Unfetted Dreams: August 2010

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Music has become an integral part of my life and has defined logical explanations for the emotional turmoils that I suffer from time to time. Simply, music colors my life in every way you could never have imagine. In the end, I can only conclude that I cannot live without music because without it, I am as good as a walking zombie left for dead.

Then comes Sound which cannot be defined by numbers or formulas. Sound is subjective to every individuals' ears which had me set out to discover the best sound since there can never be the perfect sound. I was looking for an affordable portable music rig since a home theatre system would run me into years of debt. Unfortunately I live no where near the nearest Giant Mega Electronic store like Yodobashi or Bic Camera so there was no where I could audition anything. Instead I spent sleepless nights reading online reviews from both professionals and amateurs to make my own judgement. Being relatively new to this expensive audiophile circle, I found myself struggling to understand the jargons involved.

After months of online research, I decided to pair my Ipod Touch 1st Gen to a headphone amplifier to drive a higher impedance In Ear Monitors (IEMs) which I was still scouting at that time. The Portable Rig would simply consist of my Ipod Touch (my primary player), a portable headphone amp, an IEM and a line out dock to feed the source from the Ipod straight into the amp. The reason is for the source to travel unfiltered and un-amp from the Ipod straight into the amp and then to the IEMs. Of course if gatbage is put into the amp, more audible garbage will be pushed outta the amp but I wasn't ready for large LOSSLESS CD quality WAV files. A decent 128 bit mp3 was more than enuff for me at the moment.

The Amp - Headamp Pico with DAC

I had narrowed my search down from about 5 and finally decided on the Headamp Pico (w/ DAC) for the amp. Though this was an already 2 year old amp since the first launch but still today, this tiny but mighty monster amp is making headlines all over for being the BEST DAC amp of it's class. The newer and wafer thin version dubbed PICO SLIM is also out but I still prefer the beefier older brother, the Original Pico. There was also a cheaper version of the Pico without the DAC but I wanted the DAC so that I can use it with the Macbook when I am at home.

The amp was really tiny when I opened it the package from Justin...I thought Justin had sent me a toy by mistake. Tested it out for a few days before I flew back to SG. The amp by itself was pretty good but when USB-ed to the Macbook, the Wolfson 24-bit chip DAC makes music outta Itunes sounded like pure nirvana. Now I knew what I had been missing out all these years...

There is however one major gripe about Headamp Products is that they are all MADE IN THE USA by 1 MAN, Justin so expect to wait for anything between 1 to 6 months after parting with you moo neh to the date the product arrives. Patience is the key here since Headamp Products are known to be of superior workmanship and quality.

The IEM - Westone UM3X (with removable cables)

I hadn't settled for any particular IEMs before I fly back toSG and was still using my Technics DJ cans for head-throbbing trance, house tunes and the occasional Audio Technica CK32 for pop and other slow tunes. I was leaning towards Westones and Ultimate Ears after going thru the same sleepless nights reading up on these IEMs. Though there were really too many choices to choose from, and going CUSTOMs were outta my budget, I knew I wanted an all rounder IEM to dish out decency for every genre. On the day before I flew back to SG, went down to Akiba's Yodobashi to audition the Westone 3, UM3X, Audio Technica(s) the UEs. Despite the fact that Japan pretty much have a reputation for quality service, the few blokes that served me at Akiba's Yodobashi weren't anywhere close to that rumored fame. Instead, I got the "You are fucking wasting my time" attitude...! Yeah I know these are expensive IEMs locked up in that clear jewel glass display but like I cared! I took my time and audition them, the Westone 3 and the UM3X for a good 5 minutes before handling back to the staffs with a much disgusted look. No way I would pay for such shits...

Though the Westone 3 was my first choice, I found the bass too strong and the treble too piercing for my taste after flowing some tunes thru my Ipod Touch + Pico combination. I did like the all black design and it really took me a while to figure out the red design on the IEM which looked like some sort of alien symbol. The UM3X had a better soundstage, clarity and sounded more neutral. This makes listening to different genres of music for long hours less fatigue and strenuous for my lovely ears. The Pico itself had a slightly punchy bass so I didn't need the extra bass from the Westone 3. The UM3X was offered in 2 versions, a regular package with non-detachable cables and standard Comply tips and a slightly more expensive version with removable cables and an assortment of tips. The hard carrying case for each version was different in size too but both versions had the half clear and half black design.

Next I tried the UE700 and the Audio Technica CKS90. The UE700 wasn't bad in my honest opinion but the clarity and sound stage that the UM3X exhibited had the competition won hands down. To sum it up, listening to the UM3X was literally like in the same studio room as the artist himself/herself. The CKS90 was just pure head banging bass which covered pretty much every other detail in the music. Imagine having 2 giant woofers reverberating low vibrations into your ear channels and nothing else...good for bassheads, house, dance but nothing else.

While in SG, I went down to Stereo in Causeway point to further re-affirm my decision to get UM3X by auditioning them and the Westone 3 for a good 5 to 10 minutes. So in the end it was the universal Westone UM3X for me which could be used for almost all genres of music. These IEMs came with the Comply foam tips which were a bit hard to get used initially but are great when you get the right fit.

The Cable - Cosmowave Ipod Dock Cable with Oyanide cable.

Before I left for SG, my Pico arrived and I needed something to feed the Ipod to the Pico so I checked out numerous Line Out Docks (LODs) and found that ALO Audio and Qables were the market leaders. But I couldn't justify the premium for these tiny cables until my ears tasted them. I got a relatively inexpensive LOD from a local Japanese company and I was good for the 3 hour bus ride to Tokyo and then the 7 hour flight back home.

While I was in SG, I went down to Jaben to test out the various other interconnectors that they had to offer but sadly, they didn't have any ultra low profile ones which I was looking for so it will be my Made in Japan one for now. Seriously, after auditioning the various LODs, there seems to be a very tiny discerning difference in sound quality, barely noticable unless you really put yourself into a state of trance and listen to music in an uninterupted, noise free room. Too bad Jaben didn't have any ALO or Qables for my to test...

The final combination of these audiophile parts left me pockets on fire but the sound that this rig produces...worth every yen and dollar in my opinion. 7 hours on the flight to and from Japan to SG, 3 hours bus ride home to and from me home to Tokyo left me with nothing but pure exhilarating music and not the slightest sign of my ears screaming for mercy. Amazing stuffs here...and someone in SG had the chance to audition my rig and the response was (in my own words), "WOW! this is some serious crazy shit!"