Honestly, I did not know what to expect from The Affordable System (TAS) that I had set up.
I thought it would sound hard and harsh as I recalled in the old days (like the 1980s), cheap CD players and cheap integrated amps (from Japan) sounded hard and harsh. And cheap speakers (also from Japan) sounded bright and brittle.
And now I have a WiiM Pro Plus (retail price: RM1,199), a Fosi Audio V3 Integrated Amplifier (RM569), a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 (White Oak) speakers (RM1,999), a pair of Kanto ST28 28″ Speaker Stands (RM513), 3-metre DALI 16 AWG Speaker Cables with Copper Colour Rhodium Banana Plugs (RM214) and a 1-metre pair of WireWorld Stream RCA interconnects (RM240). The total cost of the system: RM4,734. Most of the components are from Chinese companies or Western companies but made in China. The world has changed…
The sound quality too has changed. Entry-level systems now can sound surprisingly smooth.
I am not sure which is the star component in this entry-level system.
WiiM Pro Plus
It was quite easy to set this up after I downloaded the WiiM Home app on my smartphone, but I did not perform the room correction function.
This component, which comes with a remote control, looks nondescript but it functions adequately. It is equipped with an AKM 4493SEQ chip which is known for its smooth sound.
Fosi Audio V3 integrated amp
This is a Class D amp using a Texas Instrument TPA3255 chip and its 48V 5A power supply is bigger than the amp itself. The amp itself measures 4.1″ W X 6.5″ W X 1.4″ H and weighs 541 gms. Its rated power output is 115 W into 8 Ohms.
The Fosi V3 has been praised by many reviewers and now I can understand why. It actually sounds quite good.
I even hooked it up to my pair of Falcon LS3/5a Maida Vale speakers (15 Ohms) and turned the volume control to 2-3 o’ clock and was mighty impressed by the sound quality.
The interesting thing about this Fosi integrated amp is that you can change the op amps to tweak the sound.
Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 (White Oak) speakers
These speakers have received ‘Best Buy’ recommendations from many hi-fi webzines and now I understand why — they are really affordable, they look good (White Oak looks really classy) and they sound good.
For such small speakers, they produce a prodigious amount of bass, so the sound quality is quite rich and full-bodied.
In comparison, the Falcon LS3/5a sounded less bassy but clearer with better defined images and deeper soundstage. As for the vocals, the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 sounded smoother but less textured and detailed.
The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 speakers benefited quite a bit from diagonal cross connection of the speaker terminals with the Red wire plugged into the Red terminal of the treble and the Black wire plugged into the Black terminal of the bass. This way the sound became more dynamic and lively.
Dali F215C 16 AWG Speaker Cables
DALI uses these wires in their speakers, so that speaks volumes about the quality. The wires are Oxygen-Free Copper and are tinned just like the Duelund wires.
They are very flexible and sound quite smooth.
WireWorld Stream RCA interconnects
These must be cheapest audiophile interconnects in the market. Initially I thought they would be bright and hard sounding, but to my surprise they sounded quite smooth.
Note: I plugged in an iFi LAN iSilencer which improved the sound by quite a bit and left it connected for much of the listening sessions. It retails at RM519, which brings the total cost of the system to RM5,253.
All the components (except for the iFi LAN iSilencer) are from TechX Home Audio & Hi-Fi. Contact Thiban at 014-2511062 for more details.
