What good there is with beauty but without substance?

“江苏第一人造美女”马蕾


You see ar, technology nowadays can turn big face to small; from not so pretty to quite pretty; from fat to not so fat. From the face above, we can get the face below.


I went to see her yesterday in hope that she could share her gory details over the 12 operations she underwent. I know in my life, I would never dare such attempt to cut myself.

But then hor, it was a puke blood experience. The girl was basically zero in substance lar. Every sentence would end with "Everyone likes to be pretty, being pretty makes me confident!" WTF, who didn't know your mother is female lar?

Somemore ar, the host was struggling so hard to think of more questions to ask as she would answer in 1 or 2 phrases and end it with "Everyone likes to be pretty, being pretty makes me confident!" Give me a break OK?

All this while, I have been attending talks and seminars. But I have never attended such short one! It lasted only 40 minutes and the host asked her to conclude already! I skipped the Q&A and left early, puke blood leh!

At least she said she's trying to improve herself by learning English and computing skills. Yeah, if she didn't realise this, I dunno wut's better for her to do!

Ah, I know, by mixing "I'm not fat, I'm big bones!" for South Park!

Please buy lar!

I have been trying to sell my AQ Panthers for months now. Is everyone busy doing their taxes or struggling to afford the outstanding taxes?

I do not know leh, coz I was shocked when Leslie called me telling me that almost the whole world knows about my intention of giving you guys a bargain of the century, yet no one actually asked about it.

The moral of the story:

Do not piss any local reviewers, because they would not publish your ads as it shows their lack of ability to listen let alone afford the things you own.

Do not become among the best at early age as it would rage envy among others to not buy from you just to make you stagnant and not becoming any better.

Do not buy expensive stuff because even if you sell secondhand, the price would still be very prohibitive for the normal crowd to afford.

Hahahaha…

Anyway, the real moral of the story would be:


Do not even try better rigs if you are mentally/financially not strong. It all started when I brought home a pair of AQ Anaconda which elevated my setup to unexpected level of speed, drive and agility. Wah lau, you guys just have to try this out before you even declare how good your setup is!


I have owned Anaconda’s little brother, Python, for a brief time before buying the replacement, Panther. While retaining the tonal characters of Python, Panther adds refinement and smoothness to the overall performance.


So I decided I must get at least the Anaconda replacement, Cheetah. After calculating high and low, since I am so kiasu, I decided to get the Sky instead. I guess I made the right decision.


Right as in deciding to buy Sky, not as in to have bought the Sky. I know I have not bought the Sky, how do I know it’s right then? Just look at how bad the secondhand market is in Malaysia lar, if I decided to go Cheetah and later want to upgrade hor, I can wait a lifetime to sell the Cheetah lar.

Look, the Panthers are still with me for months after deciding to sell them! Eh, half price of the current brand new price leh, still not a bargain ar?

What you guys want lar, free ar? Cheapskates!

If you try my cables and don’t buy them, I will bring parang to hack you into pieces!

I'm old...

After changing to my current position as a Siebel configurator, I have been depleting a lot of my brain power. A lot of brain cells died just to perform on par, just to perform to expectation and just for that meager pay. I have been slow and seem lack of juice to even respond to pain and anguish.

OK lar, even if a lorry was heading fast towards me, I guess I won’t even blink and would receive its arrival half a second late and won’t even know what hit me. It’s that bad OK?

People have been telling me to get a girl to love and to be loved. I think to myself, what’s the point of getting a girl if I won’t be able to invest much time into fostering the bond. Relationship needs time, effort and spontaneity, which neither one of them I have, nor able to fork out.

The urge to love comes and goes, I can’t control them. There was once I wanted so much to love somebody. But I couldn’t and didn’t persist stubbornly just to break into someone’s heart. I tried, but not hard enough and never would, as I do not believe in bulldozing my way.

That feeling has long gone, but would come again. I believe, one day or someday, it would return and blossom. But I am not sure when. There are plentiful of opportunities, near and around, but I would never know the likelihood of succeeding. I don’t and didn’t even try to poke further my way as I know it would be even more tiring for me.

I believe in mutual affections, where you deem someone as decent enough to give both a chance to know each other better. I always believe that this is how the matures would and should handle relationships, casual dates and outings, just to explore the possibilities.

But I guess not, I guess at my age, this way is so not me. Where I'm so dreary and weary of the chasing games. But yes, I shall, and will always believe in this way. I hate the bumpy-roller-coaster-chasing-way of flowers and lies to slam into her heart.

I guess it is still too early for my time to get a girl, coz I am an old mind stuck in a young body.

And I don't know what to do...

Random thoughts better than nothing lar...

I guess it’s pretty hard being me, and even harder trying to be who I want to be, or not to be.

A reviewer...

