Leak and Tannoy - Perfect Match

Chojiro thought he was going to stay with his pair of B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers for a long, long time. Well, three months were really a long, long time. Recently, he had acquired a pair of vintage Tannoy 15" Monitor Gold speakers in Lancaster cabinet. These speakers have now been permanently connected to his Leak Stereo 60 system. The Tannoy speakers are a few classes above the B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers. With 94dB sensitivity, they handle music with ease, delivering clear, pleasant sound. Leak and Tannoy are the perfect match.

Leak Stereo 60 with Tannoy 15" Monitor Gold

So what happened to the B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers? Chojiro has given them to his brother-in-law who is using them with his Accuphase system. The speakers are good and Chojiro's brother-in-law is happy with them.

Tannoy 15" Monitor Gold in Lancaster cabinet

Finally ... B&W

In search of a pair of speakers to match his Leak system, Chojiro has been trying no less than eight different makes in the last few months. In order of succession, these speakers included Philips, Ampex, EMI, KEF, Rogers LS3/5a, ITT, Morel and Ram. The speakers Chojiro had tried the longest were a pair of Rogers LS3/5a (one month). Rogers was OK; but the bass below 70Hz was notably absent. For some reason, the mid-range where LS3/5a was supposed to be best at was weak. Chojiro suspected that there was something wrong with the particular pair of LS3/5a he was using. Eventually he returned the Rogers LS3/5a speakers to his friend.

During the month when the LS3/5a was hooked up to the Leak, Chojiro had replaced the original four Russian 5881 tubes with four British Mullard EL34 tubes. The improvement in sound quality was so dramatic that Chojiro could not believe his ears. Yet he was told if the EL34 tubes were further replaced by KT66 tubes the sound would be even better. Chojiro had already spent a fortune for the EL34 tubes. He decided that enough was enough. He was content with the state of the Leak Stereo 60 power amplifier; but the sound from the speakers left something to be desired.

Chojiro ventured with a pair of ITT bookshelf speakers, a pair of Morel speakers housed in homemade cabinet and a pair of Ram speakers. The Morel speakers were the best among the three. Compared to Rogers, the treble from Morel was not as good but the bass faired better (though still not deep enough). The mid-range was fine. Chojiro had borrowed these speakers from another friend who would let him keep the Morel speakers indefinitely. The Morel speakers were now connected to a tube power amplifier handmade by this friend and the combination is used for causal listening pleasure.

Then one day this other friend suddenly recalled he had a pair of B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers stacked up somewhere. After some effort this friend located the B&W speakers and lent them to Chojiro.

B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speaker (front)

After connecting the B&W speakers to the Leak, Chojiro was pleasantly surprised that they delivered arguably the sound he had been waiting for - deep bass, full mid-range and clear treble. Apart from the mid-range being a tiny bit thinner than it should be, the overall sound was well balanced. The speakers were able to unleash almost the full potential of the Leak system, delivering gentle, detailed and sophisticated "British" high end stereo sound.

B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 (label at back)

Chojiro had happily purchased the B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers from this friend. He expected that the B&W speakers would stay connected to the Leak Stereo 60 power amplifier for a long, long time.

B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 speakers (back)

Technical highlight -
Nominal Impedance: 6.5 ohms
Frequency Response: 70Hz - 25k Hz +/- 2dB free field
Sensitivity: 88dB spl(2.83V 1m)
Power Handling: 40W - 150W at 8 ohms

Massive Stereo System

This dim picture taken by a Nokia E75 mobile phone probably does not reveal much, but it shows the massive high end system built by Chojiro's friend Mr H.

Hong Kong is not a good place for listening to high end stereo equipment. Except the multi-billionaires, few in Hong Kong can afford to live in independent houses and blast their stereo as loud as they like without disturbing the neighbours. Most people live in high rises and the exorbitant prices of real estate mean that the average apartment for a middle-class family of four has a floor area of 50 sq. m. (500 sq. ft.) or less.

Mr H is a lot richer than the average folks but he is no multi-billionaire. Yet Mr H is determined to build a massive high end stereo system for his own enjoyment and for his friends'. Wisely, he chose to do so by renting a 300 sq. m. (3,000 sq. ft.) unit in a multi-storey factory building. With most of the light industries having moved to the mainland, the traditional factory buildings have many vacant units and the rent is cheap.

