Prediction over the extinction of vinyl has been repeatedly proven wrong despite rapidly growing digital streaming platforms. Even then, the future is immensely digital for certainty. After studying the white paper of the Akasu at length, I understand a bit more about madness. What had inspired Mr Lee Paul Dalby so much to aspire crafting such colossal undertaking over a period of 5 years ? I feel much privileged to have a 3-hour session yesterday hosted by Chris, to find out the answer and pay my utmost respect.
The evocative moment when Pirueta (Dalby’s flagship record weight) was put atop of the Simon & Garfunkel vinyl record four years ago still lingers in my mind. ‘Like a bridge over troubled water…I will lay me down….’. Akasu, a mega folded bridge connects me soulfully to the stories of each record intend to tell. Akasu becomes a human-like story teller with a spirit outpouring emotions captivating me tremendously. Rendition via other means becomes robotic in comparison. After the initial 20-30mins of doing AB comparison against the other two turntables, rest of my listening time was solely focus on Akasu because I was completely immersed by the music.
Everything resonates regardless of the mass. A wine glass would break and a bridge would shake when they oscillate with an external sound wave, audible or inaudible. 528hz is often labeled as the ‘love’ frequency because it is the resonance frequency for water, the fluid that makes up our body. When we listen to music generating this frequency, our body resonate, and musicality naturally develops.
Most of the material used in the make of a turntable is usually by aluminium, copper, acyclic, carbon fibre, and wood etc. They respectively resonate within the audible frequency range (20 - 20,000hz). Given most analog turntables are located in proximity to the speakers constantly bombarded by sound waves during playback, excitation of material resonance is severe.
Imagine when copper platter shakes even just momentarily, the voice of Pavarotti or the string of Accardo’s violin will be coloured by a steely sound. That creates a sound signature of each turntable regardless of their mass and chosen means to fend off mechanical vibration. Simply put, once music starts playing, the turntable oscillates instantly, and yet involuntarily. This is physics that even God cannot change. Admittedly, our exotic cartridges, tonearms and phono amps all become the accomplice to magnify such inherent noise effectively even though the turntable is sternly anchored on the floor.
The amalgamation of Akasu is achieved by countless hours of research and experimentation to introduce ‘counterpoints’ to neutralise material resonance. In short, I can’t hear any sound signature of the Akasu at all. Music illuminates beautifully in every corner of Divin lab. Revelatory images are breathing in a dimensional space that is almost physically tangible imbued with true tonal colours. There is neither false brightness (thus tightness) from aluminium imposed on the violin nor bloated lower mid from copper. Meanwhile, brass, guitar and timpani have no hints of blurriness, sluggishness and masquerading of mid range. All instruments just breathe naturally. When the music calls for attack, leading edges are exemplarily delivered without harshness. Likewise when each piano stroke is finished, there is no elongation of harmonics to falsely render aura. Without neutralising the resonance of the materials that any turntable is built upon, the rest of the chain is simply a random blend of resonance to satisfy subjective sound wishes. I finally understand why Chris told me the Akasu is a big bang shock to conventional belief.
I wholeheartedly congratulate Mr Lee Dalby for producing a trailblazing masterpiece not by over use of material to justify the eyes and a hefty price tag. It certainly will become a legend for decades to come. By unveiling all design and material details, it can be ascertained that Lee Paul Dalby is man of high moral ground.
i brought along a few records including piano, violin, opera, etc. There were details unheard of in the past which were masked by the inherent sound signature of the turntables used. During the audition session, although I was not bounded by the time, my mind was in constant struggle between carrying on listening till the end of the recording or can’t wait to listen to the next one to unleash its hidden glamours. Imagine you were a young kid grouping together listening to a fairy tale, your eyes would glow with anticipations when the story teller can articulate the storyline with enthusiasm and passion. Life and emotion of the performers were reborn under Akasu extending beyond my imagination.
