The Plague...

A disgruntled man called his friend one day saying that he has got the financial blues.

"What blues?" his friend replied.

"The current global financial malady that's affecting the world. It's been called a financial crisis, tsunami, meltdown, Armageddon, nuclear fallout, cancer, nightmare etc – substitute your favourite adjective. Call it what you will but it is spreading like a plague. Where have you been?" he cried in exasperation.

Where indeed.

Countless people have written, debated, criticized, theorised, opinionated, offered professional solutions ad infinitum. Many have had their fortunes, retirement nest egg, education fund, savings etc wiped out overnight. Many another lost their jobs. Assets that within just a few short weeks have been reduced to worthless liabilities. Some of us have a clear perception of the whole mess, some perhaps the bits and pieces and yet others haven't a clue or just not bothered. This last group would inherit the earth.

Why? Because unlike the disgruntled whiner above (read on to discover his identity) many another has gone on to discover new opportunities, develop existing relationships (both personal and business), create new networks, re-educate themselves among the many endeavours available to us all. Some who have made their fortunes (great and small) have decided that they have sufficient put aside to live within their means and simply go into semi-retirement. These same people will remember that once upon a time they saw opportunities present themselves and went ahead to grab them. They succeeded and re-invested their profits in various fixed income financial instruments that did not promise grillions of percent in return and saved just for a rainy day. Like now.

Would you like to know the secret that this select group possesses in spotting the opportunities? Well that's quite simple really – they made their fortune in the last two global financial scares in the 80s and 90s. Yes the same financial "malady" and "sickness" the world's media have been reporting about for most of the second half of 2008 to the point of boredom have occurred before. The surprise is how come we didn't see it coming again. And what are we doing about it this time around?

For the moment let's put the whys, whats and hows behind us and remind ourselves that what has occurred and still occurring in the world today was/is created by mere mortals. This monster seemingly morphed overnight to devour everything in its path was a man made disaster waiting to happen and when it manifested itself the world's financial institutions, moguls and authorities did not have a clue how to handle it and perhaps still don't.

Fear can be a powerfully destructive force if we allow it to destroy our state of mind. Or it can be a powerful energy if we know how to harness it as strength.

The events that have unfolded are now being handled in a globally coordinated approach and the better-prepared and responsible governments have implemented measures to contain the contagion. With such a massive concerted action never before seen there is perhaps a glimmer of hope in this foggy twilight and may I respectfully suggest that the worse is over give or take the occasional blips. And survive this episode we will because like all human experiences this too will come to past. History has much to teach us. If we allow it to.

As citizens of this increasingly global market we all have a part to play and we can start by being proactive and not get mired in a self-fulfilling prophecy. The stock and other financial markets are currently reflecting the nervousness and shear lack of confidence in the global economy. This phenomenon is a herd instinct and it is entirely up to every single one of us to give our markets a boost by being positive about its performance. In short we can make a difference by buying instead of selling.

The financial markets are not as complicated as most "experts" would like us to believe – just picture a scenario where a day dawns and just a third of the world's investors start buying? It could be anything from stocks to indices to property to cars to audio – you get the idea. This may sound flippant and irresponsible but the most effective remedy for the current financial malady is simply to start buying again. Besides the feel good factor we are all contributing to the recovery we are all hoping for.

Demand will generate business and thus jobs. We will have more disposable income and with that more confidence to invest in the markets again. Property prices will appreciate reflecting the positive sentiments and true market value. For my part I am selectively buying small into the global stock markets and nosing about for a nice property to enhance my investment portfolio. Although I have yet to turn a profit I am confident in time I will. I am also re-modeling my home to capitalize on the very much lower cost of raw materials and labour charges. And of course upgrading my reference audio system.

So let us stop waiting for the recovery to happen from the (anticipated) middle of 2010 as touted by numerous financial experts, media and captains of industry - self styled or bona fide. After all weren't they the same experts who got us into this mess in the first place?

Let's instead help ourselves. Like those who made their fortunes in the last two financial "crises". And set us on the road to recovery from this moment on. Finally don't be like the whiner whose conversation circa 1997 I was referring to at the beginning. I know the story well. That whiner was I.

