See you at room 445!!!!

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See you at room 445!!!!

Postby audiostar » Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:02 pm

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The Philippine Star
Saturday, October 26, 2013

AudioFile
M. Val A. Villanueva


Through the years

November is just a few days away. It is again that time of the year when audiophiles in the Philippines celebrate in a grand fashion. Come November 9 and 10, the annual Hi-Fi Show is expected to draw in thousands of audio and video enthusiasts to the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.

It’s the November Hi-Fi Show’s 10th Anniversary, and exciting things are in store for audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike. Not only will the best of audio and video be on display and for sale, the show’s top honcho Tony Boy de Leon was able to secure the participation of Stereophile Magazine’s audio reviewer Michael Fremer. Michael will be holding a turntable workshop on November 9, Saturday, at 5 pm at the hotel’s 2nd floor.

It wasn’t too long ago when a handful of audiophiles and music lovers would gather at a pre-arranged place to trade vinyl records and anything audio-related. They would gather in different homes or dealers’ showrooms to listen to music reproduced by different audio gears.

When audiophile Francis H. Sogono, also known as Vintage Dog, established the Wired State Community or wiredstate.com in 2004, there was no turning back. The online forum did not only provide a much larger venue for new and veteran audiophiles to pursue their passion; it became the source of inspiration for the creation of the yearly November Hi-Fi show. Through the years of mostly good times, camaraderie and listening sessions, the Hi-Fi Show has evolved into a much-awaited event for the ever-growing audiophile community.

Just like last year, AudioFile and The Philippines Star will host the do-it-yourself (DIY) room to showcase high-end audio gears designed and crafted by local hobbyists.

The DIY team for the Hi-Fi Show’s 10th anniversary has a few notable additions: Tony Rodriguez will be responsible for the room’s acoustic treatment; Noly Dy will showcase his restored Lenco turntable, and Oyie De La Paz will provide audio racks made of hard wood. Tony is no stranger to most audiophiles. He is a consummate craftsman who also designs loudspeakers and other audio gadgets. Oyie is well known to the members of the hugely popular audio/video site Pinoy DVD where he is a long standing and respected member. Like most of the DIY team members who have time-consuming day jobs, Tony and Oyie are consumed by their passion and dedication for this highly addictive hobby.

Because hotel rooms are acoustically hostile, Tony’s participation is most welcome. I remember the considerable time and effort we had to spend last year to make our system sound the way it was conceived and designed. A lot of patience and perseverance went to devising a way to go around those sound breakers – the display room’s glass windows and asymmetrical design -- to make our system sing as advertised. With Tony’s room treatment modules, our job will be so much easier this time.

Noly - proprietor of The Analog Source (TAS) a well-known restorer of vintage turntables notably the Lenco series - has agreed to be a part of this ever-expanding team. If you’re a music lover and a vinyl collector, chances are you’ve come across or have heard of this guy and his splendid work.

The speaker system, still designed by Lin Gomez and Larry Roxas, belongs to its proud owner, businessman Chuck Pilarta who co-owns the vastly successful Italian restaurant chain Bistro Ravioli. We are grateful to Chuck for allowing us to showcase Lin and Larry’s creation which audiophiles should take a closer look at. It’s a two-way horn system with its middle and high frequencies being handled by AER md3B wide band driver from Germany in Le Cleach expansion horn. Bass frequencies are reproduced by vintage Altec 416 using Onken cabs. It’s wired through an active crossover network by Marchand electronics. I can guarantee that this speaker system is unparalleled both in terms of sound reproduction and aesthetics.

This time, Erik Flores will design the front and back end electronics. The line stage is a 76 tube driving an ECC 33 tube, phono stage is Siemens EC8010 tube and a passive Western Electric 396A tube. Power will come from either a 300B or 2A3 or a VT 52 amps. The usually soft-spoken Erik does not want to speak electronic gobbledygook. He merely invites everyone to come over and hear the system and be the judge.

Of course, the whole system will be connected by the cables and interconnects of Cal Cano.

System integration is the job of JV Audio, a partnership between your AudioFile and electronics engineer John Alegre.

Come and visit the Hi-Fi Show on November 9 and 10. See you all in Room 445!

For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You
can also visit http://www.wiredstate.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby Mamimili » Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:05 pm

Oh no, what are you doing to me??
Should i stay away from 445?
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby audiostar » Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:06 pm

See you there Paul :-)
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby Mamimili » Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:25 pm

audiostar wrote:See you there Paul :-)


I was given strict instructions before boarding my flight, delivered in a very no nonsense tone - Do Not buy any more speakers!
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby vintage_dog » Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:25 pm

Whoa! Awesome looking speakers. Will definitely spend some time to listen to the system...
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby Mamimili » Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:28 pm

vintage_dog wrote:Whoa! Awesome looking speakers. Will definitely spend some time to listen to the system...


Its like window shopping Francis, look look buy, or in this case probably listen listen buy :devil:
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby vintage_dog » Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:02 am

Mamimili wrote:
vintage_dog wrote:Whoa! Awesome looking speakers. Will definitely spend some time to listen to the system...


Its like window shopping Francis, look look buy, or in this case probably listen listen buy :devil:


It's been a long journey since our sonus days..remember?

Promise it will be just a look look listen :)
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby Mamimili » Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:11 am

vintage_dog wrote:
Mamimili wrote:
vintage_dog wrote:Whoa! Awesome looking speakers. Will definitely spend some time to listen to the system...


Its like window shopping Francis, look look buy, or in this case probably listen listen buy :devil:


It's been a long journey since our sonus days..remember?

Promise it will be just a look look listen :)


it has been long and enjoyed but with many a deviation, like that Mesa Baron. I wonder where it is now?
i still have 2 sonus!
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby audiostar » Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:44 am

Hi Francis, long time no see. I hope to meet up with you and spend some time with us in our room. I promise you it's going to be worth your while :-)
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby quarterback » Fri Nov 08, 2013 10:53 am

See you tonight,Val
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby Jon Agner » Fri Nov 08, 2013 10:59 am

puwede bang mag room crash mamya :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel: :D
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby vintage_dog » Fri Nov 08, 2013 11:13 am

audiostar wrote:Hi Francis, long time no see. I hope to meet up with you and spend some time with us in our room. I promise you it's going to be worth your while :-)


surely val! looking forward being there tomorrow. good thing, am relatively free to enjoy this weekend with the gang ;)
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Re: See you at room 445!!!!

Postby Superman » Fri Nov 08, 2013 5:22 pm

See you! (If flight won't be cancelled) :rock:
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