Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by weib

Audiohub Invasion Meet (A.I.M)

weib — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:43:17 +0800

Audiohub Invasion Meets

The Audiohub Groups - Singapore/Malaysia/Philippines/China is extensively expanding into Malaysia. We are replicating our success in our business around the region to gather enthusiast and like minded audioholics alike to share and enjoy each other's experience.

Our main objective is to share our experience as audioholics and enthusiast, we look to promote brands that are unheard of and we always support the underdogs. This translate to affordable and cost effective giant killers that nobody will believe how good it sounds till you ear it yourself.

Here at Audiohub, we're not just box pushers.. we're head-fi'ers too.

Tentatively held twice a month in KL or Penang due to accessibility.
We hope we can have a mega meet where the 1Malaysian can come together and have a get together Headphone party.

Tour Dates -
6/1/2012 - KL Amcorp mall Starbucks

We believe strongly in the community and we love to organize meets for us to know more friends.
All we do is just share our products and personal toys so everyone can enjoy what we believe to be the best of our time.

QUOTE

In the spirit of sharing and community first, we hope that we can meet up with as many enthusiast in KL or Penang - If there enough people anywhere in Malaysia.

We're planning and have organized successful meets but we're always on the look out to meet more people and share with them our journey.

So far we had one at amcorp and we had a blast, we're looking to organize one more this month.

This is the best time to try out alot of our toys as well as well as share yours.

We ask that you come without expectation and a open mind, and invite everyone to come and try.

We will not lock the doors and force you to you to buy anything, we just want to make new friends.

All ready for disposal for you..

Past attendees please share your experience..

Letebo R29 - giving me a woodie..

weib — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:11:26 +0800

The good stuff is here.

Audiohub Invasion Malaysia Tour (A.I.M)

weib — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:04:16 +0800

Come in and show me some lurrrveeeee....

2 weekends ago I went up to Sepang.
Had loads of fun.. Hope to come back again for another gig!

Only gripe is 2 am end of koncert boring jer.

Its been a long time since I stepped into this forum, made loads of friends from my northern neighbours..
Now I so wanna go back there and party sumoore.

So where can we get the next meet on so that I can have an excuse to escape sillypore?

Headphone Party - For those who are stuck at work

weib — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:41:44 +0800

The headphone party celebrates it's inauguration with the pre-party playlist for the Hari Raya Haj Weekend.
This year we celebrate the Haj with DJ Funkagenda here in Singapore with a pilgrimage at Zouk.

This Headphone party is enthusiast based production using youtube web technology to deliver music that can be enjoyed anywhere in the world.
We hope that we can gather more like minded souls to contribute playlist and come party with us.

The Haj beckons, a pilgrimage to zouk must be made.

Playlist for the headphone party/ The friday before Funkagenda @ zouk -

FUNKAGENDA - ASTANA [THREESIXTY REMIX]
Funkagenda - Zomg (Original Club Mix)
Melleefresh & Deadmau5 – Hey Baby (Original Mix)
Funkagenda - Lmaoblade (Original Club Mix)
Funkagenda ’Budgie’ (Original Club Mix)
Trance Dream Ibiza Party 2011 DJHH Techno Trance
Funkagenda - Nobody Listens To Techno (Original Club Mix)
Mark Knight & Funkagenda – Done & dusted (original mix)
David Guetta vs Fatboy Slim – What The **** Montenegro

Instructions -

Put on your headphones, click on the link and press play.
Play the playlist in sequence for the full power effect on your appreciation of bass.
Ensure high speed connection for full screen mode

Emded play list here -
http://audiohub.com.sg/blogpost/headphone-...funkagenda-zouk

Comment to reply your favorite track that is the best.
Turn on, tune in, drop out.

