Marigo Power Distributor

Many times i warned, if the pure of electricity signal can affect in sound qualitiy. Now i try to review ones of the important thing that be connected with electricity signal. This is a power distributor.

One prime job from the power distributor is to distribute electricity signal from source to the your home audio system. But not only that, this power distributor must repair the electricity signal if signal from source is no good, so electricy which distribute to the audio sysytem more stabel, more better.
In this time i get power distributor from Marigo Audio Labs. Before use this power distributor, i direct connected my home audio system to the source.
After use this power distributor, i get much different than before, once is the bass more deep, and more control, vocal heard more detail and sound staging more wider.
I recomend this power distributor to pair with your home audio system

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How can power cord affect in sound quality ?

Hobi di dunia audio high end memerlukan perhatian yang tidak sedikit. Banyak yang harus diperhatikan dari detail terkecil agar berpengaruh terhadap kualitas suara yang dihasilkan.

Salah satunya adalah penggunaan power cord untuk menyuplai listrik ke perangkat audio. Banyak pehobi audio yang saya jumpai mengganti power cord ini untuk menghasilkan suara yang lebih baik. Awalnya saya tidak percaya bahwa dengan mengganti kabel listrik tersebut bisa merubah keseluruhan kualitas suara.
Kesempatan untuk tes power cord tersebut akhirnya datang. Pada waktu itu salah satu penjual audio high end meminjamkan power cord Marigo. Dipinjami tentunya tidak menolak bukan ? Ok, langsung lanjut tes, power cord tersebut saya hubungkan dari Marigo power distributor ke 2 buah power amp JADIS JA100 saya yang mana merupakan monoblock power amp.
Lagu pertama tes, wahhh.. saya benar2 surprise, kualitas suara benar2 meningkat drastis. Trebel lebih open namun tidak bikin fatique, vocal lbh basah dan tetap di tengah tidak goyang, dan yang paling terdengar adalah bass yang dihasilkan labih bulat dan control, tidak ada ekor.
Sekarang saya percaya bahwa dengan penggantian power cord dapat mempengaruhi reproduksi suara.
Untuk teorinya saya tidak begitu paham, mungkin power cord yang lebih bagus mempunya daya hantar dan dapat meminimalisasi gangguan sinyal dari luar sehingga sinyal listrik yang dihasilkan menjadi lebih bersih.

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How to setup your turntable

Sound charachter in turntable can be change with different setup. Now i will post how to setup your own turntable. This tip given by Mr Iwan Ariawan in avifans@yahoogroups.com, thanks to him.

Tips to setup cartridge turntable :

1. Overhang setup, is the position cartridge in tone arms. Setting can do it with protactor. Some turntable give protacter in package. If you dont have, you must buy or free download in www.vynilengine.com

2. Azimuth setup, is the right left position from cartridge, can do it with protactor too. The rule is left and right side frm cartridge must be parallel with guide lines in protactor.

3. VTF ( vertical tracking force ) setup or weight the needle, Most appropriate if the scale needle use, especially if the burden on the tone arm weighing no instructions. Besides weighed, checked also use ears. In turntable or system with high sensitivity, 0.05 gram differences can change the sounds. Dont use VTF more than fabrique recomendation, because can make cartridge suspension broken.

4. VTA ( vertical tracking angle ) setup, the principles is tone arms must parallel with PH surface. The problem is surface from PH is different. Ideally each PH have different setup, but it make much problem. Compromi is use 180 gram PH, so VTA can fit in 200 gram or 150 gram PH. Check with your ears, differences after VTA setup. If VTA change, cartridge must be weighted again. Because change of VTA can change VTF.

5. If catridge setup is done, check speed play turntable. In belt drive, speed can manage with distance manage between turntable motor to turntable. Check speed with strobo disc. In good speed, square or lines in strobo disc looks dwile in one place.




Thanks to Mr Iwan Ariwan, who gives this tips

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Manley Stingray

Manley Stingay is the integrated amplifier who build by Manley Labs. Manley Stingray has two mode operation. It is Triode Mode and Ultra linear mode.

There are so much feature in this amp, like subwoofer out, recorded out and tape loop. But for this time, im only review The Stingray in audiophile function.
Power output from The Stingray is 20W each channel for ultra linear mode and 40W each channel for triode mode. User can change this mode by switching in back panel from this amp.
The Stingray use 8 x EL84 ships with Russian NOS EL84M (aka 6Pi14Pi-EB) for the Output power tube, 2 x 6414 Ships with GE or RAYTHEON JAN NOS USA or 6414W for the driver tube and 2 x 12AT7EH Ships with: 12AT7EH large plate Electro-Harmonix Russian for the input tube. The Stingray has 4 input RCA.
About the sound, Stingray has fast dinamic, bright, and energic sound characther, like rock n roll music. The biggest point plus from Manley Stingray is the build quality. This amp is pretty good looking, with hexagonal body and simetric tube location.

