I have been running in my new LP setup - Basis 2001 + Graham 2.0 + Clear Audio Accurate - for almost 200 hours now and I found that the cartridge really lives up to its name - "Accurate". It uncovered all the shortages of my system in detail accurately. My previously "all the while well-performed" pre-amplifier with its in-built head amp sounded "dried and hard" in this new setup. Now to my new standard it is completely not up to standard.
What to say? Just another proof that having the right combination is very important in a setup.
To solve the problem, instead of enduring the poor quality built-in head amp I added an Ensemble head amp. The sound did improve to a certain extent but still not to my satisfaction. Since I have already spent so much on the new LP system, I might as well get it right once and for all. Even though I have to risk my life (not exaggerating, as my wife would probably chop my head off if she found out how much I have spent) I decided to go ahead and get myself an early Christmas present, my dream Matisse Fantasy MK II line amplifier.
To own a Matisse is really a fantasy for me. Actually, my dream lover is not this new entrant, "Fantasy" but her older, mellower sister "Reference". I still remembered when I first met her; I was completely stunned by her sweetness, beauty, delicacy and elegance.
I was breathless and couldn't hold myself. I swore one day I must own her. Unfortunately, I never strike the lottery or Toto and I knew I can never save enough to fulfill my ultimate dream, thus I settled for the second best, "Reference" younger sister, "Fantasy" instead.
Since they are of the same parentage, theoretically they should possess more or less the same characteristics. My Fantasy has only been run-in for 20+ hours, far less than the 100 hours as recommended by the manufacturer but her performance has already proven me right. The warm and rich sound of valve amp plus the elegance of Ensemble Fono Vivo plus the accuracy and superb analytical power of ClearAudio's Accurate, all three combined to give a "sound" completely different from my previous setup, an improvement not only sonically but more in terms of musicality.
Many people find it hard to describe "musicality". To me it is quite simple. If the music can absorb the listener's attention completely right from the beginning of a record to the end and make the listener want to continue to listen some more records when it ended, this is musicality. If a system can make the listener forget about the time, forget about all his worries and stress, just relax and listen to records after records tirelessly, this is musicality!
As I grew older, I no longer look for sonic excitement but musicality from my audio system (Joe: even though musicality is very important for a system, the most important aspect is, the owner must have good musical taste). Some people may not like the sound of my system but I am most satisfied with its performance and considered it as the best I have ever owned. I have to after I have spent so much, right? Hehe!
Some of my friends asked me a very interesting question: why I choose Matisse, such an unpopular brand in Singapore?
It has been almost eight years since I migrated to Singapore. I found that most of the audiophiles here are only after those equipment recommended as Class A or B in the Stereophile magazine. As a result, USA products dominated the local audio market. This is because very few European or other countries audio equipment has succeeded in entering the American market. Over the years, only a handful of ultra-expensive brands have been able to do so. A lot of "good" and "small" brands, especially those from England have been left out of the Stereophile's list.
In the audio equipment field, personally, I think the Americans are really the experts in terms of marketing. But in terms of musicality, the Europeans are still much better. I believe this has to do with cultural heritage (Joe: This is really an over-statement and is too subjective and personal.). Even though one or two American product is excellent, the price tag is bound to be excellent too!
Well, back to Matisse. My Fantasy was hand delivered by the boss of Matisse Asia (based in Hong Kong) Mr. Chan himself when he visited Singapore recently. I was really grateful to him for coming to my home to set it up for me. I also learned a lot about hi-fi from him during our lunch together with Joe.
During lunch, Mr. Chan talked about the different brands of vacuum tubes and their respective characteristics, the materials used in Matisse and the special processes involved such as using low-temperature Cadmium Solder to ensure that the high quality of the parts will not be affected during the soldering. He emphasized that if the American use the same high quality parts and special processes, the end product will definitely be much more expensive than Matisse. I totally agreed with him. Interested readers can contact Audio 88 to arrange for an audition. I must stress that I am writing this article simply because I am a satisfied Matisse user. Audio 88 does not pay me any commission at all.
Matisse 
When Mr. Chan was at my home, we also exchanged views about LP and CD. Mr. Chan quoted Mark Levinson: " LP is like a mirror, it may be dirty or have scratches, but it still reflect the truth. However, CD is a mirror that has been broken into thousand of pieces and recombined into a whole using the latest technology. The ordinary CD was mirror broken into ten thousand pieces whereas the latest SACD or DVD Audio has one million pieces. Regardless of the number of pieces, they cannot reflect the truth as accurately as the unbroken albeit dirty or scratched mirror."
 | We both agreed that Analog and Digital are two completely different worlds, they cannot be compared and there is no need for comparison. However, to get the best out of any system requires skills and technique. If one doesn't know how to match, tune and tweak the system, even if he owns the best and most expensive LP setup will still mean nothing, the sound may be worse than an ordinary CD system. | |
Before Mr. Chan left, he highly recommended another miracle product from Matisse named Conductor. He said Conductor was able to absorb and clear the digital noise from the preamp and make CD sound more analog. It also helps in improving LP sound too.
I was tempted; maybe I should ask Audio 88 for a home trial?