Good stuff

weib — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:05:02 +0800

GermanMaestro - Serious About Sound

weib — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:46:33 +0800

Got these 2 cans and loving it.
Pairing it with my tiny tubes dac and it was magical experience - no shilling

http://www.german-maestro.de/EN/headphones.htm

Typical german technology - Simplistic, innovative and very high quality.
Best part is that it is very cheap for this kind of cans - $458 for their flagship 450pro.

Still burning in but this is my impressions so far -

QUOTE

after some tweak with the tubie -> GMP 450pro + my Foil hybrids v1 extension + Tiny tube dac..

Beautiful...simply beautiful.

listen to kit chan, my eyes automatically want to close and go into my happy place.
She's right infront of you, everything pans out just right and the details are at the right place at the right time. Tonally correct and very enjoyable..

not being a shill but I'm sold.
Not many headphones can impress me the first time, this has captured my imagination.

Its cheap for this kind of quality - $458 SGD
I invite anyone who wants to try and listen for yourself.. don't believe what I say.. just buy me kopi after wards can liao.

QUOTE

listening to diana krall now...temptation..

My brain is being massaged by her voice.
Tapping my feet to the double bass, grooving a lil to the beat.
eyes getting heavy yet don't want to sleep.. sedated..

too addictive... but have to sleep =(

If you're tweaker/modder, this is like the honda civics of headphone world.
Very easy to dismantle and resemble

Balance mod/recabling/tweaking the dampening and even even swapping the housing just for fun.
The possibilities is endless.

The suspension system is very innovative. It fits to your face, if you got rounder face, the suspension system fits nicely without clamping like a pregnant dog and giving you a headache

This is my Foil hybrid V1 extension 3.5 to 3.5..this is to shave off the harshness and add more fuller tone to the mids and bass plus add musicality without bloating.

After some analyzing, there is a few strengths to this brand in terms of construction -

Headband is the same - same mold same design
Construction is the same - Size of the cups are exactly the same dimension

the only different build is the GMP160 and GMP8.35d

Only thing that varies - type of cups, some open some alu some open alu depending on series.
The most important thing that you're paying for is the technology of the drivers.

So basically you can put alot of precision and quality of material(high quality plastic) in the injection mold. Easier to control quality and cheaper to produce since you only have a standard mold for the head band and little variation with the cups.

If not for the elastic used for the suspension system - I would give it 5 years warranty confidently and it still won't spoil..
Only the elastic would wear out however the pvc leather band support is very well made and sturdy.
I would go as far as to say that even if i drop it, my heart won't ache because the parts can be easily replace by yourself and you know it won't spoil.

From experience with dealing with alot of headphones and iems, the cable is very robust and the molding for the 3.5 jack and Y split has been design to take abuse.

Very solid piece of equipment - I post some pics when I get the time.

The only draw back is that it isn't sexy or consumer ready product, this is seriously made for enthusiast and those serious about sound who can't give a crap about looks.
The priority is developing the driver technology and the design of the sound to be consistent yet having different presentation and aesthetics is rank way below.

If you're an aesthetics person, you'll give this brand a miss because I don't think even your wife/gf won't be caught dead wearing it in public.

A little gathering..one sunday

weib — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:59:50 +0800

[youtube]OY2FCjlgaQc[/youtube]

guess i'll leave this here for the haters.

How many of your audio stuff is using an adapter?

weib — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:21:08 +0800

as above, and if so...did you manage to upgrade it?

An audioholic abroad..

weib — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 08:32:52 +0800

i shall just leave this here first..

Can you believe it?!

weib — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:51:16 +0800

70 watt X 5
KT 90 x 10 ECC82 x 5 ECC83 X5
45kg

3.2k SGD without shipping.
http://www.meixingaudio.com/English/cp/5s.html

[Review] Asus Xonar Xense [Review]

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 07:30:00 +0800

[Review] Asus Xonar Xense [Review]

weib — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:53:46 +0800

The Audiohub was asked to make a review for the Asus Xonar Xense.
Being an audiofreak, I immediately said yes even though I had to review the Fischer Audio's Genesis and Falcon.

