Audyssey SOMA Audio Dock: A Friend's Testimony

Remember my previous review about the Audyssey SoMa Audio Dock, and that my colleague intended to get one? Well, he finally made a pre-order from Sound Decisions. Yes, the dock is so popular that it is out of stock till end August!

I'd like to share with you the following email message that he addressed to a common friend and later forward to me.

I went to Adelphi just now to look at the Audyssey i-Pod dock that I planned to buy. I tried out the dock with the songs in my iPhone. Fortunately I have got the “Grandma’s Hands”  piece in high quality MP3 format.  The dock played the song beautifully. The finger snaps were very life like. In fact, more so than my large B&W speakers at home!!!  I also played other songs like Spanish Harlem, Chinese songs, pop songs.  They played well but I can sort of tell that the songs are coming from a small setup rather than from big speakers. (Its is not obvious for some songs but obvious for others.)

Then I went to the B&W reseller shop just nearby to try out their newly released high end bookshelf speakers, PM1 which cost over $4K a pair. I played Grandma’s Hands again. While the sound was very clear from each speaker the finger snaps sounded like sh**!!!  They sounded flat, lifeless and just plain awful – very much like the same sound coming out of my big speakers before you tuned them for me. 

Suddenly it dawn on me that you mentioned before that you were shocked that most HIFI shops do not even positioned their speakers properly for optimum sound.  True enough.. the speakers’ positions were crap. They were not even toe-in. In fact, they were toe-out. That explained why such good speakers could produce such awful finger snapping sound!!!

Conclusion, the Audyssey SOMA i-Pod docking station is really optimised for good sound.  And secondly, all speakers no matter how cheap or expensive needs to be properly position/tuned to get good sound!!!

When I told him I would like his permission to post his comments, he said yes, and added the following:

Seriously I was very surprised the finger snapping sounded so life-like from the small box. Ric spent quite a lot of time positioning my floor standing speakers to make the finger snapping sound life-like on my big speakers. Even now, I would just rate it a barely life-like. But on the SOMA, it was very life-like. This is just a very specific example. I don’t know if the same applies to other variables or not.

(BTW, this particular piece of music, Grandma’s Hands, is from an audiophile testing CD I bought sometime ago. This special CD  teaches one how to audition an audio system. Before each musical track is played, a narrator introduces & explains what the track excels at and exactly what you should be listening for on a quality audio system capable of faithfully reproducing tracks just as they were recorded. In this case, it is the life-like finger snapping sound.)

True, or bull? Well, let your ears decide! Visit Sound Decisions showroom at The Adelphi (#04-06/07), or at the following retail outlets:


CK TANGS ORCHARD
310 Orchard Road,
3rd Floor, TechnoBay
Singapore 238864


GAMESCORE PTE LTD
109 North Bridge Road
#05-05 Funan DigitaLife Mall
Singapore 179079

Dell XPS 15z: Laptop Review

When I reviewed the Dell Vostro earlier, I thought it was already a well-tuned machine - except the speakers wasn't that great.

Then Dell passed me the XPS 15z for review, and I was more impressed. It's got most of the advantages of the Vostro plus some more.

For a start, the product packaging departs from the warehouse-brown box look. Upon opening the box, you will find another laminated storage box. The items in the inner box - laptop, charger, install discs, manuals - are neatly compartmentalised.

In the previous XPS models, the interior looks no different from the regular Dell models, but with 15z, Dell radically redesigned the interior.

The 15z impresses me with the following:

• Full HD 1920x1080 resolution over 15.6" screen size is really a comfort to view.
• Very bright display - 300 nits. I can view it even under bright light conditions. 
• Powerful sound reproduction, thanks to top-facing speakers, unlike the Vostro and Inspiron models where the speakers are placed below the laptops.
• Aluminum and magnesium-alloy casing gives the XPS 15z a good firm exterior feel.
• The power indicator blends into the striped-hinge design. Small problem: the indicator is hard to see under bright light conditions.
• For absorbing the impact of closing the laptop, rubber linings go around the screen instead of short rubber strips. A well-thought design feature.
• Longer lasting 8-cell battery, but not removable.
• 5-point battery check button allows you to check remaining battery level. Useful when the laptop is not on and you wondered if you should charge the laptop.

What I don't quite like about this product:

• Heavy, albeit solid feel.
• No VGA port, though it comes with a mini Display Port, which means you can purchase converters.
• No USB ports on the right side, which means right-handed users have more cable mess when plugging USB peripherals.
• Multi-touch gesture is not responsive at all. Very frustrating to use it.
• I personally do not like the stylised keyboard fonts.
• Battery is not removable, but then again, the battery would probably outlast the usefulness of the laptop.
• Slot-in CD/DVD drive motor is very noisy, kind of spoils the elegance of this product.

The designers of Dell XPS 15z has indeed put in some commendable effort to make this product look stylishly modern. I also like the overall build, screen quality and OS response, thanks to above-average processor and hard disk specs.

