Mr.Joseph Ki (widely known as JoKi, especially among the BBC LS 3/5a aficionados) has been…
a well known and knowledgeable ‘Audiophile Personality‘ in MALAYSIA.
Ask any audiophile here if he or she heard and/or knew JoKi,…probability is high that he or she will answer affirmatively.
Whenever, I meet any audiophile friend who wish to listen to a good audio system and setup with…
the ‘Up to the Mark‘ kind of sound quality,
I will surely recommend JoKi‘s.
Frankly, I will always recommend listening to his audio system even before mine,…reason being, other than the obvious reasons,…
he as a person, is Generous
with his know-how in setting up a good audio system, and…
Fun to have Fellowship with.
Many of his repeated visitors have this to say about the sound quality of his audio system,…
“Never the Same Sound(/Quality) Twice!”
JoKi is not a typical audiophile and music lover,…he never ‘stay the same’ kind of an audiophile and melophile…
but always on Constant Growth and Adaptation.
As famously put it
“to improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often“
by Winston Churchill – the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (during the Second World War)
I am not saying and/or implying that JoKi is ‘Churchill-like’ but trying to describe…
his Attitude and Passion as an audiophile and melophile.
He does not play the same Music for his visitors,
but always eager to introduce and share some new musics of different genres, together with some stories behind them. I have always enjoyed those sessions.
He preferred to play his prepared selection of musics or…
music playlist in an Orderly Pattern,
…from soft to louder musics; 1) vocal, 2) instrumental, 3) jazz, 4) big band, 5) electronic, 6) orchestra, 7) rock…
Of course, JoKi may entertain music request(s) off from the music playlist,…but what actually delighted me is…
his Time, Effort and Passion to prepare that music playlist to entertain the visitors,
…and if he knows your taste, rest assured,…the playlist will be accordingly.
This time around, I brought a mutual friend, Encik Shamyl to visit JoKi‘s audio system. It was Shamyl‘s first time there.
JoKi introduced the Audio Components in his system,
…why he chosed them and,…the attributes of each audio component to the system’s sound quality in its entirety.
This time around, I noticed that there were many new Tweaks and Tunnings done to the audio components and to the listening room.
After the first track, I noticed that there were differences in sound quality compared to my previous visit. It was not that I have a ‘photographic memory‘ but that the differences were that obvious as if I was treated to…
the same dish but cooked in a Different Style
(ie: differences between Asian and Western styles).
I did asked,…and JoKi assured me that the…
Speakers remained in their previous position,
and that the…
Cables were of the same too.
He explained the major differences were more tweaks and fine tunning at the audio components,…
all for better resonance and vibration Control and Drainage.
For the ever meticolous audiophile JoKi, even the…
Positioning of an Audio Component…
on its dedicated platform,…
Positioning of the Tunning Feets…
below each audio component, and…
Positioning a Tunning Device on the chassis of an Audio Component,
…all played their respective role in the total sound quality of the audio system.
As for the listening room, he has added a few GIK Acoustics panels from UK (represented in MALAYSIA by AV DESIGNS), and some self designed and made acoustics panels and devices. He shared that he has gained some insights for better sound quality through better coupling between the main speakers (his Falcon LS3/5a) with the dedicated subwoofer (his REL Acoustics, UK),…from his recent encounters with the ASCENDO Immersive Audio Infrasonic Subwoofers.
After having heard musics of different genres in both digital and analogue playbacks,…I found that the sound quality of his audio system has achieved…
a different Height in Linearity, Coherency, Dynamism, Space and Air.
The hard working Subwoofer behind the sofa/ sitting position was (impressively)…
Inaudible but was Obviously Felt!
especially at hard hitting and dynamic tracks (mind you that JoKi was not shy at the volume level!).
Here, each (mid to low) Bass Note was (could be too)…
Articulately Differentiated to its Finality,
and without (some preferred) the Lingering Tail/ Bloom.
In term of Images of the artists and instruments within the Soundstage, I found them to be
Leaned, Delineated, Outlined, Specified and Spaced.
The Soundstage was a bit reserved that extended deep(er) into the front wall and has a strong sensation (not concentration) at the center stage,…
thus provided Anchorage, especially for the Center Image
(usually reserved for the main artist).
The Soundscape was extensive and with the right musics (especially those with In phase and Out of phase contents) ,…
Enveloped (even) the listening position,…
as if there were surround speakers at work.
JoKi has Outdid Himself again(!) and provened what every repeated visitor claimed, “Never the Same Sound(/Quality) Twice!“.
I doubt he will ever be satisfied with his Best Sound Quality and that he will always be…
the Worst Critic of his own achieved sound quality.
LIVE LONG and PROSPER,…and
GOOD,…BETTER,…BEST SOUND QUALITY!