I'm sure lots of people heard of the mosquito ring tone being used by teens in schools so that the teachers are none the wiser when their phones ring. Well... i took the mozzy test just now... It's supposed to be at 17kHz. Try it here in mp3 format. And let the result be out... I am 17kHz deaf. Now tell me about those audiophiles that swear by the super tweeters... Are they crossing them too low? And tell me that my Diatones do not reproduce highs... Well... it does not bother me if they start rolling off at 18kHz or so. Bite me, but the mozzy ringtone just proved me right... that i do not need a speaker that goes from 20hz to 20kHz, nor super tweeters.

So the room's more or less done. One thing that I really want to change is the door. It feels light and does not stop sound. When I listened to loud volumes, everyone outside can also hear what I'm listening too. The same goes when Lucas is playing outside... I can hear him during soft passage. Sigh... But the colour of the door matches the cupboards and speakers... Soundproof doors normally are those darb metal clad ones that look like my store room. If only the store was large enough to fit my audio gear and have a space suitable for listening... Updated pics here.

After a failed attempt to veneer the speakers over the National Day weekend holidays, I sent the speakers to Robert's place for veneering with my zebrawood veneer. They did a much better job than I could ever accomplish. Will be transporting the speakers back later today. Room should be setup and ready for music. The sofa to be delivered in an hours' time. ;)

i've actually got my zebrawood veneer some time ago, wanting to veneer the pair of speakers... but always am either too lazy or caught up with other stuff. since there's some holidays coming this next weekend, plus my in-laws are not around, it is the best time to start on this project. the diatone pm610mb is a pair of 6" vintage alnico drivers from mitsubishi. out of production since 1997. the M series was introduced in 1995 as the 50th anniversary edition of the P610 series of drivers. there's more information availabe at Audio Nautes, an Italian DIY audio site. i got an enclosure to be build according to Kondo-san's design for the PM610. surprisingly, the bass is quite good. not sure if it really is around 40hz, but it surely suffices. now, all i need is to shop for a belt sander. ;) more pics here.

The anticipation of this moment since early this week... i pulled together my horses and men for this session. The other source is a Marantz CD50 using a TDA1541A dac. My 5687 preamp, d3A/VV302B DRD amps and my Diatone PM610MB speakers were called to duty. Sequence of A/B is always PS1 first, followed by CD50 for each track. Discs used are 1 - Plastic Flower from Op4, Lena Park (Korean Artist), 2 - The Power of Love Songs CD1, Fish Leong (Malaysian Artist), 3 - The Hong Kong Hifi show CD (2007 I think), 4 - You'll Hear Better Songs and Memphis Tennessee from Early Hours (Hybrid SACD), Eleanor Mcevoy. Impressions are that the PS1 presents a lower output voltage to the preamp, the bass is rounder and not as profound, soundstage is less deep, and it has a more mellow presentation when compared to the CD50. It also seems veiled in comparision, with the CD50 giving a cleaner and clearer sound. Perhaps after the mods, it will be better... I can only keep my fingers crossed.