Mr H partitioned the unit into several rooms and made it like a home. The listening area is about 100 sq. m. (1,000 sq. ft.). Half of the listening area is occupied by his massive system. He added a pair of ultra-high tweeters and a pair of sub-woofers to his pair of 7-foot tall 5-way tower speakers. So there are 7 speakers on each side.

Mr H removed the original crossover units in the tower speakers. In their place, he fed the sound sources (from a Thorens LP turntable and a Shanling CD Player through a tube pre-amplifier) into an Accuphase electronic crossover unit which splits them into seven frequency ranges: ultra low, low, low-mid, mid, high-mid, high and ultra-high. These split sound sources would then go to the 14 tube mono-blocks, each of which drives a speaker unit. A US$40,000 power supply unit was custom built for the system.

All the vacuum tube amplifiers used were made in China. Mr H is trying to prove the point that you don't need famous American or European brand names to produce good sound. Therefore, he left his two McIntosh mono-blocks at the front unused.

Mr H has spent the better part of 2009 tweaking his massive system. Last night Chojiro, along with other friends, were invited to audition the system. They spent about five hours listening to all sorts of music: from pop to Jazz, from Cantonese opera to Italian opera, from piano sonatas to symphonies; and they left at 2:00 AM absolutely impressed. The sound stage was magnificent with good detail and accurate positioning. Each sound range was well balanced. The powerful yet clear sound coming out of this massive system was beyond Chojiro's descriptive ability. As he wrote this post, Chojiro could still feel the canons from Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture blasting and pumping his heart.

Rogers LS3/5a vs. Reference 3a Dulcet

Chojiro had noted in the previous post that while the EMI speakers were good, they were not superb. The overall performance left something to be desired. Technically, the oval-shaped woofer was an odd design because it compromised the mid-range and bass. After listening to the speakers for about two weeks, Chojiro returned them to his friend.

But Chojiro's friend didn't give up. As if challenging Chojiro, he turned around and lent Chojiro a pair of Rogers LS3/5a speakers, which would easily fetch above US$3,000 in the second-hand market! There is no way the EMI speakers could be compared with Rogers LS3/5a - the former would be worth about US$750 in the second-hand market but Chojiro suspected anyone would be actively seeking it. Clearly these speakers belong to two different classes.

(Pictured above: Rogers LS3/5a front and back views)

The famous LS3/5a probably needs no introduction. But for those unfamiliar with it, here is an article reproduced from the UK's Hi-Fi World audio magazine (http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/hfw/oldeworldehtml/rogersls35a.html) which said it all:

"Back in the early Seventies, the BBC needed a monitor 'speaker compact enough to fit into their outside broadcast vans. After extensive development work from the Beeb's Research Department what transpired was arguably the most diminutive serious hi-fi loudspeaker the world had yet seen, the LS3/5a.

A two-way infinite-baffle design squeezing a KEF B110 Bextrene mid/bass driver and 19mm mylar-dome tweeter into a cabinet just 304mm by 190mm by 160mm, it was remarkably compact. Frequency response was quoted as 70Hz-20kHz (+/-3dB), but the complex 26-element crossover and 83dB sensitivity meant the LS3/5a wasn't ideal for low-power amplifiers. And with a power handling of 25 watts 'speech and music' and a maximum SPL of 95dB, nor was it ideal for muscle amps ? it was a specialist design in the strictest sense.

As the Beeb didn't actually manufacture 'speakers itself, the LS3/5a was licensed to Rogers, Chartwell, Audiomaster, Spendor and Harbeth to produce. At first the response was mixed. People were used to far larger designs and just couldn't believe full-range 'high-fidelity' was available from such tiny boxes. And the sound was rather a shock after the big, wobbly plumminess of many larger speakers. The LS3/5as had small, rigid, well-damped cabinets with little sonic footprint, and sometimes the truth was hard to listen to!

Best characterised as clear, clean and uncoloured, particularly in the midband, LS3/5a's sound amazingly balanced even today. Another forte is imaging - with a wide, deep and consistent sound stage they're excellent on Classical and choral music, where voices and individual instrument groups in the orchestra are faithfully rendered.

