View Full Version : Greetings to one and all
Hi, I'm KK from Singapore. I chanced upon this site while researching the Denon 103SA, and have since spent hours reading the entertaining insights and info in the analogue threads. Then figured this the place to be in.
Had my first personal stereo since 14 and as I just turned 54 last week, you could see it's been a pretty long journey. I have steadily purchased more than 3000 pieces of vinyl in that time; no bulk estate sale purchase, always a few a month. Never bought a CD for myself.
About 10 years ago it dawned on me that mainstream high-end audio was not only getting obscenely over-priced, it was marketed to serve a bunch of people who looked to audio publications to make buying decisions. I witnessed someone pay $20K for cables alone at that time in an audio boutique and I shuddered. And I left the maddening crowd.
For the last 8 years, my loudspeaker driver of choice has been the Lowther PM2A and a pair of those sit in Martin Seddon's Azura compound horns in the last three and a half years. They have given me immense pleasure.
Power amp is a stereo DIY single 6BX7 dual triode wired in push pull for 4 watts per channel. A single copper strand connects it to each driver direct.
Phono preamp from more than 10 years ago comes from Sonic Frontiers. A 5m pair of cheap Canare microphone cable connect it to the power amp which has built-in attenuators to obviate the use of a line stage. Just one analogue source.
Turntable is a kit from Teres with a Well Tempered arm on board. A Denon 103 Gold (at the moment) and S&B 103TX complete the front end.
Two thirds of my vinyl collection comprises classical titles from the great English and European labels but in the last 10 years I have mostly enjoyed modern or avant-garde jazz, particularly those from the ECM label. My test discs of choice are those that feature a female soprano voice, or a pair of them.
Spectral Morn
21-07-2009, 11:55
Hi TKK
Welcome to the Art Of Sound.
Thats some set up you have, I would love to see photos. Any chance of putting some in to the gallery section of the forum?
Could you put your first name as part of your signature and a location in the section for that too. Thank you in advance.
Enjoy the forum and if you need any help just ask a member of the management team.
Regards D S D L
Hi TKK, :)
Welcome to AoS - hope your stay is a long, happy and enjoyable one.
Once you're established and settled in I'd love to 'talk' to you about Singapore - I spent 15 months working there, in 2 or 3 seperate periods, in the early 80s. Whilst there I managed to get my wife and family to join me for 2 seperate one month periods. We loved our time there so much we went back again in '91 as part of our Silver Wedding Anniversary celebrations and to meet up with old friends. It would be nice to hear how things have changed and, it being a small world, whether we have mutual friends. :)
Look forward to your future posts, and pics, if possible.
Cheers,
Welcome lovelly set up I bet it sounds great
Gentlemen, thank you for warm welcome. I will post pics once organised.
Dave, happy to re-ignite memories for you. If you need to, we could take it outside the forum.
Welome to AOS, TKK. What's your first name? :)
Marco.
Welome to AOS, TKK. What's your first name? :)
Marco.
I suspect TKK's first name may be his second name, beginning with 'K', and his last name may be his first name, beginning with 'T' - go figure, (but not Mike Homar - he'll know !!)
We shall see. :scratch: :confused:
Cheers,
East Asians put their surnames or family names first.
TKK are my initials in that order.
I tried to sign off as "Kee", as I am known, but it didn't come off. I hope no one has come to grief.
I took pictures of my rig off my old FUJI digital camera this morning and the results are at best ho-hum. But they are in the gallery. I'm limited to 5 uploads, so can't do with a fuller description.
Cheers,
Kee
Beechwoods
22-07-2009, 06:05
Welcome to AOS! The system is extremely beautiful :stalks: it's great that you've dropped by and I hope you enjoy it here!
Nice one, Kee. System looks coolio! :cool:
Marco.
Dave, happy to re-ignite memories for you. If you need to, we could take it outside the forum.
High Kee,
I'll start of this 'discussion' on this thread but I suspect the Admin team will 'invite' me to move it somewhere else (that is to say they'll move it for me ;) )
First thing to say is that it comes natural to me to address you as "T......" but I don't know what the rest of it is. Have you adopted an Anglo' first name as was the 'norm' for most Singaporeans of Chinese ethnicity when I was there? - please tell me "No". My recollection is that your friends and aquaintances called you by your family name, T...... , and only your family used your first 'given' name - is this still the case?
