In the local HiFi scene, I am thankful that I have always had the opportunity to review some of the local products such as Stoner Acoustics DACs, KOGA amps, Doc TT SUT, Captain Sph SLAT TT, HiFiCreations Arpaggio, Frank Powerbank etc. Each of the product have its own flavour and I know, there are many local and international audiophiles have them in their system. But this particular product is one that I have never had my hands on. Mainly due to logistic challenges as the designer is based in Melaka, about 3 hours drive away and his product is huge and heavy.
Ben's Audio is a name that have been the talk of the local customs made amp group for the past few years. Although I am in contact with the designer off and on, but we have never had the chance to collaborate for a review to be done. One particular lucky audiophile in Melaka went through a custom made journey with Ben and his monoblocks are now residing as a reference to the owner Faisal or fondly known as CB. It is paired with a pre amp, also designed by Ben and Gyrodec TT, Trichord phono and Harbeth and Audio Note speakers to complete the set up.
Last Saturday, 6th October 2018, I had the chance to spend 3 hours listening to these monoblocks. It was not a critical review session but more on a first impression, for fun and giggles with the owner. I also had the pleassure to listen to them with 2 different pair of speakers.
I didnt bring my recording microphone along, hence the sound quality may not be representative. So, to make it more interesting and fun, I have combined the videos of the 2 speakers being played with Ben's monoblocks and I will let you guess which speakers is represented by my description below.
First up, this Sheila Majid LP was presented in a huge soundstage and airy ambience. You can feel that the monoblocks elevated the overal sound to be a bit more orchestral. The percussion sounds more dispersed rather than splashy or hard hitting. I could do with a little bit more low end bass. But the detail and clarity is of the higher level of transparency.
After about an hour or so, we took a break and enjoyd a cuppa with local curry puffs courtesy of the Mrs. Then the next set of speakers were hooked up. Now, this is acompletely different presentation. With the second speakers, the music flows naturally with a smaller staging but it came with a solid body sound. Bass was tighter with loads of grip. It hits harder and digs deeper while retaining that valve sound.
Now, both speakers have high-ish sensitivity, 86 and 93. And the monoblocks were delivering 20 wpc. However, I feel that monoblocks was less of a match for the speaker with the higher sensitivity, mainly due to the lack of subtance in low end frequency.
We played other LPs as well just to ensure the comparison was evident with other higher quality LPs and the similar sound character was experience in both speakers.
On the whole, Ben's Audio monoblocks does match beautifully with one of the speakers. A journey which took the owner Faisal and Ben over a year to get that fine tweaks in the design to match well with his choice of speakers. It provided Faisal the body of the music that he desires and at the end of the day, we let go of any technical approach of the session and just enjoy the music. And at one stage, when I start to get goosebumps and I just close my eyes and let my head shake and feet tap to the rhythm of the music, thats the ultimate satisfaction that I got from this custom made monoblocks and the set up of Faisal. And I am quite sure he enjoys his set up a lot too.
August 2018 marked the month where yours truly went for a solo trip to fulfill 3 different missions. One of the mission is actually to explore and experience a couple of British brands in their own designer's den. The first stop on 29th August 2018 was in Brighton which coincides with my visit to my alma mater. Brighton is where one audiophile can pay a visit and experience Audio Note. Although I didn't manage to visit the manufacturing or the headquarter itself, I managed to get a couple of hours to visit the Audio Note Lounge, located at No. 25, Montefiore Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN3 1 RD. Dale Linzey (owner/distributor) carries mainly Audio Note and my favourite brand for a long time, Musical Fidelity. He also carries the Roon Nucleus if you are into streaming.
My jaw literally dropped when I first stepped into the shop as this is actually the first time I see with my own eyes, a huuuuuugggeee record collection. All these whiles it was just on the internet. That alone gave me goosebumps. I am sure Dale was skeptical of the purpose of my visit all the way from Malaysia but after explaining that I am not on any official duty as a reviewer but its more of a social visit, things got relaxed a lot. And I did mention to him that my listening experience to Audio Note during the KLIAV show in the past few years, left me a big question mark on why people are so hyped up about Audio Note. I was far from impressed with the performance so I decided to really listen to them where it all started.