The Singapore F1 Audio Show At The Revelation Room

What a rush it was these past weeks from the pre-show preparations right up to the show days and the post-show hangover was not unlike inhaling copious amounts of our favourite single malts. It was hectic, frantic and chaotic. Many a night we toiled to just before dawn to get the showroom to be less “show roomy” and just plain homey.

We were expecting the unexpected. It started with the delay of Ypsilon Electronics’SET 100 monoblock amplifiers, all 230 kg of them, which made it to Singapore just two days before the show. Andy Hassapis at Ypsilon Electronics was one worried man when he had all of 10 days to have the amplifiers ready and shipped to the showroom in time for the show. He himself arrived in Singapore on the first day of the show and came straight from the airport, disheveled hair, crumpled clothes, bloodshot eyes, still maintaining his Grecian good looks but screaming “insufficient burn-in time boys”! He smiled ruefully when someone offered him a stiff whisky.

Thankfully our SoundLAB electrostatics complete with the latest updates & hot-rod were actually the first of many new arrivals exclusively for the show because we wanted to ensure the very latest updates from our partners. The crates were indeed monstrous and it was the job of four men to lift each crate and to unpack them. Real beauties they are both sonically and aesthetically.

True to his Swiss watch making roots and his creative genius in turntable design, Micha Huber arrived in Singapore precisely 5 days ahead of the show as promised with his patented Thales Tonarm in tow and complete with his own reference LPs for demo. He also lugged along a few phono cartridges (EMT & Benz Ruby 3) just in case of an emergency and we were relieved he did as we would later discover. The massive Pythagoras turntable (patented), crafted from laboratory grade steel & Norwegian granite among others, arrived two days before him and his brother Emanuel - ready to be expertly assembled, tested and tuned. Svein Oddvar Osen of Audiostone arrived 24 hours after the Huber brothers looking alive and fresh despite not having slept for the last 48 hours – if they didn't invent Clark Kent this man would have been the man of steel!

The vivacious Vovox cables of Switzerland arrived 10 days before the show and we were ecstatic because we know them to be musical cables. Folks, Vovox is one of the first cables we have ever auditioned that handily dispenses with all the witchcraft and voodoo of lesser pretenders at any cost. We are prepared to pit them against the (astronomically priced) frauds out there. Our one regret was the lack of time to run them in because after two weeks or more they simply vanished from the audio chain. You heard it here first.

We were eagerly expecting delivery of the fully loaded Nova Physics Group 32 BIT/215KHZ Memory Player, which Mark Porzilli & Lauufer Teknik pulled out all stops to have the first of the latest production version delivered to us. Sadly a day before the show the freight company informed us of a delay and the Memory Player wouldn't make it in time for the F1 Show. Murphy was already letting us know he would be attending.

September 24th Day One of Final Preparation, Murphy's Visit & The Beauties of Joo Chiat Road

Most of our other equipment were stored away on the second level showrooms to create space for a more conducive environment. The Huber brothers, yours truly and a few others begin the final set-up procedure and tuning of the showroom after we stripped away the professional room treatments to achieve a more neutral sounding room. Don't get us wrong we know room treatment is indispensable in certain rooms and because our showrooms were acoustically (wanted to use the crappy term "proprietary" most reviewers/manufacturers use but...) treated during our recent renovation.

At 11.45 in the am Kuehne & Nagel called to say that because of incomplete documents they couldn't move the Pythagoras flight cases out of custom. Fine we replied and had the papers ready before they could hang up the phone. That done we were then informed that all of their trucks were out for the day and night delivery is possible but with an up charge. Up charge no problem but what time? After 6pm they say. No, we wouldn't be able to complete assembly, testing and tuning in time. “We will rent a truck and drive down to pick it ourselves!” commanded our mighty Micha. Onward and upward boys! And so it was that we managed to locate both truck and driver and to the airport we went. When the gargantuan 230 kg flight cases finally arrived at TRR's showroom we moved them to position before unpacking the works of art within. The set-up of the Pythagoras and Thales took approximately 2 hours before we could finally tune the system. Despite the air-conditioning at full throttle it was hard and thirsty work. Oy! Who forgot to order beers, OJ and coffee?