As the saying goes, the LS3/5as are like much bigger loudspeakers minus the low bass. And that's the problem - they just can't shift air like boxes with big cones and really go to pieces if asked to. Another failing is the treble, which is pleasantly sweet but not the most transparent in the business.

The BBC revised the crossover in 1988 and the load was no longer specified at 15 ohms. Quoted impedance became nominally 11ohms. Subsequently bi-wiring was introduced and the LS3/5a became the speaker it is today, with a power handling of 80watts. And in 1995 Rogers introduced a matching stand-type subwoofer, the £549 AB1s. With an extra B110 kicking in below 120Hz, they transformed the LS3/5a into an even more attractive prospect. Not only do they go deeper, they'll also go louder and sound a lot less constrained when asked to boogie. Although not ideal Rock transducers, the LS3/5a/AB1s make a very respectable job of it.

Throughout its long life, several variants of the LS3/5a have surfaced, most interesting of which was the JR149. Designed by Jim Rogers, one of the great and the good in the BBC's Research Department, it uses the same drivers as the LS3/5a in a cylindrical aluminium housing. Aside from looking radical, the cylindrical enclosure is more rigid and holds fewer standing waves, making for an arguably better sound.

But the most successful LS3/5a spin-off is Harbeth's HL-P3ES. Although departing from the original in many ways, they're very much the LS3/5a in a modern setting ? with a smoother, cleaner, tighter and more detailed sound.

The great thing about LS3/5a's is that they're readily available second-hand, and their owners rarely use them as party 'speakers! Go for as new a model as you can, preferably with the phase two bi-wireable crossovers.

A pair of brand new Rogers LS3/5as costs £699 (in Walnut, black Ash or Teak), so pay between £100 and £500 second-hand, depending on age and condition. As for the different brands of LS3/5a, this is a veritable snake pit of controversy, but if they didn't all sound practically the same, the Beeb would not be amused!"

The Rogers LS3/5a lent to Chojiro were the original 15-ohm version. The fact that they were no longer in production made them a "collector's item". Some die-hard enthusiasts claim that the 15-ohm version sounds much better than its 11-ohm counterpart. Of course, very subjective judgment is involved but as it stands the prices quoted for second-hand LS3/5a speakers in the Hi-Fi World article are way off the mark.

Shortly after Chojiro hooked up his Leak Stereo 60 power amplifier to the Rogers LS3/5a, another friend offered a pair of Canadian made Reference 3a Dulcet speakers for trial. Chojiro gladly accepted the offer. Why not, he thought. He could always switch between these two pairs of speakers for A-B tests.

(Pictured above: Rogers LS3/5a on speaker stands in the front)


(Pictured above: Reference 3a Dulcet front and back views)

Reference 3a speakers are known for their unique "crossover-less" design. Dulcet's main driver is directly coupled to amplifiers. According to the Reference 3a's official website (http://www.reference3a.com), without crossover components interfering with musical signal flow, the sound is responsive, fast and articulate. A simple, very high quality high pass filter is used on the treble unit for better integrated sound. The cabinets are constructed to be very rigid with critical bracing. The massive motor assembly of the driver is mechanically grounded to damp and reduce superfluous vibration energy. All the drivers are broken in for at least 100 hours for meaningful pair matching to very close tolerances. The mini speakers are said to produce astonishingly deep and resolute bass, seamlessly integrated to a pristine treble range, delivering a relentlessly engaging musicality from their tiny enclosures.

Upon actual testing, Chojiro found the Roger LS3/5a and Reference 3a Dulcet speakers to be largely on par, with the Dulcet delivering much deeper bass and higher treble than the LS3/5a. Overall, Dulcet is the better performer; but LS3/5a has a magical touch, particularly in the mid-range, that makes you keep wanting to go back to it. No wonder the LS3/5a commands such a huge following. Chojiro is hooked on it.

EMI Speakers

Chojiro has not found a pair of good speakers for his Leak system, until recently. He has used his pair of Dynaudio Facette speakers with the Leak Stereo 60 power amplifier; but the Facette speakers, which are notoriously inefficient, are too much for Stereo 60 to handle. Other speakers used were makeshift ones and could not be taken seriously.

Last week, a friend in the business of trading secondhand speakers lent Chojiro a pair of EMI speakers to try out with the Leak. Chojiro had not heard of EMI speakers before but nevertheless gave them a try. At first the mid-range sounded muffled, but there were good spots in the treble and bass. The speakers had not been used for years. After being driven by Stereo 60 for an hour or so, the sound from the EMI speakers became noticeably clearer, although the mid-range remained a problem.