Since I only had only a couple of hours, we decided to use Roon as our source for the day. Various tracks were played, mostly based on my preferred tracks like Dave Brubeck's Take Five, Jennifer Wearnes etc. What I experience on that day was completely the opposite to what I heard in KLIAV show. Audio Note set up was lively, accurate and fast. Bass was well delivered and had a certain level slam that I am amazed of. The vocals through this set up was sweet and luscious with no sign of sounding too high of a pitch. I could do with a little bit more of mids to have an overall balance experience but that was negligible.
We also chatted about our experiences with various Musical Fidelity equipment. Truth be told, I was feeling rather dissapointed that the legendary MF brand was sold to Project recently, loosing its British grounds for the future products. 20 years I have been with this brand ranging from A1, XA1, XA50, XDAC, XACT, XRay, XCAN, V1 to V3 of X Series, KW550 Superchargers, M1 DAC, ViNL, PWR, CDT, M6 DAC and M6i amp. I must say I am currently quite lost with regards to the future of MF quality. But after talking to Dale whom is an MF enthusiast as well, I am well convinced now that I shall stick Musical Fidelity at the moment.
Back to Audio Note, I came out of the venue with a totally 180 degree turn on my perspective of Audio Note. Given the right room and was set up properly, It can sound B-E-A- utiful.
Thanks Dale for accommodating my request. Your CDs are on the way.
With hifi companies and designers mushrooming all over the world, consumers are spoilt with choices. While most companies maintain their offerings in the traditional design, some companies tend to go a different route. DA&T, a hifi company from Taiwan decided to go for a modern, minimalist and mini design. However it is not light given the size of their components. During the KLIAV show 2018 recently, the Sky Audio/Doc TT room was featuring an integrated amplifier from this company to drive their set up show case. They also had this QZ DAC unit on static display. Given a quite impressive performance from its amplification brother during the show, I was curious on how their digital side of things would sound like. Having to hear this, Doc TT offered me the unit for review on the last day itself.
The Specifications
The QZ is a fully specced DAC digital pre amp but with some odd options. At the point of summarizing this, there are still some question burning in me to get an answer for them. But the manual is in Taiwanese and the website of minimal information.
It is also a headphone amp which the socket is located at the front fascia.
The Inputs
There are total of 8 inputs.
1 x USB
2 x optical
3 coaxial (1 of them is for DDS which I am not sure what is that)
1 x RCA analogue
1 x Bluetooth wireless
The Outputs
There are total of 3 outputs.
1 pair x RCA stereo
1 pair x 2.5 mm XLR (Not sure why this size)
1 x coaxial (to further connect into anothr DAC?)
I was also informed that the DAC chip used for QZ is an ESS Sabre chip similar the one that was used in Oppo SDAC.
It can handle up to 32/384 sampling of raw files and also DSD 256.
It is a very sturdily built design, weighing up to nearly 4 kg for a small unit like this. Buttons on the side is to change the inputs and also volume control. It feels quite luxurious I might say for a simple design like this. You can feel it that the company did not try to cut corners and produce a shoddy physical design.
But here comes another puzzling issue. Remote control is currently optional. So how do you change inputs and control volume. Well, by using theese 3 side buttons.
The middle button is for you to select the inputs by pressing the button repeatedly and checking the LED indicator atthe front fascia that corresponds to one of the 8 inputs. How do you know which input you are at? By remembering the sequence of the inputs in the rear from left to right. When the LED is at position 1, its USB. Position 2, its RCA in. So on and so on until input 8. Good luck!
The other 2 buttons is to control the volume.
To put the unit on standby, press the middle button for more than 3 seconds.
The Tracks
I will try to show in 4 different videos how the QZ reacts with different quality level of digital source. I have the following 4 tracks:
Turn Me On by Norah Jones on SACD, connected from an ARCAM CDS50 to the QZ via coaxial
Temptation by Diana Krall in AAC 24/96 streamed from the ARCAM via coaxial as well
Somewhere Somebody by Jennifer Wearnes in DSD ripped directly from a vinyl. Connected from SONY HAPZ1 ES via USB
Knockin On Heavan's Door by Guns N Roses in MP3 128 kbps. Connected from SONY via USB as well.