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I know I am late to the party, as the reviews were out by so many tech sites... but one thing I notice was that most of the reviews were very superficial and do not highlight the user experience and the way it performs with proper speakers.

They don't even highlight how to optimize the card to the best performance and I doubt they have any clue on how to use the computer as a high quality source.

I had no idea how long the previous person used the card and the headphones but I didn't want to assume that it was already burned in even though it wasn't a brand new set.

When I had the chance after I received it, I popped it in my system and allowed the headphones and the card to play for at least 48 hours.

Initial Impressions

Asus Xonar Xense was not designed for the audiophile they have the STX. It was meant for the Gamers and the HTphiles whom use this cards for their home theater set up.

Being objective, I brushed aside the notion that this might play music nicely and made my songs more musical.
But being the audiophile in me, I cannot help but to try out just to see what it's like.

I used the Sennheiser PC350 for a start to get a feel of the sound, I wasn't moved not was impress with the sound. Although I have auditioned headphones the price of the Xonar Xense plus another thousands of dollars worth of back end equipment, I had no assumptions that this was going to be a stellar performer.

The music was laid back and bassy, mids were recessed and very hollow.
Imaging was kinda ok but that was about it, Clarity and separation was so so.

I tried different players - Foobar2000 with ASIO/KS/WASAPI, Kmplayer with reclock, Jriver media player...

Music files were mixed between at least 192 kbps MP3 or 16/44.1 flac

If i could sum it up in one word - Underwhelming.

I moved on to games - BF bad company and even MOH2010.
Again I am not impressed with the clarity and imaging with such a headphone and the supposed card.
It was producing sound but I just have no idea the gun shots were fired from because it was all a blur.

Then I move on to movies - using Iron man BR rip in KMplayer with reclock.
Still it was disappointing but I still kept a positive attitude that maybe just maybe, it wasn't burnt in properly.

I was so bored of listening that I just gave up and stop.

Build Quality -

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PC 350 Build quality is great, don't get me wrong it just didn't sound good.
It's made of high quality plastic and the swivels are don't feel like they're going to break.

The use of TRS/6.3mm jacks gave it a better feel and it does provide a sense of value towards the headphone.

Connection itself was stable without any frying pan noises.
The female jacks on the card and on the headphones are of a higher quality. It doesn't give a cheap feel to the user and the insertion was smooth and almost effortless yet secure.

The card itself is quite standard but the components are quite interesting -

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QUOTE

With the Xense fully naked: 1. CMEDIA "DSP" chipset, interfaced to PCIe via a PLX solution. 2. Texas Instruments PCM1796 DAC (presumably for stereo and Front L/R. 3. Cirrus Logic DAC for multichannel conversion. 4. SOIC OPAMPs for buffering audio outputs. 5. Socketed DIP OPAMPs. 6. Texas Instruments TPA6120 headphone driver. 7. One of the many relays used for "pop" protection. These were present only in the highest end preamplifiers and audio sources in the past.

http://vr-zone.com/articles/asus-xonar-xen...-hood/8753.html

The interesting part is the No. 5 which I believe you can change around to suit your taste - opamp rolling.

Innovation -

The one thing that stands out of Asus card was the requirement for an external power source to the sound card.

Not many people will understand why does a sound card like any other sound card need the extra juice for.

The reason is a very simple one, good sound needs good clean power to drive.

In all good standalone DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) in the high end audiophile/Audio Video Receiver, the power sources is the one of the critical components that makes or break it.

Some of the higher end gear, even separates the power supply away from the components to shield away from any kind of electrical noise of the power supply.

This is what separates Asus from the pack with this simple but logical approach not to rely the motherboard's PCI slot to reduce interference and provide cleaner power to the card.

360 hours later -

Two weeks and a day later, I finally came about to write this after experiencing it in my system and in my everyday life

2 days of running it in, I dropped the idea with using the headset, even if i had no choice. I went on to plug into my AudioEngine 5 - to me it was no point because the sound didn't change at all.