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Cary Audio Design 805 AE ( Anniversary Edition ) power amplifier

Cary Audio Desing build CAD 805 AE with 50 watts per channel, Pure Class A Single Ended Triode Mono Blocks.

Tube used in CAD 805 AE is dual 6SN7 input stage, 300B driver stage tube, includes both 845 and 211 output tubes. Selector switch is available, so user can choose for the output tubes, depending on taste.

I testing it when it pairs with Thiel CS 1.6, ClearAudio turntable and Cary pre-amp ( i forgot about type of pre-amp ). This power need around 10-15 mnt to warming this tube.
For it test i use 845 tube for my output power tube. My impression is this power amp is very very smooth, im very like for vocal produce, this is so much sweet vocal, detil is good buat no harsh, when singer scream it not make ears fatique, very sweet vocal. Bass from this CAD 805 is good, not too deep, more control, treble detail is good too.
This is the sweetest combination between speaker and power amp, im very like this combination. If you want to sweet vocal, mid and very relax sound, maybe this combination can interested u. Thanks

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DAAD : Acoustic

In high end audio romm you need setup your room with everything what makes your high end audio sounds exelent. You can use acoustic panel, wood, carpet, ext


When im going to high end exhibition in my country i found DAAD. DAAD is the Diffusion Absorption Acoustic Devices, designed and manufactured in Italy by Acustica Applicata, along with Auralex Acoustics sound control products. I found it in Audio Society's room. This acoustic tool to increase sound stage from your hoom audio room and control the bass. Audio Society use Nola speaker in this exhibition. DAAD give wonderfull affect in sound reproduction. With this, the sound looks great, bass control, vocal still in centre between speaker and sound staging open wide. Before i heard with my ears i can't believe, but now i believe DAAD can give wonderfull affect in acoustic room. With price you must buy for DAAD ( each about $600, depending on size you need ), im sure you not dissapointed to this performance.

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Tips to setup your home audio room

If you have high end home audio, you must have good setup your room to your home audio. Because good setup can make your home audio system heard better.

Now i want to share my experience when i setup my hoe audio room.

1. Match the size from your audio room with your speaker, bookself speaker usually no good if you take this to the big room, vice versa. My room is about 4,5m x 6m x 3,5mtr to place my Burmester Rondo MKII speaker. Its small floorstanding speaker, but i can take the Diapason Adamante III and Stella Melody, bookself speaker, to my room too.

2. Dont take acoustic tool too much, such as difuser, absorber, ext. Its important, but if you take too much to your audio room, it can make the sound "death".

3. Place the tube trap in corner in each corner to control bass and reduce the standing wave.


4. Dont place difuser to the centre back between the speaker, it can make your mid or vocal very laid back.

5. To make mid still in centre between speaker, try to place some wood panel in back from the speaker, i use white wood to build this, not too hard, but not too soft.

6. I make my room high and askew in top back to make live characther.

7. I take tube absorber beside the speaker to control mid and vocal

8. I use carpet between sweet spot and speaker to reduce echo from this room.

Remeber, its only tips, no absolute, you must try yourself to get best setup for your own home audio room.

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Blue Circle BC-3 Galatea pre amplifier

Blue Circle is the high end audio manufacturing located in Canada. For this time i try to review their pre ampliier product, Blue Circle BC-3 Galatea.

What is the different between BC3 and BC3 Galatea ? BC3 Galatea paired with with the new deluxe BCG3.1 power supply, to increase purity from the power supply signal. BC3 Galatea has option to choose input signal. Output terminal using RCA and XLR. This amp use 6922 tube 2 pair. BC3 Galatea not soldering component to the PCB, but they use point to point soldering with high quality soldering. Character from this pre-amp is very neutral, no fatigue, good separation. Blue Circle make it simple but with exelent sounds

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Update about gain affect in sound chcaracter

In low gain when i test in AKG K501 sound more musical, more soft but vocal laid back and bass not punchy, in medium gain bass more punchy, more transparant and more forward in vocal but sometimes harsh. Maybe replaced tube with warme character can be solved this problem. After all low gain more softer and high gain more dinamic.

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Jadis JA100 review

Jadis JA 100 is the monoblock power amp pure class A build by Jadis. Power output from this power amp is 80W each channel.