The Session
Turn Me On by Norah Jones on SACD
My emotion ran high on this one. Norah's vocal was exceptionally seductive and there was this sense of huge ambience in the overall presentation. The hissing of frlom the drums was equally clear and spreaded out nicely. The QZ really brings up the mood of this song. A nice balance between the deep lower octave and sweet luscious mids and highs.
Temptation by Diana Krall
On this track, the first thing I noticed is that the I lost the zing sense in the intro. Bass was heavy but a bit dry and less musical. Again, vocal seems to benefit most from the QZ. Another trait that is very evident with the QZ is that it opens up the soundstage to sound wider and more dispersed across the listening area. I lost the grip and authority on this track though. Its just not impactful enough as usual.
Someway Somebody by Jennifer Wearnes
Similar to the track above, beautiful luscious presentation of the female vocals was presented here with quite strong on bass as well. But the dryness was still there. Mids and highs were very fluid and just flow beautifully. The low frequency however somehow a bit emotionless. Hard slamming but dry. The soundstaging maintained to be huge and widely spreaded out.
Knockin On Heavans Door by Guns N Roses
Just to see how the QZ fairs with a low quality input like this one I have. Love the track but this low quality digital files. However, going through the QZ, I gained quite a bit. It brought up this low quality digital file to a level that is listenable. It gave the track some juice and life that it came out quite different than what I expected. Quite lively and rocking. That raw feeling of how rock should feel. Huge sound stage again, hard hitting and nicely spread sound from the drums. Axl's vocals was surprisingly presented witin the tolerance limit of a high pitch presentation. I did not cover my ears at all. But in all seriousness, not too bad in making a crap sourcce sounds quite rocking.
The Conclusion
This was quite a tricky review. While the QZ gave a different presentation than playing these sources directly frlom SONY or ARCAM, its quite difficult to pinpoint what would be the overall character the QZ can offer. If I would to pen it down in a few sentences:
The QZ is suitable for someoone who are seeking for a more open presentation from their digital set up. Bigger sound stage with airiness that creates quite an energetic ambience.
Also for those who like slamming and hard bass but does not mind of it being less emotional.
Important to know that it will reveal the quality of source you are playing. Its quite revealing in another way.
Do contact DocTT or Sky Audio if you are interested to know more.
The recent KLIAV Show 2018 witnessed yet another year of local participation. One of the buzz around the show was the Skyaudio/DocTT set up. Doing a joint show, Steve of Skyudio Singapore collaborated with Doc TT a.k.a. Lee Beng Swee to showcase a series of mods and add onn to one analogue set up. One of the highlights was this Andromeda SUT (Step Up Transformer), designed and finished by Doc TT. During the show, the SUT was hooked up to a Musical Fidelity M1 ViNL phonostage and a Hana EL cartridge. It sounded huge and lively to sum it up.
Straight after the show, Doc TT offered me to listen and review this SUT in the comfort of my home. Have I ever said no to a review? I took it on as I was also curious how would it sound in my set up and with the Hana SL cart. Now, why would a person want to add on an SUT to his MC cart? Why not just use an MM cart instead?
An SUT actually lets you step up a low output MC cart to the correct level without the compromised sound quality. It also suits people with an only MM phono stage in their set up.
BUILT AND DESIGN
The Andromeda is beautifully encased in Baltic Brown Granite stone. The doctor feels that stone over an aluminium chassis resulted in lower floor noise and prouduces darker background music presentation.
In the rear, it is equipped with 2 pairs of RCA sockets; one In and one Out. There is also a Ground socket and a mechanical switch to select a high or low gain and also to turn it off. The off switch is to completely turn off the unit and not a bypass switch of the SUT. I would prefer it to be a bypass switch personally so that its easier to compare the MC cart with or without the SUT.
The unit is relatively heavy for its size, about 5 kg. Solidly built the unit is.