I got quite close to a couple of local Chinese Singaporeans when I was over there - they were around 15 years younger than me (I would guess), which would make them around 55 years old now. Their names were 'Philip' Tay Yong Liang and 'Benson' Tan Meng H..... ?(can't remember his second given name but it began with 'H' I think - there can't be many Bensons around, surely :) ). There was another guy called Lee Eng Hock who joined our company later than the other two so I never got to know him so well but we got on well at the time. I believe Benson was single the last time I saw him (but not sure) and I believe Lee was married (but again not sure). Philip was certainly married, his wife's name was Joyce (again I can't remember her Chinese names), and they had a son, named Darren, born in June (ish) '93. Philip and family were devout Christians but Benson and Lee followed their traditional beliefs.
I got on particularly well with Philip and Joyce and visited their home several times when we returned to Singapore twice for holidays in the early/mid '90s.
We exchanged letters infrequently for a few years afterwards but Philip was a workaholic and spent hours and hours at work to pursue his career and eventually the letters stopped. I know he changed jobs 2 or 3 times in he 90s and I seem to remember that it was one of he few periods when Singapore wasn't booming.
Whilst I was over there working I visited Mersing and Tioman regularly, stopping off at Kota Tingi Falls ocassionally en-route. I also spent a lovely weekend on Rawa - the accommodation was a bit basic but it was a great weekend. I spent most Saturdays water skiing off 'Coney Island' right under the approach to Payar Lebar airport and also up the Kim Kim river (technically illegal immigrants :) ). We usually finished up at Pongol Point with Chilli Crab and lots of chilled Tiger Beer - oh, those were the days !!
Anyway, this has gone on long enough - the Admin team will invite me to go elsewhere ( :lol::lol::lol: ) if I continue so I'll leave it there for the time being. Hope I've not bored you with this bit of history.
Cheers (and keep drinking the Tiger Beer !!).
Dave,
I don't use an Anglo name and folks affectionately call me Kee. I'm not repulsed.
I'm known to sniff out a good beer, so very partial towards those coming from Belgium. Tiger, or lager in general, repulses me.
I'll be happy to host you should you come this way again.
Dave,
I'll be happy to host you should you come this way again.
Hi, Kee
That's a very generous offer but I don't think that I am likely to be taking you up on it any time soon, but thanks anyway. :)
At 69 years old and with my wife having a very bad knee (replacement needed) our days of travelling Long Haul with the cattle in the back (Economy class) are long over. So, unless we get lucky on the lottery, I think our visits to Sigapore are a thing of the past, regretfully. :(
I look forward to seeing further posts from you and thereby keeping in touch. We have very many fond memories of Singapore in general and our friends there in particular.
Cheers,
Hi Kee
Belated welcome.
I noticed that you are from Singapore and wondered if you knew a restaurant called the SPICE QUEEN, located at Race Course Road, in Little India?
The reason I ask is,the owner,Devagi Sanmugam had the pleasure of cooking for me a few years ago.
Along with the food Del made me (Marco's wife) it was the best I've ever eaten.
I would be interested to know if you've ever eaten there and what you thought of it.
....the owner,Devagi Sanmugam had the pleasure of cooking for me a few years ago.
Shouldn't that be "You had the pleasure of eating in his restaurant"? (no offence - no smileys so maybe you were serious?)
Anyway to eat properly in Singapore you need to eat in the street food stalls. Newton Circus is the place to go - you tell him Kee !!
Shouldn't that be "You had the pleasure of eating in his restaurant"?
:lolsign:
SHE was staying at my house in Glasgow for a few months and said it was "a pleasure to cook for me".
I'd love to eat street food in Singapore as well as Cambodia and numerous other countries in the Far East,but,unfortunately,I can't see that happening anytime soon.
:(
:lolsign:
SHE was staying at my house in Glasgow for a few months and said it was "a pleasure to cook for me".
I'd love to eat street food in Singapore as well as Cambodia and numerous other countries in the Far East,but,unfortunately,I can't see that happening anytime soon.
(
Hi Snapper,
I walked into and asked for that one, din't I ?:lol::lol::doh:. Glad you don't live up to your username or I might be feeling very sore at the moment :lol:
I share your feelings with regards to both street food around the Far East and regretfully, not anticipating it happening any time soon, if at all, unless the lottery enables me to travel First Class.