A Colossal Graphical Portrait of Cathedrals in Sound
It is tremendously difficult for me to write about the Akasu due to the absence of a equal comparison basis. It is meaningless to describe it relative to any other turntable via conventional adjectives. It is because others are exhibiting the sonic signature of its materials they are built upon regardless of any arm/cartridge/phono combinations. When the resonance of copper, aluminum, steel, wood and/or carbon are completely neutralized, a new state never exists hitherto surfaces. It is only until now I truly understand what transparency really means. Fellow readers may disagree with me but it is only because you have not experienced it.
Ownership of Garrard 301 is vast around the world including some very nice rebuilt by Artisan Fidelity in the US, Shindo Laboratory in Japan and many other rebuilt shops in Europe (I once owned the first two beforehand in my audio career). However this is where similarities amongst them end. The Akasu however houses tremendous engineering undertaking within an ebony exterior to achieve an unprecedented goal of absolute neutrality. (The two links below illustrate the whole design philosophy and the tremendous engineering of it. ) As a result, how should I write about it? I had no clue for 3 months.
It was not until the “colossal graphical” rendition of Bruckner Symphony No.9 (B9) conducted by Carl Adolph Schuricht at Divin Lab chilled the spine all through catalysing my writing spontaneity. (Thales Statement Tonearm is mounted on the Akasu with Thales exquisite silver cartridge connected to a Consolidated Audio custom made SUT going into JMF Audio flagship 7.3 phono stage.)
Austrian composer and organist Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) is primarily known today for his symphonies as apotheosis of the late Romantic Austro-German symphonic tradition. His symphonies are often called cathedrals of sound because they convey vast and open spaces to the vista of a mountain. Bruckner’s younger friend, Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) once famously said: “A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.” While Mahler had to increase the size of the orchestra in order to create the gigantic atmosphere, Bruckner could achieve mammoth sound with a traditional size orchestra as evidenced in the first two minutes of the 1st movement of B9. His ability to create a very vast sound with an economy of instruments was groundbreaking.
Bruckner’s background as an organist definitely helps as he must understand masterful deployment of low frequency via organ not only enhances the needed atmospheric pressure to sustain a solemn aura, but also provides a solid foundation for everything else to be built upon it. The architectural of sound is thus constructed solidly.
The Akasu exemplifies this trait so clearly that I wasn’t aware until now. If I played the same B9 vinyl on another turntable, I could not discern this important aspect of the symphonic configuration. I was merely captured by big sound due to a bloated lower midrange due to the resonances of copper (no cables can mitigate).
The stunning performance of the B9 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO) is remarkably noble, spiritually alluring performance with Carl Schuricht favouring broad tempos and a wide dynamic range. B9 is both unique and complex in style presenting the listener with many different patterns and themes. There is a natural synergy with him conducting VPO in B9. He brings energy and urgency, brooding, intensity and vitality in the delivery despite his old age at 81. The VPO's inimitable sonority and depth of tone are beautifully captured in a suitably warm acoustic.
The finale of the first movement was stark and devastating, and the Scherzo was rendered with mesmerizing clarity of vision. I replayed the Scherzo in another turntable connecting to the same JMF Audio 7.3 phono stage with the same Thales Statement tonearm via Thales’ own SUT, but the clarity of vision diminished dramatically. Everything sounded flat and bland all of a sudden.
The divine listening experience via the Akasu radiates so much musicality. The following notes were written when Side B of the B9 vinyl was finished and I didn’t even bother to lift up the Thales Statement Arm because I was immersed in deep thoughts. All of a sudden, my mind was enlightened and was able to comprehend the philosophical difference between Bruckner and Mahler. I specialize in learning how to appreciate Mahler Symphony 5 and 9 (M5/M9) and Bruckner 7 and 9 (B7/B9) in the past 5 years mostly referencing to the magisterial works of Leonard Bernstein and Otto Klemperer.
The conversion of music to picturesque resolution offered by the Akasu opens up my mind. Now I could comprehend Bruckner's unlimited scope of expression with a few main sub divisions; with Mahler these are prodigal in number, embracing weird diabolism, a humorous buffoonery ranging from childlike tenderness to chaotic eruption. Bruckner's musical message stems from the saints whose lightning apparitions conquer the darkest moment of his own musical landscape. His tone-world radiates unshakable affirmation of victory.
