Cuộc trình diễn IHEAC Indonesia 2024, Phần Một: Hấp Dẫn Đến Indonesia | 2024 IHEAC

December of 2024 stands out as the highlight of my 42-year audiophile journey. It began with an eight-day, back-to-back visit to the 2024 IHEAC Audio and Video Show in Jakarta, Indonesia, followed by a 960 km, four-day journey, filled with non-stop visits to IHEAC Audiophile members in Semarang, Solo City, Yogyakarta, and finally ending in Surabaya.

IHEAC, or the Indonesia High-End Audio Club, is a volunteer-based, self-funded organization founded in 2004 by audiophiles in Indonesia. Coincidentally, that same year, I also co-founded the Greater Toronto Area Audiophile Club with a few fellow enthusiasts. While our membership currently sits at around 50 people, IHEAC has grown to 240 members across Indonesia—no small feat considering Indonesia’s population of nearly 280 million compared to Canada’s 39 million.

IHEAC has been running the audio show for 10 years and this is their 10th Anniversary.

Upon invitation from IHEAC’s chairman, Herman Chandra, and member Uung Suryono (also known as “Yono”), I had the honour of being the sole media representative from North America. I was welcomed with exceptional Indonesian hospitality, indulging in some of the finest food and wine, all while experiencing some of the world’s most impressive audiophile systems I’ve ever encountered.

I have never seen this many high end system and dedicated rooms in such a short period of time ever in my life. 

Westerners have loved Bali for decades but seldom travel beyond that to learn about the real Indonesia, and Bali is now overrun with tourists. Many Ukrainians and Russians have also flocked to the island to escape the war. Indonesia has 17,000 islands and over 700 dialects that don’t understand each other. It is the world’s biggest Muslim country, yet unlike the Middle East, the region is largely peaceful, with almost no racial or political tension to speak of.   

S.E. Asia has a sense of unity amongst the diversity the world can learn from. Indonesia is the poster child of such unity, as it is vastly rich in culture, natural resources, food, and audiophiles! Indonesia has some of the best dedicated rooms in the world.

Like the Hi-End Asia show in Singapore, 2024 IHEAC kept the show lively with a steady lineup of live performances.

The Best Sound of the 2024 IHEAC Show: Caelus Audio – ZELLATON, SCHNERZINGER, True Life Audio, Synaestec Audio and VAL Cartridges

Caelus is the local dealer and distributor for Zellaton speakers, VAL Cartridges, True Life Audio, and Schnerzinger room acoustic treatment products. Yudistira Lesmana, or “Yudis,” holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Germany and spent many years there, which likely explains his strong affinity for German products.

The Zellaton Plural EVO is a three-way floor-standing speaker that features Zellaton’s in-house designed drivers, optimized for high-performance sound. It utilizes Zellaton’s “EVO” hard foam membrane, crafted from advanced materials that provide exceptional rigidity and lightness, allowing for faster response times and improved control over driver movement. One of the key benefits of the EVO membrane is its ability to reduce resonance and unwanted vibrations, common challenges in traditional drivers, leading to cleaner, more precise sound reproduction. The midrange driver is particularly notable for its ability to cover the critical frequency range from 150 Hz to 7,000 Hz, which corresponds to the “sweet spot” of the human audible range, ensuring exceptional clarity and detail in vocals and instrumental textures.  

The Plural lists at approx. USD 100,000.  It has a sensitivity of 92 dB, a frequency range of 23Hz to 34khz, a four ohm impedance, and weighs in at 92kg.  

The True Life Audio’s TSI-300 (USD 57,300) Integrated amplifier powered it with ease. The TSI-300 is essentially four separate components housed in a single chassis, with two separate tube preamps, two solid-state power amps, and separate linear power supplies. My first experience with the TSI-300 turned out to be an exceptional one; anyone looking for a high-end integrated ought to give this serious consideration. They put out 150W into 8 ohms or 300 into 4 ohms, utilizing 2 12AU7 tubes and a MosFET-fitted hybrid design. It is a top-tier integrated design that occupies the ultra-high-end segment.

