Arkay
05-13-2008, 06:55 AM
I recently posted here about an afternoon spent in some audio shops here in Hong Kong, and included a link to the website of a shop called Top Class Audio. Today I had a little free time, so I thought I'd pay them a visit...
I entered, and the shop owner and a couple customers were there. The shop --like many used/vintage audio shops in Hong Kong , was a bit crowded, almost cluttered. Understandable, given the outrageous cost of real estate here. A bunch of gear mostly towards one end of the shop, and records towards the other, with a lot of tubes piled here and there in cabinets and on shelves.
The owner of the shop is a jovial pony-tailed character with a good sense of humor layered over a sharp business/salesman's sense, with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of, and obvious love of, audio. I've seen him around and we vaguely know each other by sight, but today was the most I've spoken or interacted with him directly.
I started browsing the LPs like the other customers, while sometimes looking up and soaking in the gear (more on that to come). My general impression is that he has one of the highest-quality offerings of LPs of any shop. A mix of vintage and new, and a mix of different genres (classic rock/pop, jazz and classical) but his selection was consistently high-quality. Probably the largest selection of "new" vinyl re-releases of classic LPs that I've seen in any shop, and without any of the hip-hop stuff that fills up most of the racks in HMV to distract from browsing pleasure. Plenty of original Living Stereo and rarer old releases, too, many of them from Japan. While some other stores have few or no Telarc releases, he had at least several that I saw.
He also had some CDs, but I was too busy looking at the vinyl to see much of what those were.
A DIGRESSION: I PURCHASED SOMETHING:
I then remembered something I've been looking for, so I asked him if he had Telarc's Omnidisc. At first he didn't understand what I meant, and didn't seem to recognize it even when I spelled the name, "o, m, n, i..." but when I explained in Chinese what it was, he broke in to a big grin and said, "You are very lucky today!" He then went over and reached down to a lower shelf area near the cashier's desk and fished around where some LPs were tucked away, some in bags... and pulled out a Telarc Omnidisc boxed set, complete with the instruction booklet! :banana: :D There were a few small spots of mold on some of the disks (almost ubiquitous in this climate), but they were very superficial and will clean off completely with the VPI RCM, not affecting sound or appearance. Otherwise not a scratch or other mark, that I could see.
His prices are not cheap, although as far as I could tell he had the right price ratios and relatively consistent pricing across the offerings. He knows his market and values extremely well, I think, and just puts himself near the top, but his selection is also pretty top-notch, too. As I was looking at the Omnidisc, he offered ten percent off the marked price. I thanked him, and asked if he could take a bit more off. He mentioned how rare it is, and declined to lower the price any further. After examining it and thinking a minute, I still said I'd take it. [That's why I say I think he knows his market! :D ] He is leaving tomorrow for a week in Japan, and I didn't have enough cash in my pocket, but the deal is done and I'll get it after he returns.
I'm not entirely thrilled with paying more for a disk that only sets up the TT for playing other disks, than I've ever paid in my life for a disk that I actually will listen to, I never thought I
d be basically paying what I consider an "eBay price" for anything, but this is something I do want, it seems fairly hard to find, and I only plan to buy it once in my life. I could pay almost as much (maybe more?) from eBay, and then have a longer wait and shipping risk and cost, and possibly end up with a worn or damaged disk (useless for a test disk!). Now it is one more thing off of my shrinking "wish list", and I'm one step closer to getting my system where I want it to end up.
It's probably the best TT adjustment record set (2 LPs) out there. After all, it's a Telarc, and if they don't know how to make a top-quality LP to help you set up for playing records properly, who would? It has the linear/tangential tonearm set-up grooves that I need for the Pioneer PL-L1, and I don't know of any others that have that (the main reason I was looking for it), and the instructions that come with it are encyclopedic and clear. I've read that the four versions of the 1812 Overture cannons on it are even "better" than the ones on the LP release ... although I'm a little nervous about subjecting any stylus/cart I own to THAT ... but of course eventually I will, bwaahaaahaa!
I think the RCA test records are the only remaining ones I still really want, just because they have grooves for setting VTA... but I have a weak spot for test and demo recordings, so I may get more as time passes. Still, I won't NEED any more, after this purchase.
Anyway, I got myself the most "fun" and probably the all-around most useful TT set-up tool I've ever owned. Should give me plenty of fun, a chance to learn better how to set up TTs properly, the peace of mind that I've done all I can to get mine right, and probably added a lot to the lifespans of my styli and my LPs, as well as better sound during those lifespans. Not everything can be a "flea market special", and this should be worth the money, I think.
END OF DIGRESSION: BACK TO THE SHOP:
As for gear, there were some interesting things there, The ones that most caught my attention were:
A large, battleship-grey Telefunken amplifier unit taken from an old movie theater, standing near the front door. The owner helpfully pulled the front cover off to let me see the four tube amps contained inside. It needs renovation, but was in decent, highly restorable shape. I didn't ask the price.
