Exotic Horns & Tubes- Moryiama & Machida Style!

[david k]

Japan is a country rich with culture, traditions and beauty and naturally high end in Japan followed their hear, even if it’s based on Western technology. Many of us are familiar or at least heard of some of their best creators and respect as some of the best in the world. The high end community there is similarly Japanese in their values. I believe the people we meet and few dear friends we make because of our passion is what makes high end so very special. On my very recent trip to Japan I met two very passionate audiophiles, Moriyama San & Machida San! I want to thank them for their generosity and friendship and share a little of my experience with friends here.

Machida San, is a custom audio designer with years of experience and several patents under the belt. His system is made up of his own electronics and a speaker designed with WE components & horns which Moriyama San also adopted for his home system..



Machida designed speakers made with WE & EV components.



Grease bearing Gararrd 301 with Machida's special plinth and platter made from solid Japanese oak.



Machida designed phono with various custom RIAA curves and of course what's a system without music, a couple of Machida's 78's that we listened too.






A short video of this special system

david

[david k]

Moriyama San is a very special kind of audiophile, a sensitive soul with sensibility for the natural world that guides him in life, work and of course his pursuit of high end. The gallery and home where he creates and shares his art with the world are located in a serene mountain setting near Fukuoka. In the gallery hangs his now world famous open baffle horn speakers made from single solid piece of centuries old African wood which took him over a decade to finish.



Below it standing tall, very tall is a pair of horn speakers with each section out of a single piece of solid wood also built by Moriyama.






And of course such speakers can only be driven with a pair of very custom amps. Tubes if I recall are STC 4212 transmission tubes



and a short video;

david

[david k]

Coming to an entrance like this you know you’re in for a special treat, Moryiama’s home and personal listening room. The speakers and electronics are all Machida designed fronted with a pair of very rare Epson idlers. The horns are all original WE as are the woofers in this case.



As soon as you enter the room one is treated with a pair of very rare Epson Teragaki idlers !







Same Machida design phono with various custom RIAA curves.



Speakers are made from hard wood and all original & NOS WE drivers & horns also designed by Machida San.



and a little video,

david

[david k]

We went back to the gallery again for some tea and a quick listen where we ended the day with the most beautiful music courtesy of Machida San before heading out to a late dinner.

Machida San (white hair) & Moriyama San.



I heard Casals's Song of the Birds in many performances but never with this kind of emotion, his words and his playing to the world is the most moving recording I have heard in my life...

Touching Casals' soul through his words and music over this amazing system was the perfect finale to this special day.




david

[Guest]

Very nice write-up and photographs, David. Must have been a wonderful trip. The Seiko Epson turntables look stunning - can't say I've ever heard of magnetic floating idler drive - heck I've never heard of Seiko Epson 'tables. The woodwork on the horn speakers is beautiful audio art. Thank you for posting this.

[david k]

Very nice write-up and photographs, David. Must have been a wonderful trip. The Seiko Epson turntables look stunning - can't say I've ever heard of magnetic floating idler drive - heck I've never heard of Seiko Epson 'tables. The woodwork on the horn speakers is beautiful audio art. Thank you for posting this.

Thanks Tim!

http://www.audio-heritage.jp/SEIKO_EPSON/player/index.html

Google translation,

About Seiko Epson's player (Teraki player)

Σ 2000, Σ 5000, Σ 5000 II sold by Seiko Epson are record players designed by Mr. Takeki Terakaki.
Mr. Terakagi said that the prototypes from 1st to 6th stages of record player development are done by Audio Technica, and the total development cost exceeds 400 million yen. Adsorption stabilizer was commercialized from Audio Technica as development result at the time.
After that, trial production continued with the development with Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd. Σ 3000 was manufactured as Unit 11. Seems that several models were made for this model, and the price seems to be 2.3 million yen. However, for Σ 3000, catalogs etc are not made, so it seems that the form of public sales has not been taken.

Σ 5000 seems to be doing everything you want to do without deleting the constraints of cost based on Σ 3000 (Epson staff in charge at that time). Therefore, the thickness of the base plate has been changed from 15 mm to 25 mm, the upper surface of the turntable is also subjected to diamond cut entirely. In addition, improvements have been made in a number of ways, such as Kiso's book lacquer painting is given. Also, the sliding part of Σ 5000 seems to have been finished with the highest level possessed by EPSON, precision processing technology of SEIKO brand is alive.
It seems that changes have been added so that reinforcement around the power supply and servicing of parts that require maintenance can be easily performed.