The headphone doesn't give it any justice, it was a world of a difference.

The two things that stand out when I used it with a better pair of speakers was that separation and clarity was spot on.

Some might say that it sounds harsh but it wasn't designed to make things mellow.

I played through all the games again - BF2 and MOH2010.

It was more enjoyable now because I don't get a feel like firing a gun behind a remote controlled human. I was in the thick of the action with blast happening all over me.

To be fair to the card, most of the time sound design is often passed off in games for better budget. It seems most games now don't put much emphasis on sound compared to last time.

I played around with the option in the Xense control box - Dolby Virtual Speakers/7.1 virtual speakers etc.

The sound isn't that good, it feels too artificial and it degrades the sound because it somewhat blurs out clarity. To me if you wanna go 7.1, get 7.1 speaker sets, don't bother with all this artificial enhancement because it doesn't make it sound any better.

I measured the latency spike for using all these options and it can go up to 8000 pico seconds, which affects it's resolution.

http://www.thesycon.de/eng/latency_check.shtml - You can test your card with this free program.

Next was movies - Ironman BR rip.

This was a treat, sound of big explosions with deep bass - so deep even my self powered book shelves was also struggling to keep up with the card.

Everything made sense to me now and if I had any biasness against the card previously. I blame it on the Sennheiser because they were marketed to be complimenting each other.

Throughout the week, listening to music was a decent experience.
My old sound card was a mellower warmer sounding one with the Wolfson dac chip while Analog Device's chip which Asus uses is more cleaner clinical sounding with very robust bass.

Overall I have grown accustom to this new presentation of the sound even though it isn't "audiophile", it is only because they don't have a low jitter clock in place like other dedicated audiophile equipment for their DAC or even dedicated RCA outputs but it works very good for most general users.

My conclusion -

I am not convince that Sennheiser even bothered to tweak the headphone to make it sound good.

I do not know if that there wasn't time in it's product development or this was like left over budget which some marketing genius thinking it would be nice to co brand it with sennheisers but didn't bother to test it with an end user.

I know for people who do not care this doesn't really matter but I feel it is a waste to give a headphone which do not enhance the experience of the user.

I'd rather they sell the card at same price and just give me the card without subjected me to false hope and a lousy experience which if I didn't have a good pair of speakers will make me feel like I made a very very bad purchase.

The card itself is well made and well thought about, no problems with the drivers etc.

I highly recommend it to movie and gamer buffs who likes their sound clean cut and imaging extremely tight.

All in all, I'm beginning to like Asus with their simple yet effect approach towards engineering, at least you can see they're not rehashing the same crap and trying to market it as something new.

They're actually doing something to change how computer audio can be improved.

Fischer Audio Genesis/Falcon

weib — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 01:46:04 +0800

It's no secret that Fischer Audio's Genesis and Falcon has been announced, we in Singapore usually get the commercial samples first due to warm relations and proximity to Russia.
For those who are in the dark this has been announced quite some time back - http://www.fischeraudio.ru/articles/pressr-fund-2010.php

So let's cut to the chase -

I got a text today from Treoo to audition the Genesis and Falcon, I quickly to meet up with them to take it home and rip it apart.
I was very curious about the Genesis due to its size and the way it was build, what attracted me to the design was the large housing.

In the back of my mind, I knew this was gonna be a basshead's wet dream.

Genesis SRP $105 SGD

Quote:
Tech specs -

Frequency - 5 - 20 000Hz
Impedence - 18 ohms
Sensitivity - 108db
Maximum Power Input - 65 mW

Lets start with the build -

I've known Fischer Audio since the day of their debut on the world's stage, I still have and use the Eterna V1 - Silver bullet.
I believe everyone knows by now that they are using ODM/OEM for their products, but the important thing to note is that with all my dealings with fellow FA fans is that the build quality is not a nightmare unlike many other brands.

