upon doing listening tests, be careful about how you place some of the Blackbodies which are "passive" and not participating in the tests. Even pointing them at wall sockets (even by accident) can have an affect on the sound. So it is sometimes hard to get a good "A", "B" test because they are so powerful. Also, there appears to be a strange "lingering" effect, which is to say that when you remove a Blackbody, it's effect on the sound does not go away 100% immediately. It seems to take a few minutes for it to go away entirely. That's why when doing "A", "B" testing, like "With BB" and "Without BB", it is best to remove the BBs and leave the system NOT playing for about 2-3 minutes. Then listen. The difference is much clearer that way. This is just to avoid confusion.
Also, when many BBs are used, it is better to point them all towards the North, through the gear. We don't know why this is. Nobody can explain it. But it has been confirmed by users all over the world. Experiment yourself. You will see that comparing 6 BBs placed "any which way" with only 5 BB all pointing towards the North, the 5 BBs will sound better than the 6. So judicious placement is important.
For those who are still using Kyoto's power bar, please sell it and get a flow power center. Your bass resolution, energy and speed will improve tremendously with the flow center. In order words, the Kyoto significantly restrains your amplifier's true potential. We tested it on many systems and the results are consistently the same. You will never get the easiness of music when the bass energy is restrained.
Sergeant Mak, don't give up...PT said the criteria set out by PT is whoever the closest is the champion, that means if I am not performing above AE1, if I am the closest, I would still have a chance to win....
On one hand, Marvel is right about the spirit. On ther other hand, I understood Sergent Mak's point of view as well. After the recent audition at AE1 on this recording, I felt the gap between AE1 and probably most is "gigantic". I am not very good at describing Hi Fi criteria but the singers are live at AE1. They are human. I feel the flesh. The overall theatrical feeling is superimposing to an level which I never imagine it is possible with Hi End audio reproduction. And this achievement was done without a "preamp". Obviously, the Wadax is state of the art but all other accessories such as black body, Dalby ground wire, , Opus CD Transport, Troy, Spartan, FMR SE interconnect, Audio Power Lab TNT50 and SRA boards etc are all respectively contributing to the overall experience in an equal weight manner.
PT took away the black body. I did not want to listen again. The moment he put it back, everything springs back to the perfect state. Then he disconnected the Dalby Ground wire but black body remained there. Same story. I could not stand for 5 seconds and asked him to connect it back to the wadax. That shows everything counts. It is not about the value of accessory A relative to accessory B. It is about the overall management of a system using different ingredient.
I have no intention to add anymore compliment about what we experienced at AE1.
What happens at my place counts most. I finally had a 2-hr audition at home yesterday after a restless 2013 so far.
The culmulative impact of BB + Flow Center is a real pleasure. The biggest upgrade is in composure which is evident in all kinds of music I played. The OM Live 07 by Danny Summer (recommended by PT) sounds wonderful though can't compete with AE1 in terms of space & spatial details. That maybe a mystery to determine the right no. of BBs required but one is already a revelation.
To me, the "I dreamed a dream" competition is a special event. My participation is to support AE and this is why I keep asking PT to write a little paragraph for each audition. Our Systems deserve some respect in return too!
In AE1, PT is the conductor and each component, including the room, cables, can be viewed as a member of the orchestra. They have their own individual contribution to the overall performance of the orchestra and together they produce a nice piece of music. They are all the leading performers in their own league and that is why they are chosen as part of the AE orchestra. Imagine, without the integration by PT, would they be able to achieve this level of harmonous performance with seamless integration? Argument sake, I have got most of the ingredients in my system, but how I strike the balance between soundstage and image focusing, between reflection and absortion, amongst the various toe in options would dictate the final delivery of the musical performance. In terms of skill and dedication, I am still far far behind PT and this is a learning journey for me.
The contest and the marking of the individual system by PT would be a very good stimulus for me to work harder towards the art of balancing.
PT , please publish your marking scheme and when your grand tour will commence.
I have to say PT has matured tremendously in the past two years. This chap knows the how to set stage and control pacing to pitch. He always knows when and what to introduce new elements. The moment I am convinced by the sound quality, he will degrade it intentionally by disconnecting something. Damn it, English teacher described it well - let you enjoy the perfect equilibrium and then destroy it by steps.
This round, I was completely sold on the Line Backers! He connected three in his systems. And while one group was preoccupied with Black Body, he leaks the line backers out through a smaller group. And when you want to buy, the answer is either no stock or "you don't need it" until you have item A first.
AE's choice of accessories are getting counter-intuitive. I also had some skepticism to connect the line backer between the power cable and the power inlet of the oomponents. Hearing is believing, PT took one LineBacker to my place on Chor 4 (the 4th day of the new year) and connect it to my Trinity preamp. The resulting tonality is more vividly presented with more clarity and transparency especially on the mid to bass.
I eventually had an chance to experience all the stuff in one go in AE1 yesterday morning, including the line backer, black body and the superb but yet to run-in Dalby IC. I have also got a very good demo (should be a lecture) on how a mega system is tuned.