Yudis’s room is a perfect example of meticulous planning that is well executed, with careful attention given to room acoustics, aesthetics, and the overall listening experience. And best of all, a careful selection of real music, as too many in Asia only know how to play five songs, and you can probably guess which the usual suspects are. Thank God for real music. I meant to say thank you, Yudis.

The room at 2024 IHEAC stood out as one of the few at the entire show that could recreate a holographic soundstage with precise spatial proportions. The tonality of the system was both detailed and airy yet completely free of sibilance. Toe-tapping became literal as I played Filipe De La Rosa’s renowned M&K Recording “Flamenco Fever” on vinyl. I’d never thought much of this album, and given its high price on eBay and Discogs, I never owned it—until I heard it on Yudis’ system. My jaw dropped as the visceral zapateado and lifelike cante filled the room. It was spectacular!

Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. Whether it was the Zellation speakers, the True Life Audio components, or the Val cartridge, I also do not know – probably a combination of all of that. All I know is that I need to own this album like right now because I’m left wondering if I can ever recreate that level of unmitigated realism in my own system! I went on Discogs and paid US $200 for it before I got up from my seats.

And I played nearly an hour of music from the controversial Valentina Lisitsa, to movie soundtracks, to pop rock and lots of world music. I must admit, I am biased toward Zellaton speakers, but I believe it’s a legitimate positive bias considering how exceptionally well they perform. I’ve now heard three of Zellaton’s models, including the O-So-Wonderful system in Mike Malinovski’s room in Lancaster, one of the best sounding systems in the world.

Zellaton has a pristine and crispy top end that sounds almost like ribbons; the mids are not overly fat or voluptuous; they are just right, with an elegant and exquisite presentation. The bass is never blurry and always well-defined, and tuneful. In short, Zellaton does everything almost perfectly, yet it has a musicality and coherence that sets the standard for how high-end should sound. At the Audio Show in Tokyo, Zellaton powered a much larger room with an open layout and still delivered a tight, dynamic bass response. They had me wondering just how they managed to achieve such precision in a challenging acoustic space.

I just recommended a friend to buy a pair of the Zellaton Reference, so you can say I put my money where my mouth is. (Or should I say, my friend’s money, to be exact.)

2024 IHEAC: Vinyl Audio Laboratory

Watch out, analog lovers, there is a new kid on the block! VAL, or Vinyl Audio Laboratories, is a high-end cartridge manufacturer created by Masashi Miyake of Japan. At the 2024 IHEAC show they played the MGF-Contemporary, which is priced at USD $7,500. It features a unique “Magne Focus” coil system, where the coils are positioned just millimeters away from the stylus tip. This design eliminates the unwanted interference caused by the cantilever’s flexing, delivering exceptional performance. The magnets are exposed and visible at the bottom of the cartridge, adding to its distinctive look. This cartridge was also featured in Caelus Audio’s room. Yudis is one of the first to distribute the VAL line of cartridges.

My initial impression of the VAL sound reminds me of Daniel Kim’s Newmann reissue cartridges—lively, dynamic, and unveiled, with that signature sound that has captivated many audiophiles worldwide. Daniel cannot keep up with the demand. Stay tuned for an upcoming world debut review on Part-Time Audiophile, as I’ve requested a review sample of both the copper and silver versions of the VAL cartridge. I can already tell this one is going to be exciting!

2024 IHEAC: Audio Jaya, Vivid Audio Speakers, Gryphon, Nordost, dCS

Jonathan Marthen is the CEO of Audio Jaya, and he is the industry’s big foot of Jakarta, with a list of brands and sales volume that are coveted by most dealers. His room is meant to instill shock and awe, and it did. But in the first two days, the sound didn’t really come together, and many were whispering negative comments in the hallways. But I witnessed firsthand how Jonathan and his staff worked meticulously to position the speakers. On the third day he completely turned things around, which shows the importance of speaker positioning, especially in a big open room – and it is big; my estimate is it is at least 30’ by 50’. 

