Song Audio
Encyclopedia
Song Audio Ltd. is a high-end audio
equipment manufacturer, importer, and distributor in Canada. Song Audio manufactures vacuum tube
preamplifier
s, power amplifier
s, and loudspeaker
s and exports solid-state
integrated amplifier
s under the marque Vasant_K http://www.vasantk.com/ from Thailand. Song Audio continues to distribute Loth-X loudspeaker
s in Canada, though the manufacturer has closed in Singapore.
Song Audio produces its products in limited quantities and distributes primarily in North America. The Company is non-mainstream in the high-end community; for example, it avoids parallel design in output tubes in purist grounds and does not provide remote control handsets in its products. The Company adopts a legacy approach to its products by not phasing any out of production (its earliest products are still in production) and supports their usage worldwide by having a user-adjustable internal voltage switch between 120V/60Hz (North America) and 220V/50Hz (Europe and Asia).
The Company is based in north-central Toronto (near Steeles Avenue and Yonge Street). In Toronto, its products are represented by Audio Empire (north-west Toronto) and Executive Stereo (central uptown Toronto).
Though Song Audio produces a flagship preamplifier (SA-1) with separate power supply and single-ended triode zero negative feedback 300B output monoblock power amplifier (SA-300MB), the Company's primary contribution to the typology of vacuum-tube power amplification is the original SA-34SB (2003-) integrated amplifier, now in 'Cecilia' edition made in Canada. It is one of the first in absolute purist design consisting of single-ended triode
operation with zero negative feedback
utilising the EL34
output vacuum tube (which is difficult to operate in triode mode without negative feedback). Presently, the only other such similar design seems to be from Decware http://www.decware.com/newsite/homepage.html in U.S.A.
The SA-34SB is atypical in aspects of its construction, including: proprietary transformer winding, bronze
chassis in the original SA-34SB integrated amplifier, high-density acrylic for the front plate sourced from U.K. in the 'Cecilia' edition (which frequently breaks drill bits during its construction), lavish use of 18K gold
plating, and solid wood side panels instead of wood veneer. By contrast to conventional wisdom of using a single sub-woofer
, the Company advises using a mono pair of sub-woofers since the source of bass is directional in a live performance (the bass tends to originate from the right side of stage in an orchestra). In this regard, the SA-34SB provides stereo variable RCA outputs to independently connect a pair of sub-woofers to augment the loudspeakers without the interference of a crossover to them.
For signal wiring, Song Audio has experimented with 98% pure solid-core silver
and cryogenic-treated silver plated oxygen-free copper
in its circuit wiring and AC power cords; presently, the Company uses both methods in its products. For connections to AC plugs, the Company uses hospital-grade connectors together with a locking hospital-grade duplex outlet (as provided with Vasant_K).
binding posts from JA Michell (U.K.).
which connects to the electrical supply as a line filter
which reduces electromagnetic interference
/radio frequency interference and the system noise floor without dynamic range compression (consequently, increasing dynamic range). It has a parallel circuit which detects incoming noise in electricity into the components in the audio system and regulates the system's stable attenuation performance under diverse conditions. Its construction includes high-quality semiconductors and a Marinco hospital grade AC male connector. Its recommended set-up consists of 2 units in separate electrical outlets across the auditioning room. Given its weight, it is advised that the AC outlets be replaced with Hubbell locking hospital grade duplex outlets. This set-up is unlike standard AC line conditioners which connect to the electrical supply as AC extension leads (power strips).
in its electronics and is made of brass
plate in its loudspeakers.
in North Korea
. He was the son of a businessman who owned a major department store across the border into China. From 1966, he worked as a personnel administrator for the U.S. Government Contractor in Vietnam (during the Vietnam War) and emigrated in 1971 to Canada http://www.songaudio.com/about.html. He is married to his first wife and has two adult children (younger with BSc from Canada and elder with PhD from U.K.). In the Toronto area, he continues to promote greater audiophile
acceptance of single-ended triode (SET) amplification with EL34
and 300B
output vacuum tubes, zero negative feedback in amplifier design, and stereo sub-woofer implementation to reproduce the natural directionality of bass of a live orchestra. His personal interests include music, travel, and 35mm film and digital photography with Contax and Nikon equipment, respectively, which are used for product photographs for the Company website and promotional materials, such as brochures and posters for trade show exhibits in Montréal (Quebec) and U.S.A.