Cheers,
I'm with you guys on street food in these countries - it's always the best way :)
Dave, Snapper is named thus due to him being a professional photographer for serveral national newspapers...
He's also rather capable in the kitchen himself, being an ex-chef at some rather prestige establishments - all in, a very discerning chap ;)
David,
When are you coming down to visit, matey? Del's got the Polenta and Tiramisu ready to rock! :cool:
Marco.
David,
When are you coming down to visit, matey? Del's got the Polenta and Tiramisu ready to rock! :cool:
Marco.
PM sent.
Shouldn't that be "You had the pleasure of eating in his restaurant"? (no offence - no smileys so maybe you were serious?)
You said exactly what I was thinking too Dave, so I'm hanging my head in shame! :o
Sorry Snapper, not to cast dipersions, these forums and modern comms in general leave a lot to interpretation!
Dave
Not been to “Spice Queen”. But there was a “Spice and Wine” with its excellent Northern Indian cuisines. I ate there a couple of times.
Race Course Road, spilling into its larger enclave of what is popularly known as “Little India”, is now home to many fine non-Indian restaurants and watering holes as well. And the Indian restaurants have gotten a lot better. You're unlikely to eat at the same place twice.
Street food, or more accurately, hawker fare, were great up to the mid 80s. Much of the authenticity is gone and a newer generation, coping with increasing costs and pressures in rapidly urbanised Singapore, has to abandon the ways of old and trim the corners. Ain't the same thing no more.
There are pockets of great hawker fare still in food centres dotted all over the island. But the inexorable heat and humidity, noise and environment pollution take out all the pleasure of dining at such. I'd rather take you and Dave C elsewhere and we would have no less to write home about.
Newton Circus has a towering reputation – that for fleecing tourists. Never go there unaccompanied by a local. And whatever is peddled there hardly represents the best of its kind. Avoid and ignore it totally. Sorry, Dave C.
Dave
Street food, or more accurately, hawker fare, were great up to the mid 80s. Much of the authenticity is gone and a newer generation, coping with increasing costs and pressures in rapidly urbanised Singapore, has to abandon the ways of old and trim the corners. Ain't the same thing no more.
There are pockets of great hawker fare still in food centres dotted all over the island. But the inexorable heat and humidity, noise and environment pollution take out all the pleasure of dining at such. I'd rather take you and Dave C elsewhere and we would have no less to write home about.
Newton Circus has a towering reputation – that for fleecing tourists. Never go there unaccompanied by a local. And whatever is peddled there hardly represents the best of its kind. Avoid and ignore it totally. Sorry, Dave C.
Hi Kee, .
First, no need to aplogise - it's called progress I believe :lol:. I was there when the Boogie Street 'he-she's' decided to withdraw and open up 'Waxen Dolls', and when they 'redeveoped' (i.e. ruined) Chinatown, and before and after Raffles Hotel was 'developed' (i.e. became unrecognisable from what it was), all in the name of progress. My daughter actually celebrated her 15th birhday by having tea in the original Tiffin Room and drinking a Singapore Sling in the original Long Bar. We visited Tioman several times pre, but only once post, the golf club development. They ruined an absolutely pristine coral reef just off the beach there which was ideal for snorkelling. Once saw a turtle absolutely decimate a jelly fish on that reef, with smaller and smaller reef fish picking up the 'crumbs' as they fell deeper and deeper - magic moments!:)
With regards to eating street food at Newton Circus and other such places, I absolutely agree with you. I was there mainly in '81 and '83 and again briefly in '91 but each time I went to such places I was always with 2 or 3 local Chinese friends - again, magic moments.
We were once walking over a river bridge near the old 'go-downs' (?) when we saw, just under the bridge and on the dockside a 'Wyang' (hope I've spelled that right). The performers were putting on their very beautiful and colourful make-up on a raised platform behind and above the stage but almost on a level with the bridge. Fortunately I had my camera with me and one of my friends leaned over and asked the performers for permission for me to take their pictures as they were applying the make -up, which was willingly granted. Next moment I was invited to join them downstairs back stage and take whatever pictures I wanted. At one point they almost pushed me onto the stage in their determination that I should et the picture that I wanted.
The only times we ate locally without locals with us was at Pongol Point after spending Saturday water skiing - the chilli crab washed down with lots of local beer, with chickens running around under the table, still makes me salivate at the thought of it.
Enough reminisences for now.
Cheers,
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