Two large, apparently original Altec corner horns in a dark mahogany (or similar) wood finish, which the owner said were 604Cs. There was too much other gear in front for me to get a close look, and he had other speakers (small A3rs) playing, so I didn't get to hear them, but they were definitely drool-worthy. I know some members here have them, and everyone raves about their exquisite sound. Decent WAF, too, other than their size. High on my list of "dream gear", but not at market prices. His asking price on them was about $7,000.
A Marantz Six FM tuner, apparently unmolested. a little dusty inside, but the original wooden case was in very good-plus condition or better. One rarely hears about the Six, and it's hard to find much on it via Google, but I know by reputation that this is one of the better/best FM tuners ever made. It appeared to have original tubes judging from the undisturbed dust blanket (:D) , but I couldn't be sure, as most of them are shielded with metal so I couldn't see what they were. Asking price was $3590. Didn't take long to decide that as much I would LOVE to own it, the price is a little (well, maybe more than a little) outside of what I can pay these days for just an FM tuner (alas...:sigh: :tears:).
Closer to my budget level than the Six was a Marantz 150 tuner, at $897. Once again, a scope tuner, and actually $500 cheaper than the last (also overpriced, I thought) one! :D But I'm holding out for the 2130, the later tuner with scope that will match my 3650+300dc stacks the best.
He also had some nice vintage turntables, including a big Sony. I've seen it before online, but couldn't get close enough to read the model number and can't remember it. I think it was Sony's best consumer TT. Also a big "saucer" Denon, and a newer (of course) VPI, and some nice tonearms were sitting around here and there, too, including an SME 3012. There were other tube amps (a few from theaters and/or organs, as well as some consumer units like Fishers and such) and some nice very high-end CD players, too.
The most entertaining part of the visit was the almost continual banter that went on between the shop owner and one of the customers. Obviously they are well-acquainted with a history of dealings, a real imbalance in knowledge of music (but not as unbalanced as the customer likes to put on) and the compaints, sarcasm and really dry humor thinly masked a very good, close relationship between them. They pulled me into the conversation at times, almost as if I were one of them, which was nice, too. I caught the owner several times observing my reactions to things that were said, and I made no attempt to hide the broad smile and chuckles some of their banter brought out of me. Just listening to (and sometimes chatting with) the two of them would have made the afternoon a good one for me, even if I hadn't got the Omnidisc. In spite of continued "complaining" about the rising cost of vinyl LPs there --which led into a discussion of changing exchange rates, the world economy, the growth of interest in vinyl, and other things-- the customer still bought several hundred dollars worth of LPs!
Altogether another nice afternoon interlude, and I'm happy to have picked up the Omnidisc set!
I entered, and the shop owner and a couple customers were there. The shop --like many used/vintage audio shops in Hong Kong , was a bit crowded, almost cluttered. Understandable, given the outrageous cost of real estate here. A bunch of gear mostly towards one end of the shop, and records towards the other, with a lot of tubes piled here and there in cabinets and on shelves.
The owner of the shop is a jovial pony-tailed character with a good sense of humor layered over a sharp business/salesman's sense, with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of, and obvious love of, audio. I've seen him around and we vaguely know each other by sight, but today was the most I've spoken or interacted with him directly.
I started browsing the LPs like the other customers, while sometimes looking up and soaking in the gear (more on that to come). My general impression is that he has one of the highest-quality offerings of LPs of any shop. A mix of vintage and new, and a mix of different genres (classic rock/pop, jazz and classical) but his selection was consistently high-quality. Probably the largest selection of "new" vinyl re-releases of classic LPs that I've seen in any shop, and without any of the hip-hop stuff that fills up most of the racks in HMV to distract from browsing pleasure. Plenty of original Living Stereo and rarer old releases, too, many of them from Japan. While some other stores have few or no Telarc releases, he had at least several that I saw.
He also had some CDs, but I was too busy looking at the vinyl to see much of what those were.
A DIGRESSION: I PURCHASED SOMETHING:
I then remembered something I've been looking for, so I asked him if he had Telarc's Omnidisc. At first he didn't understand what I meant, and didn't seem to recognize it even when I spelled the name, "o, m, n, i..." but when I explained in Chinese what it was, he broke in to a big grin and said, "You are very lucky today!" He then went over and reached down to a lower shelf area near the cashier's desk and fished around where some LPs were tucked away, some in bags... and pulled out a Telarc Omnidisc boxed set, complete with the instruction booklet! :banana: :D There were a few small spots of mold on some of the disks (almost ubiquitous in this climate), but they were very superficial and will clean off completely with the VPI RCM, not affecting sound or appearance. Otherwise not a scratch or other mark, that I could see.
His prices are not cheap, although as far as I could tell he had the right price ratios and relatively consistent pricing across the offerings. He knows his market and values extremely well, I think, and just puts himself near the top, but his selection is also pretty top-notch, too. As I was looking at the Omnidisc, he offered ten percent off the marked price. I thanked him, and asked if he could take a bit more off. He mentioned how rare it is, and declined to lower the price any further. After examining it and thinking a minute, I still said I'd take it. [That's why I say I think he knows his market! :D ] He is leaving tomorrow for a week in Japan, and I didn't have enough cash in my pocket, but the deal is done and I'll get it after he returns.
