Threesome, anyone?
You know what? You get to be lan si (snobbish) being first. First in your class, first to achieve a record, first in competition etc, there is a lot to be proud of. For audiophiles, first to own a flagship, first to own an alien brand, first to discover kick ass power cord and so on are the most satisfying.
Humbly, I also scored some personal first in audio, I'm first to own Mosfet LMos150, first to owe DIY63 dac with outboard 6 independent power supply, first to DIY Lighter Note in Malaysia, probably not. Now, I could add another score to my "First" tally, first to listen to three Power Banks. Hehe! I bet some out there are seriously wondering if three Power Banks worth a go?
The story begins with me offering to fetch uncle G, FPB designer and a technician to commission Power Bank in a reputable audio system. I'm sorry for nameless heads that I did not get the permission to reveal the identity nor the system but I can reassure you that this is a million dollar system and you do not get many in this level of play in Malaysia.
Infrastructure in Malaysia is among the best, road fatalities in Malayisa is also one of the highest in the world, what does it tell you? Poor civic mindedness. The recent deployment of AES is akin to 24/7 invincible traffic police raise public outcry. I opined that AES makes the road users behave and restores order on the road. It definitely will help bring down the number of accident. Life is tough, no one wants another ticket. With AES in place, everybody adhere to the traffic rules. It is a good thing at least to keep the reckless driving in watch. So, the journey took us close to three hours to reach our destination, a little more than it should.
The host can't wait to receive uncle G, it is like old friend. He was cordial to us and after the friendly hello, the guys went straight to work. Vocal is the host main music staple. He first spun some vocals to establish a standard. Uncle G brought his trusty Clarity 16 and ready to kill. You got to be impressed with uncle G agility, this uncle is no ordinary elder. Don't play play, I bet he can beat all of us climbing stairs, easily. Clarity 16 is a voodoo. Don't try it at home if you don't intend to buy unless of course you can bear with Insomnia.
As its name implied, this thing injects clarity. Better separation, notes are distinguishably detached from notes, more airy, more sparkle at the top and slightly more gain. The host was happy. The host has one Clarity 16 in his rig already and two Clarity 4s, but Two the merrier. Clarity 16 blew Clarity 4 away and the result was astonishing . Uncle G looks real cute. "See, what I told you?" Tips : Clarity 16 is most effective at the source and power amp, Clarity 16 stays.
After a little less than an hour, the guys had Power Banks fired up. Power Banks steamrolled Clarity 16 with ease. That did not surprise us. In combo, the improvements have compounded. It was time for my "Wow!", that's my role on that day play. The host was stunned, his eyes were wide opened in disbelief, speechless. There and then I know that the ice was broken. What could be better than a product speaks for itself? If Clarity 16 brought forth 10% of audio improvement, together as in a combo, brought forth 30% compounded with interest. Bear in mind, Power Banks are new, they should sound better as the breaking process continues.
We stopped at 1:30 pm for food. The host treated us a mouth watering lunch. The menu was, authentic shark fin soup, fried sliced lotus root with peas, steamed prawn with special soy sauce, one Pomfret two cooking styles, steamed on side and fried on the other side of the fish, mushroom oyster oiled chicken and Cantonese fried hor fun. The host has a mission, a taste for us to savour. Excuse me, I start craving while blogging. The lunch was fabulous. Taste versus sound, we are now even.
Power Banks have hit a little more than two hours after the lunch break, my findings are consistent with my first encounter with my Power Bank, the sound has become more liquid but with less than doubly darker background, inner ummph, separation and sparkling.One plus one does not always equals to two. The glossy sound (extended highs) however compensated the rather over damped room. The host hold his smile like most business men do, his poker face. He has finally found his missing puzzle. The Clarity 16 and Power Banks combo is a runaway success.
The clouds of doubt have been thoroughly removed, the host initiated to try the third Power Bank to see how far it can go. We happily obliged as all of us wanted to know the result too. It was a little Armageddon. The third Power Bank brought forth an unexpected leapfrog improvement. "Wow!", that's my role again. I suspected Power Bank hammered the source right. The traditional Chinese plucked strings has a bumpy decay, that was not entirely present and choppy before these upgrades, a full note with some degree of resiliency was audible. It is like chewy glue, no way you could chew them to pieces. The masculine power was immediate akin to additional 200W power. The host dropped the idea of upgrading the power amp and save up. The designer looked and whispered at me "Want a second unit?" Bugger..... @#$%
The fun did not stop there. Uncle G and I were eager to know if a better power cord could make a huge impact on Power Bank. The stock skinny power cord that comes along with the third Power Bank looks pathetic. The earlier Power Banks were connected to the sub DB. The host resisted the temptation. "Enough! Enough! Enough! Don't suck me dry. I'm putting a stop in audio". A stop? Easier said than done! Uncle G ignored the host reluctance, pulled and plugged his power cord to satisfy our inquisition. Hell ya!
Wow! What a notably improvement. On Dave Garret live in concert, his pale skin colour (from the projector) became accurate. Even the unlearned technician can tell. What amazes us was the colour depth of Dave's violin!!!The wears of lacquer on his violin was visible. The strings on his violin were articulate. Black becomes blacker, white becomes whiter. Contrast increased. The colours vibrancy was to be appreciated, saturated. The shade, brightness, chroma improved. All of us fell from the chairs. This power cord is essential.
On the action packed "Da Wu Sheng", the knockings, the gush of wind, the shrill of Chinese sword and spear, the percussion and the drum were vivid. The wind, O my God! Can you guys enlighten me wind in hertz? GSC and TGV are no contest.
Audio wise also benefited from the uncle G's power cord. Cai Qin's Lao Ge is high on musical value but average on recording quality. Lao Ge was recorded in 1985, if your Cai Qin sounded milky, thick and ripe, go check on your system. The host rendition of Lao Ge was pin point and transparent, and with the right age, supposing in her late 20s. You can rob a bank but don't rob Cai Qin voice. She was 27-28 when she records Lao Ge.
These virtues alone on Lao Ge are unheard of, really. Dare I say, the Cai Qin mouth is of the size of 20 cent. The images were rock like. Phenomenal for a more than six foot height multi drivers speakers that could have the ability to image like bookshelf speakers. Separation was breathtaking, reveals plenty of space around the musicians. Eat that out! This track can serve as his showcase reference. The host has set a very high bar on Lao Ge, difficult for others to surpass.
"I have finished with my power cord, I will now pull my power cord, thank you." says uncle G. "No, no, no, don't touch it! Let it as it is."
"Please check how much is the power cord, buy it, courier it to me and I will mail you a cheque"
"No, no, no, what was I thinking? Leave the power cord here and I will write you a cheque." His audio adrenalin never cease.
"Hey Mr designer, I want to order another Power Bank to make it four." Surprise order! God only knows when he will get his unit.
The host was lucky to receive three Power Banks ahead of his time. I looked at uncle G and teased him a bit "Now that you know what can Power Banks do, how to wait?" Anxiety, I knew that he has been waiting for his second unit for some time now.
"Damn @#$%! I will definitely have Insomnia tonight. The highs and mid better mine and they will haunt me in my sleep. The wait for Power Bank is killing me!" Uncle G was on a roll, the passion of audio rose higher.
Clarity 16, Power Banks and the undisclosed power cord combo has reignited a cold audiophile. The host sound has now elevated many storeys in performance. Shouldn't he be thrilled?