For once, I was trying to be a reviewer, feeling all glamorous when so many people read my work and give a damn about it when upgrading. Even more so when it was such sad story to see how bad Malaysian reviewers can be. There have been lesser and lesser serious audiophiles around, let alone serious dealers.

At this time, where the dealers are reluctant to send even the entry level rigs for review, god knows what the reviewers are doing to improve their listening skills. Oh, even sillier is when I was told that reviewers are chosen based on linguistic prowess. Just imagine this, a car reviewer was chosen from someone who has never driven more than 20 mph to review a Subaru WRX! What joke is this?!

What the fuck do I care when the local reviewers cannot even afford serious rigs for a reference setup! That explains why we have so many badly written reviews around, everything that drop in front of their door is good enough. Firstly, they do not know how to listen. Secondly, most of the stuff they review are priced way above what they could afford. Thirdly, since they are so linguistically gifted, they should write in such alluring manner, disregard of the lack of auditory competency!

A recent meet up with a writer who has long given up revealed so much that I have no faith in reviews anymore. Trust my ears is the only way. It is easier to write reviews on stuff you owned and from around friends without much influence from desperation for advertisements and loaners.

Looking at the unhealthy audio journalism here, I am glad that I have not become one of the reviewers whom we despise so feverously.

A dealer...

As a working class, it was understood how bad we have to go thru each month just to get the measly pay to fund whatever indulgence we crave. And whenever I look at how huge the margins the dealers impose on the products they carry, I would just drool!

But looking at the pathetically shrinking audio community, I wonder how am I going to survive without making huge margins from the products I carry. And looking at those fucking cheapskates who would only borrow but never buy, who is going to pay for the demo unit?!

I have 2 pairs of AQ Panther which I wanted to sell for months! The asking price has dropped faster than you could say "AQ", that’s how pathetic it is locally when no one even realize the improvements cables could bring to your setup.

I brought the cables north and south, still, the cables are still with me. I brought the cables to my uni mate who is now an audio dealer, he was so hesitant to even take it. Fuck, it must have been the huge margins he was so used to when selling new. Hey, think about it, I bought new and have to swallow the huge lost selling secondhand!

After knowing another dealer has beaten me in getting the dealership for Harmonic Tech, I am glad that I have not been able to become a dealer where even before opening up for business, tons of money have been poured in with no assurance for instant wealth!

Wah, how to choose wor? Can keep 2 ar? Ops, shud be 3!

Just what would you do when 2 equally eligible girls prompt you to make a decision? One being well endowed, cheerful and direct; on the other hand, the other being well groomed, educated and reserved.

For a normal guy like me, it would seem too good to be true! Of course, the best would be to keep both under the same roof while maintaining marital harmony. Arghhh, but live is never so forgiving!


The pit started with me listening to the VT200 first with Wang Fu. At first listen, I was awed with VT’s preciseness and life-like-to-a-T nature. Everything is vividly anchored with precise imaging and dimensionality!

Then came James Blunt’s live album, talk about layering, width and depth! VT is more than capable of throwing an expansive and grandiose soundstage in front! Imaging, again, is solidly portrayed in front of you!

We then played Le Mon, which is an ultimate test for seductiveness and emotional conveyance. Here, Le Mon sounds so reserved. The tonal richness of the Stage III Magnus was simply not there! Everything is so neutral and, eh, NEUTRAL! There’s neutrality that closely matched TRUEISM, if there’s such a word.

When we played Ah Beng, omigod, I was really really really awed and impressed! Talk about real life performance, just listen to the guitar plucking! The leading edge of guitar string plucking is so visceral and immediate. There’s a directness that I could only relate to higher priced rigs! The guitarists were like playing in front of you with varied intensity from the fingers, all these are channeled to you as if there are no equipments. Just you and the music!


The Classic is simply direct and forward. I was simply blown away the moment Wang Fu played! If played side by side, you would have mistaken Classic as the bigger brother! Even when playing Cheer, Classic is the one more capable of grooving and sending you snapping and tapping!

With James Blunt, Classic pales by comparison with depth, width and layering. The stage is forward and flat as compared to VT’s. Classic simply could not provide VT’s imaging and dimensionality.

This is where the Classic shines when playing Le Mon. the highs and mids of Classic is so rich and lush, Le Mon blossoms in front with such sexy and arousing manner. With Classic, you hear the full glory of Stage III Magnus’s exquisite tonal palettes! The tonal textures and colors are so rich and vibrant!

With Ah Beng, if Yin and Yang is able to describe audio, then VT is Yin while Classic is Yang. Classic would not emphasize on the leading fundamentals of instruments, but rather, embrace more on the harmonics. It makes guitars a bit meatier and beautified.