The audition started without the line backer. Then the line backer was connected to the subwoofer which was the first time PT tried this connection. Again, the line backer performed the miracle and the background became clean and silent. (this is the second time I experience the effect of line backer. the first time was in Marvel's place and the line backer was connected to the pre-amp). PT said there was still something to adjust because the balance was not perfect. Then he lowered the gain of the sub-woofer and wow, all the high frequency was back. The lesson from PT was that after introducing a new component (line backer), other parameters should not keep constant and have to be adjust accordingly (thus the lowering of subwoofer gain). I share the same view with Voy that PT has matured in these years. He became confident on the direction and approach on tuning and make a system perfect.
The entire audition was using Les Mis soundtrack as reference. PT always said the raindrop in my favourite song "on my own" can reach the ground and then bounce back in AE1. After listening to it, I was so amazed that the replay of this song could establish the scene of the movie vividly. I even could hear clearly the steps by Eponine onto the water. I could only hear this sound in AE1.
However, the most crazy thing was yet to come. PT then played a piano chip before we left. I was stunned and speechless... While there is always subjectivity on judging on the beauty of vocal, piano sound is unarguable because there is standard reference of real instrument. The piano sound in AE1 via Dably is stable, clear, bright and lively. No wonder PT said he is the "tuner of piano".
I gave a minor comment that though the sound is beautiful, I still feel the vocal was a bit sharp under Dably. PT shared the same view and then today he already told me after 1 day of run-in, the vocal became shockingly natural and sweet. I need to visit AE again later to experience the improvement.
Comments
Also, when many BBs are used, it is better to point them all towards the North, through the gear. We don't know why this is. Nobody can explain it. But it has been confirmed by users all over the world. Experiment yourself. You will see that comparing 6 BBs placed "any which way" with only 5 BB all pointing towards the North, the 5 BBs will sound better than the 6. So judicious placement is important.
The first 30 units of Black Body are ALL SOLD. Thanks for the trust and support. The next batch will not arrive until one month later.
PT/JLam
PT took away the black body. I did not want to listen again. The moment he put it back, everything springs back to the perfect state. Then he disconnected the Dalby Ground wire but black body remained there. Same story. I could not stand for 5 seconds and asked him to connect it back to the wadax. That shows everything counts. It is not about the value of accessory A relative to accessory B. It is about the overall management of a system using different ingredient.
Pt has done a bravo job!
I have no intention to add anymore compliment about what we experienced at AE1.
What happens at my place counts most. I finally had a 2-hr audition at home yesterday after a restless 2013 so far.
The culmulative impact of BB + Flow Center is a real pleasure. The biggest upgrade is in composure which is evident in all kinds of music I played. The OM Live 07 by Danny Summer (recommended by PT) sounds wonderful though can't compete with AE1 in terms of space & spatial details. That maybe a mystery to determine the right no. of BBs required but one is already a revelation.
To me, the "I dreamed a dream" competition is a special event. My participation is to support AE and this is why I keep asking PT to write a little paragraph for each audition. Our Systems deserve some respect in return too!
Wish everyone happy listening!
Des
The contest and the marking of the individual system by PT would be a very good stimulus for me to work harder towards the art of balancing.
PT , please publish your marking scheme and when your grand tour will commence.
Marvle
This round, I was completely sold on the Line Backers! He connected three in his systems. And while one group was preoccupied with Black Body, he leaks the line backers out through a smaller group. And when you want to buy, the answer is either no stock or "you don't need it" until you have item A first.
PT, damn you!!!
The audition started without the line backer. Then the line backer was connected to the subwoofer which was the first time PT tried this connection. Again, the line backer performed the miracle and the background became clean and silent. (this is the second time I experience the effect of line backer. the first time was in Marvel's place and the line backer was connected to the pre-amp). PT said there was still something to adjust because the balance was not perfect. Then he lowered the gain of the sub-woofer and wow, all the high frequency was back. The lesson from PT was that after introducing a new component (line backer), other parameters should not keep constant and have to be adjust accordingly (thus the lowering of subwoofer gain). I share the same view with Voy that PT has matured in these years. He became confident on the direction and approach on tuning and make a system perfect.
The entire audition was using Les Mis soundtrack as reference. PT always said the raindrop in my favourite song "on my own" can reach the ground and then bounce back in AE1. After listening to it, I was so amazed that the replay of this song could establish the scene of the movie vividly. I even could hear clearly the steps by Eponine onto the water. I could only hear this sound in AE1.
However, the most crazy thing was yet to come. PT then played a piano chip before we left. I was stunned and speechless... While there is always subjectivity on judging on the beauty of vocal, piano sound is unarguable because there is standard reference of real instrument. The piano sound in AE1 via Dably is stable, clear, bright and lively. No wonder PT said he is the "tuner of piano".
I gave a minor comment that though the sound is beautiful, I still feel the vocal was a bit sharp under Dably. PT shared the same view and then today he already told me after 1 day of run-in, the vocal became shockingly natural and sweet. I need to visit AE again later to experience the improvement.