Before we knew it the sun had set for the day and dinnertime had way passed us by and so it was to be a short stroll down to jolly Joo Chiat Road for supper. For the Europeans this was their first exposure to the colourful spectacle of Singapore's infamous pub/karaoke strip. The boys were a little intrigued and one or two even had proposals made and some!

September 25th Day Two of Final Preparation & Murphy's Second Visit

We'd been so pre-occupied with the logistics and planning for the show we forgot to book our own F1 tickets. So the first of many mad tickets scrambles had begun. In the process of calibrating the arm, VTA, stylus force etc for the Thales tonearm, Micha Huber's digital cartridge gauge faltered and finally failed. Out came The Revelation Room's in-house digital gauge and that decided to join in solidarity with the Micha's gauge. “Don't worry, our trusty old manual Shure stylus force gauge will save us” said I. No less truer words were uttered for the Shure no longer resided in the TRR Analog Kit Box! Too, where's our reference soldering iron? Murphy certainly was smiling down upon us. Mad rush for these items with less than 24 hours before our friends came over for the show.

Having gone separate ways to fulfill our individual responsibilities we returned with our soldering irons, Clearaudio digital stylus gauge and some really cold Singhas & Tsingtaos, the latter for those who had the thirstier responsibilities.

Micha started laughing and commented that at least we have a plasma display for his presentation during the show days. “Eh, what display for what?!” went I. Murphy by then was standing next to us and smirking. Plasma ordered and arrived within 3 hours and the delivery guy wants to know where to place it for the presentation. Right there on the floor by the wall he is told but someone forgot that it is quite a strain on neck when one has to view from a standing position. Or all our guests could just sit on the floor. Who forgot the stand for the plasma?

By the late afternoon, Micha was banging away on his notebook for the final preparation and translation of his presentation. I was on the phone with a friend (one of Singapore's most renown composer) asking for his help to phrase a one-line definition of Pythagoras' Theorem of Musical Frequencies. This was important because it is exactly how Micha has based the design of his tonearm and turntable – pure engineering based on established mathematics. He doesn't believe in inapt engineering and then building solutions to correct the fundamental mistakes. Simply put no band-aid approach is acceptable or desirable.

I was thinking out loud when I suggested that it might be a good idea for an elegant velvet cover to unveil the turntable just before the show proper – to add a dash of the dramatic. Cyril, our most indispensable engineer, friend and beer provider, not in any order, and the man behind the incredible precision forging of Pythagoras' bearings, set to work and literally within hours procured the right materials, hacked, sawed & stitched together a beautiful velvet veil - with the help of the Huber brothers of course.

Finally we sat down to select the LPs we most wanted to play during the show and it may come as a surprise to many that our selection, from classical to rock, had not a single “audiophile” favourite amongst them. They were selected for their musical pleasure and creative genius. We decided that we would stick with our choice and it was our turn to be surprised as it turned out because not a single soul noticed or requested for the “audiophile” faves though they were prominently displayed. Testimony to the emotional impact of the music brought to its majestic glory by this audio system.

September 26th Show Day – The Full Dress Rehearsal

This was an absolutely fun day and one of many during this event we would later come to realise. All of us turned up dressed in the specially tailored polo tees, which Svein Osen very thoughtfully custom tailored for us in Norway exclusively for the show. We were very relaxed and friends with very discerning ears arrived with wreathes of flowers, gifts and well wishes. We enjoyed an early lunch along with some ice-cold beers, juices and coffee. It was one of those occasions when everyone was too relax and familiar with each other to make small talk so we all got down to what this event was all about – the incredible audio system. They finally had a chance to hear the most beautiful and organic music that an audio system of this caliber is capable of reproducing. Shocked silence. Teary eyes. Nodding of heads. Blabbering gibberish. Animated adjectives.

The music went on for hours till almost midnight before everyone realised that we missed dinner and had to take our reluctant leave of the showroom and headed out to our respective homes, favourite eateries still open for custom and Singapore's famed Orchard Towers to observe, ahem, nocturnal life forms.

September 27th Show Day - The VIP & EO Show

The day started great. The caterers from Purple Sage, Singapore's premier caterers, arrived early to set up the kitchen, bistro tables, flowers, chilling the champagne etc for the brunch. It was a beautiful job – thanks Tony.