THE SET UP
You will need 2 pairs of RCA interconnects. One from your TT to the Input of this SUT and the other is from the Output of this SUT into you MM input on your phono.
Do note that you need a fully shielded RCA as my first hook up created a hum on my speakers. After changing to another RCA, the hum was reduced.
THE SESSION
Putting back the SM Salim track from the KLIAV show, Tak Seindah Wajah, the overall presentation was definitely livelier even at a lower volume. Usually I have to crank up the volume to at about 12 o' clock on the knob. It was sufficient at about 10 o' clock. Emotions ran high on this one. Given the expansive and enveloping music surrounding me, it does deliver the emotional connection to listener. The track was delivered with higher energy with emphasis on liveliness. The vocal was 'gemersik' if one to use a Malay term. There was no overwhelming of any particular frequency. My concern initially was purely the fact that the SUT may just be another 'amplifier' that boost the bass. I was wrong. What it does is it opens up the overall presentation and let the cart delivers more detail. However, I do feel that with the given openness and airiness, I lost some of the grunt and dives of the lower end frequency.
Next was Linda Ronstadt's rendition of Perfidia. Boy, this one was a treat. The Andromeda excels when it comes to vocals and this slow ballad type of musical genres. Particularly with wind instrument. It reproduces the sound with a larger soundstage that provides listeners with more engaging experience. Her vocal was delivered in a more energetic manner, suitable for this kind of music. I did loose the grunt again here but its still acceptable given the track.
On this particular track from The Duet LP (cant recall which track now), the bass was slamming tight. Ok partially it is the PMC Twenty5.24 but given the SUT injected some spaciousness to the sound, the bass was actually still tight and digs really deep. The SUT did not take away that satisfaction compared to the 2 tracks above. The double bass is just crazily presented here and at the same time, it is not restricted as the SUT disperse a bigger ambient to my system.
This one was challenging as the local LP repressings have not been satisfactory. Putting on this May LP, the SUT opens up the presentation as expected. Wider staging but at the same time it brings up the 'flatness' of the LP to be more apparent. It does help on providing that sense of space for a rock kapak sound but at the same time, I didnt get the grunt that I was expecting.
THE CONCLUSION
The DocTT Andormeda SUT is what I call one of those listen to believe upgrades for your MC cart and phono stage. It opens up more the overall presentation and is very detail in producing those dynamics that one set up may have. I experienced on several occasions certain details that I didnt notice before. Going back to my set up without SUT, I did regained the slamming overall bass that I like but the sound stage was a bit restrained compared to with SUT. If I was to sum up this in one sentence - A unit that expands your analogue source with high level of details. It goes back to your preference whether you prefer a huge and expanded ambience and sound stage or a more focussed and hard thumping presentation. If you have a chance to demo this, please do so with your own MC cart and phono stage. It will definitely give you a different exeperience. It will then just be whether its to your preference of presentation or not.
Contact Doc TT or Lee Beng Swee on Facebook for further details.
After a major dissapointment of the first model, I did not put too much hope on this new model. But my first impression on this unit was actually the opposite.
Ask any music lover who's Jacintha and they will happily tell you of the singing sensation from Singapore that left a huge impression among audiophiles with two of her CD albums "Here's to Ben' - A Vocal Tribute to Ben Webster ! (1998) and a follow up hit, 'Autumn Leaves: The Songs of Johnny Mercer' (1999)
Recorded under the audiophile Groove Note label these two albums quickly became must have demo discs for virtually every hi-fi showroom here in Kuala Lumpur as well as Singapore and are today regarded as among the better audiophiles recordings ever made.
Jacintha or Ja as she is known to friends will be making an appearance at the KL International AV Show 2018 at the Groove Shop booth to meet fans as well as present and autograph her latest album ' Fire And Rain' released under the Groove Note label.
Most audiophiles know Jacintha only as an accomplished singer but her actual achievement is not limited only to her singing and includes a string of distinguished achievements in the theatre as well. Jacintha is a founding member of a performance company Theatre Works.
Do you remember these two, now iconic audiophile CDs? Every hi-fi outlet here in K.L. and south of the border stocked them.
