Celestial sound? Yes, to a mortal, this is a dream of reaching the stars! It doesn’t matter if I never reach it, for the journey has been rewarding. After all, music comes from heaven, while audio gear is human-made—contrapuntal. Yet the harmony between celestial sound and audio equipment is a hypostatic union, one that only music lovers are gifted to dream of.

     I began dreaming of putting together a system like this one back in 1996. By February 2005, the system was almost complete, with perpetual tweaking fueled by passion. I’d like to share it with you for your comments.

     I used to have a living room about 15 x 20 x 14 feet, but now I’ve moved to a condo unit measuring 10 x 10 x 14 feet. My first priority was to build a modest audio system within budget (below $5,000—thus used and DIY gears) featuring an analog setup with a SET (single-ended triode) amp. The system was designed to play a mix of vocal and instrumental music: Western and Chinese classical music on LP (55% usage), then CD/SACD for Chinese classical, pop I’d collected over the years and Bluray and streaming movies (40% usage) where LPs weren’t available. I was given a McIntosh MR 71 tube tuner and enjoy listening to news and classical music from local radio stations (5%).

     Except for the analog components, most of the audio equipment in this system was bought used to save costs. Audiogon is a great place to learn and shop—if you have patience. The rewards? Many years of high-fidelity music without breaking the bank, your arm or leg, or marriage.

     Among the Audiogoners who helped me along the way, I want to mention Tom Lyons and Doug Deacon with gratitude. Tom is a friend in audio gear and music listening. We haven’t (yet) met in person, yet I feel as if I’ve known Tom since kindergarten.

     If you ask me the most challenging part of this journey, I’d say it was training my ears to appreciate celestial sound. Now that I have a good system, it’s time to focus on music appreciation in the remaining years of my life. Music nurtures our souls, just as food nourishes our bodies. Our tastes may differ, but the truth remains: our inner beings are constantly touched by the goodness and beauty of celestial sound. It is God’s gift to us! Enjoy the music!

An Audiogoner,
K.-K. Yeo
Oct 7, 2005
[January 26, 2026 edited—still enjoying the music!]