My high end audio journey started with tube electronics from Audio Innovations (Audio Note UK) and Conrad Johnson. Progressively, I went into, and bought the Audio Research 610T amplifier, the Audio Note UK Ongaku, the Audio Note UK M6 line stage, the Hovland HP-100 line stage and etc. Most of those components of mine were sold to my friends.
However, their ‘sound quality(s)’, I still cherish till today.
Therefore, I still own the Audio Note M10S line stage and the Conrad Johnson Premier 11a amplifier to reminiscent in ‘tube sound quality’.
In addition, I admire the ‘sound quality’ of modern tube electronics from Aries Cerat, and Jadis.
I hope you could imagine my enthusiasm and excitement when an audiophile friend, Lai (from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan) shared to me of his newly purchase pair of vintage tube electronics from Quad UK, the Quad QC 24 preamplifier and the Quad II 40 amplifiers,…for his Falcon LS 3/5a Gold Badge monitors which coupled with the Rogers AB 1 Bass Stands.
Our local LS 3/5a monitors Enthusiast and Collector (/Guru), Joseph Ki enthused me further with the revelation that the vintage pair from Quad UK would ‘sing’ well with the LS 3/5a monitors.
I sat down for a listen to that system,…
and ‘Wowed’ was I to that ‘sound quality’, and that brought back good audio memories.
It was not the details (which it impressed me too), but that warm touching and emotional invoking presentation of the vocalist’s voiceation that kicked me hard, and…
that got me thinking about tube hifi-ing again.
There was always an audio system that did not cost an arm or a leg that would impress me so much that it felt like…