As for the number of units sold, there are various stories on the net, but Σ 5000 was produced and sold out 10 times at ten times each time it was heard by a manager, and one unit remaining for service after that was sold as well It seems. In addition, Σ 2000 was produced twice at 50 units each, so it seems that 100 units have been sold out in total.
It seems that it was not exported, but it seems that there are several people who brought it with baggage from Japan.


The 5000

http://www.audio-heritage.jp/SEIKO_EPSON/player/sigma5000.html

The bearing has a structure in which the main shaft rests on four disks, and it operates so that the clearance of the bearing always becomes zero.
The main spindle has hard mirror chrome plating on SKS steel mirror finish, and the contact width of the disc is 1 mm or less, and the contact area is reduced as much as possible so that it has a precise structure. Also, since the hardness of the disk is slightly lowered, the finished surface of the spindle is transferred as it is used.
The lower part of the spindle is point supported by a carbide ball and the ball receiver can be easily replaced.

The turntable is finished by diamond processing with ultra high precision lathe after brass type extruded material has been sufficiently annealed. The top surface has a mortar shape, and consideration is given to cancel the tilt of the spindle completely at the position to trace the tip of the needle.
The cross section has a shape that standing wave hardly occurs, and a pure iron drive ring is press-fitted to the outer ring part so as to stop squealing at the boundary surface.
The spindle and the turntable are strongly integrated by flange coupling with four screws, and the weight is about 12 kg.

Turntable drive adopts original method using DC coreless motor and magnetic idler.
The idola contains magnetized neodymium magnet, it strongly attracts to the motor shaft and the turntable drive ring and automatically rotates at the most stable place to transmit the torque.

The tone arm adopts the static balance method.
In the Σ 5000, the weight of the head exceeds 400 g, smooth operation can not be performed because the balance weight of 2.8 kg or more is required in the conventional method. So we are leveraging the principle of lever to balance with light weight.
Each fulcrum of the arm has a structure that always applies contact pressure unilaterally, and there is no play while obtaining smooth motion. Inside the arm beam, a rod of high tensile strength steel is incorporated and it is strongly integrated with strong compressive stress.

The motor and the bearing under the spindle are consumable parts.

david

[timztunz]

It seems my own obsession is not so obsessive. Superbly done review. Thank you.

[don]

What a magnificent way to start the day! Thank you so much for this treasure. The dedication and craftsmanship that the Japanese artist posses, they become one with the objects in their life, this is a lesson for us all. The video of Pau Casal is spine chilling, Thank you again for bringing this and sharing.

[Bill Hart]

The whole thing- the building, the electronics, the cabinetry of the horns (or baffles) is just fabulous. I can't imagine what that sounds like --
essentially two main horn systems?

[Beaur]

Thanks David. Reaffirms my desire to visit soon!

[rockitman]

Absolutely amazing. What an experience it must have been David. Thanks for taking the time to share your visit.

[jazzbass]

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Thank you for posting David

[MylesBAstor]

We went back to the gallery again for some tea and a quick listen where we ended the day with the most beautiful music courtesy of Machida San before heading out to a late dinner.

Machida San (white hair) & Moriyama San.



I heard Casals's Song of the Birds in many performances but never with this kind of emotion, his words and his playing to the world is the most moving recording I have heard in my life...

Touching Casals' soul through his words and music over this amazing system was the perfect finale to this special day.




david

Thanks David! Could you talk a little more about the speaker in the last picture. Not sure what the pair of overhead drivers are doing?

[david k]

Thanks David! Could you talk a little more about the speaker in the last picture. Not sure what the pair of overhead drivers are doing?

They're two different speakers Myles, both are as much about art & material as sound. The top one is an open baffle design made from a solid piece of African wood, apparently it took 12 years for it to dry naturally. I couldn't get behind the speakers but here are a couple of shots so you can see the back





The speakers on the floor are sealed cabinets with a horn, again all carved from single pieced of solid wood.



Drivers are Sony SUP-T11G & SUP-L11G, Sony used them in some large Studio monitors they built competing with TAD, JBL, Rey Audio, Westalke, etc.





Sonically they're up there with some of the best and sound as good as they look. It's difficult to verbally explain the sound if you haven't heard any high end vintage horn speakers that are so very different from what you're used to with box designs, specially modern ones like your Magicos. There's an ease with natural dynamics and sense of scale that cones just can't touch.

david

[MylesBAstor]

Thanks for clearing up my confusion!

[kach22i]

Japan is a country rich with culture, traditions and beauty and naturally high end in Japan followed their hear, even if it’s based on Western technology.....

What I find so amazing is the size of those speakers given a culture driven to compactness in almost everything including architecture.