Thoughts and Non Thoughts

We’re talking about two-decade old speakers. The Diamond series is one of the longest running models in the Wharfedale brand. Considered above entry-level but not pretending to compete against ultra high end speakers. These were well-reviewed when these designed-in-England speakers came out in 2004. Are they still good in 2026? A resounding yes. These speakers, recalled to active duty, have exceeded my expectations. When one cable used is more expensive than the speakers, the expression “punching above its weight” is an understatement. But maybe that’s all it needs, to be partnered with good equipment and source to let them shine.  Amplifier: LSA Standard Integrated  Cables: VdH CS122, Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference Source: Technics SL1200 mk2 with Nagaoka MP110 Phono stage: Jolida JD9 Vinyl: Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out, Columbia 6-eye 1996 Listening room about 16 square meters Impressive musicality, textured mids, tuneful bass, enough high frequency detail. Smooth, non-fat...

  The PSE index has been range trading post-pandemic at the 6400-6800 level. It needs to go on the rising trend line to make another breakthrough. 

Audio quality is not the first thing that comes to mind when you look at Bluetooth speakers. Let alone a single speaker. I’m not saying it will beat my Rega Elex driving floorstanders. But close your eyes and throw away any bias, and you’ll hear music. Fun, loud, and clear. The bass is quite full and tuneful. It’s primarily aimed at portability, for parties without worrying about wired connections. But I personally enjoyed it most playing Duke Ellington via Spotify. Perhaps those mono jazz recordings suit the Beats Pill’s warm and full-bodied mono sound. That was pleasant and unexpected. As a side note, I think there was a marginal improvement connecting it via USB cable to my iPhone 16 vs Bluetooth. But you can totally enjoy it with Bluetooth.  Happy New Year! 

All the positive reviews are true. It’s an excellent amplifier. Musical, effortless and refined. The digital input is very good, via optical link from a WiiM Pro Plus streamer. The most pleasant surprise is the phono stage. The best I’ve heard with the Nagaoka MP-110 on a Technics 1200 mk2. With a turntable, streamer, and speakers, it’s the only thing you’ll need for a really good audio system. 

It has to break through this short-term downward trend. 

 The index fell 4% on Friday. The support trend line didn’t hold. RSI at oversold levels. Next support level is at 5700.

 Will the 5-year support line hold? So far the PSEi has bounced off this trend line. 

 Bounce on the support line?

MERALCO Sold my shares when it failed to break above the resistance trendline (which used to be support trendline). MACD was peaking and RSI was at overbought level. Multi-year resistance around PhP400 -- it can resume its upward move if it can consolidate above this level. In the meantime, this is a stock I like buying on dips (below P300) and hold for 2 years of so. High dividends can be enjoyed while holding. TAYOR YMMV DYOR (chart from investagram)

 Using a 5-year chart, MACD and RSI. The PSE Index has been on a downward trend since its peak at 9,000;level. At the same time, it has a solid support at 6,000 and a rising trendline since the pandemic.  The two trend lines converged in June, and it seems to have made a move above the downtrend.  Will it break the downtrend and finally push through the strong resistance at 7,000 level after three attempts? If so, next resistance would be around 7,300, then 8,000. If not, it could continue ranging between 6,000 to 7,000. My bias? The rising trend line will hold. Catalysts are the impending rate cuts. Downsides are black swan events and geopolitical risks, which would reset this analysis. (Chart from Investagrams)

  Can a cartridge slow down the music? The record is still spinning at 33&1/3 rpm, right? Yet somehow the music is less frantic, compared to an AT and a Shure cart.  The timing, the tempo - it feels “right” with the Nagaoka MP-110. I don’t know how it does it. Perhaps less of the upper mid emphasis of the AT, or the upper mid bass bump of the Shure.  All I know is that I can relax to the music. If that’s what others call refinement then so be it. It just sounds smoother. Maybe the music doesn’t slow down, my brain waves do. 

