The Best Turntable from UK?

This is Garrard 301, the best Turn Table using rubber idler as a machanical rotation transfer from the motor to the heavy platter. The one on top belongs to Andre Sim of Penang, and the one below will be likely be purchased by Friend of mine Alf in UK... I am still wondering if that is better than LP12.. I think we have to worth spending  one day or two to use the same Cartridge and make a comparison...
I hope that One day I can tell which design is better, Idler or Rubbter Belt!??

HK Snob

Sony Professional Walkman Three Musketeers WM-D6C, DD and DC2

While almost everyone is enjoying his fast food music through his Handphone connected to their iPod, iPhone or iPad or any MP3 Players. Wearing a high tech ear piece that claims to have a frequency response from 20 Hz to 18Khz +/-4 db.. I admit that the MP3 could product quite rather good music and it is true very convenient.
I am thinking that the best sound reproduction by hand held player is this Sony Three Musketeers...especiallt the WM-D6C. of CD 2.
The Sony Walkman WM-D6C and DC2 is basically similar, D6C can record and Play whilst DC 2 can go "Play" only. Both model provide the quartz servo capstan, speed control, Dolby NR with B-type and C-type control, tape selection on Normal, CrO2 and Metal...
The DC2 might be the best music player for outdoor application as it is smaller, but it is quite heavy with its size.
I am looking for a brand new Dc2...through eBay now.
The Panasonics Ear piece was a 2-ways design, produced in 1980, I bought it at Victory Electronics Shop at Mongkok, I still remember that was selling at HKD$600.00 that is about HKD$6,000 in today money!
The Sound is Superb, tight good deep bass, accurate Treble... and mellow Mid-range!
The best combination would be WM-D6C, Alkaline Battery cell, TDK MA-XG metal tape and the Panasonics 2-way Ear piece...Can beat most of the System available in the market now...
I have been recording the best of my LP including Teresa Tang through Koetsu Rosewood Signature II Cartridge, LP-12 Table and Ittok III Tone Arm. Vendetta SCP1 Pre-pre-amp, Anthem Pre-1P phono amp and Audio Space 3-1 Preamp onto this Professional Walkman WM-D6C.....
I am carrying it to work, I am sure that is a heavy weight Walkman but the sound is very nice.... Only listen would tell...
HK Snob

Hong Kong Hi Fi Show 2010

Annual Hi Fi Show was held in Hong Kong Convention Centre this year, there are a lot AV equipment companies to join in as to penetrate into the younger consumers. Of course there are some Hong Kong' best Hi End Audio Maker Like Audio Space to participate. The Lenmo culture has been launched into the Hi Fi Show, as we could see there are a lot of Camera man holding their SLF or Handset to aim at those sweeties young model. Here is some of them.

HK Snob

Marantz 510M

This is a Marantz 510m Power amplifier. It was building in 1975 and had been renowned as the most powerful dual power amplifier at that time. It was driven by Marantz 3600. The Sound was vivid, live, and powerful, it matches with JBL 4343, 4350 Loudspeaker, and I was listening to Technics SP10 and Shure V15 Type III cartridge hanged on SME 3009 SIII Tone Arm in MongKok Hi Fi Shop 1976.

I had a best listening experience with Hotel California and Wild Cherry’s Play that Funky Music… Listen to believe it..

Friend of mine Alf told me that there is one selling n in eBay at About 3,000 Pounds. If I had a chance to get one in good condition, I think I may like to try buying one. I am sure it can beat the best of the punch from my Harbeth HL-Compact!? What That Worry me is that those component has been aged for 34 years and If there is some DC drive at the output, It burn the loudspeaker! Marantz 510M was the first complementary pair Output stage with no coupling capacitor…

Anyway, if that has been restored and tested, should be OK…
I had hardly found one in Hong Kong; Probably most of the people do not want this prince to be moved out from his listening room at all. It is about 46 pounds… I can not move it at all alone.

Feverip

Phase Tech P3 MC Cartridge

Believing it or not, this is so far the best value MC cartridge in USD$1,000 range
I have been using
Ortofon MC20 Super
Denon 103R
Denon 103 GL
Denon 103 MA
Denon 305DL
Koetsu Rosewood Signature II
Kiseki Agate
Clearaudio Gold Finger Diamond VC2
Phase Tech P3 stylus is line contact 0.03x0.003 mm diamond, Pure Boron Catilever, DLC Alumium case.
I think this Cartridge beats all the above cartridges in definition, clarity and accuracy, except the dynamic range and channel separation in not as  good as the Gold Finger.

