There's CMY at S.Wang,Damansara, Sunway Pyramid, 4 shops in Amcorp Mall, many more at City Square Jln Ampang. Tong Lee at LowYatPlaza..manymore.
Don't be impulsive..go audition the offerings, review the prices and se which suits you. There's always the 2nd hand route too!..Star Audiofile, www.music-matters.net..take your pick

This post has been edited by bsl555: Aug 18 2005, 09:05 PM

I still hold Marantz CD63 series (SE, or KI Sig) with very high regard and better sounding than its successors, even better when modded with change of opamps and diodes. Reclocking (can be expensive) will push it into a higher realm throwing its nearest competitors out the window.
There's also the Audiolab 8000S..conservatively rated at 60w/channel but I've experienced its power more like 75 to 80W music power and poise. No doubt these are rather dated and can be found as used sets, but they're excellent choice for most purpose and intent. Just don't match these with cheap speakers.

Re-clocking the CDP is almost mandatory in budget to mid end players, if in pursuit of better sound from the player. It lowers the jitter by a fair margin thus producing a clearer and more focussed image, darker background and less edgy and harsh sounds can be drastically reduced. Your mileage will differ as it depends much of the rest of the rig as the more revealing your system is..the benefits are certainly more audible.
There's many internet resources on reading up about CDP re-clocking. You'd need knowledge of digital electronics to understand how the gadget works. Plainly, the re-clocked CDP can lift its sonic quality to another level.
However,. its NOT cheap!..being a sizeable fraction of the cost of CDP..blame it on our exchange rate again.

Octave does it.. but expect to pay through your nose if they recommend LC Audio (which I think they are still local distributors).
I could do it if time permit..DIY type which the results are quite stunning too..as proven in my own CDP for quite sometime already.

No it can't!..

Audiolab matches well with speakers that have slower pace...otherwise the musicality is lost and thats one reason Audiolab has been labeled as clinical. I learned that because I've owned nearly all the Audiolab models (except one)for many years. Still have most of them inclucing a pair of extremely rare monoblocks in mint condition.

This post has been edited by bsl555: Nov 8 2007, 12:08 PM

Thanks so much my man!..

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This post has been edited by bsl555: Jan 14 2008, 09:47 PM

Have to be cautious!.. there was some speculation their demo amplifier is souped/upgraded/modded to give offer better performance compared to stock. You may not get the same sonics from a new set.

Disclaimer: No malice here. This was somewhat a dated rumor. Your money, your call.

What is your definition of "cheapest"?.. less than half price of new (CMY Audio are currently main dealers), then you'd have to look to used ones that may be advertised.

Tubes have warmth, thats a known fact, but each brand or batch of tube have its own unique presentation and tonality. Even then a given tube will not meet expectation or perform differently as it depends on the rest of the combination of amplification tubes. Most if not all tube gear owner will mix and match various compatible tubes to achieve best sonic presentation. Its not always the case of old school or NOS tubes that'll guarantee the best sonic quality. I myself use a combination current production tubes from JJ Electronic (which some I think are excellent), and a pair of "little known and currently sold for very cheap" RCA microphone preamp tubes which have lowest microphonics and noise floor. My 2 sen.

This post has been edited by bsl555: Jul 24 2008, 11:08 PM

8000A is the oldest 60W/channel integrated amplifier with phono. It was supeceded with the 8000S and doesn't have phono, designed for digital playback or other line level input. Up the ladder is the 8000C/8000P pre-power combo with 100W/channel. Highest up is 8000Q/8000P or 8000M combination. They also had 8000CD/8000CDT/8000DAC/8000DAX/8000T/8000PPA are individual CD, DAC,Tuner,Phono stage, all up to you to customize and build up. 8000A amp is about 20 years old now. Its a fuss free straight forward 60W amp that'll do its job.
I did have quite a lot of fun with Audiolab amplifiers, till I changed to a tube amp later on that is more musical and entertaining.

This post has been edited by bsl555: Mar 15 2011, 12:16 AM

I'm one of those using a Pioneer 4 way 6 speaker driver model from the 70's powered by an audiophile rated Class D car power amplifier. Its highly efficient and I don't need megaWatts to drive it.
Its with a 15" woofer and rare super tweeters of its heyday. I've not looked back since, after listening to a tube amp and some modern audiophile bookshelf speakers. Its seems like a weird and off trend combination, but to my ears, its hugely satisfying. The crossovers were given a capacitor replacement job recently, due to age. The crossover is no more complicated than some modern bookshelf speaker, just a few more coils and specific value capacitors on a larger board. If you like heavy vintage large driver speakers, look to JBL 43XX series speakers.. These are the real deals and rare. No blooming bookshelves can match have the awesome sound these JBL's can produce. They all cost in the 5 figure region, no less.

Most of them are with particle board (call it chipboard to some) and they aren't made to last forever, just like any Japanese product, but with very careful storage and least humidity, these products can last a lot more than it was intended. In mine, the front baffle is of solid 1" veneer ply, inside reinforced by another layer of solid wood veneer inside the cabinet. Only the main cabinet and back panel is particle board. Mine have some chipaways at some corners only, the rest is fine, still I'll have to find the time and will to fully restore the defects with modern wood fillers and some approved methods of restoration. It can be done.
The drivers are all of paper cone thus producing what people refer to as "vintage tone or sound". Paper or wood pulp based speaker cones produce a very different character from current generation of speakers. Current cones are of modern material and more rigid, thus perhaps more accuracy in sound reproduction but less efficient and requiring more amplification power to drive them. Paper cones were the norm and technology of the day, and even studio engineers ears are accustomed to the tone back in its heyday, thus mixing down and re-mastering the tracks to what they thought was accurate. Played back on modern speakers, they may sound quite different from intended, and some people start to question and fault the remastering quality. All around the same debate on valves vs transistor sound. Other than the tone and slightly less resolution than the best of current generation high end speakers, I think my Pioneer speaker would produce a very commendable and satisfying performance, at least thats what my ears tell me, which I'm not wanting to part with it anytime hereon. Its a keeper...no if's no but's.

Most of those Youtube clips about Japanese vintage equipment are seen as near mint or pristine examples. What I've consistently seen here either on the used market or junk yards are with numerous visual defects, very aged, or at least 2-3 or more dings here n there. Worst of all, discoloured or corroded knob, switches and fascia plate.. the product mostly fit for the bin. Our local high humidity is the greatest destroyer of any product, sad but true. So finding a pristine vintage is a rare thing here.

This post has been edited by bsl555: Sep 30 2014, 06:30 PM

If not mistaken, there exist a vintage thread somewhere deep inside this section..lost for quite sometime, assuming there's very little interest among young people here who're more into headphones and the kind.
I only keep certain vintages purely because of sentimental value. Can't be acquiring them all and turn my home into a museum. Home is home, not a hifi shop nor museum nor showroom. My records and CD's have already taken up lots of space not to mention spent a lot to organize and house them in proper cabinetry.

This post has been edited by bsl555: Oct 2 2014, 01:31 PM