We would never know the greatness of any new product achieving breakthrough unless financial risks are willingly taken to explore. Divin Lab always plays such a role. The Cloud-9 Passive AC distributor was installed half a year ago. There was no ABAB comparison demonstration to ascertain the breakthrough Cloud-9 brought about at that time. I had long decided to find out the result at AE Central. Now that the wait is finally over.
I believe many may have already experienced Linebacker, Linebacker XE (Extreme Edition) and Linebacker Sovereign by Pranawire. The proprietary technology amongst them is called SEGP (Super Enhanced Ground Plane) collecting stray noises contaminating our system via the power channel.
Cloud-9 is oversized with only two inputs but it’s weight is well over 60lbs. The Bocchino Electra sockets are physically massive for the sake of mechanical stability. As electricity passed through conventional sockets of whatever type made by the US/Japan suppliers, they mostly concern conductivity of the plating materials. Mechanical vibrations are never taken seriously into the account of design. Bocchino has taken the design of such to the extreme and Pranawire decided to deploy them with massive SEGP in Cloud-9. These sockets offer superbly shielded, both mechanically and electromagnetically, connections to our power cables. I have chosen Argento FMR EE power cord to draw power from the wall to the Cloud-9.
After the Cloud-9 was installed, overall transparency was leapfrogged tremendously and energy was transcended significantly to uncharted audio terrain. The partnership between JMF PCD302 and Cloud-9 is synergistically seamless as though they are designed to work together to expand the sound field naturally with musical energy engulfing the whole room. This is the most exotic AC filtering architecture I have ever built.
Please feel free to experience the result at AE Central.
Division of labour, when applied diligently and effectively, always generate rewarding outcomes. Recently I have added another Tripoint Elite ground box to the system to (1) achieve a ‘double lane’ towards the noise drainage via the earth connection, (2) segregate the digital components from analog to avoid crosswalk connections among them.
Needless to say, the tranquillity is brought to a new level! Contribution by each individual ground wire becomes more effective and apparent with such expanded infrastructure. I feel contended to have made the decisions to acquire Cloud 9 as mentioned above and adding an extra ground box to the system. There is no way to return back!
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Please feel free to experience the result at AE Central.
Needless to say, the tranquillity is brought to a new level! Contribution by each individual ground wire becomes more effective and apparent with such expanded infrastructure. I feel contended to have made the decisions to acquire Cloud 9 as mentioned above and adding an extra ground box to the system. There is no way to return back!
看過王家衞先生在2013年執導的[一代宗師]，相信可能還會記起這句對白。 在我來説，這套電影可以説是 ‘文戲武唱’。 葉問作為一代宗師，精彩武打場面當然不缺。但功夫的高與低，內家修唯佔一重要席位。片中大量刻劃意境和禪修，而不是聚焦於九秒內打出一百拳。 黃家衞大導演對配樂有深度影響，電影拍攝手法也決定了配樂風格。負責音樂總監的梅林茂先生 (Shigeru Umebayashi) 是王先生多年拍檔，代表作有花樣年華，十面埋伏，等等。
別的武打片的配樂往往是用密集的敲擊和澎湃的號角來烘托出對决的激昻氣氛。相反，梅先生的配樂營做了 — 緩、靜、沉的感覺，仿彿是對戲內提及過的詠春三道板斧 — 攤、膀、伏作一呼應。兩種技巧都是似易實難，易學難精。這套道理，應用在我們的音響系統，怎樣能夠做到 ‘緩’， ‘靜’， ‘沉’ 的聽感而不 ‘悶’?
‘緩’ — 在緩慢音樂𥚃要聽到節奏起伏。微細能量轉化出來的情感釋放不會被淹滅。
‘靜’ - 寧靜的系統可以還原出錄音時的空間資訊。例如究竟是一個密封式錄音室，還是倫敦的Kingsway Hall?
‘沉’ - 是壓倒性的控制力和能量感，尤其是全頻不會被註波和其他因素拖慢和厚化。
管理了中環的音響室已經超過一年多，更換過的器材和線材多不勝數，為的是希望把上述幾招易學難精的技術做好。 最近加入了一些合適的吸音柱， 電源處理/地噪管理等儀器，終於達到一個被肯定的水平。 ‘寧在一思進，莫在一思停’ ，我希望不斷提升重播標準。每當我在聆聽一代宗師的配樂時，那種音與畫凝鍊為一的美感，彷如看電影一様。穿越時空的快感，為我注入鼓舞力量。
我選聽了多首80/90年代的廣東歌。第一首是陳百強的「今宵多珍重」，改編自一首老歌配上鄭國江的詞。這首1982年的名曲呈現了他剛出道時的陽光氣息和正能量。雖然歌詞比較保守，但他總是洋逸著清新的風采，聽後非常愜意。 我特別留意鼓手的節拍和鼓的能量，因為他們在副歌的躍動帶出了高潮。挑戰在於低頻段線條要清晰，並且能量要足夠，而且節奏要快，才能成功營做了一個有歌舞的畫面。若然節拍錯了，音樂的感染力便大打折扣。
1989年的「一生何求」。雖然錄音水準不夠「今宵多珍重」，但Danny演繹顯得更細緻成熟，多了一份由歲月歷煉成的滄桑。這個系統把編曲的佈局盡顯眼前，其意境配合了鄱偉源老師所填出震憾人心的歌詞。
接着是關正傑1982年「天龍八部」大牒內的「惜別歌」。改編自谷村新司的曲，配上向雪懷的詞，道盡了朋友相繼老去，剩下歌者孤獨面對老去死亡的寂寞。在別的系統聽此曲時，唱腔較為平板，情感未能抒懷。但在這裡關正傑卻是和我細訴每一詞一語，使我心裡有點戚戚然。
郭富城的「狂野之城」，節拍精勵，整個舞台場境活現眼前，生動感令人目不暇給，就連他輕挑，狂傲和迷醉的表情也能看得到，實在是賞心悅目，至今也瀝瀝在目！
兩小時的音樂與音響深度交流令我獲益良多，對甚麼是「Extreme Zone」的重播有着一個更具體概念，讓我清楚看到中環studio的發展路線圖。