Ken的分享 - Telos產品用後感

I have been through a lot in the last 1 1/2 months. It all started with KC first torquing my system. After that I discovered minor deficiencies in my system, mainly due to tweaks that I was using. I quickly and easily eradicated those problems by either changing the position of the tweaks or removing some altogether.


Then I started to introduce the Telos products, one by one, to my system. The first one I used was the Telos RCA and XLR caps. There are 2 versions of these caps, Platinum and Copper. I used the more expensive Platinum caps for all the exposed RCA input and output. As for the XLR caps, I used only 2 pairs, both connected next to the XLR input that I was using. I noticed a slight drop in the overall background noise. The highs are also more prominent with a silky touch to it.


Then I added Telos Golden Reference power cord to the Meridian 508.24 CD player. I listened to it for a week. Transparency especially in the highs improved. I knew that the cables and cords need to have a break-in time but I did not notice much change from the first moment I use the power cord till a week later. The sound was consistent. I have been told that Jeff Lin ensures high quality control for all his cables and cords that are manufactured. All cables are then burned in before being shipped. I found that plugging the Telos Golden Reference power cord really enhances my enjoyment of tracks, especially those that has strings accompaniment. This is best illustrated in Acoustic Revenge from Antonio Forcione Live (Naim CD054). I can clearly discern the pluck of each string as he becomes more aggressive as the track worn on.


In the very next week I got another Telos Golden Reference power cord for my ARC LS25MkII preamp. I also took my time to assess the changes that this cord brought to my system. I found that the sound is much more relaxed. Don’t get me wrong, relax does not mean lethargic. The sound just creeps up on you and hit you. Later I swapped my AQ interconnects for Telos Golden Reference xlr interconnects (1.5m each). I also managed to get 1 set each of the Telos Titanium mini and large cones to put under the CD player and power amp respectively.


Once I got the 20amp version of the Telos Golden Reference power cord. I hooked it up to my Jeff Rowland Model 8 power amp. I find that everytime I added a Telos product into my system, my system jump a few notches in terms of performance. Not only do I get better frequency extensions at both end of the spectrum but also everything seems to gel together creating a very seamless sound to go with a solid and wide soundstage. Another thing that I noticed was noise floor went lower everytime a new Telos product was added to my setup.


With all Telos power cords and cables powering and connecting my setup respectively, I began scouring my CD collections. One of the CDs that I have not heard in a long time is Norah Jones’ debut album, “Come away with me” (Blue Note 7243 5 32088). I have heard a lot of things being said about this disc being badly recorded, instruments being out of phase etc. I could not believe what I was hearing when I played track 10 titled Painter. The breathiness of Norah’s voice is shockingly real, so dimensional; I nearly fell from the listening chair. Most time audiophiles visualize the singing mouth but this time, I can feel that the whole of Norah’s head with a grounded body is singing in front of me. The whole band was playing in the room. But I was really turned on when she sang “Turn me on”. The bass in this tracks goes deep and full. The sound is just so natural. The outline of the imaging becomes more solid, thus creating better layering of the whole soundstage. Imaging has also become more life-sized. This is akin to changing from a normal CRT television to a good high definition LCD version. Coupled with the improvement in soundstage, the overall sound has also improved. I got better frequency extension on both sides of the spectrum resulting in a very natural sound with no extra emphasis on any frequency.


Micro and macro dynamics have also improved. The track to showcase the macro dynamics is track 4 of Faye Wong’s Sky Album (XRCD2 844423-R). The kick-drum was forceful but not “in-your-face”. I like it so much that I kept on increasing the volume without realizing how loud I have went until my wife told me to reduce the volume. What is also great is that the kick-drum did not obstruct or overpower the other instruments or Faye’s singing in that track. I also listened to Wei Li’s guzheng in Mood and Dream of an opera from the River and Sorrow CD (FIM SACD 032). In the initial stage of the track, I can clearly hear Wei Li plucking of the strings in his guzheng. You can also distinctly hear the way he tries to control the resonance of the string. What is amazing is during the climax; I can also hear the strings hitting the wooden body of the guzheng.

This has made listening to music to be very emotional ride to sonic heaven. I have attained another level of sonic nirvana and I can’t thank my friend KC enough for helping me do so. I owe you a big one!