Highly Recommended, Sonata Club is selling that!

HK Snob

KK Lam

KK Lam has been working on DIY for many year, I know this chap since the time he ran his shop at Tak Fat Mansion, Mong Kok some 5 years ago.

He is honest, not really a business man, very knowledgeable on Classic Music, A Super Maniac for Aida.

He is running his new shop at Kwai Chung, he represents King Sound Loudspeaker, he has some of the best LP collection.

This day, we went to listen to his hand made 211 PP Power amplier and his 300B SE power amplifier pushing King Sound Prince and King Tower Loudspeaker,  The King Sound Electrostatic speaker is the best that I ahve heard, the bass is the selling point, clear, high definition with good accuracy! If not for my ting piegon hole, I will have no hesitation to get one home. Price is unbeatable with any of other Make!

Man, you have to listen to believe!!

HK Snob

Tape Deck Fever

Just a few days ago, A K.L. Hi Fi Fever man stumbled across a vintage SONY TC766-2 open reel tape deck in an electronics Shop and it was to end up in some 'Kopitiam' cafe as a decorative showpiece. Then LH offered RM250 to buy it after checking on the net that its one of the last few Sony tape deck with 15 inch per sec (studio Lab Equipment) capability. He confirmed the purchase and brought home. After checking that all functions are working perfectly although it sounds a bit noisy and distorted. He managed to restore its former glory.

Work on it for 2 days of cleaning and polishing the exterior and cleaning the mechanism and oiling, and most important the capstans, heads, rollers - the machine was superbly built - all metal, aluminium steel and wood, very minimum plastics. All knobs and switches heavy duty made for Vikings. The beast weighs some 60 lbs.

After all the servicing - it sounds wonderful playing the old worn tape that came with it. The highs and bass very natural. At 15 ips tape speed the frequency response is 20Hz to 30kHz and that’s better than CD !! And no tape hiss is audible to him. The electronics is still in good working condition. Probably some of the Electrolyte Capacitors are dried up!?

I have been using some Akai, TEAC Open Reel tape deck some 30 years ago, followed with Yamaha Cassette tape deck, now, I am having Nakamichi 680ZX cassette tape Deck.

I like TDK MAG-X tape for recording from my favourite LPs. The TDK MAG-X is made with Carbon Graphite cases, heavy Stainless Steel Screws. That tape is the Best I can find on Earth, I bought the last 10 pieces at HKD900.00 some 6 years ago. If you had a chance to see it. Don’t miss it.

Salute to the Analogue Tape Deck!

HK Snob

King Sound Loudspeaker

Based in Hong Kong, they have been advancing at a rapid rate in terms of quality and reliability, coming from years of research in our lab and, most importantly, feedback from groups of audiophiles across the world.

King's Audio Limited is now a well-established electrostatic loudspeaker manufacturer, with their King Sound products retailing in the UK, US, Norway, China and Australia.

I have been listening to their Price II Electrostatic Speakers, I cannot beleive it that there is really no colouration, no blooming box sound, clear and very deep Bass!!

That only worry me is the power, as usually the Electrostatic Loudspeadker isi a power eater. Like the Magneplanar I am using, I need to drive by a 160 pound Quell 300S power amplifer.

Also I am looking at the King Tower which is a rival for the MBL... but at a 1/10 of price!

If you want to Listen the run in speaker, Pls call KK Lam... who runs a Audio Lab of his own in Kwai Chung.

King Sound official website :

http://www.kingsaudio.com.hk/products.html#king_tower

HK Snob

Probably one of the best Source for your Hi End Audio Equipment

Penang as one of the best ten Asian City…There is a Hi Fi shop which has been running by Andre for many years. If you are running Audio business in Malaysia and Singapore, I think you may know him, He is an Hi Fi Guru, with more than 30 years experience in Audio audition and being an agent of some of the exotic European Principles such as ClearAudio, Davinci, Benz Micro, German Physics, Nagra, soulution…etc

A few hours ago, I went there with Two friends for audition, his latest set-up is runnign with the following equipment:

Souther linear pick up arm

Clearaudio gold finger VC1 cartridge

Clearaudio Master reference Turntable

soulution Preamp with a Phono card built in

soulution Power amp with 130W class A each channel, weight 80kgf!