On the third day of 2024 IHEAC, he easily won the “best sound of the big rigs” because there simply was no one else with a room and system this size. But I liked the sound so much that I pulled out my own playlist and listened for nearly an hour, and I came back for more towards the end of the show. Birds from Cirque du Soleil’s “Kalimando” chirped from multiple directions, with seagulls flying across a soundstage that is literally 6x the size of my system at home. Bass notes that were boomy and muddy on the first day were cleaned up nicely on the third. They were solid, tight, and dominating and came at you with a wall of sound. (The YouTube video of the song doesn’t do it justice.)    

It makes me question why so many audiophiles criticize systems at Hi-Fi shows, often dismissing them with comments like, “They’re all terrible.” In all my years as an audiophile, I’ve rarely encountered a soundstage this expansive, and if it weren’t for the show, I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience it. This was the best “Kalimando” experience I’ve ever had, as nothing in the past even came close. To get something better, you’d have to attend the actual “Kalimando” experience at Treasure Island’s Cirque du Soleil “Mystere” show.

The system consisted of:

dCS Vivaldi Player: £ 32,300-

dCS Vivaldi Clock: £ 10,250-

dCS Vivaldi DAc: £  29,500-

dCS Vivsldi Transport: £ 27,000-

Gryphon APEX Mono: € 179,000-

Gryphon Power Zome 3.2: € 15,900-

Gryphon Commander PSU: € 59,000-

Vivid Moya M1: USD 460,000-

Prices are quoted in local currencies due to global inflation and the U.S. Fed’s money printing, which has weakened currencies against the dollar. The Indonesian rupiah has fallen 15%, with the pound and euro dropping even more. Final prices will be set at settlement to avoid exchange rate surprises.

The Vivid Audio Moya Speakers

The Vivid Moya speakers exude an otherworldly elegance reminiscent of the sleek, futuristic creations one might imagine coming out of the 1979 Alien “Nostromo” spaceship. Their sculptural, curved forms, with bold, flowing lines and a seamless, almost organic appearance, echo the avant-garde designs of H.R Giger – But no, these are designed by Lawrence Dickie, who famously designed the B&W Nautilus “Snail” speakers. These speakers look like they could belong to a distant, high-tech civilization, blending cutting-edge technology with artful, almost extraterrestrial aesthetics. Their presence commands attention as if they are not just a part of the room but an extension of another world, that they may suddenly open up with something crawling out of them.

The Moya is filled with bells and whistles, though the company’s website could do a better job showcasing them. Here are some notable highlights:

• Shipping weight of a hefty 1,084 KG!  Net weight of 346 KG, thankfully
• Power handling 3000W
• High Freq – 26mm Diamond-like coated alloy dome
• Upper Mids – 50mm Diamond-like coated alloy dome
• Mids – 100mm carbon fiber reinforced alloy cone driver
• Lower Mid – 2x 175mm carbon fiber reinforced diaphragm with 76mm voice coil
• Bass drivers – 8, Yes 8 !!   8x 225mm alloy diaphragm with 100mm voice coil

In other words, they are ginormous! Hint: I wouldn’t even consider putting them in a room less than 25’ by 40’ and preferably 30’ by 50’ regardless of what anyone says. Anything smaller, you’re just going to have a hard time with the low frequencies, but never mind the sound; they’re going to look awkward in a small room. Given the USD 460,000 price tag, the line-up shouldn’t be long. You can likely have your cake now or maybe tomorrow at the latest because these things ain’t walking out of there on their own. You’d probably need four to six guys.

Just imagine the effort the dealer has to go through just to bring these in, and we get to experience them for free. Bravo, a job well done, and the effort was worth it.

