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. On Nov. 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 Nov. 9, 5 p.m.
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 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 10thanniversary 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.
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!
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For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.