High-end audio
High-end audio is a term used to describe a class of consumer home audio equipment marketed to audio enthusiasts on the basis of high price or quality, and esoteric or novel sound reproduction technologies. High-end audio can refer simply to the price, to the build quality of the components, or to...
equipment manufacturer, importer, and distributor in Canada. Song Audio manufactures vacuum tube
Valve amplifier
A valve amplifier or tube amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier that makes use of vacuum tubes to increase the power and/or amplitude of a signal. Low to medium power valve amplifiers for frequencies below the microwaves were largely replaced by solid state amplifiers during the 1960s and...
preamplifier
Preamplifier
A preamplifier is an electronic amplifier that prepares a small electrical signal for further amplification or processing. A preamplifier is often placed close to the sensor to reduce the effects of noise and interference. It is used to boost the signal strength to drive the cable to the main...
s, power amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
s, and loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s and exports solid-state
Solid state (electronics)
Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material...
integrated amplifier
Integrated amplifier
An integrated amplifier is an electronic device containing an audio preamplifier and power amplifier in one unit, as opposed to separating the two. Most modern audio amplifiers are integrated and have several inputs for devices such as CD players, DVD players, and auxiliary sources...
s under the marque Vasant_K http://www.vasantk.com/ from Thailand. Song Audio continues to distribute Loth-X loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s in Canada, though the manufacturer has closed in Singapore.
History
In 2001, Song Audio was established by its eponymous founder, Song Kim, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Song Audio was one of the first to import and distribute single-driver crossover-less high sensitivity loudspeakers from Asia (Loth-X from Singapore). Though the renaissance of low power triode output vacuum tube amplifiers and single-driver loudspeakers is more established in Asian and European markets, interest has been developing in North America. In Canada, Song Audio remains the only importer to source manufacture of high-end products from Thailand (particularly, Vasant_K).Song Audio produces its products in limited quantities and distributes primarily in North America. The Company is non-mainstream in the high-end community; for example, it avoids parallel design in output tubes in purist grounds and does not provide remote control handsets in its products. The Company adopts a legacy approach to its products by not phasing any out of production (its earliest products are still in production) and supports their usage worldwide by having a user-adjustable internal voltage switch between 120V/60Hz (North America) and 220V/50Hz (Europe and Asia).
The Company is based in north-central Toronto (near Steeles Avenue and Yonge Street). In Toronto, its products are represented by Audio Empire (north-west Toronto) and Executive Stereo (central uptown Toronto).
Pre/Power & Integrated Amplifiers
In Song Audio vacuum-tube amplification equipment, the model number prefix 'SA' refers to its corporate acronym; the suffix 'MB' indicates 'monoblock' amplifier and 'SB' indicates 'stereoblock' amplifier.Though Song Audio produces a flagship preamplifier (SA-1) with separate power supply and single-ended triode zero negative feedback 300B output monoblock power amplifier (SA-300MB), the Company's primary contribution to the typology of vacuum-tube power amplification is the original SA-34SB (2003-) integrated amplifier, now in 'Cecilia' edition made in Canada. It is one of the first in absolute purist design consisting of single-ended triode
Single-ended triode
A single-ended triode vacuum tube electronic amplifier uses a single triode to produce an output, in contrast to a push-pull amplifier which uses a pair of devices with antiphase inputs to generate an output with the wanted signals added and the distortion components subtracted...
operation with zero negative feedback
Negative feedback
Negative feedback occurs when the output of a system acts to oppose changes to the input of the system, with the result that the changes are attenuated. If the overall feedback of the system is negative, then the system will tend to be stable.- Overview :...
utilising the EL34
EL34
The EL34 is a thermionic valve or vacuum tube of the power pentode type. It has an international octal base and is found mainly in the final output stages of audio amplification circuits and was designed to be suitable as a series regulator by virtue of its high permissible voltage between heater...
output vacuum tube (which is difficult to operate in triode mode without negative feedback). Presently, the only other such similar design seems to be from Decware http://www.decware.com/newsite/homepage.html in U.S.A.
The SA-34SB is atypical in aspects of its construction, including: proprietary transformer winding, bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
chassis in the original SA-34SB integrated amplifier, high-density acrylic for the front plate sourced from U.K. in the 'Cecilia' edition (which frequently breaks drill bits during its construction), lavish use of 18K gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
plating, and solid wood side panels instead of wood veneer. By contrast to conventional wisdom of using a single sub-woofer
Subwoofer
A subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as the "bass". The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below...
, the Company advises using a mono pair of sub-woofers since the source of bass is directional in a live performance (the bass tends to originate from the right side of stage in an orchestra). In this regard, the SA-34SB provides stereo variable RCA outputs to independently connect a pair of sub-woofers to augment the loudspeakers without the interference of a crossover to them.
For signal wiring, Song Audio has experimented with 98% pure solid-core silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and cryogenic-treated silver plated oxygen-free copper
Oxygen-free copper
Oxygen-free copper or Oxygen-free high thermal conductivity copper generally refers to a group of wrought high conductivity copper alloys that have been electrolytically refined to reduce the level of oxygen to .001% or below....
in its circuit wiring and AC power cords; presently, the Company uses both methods in its products. For connections to AC plugs, the Company uses hospital-grade connectors together with a locking hospital-grade duplex outlet (as provided with Vasant_K).
