1. In continuing with my previous blog posting, I had successfully abstained from buying any music software for the past 3 weeks - an achievement of sorts for me in view of fact that I still checked out music outlets in Rock Corner and Victoria Music. I would continue to practise restraint until something good or irresistible such as Teresa Teng's 淡淡幽情 Japan-pressed CD (another album I grew up with) comes my way. The CD was sourced in Hong Kong by a friend but yet to reach me as of to-date. The aim here, really, is to curb the growth of music software which I do not listen to and in trimming my personal belongings down to bare essential.
2. We hifi buffs or audiophiles are strange creatures; we need to constantly be in touch with fellow audiophiles to talk about hifi, listen to others' system, exchange notes and spread poison among ourselves. The moment we become a lone ranger, the passion in us would somehow diminish. Some of us are known to participate and post comments in audio forums or have started blogs to rant and vent on subjects pertaining to hifi. You are currently reading one! H1f1 pandemic at http://h1f1.blogspot.com/ is another latest addition to the local scene. Do check them out.
3. The pricings adopted by a large majority of local hifi distributors are too high, way higher than the recommended-retail-prices (RRP) in the West. These distributors often quip that equipment imported onto our shore are subject to import duties but why do they conveniently omit fact that we are yet to be subjected to VAT/GST as in the West that in a way offset the import duties? Do the maths yourselves bearing in mind that import duties are levied on costs and not retail prices. Their high prices would perhaps be justified by the enormous monthly rental charges paid to shopping malls they are situated in. I opine that such higher pricing would only deter some of the potential customers to part with their hard earned cash and instead source for equipment overseas. There are of course exceptions, as usual. Over to you, the local distributors concerned!
4. The quality of life in the city is slowly but surely receding with pace more hectic and frantic nowadays compared to the serenity our parents used to enjoy in the past. We often need to put in longer than the required hours in the office and spend a fair deal of time commuting between office and home. Inevitably, this sapped away our energy and took away the time we would sit down to listen to music. Music would only be played in the background as part of the multi tasks we undertake and this give birth to downloadable music formats stored in computer hard disks, dedicated multimedia hard disks and handhelds in iPods, mobile phones and others. My view is that new music would eventually, in the near foreseeable future, be released in such formats and no longer in ordinary 16-bits Red Book CDs, SACDs and surely not vinyl LPs. As such, it may not be wise now to spend too huge an amount on a highend CD player or for that matter, a turntable. The entire new reissued LPs priced at RM181.90 each in Rock Corner is no consolation either!
5. As I blog solely on my personal audio journey (odyssey) and there are only so much available to write unless I were to upgrade or add equipment more often (which I pray not to), I would go slow in churning out new articles for my blog from now on. This does not in any way imply that I am giving up on my audio journey and quest. I stumbled upon the following comments on first pressings of CDs and LPs vs their respective remastered versions and the difference in sonics between first pressing CDs and LPs which I myself could not have put them any better. No translation; they are in the Chinese language in as-is-where-is basis:
"因為當年生產 CD 的時候是刻意要給人與 LP 與別不同的感覺，所以在混音 (remaster) 中多少添加了點【激素】，聽起來感覺上比較剛勁，硬朗！令人有一種一聽鐘情，特別刺激的新鮮感。所以基本上任何頭版 CD 都跟頭版 LP 的表達有一段距離甚致大不相同！不過由於頭版 CD 仍然是當今最 analogue 的數碼產品及較 LP 方便等原因，它仍舊是發燒友的不二之選！但近年再版的 CD 包括那些 SACD 更是【激素之王】，正是【為發燒而發燒】的產物，與原盤所表達的情感更相距十萬八千里！那些只喜歡追求官能上得到刺激的【發燒友】應該添置一台 EQ 才對！就好比天然 33C 對人工 48F，聰明的你會挑那一位？
頭版 LP 基本上是第一個誕生的音樂藝術原型盤，是帶有那個年代的製作特式及當時音樂人所想表達的獨有客觀環境等原素，是不能隨意加減混音再版的。嚴格來講，任何再版的 LP 都有不同程度的【失真】！LP 聽起來感覺上比較剛中帶柔，感染力比 CD 更加通透持久，餘音盪漾，越聽越令人回味！此一境界，由於是先天的絛件所限，CD 是無法達致的！即是說，世上任何【貴價】的 CD 機，都不及 一般 LP 唱盤【好聲】！(以同樣都播放頭版作比較)REMASTERING CREATES DISTORTION. AND MORE REMASTERING, MORE DISTORTIONS! THE FIRST EDITION CDs/LPs SOUND BEST. THE EARLIER THE PRESSINGS, THE BETTER THEIR QUALITY! JAPANESE PRESSINGS ARE ALWAYS THE BEST IN THE WORLD! – Sam the Record Man "
【剛中帶柔】? Well said. It explains why people are still listening to LPs in this digital era!
Enjoy the music!
Addendum on 12.11.2009:I picked up from my friend the Teresa Teng's 淡淡幽情 CD (TACL 2400) yesterday - a 1995 pressing by Taurus Records, Japan (original album released by Polydor in 1983) also available at HMV Japan at ¥2,448 net (applicable for order of min 4 CDs) before addition of the courier charges. I found its sonic quality truly fantastic - airy, treble unforced and extremely natural. I was so captivated that I dug out my other Japan EMI-Capitol CD (pressing by Toshiba in 1994) of Holly Cole Trio' s Yesterday & Today album for a quick spin and listen (I have not listened to this CD for a long time, definitely not after my recent upgrades). Stunning! The nuance in tonal colours is equally vivid and easily discernable. Sam is clearly spot-on! I suddenly remembered I spotted a Japan-pressed CD of The Eagles' Hotel California album at a local music outlet days ago. Oh no, not again …
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