German Physics 4 ways loudspeaker

Though the equipment has not been fully run in, we could hear that the bass was tight, fast and

got the punch and momentum... mid and treble was so warm, sweet and have that kind of tube warmesss that I can not find from jeff Rowland, nor Pass Lab...

So we could see that there is a lot room to further Open the sound as time goes by when the loudspeaker has been run in!!

A lot of fun as I started to beleive that there is some Swiss audio engineers that can produce good audio amplifer with Transistor! Note: I am a die hard Tube amplifier lover...

Andre trold me that the soulution power amplifier contains over 3,000 components! I do really want to open and look into it... pricewise: surprisingly good that most of us can afford!!


If you want to get more information on what is the best Amplifier or Loudspeaker for your taste, or a set of Hi End Audio Set, He definitely can be your consultant.

Or if you need a super price for Hi End Audio Equipment, you can refer to him; of you can ask through me. I think I can relay your request to him….


The equipment that is dealing is much attractive with comparing with the price you get…

Why?…. As that is his business set-up and does not rely on retails and a lot of effort in reduction of Administration costs. The Shop running cost of Penang is approximately 70% cheaper than Hong Kong. That can make a big difference in offering the right selling price for us… also he has a big sales record and thus he can get a better dealer price!


Take for an example, his Cartridge price is much competitive than you can get in Japan, USA and Hong Kong…Don’t believe!?

Last year, I bought a Gold Finger Diamond VC2 from Andre and I have just requested to reserve another one for me!!

Contact:
Audible Difference Acoustics
118-1-05, Island Plaza,
Jalan Tanjong Tokong,
10470 Penang.
Contact: Andre at +6-012-429 6101

HK Snob

My Hi Fi System 30 years ago

One of the sweetest and warmest systems I had some 30 years ago

BBC LS3/5A monitor loudspeaker
Cambridge A20 amplifer
Linn LP12 Turn table
Quad 33 and Quad 303 Amplifier
B&W DM22
AR16
Shure V15 Type V MM cartridge
BBC LS3/5a loudspeaker
These diminutive little sleepers have been available in Hong Kong by accident when I saw one at Lucky Hi Fi shop , that was a AudioMaster LS3/5A. I bought it at HKD3,000. In Hong Kong, it has been for quite some time but have attracted little attention because they have never really been promoted and they are just too small to look as if they could be worth that kind of money a pair.
Originally designed by the BBC for monitoring of on-location broadcast and recording pickups, they hide most of their cost—a complex equalizer and a complex phase-corrected crossover network—inside a cabinet only slightly larger than a shoe box. They were intended for "close-in" listening in a small control room with some toe-in rather than to fill a large room, and they will definitely not put the kind of levels beloved of rock nuts without woofer-bottoming or ultimately permanent damage.
Despite what must be a rather large amount of built-in bass boost (to compensate for the small size of the woofer), they are fairly inefficient: The best is driving them using a Quad Amplifier such as Quad 33 preamp and Quad 303 Power amplifier.. Quad 303 is one of the best stable amplifier made by Quad, the output circuit design is OTL (output transformer Less design, connect with a1,000 MFD electrolyte Capacitor.
A massive Power transformer, driving current into two pieces of Motorola 2N3055 Transistor.
The bass is tight and good enough to power the L/S35A, I have been using this set-up with Signal from Linn LP12 Turn table, Shure V15 Type V, top of the Shure MM cartridge, it was selling at HKD1,000. It took me a lot of time to save up that amount of money to buy that Expensive cartridge, I am still remembering that I was listenning the telic Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture…. That kind of bass was stunning with this tiny 110 mm woofer on the L/S35A.
After a few years I sold it at HKD2,000. and Now I can see the same Loudspeaker is asking for HKD16,000.00 in the Shops. In Short this setup can be one of the most easy-listening set-up for my entire life of Music appreciation, Later On I changed a Pair of AR16 and the bass was much improved, but it did not have that kind of mellow sweetness on the mid-range and honey like voice of Teresa Tang… After that I started the fever Hi Fi maniac characterization by Changing the equipment frequently. The Nightmare was started then.

Ap Liu Street Snob