Genesis is no different and I have found that they're choosing the right parts to make a winner.
The cables are cloth sheath, means micro-phonics are reduce to a minimum - read none.

The cables are flexible and light yet strong enough to handle a few hard tugs - in case of accidental mishaps where the cable gets caught on a hinge - happens to me alot when I walk around with my IEM
The color scheme and pattern reminds me of a rice cooker power cord which is not a deal breaker but interesting to note.

The plastic chrome housing is nicely finish and feels like quality build, not some cheapo snap together kind of production.
There is a port hole at the back of the housing as I will explain later enhances the sound - Bass.

Last but not least, and it's somewhat like a WIN for most FA fans, there is a nice plastic shell casing to keep your IEMS in.
No more raggedy-ass felt cloth string pouch which puts a tiny smile on my face.

Overall when I pick up Genesis to listen to music, I have no worries that it will fall apart or even if it falls on the floor my heart won't break unlike a Iphone4 user.

Initial Impression -

Fresh out of the box, I stuffed in my ear using my own Biflanges - Never liked or used the stock tips anyway, played a hip hop track on my sansa clip+.
I was greeted with phat ghetto boombox bass - if you're familiar with the expression of - Bass in your face, this is what you're going to get.

If you think Eterna was too much, this makes the Eterna sound like a polite school girl.
I was intoxicated with bass, but the bass was enjoyable, not bloated not overbearing just tight fast punches which could make a person nausea.

I like big bass and I cannot lie...and Genesis gave it to me hard and fast constant pounding.
If you're hardcore basshead, this was like sex in your ear canals.

But like all FA it was an ugly duckling out of the box, the mids are recess and the highs are like a glass ceiling.
I've dumped it my burn in box to allow it to cook for at least 48 hours before I resume review.

Video Review - Unboxing

Snapshots -

Review -

The Sound -

Genesis fresh out of the 50 hours incubation period sounded like a different IEM altogether.

First thing you notice is that the sound stage really opened up and it feels like you're in a pub listening to music middle row but close enough to feel the kick drum.

The bass impact subsided to be less intimidating. The mid bass hump receded to extend deep, really deep. However unlike the Eterna V1 and V2, the bass isn't in your face but instead in became more dynamic.

The back port hole makes a big difference as to how the imaging of the music is. It is not too forward that you get fatigued from listening to it but forward enough to be engaged.

Although the biasing of the Genesis is towards the bottom end making it dark sounding, the mids are towards the warmer side of neutral. Not too much, that it becomes bloated.

As I mentioned and some of you already know, FA is about fun and with their dynamic series clarity takes a step back. However the overall transparency of the sound wasn't compromise.

It is as revealing as it is bassy, so much so that bad recording sticks out like a sore thumb.

Separation from Low lows to Mids is very good, however it start to get iffy in the mid highs to highs where things start to become hazy and there isn't a clear distinction. There is some slight sparkle at the top highs which was surprising given how bassy it is.

The Genesis is a non assertive IEM, it allows the music to take control of it's qualities rather than coloring it with its own characteristics. You can say that it is an enhancement to the sound that you hear.

I've tried a variety of genres from Jpop/Cpop - Jrock to Hip hop and classic rock from the 80s. There were all very enjoyable and extremely fun to listen to.

It can handle blazing fast speed on hard hitting songs, where the rapid double bass didn't sound like farts and still able to hear the details of the singing and the guitars with slight sparkles of the cymbals in the background.

One thing to note is that, because of the biasness of the bass in the Genesis, some genres like classical or Jazz may sound a tad weird. Bossnova sounded a bit like house music.

Like the Eterna, the noisier, faster and more hard hitting the music is, Genesis excels and thrive.

When listening to the Genesis, you get caught up in the beat and groove to the energy of the music and the tight thumping bass that clarity and separation sometimes takes a back seat - and forgotten almost immediately.

My thoughts -

People who love their bass will love this IEM, people who are very sensitive to bass will probably throw up and swear off it - you have been warned.

