Kudos To Ultra Analogue Recordings, Edward Pong and Tony Ky Ma

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
IMO one of the wonderful things about WBF is the diversity of our members and their roles in the industry. Two of our Canadian colleagues Edward Pong and Tony Ky Ma are such examples. Over the past few years Tony has offered up excellent advice in all things reel to reel as well as repair and modification of tape decks. The two have formed Ultra Analogue Recordings and have begun to offer up tape for sale.

I received a brief tape sampler from Ed Pong a few days ago along with a CD for my listening pleasure. Boy was I astounded by what I heard. The tape contained the following...

1. Mozart Duo In G Major, K423, Handel-Halvorsen-Passacaglia

2. The Chaccones, Vitali-Bach, Monti-Czardas

3. Debussy-Claire de Lune

The CD which was DSD transfer contained the following.....

Beethoven Ghost Trio,Opus 70 No 2-Allegetto
Mozart Duo In G
Claire De Lune

The first thing that struck me was the dynamics of the tape recording and just how well it sounded. Ed Pong gives the following explanation,

These master tape duplicates are recorded on RMG SM900 tape at +4 dB above 250 nWb/m. which equals 396 nWb/m. This will give you the most realistic dynamic range and best S/N ratio possible. The output level of your tape deck must be adjustable and needs to be calibrated to this level to realize the best playback of these tapes. I have recorded a 30 sec track of 1 kHz tone behind the leader to help you calibrate your tape machine. Use this to set the output level of your tape deck to show 0 VU.Tapeproject tapes are recorded at 250 nW/m so have 4 db less range..Since the tapes they are duplicating are older, likely those masters were recorded at 185-250 nW/m.


The group performing much of the music was put together by Ed. They were truly superb. According to Ed, these are young musicians who he knows & met a few years ago....the violinist Xiang Yu was the Menuhin winner in Oslo Norway 2 years ago...he has a Boston Symphony debut in March 2014. He met the cellist Sietse-jan Weijenberg in Paris at the Rostropovich competition a few years ago. This was the 1st time he got them both together & they hit it off right away....the Passacaglia is special for him as he waited 2 years to get them together for that...

This is one remarkable tape. I kept playing it over and over before I listened to the Cd which was derived from DSD source. This contained some of the music from the tape and it too was exceptional.

I want to give a big shout out to Ed Pong and Tony Ky Ma in their endeavor to bring us closer to the music and I must say that this was as good or better than anything I have previously heard.

For those looking for the best sound possible have a look to buy at www.ultraanaloguerecordings.com
 

Joe Galbraith

Senior Member/Sponsor
Apr 22, 2010
214
0
0
www.arsetmusica.com
+1
I have started acquiring tapes from Ed as well and have been very impressed. I have the Rossini Concerto for Double Bass which is so well recorded, with a great performance. Ed's CDs are created with the same passion they put into their tape products. Highly recommended.
 

RogerD

VIP/Donor
May 23, 2010
3,734
318
565
BiggestLittleCity

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator

This is not meant to disparage The Tape Project tapes as they are excellent. I just thought that what I heard yesterday was better. I believe the tape they used as well as how it was recorded to give that extra 4Db of gain is a significant factor.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
According to Ed, "Tony's electronics are magical! The mic pre-amp especially, is so sensitive, it lets all the detail thru. There are no caps, the whole chain is silver interstage coupled transformers thru the whole record & playback electronics to the duplicating Studer A80."
 

Asamel

Well-Known Member
Jan 22, 2012
578
1
263
Philly
I'm a big fan of these recordings. The care that is taken in the recording and dubbing of these tapes is first rate. They are as close as I have ever heard to being in the room with the musicians. Modern analog recordings using modern tape and great performances. Tony and Ed are pushing the analog envelope. What could be better?