I'm not entirely thrilled with paying more for a disk that only sets up the TT for playing other disks, than I've ever paid in my life for a disk that I actually will listen to, I never thought I
d be basically paying what I consider an "eBay price" for anything, but this is something I do want, it seems fairly hard to find, and I only plan to buy it once in my life. I could pay almost as much (maybe more?) from eBay, and then have a longer wait and shipping risk and cost, and possibly end up with a worn or damaged disk (useless for a test disk!). Now it is one more thing off of my shrinking "wish list", and I'm one step closer to getting my system where I want it to end up.
It's probably the best TT adjustment record set (2 LPs) out there. After all, it's a Telarc, and if they don't know how to make a top-quality LP to help you set up for playing records properly, who would? It has the linear/tangential tonearm set-up grooves that I need for the Pioneer PL-L1, and I don't know of any others that have that (the main reason I was looking for it), and the instructions that come with it are encyclopedic and clear. I've read that the four versions of the 1812 Overture cannons on it are even "better" than the ones on the LP release ... although I'm a little nervous about subjecting any stylus/cart I own to THAT ... but of course eventually I will, bwaahaaahaa!
I think the RCA test records are the only remaining ones I still really want, just because they have grooves for setting VTA... but I have a weak spot for test and demo recordings, so I may get more as time passes. Still, I won't NEED any more, after this purchase.
Anyway, I got myself the most "fun" and probably the all-around most useful TT set-up tool I've ever owned. Should give me plenty of fun, a chance to learn better how to set up TTs properly, the peace of mind that I've done all I can to get mine right, and probably added a lot to the lifespans of my styli and my LPs, as well as better sound during those lifespans. Not everything can be a "flea market special", and this should be worth the money, I think.
END OF DIGRESSION: BACK TO THE SHOP:
As for gear, there were some interesting things there, The ones that most caught my attention were:
A large, battleship-grey Telefunken amplifier unit taken from an old movie theater, standing near the front door. The owner helpfully pulled the front cover off to let me see the four tube amps contained inside. It needs renovation, but was in decent, highly restorable shape. I didn't ask the price.
Two large, apparently original Altec corner horns in a dark mahogany (or similar) wood finish, which the owner said were 604Cs. There was too much other gear in front for me to get a close look, and he had other speakers (small A3rs) playing, so I didn't get to hear them, but they were definitely drool-worthy. I know some members here have them, and everyone raves about their exquisite sound. Decent WAF, too, other than their size. High on my list of "dream gear", but not at market prices. His asking price on them was about $7,000.
A Marantz Six FM tuner, apparently unmolested. a little dusty inside, but the original wooden case was in very good-plus condition or better. One rarely hears about the Six, and it's hard to find much on it via Google, but I know by reputation that this is one of the better/best FM tuners ever made. It appeared to have original tubes judging from the undisturbed dust blanket (:D) , but I couldn't be sure, as most of them are shielded with metal so I couldn't see what they were. Asking price was $3590. Didn't take long to decide that as much I would LOVE to own it, the price is a little (well, maybe more than a little) outside of what I can pay these days for just an FM tuner (alas...:sigh: :tears:).
Closer to my budget level than the Six was a Marantz 150 tuner, at $897. Once again, a scope tuner, and actually $500 cheaper than the last (also overpriced, I thought) one! :D But I'm holding out for the 2130, the later tuner with scope that will match my 3650+300dc stacks the best.
He also had some nice vintage turntables, including a big Sony. I've seen it before online, but couldn't get close enough to read the model number and can't remember it. I think it was Sony's best consumer TT. Also a big "saucer" Denon, and a newer (of course) VPI, and some nice tonearms were sitting around here and there, too, including an SME 3012. There were other tube amps (a few from theaters and/or organs, as well as some consumer units like Fishers and such) and some nice very high-end CD players, too.
The most entertaining part of the visit was the almost continual banter that went on between the shop owner and one of the customers. Obviously they are well-acquainted with a history of dealings, a real imbalance in knowledge of music (but not as unbalanced as the customer likes to put on) and the compaints, sarcasm and really dry humor thinly masked a very good, close relationship between them. They pulled me into the conversation at times, almost as if I were one of them, which was nice, too. I caught the owner several times observing my reactions to things that were said, and I made no attempt to hide the broad smile and chuckles some of their banter brought out of me. Just listening to (and sometimes chatting with) the two of them would have made the afternoon a good one for me, even if I hadn't got the Omnidisc. In spite of continued "complaining" about the rising cost of vinyl LPs there --which led into a discussion of changing exchange rates, the world economy, the growth of interest in vinyl, and other things-- the customer still bought several hundred dollars worth of LPs!
Altogether another nice afternoon interlude, and I'm happy to have picked up the Omnidisc set!