Then Chojiro noticed that the EMI speakers have an impedance of 4 ohms, whereas the jumpers on the Stereo 60 were set to 8 ohms. After setting the jumpers to 4 ohms, the sound from the EMI speakers suddenly "opened up". The mid-range was no longer muffled, the treble was astoundingly clear and the bass deep and clean. It is a good fit for classical music, producing a nice dynamic sound field without excess. Chojiro would not call the EMI speakers superb, but they are good, highly efficient speakers.

Chojiro has been listening to the EMI speakers for a few days and they sound better with each passing day. In each cabinet, there is a 10-inch oval woofer and two 3-inch tweeters. Chojiro did some research on the Internet and discovered that EMI speakers featuring elliptical woofers (some with tweeter arrays mounted in front of the woofer cone ala Bozak) appear frequently on eBay. There is some collector interest although they do not command high prices. The drivers were available in the UK in the late 60s/early 70s as a kit. They were also sold as complete speakers, like the ones used by Chojiro. The speakers were said not to take much power but produced a nice sound good for classical. Chojiro's experience testified to this point.

According to information on the Internet, EMI stands for Electric and Musical Industries Limited in Hayes Middlesex England. The same company controlled EMI records and Abbey Road Studios (the connections with the Beatles!). EMI produced records under many labels, including "His Master's Voice", and produced a huge catalogue of SQ Quad records in the 1970s. EMI also made some very good studio quality electronics and up-market consumer electronics and was one of the UKs biggest companies at the time. One person in the Internet forum confirmed the Beatles connection by noting that his grandfather worked for EMI Electronics from 1931 to 1980. He said the organisation was primarily a record company but had a highly innovative electronics arm that developed some of the earliest electronic television broadcast equipment and airborne radar. With all the money EMI made from the Beatles in the 60s the company threw everything it had into its latest invention: the CT scanner. However, a combination of bad luck and bad management saw the company almost fold in the early 1980s. Today only EMI Records remains.

This person said his grandfather still has some of these EMI branded speakers in his front room. He had hooked them up once and they sounded very very different to what you would expect from a modern speaker - not in a bad way though. He was really looking forward to setting them up properly and hearing them again.

Chojiro's friend told Chojiro that he can keep the EMI speakers for a good price. Chojiro is still evaluating the speakers. Who knows? May be the next day his friend will lend him another pair which sound even better!

Sauna Dialogue, Common Sense Politics

Cheung Lap's piece in the 28 September 2009 issue of Hong Kong Economic Journal is, as usual, interesting and thought provoking. Chojiro has taken the liberty to translate it below.


Departures from common sense are usually not trustworthy. This probably applies from title cons to national affairs.

The following conversation took place in a sauna room. A teammate and reader asked, "Why do you say Tibet Independence is a fake agenda? Isn't the Dalai Lama red hot in the West? Doesn't he have a lot of influence and followers?"

"If a person has left Hong Kong for 50 years and never once returned to Hong Kong during that period, would you believe him if he says he has a lot of influence in Hong Kong?"

"Of course not! That's exaggerating!"

"So is the Dalai Lama."

"How is the Dalai Lama's influence compared to Mao Zedong's?"

"Mao passed away in 1976. In the 33 years since then China has had two new generations and there have been profound changes socially and in reality. The times are different. Mao cannot do much even if he resurrects, not to mention Dalai."

"I see what you mean, now that you've explained it."

"It's nothing more than reasoning by common sense."

Another person in the sauna room interjected, "Lee Ka-shing would be a goner if he has left Cheung Kong for 50 years." "The Brits have left Hong Kong for 12 years. They are goners too," he added.

That's why Dalai's representatives are day dreaming when they went to Beijing to negotiate for resuming their administration in Tibet and to include Tibetan districts within Sichuan and Qinghai in 'Greater Tibet'."

In fact Dalai knows that this is impossible. But he has no control over his own destiny. Why? Dalai has many subordinates and followers who rely on him to be fed. If the boss wants you to say so, can you not say it? Who's the "boss"? "The guy who pays is the boss."