Jadis JA 100 use KT90 tube. Input to this amp use balanced. Build quality Jadis JA 100 is very good. Jadis build body JA 100 from metal plate. In front panel you can get 1 green LED if operate and red if standby. There is 2 switch for operate and standby.
Character from Jadis JA 100 is fast speed, high detail, and deep bass. If you want tube amp with fast dinamic maybe JA 100 is the answer.

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EF95 tube review

After testing all EF95 tube, IMO, Mullard CV850 and Electron Tube 5654 is the best EF95 tube. Maybe the winner from EF95 can beat easyly with EF92 or EF91, but just enjoy my short review

Detail character from each Ef95 tube :

1. RCA 5654 NOS is American tube, same as standard tube in Little Dot MKIII, the differences is NOS. But the sound not much different with standard tube Little dot MKIII.

2. RSD EF95 Germany, this tube chacarter is , more soul than standard tube. But the sound heard rigid, harsh in vocal when singer scream.

3. Sylvania 5654, this tube is broken, noise in everywhere. I put in the garbage

4. Ultron 6AK5, sound from this tube heard foggy, not transparant

5. GE 5654 and Siemens 5654, this is dificult to choice one from this tube. 2 tube sounds good, very relax, but i dont choose it because there is another tube with better sound.

6. Electron Tube 5654, this tube beat GE and Siemens because this tube have more soul, more balanced, good to acustic gitar and percusion.

7. Mullard CV850, this is the winner from my testing EF95 tube. Sounds from Mullard CV850 is great. I choose it because it has great vocal, vocal in this tube is very very good, more soul, singer sing in front of you, no harsh when singer scream. Bass more control too.

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Differences of few tubes EF95

I get the opportunity to do some test tube EF95.This tube to replace my standar driver tube in Little Dot MKIII, RCA 5654. I test tube from:
1. GE 5654
2. Siemens 5645
3. RSD Germany EF95
4. RCA USA 5654
5. Sylvania 5654
6. Ultron 6AK5
7. Electron tube 5646
8. Mullard CV850

All tube are NOS and matched pair. My testing rig are :
CD Transport : Macbook
USB DAC : Fubar II Upgrade
Headamp : Little Dot MKIII upgrade
Headphone : AKG 501

After i testing all tube, my conclusion is Mullar CV850 and Electron tube 5654 is the best. To detail from the testing i will post soon.

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The Important of purity from electrivity network in home audio system

In this post, i try to share my experience when set up electrivity in my home to my home audio system. Very important to keep purity from the electrivity signal.

1. Cek your home voltage, it must stable in 220v or 110v ( in some country ). Its ok if only deviate a little.
2. If possible, separates electricity signal to your home audio system and to another peripeal in your home.
3. Dont use stabilizer. Maybe you must use it because voltage signal in your home not stable, but believe or not, stabilizer make sound not netral, not transparent. You can solve this problem with separates electricity lines to your home audio.
4. Change the electricity cable from the electricity source your home to the your AC jack in your home audio room with a good cable. It can increase sound quality.
5. The last, change the power cord from the AC jack to the power distribution.

This step only a few from the many ways to increase sound quality from the electricity network. You can try to change the fuse, ext.

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Oracle Delphi Turntable

Oracle Delphi Turntable build by Oracle Audio, audio manufacturing from Canada. Before i use Oracle turntable, i use Linn Sondek LP12 Valhalla, the legendary turntable.

Standard packet came with SME Series IV tone arms. I use Lira Cartridge and Van Den Hull and Blue Circle BC11 phono stage. Character from this turntable is dinamik, more high resolution. In Linn LP12 Valhalla, you get more musical music. With Lira cartridge vocal laidback, but overall more balanced. Van Den Hull give forward vocal, more dinamik and more transparant.

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Burmester Rondo 995 MK2

Finally, i choose Burmester Rondo 995 MK2 to replaced my old speaker, Diapason Adamante III. Burmester Rondo use 2 driver in this alumunium front panel, looks eksklusive. And 1 loaded woofer.


Character Burmester Rondo 995 MK2 is soft and flat, more softer than diapason adamante III. Trebel, mid, bass, heard very balanced. Bass from Rondo more control than diapason, but the mid more laidback, trebel more softer. Sensitivity this speaker is 87db.
Testing with:
Source : Oracle Turntable
Phono stage : Blue Circle BC-11
Pre-amp : Blue Circle BC-3 Galatea
Power Amp : Jadis JA100
Cable :
interconect : XLO balanced, marigo reference, Transparent Music Wave speaker cable, Marigo Reference 3 power cord
Marigo Power distribution

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