Micha, Svein, Andy et al arrived decked out in their coolest suits and jackets looking really more like a Milan fashion parade rather than an exotic high-end audio show!
A final test run of the notebook and plasma display for Micha's presentation and of course the audio system given a proper warm-up.

Our guests started streaming in 10.30am with others coming in at different times. I made introductions and short descriptions of the audio components and the people behind these works of art. It was rather informal with a relaxed atmosphere and people were sipping champagne served by roving uniformed butlers amid the buzz of understated excitement. Then a very anxious gentleman finally requested that we start the music because he was beyond himself with anticipation. And so it was captivating music for the next hour before we had to make a short announcement that there was scrumptious and exotic fusion fare being served and accompanied by more delicious bubbly.

This was followed by Micha Huber's enlightening presentation explaining how he arrived at the final production version of the Thales tonearm & Pythagoras turntable. Many of us were left spellbound by his creative genius supported by his logical and successful solutions to analog replay's limitations which many vastly experienced designers before him had attempted to address but failed. And he achieved this while still designing and prototyping complicated precision Swiss watch movements. All this at a ripe old age of 28 years - makes me wonder what I did with my 35. Okay so maybe 45, whatever, who is counting anyway?!

Through it all the SoundLAB electrostatics were flawless in its beautiful rendering of music even at extreme volume levels with an impressive bass down to the low twenties – most have never heard fast bass until now and that's not an oxymoron! Music portrayed by the SoundLAB possesses a liquidity that flows and ebbs with an ease and precision that emotionally engages with its colours, timbres and exciting dynamic slam. Makes other loudspeakers sound wanting.

Few are the amplifiers available that are able to drive the wonderful SoundLAB transducers without clipping. Many have their weaknesses exposed by its neutrality and transparency. Many just plain sound inadequate in the process of driving the speakers. Even fewer are capable of driving them to their full potential. Rare are the ones that are as transparent and neutral as the SoundLABs allowing the emotion of music to flow with all the slam, dynamic impact and finesse approximating the real event. The mind-boggling neutrality and melodious musicality of the Ypsilon Electronics SET 100 monoblock amplifiers are indeed rare in our experience. These 85 kg a piece monoblock challenge the envelope of what is possible in audio amplifiers in an elegantly designed single-ended Class A device that is patented.

Unlike other offerings of similar investment or more – you know, those whose names sound like radio stations or rocks or wires - the SET 100s do not resort to pseudo Class A biasing techniques, unnecessarily complicated power supplies, multistage circuitry nor do they pretend to. A circuit so simple taken to its nth degree of amplifier engineering supported by extremely costly amorphous metal in its magnetics along with other exotic passive parts either exclusively customized or made in-house. No they do not put out a grillion watts or half that in amperes to light-up the neighbourhood - just a simple and ample 140 watts each channel with every one of them in true Class A.

Music flowed continuously till it was time to head on out for the night's qualifying rounds of F1 races and our own mad rush for any available tickets. Yes, this time it was our fault and Murphy need not take the blame because in the midst of all the preparations for our show we completely forgot to book our own tickets.

September 28th Show Day - The Music Lovers

We were still hoping to snag an F1 Walkabout ticket or two but if all else fails there are still friends to celebrate with a beer or an aperitif or two or three…We knew today would be another fun day and being the last day we dropped a gear and felt laid back and relaxed. For today we were going to have separate sessions for interestingly mixed groups of music lovers and audiophiles – the second session involving a specially invited group of sophisticated listeners and friends from Singapore's local audio forum, Echoloft.

Today was local Singapore fare like lamb curry, roast duck (siu aap), roast pork, assortment of noodles, rice etc. Too, we had a nice selection of Asian Beers like Tsingtao, LEO, Chang, Singha, San Miguel, and Kingfisher among others. My sister who makes the absolutely most delicious Chocolate Ganache cake made from real Belgian dark chocolate and Philadelphia Cream Cheese Carrot cake provided dessert as she did the day before.

All in all it was a repeat of yesterday's schedule with Micha anchoring the presentation to a rapt and appreciative audience. The difference was today the guys were firing away questions because being audiophiles they knew that this is probably their only chance for a very long time before they get to meet with such a brilliant personality. Indeed.