This IEM is tweaked for fun and enjoyment, to have a fun time commuting and not be anal about fidelity, balance and accuracy.

I strongly feel that one of the deal breakers for some is the sheer size of the IEM housing and it might not fit into smaller build ears or may look like 2 orbs sticking out of the side of your head.

Also the fit is to wear it down and thats the only way to do it as over-the-ear doesn't really stick with the stiff stress relief and soft cable.

Another thing I notice is that it really needs quite a bit of power to drive these bass monster though it's only rated at 18 ohms.

Overall I feel that it can be duped as Eterna V3 - Super bass edition. It is one of the rare few IEM that challenges the notion of " How low can you go?"

Falcon SRP $82 SGD

Build Quality -

The build quality of the Falcon is about the same with Genesis, with it's cloth sleeved cable and durable plastic.

This interesting to note is that it is almost like the Klipsch Image X5, same same but different. However It is made of matt black plastic with a silver highlight towards the tip.

The back of the Falcon has a nice plastic stress relief which is quite elastic and can withstand abit of abuse from everyday usage - I've tried tugging it slightly and place a little stress on each side.

Unfortunately, this comes with a raggedy-ass felt cloth string pouch in tradition of FA's usual no frills packaging.
But then again, for the price I believe everyone who wish to buy it will just want to get the IEM only.

Initial Impressions -

The tradition of FA lies in its sound signature of how it presents music.
FA is never about accuracy or balance, it's sound is best described as fun and it is evident through out their entire line up.

Falcon has a vast sound stage that encapsulates the user into the music, it is not very intimidating and provoking compared to Genesis which hits you in your face when you first hear it.
Falcon feels like an old friend's warm embrace or a kind stranger's endearing smile; first you are hesitant but slowly you're drawn closer.

The sound stage is laid back yet there is impact with the music - you feel relax while listening a rock song but still able to groove with it without falling asleep.

It has a mid-mid bass bias with very nice warmth but not overly warm where it feels like it's bloated - some what a pet peeve of mine when it comes to audio.
There is traces of sparkles in the mid - highs which makes the cymbals shimmering in the background.

Bass impact is there, it doesn't extend as low and more polite and mild mannered compared to the Eterna and Genesis.
It is still enough to basshead neophytes a good experience with their music - which may still be too much for people who are extremely sensitive to bass

It seems it still suffer from the pre-burn in syndrome - recessed mids and rolled off highs.
Time to cook it for 50 hours..

TBC

Look at what the UPS guy brought

weib — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:15:02 +0800

Will update more.. gotta run.

Anyone interested in tubes?

weib — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:01:29 +0800

http://cgi.ebay.com/Meixing-Mingda-Special...c#ht_1389wt_881

There is a few bros here wants to get tubes.
I'm getting straight from Mingda factory, If i can get a sizable amount of orders I can try to get a better deal.

Orders will be in pairs and are matched( i think) - meaning it's best to buy 2 at a time.

I don't have all the prices as yet.

If you're interested pm me or leave a msg on this thread so that I can get back to you..

[addedon]October 5, 2010, 6:55 pm[/addedon]

Mingda MC84-C07

weib — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:53:37 +0800

GENERAL:

Single ended class A mini integrated amplifier

Elegant look with wooden front panel

RCA input x 1 pair plus 1/8” MP3 / computer audio input jack

1.5mm high grade imported stainless steel chassis

Connection to CD players for hi-fi music enjoyment

Connection to MP3 players for tube fantasy amplification

High quality headphone amplifier incorporated

Pure hand crafted amplifier with point to point welding

Custom built audio and power transformers

Zll and H18 long grain annealed and directed steel sheets

USA made Teflon silver cable for audio signal paths

High-end parts including Philips capacitors and USA made resistors

Gold plated speaker out terminals

Detachable power cord system

TECHNICAL:

Output power (integrated amplifier): 5W x 2

Output power (headphone amplifier): 600mW

Input sensitivity: 290mV

Signal-to-noise ratio: <no spam links>

Input impedance: 100Kohms

Frequency response: 20Hz - 45KHz +/-1db

Total harmonic distortion: <0.8% (amplifier),

<0.5% (headphone amplifier)

Vacuum tubes: EL84 (6P14) x 2; 12AX7 x 2, 6E2 (CAT EYE) x 1

Volume: 30x20x15 cm (LxWxH)
Review -

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/276469...ing-da-mc-84c07

We are please to annouced that we have gotten dealership for Mingda amps and currently are collecting interest with regards to the new amp.

The price is still undetermined but rest assured, we’ll give the best price possible.

Please contact us to let us know with regards to your interest and find out about our special price.
email - theaudiohub@gmail.com

Cool Guide for Headfi'ers

weib — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:50:13 +0800

http://www.avguide.com/buyers-guide/avguid...ne-buyers-guide

Enjoy drooling.

Anti IC review

weib — Sun, 16 May 2010 09:29:13 +0800

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Test Rig -

Sourece - Sansa Fuze v2 - XRCD(2)/SHMcd Flac Rips
Amp - Modified CmoyBB v2.02 - Vishay Sprague axial tantalum input caps + OPA2227
IEM - Fischer Audio DBA02 + Head Direct RE0

Sound preference - Neutral/balance with ample bass and tinge of warmth and a chalk full of details.

Prelude -

After much procrastination and deliberation from terminating a set to test.
Today I finally got down to it..

Anti IC is somewhat unique, it has enamel as its insulation rather than the usual teflon or rubber sleeve.

First off, it is a pain to work with.
I've spent a good 4-5 hours just trying to figure out how to give it a backbone because it is so damn thin, much like a slightly larger human hair.

Then its not as easy as snip off the teflon and you're good to go, you need to manually scrape off the enamel on each thread of cable..:b14:

Anyway thats enough of my ranting..

Lets skip to the meat and potatoes..

Anti IC and Neotech OCC copper is very much similar, one first listen it is exactly the same but there is a lingering characteristic of Anti IC that makes it unique.

For the most part, furiously A/Bing the both resulted in the same sound signature upon first listen but there was something that keep drawing me to try again because I just couldn't put my finger on it.

But during a point of time, I had given up and wrote off the anti cable "the same as the OCC solid core copper cables.."

So much for placebo..lol

However I noticed something with the Anti IC -

Although music is not so forward and it's slightly more neutral compared to the neotech one albeit both warm in nature.
The mid highs seem to sparkle with the Anti IC and soundstage not so cluster together.

I used to hate pure copper as I hate warmth which clouds out the details.
I hate the slowness that came with copper, the resonance and the boom with the bass and mids.

This was surprisingly not present with the Anti IC

There is alot more air at the top and at the side, the warmth is not like that of a sauna which can be too overbearing sometimes with its left over boominess but like that of spring , not too warm yet not too cold, able to breathe easy and just enjoy the the weather.

However this characteristics are extremely subtle, you need to search for it hard before you can find the difference.

Anti IC is to me is more musical in a sense that you're able to have best of both world without having an obscure combination like Silver Plated Copper, which has the peaks and forwardness of silver yet boom and warmth of copper.

Anti IC is a rather natural sounding cable which is more suited for details listener who wants a copper cable for their easy listening yet don't want to lose too much details and get too much boom.

For people who crave for warmth, it may be a step up from their usual set up and yet retain the familiar characteristics of what they're used to without venturing into the full silver or silver/copper hybrids which is another characteristic altogether.

DAC shoot out 2010

weib — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:36:21 +0800

So we had a little gathering to have a show down for the various DAC in the market.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=598 - More pictures over here.

Nuforce Thread - Reviews and discussion

weib — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:39:12 +0800

Oh hai guize -

[addedon]March 31, 2010, 7:43 pm[/addedon]

More teaser
The box is ridiculously huge...