savoy014

It's that time of the year again - for Singapore's major hi-fi show, International Sound  & Sight Exhibition (ISSE for short). Being somewhat crowd adverse, I paid a visit on the first day of ISSE, which would be less crowded, being a Friday. The reception level contained the larger exhibition halls, with the bigger systems usually setup in larger acoustic spaces. First visit was to High End Research's room. The Wilson Audio Alexia standing guard over the Pass Lab monoblocks Wilson Audio's Alexia was being driven by Pass Lab monoblocks paired with an Audio Research Reference 10 preamplifier. The source was a Mac computer, feeding an EMM Labs DAC. In fact, quite a number of exhibitors were showcasing computer audio based setups. The system was being played a bit too loud for my liking, with the usual hi-fi demonstration type of tracks. It was very dynamic and incisive, perhaps a bit too much so for my taste. As it was close to a scheduled live performance, I made a d...

The first things that strikes you about the Aurelia Cerica is its unusual looks.Unlike most speakers, the Aurelia is slim and quite attractive to the eye - both for the Audiophile and the unafflicted. The sample I saw one early afternoon at the local dealer was finished in gloss white. The next thing you will notice is its unusual driver arrangement, which has a symmetrical array of two mid-bass units flanking a cluster of three tweeters. The tweeters appeared to be recessed in a shallow wave guide. On the rear panel of the speakers,are a single pair of high quality binding terminals, and a presence switch. The dealer explained that this controlled the high frequency output, with the "hi" position recommended for tube amplification, and the "lo" position for solid state systems. Firing up the Cerica, the immediate impression is one of both coherence and immediacy. The full range driver crowd will feel right at home here. The second thing that impresses is the size o...

The Darkz footer is a new footer from Ansuz Acoustics. The footer is made out of 3 stacked circular aluminium discs with 3 ceramic ball bearings coupling the discs, i.e. there is a total of 6 ceramic ball bearings per footer. The top and bottom discs have a further 3 circular depressions, to aid stacking if you wish to do so. You will obviously need to find an additional 3 ball bearings to do so, although none are provided. The whole assembly is sealed and the discs and ball bearings all stay in place. The assembly can be opened by carefully applying some pressure to the central column and rotating the top and bottom halves in opposite directions. The two halves are coupled via a finely threaded rod. The footer on test here is the base aluminium model in the line-up. More expensive models include a ceramic coated model, and a diamond coated one. In any event, the aluminium model sells for a not modest sum - S$500 for a set of four. I initially intended to use all four footers, but sett...

Holy Schitt ! I just put some money down for the Schitt Lyr. The distributor, Audio Iconic is presently out of stock, with a new shipment coming in at the end of the month. Owners of hard-to-drive orthodynamic headphones are probably already very familiar with the Lyr, which boasts 6 watts of power, and 40 volts output capability into a 32 ohm load. Actually my Audeze LCD-2 Rev 1 is relatively easy to drive as far orthodynamic headphones go, but the Audeze / Lyr pairing is quite often recommended on forums, so I thought I would check it out. A quick listen (across 3 tracks) with the distributor's LCD-2 Rev 2, to the bottom rung Asgard and the Lyr indicated that the Lyr was the way to go. I was hoping to save a bit of money, but it was not meant to be. The Asgard sounded too smooth and flat, with a lack of dynamics and bite. The Lyr had a wetter and more prominent bass, with a relatively dry top end sparkle that matches well with the Audeze which can sometimes sound a little bit dar...

Introduction The Calyx Femto is the latest DAC from Digital & Analogue, the wonderful Korean company that brought us the 24/192 DAC and the Coffee DAC and headamp. I loved my 24/192 DAC, but wished it had more inputs. The Femto is obviously the answer to that and much more. Based on the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC chip, the Femto is a full sized component  with all the inputs that you could ask for. At a price multiple of the 24/192, the Femto has to deliver much more to earn its share of the Audiophile wallet. Features The Femto is a massively chunky and heavy unit. You need to personally lift it to feel its 18.5 kg weight and massive solid aluminum panels. Somehow, pictures do not convey the true size of the unit - it is much bigger than it looks. Measure your rack space carefully before purchasing ! Of particular interest are its feet, which are lined with cork, and its power button, which is discreetly located on the left hand side of the unit. I seldom switch off my digital equipme...

I have had this CD for almost 20 years, and without a doubt, this would be my single "desert island disc". Now, I am sure desert islands have neither electricity, nor hifi equipment, but let us not get distracted. This is probably Jacqueline Du Pre's most well known recording, and its commercial popularity probably means that many of you readers would already have a copy. Despite its less than stellar recording, the sure emotive power of the performance has always captivated me, and after the first few bars, you ceased to care about the recording quality (which is actually decent but not excellent). HD Tacks is now offering a 2012 remastered version in high resolution. After having been burnt by some of their high resolution offerings that sounded far worse than my red book CD versions, I had two minds about buying this. Eventually curiosity took the better of me, and I made the plunge. Thankfully, the remastered version is wonderful ! Apart from the improved clarity and ...

I got a mail from my lovely receptionist girls on a package that has just arrived for me. Talk about fast. Nine days - from the time of placing my order to delivery from the UK to Singapore. Despite already owning some of the recordings in this set, the pricing at GBP 66 (inclusive of delivery to Singapore) from Amazon UK, was simply too good to resist. Just a handful of the recordings in this set would already justify the asking price. Considering that many have been out of print, and were being sold for ransom-like figures, this is a god send to classical music lovers. 50 CDs are included in the set, including a bonus CD which includes an interview with Wilma Cozart Fine, the vice president of Mercury responsible for production of the series in the past. Whether you are just starting out in classical music, or you are serious enthusiast, this set is simply a must have. You can have a look at the complete list of recordings (and even sample some of the tracks) at  http://www.decca...