savoy014

Introduction It's finally here ! After what seemed like an eternity, the HAP-Z1ES finally made it to Singapore, with a product debut at ISSE 2015. It seemed like an incredible tease - a fantastic product launched in major markets, but not here. In a twist of irony, the product was being happily made just across the border in Malaysia - so close yet so far. Well, better late than never. The HAP-Z1ES is Sony's top-range high-res audio player. It is a self-contained solution with on-board storage and DAC. Contrast this with dedicated streamers like the Auralic Aries (no DAC and no on-board storage), Aurender (no DAC, and a choice of models with both board storage and without), and Lumin (with DAC, but no on-board storage).  Description The HAP-Z1ES is a really beautiful unit in the flesh. My review unit came finished in silver and felt substantial and well put together. A series of front panel buttons and a solitary knob control most playback functions and navigation.  A 1 TB int...

Introduction Here are three speaker cables that DO NOT (i) come in elaborate wood boxes with certificates, (ii) have a diameter larger than garden hose, (iii) suspend your equipment in the air with their stiffness, and (iv) have price tags exceeding the average annual household income in most developing nations. Instead, you have three flexible and easy to strip speaker cables that are affordable enough to be purchased by almost anyone.  Description Belden Studio 814 (JPY 1,000 / m) This is actually the thickest cable of the lot. Internally, there are two insulated conductors, one white and one red. The conductors are stranded copper. I couldn't find any specifications on this cable, except that the wire gauge is 14 AWG OFC. Nanotec Golden Strada #79 Special (JPY 822 / m) This is the most exotic cable in the mix, with the copper conductors coated in a nano particle mix of silver and gold, suspended in natural oil as a colloid. The copper conductors consist of 7 strands of 0.5 mm di...

Day 1 It's that time of the year again ! ISSE is back at it's usual venue - the Parkroyal hotel on Kitchener Road. Starting off on with the function rooms, the first stop for the day was X Audio Pte Ltd. Upgrading to a larger room meant that they were able to showcase a much larger system than their usual setup. Vivid Giya G2.It's smaller siblings, the G3 and B1d are behind. Aurender W20 and AMG Viella V12 turntable. Wadax Pre One Ultimate Trio and Hermes Server. Mola Mola Makua preamplifier and four Kaluga monoblocks wired for bi-amping. A close-up of the delectable AMG V12. The brush-like device is the SFC SK-Filter which dispels electrostatic charge. The brush is suspended a few millimeters above the record surface. Wadax Pre-one Ultimate Trio and Hermes Server. Mola Mola goodness ! Very unique textured surface - try stroking one. Swee and Ryan chose to showcase the Vivid Giya G2 speaker this year. Vivid's special 10th anniversary model, the B1d and the G3 were also ...