up musical instruments at a level where it highlights the best of how it should sound. My favourite bit is of course the drum works and also the bass line. On top of that, despite of all these highlights, Andy's vocal was not lost nor submerged in the music but blend rather harmoniously.