The Gryphon

International sales director Rune Skov stood beside the mighty imposing Gryphon Apex Mono Amplifier at 2024 IHEAC just to give you an idea of their size. The Gryphon Apex Mono is the flagship monoblock amplifier that represents the pinnacle of Gryphon Audio Designs’ engineering expertise. The Apex Mono features Gryphon’s proprietary Pure Dual-Mono Amplification topology, employing two massive 2,000 VA toroidal transformers per channel and a fully-balanced, dual differential class A input circuitry followed by a very fast symmetrical voltage amplifying Class A stage, delivering 225W into 8 ohm, 420W into 4 ohms, and 1690W into 1 ohm.

A pair of Apex Mono weigh-in at 900 lbs!

The Apex driving the Moya was an otherworldly experience; with almost unlimited power, you get solid imagery of instruments floating in the acoustic space, even in low volume. It is something that science cannot explain because why would power translate into a solid phantom image?  But it is precisely that. I heard this Apex once again in the sound room of an audiophile. 

dCS at 2024 IHEAC

While the main system played the dCS, Vivaldi, their all-new five-box streaming DAC system Varèse stole the attention as they were being shown for the first time in Indonesia — but on static display only.

The dCS Varèse is named after the French-American composer Edgard Varèse (1883-1965), known for his pioneering work in electronic music and his avant-garde compositions. Varèse was highly influential in the development of modern music, particularly in his exploration of unconventional sound textures and the use of technology in composition. The name reflects dCS’s tradition of naming their high-end audio products after famous composers.

The dCS Varèse is a premium five-box streaming DAC system, priced at £217,500 for the core setup and up to £264,000 with additional components. 

Ouch.

It includes:

• Core unit
• Master Clock
• Two Mono DACs
• User Interface 

The user interface is connected via dCS’s proprietary ACTUS protocol. It is essentially a cable called “Audio Control Timing Unified System, designed to ensure precise signal synchronization. The system features dCS’s new Differential Ring DAC and Tomix clocking technology, which improve jitter performance and synchronization, offering a significant leap in audio quality over previous models.

The Varèse’s architecture is unique, with the Core unit handling input, upsampling, and filtering while feeding the signal to the Mono DACs through ACTUS connections. A Master Clock ensures tight synchronization between the DACs, which could otherwise drift out of sync. The system also includes a user interface with a customizable touchscreen and a new remote control with capacitive glass hotkeys, combining high-tech design with ease of use. The dCS Mosaic ACTUS app offers additional control.

The dCS Varèse is expected to ship by the end of 2024, with demonstrations in the UK and US started in September. The system’s modular design allows for future expansion, including an optional CD/SACD transport set for release in 2025. With a focus on precision engineering and cutting-edge technology, the Varèse carries a hefty price tag, positioning it as a statement product for audiophiles seeking the highest-quality digital audio experience.

2024 IHEAC: Alexandria Audio

These boys came head to head with Caelus Audio for the best sound at 2024 IHEAC, and they occupied the room just next door, sharing the same room acoustics and dimensions. But they had one handicap: No vinyl! And they were only playing from Spotify. With higher-resolution sources, they might have taken the top spot.

Alexandria Audio is the brainchild of Henry Kristanto and Kenneth Lin, a dynamic duo from Bali and Jakarta with a deep obsession for high fidelity. And by obsession, I do mean going above and beyond the utmost minute detail, from circuit design to execution, to material sourcing, and to room acoustics. Even the room acoustics at the show were measured and calculated with the utmost detail, and they have the drawings to prove it. Every absorption and diffusion panel was placed strategically based on room measurements.

Hidden at the side of the room, Alexandria strategically placed two subwoofers to offset and break apart standing waves to provide a near-perfect room response. Using multiple subwoofers helps reduce standing waves in a room by spreading low-frequency sound more evenly. By placing subwoofers in different locations, their output can combine to cancel out bass nulls and hotspots, creating a smoother, more balanced bass response. 

While this strategy will produce an ideal measurement chart, the amount of bass energy is significantly increased, which can be felt by the listener and his neighbor next door, who was wondering if Armageddon had arrived earlier than expected. I didn’t want to tell him most of the earth-shattering passages were from me playing Mussorgsky’s Picture at an Exhibition (James Levine & the MET).

