iggyting

The SRH 440 is a good buy. Try it!

There is also a little shop at the Victoria Concert Hall dedicated to classical music. You can get some lesser known labels with less familiar artists and orchestras. Some are so-called modern pieces. Nevertheless, all are worth a listening to. A promising trend is the film scores with symphonic music. Music scores from epic films (eg 'Lord Of The Ring") and popular games (eg Final Fantasy) seem to enthrall the younger generations. I believe there is always a place for good classical music.

HMV is presently the best place to go for a wide selection of classical music. A lot of re-issue of past master recordings or varied compilations of popular pieces. Younger generations of artists are not only marketing their skills but also their looks. An attractive image is the selling point now. Sad that classical music is withdrawing back to the concert halls. Let's hope classical music will not be for the elite only.

Any good? I love Nigel in the Elgar's piece though.

Hi folks! if you are willing to sell the above CD, please sms me. Thank you, iggyting (96169470)

Good for you folks who can think this way. For me, and also many, the joy is in the whole 'package' where tool and result come off really well, when man and his tool is one, the holistic experience. regards to all

Hi Folks! Anyone willing to sell the Sacred Treasures series, individually or a lot? CD should be in good working condition, not necessary pristine, and priced reasonably. Thanks, iggyting (sms 96169470).

Marvellous! Susan smoothens out Elain's redition and notches a pitch higher. Elain sounds a tag more emotional while Susan, a soaring defiance in the tone. Both reditions are welcome!

I have a similar problem. Wonder a patch-up will do! regards

Agree! Askenasy's reading of Rachmaninov's 2nd Concerto was well-paced, neither languid nor plodding, melodious. A definative romantic interpretation.

Hi, I would like to join in the good company and to "look see, look see"

Hi Folks, selling the MF tubeamp bought in 5/4/08 in 8+ cond at $380/= or any reasonable offer. Presently using a Stax system. So the item is sparingly used. A very good headamp, able to drive most headphones. regards, iggyting (96169470) ps: Thanks everybody! Item is sold!

Hi Folks! If you find the voice of Sarah Brightman a pitch too high for your liking go for that of Hayley Westerna, a New Zealander songtress. Her voice has that musical pitch which renders any song an added ethereal 'feel'. Take the song "Will It Be" from LOTR. Enya, the original singer, gives it a 'magical' rendition. But Hayley's version is also a welcome addition. She is wonderful to hear and a beauty to behold. Try her lastest album "The best Of Hayley Westerna". regards

The older x-can V3 is good enough. I think you pay more for the v8 for an additional usb input.

Hi All, in times of recession one can lose everything but not his or her sense of humour! Anyone to share a joke about the musical world or the world of headpohone? How about this for a start : "Your headphone is very musical, but what's in between is not sound!". Not bad a complement eh!!!

I presume your tube amp is solely a headamp. If so why not bring your favorite cans to stereo electronic or jaben to try out? Even a Chinese made like Darkvoice figaro is acceptable in terms of sound and pricing (the Figaro is around $200/= ?). regards

Hi, it is generally agreed that tube amp gives a 'warmer' and more personal tone to vocal music, but may lack 'transcient". Go for both tube and solid state to enjoy both worlds of music. In this way you also help to 'kick' out recession mah!

Thanks Flipwitch for an informative n interesting post. So to put it simply (hopefully without over-simplification), a person respond to 'bass' by: (1) compensating for perceived 'loudness' (SPL) in the band, and (2) compensating 'bass' according to preferences Therefore a technical 'flat response' curve is not a normative meaure of a good bass? regards

A good recording is a happy 'coincidence' of good artistry, an acoustically-tuned venue and a competent recording team. Happy musicians make happy music. Thus a good recording is a 'collectable'. I venture to put my head on the block by recommending an inexpensive "Naxos" series of 10 volumes of piano music Naxos 8.553852, 8.553119, 8.553073, 8.553516, 8.553062, 8.553656, 8.553656, 8.553961, 8.553594, and 8.553659. I only have the 8.553961, vol 7, Rossini Transcription of Frank Liszt's "Soirees musicales" n "Guillaume Tell Overture". The pianist is Kemal Gekic (a Czech, I think) on a Steinway. It was recorded at Szt. Istvan Conservatorium, Budapest, on 20th & 21st 1996. The recording team comprised of producer, Tamas Benedek, supervisor, Jeno Simon, and balance engineer, Gabor Mocsary (all relatively 'unknown', I think). The recording I have is well-balanced, good in the dynamic range and harmonics, well played. The other recordings were by other pianists (Arnaldo Cohen, Jeno Jando, Philip Thomson, Oxana Yablonskaya, n Joseph Banowetz - relatively 'unknown' pianists?); and if these were done by the same technical team as in the 'Franz Liszt's, I would think they are also similarly well-recorded. Now just don't hold my words against me - I do mind losing my head. Perhaps try one first.

Yeah, I think you 'hammer the right strings" here. The lack of 'twang' is due to the lack of resonance and of 'decay' in the recording - that's what the audiophiles say - which make the sound as unpalatable as the two slices of peanut-butter-jam pictured. Yakkity! More than that, this makes the reproduced music lacking in depth and 'weight'. But not all is lost; good recordings still convey sufficient 'realism' like a 'live' session.

Interesting to hear from a pianist complaining about high fidelity! "I haven't found a sound that sounds close to a piano" - how much are we (the listeners) 'losing' out? regards

I feel that for those who are adventurous enough to explore and understand 'modern' music should look at Robert Simpson's Symphony # 9, by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vernon Handley, under Hyperion label. This cd is unique because Robert Simpson, a current notable English composer, gives a commentary on the music at the end of the track. As he explains: if you fail to respond to the music in the first hearing, you may find the commentary superflous. However, if you are drawn into further listening after the commentary, you can be 'doubtly' enriched each time. The movements (three I think) are organically linked to give a seamless whole. The composer acknowledges the influence of two great composers, Beethoven and Bruckner (his 6th symphony especially), but created his own rising chords and cyclic momentum, giving a very engrossing musical experience. Hope you can find the cd here!

You may like to bring your W1000 to Alpha Audio, Adephi, and try it on. Because the w1000 is so efficient it can match with most amp. Yeah, the X-can, being a well-known tube-hybrid amp, works well with w1000. A reasonably good cdp does play a part also. While you are there you might as well go to Jaben and try out whatever they have. I think the inexpensive Figaro is worth a listening to. Here we go again! A direct w1000-amp-cdp route is desirable. But, you really have to decide for yourself whether this is the sound for you. I think the newer v8 is a bit pricey with an additional usb-mp4 output over the v3. I read the two versions are basically the same. Again, nothing like hearing it out! cheers

Try it with the Musical Fidelity X-Can V3 (or V4) also

Yes technically a flat response, taking into consideration of spikes n dips, is a good measure of fidelity in a sound reproduction. I suppose that's why hifi is an engrossing experience for the enthusiasts as familiar topics are visited and revisited by the old and new comers. From this perspective, I venture to say that this 'flat reponse' is in a greater part a measure of the recorded material rather than the hifi setup, including the earpiece. In another word, an average headphone can reproduce a 'flat reponse' base with a well-recorded source. Conversely, a highly-rated one sounds no better with a poorly recorded source. To paraphrase: "It is the recording, stupid". Me included - no offence meant.