According to Raja Durai of Groove Shop the entire collection of Jacintha's works will be available in LP form at their booth at the coming KL International AV Show 2018 at the Sunway Putra Hotel July 20-22.
For further details contact:
Groove Shop at 012 3345801
This player have been in my system for more than 2 years and it still amazes me how SONY engineered this masterpiece. Here in Malaysia, the unit is one of the unspoken hifi piece of equipment eventhough a number of audiophiles and reviewers does have at least one unit in their system. Some have 2 units.
I decided to do a feature on this unspoken unit and this is Part 1 as an introdution.
What can I say? I still love Kronos. I mean everything about it, just make sense. Even the price is relatively attractive for a high end equipment. After a few years since its debut in Malaysia, the Kronos brand dealership has landed to Perfect Hifi effective 18th May 2018.
To commemerate the occasion, Perfect Hifi hosted a launch event at their KL branch where Kronos legend, Louis Desjardin was in town to give an update of whats new. The event was done on 19th May where most of the hifi who's who was present including Mr. Dick Tan, Erik Goh, Lam Seng Fatt, Dato Danon, Yong Fan Shing etc.
It was a simple do but an exciting one as for the first time, I get to experience the new Kronos phono stage among other enhacements to the Kronos Pro. Paired with Audio Research and Sonus, the audience were generally amazed with the clarity and 'quietness' of the Kronos.
Louis was his usual jovial self and explained to the audience what is the meaning of a complete and true analogue source. The basis of the design is to reproduce, as close as possible to the original master tape. The Kronos Reference Phono Amp is a 2 chassis design that sits firmly on a Kronos SCPS stands that was designed to isolate resonance.
While we wait for the glorious sound to be show cased in the upcoming KLIAV show 2018, have a listen here.
SYZYGY Acoustics is relatively new here in Malaysia where the launch of their product was just done a few months ago in AV Designs new flagship store. The company was founded by a team of audio specialists who have been leaders in various well known premium audio brands in the USA, Canada and Europe. Based out of Princeton, New Jersey, this company offers a unique wireless solution for your subwoofer needs. Not only its wireless, it comes with a dedicated software app to fine tune the sub into your existing set up for both HT and 2 channel audio.
Given the chance to be the first to review this subwoofer in Malaysia, I quickly jump on the opportunity when Tony Low of AV Designs offered to send this unit around together with PMC 25.23 speakers (speakers is another story where I am in the midst of choosing a replacement to my already sold ProAc D18). I was given the the SLF 850 model which comes complete with the wireless module.
Specifications
Driver Size:10" Type:Acoustic Suspension Amplifier Power:1,000 Watts Frequency Response:24-200 Hz Room Output:104 dB Dimensions:12.5" cube Weight (net):28.4 lbs Wireless:Yes Analog RCA In (LFE):Yes Auto Standby: Yes
The unit uses BASH amplification where it delivers the high efficiency of a Class D amp but with the immersive sound quality and dynamic power of a Class A/B design. It gives out a high current, high output and low distortion.
Setting Up
Syzygy uses SoundSculpt Technology where the subwoofer makes a 3D sonic map of its space followed by an adjustment to its output to smooth out any aural peaks and valleys. During the set up, the unit sends out series of tones (just like a hearing test but it goes really low and loud) that measure the shape and size of the room, position of furniture and how your home decor absorbs and reflects sound. This data is capture by your smartphone or tablet and sent back to the unit where it is corrected and perfected to produce a seamless blend to your speakers.
WARNING! The signals generated during the set up go really low. It did rattle some of my furniture.
For the room acoustics adjustment, it uses Digital Room Correction hence its not really picky with the position of the sub.
All this is done wirelessly from your tablet or smartphone. Its like subwoofer setup for dummies :)
Do note, not all android phones is compatible to the app. My Blackberry KeyONE could not detect the subwoofer so had to resort to my Samsung Tab.
You can also turn the unit on and off from the app in which it is very useful to differentiate the sound from your set up with or without the sub. The unit also has an auto standby function where it will go on sleep mode after prolong time without any music signal.