Bruce in PA
 

NMMark1962

New Member
Jun 29, 2013
116
0
0
61
Santa Fe, NM
Did I read their website correctly?? $210 for each Bach Cello Suite??? $1260 for all 6 Cello Suites??? That seems to be extremely expensive for a single musician playing....maybe $210 for the set???

Cheers,
 

Edward Pong

Industry Expert
Jun 24, 2013
386
195
348
Locust Hill, Ontario
Did I read their website correctly?? $210 for each Bach Cello Suite??? $1260 for all 6 Cello Suites??? That seems to be extremely expensive for a single musician playing....maybe $210 for the set???

Cheers,
Unfortunately, the cost of making new recordings, of world class musicians is not cheap... I think you would have a hard time trying to even buy 6 metal reels of new RMG 900 tape for $210, let alone have software on it...... I don't understand "too expensive for a single musician" ......How much would you pay for 6 Bach Suites by YoYo Ma?
Edward
 

tony ky ma

Industry Expert
Aug 21, 2010
630
5
930
Whitby Ontario Canada
The SM900 tape is just a better sounding tape.
If people do not tape recording by themselves will pay less attention to the sound quality of the tape, they won't have the choice for the pre recorded tape's quality, SM900 is the the highest quality and the best sound for high out-put tape which still in production but in high price . we had done in 5 different bland tapes before to make the decision. we hope the production can go on because they had changed hand to a new owner in France
tony ma
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,006
512
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
If people do not tape recording by themselves will pay less attention to the sound quality of the tape, they won't have the choice for the pre recorded tape's quality, SM900 is the the highest quality and the best sound for high out-put tape which still in production but in high price . we had done in 5 different bland tapes before to make the decision. we hope the production can go on because they had changed hand to a new owner in France
tony ma

For the last month during the change over, tape was hard to get. Now it seems to have stabilized and we just got 6 cases the other day. SM900 now is $58 for 1/4" and $84 for 1/2"
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Point of Clarification......

after talking with Ed more about his recordings, I've learned that Ed does all the mic setups, recordings, editing etc. Tony is a good friend who's passion in DIY audio has helped him in building the electronics for his audio system & recorders but is not an owner in the company.

Sorry for the confusion
 

NMMark1962

New Member
Jun 29, 2013
116
0
0
61
Santa Fe, NM
For the last month during the change over, tape was hard to get. Now it seems to have stabilized and we just got 6 cases the other day. SM900 now is $58 for 1/4" and $84 for 1/2"

So, if tape is $58 and $84, why are we seeing $400-$600 tapes?? And people accuse cable manufacturers for severe markups...;)

cheers,
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,006
512
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
Mark

IMO you are way out of line

Have you ever heard of licensing, labor etc

If you think you can produce a world class tape for less money, then I say have at it


+1.. With licensing, machine maintenance and time, it's a losing game. To set up 2 machines for a transfer with tones, azimuth and 1:1 transfer, we're talking a minimum of 1-2hr. per reel. And remember, a reel is only ~32min.
 

Greg Beron / UHA

Member Sponsor
Apr 5, 2012
113
2
325
Washington DC
www.unitedhomeaudio.com
I talk to people at the shows that have their panties in a bunch over a $300 album on 2 tapes. Seems like a reasonable price for what is involved, not to mention the sound is better than any other medium!!

Have a look at the $900,000 LP on ebay, yes that is no typo, $900,000 for one LP!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-REC...1232894?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item518f949efe

If you think that example is a fluke, look at this British pressing of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper for $12,000. I can tell you I have one of these British pressings of Sgt. Pepper and the tape is way better!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEATLES-Sgt...7086249?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item4d0fc58b29
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
What people fail to realize is that this is real time taken to produce each copy.

Tapes are not cheap nor is labor or the machines used to record the copies

I would have to wonder what profit margin is in a $20 CD put out by a music company who owns the licensing rights, can buy blank discs for pennies each and make thousands of copies as quick as it takes to copy one tape and then compare that profit margin to what a tape album costs that is on 2-3 reels
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing