Part 3 - Audionote Singapore
Part Three: Audionote Singapore
Now I had some Vinyl to listen to I decided to move on to the first shop-borne victim, er, I mean participant. Audionote Singapore is an unashamedly high end enterprise. Curiously enough, although they have some long-standing links with Audionote UK I didn't see any of their equipment on display when I visited. There is a Kondo distributor in the mall, but I didn't go in there. Mind you, I wouldn't normally walk in to somewhere like this because I wouldn't be dreaming about spending so much money. But seeing as I wasn't, I thought it was safe, I didn't seem to be the only one, there were several people browsing and chatting to the sales staff. I know that there is a confidence and a lack of inhibition that comes with being a visitor in a foreign country, but I just can't see this happening over here. I don't think most UK dealers would be so accommodating, but I'd be happy to be contradicted on that!
The proprietor, Mr Cecil Tan has been in business at the Adelphi in his current store for 15 years. He agreed to show me around and let me listen to whatever I wanted.
Scott @ ZeroGain.com: Cecil, this is a stunning location for a shop and it all looks very impressive, is the image central to your business?
[answer]
Cecil Tan @ Audionote Singapore: We looked at the market a few years ago and several things became clear to me. The number of customers was shrinking and the number of industry players was declining as the big Japanese companies stopped making serious HiFi. So we decided to move up market where the people who have money will always be willing to pay for real quality.[/answer]
Airtight Badge from Airtight ATM 211, 22w SET Monoblocks
Scott: When you say real quality I presume you mean sound quality?
[answer]
Cecil: Yes, but not just that, these products are real life products and need to be used every day in the home. The Leben range is an example of this; it fits in with our philosophy and the sound is excellent, but the build quality is also extremely good. This makes for long term customer satisfaction, and this is important.[/answer]
Scott: You mentioned long-term satisfaction there, how much of your business is from repeat customers?
[answer]
Cecil: I would say around 75% comes from people who we have a relationship with already. [/answer]
Scott: Why do you think these people come back to you time after time?
[answer]
Cecil: Well, we try to keep people happy I suppose; we have three complete systems on offer, each of which shows a clear progression in quality. [/answer]
Scott: What do you look to build on first? Imaging? Better definition of certain elements of the spectrum?
[answer]
Cecil: Everywhere! To us the systems just sound better everywhere as you move up, otherwise why spend the money? They are all based on vacuum tubes, and this is at the heart of our musical philosophy. I think that people reach a stage in life where they want music to relax rather than energise, and that's where we come in. I also really feel that you have to believe in what you sell, otherwise there is no hope. We believe in our equipment, and we occupy a place where our customers know what they are going to get. [/answer]
I had noticed a real analogue presence in the store, indeed I had been looking previously at an EMT JSD 15 which was in stock, I wondered how important the analogue side of the business is.
Scott: I've been encouraged by the quantity (and quality) of vinyl available in Singapore, you've got lots of turntables, how many of your customers run a turntable?
[answer]
Cecil: Most of them have one of some kind, a good turntable is more expensive so it is often the older customers who have stayed with analogue or moved back onto it that have the best set ups.[/answer]
Scott: How old are your turntable customers?
[answer]
Cecil: Well most people come to us in their late 20s because then they have some money to spend, and then it ranges up to the 80s. We see people starting with CD these days, and then moving on to a quality vinyl set up as funds allow. [/answer]
Scott: And has this always been the case; that people appreciate the sound of vinyl?
[answer]
Cecil: No, certainly not, in fact I am proud that we stayed with analogue through the tough years and saw it through.[/answer]
Scott: The tough years, when was this?
[answer]
Cecil: During the mid to late 1990s there was a real decline in people listening to vinyl, we sold hardly anything, but a few of our loyal customers kept faith with us and we kept stocking turntables In fact we were one of the few people in Singapore to do this. Since 2000 we have seen things improve a lot and now sales are very good, our customers are running Vinyl
and CD systems, not one or the other. [/answer]
Scott: What's your biggest vinyl seller?
[answer]
Cecil: The TW Acustic Raven, certainly the best selling turntable and one of real quality. [/answer]
Despite the large stock list on the website I noticed fewer items in store and only a very few making it into the three demo systems. I was curious about this:
[answer]
Cecil: The fact of the matter is that we can only demo a limited number of items at a time, and particularly with speakers, I prefer to showcase only one pair at a time in any system due to sonic reasons. There are however, a number of other models lined up at the side ready for demo if need be. Our policy is to rotate the equipment on demo from time to time so that customers will not see the same items on show every time they walk in.[/answer]
Scott: On the loudspeakers, I only see two kinds here, the Avantgarde and...?
[answer]
Cecil: The DeVore, chosen because of their high sensitivity and valve-friendliness.[/answer]
Scott: So how do you choose the equipment you stock, is it done through manufacturer demos or by other means?
[answer]
Cecil: Well, we stock products we like as I said before, and we only sell products once we've tried them for some time, but we often identify them at CES.[/answer]
Scott: What about the London Show, do you go to that?
[answer]
Cecil: No (laughs) CES and Frankfurt are the biggest, London is not so big. [/answer]
Some customers walked in and wanted to listen to systems 1 and 2 in the main area, so Cecil suggested we start by listening to their current statement system. That didn't seem like such a bad idea at all:
Main demo system: Avantgarde Uno Picco, Airtight 211 SET Monos, Reimyo CDT-777,
DAP-999EX, Airtight Reference Pre, Brinkman Fein phono stage,
Brinkman La Grange/ Triplanar/ Transfiguration Orpheus + Associated Stillpoints,
Shunyata Hydra etc... (grille covers removed for photos)
The look and feel of the Avantgarde speakers just dripped quality, with their beautifully engineered and sculpted horns and state of the art design fundamentals. All of this is squeezed into such a coherent and musically satisfying package that the design priorities are hard to disagree with. Then, as the room opened I saw they really had grasped the whole system approach and attention to detail in cabling and support terms. We were singing from the same song sheet and I just knew that this was going to be a transcendental listening epiphany.
Oh, sorry about that, I've been reading back issues of HiFi+ and that last paragraph just kind of leapt onto the page. I guess this is part of the creative process, man!
I'm much more of a 'bass – mid – treble' kind of writer, so don't expect great imagery or eulogies, either the system works on it's own terms or it doesn't. First up was 'What's going on?' through the Orpheus, LaGrange, Triplanar, Brinkman, Airtight and Avantgarde replay chain.
I've never really heard a good pair of horns before; although these aren't true horns they do have an amazing mid range that makes me think I maybe know what all the talk is about. Marvin Gaye's voice floated out effortlessly and the extension was excellent:
[answer]
Marvin Gaye on "What's Going On": I'd been studying the microphone for a dozen years, and suddenly I saw what I'd been doing wrong. I'd been singing too loud, especially on those Whitfield songs. It was all so easy. One night I was listening to a record by Lester Young, the horn player, and it came to me. Relax, just relax. It's all going to be all right.[/answer]
Now this is a bit cringe worthy, but the way the mids and treble reached out, that statement made even more sense than usual, and that on a quick 15 – 20 minute run through!
I was surprised at the imaging which really stood out and I wasn't expecting that at all. Bass was deep and very well extended in such a big room; I guess the pair of active 12" helped there. If I was being critical then I'd say that there was maybe a slight lack of bottom end control and / or drive, despite the active sealed cabs but that would be nitpicking. I say that because there was an effortless nature to the mid band that I don't think I've heard through any other system. What I didn't notice on my short trip was any of the integration issues that people mention with Avantgardes. Although maybe that was due to the acoustically treated listening room and the time spent on set up which we don't normally see at shows. Listening to an 'Audiophile' quality recording (Dire Straights) showcased the dynamic abilities of the system.
The straight out 'PRAT' approach is just not what Cecil and his team aim to deliver. Personally I find this refreshing; they aren't trying to be all things to all people. I suppose for the cost you could argue that you'd expect a full balance of qualities, but overall, for me, the minor vices of this system were more than balanced out by the virtues - I'll have two, please!
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Avantgarde Uno Picco[/rightnews]
Moving swiftly on to CD through the Reiymo CD / DAC combo I played 'The Magnificent Seven' from the Clash 'On Broadway' compilation. The, air and extension of the mid range and treble again stood out. Micro details and the spoken asides of the band were easy to hear and I noticed a few things I previously only picked up on headphones. The Bass line kicked along well and I don't think I'd have any complaints with this sound on this material.
Notice the profusion of supports, footers, and other 'tweaky' bits in there. This is a contentious issue, maybe not so much in the industry, but certainly on this and other forums where the real world meets HiFi fantasy prices. I have to confess to a healthy degree of scepticism on the effectiveness of many tweaks but actually what do I know? Cecil used the Supercar analogy where we don't all slag off Ferrari for making a $500,000 vehicle which is equally unattainable to most people. He takes a pragmatic approach to the accessories in their systems.
Scott: You've a lot of accessories on there, like many others I think that the world's gone mad when we have a 10 grand power cord and HiFi+ telling us that we can tune our system with different mains products, or should spend on cables like we spend on components. How do you approach the accessories, are they part of the system, or just additions for those that want them?
[answer]
Cecil: We like to try what is out there, and we try and we try, if there is no improvement to us, we don't use it. We think all of these things improve the system, the racks and if you notice the feet under the speakers. Yes, the cost can be excessive sometimes; but if there is no improvement to the customer then they don't buy it. [/answer]
This seems fair to me, and noticeably free from the outright eulogising of some well known actors in the HiFi industry.
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After Cecil put on that audiophile Dire Straights we took a walk around the best selection of turntables I've seen in one place.
First up, the crazy 47 Labs machine, with potentiometer speed control and that unique, contra-rotating, magnetically levitated dual platter drive system:
47 Laboratory Koma Turntable with Tsurube Ttonearm
If that seems odd, then take a look at the arm. The sound quality is apparently excellent but the work required keeping it tuned makes the LP12 look like a Rega P3.
47 Laboratory Tsurube Arm
Cecil's own table was lying on the floor, a classic Luxman 555. He also has the full vacuum suction unit it just isn't pictured here. The Arms are the classic Micro Seiki (on the right) and the knife edge bearing SAEC 407 (12" version).
Luxman PD555 turntable, very rare 12" version of the SAEC WE-308 arm (left)
and Micro Seiki MA-303 arm with Ortofon Kontrapunkt A cartridge (right)
I'm keen on vintage Japanese equipment myself and later asked Cecil how he thought these arms would compare to more modern offerings:
[answer]
Cecil: I feel they are fine as a match for the PD-555 (vintage pairing and all that), but will lose out in a few areas if compared to more modern arms. Firstly, I suspect that the internal wiring and contact points are now oxidized after so many years of life. The bearings are also probably not up to the high standard of some arms that use exotic metals and even rubies for the bearings. Even the arm tubes are probably not as well damped as the top arms in the market now.[/answer]
The Simon Yorke S7 was also sitting there but I didn't get a good enough look at it, an embarrassment of riches obscured what would normally be a centrepiece. I did however get a look at the Triplanar MKVII UII arm on the TW Raven. I seriously want one of these. I also want somebody to give me the cash to buy one too, so if anyone is feeling generous, send a PM. They are pricey.
TW Acustic Raven with Triplanar MKVII UII Arm
I completely forgot to take any decent pictures of the DeVore speakers, which sounded interesting, any of the Leben kit or the rest of the showroom. I could have spent all day but time was ticking on so I moved onto Jaben Network for something completely different.