The package comes complete with the transmitter and the receiver is already built in the subwoofer itself. All the cabling is also supplied plus the power plugs for the transmitter. You still have the option of connecting the sub using RCA but for me, I have put the sub at the rear of my listening position. The subwoofer can set up as front firing or down firing.
Rear sub set up
Transmitter
The Tracks
1. I Just Cant Stop Loving You by Michael Jackson - DSD
2. New York New York by Andrea Bocelli and Tony Bennet - FLAC 24/192
3. Money For Nothing by Dire Straits - WAV 16/44
4. Kitakan Bersama by Ammarah - WAV 16/44
The Session - 2 Channel
I Just Cant Stop Loving You
With this Michael Jackson track, I can now feel a more enveloping experience on my 2 channel set up. The bass at times can be a bit overwhelming, hence I lower down the volume from the app. With the added sub, it does not just bring up the low end notes from the bass guitar drums, but it gives out quite a warmer overall experience and a tad of deepness in the vocal. With this kind of music, it can easily create a very emotional ambience for the listeners.
New York New York
For a more cheerful atmosphere, I put on this duet by Andrea Bocelli and Tony Bennet in one of their open air concert in New York. Given the live performance, I somehow didnt get too emotional when I listen to this track before even with its catchy tune. But with the Syzygy in play, again it gave a richer presentation where the overall presentation was taken up a notch in the liveliness and deep bass ambience. A track that sounded flat before is now more entertaining and emotionally expressed in a better way. No adjustment was needed on the sub.
Money For Nothing
A must have test track for bass heads. I was expecting heavy distortion on this track as I am paring the Syzygy with a set of speakers which are known to be bass heavy.. But I was wrong. The Syzygy instead gave a richer presentation to this track. I can feel that the music was all around me. The unit did not give out pulsating sensation from the rear but what it does it fills up the void a 3D experience for me. It was indeed avery unique experience. This was one track that I did not need to adjust anything on the sub setting. The drums on this track was heart pounding with the Syzygy giving a very enveloping ambience.
Kitakan Bersama
Trying it with a a heavier ballad from this Singapore based band Ammarah, again the Syzygy added warmer ambience to this track. The bass again became a bit overwhelming, hence I lowered the volume. Even though it emphasises on the bass, it did not at anytime drown the vocals and the shredding guitar works. With the Syzygy, it definitely added more grunt to this track which suits the musical genre that Ammarah carries.
The Session - Home Theater (5.1.2)
I also took the liberty to hook up the unit to my ATMOS set up replacing my SVS sub which is also on wireless mode. Paired with PMC 20.23 fronts, PMC Centre, SVS rear and Elevate speakers, the Syzygy was set up using the apps again and the I rerun the calibration on my Denon AVR.
Playing The Justice League movie, the Syzygy gave out quite a forceful bass response; enough to feel the vibration on my sofa. It does not give out the grunt that I get from my SVS but it is adequate to rumble some of the basic HT set ups I have seen around. Maybe the 12" model will give a more satisfying low frequency effect.
Conclusion
I was first skeptical about adding a sub to my 2 channel set up especially having the PMC speakers which are known to be bass heavy with its ATL technology. But given that the PMC 25.23 is inadequate for my hall, the Syzygy complement the speakers nicely. What confuses me is that the fact that I have to change the volume on the sub for different musical genre. It does a good job with creating the fulfilling envelope that wraps listener in emotion but having to change the volume, it gets a little bit troublesome. But if you get that sweet spot, having a sub in your 2 channel system will give you wonders towards your low notes and that warmer ambience. And with the wireless technology, you do not have to run long RCA cables if you wish to place your sub further from your set up. You do need a spare plug point though for the transmitter.
The Syzygy is a compact unit but offers flexibility of placement and can be set up for both 2 channels and HT. Room size still is important but there is always a bigger model that complement a bigger room.
Thank you to AV Designs for loaning both the PMC 25.23 and Syzygy sub.
Syzygy and PMC are exclusively distributed by AV Designs. For a demo, please call Tony on 012-2330771 or James on 016-3280237
