Audiophile Paradise, Part 3
The PS Audio Prelude power cord wins! With the van den Hul Orchids piggybacking as the interconnects, it was that simple.
The lead up to my decision was five nights of intensive listening to a whole genre of music. It was certainly worth the effort and I caught up with the vast improvement in cable technology in less than a week!
Off the cuff, the van den Hul power and interconnect combination certainly sounded exciting and attractive. Fast, lively sound with pristine highs, crystal clear mids and taunt lows. However with extended listening, I found myself wanting back the musical warmth I had grown so used to.
The PS Audio Preludes stepped up to the plate and took the edge off the top end. They restored the warm balance in the mid-range and gave the soundstage greater depth. There was better stereo separation between instruments with the acoustical signature being more pronounced. Focus and imaging were tighter too. All these qualities rendered music that was at once more musical and three dimensional.
Mikhail was no doubt, pleased with my findings. The man is dubbed the affectionate moniker of "Professor Mikhail" by local audiophiles and his recommendations are vigorously considered and adopted. With good measure too, given the myriad of cables and equipment available in the market. It is not how much one spends on their audio system but a correct matching of these components to bring out the best attributes.
Audiophile Paradise, Part 2
This is the best part!
Mikhail was kind enough to lend me a pair of
ven den Hul Mainstream MkIIIs for comparison. Contrast with the
PS Audio Preludes, which darken the sound and close up the top end, I'm curious to hear just how the Mainstreams will improve things.
On loan for the road to paradise.
In addition, I ditched my Cardas Cross interconnects and replaced them with the highly acclaimed
van den Hul Orchids. The Orchids have been praised for being fast, detailed and airy.
But narrow is the way.
So the van den Huls were left to burn in since yesterday evening. However with the rated minimum of three hundred hours burn-in time, things will only get better as long as I like what I'm hearing.
Following a refreshing shower after MacRitchie with
Otterman, Debbie and company, I settled down to a listen.
Mark Knopfler was given the honor of opening the proceedings. His recordings are commonly used by audiophiles to demonstrate the sonic prowess of their sound systems.
What a transformation! Amid the warm mid range and hefty lows, the top end frequencies are now restored and are as light and open as the heavens. Mark's voice is presented in all their full throated and raspy glory. Every rattle of his larynx and pursing of his lips are more pronounced than ever. Soundstaging is much tigher too. It is as if a veil has been lifted, revealing the full sonic picture behind it.
Timber quality is spot on and tonal control is much better. There is practically no over hang when the bass line changes. The van den Huls have got that kind of control to keep the music taunt and fast, keeping the low frequencies in check from becoming a muddy mess.
If this is what I'm receiving from an audiophile show-piece recording, I'm sure the van den Huls will sound edgy when playing back brightly recorded music. These recordings tend to emphasize the high frequencies and result in a case of
exacerbated listening fatigue.
Now the PS Audio Preludes may be employed, in this case, to take that bright edge off. This will no doubt come at the sacrifice of some musical detail.
So what kind of sound do I want? With a whole genre of music to listen to, I'll be putting the these two power cables to the test before I decide.
Audiophile Paradise, Part 1
Straight out the box, I understood what Mikhail, my audio dealer, had told me to expect when I plugged the new power cord into my headphone amplifier.
Given that the
PS Audio xStream Preludes cost a fifth of my headphone and headphone amplifier combo, it isn't unreasonable to wring every ounce of musical detail from my sound system.
Long is the road.
Compared to my old Ensemble powercord, the Preludes transformed the sound stage. There was plenty of mid-range warmth while the vocals were given a full bodied presentation. The low end carried more weight and heft. There was also lower electrical noise, a common malady afflicting all audio systems, resulting in cleaner sound.
Though the new powercord has yet to burn in, I could tell that the top end was closed off and restricted. My previous Ensembles had more air at the top end and threw up more detail in the highs frequencies. The vibrating vocal cords in
Loreena McKennitt's voice seemed less pronounced now.
Considering the kind of sound I wanted, Mikhail suggested changing the interconnects between my headphone amplifier and CD player as well. If I'm going to keep the Preludes, he concluded, then my current Cardas Cross interconnects will have to go.
I'll be seeing him again this weekend.
Out with the Old. In with the New.
Popping by Queensway earlier this afternoon, I shelled out nineteen thousand and five hundred cents. Walking out of Sports 2000, I came away with another pair of Nike running shoes.
My old pair of Nike Shox 2.45s have lost their spritely springs. Running them into the ground after a year, they are passed the seven-month replacement interval. The reason why they've stayed with me this long is because I was then pursuing other activities and keeping my running on the back burner.
Time to make soup with this?
So today effectively marks my second week of intensive running as my old faithfuls have run out of steam. Even though they look decent still, as I take care of my running shoes and don't use them for anything else, their shock absorbency and responsiveness has deteriorated significantly.
Looking at the overflowing shoe racks earlier, there is only one brand that I pick for the ride. And from the Air Max, Air Pegasus, Air Triax, Air Structure and recent Nike Free choices, the Nike Shox will take my fancy any day.
Let's use some tenderizer.Built for efficient runners, they have adequate stability and good cushioning. But the one thing that I love about the Shox is their spritely responsiveness. These babies turn tight corners and they are nails to the rails compared to some of the other celebrated shoes out there.
This purchase marks my sixth pair of Shox and given that they are the seventh generation incarnates, they'll blaze the trail when I unleash them tonight.
Only in May
Toting my trusty SonyEricsson (SE) K750i for the last two years, just what would SE would have up their sleeves after the launch of their successful and year-old K800i? I'd admit that I wasn't too thrilled about the protruding lens cover for their 3.2MP Cybershot camera. But the direction in which SE were heading kept me waiting for a new version to be launched.
Lost some weight, honey? Oh, I like your buttons too!So along comes the K810i, the Revision B of the Nokia-killing K800i. From the photos, you can see that the bulky camera lens cover has been reduced. Throw in a new keypad with the slimmer profile, the specifications for both phones are exactly the same. On paper at least.
GSM Arena has a comprehensive
review of the phone. Though it is a beta test unit, GSM Arena claims that the K810i has a better handle on the macro-shot functions and is more responsive when performing multi-task functions. The delayed news is that the new phone will only be available in May, though I'm told that there are export sets available now.
Software plays a significant part in the way these phones operate. So I've no doubt that a software upgrade on a K800i, should I decide to buy one on the cheap, will bring it up to par with a K810i. Looking at the sleek profile of the K810i, there's no doubt in my mind which phone I'd buy.
In the grapevine still, are claims of the
up-coming K850i, spotting a 5 MP camera! That should keep cellphone users like myself content until Apple releases its
iPhone.
Broken Arrow
This is what happens when you look away for an instant.
No, that ain't the foreskin.Yes, there I was writing until I was interrupted by a colleague. So down, I set my pen before opening my ears for some inane banter. Unfortunately, my attention was interrupted by a 'crack'.
Looking down, I realized that my pen had rolled off the table. The impact broke the front plastic resin from the silver body. As this was the second time my pen had fallen on the floor, something had to give.
Sending it in to Mont Blanc at Ngee Ann City last Friday 30th, I received a phone call today informing me that the bill would amount to one hundred and thirty dollars. Mont Blanc would replace four broken parts, polish the pen case and throw in a one year warranty.
That's fine. Just about anything to get my writing instrument back clean and polished.
As for my colleague, he just walked away after shrugging his narrow shoulders. Bloody peasant!