In pursuit of minimalist design, the XPS 15z comes with less connectivity ports than the Vostro and Inspiron: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, 1 HDMI 1.4, 1 mini Display Port, 1 multi-card slot.

At a premium price over the other Dell consumer or business models, the XPS 15z gives a sturdier build, larger 15.6" full-HD 1920x1080 resolution, 8-cell battery, larger touchpad, and better-sounding speakers. So if you fancy the design, I'd say it's a great model to get.

Panasonic Lumix FT3: Element-Proof

The Lumix FT3 is water proof (12 metres), shock proof (2 metres), freezeproof (-10 degrees Celsius), dustproof, comes with altimeter (measures altitude), barometer (measures atmospheric pressure), compass, GPS, records 12 mega-pixel images and Full-HD, with 28-128mm f/3.3-5.9 lens... I mean, you can bring this device anywhere on Earth!

The Lumix FT3 does not have that as many features as the earlier Lumix FX78 and TZ20 cameras I have reviewed. What it does have are:

• Intelligent Auto (iAuto)
• Normal Auto
• 30 SCENE modes
• 3D Photo mode (MPO format)
• ISO 100-1600
• LED Light for video recording
• LUMIX Image Uploader
• Resize, Cropping and Video Trimming

What I like about the FT3:

• The camera starts up rather fast, just like the FX78 and TZ20. This allows me to capture spontaneous moments easily.
• The camera shutter and shot-to-shot responses are speedy too - plus points for candid shots.
• The hardware buttons are responsive and easy to press.
• The LCD monitor viewable angle is very wide without affecting display contrast.
• The lens does not protrude, so I can conveniently place the camera face-down even when the power is on.
• Built-in LED light for video, not powerful, but still, useful.

Screen captures of a video shot on FT3.

Reservations about the FT3:

• Heavy image blooming when light hits on the lens.
• Tele-end of the lens does not deliver good optics.
• Although shockproof, FT3 body will still be damaged. The review unit I am using already has "battle scars".

I have always wanted to get a waterproof camera myself, but I understand it is not possible for a waterproof camera to achieve the same image quality and features as a normal camera. The Lumix FT3 does not differ far from this truth. Nevertheless, it's impressive that the handling of FT3 is on par with the compact cameras like Lumix FX78: under normal lighting situations the image quality is actually comparable to the Lumix TZ20. So I would say that the FT3 comes close to what I would want for a waterproof camera, except when blooming appears on the images. My search continues.

Dell Streak: My favourite 5-inch Smartphone

Dell Streak remains till today the largest screen smartphone in the market (the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 is not really a smartphone because you cannot hold the device up to your ears and talk to the other calling party). Although the device was out for more than 7 months in Singapore (even longer globally), I would still like to share with you my views.

During a Dell event last October (2010), I managed to see a working copy, but had no more than one minute to try the device. Thanks to XPR who followed up in my innane interest in this mammoth (by today's standard) phone, I was couriered a unit within 24 hours of my discussion.

Let's jump straight into the good things about the phone:

• Generous 5-inch display to let you enjoy content with comfort. If you use third-party launcher apps, you can fill up more icons per screen
• Very natural typing experience when using on-screen keyboard in portrait mode
• Clear phone voice quality of the other party
• It charges from flat to full in just 2 hours
• The gloss-coating chilli-red colour is stunningly eye-catching (yes there are the usual black colour for the understated masses).

The challenges?

• Device is a little too big for one-hand operation, but I can still manage it.
• Interface is less robust. This phone was built based on the ancient Android 1.6 OS then updated to Android 2.2 during Singapore launch. Therefore, it is clear during my reviewing period that the phone did not perform as optimally as phones like Dell Venue which was built for newer Android OS.
• Battery drains excessively. With my kind of heavy usage, it barely lasts 6 hours.
• Proprietary dock port means I have to bring the cable with me.The rest of the Android devices use the universal micro-USB.
• Camera shutter lag, which is common for smartphone cameras.

In perspective, the Dell Streak was never designed with the phone as a primary function. Its touch icons and lock screen are oriented in landscape, the power button is around the mid-point of the device. It is really intended as a mini-tablet for two-handed usage, and included phone functions to give the device an added selling point. Despite the bulk, I am quite happy to put the Streak against my ear for a decent conversation, though I don't know how that looks from the passers-by.

A 5-inch device like the Dell Streak would be the perfect device to satisfy both your phone and tablet needs. Small enough to put in your large pocket yet big enough for consuming content comfortably. Between my Galaxy S and Dell Streak, I would pick the latter, though I would be mindful of the battery drain. A backup battery is highly recommended. And a large pocket too.

Nokia E6 Review: Improving on the Tradition

Hi, Nokia. Hi, Symbian. It's been a while since I've left you - the E72. I embraced Android and all its large-screen touchscreen glory. And now you have returned, as Anna. Will you win my heart again?

At one look, the Nokia E6 looks no different from the earlier QWERTY-laden E-series, which could be a good thing for users who do not like to attract attention. The build material of the back cover follows the E71 while the front is detailed after E72. In short: rock-solid.

Uncanny resemblance to the E72, no?