Acoustic Monitors (Type I & Type II Silk DM)
Song Audio loudspeakers have model designations as the smaller 'Type I' (presently not marketed) and larger 'Type II' Silk DM (Domestic Monitor series). By contrast to the industry-standard practice of medium density fiberboard (MDF) in cabinet construction (and less commonly, solid wood), Song Audio loudspeakers are built of sandwiched layers of plywood (upon which are applied black lacquer or wood veneers such as Aro Ash, Burls, Figured Anigré, or Maka Teak). For component parts, high frequency drivers are sourced from ScanSpeak (Denmark), midrange-bass drivers from Davis Acoustics (France), internal wiring from Vampire Wire (U.S.A.), and rhodiumRhodium
Rhodium is a chemical element that is a rare, silvery-white, hard and chemically inert transition metal and a member of the platinum group. It has the chemical symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is composed of only one isotope, 103Rh. Naturally occurring rhodium is found as the free metal, alloyed...
binding posts from JA Michell (U.K.).
AC Power Conditioners (AC-1)
In April 2009, Song Audio introduced a unique compact large current electrical power conditionerPower conditioner
A power conditioner is a device intended to improve the quality of the power that is delivered to electrical load equipment...
which connects to the electrical supply as a line filter
Line filter
A line filter is the kind of electronic filter that is placed between an electronic equipment and a line external to it, to attenuate conducted radio frequencies -- RFI, also known as electromagnetic interference -- between the line and the equipment....
which reduces electromagnetic interference
Electromagnetic interference
Electromagnetic interference is disturbance that affects an electrical circuit due to either electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic radiation emitted from an external source. The disturbance may interrupt, obstruct, or otherwise degrade or limit the effective performance of the circuit...
/radio frequency interference and the system noise floor without dynamic range compression (consequently, increasing dynamic range). It has a parallel circuit which detects incoming noise in electricity into the components in the audio system and regulates the system's stable attenuation performance under diverse conditions. Its construction includes high-quality semiconductors and a Marinco hospital grade AC male connector. Its recommended set-up consists of 2 units in separate electrical outlets across the auditioning room. Given its weight, it is advised that the AC outlets be replaced with Hubbell locking hospital grade duplex outlets. This set-up is unlike standard AC line conditioners which connect to the electrical supply as AC extension leads (power strips).
Industry Applications
As occasioned, Song Audio has modified its products for applications in industrial and commercial settings (for example, the classic SA-34SB). Song Audio equipment has found acceptance beyond hifi enthusiasts, such as music lovers, musicians, public venues, and audiophile review magazines (its electronics and loudspeakers have been used as ancillary reference equipment by product reviewers of Canada Hifi, Dagogo, Six Moons Audio, SoundStage, and UltraAudio) http://www.songaudio.com/news.html. The Company has occasionally demonstrated to regional audiophile groups (e.g. Chicago Audio Society http://www.chicagoaudio.org/newsletters/cas0106.pdf, Association Montréalais des Audiophiles (AMA) http://www.audiophiles-montreal.org/, Audio Circle (Toronto Area Audio Society) http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?board=92.0, Toronto Audiophiles http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/toronto-audiophiles/) and has hosted an annual live & recording comparison with its equipment immediately following performance by the Korean-Canadian Symphony Orchestra (KCSO) in Toronto, Canada.Corporate Logo
The Song Audio logo originated in 2001 from a design competition held within the staff of a major decal producing company in Toronto. In the logo, the letters of the leading word evoke impressions of musical notes. The logo is finished in 18K goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in its electronics and is made of brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
plate in its loudspeakers.
Song Kim
The company founder and president, Song Kim (24 June 1936-), was born outside Ch'ŏngjinChongjin
Ch'ŏngjin is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyŏng Province and the country's third largest city. From 1960 to 1967 and again from 1977 to 1985, Ch'ŏngjin was administered separately from North Hamgyŏng as a Directly Governed City...
in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. He was the son of a businessman who owned a major department store across the border into China. From 1966, he worked as a personnel administrator for the U.S. Government Contractor in Vietnam (during the Vietnam War) and emigrated in 1971 to Canada http://www.songaudio.com/about.html. He is married to his first wife and has two adult children (younger with BSc from Canada and elder with PhD from U.K.). In the Toronto area, he continues to promote greater audiophile
Audiophile
An audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...
acceptance of single-ended triode (SET) amplification with EL34
EL34
The EL34 is a thermionic valve or vacuum tube of the power pentode type. It has an international octal base and is found mainly in the final output stages of audio amplification circuits and was designed to be suitable as a series regulator by virtue of its high permissible voltage between heater...
and 300B
300B
The 300B is a directly heated power triode using a four pin base, introduced in 1937 to amplify telephone signals. It measures 6.4 inches high and 2.4 inches wide, and has a 40 watt anode dissipation. In the 1980s use of 300Bs by audiophiles had grown. The 300Bs used by these audiophiles...
output vacuum tubes, zero negative feedback in amplifier design, and stereo sub-woofer implementation to reproduce the natural directionality of bass of a live orchestra. His personal interests include music, travel, and 35mm film and digital photography with Contax and Nikon equipment, respectively, which are used for product photographs for the Company website and promotional materials, such as brochures and posters for trade show exhibits in Montréal (Quebec) and U.S.A.