Even with a cartridge wire coming loose and requiring a new solder joint everyone had fun exchanging ideas on audio technology, choice of LPs to play, which pressings are great, early pressings, test pressings and helping themselves to the spread. By the time the last group arrived it was close to 4.45pm and all too soon the day drew to a close and when the last soul reluctantly left it was almost 7.15 pm. Our boys rushed off to immerse themselves in the fiesta like mood and catch a glimpse of the Finals of Singapore's inaugural F1 Night Race. Andy of Ypsilon Electronics didn't have the luxury of time to stay because of business commitments and left immediately for the airport for his flight back to Athens.

Post Show Round Up

Monday morning was bright and sunny. The Huber brothers and I enjoyed a nice and slow leisurely day to savour some incredibly beautiful music together as music lovers. Cyril, who had to leave for the airport in the late evening, hopped over at noon gently nursing a mild hangover after soaking in the carnival like atmosphere of the post F1 street party. By noon we decided to get some fresh air and headed for the East Coast beach for a dip in the nice cool waters. We lazed with chilled Sangria and delectable seafood baskets at the Irish pub by the beach. Cyril left for his flight and in the evening we headed to Geylang Serai to take in the sights and smells of the local Malay festivities of Ramadan in preparation for Hari Raya Puasa the day after. The boys managed a couple of lovely Malay outfits and even bought one for their mother. Hell, we even had special Thales caps custom made!

The following day it was time to do the customary touristy bit. We made a quick token trip to Adelphi, home to many well-known audio shops in Singapore. Then it was a short walk to Chinatown for an eagerly anticipated lunch since we were famished. A bit of shop and browse after that and who can leave Singapore without taking a fume enriched walk along Singapore's iconic Orchard Road? Emanuel even had a chance to meet with one of Singapore's most famous tattoo artist and my good friend, Richard, son of the one and only iconic Johnny Two Thumb. After that we headed back to the hotel to pick up the Huber brothers’luggage and a quick trip back to the showroom to say goodbye and off to the airport.

We are grateful to everyone from our esteemed guests of EO Singapore, to our friends, suppliers and principals for contributing to The Revelation Room's first ever F1 Show. It was great fun, educational, enlightening and enriching experience.

A special thank you to Micha Huber and his brother Emanuel for going the extra mile and beyond – you are truly special and my baby Danielle remembers you fondly. Everyone had a fabulous time eating, drinking and listening to one of the most beautiful sounding audio system ever assembled anywhere – I know I won't forget this anytime soon.

Till the next show......, Sali, Sali, Sali!

Feng Shui & The Nova Physics Memory Player

******************STOP PRESS*****************

The Revelation Room will be the first, aside from a very prominent audio persona who once upon a time wrote the rules for the high end, to receive the Nova Physics Vacuum Tubed 32bit DAC & RUR Transport before it's official worldwide release. Please contact us for more details and information on its arrival.

In recent years there has been a global growing interest in the ancient arts and sciences. Witness the mushrooming number of spas offering Ayurvedic and other traditional natural healing and cleansing treatments. The concept of Vaastu Shastra, the ancient Indian art of building deals with various aspects of designing and building living environments that are in harmony with the physical and metaphysical forces. Building practices based on limited interpretations of these principles are still sustained in parts of India. Though Vastu is conceptually similar to Feng Shui in that it also tries to harmonize the flow of energy (Also called life-force, and Prana in Sanskrit, similar to Chi in Chinese) through the house, it differs in the details, such as the exact directions in which various objects, rooms, materials etc are to be placed.

What has the ancient science and art have to do with a modern technology like digital audio? We could use something hokey as an analogy like “transcendence” for example and liken the Nova Physics Memory Player (NPMP) to some mysterious ancient science and art that is most trendy these days. Like how the plethora of high end audio devices (both passive and active) available today that are touted with the same mysticism and allure of Vaastu or Feng Shui to describe their performance and effectiveness.

The simple truth is that the NPMP does ”harmonize the flow of energy”through one’s audio system in the digital domain. It’s take on Redbook CD and higher resolution digital audio is so fundamentally correct that it as redefined the benchmark in this overcrowded and confused segment of the audio universe.