In its heart, though, a major revamp. Now running Symbian Anna, the E6 is a major (albeit late) improvement from E72. You get a higher-res screen of 640x480, an 8-megapixel free-focus camera, multi-touch capabilities. The E-series just got much better.

You must love the compact size, and the ability to combine QWERTY key entries with touchscreen navigation. Yet, the standard 5-way navipad still works for the traditionalists.

The back is in entire black - just like E71.

Alas, the E6 came too late in this era of touchscreen devices.

• Screen size is just too small, ironically worsened by the 640x480 resolution, making all the fonts and images even smaller. Most apps are not optimised for the high resolution in 2.4" screen, which necessitates larger image thumbnails, font size and buttons
• Insufficient screen space to view large content and to navigate. On Gravity app, I can only see 3 tweets per page, whereas I can view twice as much on Galaxy S.
• Although Symbian is capable of multi-tasking, if you push the OS, the interface would get laggy.
• Widgets does not allow resize and does not refresh as frequent as I would like to.
• If you run too many background services like push mail, the phone heats up very fast and also drains battery fast. This is an existing behaviour for almost all smartphones with multi-tasking capabilities

Apps (like Dropbox) not optimised for the high-res E6. Fonts appear too small

Images appear sharp and with good contrast

E6 is an excellent upgrade to the current E-series users. The form factor has not changed yet you can now navigate the screen more intuitively via touch. It is an extremely compact device that lets you manage telephony and texting functions efficiently, and is well suited for brief review of push content. The phone is capable of handling multiple email accounts and social networking feeds if you are not particular about screen size. If the above usage pattern suits you, then the E6 should be a favourite.

Comparing screen size with Dell Streak, which is 800x600.

But if you, like me, have already ventured into the large-screen touchscreen realm, there is no turning back to the previous-generation form factor. What Nokia should have done is to increase the size of the E6 to an "acceptable level" so that the screen size and keypads are bigger. The E6 screen is simply too small to handle the social media content navigated by big fat pointers.

Chester Tan: COMPASS Young Composer of the Year

Last evening, I received the COMPASS Young Composer of the Year award at the 16th COMPASS Awards. I was also awarded the Top Local Instrumental Contemporary Song of the year.

It's a surprise win after 14 years of composing (from Uni days) and 6 years since I starting publishing my songs (first album in 2004).

When I embarked in writing instrumental music exclusively, I know that it's a road less travelled. But I do it because I like it, and because I believe in the music that I write. Each of them are a fragment of my emotions, my music diary.

Credit goes to my manager, Gilbert Ong, for pushing my works commercially. Thanks a heap to Publisher Richard Lim and Album Concept James Kang who conceptualised Piano Spa. Thanks to Warner Music for pushing 5 albums out in the market. With these collective efforts, I got my awards. Biggest thanks to wifey for her support all these years. Thank you for giving me time and space to develop my passions.

Like they say, Patience is A Virtue.

I performed a medley of songs at the awards presentation:
1. My Favourite Time of the Year (Top Local Instrumental Contemporary) from Piano Spa 3
2. Dance with The Clouds from Piano Spa 4
3. Shyanne from Piano Spa 4
4. Dreams of Tomorrow from Piano Spa 2



It's an honour to join the rolls of the following past winners for the Young Songwriter/Composer Award (and can only win this award once):

15th (2010) - Tay Chee Wei 郑旨为 (first non-pop recipient)
14th (2009) - Xiaohan 小寒
13th (2008) - David Tan (Electrico)
12th (2007) - Corrinne May
11th (2006) - JJ Lin 林俊杰
10th (2005) - Eric Ng 黄韵仁
9th (2004) - Lim Yeek Sinn 林毅心
8th (2002) - Tan Han Jin 陈奂仁
7th (2001) - Tanya Chua 蔡健雅
6th (2000) - Liew Chee Vun 刘志文
5th (1999) - Leong Wai Foong 梁伟丰
4th (1998) - Kevin Quah 柯贵民

For the full list of recipients of the 16th COMPASS Awards, click here.

Chester Tan's facebook page for music is at http://facebook.com/chestermusic . Chester also seeks creative passion in photography and his works are collected at http://facebook.com/chesterphoto

All I Ask Of You - The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Last evening, I watched "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" musical event, rekindled my love for this song, which I've not played on piano for years. So I decided to record my rendition here for your enjoyment.

As for the show, it's enjoyable, allowing me to listen to snippets of all the musicals that Sir Webber wrote. The Marina Bay Sands Grand Theater is magnificent. Andrew himself was present - in the form of video - which drew the most laughs as he shared some of his honest views.

I'm not exactly a fan of live performances because in most cases the sound balancing does not do justice to the performers as well as listeners. In this case, some of the musical numbers had overpowering accompaniment while a few had the singers putting the sound system to the test when they sang at the top of their lungs. I also don't quite like the renditions of some songs but well that's a personal preference.

In short, a good effort to present a compilation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's famous musical pieces in a relatively static stage presentation filled with looped video projections, sparse stage choreography, and 100% raw vocal prowess.