Last Saturday afternoon, the Richcom Exhibition Room in Wan Chai once again hosted a highly anticipated vinyl music feast, attracting local vinyl enthusiasts and audiophiles to witness the extraordinary playback capabilities of the classic yet perfectly evolved Thorens TD 124 DD Exclusive turntable.

The listening session was hosted by Benny Kan and Andy Yu, and also featured renowned Hong Kong music critic Mr. Lau Chi-kong (formerly the music editor of Hi Fi Review magazine), who provided authoritative commentary on a selection of world-class vinyl records. Mr. Lau has long been deeply engaged in classical music and recording arts; his insightful and accessible guidance has earned high praise from music lovers.

The demonstration system on the day was exceptional. The core sources were the Thorens TD 124 DD Exclusive turntable and the MC 1600 phono preamplifier, paired with a Burmester 088 preamplifier, 218 stereo power amplifier, and 948 power conditioner, driving Danish PEAK’s audiophile-grade EL-Diablo floor-standing speakers. The entire system used high-end cables from the renowned Dutch brand Siltech for power supply and signal connections. The TD 124 DD Exclusive features a new 12-inch TP 124 tonearm, with pure silver signal wire inside the arm tube to ensure the highest purity signal transmission. It is paired with a custom-made EMT Tontechnik cartridge, featuring a ruby cantilever and Gyger-cut diamond stylus for precise tracking, along with a powerful direct-drive motor and the TPN 124 external linear power supply, pushing Thorens’ signature characteristics of “quiet, stable, and precise” to the extreme.

Andy Yu selected a variety of his favorite pop music, film scores, and other pieces for the audience. The highlight of the event was Mr. Lau’s introduction of the newly imported Decca Pure Analogue vinyl series from Universal Music Hong Kong. This series was mastered by Grammy Award winner Rainer Maillard at the renowned Emil Berliner Studios, with cutting engineer Sidney C. Meyer using 100% analogue technology (AAA) directly from the original analogue master tapes, utilizing only the original two-track stereo and four-track quadraphonic analogue masters, including recently discovered analogue master versions of early digital recordings. The signal path involves no digital processing whatsoever. The records are pressed on 180g vinyl at Pallas in Germany, presented in deluxe gatefold sleeves with hand-numbered limited editions. Mr. Lau pointed out that this series recreates the most representative classic recordings from the Decca and Philips archives in pure analogue form, aiming to present the recording aesthetics and ultimate dynamics of Decca’s golden era to contemporary music lovers without any compromise.

During the musical demonstrations, Mr. Lau carefully selected three classical pieces from the Decca Pure Analogue series to play, covering everything from majestic symphonic works to delicate chamber music and percussion pieces. The entire demonstration system delivered a silky-smooth texture when playing string passages; brass sections were brilliant but never harsh; the transient response of piano keystrokes and the resonance of the soundboard were clearly layered; the deep weight and springy power of the lower string sections were particularly impressive. Especially with the all-analogue signal path provided by the Thorens TD 124 DD Exclusive turntable and MC 1600 phono stage, the tonal density and spatial decay of the instruments were natural and coherent, and the positioning of each orchestral section and the depth of the soundstage were clearly discernible. This fully demonstrated the excellent signal-to-noise ratio and high dynamics of the Thorens turntable and phono stage.

Under Mr. Lau’s guidance, the audience not only experienced the highly convincing musical reproduction of the demonstration system but also deeply appreciated the homage and breakthrough represented by the Decca Pure Analogue series in recording tradition. At the conclusion of the event, the host expressed gratitude to Mr. Lau for his wonderful commentary and to Universal Music for importing these high-quality vinyl records. Richcom Construction will continue to hold equipment demonstration and music appreciation events, allowing more local music lovers and audiophiles to rediscover the pure emotion of vinyl in an ultimate playback environment.