Initial test for a newly bought K&F Concept Nano-C circular polarizer.  The first image has the polarizer set to minimize the reflection and glare from the flower and leaves.  The second image has the polarizer rotated 90 degrees.  The light was harsh and directional. To me, the polarizer did reduce the glare and reflections from the flower and leaves, particularly visible in the second image. The first image, however, looks a little flat to me. The polarizer works, but shooting these hibiscus flowers under better lighting conditions, i.e., even and less directional, would do wonders.  --- Handling of reflections from water or glass would be an interesting next test. --- Canon EOS M6 Canon EFM 15-45mm pancake lens K&F Concept Nano-C HMC CPL 49mm Both images shot in raw and converted via Canon DPP4.0 and slightly cropped.

These orchids were shot using the "Portrait" camera setting of an iPhone. After asking me to "move further away," the phone's AI gave quite an impressive output, blurring the background. The second image above is without the "computational photography" applied. I would say that this setting works well in creating images that focus on the main subject and blur distracting elements like the fence in the background. Here's another shot — the first image is without the computational effect and the second has it applied. It still works, though notice that the stems of the flower on the upper left of the image and below the main bunch at the center have been blurred, too — the flowers appear to be floating in the air. This setting is good if you want to focus on a single subject, but look out for unexpected blurring effects.

I got this Jico N44G stylus a few years ago but didn’t get to use them until now. It’s the bonded tip version before Jico stopped making them, costing around $35 at the time. For a conical tip, it sounds pretty detailed and well balanced across the frequency range. It has the Shure warmth and weighty yet agile bottom. I find loading at low capacitance brings out the higher frequencies to my liking. Jico now offers the “nude” version of this stylus at a much higher price ($113). A new “SD” (synthetic diamond) model is also available ($60) that claims to equal the performance of the bonded stylus (apparently discontinued due to difficulty in sourcing the bonded tips).  I am thoroughly enjoying the sweet nature of this stylus (mounted on a M55e body). I think its 6 mv output is just right for my phono stage too. Truly a gem, now out of hiding.

 January 25-28, 2024. Glorietta Mall, Makati

Back on rotation with the AT VM95E and the Nagaoka MP-110 on the Technics SL1200 mk2. The DV20XL is on a different level. Detailed but refined. Agile yet weighty bass.  Kei’s Song (David Benoit) never sounded this good.

  A little past midnight. Amidst the fireworks, the moon still shines.

I used to buy a 14-day SIM from T-Mobile when I travel to the US. It provides a US number with practically unlimited calls/texts and data (within the US). Useful when calling US numbers or using phone apps on the go. I did encounter spotty signals for both calls and data, depending on the location. Last September I opted to avail of the Globe roaming service instead - the Roam Surf 399 valid for 24 hours. Then before it expired, I subscribed to the ‘Roam Surf Longer Stay’ for a lower daily rate over a longer period. It comes out to almost the same cost as a US traveller SIM and you don't have to switch mobile numbers or SIMs. This is for data surfing only, not for cellular calls or messages -- but I found it more useful since I use messaging apps (ie, Viber or Messenger) for communicating with both US-based and Philippine contacts. It is also a must-have for mobile apps like Uber, Waze, or for surfing the net. No problems at all with connectivity. At home or in the hotel, one can s...

Lots of reviews praising this little device. To me it’s a real winner. Excellent integration with streaming services like Spotify and Tidal, it has a very user-friendly app. Most of all it sounds great, a giant upgrade from my laptop. Connected via toslink to the MF V-DAC at 24/96 resolution, it plays CD quality or higher. Music on demand the way it was supposed to be -- convenient while sounding great.

  There are many reviews of the VM95 series of Audio-Technica cartridges, many of them positive, even effusive . I have been biased by the description of AT carts as "bright-sounding" hence have avoided them as my system/room tends to be unforgiving of bright playback. Having finally tried the green AT-VM95E elliptical, I must say that this is not a bright cart, actually falling into the warm side of neutral.  Quiet a well-balanced sound. I won't repeat all the reviews, but one thing that impressed me immediately was the relatively quiet background (coming from a Shure M55E with Jico stylus). Compared to the Shure, the AT is less mid-forward and more extended in the higher frequencies. The VM95 cartridge has a practical advantage -- one can easily swap the stylus to any of the other models, from the conical VM95C all the way to microline VM95ML and shibata VM95SH models. It was a matter of seconds to switch to the blue VM95C.  The conical is more rounded at the lower...