Are you aware that the mathematics upon which ALL digital software is based was discovered in the 1960s? Neither did we till Nova Physics did a rethink on digital playback. The math is known as the Reed–Solomon Error Correction Code or ECC. “ECC” appears on the back of your digital gear and on virtually every digital medium e.g. CDs and not many people understand the limitations of ECC for music playback. But then not many people are Mark Porzilli either and you would expect nothing less from the mind of a once child genius.

Yes he is the same man who gave us Melos Electronics and Pipedreams loudspeakers. After languishing with the mediocrity around him Mark together with George Bischoff and Rod Handley decided to combine their collective brilliance to address ECC’s shortcomings for digital playback. In true Porzilli style he has completely turned the audio world on its pivot and once again rewritten the rules on how audio should be correctly reproduced. As we have witnessed with Mark’s last company we guarantee the imitators will once more follow the leader as evidenced by one other (overly marketed manufacturer) who is about to launch his own “memory” player.

The firm of Porzilli, Bischoff & Handley is flattered indeed. Their new digital playback systems will redefine your expectations and enjoyment of reproduced music. Guaranteed! There are numerous developments on the horizon that we are certain will surprise many in the industry and they will be announced when the time is appropriate. Please visit http://www.novaphysicsgroup.com/ for more information and details.

Oh we are also are the Asia Pacific distributors for Nova Physics and so yes we are biased and we just absolutely feel that the Nova Physics Memory Player performs at a level that will embarrass the established and challenge all comers.

Enjoy.

Life and How to Survive It

The following is a speech (in verbatim) made by Adrian Tan, a litigator with Drew & Napier, at the 2008 NTU Convocation. This is one of the most insightful and experiential thoughts I have read or heard in a very long while. I wished I had written it but I am nowhere near the depth of his remarkable observation. Enjoy.

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It's a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you've already won her heart, you don't need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You're done learning.

You've probably been told the big lie that "Learning is a lifelong process" and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters' degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don't you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they're wrong.

The bad news is that you don't need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You're in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I'm here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There's very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you'll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they're 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn't meet their life expectancy.

I'm here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it's calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don't need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life's a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don't expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.Work kills. The Japanese have a term "Karoshi", which means death from overwork. That's the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there's nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There's a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are "making a living". No, they're not. They're dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn't do that, I would've been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don't imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I'll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don't, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I'm not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It's not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.I didn't say "be loved". That requires too much compromise. If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn't happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don't work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.You're going to have a busy life.

Thank goodness there's no life expectancy.

Organic Sound - SoundLAB Electrostatic Loudspeakers

These elusive loudspeakers will completely change your perception of the possibilities of music reproduction in the home. These elusive transducers that are hard to pin down even for us because each time we have our own beautifully run-in pair a discerning customer will ask us to relinquish ownership to him.

First a bit of history.

Traditionally electrostatics do not fair well in humid environs. This is because high moisture levels trend to load down the efficiency of the electrostatic charge on the diaphragm (the moving part) of the loudspeaker. When this occurs the high-tension power supply is forced to overwork and a moist environment also causes the ESL charge to “leak” so to speak. There is also the question of “arcing” where the ESL charge from the stator “jumps’ across the diaphragm causing it to burn. In the SoundLAB’s case the stators are made from ultra stable laboratory grade high-tension wires – even the insulation is different.

Traditionally – something the SoundLABs are emphatically not. How many loudspeakers are there with a patent on the panel diaphragm? In the past twenty years we have taken apart more ESL panels and electronic interface than we care to but we have learnt much in the process. In the intervening years we have also worked very closely with Dr. West to ascertain the causes and devise solutions from the torture chamber of the high saltine/humidity environment that is Singapore. Dr. West in his typically perfectionist fashion determined to find solutions for even the smallest quibble. For instance the first pair of SoundLAB in the world to have a revolutionary (and much more costly) stator wire was made for us and are still performing flawlessly, beautifully. That was 10 years ago.

Arriving within 2 weeks are the awe inspiring Audiophile-3 PX & Ultimate-1 PX Special Edition. The latter has everything that Dr. West believes is the cutting edge including the PX panel and the “hot rod” electronic interface – a chockfull of high-end parts in passive electronica. One pair is actually enroute to a customer’s home but because his sound room is being rebuilt we are running them in. He has been patiently waiting his turn for his pair of Ultimate-1 PX!

Come in for a rare chance to audition these beautiful transducers and see if they aren’t the most musical speakers your ears have ever heard.

Auditions & Appointments

Auditions & Appointments

In preparation for our upcoming F1 Show our resources would be a little stretched till the end of July and possibly early August. In addition we are also rewiring (yes again!) parts of the dedicated AC lines, treating the room acoustics and getting a new sign with our corporate logo to be placed on the store front.

We appreciate your understanding and patience and whilst all this is going on please call or email us for an appointment because of the current works we are undertaking.
Contact us at 63445568, 81185748 or email at leonard@therevelationroom.com. Once again, thanks guys for helping out during this period but we promise that this makeover will make you happy that you are an audiophile.

Singapore's F1 & The Revelation Room - Emotion In Motion

It's been a while since we have been updating this blog and the reason is because we have been planning something specially for music lovers and audiophiles in the region. We hope all our friends will like what we have in store for you.

We have been busy preparing for our very exclusive show right here in Singapore - The Revelation Room F1 Special. If you are reading this you must already be aware of Singapore hosting the World's First International Formula 1 Street Night (http://www.singaporegp.sg/) racing this September 28th and the whole world will be descending upon this island for the event! To celebrate this august event we are planning an exclusive product showcase to be timed with the F1. Coming in from Switzerland and France are two of the most sort after designers in audio; Micha Huber of Thales (www.tonarm.ch) & Pythagoras (www.pythagor.as) and Sean McCaughan of ESP loudspeakers http://www.esploudspeakersna.com/news/index.html). From Greece of course we have Ypsilon Electronics (www.ypsilonelectronics.com) and from the USA SoundLAB electrostatic (www.soundlab-speakers.com). The show is scheduled for September 26th to the 28th with a private, by invitation only presentation on selected days.

For the customers (new and old) the idea of meeting one distinguish manufacturer is a rare enough pleasure but it would most certainly be impossible to get to get hold so many appearing in one place at the same time. So for the audiophiles in the region this is the event to attend.

Please go to http://www.therevelationroom.com/ to learn more and to check updates. Thanks for listening and we hope to have you entertained!

Remodelling At The Revelation Room & Wrong Telephone Number

The Revelation Room is currently undergoing remodelling and renovation works which, according to the contracactor will be ready in 2 weeks. But knowing what contractors are like (and how Murphy likes to get in the way) we probably wouldn't be ready for another month!

You can call us....eh wait. Let's start this again. We apologise for the wrong telephone number posted previously. It has been rectified and should read as +65-81185748 and there will be no one at the main line +65-63445568. We are always contactable at leonard@therevelationroom.com

Do check back for more exciting blog posts.

Thank you
The Revelation Room

The Revelation Room - Our Mission

Our Mission

At The Revelation RooM, our focus is on musical reproduction in your home - not just in our showroom.

The sad truth is as audiophiles, dealers and manufacturers many of us have lost the passion and vision for high-end audio and its true goal. The raison d'être for The Revelation RooM is, in our own small way, to re-ignite the passion and bring back the excitement and fun. We apologize if you do not hear us recommending an upgrade or expand your system unnecessarily. Until a component makes a real difference and offers true value it shall not be represented or recommended by The Revelation Room. We are very wary of most reviews and reviewers and see them mostly as advertising copies and therefore we usually exercise our own discretion when reading them.

For years we have been pursuing this interest in audio because we are music lovers. But to say that the equipment that makes the music do not ignite a fire within us would be a lie. We love the components as much as the musical emotion they convey to us. After spending much effort, precious time (which should be spent listening to music) and resources we have come to realize, that like you, there was room for honest, dedicated and knowledgeable purveyors to serve those of us who share the same intensity for the high end. As a result The Revelation Room represents manufacturers who offer real breakthrough products whose value grows long after the price is forgotten. The components we value most are the ones that make us feel the emotions and moods – the experience if you will - of the performing artistes on the exact same day they made the recording. That is what great audio will do for us and we are confident for you too.