The inexhaustible wealth of the Bruckner music indeed conveys an image of Gothic cathedrals with impressive external ornaments. (For Mahler, he is ever renewing the battle, ending in despair or irony. His lofty transfiguration of peace and solemnity are always the fruits of conquest). In summary, Bruckner's spirit was repose, but largely unrest for Mahler's.
I listened to B7/B9 and M5/M9 probably more than 800 times. In the past, my attention was drawn by audiophile parameters. Akasu narrates any genre of music from whatever perspective because there are no colourations whatsoever. It provides the most neutral platform ever for music emerging from palpable silence. The Goebel Divin Majestic speakers driven by Robert Koda K15EX and Takumi K160 has the capacity and volume to reproduce the mammoth content with finesse and scale.
B9 is one of the most beautiful and complex symphonies ever created in human history. The recording quality of it performed by VPO conducted by Schuricht is a legend. Rich literature suggests the music motives of composing the B9 is meant to be a dedication to God. Even though I am not a Christian, the Akasu allows me to wander in the mind of Bruckner to feel his solemn respect for God. The highest level of music enjoyment is always spiritual.
The intensity and suspense as the soul approached the gate of heaven are profoundly scripted. There are interweaving elements of excitement and fear before peace is found. Though it is not exactly a good analogy comparing symphony to literature, B9 is not quite as fictional as Dante’s Inferno. It focuses on the last spiritual journey as one approaches the gate of heaven.
The storming majesty of B9’s crescendo is hair-raising. From the very beginning of the richly structured first movement, I was surrounded by the twilight light of a Gothic cathedral, which released me from the heaviness and fatigue of the material world. The big moments delivered by Akasu are truly gargantuan, where the orchestra unleashes the storm of sound without compromising the clarity of the musical landscape rendered goosebumps all over my body.
True extreme high-end audio experiences should distill our mind from the adjectives describing imaging/soundstage and smooth highs/warm midrange/agile bass. That does not mean they are not important. They are however just basic requirements. The end game is a spiritual one, which is an integration exercise, rather than one emphasizes on separation for the sake of faked clarity. True transparency allows genuine differentiation of tonal colors amongst many instruments without losing communication amongst them. It is the melodic content and lyrical coherence that transpires musicality, not compartmentalised frequency segments appealing to our ears.
Afterthoughts
The completion of the B9’s finale led me to wonder what if Chinese legendary poet Li Bai (李白 701-762）from the Tang dynasty had a chance to listen to B9. How would that inspire him? Li Bai spent his life searching for immortality (尋仙）though he knew that was not possible in the end. I wonder would the portentous manner of B9 somewhat slightly alter the unrestrained style of his poems.
History is full of fun facts, and arts appreciation is often diametrical and trans-generational without time boundary. Later, I found out Bruckner’s younger friend Mahler was influenced by Li’s poems. Mahler integrated four of Li’s poems into his symphonic song cycle “Das Lied von der Erde”. They were derived from German translations by Hans Bethge, published in an anthology called “Die chinesische Flote”. Mahler took the liberty to change Bethge’s texts and incorporated them into “A Symphony for Tenor, Alto (or Baritone) Voice and Orchestra after the completion of Symphony No.8 rather than numbering it as a symphony”. It was because he was afraid of the “Curse of the Ninth”, a superstition seemingly cursing no composer could survive after the 9th. Sadly, this also applied to Anton Bruckner.
Mahler described Bruckner, “Half simpleton, Half God”.
Du Fu (Another famous Chinese poet) described his best friend Li Bai in a poem, “A drunken saint refused to get on the boat even ordered by the King. “天子呼來不上船，自稱臣是酒中仙”
I described Lee Paul Dalby as, “An ingenious and impassioned man endowed with rare talents refusing status quo to the service of music reproduction.”
Comments
何時可以一會杜比先生的巨作？
Which record impressed you the most playing on Akasu? Can you elaborate more about story telling?