"Dalai runs a government-in-exile in India. Rents, salaries, transportation and lodging expenses have to be paid. The cost is at least US$20 to $30 million a year. Multiply this cost by 50 years. Who has been paying for it?"

Politics is complicated but also very simple. You see it through once you trace where the money comes from.

The insiders are absolutely clear about the situation. The outsiders are being fooled. People like Richard Gere think they are being very righteous. They are actually fools.

The bull shit is over.

Fisher and Leak Faceoff

[PHOTO]
Front row: (from left to right) Leak Stereo 60 Power Amplifier, Leak Varislope 2 Stereo Pre-amplifier
Back row: (from left to right) Fisher SA-1000 Power Amplifier, Chu Kee Pre-amplifier (with prototype modified Marantz 7 on top), Jadis Symphonia CD Player


Chojiro has not had a new post on his blog since April. It is as if he has “evaporated” from the earth. The truth is Chojiro bought an antique 1964 Fisher (US) SA-1000 tube power amplifier in May and he has been spending practically all his leisure hours on this machine. With the Fisher power amplifier, Chojiro also acquired from tube master Mr. Chu a hand-made tube pre-amplifier, branded none other than “Chu Kee“. The sound from this system has been spectacular. Then recently Chijiro made another purchase: a well-preserved 1961 Leak (UK) system comprising a Varislope 2 Stereo pre-amplifier and a Stereo 60 power amplifier. On Saturday, 19 September, Chojiro had the rare opportunity of comparing the Fisher and Leak power amplifiers and three pre-amplifiers at his home. The experience was one of a life time.

Chojiro’s first impressions about the Leak system were that its output (30 Watt per channel) was clearly inadequate to drive his Dynaudio Facette speakers (sensitivity: 84 dB), which are notoriously inefficient. He had to turn the volume to the 3 o’clock position, or at times to the full, to get adequate sound. In doing so, overload distortion was obvious, particularly at the mid range (voices). It turned out that Chojiro had made a mistake with the cable connections. Leak has a proprietary cable connecting the power amplifier to the pre-amplifier, and this cable not only delivers electricity currents but sound. Chojiro had “double connected” an extra pair of RCA cables between the pre-amplifier and power amplifier. After rectifying this error, the sound quality improved significantly. Still the system sounded kind of flimsy and weak. Then a miracle happened. Mr. Chu replaced the pair of Adzam (Belgium) EF86 tubes originally installed in the pre-amplifier with a pair of Mullard (UK) EF86 tubes; and he did it while the music was playing. Right away the sound was so much richer! Music came to life and the system was overall much more powerful. It even sounded louder. Chojiro salutes Mullard tubes, wonderful British technology.

Then Chojiro played the same music on his regular system: Chu Kee pre-amplifier with Fisher power amplifier. The power amplifier delivered impeccable punch and vitality, yet the Chu Kee was gentle and well-mannered. The result was a delicate balance of tenderness and power – very good sound that never tires you out.

The final test was with Mr. Chu’s new prototype modified Marantz 7 pre-amplifier, which was connected to the Fisher. The same music was suddenly packed with tremendous power and drive. The energy level was endless and one could feel the power kept coming.

Througout the series of A-B tests one could detect the distinctly different approaches to high fidelity between America and Britain. America stresses power, as was manifested in the Fisher and Marantz 7. One would immediately be overtaken by the power and astounding sound. But when one listened carefully, the powerful sound of Marantz 7 had masked the details, muffling the music.

The Chu Kee pre-amplifier was much more refined. Details and depth came back, and thanks to the Fisher the sound was powerful as well. What might be lacking was probably that extra punch when you needed it. Chojiro thinks that Chu Kee fared better than Marantz 7 and that for the time being, his Chu Kee plus Fisher system delivers the best sound among the equipment compared.

But the overall winner was the Leak system after the Varislope 2 Stereo had taken in the Mullard tubes. The British approach to high fidelity was, simply put, taste. As you listen, the depth, detail and layers all spread in front of you. One could truly appreciate music with this Leak system.

Too bad the Leak system cannot really handle Chojiro’s Dynaudio speakers. As a result, the performance of the Leak system was compromised. Mr. Chu has a pair of giant Quad electrostatic speakers. He promised to let Chojiro try them with the Leak. Mr. Chu and Chojiro expected that the sound from this combination would be superb and they are looking forward to the occasion.