Earth-shattering, dynamic, deep, and expansive are the words I would choose to describe the system – mainly because I played a lot of explosive stuff. Their efforts in speaker positioning and room acoustics paid off as the system projected vivid phantom imagery, giving the listener a sense of space, encompassing depth, width, and height. It added dimensionality on top of just tonality.   

(The Borresen team does this at every show, which is why their performance at is often far better than those who ignore speaker placement and room dimensions.)

They alternated between two pairs of speakers, the Gaius (in front) and the Praetoria (in the rear).

The Gaius is a three-way floor stander, utilizing a proprietary 8” woofer, a neodymium 160mm midrange, and a dual-piston tweeter, all optimized for natural bass, clarity, and controlled dispersion. The speaker features controlled directivity for stable imaging and balanced sound with any amplifier. It houses a 170mm midrange, 45mm dual-piston tweeter, and two 220mm bass drivers. It has a frequency range of 25Hz–45kHz, a sensitivity of 91.5dB, and a maximum output of 108 dB. Its nominal impedance is 4 ohms, and it is priced at USD 14,800.

The Praetoria is a high-sensitivity, two-way bass reflex speaker featuring a 15” neo woofer and a 1” neo compression driver, offering a frequency range of 30Hz to 20kHz and a crossover at 900Hz. With 96dB sensitivity, 114dB maximum output, and 8-ohm nominal impedance, it provides natural, distortion-free sound with precise imaging and tonal balance. Designed for transparency and dynamic contrast, the Praetoria is priced at USD 16,800.

Normally I do not do reviews on anything other than analog related equipment, but Alexandria’s Nero Preamp aroused enough interest in me to ask for a review sample. There is almost no information available on its circuitry, topology or specification. But a peek under the hook revealed Kondo or VAC type of quality. Designer and CEO Kenneth Lin said their main focus is on the power supply of the Nero.

The Nero power supply prioritizes refined management over brute force, using precise tuning with oscilloscopes and audio analyzers to achieve control and musicality. Each stereo channel has its own dedicated tube linear power supply with customized ISO-Tango transformers and hand-selected tubes, ensuring a high signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic clarity. Multi-stage filtration, including ISO-Tango choke inductors and oil smoothing caps, maintains exceptional sound detail and a clean power supply.

Key features include high-quality Toyko Ko-On Denpa TKD 2R6 and 2P65CS selector and volum control, ultra-low output impedance via line transformer coupling, and a true dual-mono design to reduce crosstalk. Other strengths include direct heated tube rectification, top-tier parts, pure copper and silver wiring, and precise decoupling techniques for optimal performance. Lots of bells and whistles and I look forward to it!

The Legatus Monoblock Amplifier (Pair) is designed for powerful, musical reproduction, blending tube warmth with solid-state efficiency. Featuring the famous Hypex NCX500 Class D output stage with ultra-low distortion (-130dB) and a tube-based 5687 front-end for enhanced transparency and harmonics. The amplifier includes a zero-feedback option for pure linearity, independent power supplies for the tube and output stages, and uses precision components with tolerances as low as 0.001%. Each amplifier undergoes extensive R&D and fine-tuning to ensure optimal performance. With a peak power rating of 700W at 2Ω and a frequency response of 2-200,000 Hz, the Legatus delivers exceptional performance in a robust steel and aluminum chassis. MSRP is at USD 7,500.

AnalogMagik – Turntable / Cartridge Setup Seminar at 2024 IHEAC

It was an honor to give a 1.5-hour talk on setting up a turntable and cartridge to an incredibly enthusiastic crowd at 2024 IHEAC. The attendees were highly knowledgeable and asked insightful questions, demonstrating a strong understanding of the subject. I was even asked to delve into specific details, such as the precise torque for headshell screws (in inch-lbs), as well as tonearm moment of inertia and counterweight positioning. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, there is tremendous growth opportunity in the field of Analog setup.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the 2024 IHEAC Show in Jakarta, Indonesia!

Related