Now, I could not say VT is altogether running over Classic as they are totally different with strengths of their own! If you are into tonal color, musicality and boogey factor, Classic is yours. If you are into neutrality, lifelike dimensionality and imaging, then VT is yours. It all boils down to personal preference rather than technological superiority.

Leslie was wise to play me VT200 prior to Classic 120! However, disregard of sequence, I would still have the same verdict! Ha, at least I have the little sister with me!

Hi-end of yester-years

Back when I was still in infancy years of my audio journey, there were a few brands that I would dream of owning. By just listening to their names or reading their reviews would send me drooling for the rest of the day.

I still remember the years when MIT still reigned the hi-end arena with almost no competitors close by. Almost every hi-end magazines and hi-enders and hi-ender wannabes (the first I could think of is me) were raving nothing but MIT!

Then a couple of days ago, Eugene passed me a pair of Shotgun S3 RCA 1.5m to try out. For those of you who do not know, Shotgun used to be the top of the line series. Today, the series sits the third from top. Further reading reveals that the Shotgun today is equivalent, if not better, than the used-to-be-flagship Shotgun.

This disturbs me, either the cable technologies have improved leaps and bounds, or MIT has somehow lost the magic in producing jaw dropping cables. Well, to be fair, I have never listened to MIT back then until a couple of days ago.

So, how was the Shotgun S3 then? To me, nothing to shout about. If I were to spill the beans, sorry, I was not impressed. Having used AQ for most of my higher awareness level in my audio journey, most if not all, cables from others are not as balanced. Only a few could pass the test of time, and sound.

In the context of mostly Audio Research setups and combos, for pure copper cables, AQ comes across as the most balanced with no band shouting for attention. Of course for those who follows this blog closely, there are other brands that are able to steal my heart, but unable to attain/afford.

OK, I’ll cut the crap and drill straight in to the sound. From all the sources, MIT has the tendency to sound bloated and fat. From initial listening, I fully concur with that! The bass of MIT S3 comes in strong and bold, they firmly plant themselves and sounded slightly firmer than AQ Panther. Bongo drums have got slightly better bite than Panther in Mimi’s latest album.

At first listen, with Mimi’s and Lemon’s albums, vocals sounded lush and emotional. But something is amiss, which I could not attribute before I listened to Janice. Just after I switched to Janice, I realize that the edge of vocals was not as pronounced due to S3’s slightly nasalized mid. The breath is just not there!

Cheer’s vocal could sound dry, thin and harsh if the balance is not there. Further test with Cheer’s albums shows that S3’s mid is just recessed. For bright sounding setup and drier sounding SS, MIT could be the match in heaven as its nature would bring balance to the setup. However, with tube’s moist and luscious nature, S3 just would not cut it.

Oh, before I forget, the high is just, eh, recessed! Sorry to have used “recessed” so many times as I could not think of any better words to describe the nature of S3. Although I could not relate the similarity of high’s palates between MIT’s and Tranparent’s, the recessed highs nature seems the same for both!

Now I really wondered if the deeper stage I heard was due to S3’s recessed (again!) from mid and above band, drums would sound from deeper within the stage. The boldness might be due to its larger than life bass which floods my smallish room! With such excessive bottom, the timing and speed suffered. Track 11 of Cheer’s new album is a great track if you could play in a tuneful and snappy way. S3 just sounded sluggish.

BTW, the variable impedence does not bring magic for me, I settled at Low as moving it to Mid or High seems to rob the highs more.

With S3’s characteristic, no wonder many who dabbled in SS raved so much about MIT. For me, MIT is a NO NO for tube heads like me!

如果說望著你的眼睛，我的思緒沒有一絲波動，是騙你的。

只是，我試著壓抑，只讓它成爲輕輕漣漪，微美地在心中留下絲絲暖意。

聖誕的短訊是驚喜，只是我刻意遲遲不回；不是矜持，只是不想讓迷亂的心再次糊塗。或是，糊塗的心再次迷亂，糊塗與迷亂，都不好受。

新年，手機的顯示有你的名字，沒有慌張，只有驚奇；你送來祝福，然後請問公事；回了祝福，也回了疑問。沒有想象，也不想期望，只有漣漪，只有暖意，也有洋洋得意。

洋洋得意？有用嗎？證明了什麽？沒有，什麽都沒有。除了尊嚴上的少許彌補，不覺得獲得了什麼。沒獲得，沒遺失，是平手嗎？也不是。或許，真的是平手，平手也不是樂事，也不是苦惱，只是更清楚。

只是更清楚，内心的失望與可惜。

失望，你不給自己機會，就為自己築牆。害怕，我可以理解，難道我看似無懼嗎？

可惜，你不給自己機會，就給別人推辭。無助，我可以接受，難道就裹足不前嗎？

算了吧，不要為過去惋惜，我不需要有疑問的眼神。

你，還是繼續浮沉吧；我，無能爲力！


雨音