the price of silver... OYAIDE AR-910

things change over time and we also know that over time, things change.......

however, i didn't expect the magnitude of change over a few weeks for the OYAIDE AR-910 silver 110 ohms XLR cable........

at first, it sounded cleaner and also faster than the silver sonic D-110 when i plugged it in between the CAL delta and MSB DAC.... "a good move", i thought..... since i couldn't afford a single piece of acrolink d-5000 digital link, i have to choose something which come with a real world price..... and the first impression was good.....

but over the next few days, things turned for the worse...... highs became shrill, sibilance almost unbearable and the presentation too forward......

i found it difficult to listen for much longer...... "must be the pure silver conductors", i thought: most people believe the silver sounds lively, perhaps maybe too lively for some tastes........ and this time round, i was afraid i made the wrong choice......

not one to be easily deterred, i decided to put the CD player on repeat for days and nights........ how can i not let the cable run in before i listen again......

so i stayed away for a good few days until curiosity led me back into the listening room........

this time, things were a little different....... i could now sit down and listen: one song, a couple more and then a few albums followed......... after which i no longer was needed to stay away and listening became more frequent.....

even after one month, i feel that the sound is still improving....... hmmmmm i have never used anything that required a run-in THAT long........"must be the pure silver conductors"......

the improvements trickled in slowly but gradually........with more time, i began to appreciate what this cable is about:

build quality is top-notch, especially the new XLR plug created by oyaide....... every aspect is jewel-like in appearance and construction although i didn't like the stiffness: WAY TOO UNWIELDY...!!!

in terms of sound, i am impressed by the transparency (it's silver after all) and clean high-freq extension........ while it didn't have the organic texture and naturalness of acrolink's high purity copper cables, the oyaide compensates with its solidity and punch......

so how will the cable perform as a balanced analogue cable? i can't tell you at all as i have used it singly as a digital link that's all.......

you can try if u want a pure 5N silver cable in your system........ just remember to give it lotsa and lotsa time......

more copper...

i never like comparing cables.....

maybe i am too lazy to swop them around....

maybe it's usually tough to arrange for home loans.......

maybe mistakes are usually expensive.....

and i believe that cables take time to settle in and immediate A-B comparisons are fundamentally useless...... although one can hear some differences right away, it may not be truly representative of the cable's sonic characteristics.....

for many years, silver sonic interconnect and speaker cables have become permanent members of the system.....before that i was using kimber PBJ and 4TC......

so far i have resisted many attempts to change or upgrade, even from within the range itself........... i have stuck by the BL-1 and BL-1 mk 2 ..... which are very very affordable cables.....

in the recent years, i have been very impressed with acrolink AC cables and since i like the acrolink 4030 so much, maybe i should give their interconnects a chance......

let's see..... cos i wanna tone down my spending for this month.......

let's KIV this until december ok..??

more luxury and silvery

on a previous occasion about a suitable gift for your man, i wrote about the body shop shaving brush............

a wooden brush probably lacks class, well perhaps probably cos if you have the money to spare, then the one from tiffany will be perfect....... cos it comes in sterling silver and designed by elsa perretti...... 

a fren of mine was looking for cuff links recently ...... and after looking through its collection, i heartily recommend this pair........... classic, handsome and very versatile, it's 100% signature tiffany design......

quite a luxury...

trust me, using a shoehorn is a good habit......... it certainly helps you, well i mean, your feet to get into your shoes easily...... in most cases it also helps to extend the life of your leather shoes.............. so it is quite a necessary tool for those who love their shoes....

a plastic one costs next to nothing.... or u might even get one free with your pair of new shoes from the mall....

on the other hand, getting one at US$345 from tiffany is something most ppl would never contemplate.....

i have to say it looks very nice..... but i can live with a plastic shoehorn for the time being...

cute & cute...

now now now ..... this replica of the tiffany box in china is so cuteeeeeeee ............. moreover the applied colours are very close to the real thing....... except the ribbons should be silverish??

dont u wish to buy one to hang on your christmas tree? maybe one is not enough......... so how about half a dozen haha....



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if u are a ring bearer, u will know how easy it is to collect scratches........ especially the way they show up on a highly polished surface...

here's a simple solution, get a ring with a coin-edge finish!!..... of cos it will get scratched in no time but the engine-turned finish surely makes all those evil scratches lessssssss obvious..........

judged on its own, it's very pretty............ let me check out how much it is.........

what kinda metal.....???

is titanium a more expensive metal than silver...??? not sure but for tiffany it is....... their range in titanium and silver is more expensive than sterling silver alone............

sterling silver pendants are about S$400+ but a similar one in titanium and silver costs S$600+....




i prefer the look of sterling silver and well i can save a couple of hundreds............. so why not....

well well... do u play tennis? if yes, would you consider buying a tennis ball holder made of sterling silver???????????? wahahahaha, sorry i just cant help laughing when i saw this...........



tennis balls are............ MUCH MUCH cheaper i think............. especially if u compare to this METAL CONTAINER.....

metal and stones...

christmas is round the corner.......

and retailers and credit cards are trying their best to coax us to go shopping and spend some money...... through promotions and offering discounts.........

before i started reading the papers in the evening, i browsed through a few flyers and brochures from toy r us, uob cards, standard chartered credit cards, borders .....

what i paid for a tiffany stirling silver pendant can buy a white gold and diamond pendant from the local jewellers......... haha and some of them are cheaper still after the festive discounts......

but i am just a sucker for branded goods haha......... and i like the tiffany pendant......... simple but so pretty.....

sunday shopping updated: tiffany & co

well i am still quite perplexed why mont blanc stainless steel is so dear........ to satisfy my curiousity, i went to take another look........ NO GO is my conclusion....

anyway i decided to give tiffany & co another chance...... this time round, there was no doorman at the entrance so i had to push the door open.... DIY

i spent time browsing their pendants on the tiffany webpage ...... and found the 1837 range and the titanium pendants worthy of consideration..... so at the boutique, i went straight to the male pendant showcase to take a closer look......

titanium pendants are priced at around S$600+ ...... while the stirling silver ones around S$400+.... while titanium has a cool darker finish, i prefer the luster of silver.......

and so it is...... the familiar little carrier....



with a little box inside........



i gently removed the ribbon......



and opened the box....

the 1837 stirling silver tag pendant............

a closer look........



a final close-up...........



it was fun shopping for a pendant..........