Encik Shamyl, an avid audiophile has invited me to his dedicated audio room for a listening session to his newly upgraded audio system.
He shared jokingly that he (even being a car enthusiast) had to sell off his MERCEDES-AMG GT R Sport/ Track Car to upgrade to the new audio system (if you check out his previous audio system,…you would appreciate the UP Upgrade!).
So, one could imagine the amount of money involved there,…a hint,
more than a Million Ringgit Malaysia in Retail Price!
I was invited to sit at the ‘Golden Seat‘ in the audio room,…and as recommended by Encik Shamyl that the ‘seat’ should be reclined to its fullest for Optimal Listening Experience or…Best Sound Quality.
He purposefully requested the team at CMY AUDIO & VISUAL SDN BHD, that the ESTELON X DIAMOND (tweeter that could go up to 60kHz) MK.2 loudspeakers (of Proprietary Marble-Based Composite material) be positioned to perform optimally at that ‘seat’ and, at that ‘Sitting Angle‘.
Initially, I sat at the ‘seat’ at the normal upright position, the aural presentation was off (surprised),…then I reclined, as recommended,…
everything Music and Note just Snapped Together!
Encik Shamyl shared that he agreed with my reviews of IN-AKUSTIK KABEL REFERENZ cables, therefore has purchased those review samples (and more from the brand) for his audio system, from D&A ANALOGUE HIFI (M) SDN BHD.
The listening session started with the playing of a SACD…
through the Metronome Technologie (from FRANCE) SA/CD player that I found its total…
sound quality to be of High Resolution/ Detail, Articulate, Control and with Stable Soundstage and Sizable Soundscape.
Then the session proceeded to streaming music through TIDAL…
via the DCS (Data Conversion Systems, Ltd) Bartók APEX Streaming DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) that he bought from ABSOLUTE SOUND MALAYSIA. He has prepared an ‘analoguefellowship’ playlist (so named by him) of music of multiple genres for the session.
There I got to listen seriously to the performance of the audio system (so I thought?),…and found that…
the total Sound Quality to be of Higher Resolution,
– nothing was amissed…I could hear the minute details within…
the Dark Depth of the Quiet Soundstage,
.
the Tonality was more Balanced,
– in term of tonality, nothing was off,…there was no exageration/ irritation at any particular frequency,…and that every tone was even given space and time to bloom to its intended/ recorded fullest,…
and at the right tempo too,
the Bass was more Articulated and Controlled,
– it was obvious that the low to lower notes were presented to their…
intended totality and finality, without any hint of distortion and exhaustion,…
a testament to the KARAN MASTER COLLECTION POWERa STEREO amplifier at nominal power output: 650 W to peak 800 W at 8 Ohm,
the Soundstage was evenly Layered and Spaced with Air,
– the artists/ instruments were not group together in a ‘congested mess‘ but were positioned accordingly and separated by space filled with air…
thus presented a believable event/ performance within the audio room,…
a testament to the refined resolution/ detailing of the KARAN MASTER COLLECTION LINEb preamplifier,
and the Soundscape was Extensive and Enveloping.
– the presented soundscape was in scale and could go beyond the loudspeakers’ position and extended all the way near the ‘seat’,…
thus provided the ‘music engagement‘ desired by the owner.
Finally, the session continued with the Analogue Source…
that comprised of the CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION turntable, CLEARAUDIO UNIVERSAL tonearm, the CLEARAUDIO DA VINCI V2 MC phono cartridge,…
and the REFERENCE PHONO 3 phonostage from AUDIO RESEARCH.
Through the Analogue Source (compared to both Digital Sources), I was amazed by the Increased in the overall Sound Quality and Engagement with the Music…(sorry, I am bias to analogue).
(Remember…so I thought? from above)
I was treated to all the above Attributes in Sound Quality coupled with the following:-
There were Body, Dimension, Density, Delineation and Weight…
to the Musicians/ Instruments within the Soundstage. Here, I could hear, feel, engage and in touch with…
the Performance at Another/ Higher Level!
The Voiceation of the Vocalist was presented with…
more Intimacy, Palpability and Emotionally.
Here, the vocal was closer and became more intimate to my ear,…and managed to…
touch my audiophile soul.
At the end of the session, Encik Shamyl asked me for ‘Pros and Cons’ of his audio system/ setup’s total Performance/ Sound Quality(?). I replied him with a (better) question,…
‘WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?’
I believed that audio components/ audio system of that calibre/ quality have…
very little that could be faulted (even if I tried the Hardest),
…they were designed to perform to the desired attributes/ characters of the owner’s choosing.
In conclusion, I have enjoyed very much that audio system’s sound quality, the selection of music (I was there listening to music for almost 5 hours),…and the hospitality of Encik Shamyl.