The high-end audio universe has revolved around many a myth and in recent years few, if any, brands have actually made strides in engineering excellence. In the early days of the high end, when a new product was launched there was real excitement and anticipation because everyone knew that we were about to witness something special. But in today’s scenario almost everyone has suddenly become the best in audio design espousing new technology and materials. A true trailblazer must first have a vision to handcraft the best he knows how. He would labour over it and lavish it with a true spirit of dedication. He would be a radical thinker and designer who will challenge and re-think common theory and wisdom. He would have his remarkable products evolve even further instead of one designed by an accountant in a huge corporation. These are the cutting edge refinements you will discover in our thoroughbred stable because we share a common philosophy with the designer.

If you have the time please visit the websites of our partners for the very select group whom The Revelation RooM represent in the Asia Pacific area.

We certainly hope that you, the music lover, visiting our website will share our passion. We look forward to getting to know you and your listening bias and if we are able to help you regain your passion and enjoy the music more then The Revelation Room would have succeeded.

Thank you and enjoy life.

You can reach us at leonard@therevelationroom.com or call us at

+65 63445568 and +65 81185748

Sean McCaughan of ESP Loudspeakers Visit To Singapore

The Revelation Room & ESP Loudspeakers

In the coming months The Revelation Room shall be very fortunate to be graced by one of audio’s most talented loudspeaker designer whose creations have been lauded by the industry’s cognoscenti and those of us who treasure the beauty of music reproduced flawlessly in the home. ESP (which stands for Esoteric Speaker Products) loudspeaker designer Sean McCaughan and his creations are as elusive as the mythical Unicorn and just as magical will be in Singapore for a brief visit and to fine tune two customers’ systems which comprise the Concert Grand SI – his finest musical transducer to date.

During his visit auditions at our music room, which has the Concert Grand SI on permanent display, will be made available exclusively to our customers for the first two days and then opened to the public for the next two so entrance will be limited and only for reservations made in advance. This is to provide a conducive and comfortable environment for everyone.

We are also taking advance orders for delivery in 6 months for the Concert Grand SI & the smaller Bodhran SE and if we are able to fly them in on time Sean will personally set-up the speakers in your home – a Revelation Room exclusive.

This is one designer you have to meet and not only to listen to his transducers but to pick up a few very valuable tips from a man who is renown for his loudspeaker set-up skills and mean any loudspeaker. Sean McCaughan cut his teeth with the legendary speaker designer Harold Beveridge of Beveridge electrostatic loudspeaker fame so he's no stranger to thinking outside the box.

Renowned mastering engineer Steve Hoffman has selected ESP loudspeakers for use in his upcoming LP, CD, and SACD mastering projects. Hoffman, who has mastered over 4,000 titles for such labels as MCA, BMG, Analogue Productions, Audio Fidelity, and DCC Compact Classics, is legendary for his ability to enhance the realistic presence of a master tape and preserve the artistic inspiration of recordings by many of the world’s greatest artists. Having heard almost all of the most famous high-end audio products, he approached ESP about using their speakers for his personal monitor because he feels they stand apart from other high-end loudspeakers.

Hoffman states: “I’m a music person first and foremost. I spend much of my time around live music and then working with master tapes trying to give them that same “breath of life”. When I first heard the new ESP’s I could immediately relate to the sound--lifelike in the extreme. ESP speakers are obviously built by a perfectionist who knows and loves the sound of live music. The new ESP’s let me hear all the detail on a recording, but in a musically persuasive way which sounds very close to live. At the same time, unlike many expensive high-end speakers, which sound too much like exaggerated “hi-fi,” I find myself able to listen to ESP’s without typical hi-fi fatigue during long mastering sessions, which is obviously critical in my line of work. I salute designer Sean McCaughan; he has always been one of the great speaker designers, but this time he has really outdone himself. While not inexpensive, the price of ESP speakers is quite fair, especially when one thinks about the amazing design and incredible build quality of these speakers. ESP is really a music connoisseur’s brand of speaker.”

If you feel you already own the best loudspeaker extant then you owe it to yourself to hear how the Concert grand SI makes music – naturally.

To learn more please visit http://www.esploudspeakersna.com/ and read:

1) John Marks' review in Stereophile, Vol.29 No.4, April 2006 (here)
2) Rick Gardner's review in Positive Feedback: (here)
3) Bill Wells' review in StereoTimes:

You can reach us at leonard@therevelationroom.com or call us at

+65 63445568 and +65 81185748