可以用中文描述一下Akasu嗎？
i brought along a few records including piano, violin, opera, etc. There were details unheard of in the past which were masked by the inherent sound signature of the turntables used. During the audition session, although I was not bounded by the time, my mind was in constant struggle between carrying on listening till the end of the recording or can’t wait to listen to the next one to unleash its hidden glamours. Imagine you were a young kid grouping together listening to a fairy tale, your eyes would glow with anticipations when the story teller can articulate the storyline with enthusiasm and passion. Life and emotion of the performers were reborn under Akasu extending beyond my imagination.
Suffice to say, hearing is believing!!
我細心聆聽自己帶來熟識的唱片超過三小時後，可以非常肯定杜比先生這五年來的努力一點也沒有白費。他令我明白一個唱盤的構造，並不是只着重如何把機械噪音管理好。任何唱盤在這一方面做得更好，同時會令製造唱盤物料的自身諧震，更有效地傳送到唱頭的唱針內。杜比先生在設計和製作Akasu時，除了利用究極的機械性噪音管理外，運用了一個類似創作大型管弦樂的counterpoint (對位法）概念，應用了幾種不同物料糅合數以百計的部件在唱盤內，以達致消滅個別物料的諧振產生出來的噪音。
唱片重播效果是達致另一個未知的境界，因為音樂再不會被唱盤本身的共鳴震動（resonance) 而受到污染。聆聽Akasu後帶給我一個反思：唱頭、唱臂、臂線和唱放，儘管它們是何等精密的設計，它們都會無差別有效地把唱盤的諧振噪音混進在音樂裏。
Austrian composer and organist Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) is primarily known today for his symphonies as apotheosis of the late Romantic Austro-German symphonic tradition. His symphonies are often called cathedrals of sound because they convey vast and open spaces to the vista of a mountain. Bruckner’s younger friend, Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) once famously said: “A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.” While Mahler had to increase the size of the orchestra in order to create the gigantic atmosphere, Bruckner could achieve mammoth sound with a traditional size orchestra as evidenced in the first two minutes of the 1st movement of B9. His ability to create a very vast sound with an economy of instruments was groundbreaking.
Continuation from previous post…
True extreme high-end audio experiences should distill our mind from the adjectives describing imaging/soundstage and smooth highs/warm midrange/agile bass. That does not mean they are not important. They are however just basic requirements. The end game is a spiritual one, which is an integration exercise, rather than one emphasizes on separation for the sake of faked clarity. True transparency allows genuine differentiation of tonal colors amongst many instruments without losing communication amongst them. It is the melodic content and lyrical coherence that transpires musicality, not compartmentalised frequency segments appealing to our ears.
Afterthoughts
The completion of the B9’s finale led me to wonder what if Chinese legendary poet Li Bai (李白 701-762）from the Tang dynasty had a chance to listen to B9. How would that inspire him? Li Bai spent his life searching for immortality (尋仙）though he knew that was not possible in the end. I wonder would the portentous manner of B9 somewhat slightly alter the unrestrained style of his poems.
History is full of fun facts, and arts appreciation is often diametrical and trans-generational without time boundary. Later, I found out Bruckner’s younger friend Mahler was influenced by Li’s poems. Mahler integrated four of Li’s poems into his symphonic song cycle “Das Lied von der Erde”. They were derived from German translations by Hans Bethge, published in an anthology called “Die chinesische Flote”. Mahler took the liberty to change Bethge’s texts and incorporated them into “A Symphony for Tenor, Alto (or Baritone) Voice and Orchestra after the completion of Symphony No.8 rather than numbering it as a symphony”. It was because he was afraid of the “Curse of the Ninth”, a superstition seemingly cursing no composer could survive after the 9th. Sadly, this also applied to Anton Bruckner.
Mahler described Bruckner, “Half simpleton, Half God”.
Du Fu (Another famous Chinese poet) described his best friend Li Bai in a poem, “A drunken saint refused to get on the boat even ordered by the King. “天子呼來不上船，自稱臣是酒中仙”
I described Lee Paul Dalby as, “An ingenious and impassioned man endowed with rare talents refusing status quo to the service of music reproduction.”
Chris Leung
Oct 9, 2023