It only happens once in a year, the International Sight and Sound Exhibition 2009. And I've been kinda waiting for it for almost a year. (I'm sure some of you out there did the same for events like Motorshow too right?)
Since it's an audiophile hifi exhibition, it is not really a big thing to most Singaporeans. In fact, most of them didn't even know what hifi is. Seriously...I think to most Singaporeans, hifi is like Pioneer, LG, Samsung or even Sony. At the most.... BOSE ( or rather "Boast"). To them, Bose is audiophile because its small and stylish...and they produces amazing music from those little cubes. And more importantly.... they are expensive. So people think they are good stuff as with the saying...
"You are paying for what you get" (in mandarin). I'm sure to audiophile.... Bose is just crap. OK lah... enough of "boasting". Let's get back to the show.
ISSE'09 HIFI SHOWLike last year's ISSE'08, the show was held at ParkRoyal Hotel at Kitchener Road. I actually prefer this new location compared to the previous location at Le Meridian Hotel. Somehow it feels like the place is less crowded and more floor space to walk around. Of cause the location of the hotel is less ideal as it is location along Little India and right beside Mustafa. So weekends can be quite traumatic for some as the street gets very packed.
Hifi shows... Love & Hate?Many local audiophiles seem to detest this ISSE show (as read from our local forums). Bad acoustics, small scaled, small demo rooms, too few exhibitors, even lousy freebies (the free CD with every entry). For me, this is the best time for me to listen to different brands all on the same day, not to mention the chance to hear those very high-end systems, so high that one can only dream of getting. I really hope to see how the shows are like in other countries. I missed the show in HK (couldn't get tickets during '08 Olympics, missed the KLAV show (because of work), and even the Taipei show (even though am already in Taipei, but on a company trip, couldn't change my schedule.)What a waste!
Anyway... for this year's ISSE, not sure if it's linked to the recession, there seem to be a lot less exhibitors this year. It's a little disappointing. But I really hope when the economy gets better... the retailers can return and put on a more impressive show next year.
Freebies & GiftsTalking about the freebies.... which is the cd. ISSE had been issuing LPCDs for the previous shows. But this time round.... only the $20 (2 day pass) gets the LPCD, one-day pass of $15 will get the normal cd version. I heard that the Hong Kong shows gives away SACD! But ok lah... most people didn't really care about the free cd as the music in it didn't suit their taste. However... the lucky draw gift was horrible... one of it was a set of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks, huh?!
Hunting... hunting....This time round, my main aim for the show was to check out the cd players, which happens to be the weakest link in my sound system. Right now, I'm using my Oppo dvd player as my cd player, the sound isn't too bad.... but not fantastic.
Journey to the moon....
Visited AVP Soundcraft's room, they were showcasing Simaudio system with German Physik's loudspeakers. They were playing some drum tracks which sounded very impressive, showcasing the system's power in attack and also imaging. But didn't get to hear how it sound like with other type of music. I wanted to try out Simaudio Moon's entry level cdp (above @ S$2000) which was within my budget but too bad, it wasn't on demo. Reviews of it weren't too bad, but I really wonder how it sounded like.
My Setup. No lah... its Raindrop Audio's Showroom
Next up was Raindrop Audio's room. I've read about the famed Emerald Physics speakers that they carry. Apart from their traffic stopping appearance.... they were said to sound fantastic too. I just had to hear for myself.
1st (with computer audio): Sounded lean and a little flat.
2nd (Ayon CD-2): Better. Mid range is fuller, more dynamic... overall has more body.
3rd (with AVID Turntable *not sure of the model*): I was just blown away by the sound. Everything was a notch better, more holographic and dynamic.
Verdict: I'm still not very convinced with computer audio. But having played with audio files myself... I think only the 24/96 file can rival cds. However, that dependent on your DAC's capability in decoding the hi-res files. Apart from that, 24/96 music files are pricier than normal lossless files and not all musics are available in 24/96 format. I guess CDs are still the best for me so far.
Ayon CD-1
The boss told me he is left with the last piece. But a check on Raindrop Audio's website just now, its sold already. Sad x 10!!
Ayon CD-2
Smooth and balanced but a little too polite for my liking. Not if it was because of that Andrea Bocelli cd that sounded a wee~ bit compressed. Wonder how this tube cd player performs with other genres. Anyway, at $4000+++.... its way over my budget!
Leema Stream CD Player from AV One (S$3588)
Another strong contender from Leema... Playing Cai Qin's CD (from Manley Labs) I first tried the Antilla II before changing to Stream. I had a short experience with Antilla before switching over to Stream. Maybe my ears weren't good enough or I'm too inexperienced... I didn't find much difference between the 2 players, except that Antilla sounded slightly more refined, smoother, and with lower noise floor.
Compared to last year's
ISSE'08, this show really was a lot smaller. Despite the bad economy, the organizer and participated shops still put in their time and effort to keep this show going year after another. Although the shows here can't be compared to other countries in terms of size and quality, I still hope fellow audiophiles can continue to support the show as to keep it going. After all, this is the only show that is specially designed for us. A big applause to them!
Links:
International Sight & Sound Show '08
