Rui Xiaodan drove Ye Xiaoming back to his audio shop, waiting for him to speak about the situation. Ye Xiaoming remained deep in thought, silent throughout the drive. As they neared the shop, he suddenly gasped, as if he had figured something out, exclaiming, "Oh my God."
Rui Xiaodan asked casually, "What is it?"
Ye Xiaoming said, "I just realized, he must have integrated two sets of components into a single speaker enclosure. That's why there are eight binding posts and why it sounds so powerful. It's genius!"
Rui Xiaodan responded, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
Ye Xiaoming replied, "It's a technical aspect of audio equipment. But you've got a good eye for quality."
When they arrived at the shop, Ye Xiaoming got out, opened the door, and Rui Xiaodan followed him inside.
He placed the Mutter violin CD on the coffee table and said confidently, "You aren't actually friends with Mr. Ding, are you? Just acquaintances. You don't really know him. This man is an enthusiast, definitely not an ordinary person."
Rui Xiaodan wondered if her observation skills were being underestimated. She asked, "How do you know?"
Ye Xiaoming explained, "Because you don't understand the intricacies of audio systems. It's like they say, 'writing reflects the person,' and in the world of audiophiles, 'sound reflects the person.' Culture, temperament, and financial capability are all embodied in it."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "What do you mean?"
Pointing to a Le Sheng flagship speaker, Ye Xiaoming explained, "His speaker and this one both use 5-inch drivers, and they look similar in size. But this one has one woofer, one tweeter, and four binding posts, whereas his has two woofers, two tweeters, and eight binding posts. This means his system is essentially two pairs of conventional speakers made into one pair, driven by two preamps and four power amps. As far as I know, no manufacturer in the world produces such speakers yet, maybe they haven't even thought of it."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "What does that imply?"
Ye Xiaoming patted the speaker, saying, "To put it simply, the highest standard for driving this speaker is one preamp and two power amps. Mr. Ding's setup looks like one system but is actually two high-end systems working simultaneously. This transcends mere technical prowess—it's a matter of vision and temperament."
Rui Xiaodan smiled, "So, according to you, only those with vision and temperament are worthy of such a sound system?"
Ye Xiaoming replied, "Not necessarily, but you don't have enough money. At least you need to add a zero to that 40,000."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Add a zero? You mean 400,000?"
Ye Xiaoming didn't answer immediately. He went to the back room, made phone calls to authorized dealers in Beijing and Guangzhou, taking notes as he listened. Then he returned and said, "I verified this for you, to be responsible to a customer."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "How much?"
Ye Xiaoming said, "KTA is one of the world's most renowned speaker brands, with a history of over fifty years. A pair of KTA47 speakers costs 58,000 yuan. Mr. Ding's speakers are equivalent to two pairs of KTA47, so even just the components would cost at least 100,000 yuan."
"100,000 yuan for a pair of small speakers?" Rui Xiaodan was stunned.
Ye Xiaoming picked up a power strip, saying, "He uses two Arnell audio power supplies. Think of this as a power strip. One Arnell power supply costs 21,000 yuan in Guangzhou and 23,000 yuan in Beijing. A domestic one costs 400 yuan, and the best one costs just over a thousand."
"A power strip for 20,000 yuan?" Rui Xiaodan could hardly believe it.
Ye Xiaoming set down the power strip, looking at his notes, saying, "His CD player is an Arnell top-of-the-line unit, priced at 60,000 yuan. Each Arnell preamp costs 40,000 yuan, and each power amp costs 50,000 yuan. Including cables, I estimate the total cost to be no less than 450,000 yuan. Even if he has connections, it would still cost at least 400,000 yuan."
"Oh my God," Rui Xiaodan murmured, understanding why Ye Xiaoming had exclaimed earlier.
Ye Xiaoming said, "My shop is worth about 100,000 yuan. I'd have to sell it four times over to afford that kind of system. Even if you wanted to buy it, you wouldn't come to a small shop like mine. Also, his speakers were likely custom-made, so you can't buy them in the market. You can't even find the KTA47 components."
Rui Xiaodan felt extremely awkward, her confidence shattered. Her soul's yearning, the painful internal struggle, and being suspended for pursuing this sound system all seemed to culminate in this embarrassing realization. If Ding Yuanying had realized her intentions that night and said "400,000" instead of "several thousand," all this could have been avoided.
Even though she understood why Ding Yuanying had said "several thousand," knowing that saying "400,000" could have seemed like showing off in front of a woman, she still felt annoyed and thought, "Damn kid!"
Rui Xiaodan, seasoned and resilient, quickly adjusted her mindset and faced reality. She calmly asked, "Can you get the Le Sheng flagship components?"
Ye Xiaoming replied, "No problem. I'm still an agent for Le Sheng."
Rui Xiaodan said, "If you replicate Mr. Ding's system using Le Sheng flagship components and Slec pre and power amps, would it be difficult to custom-make the enclosures?"
Ye Xiaoming thought for a moment and said, "Many audiophiles build their own speakers for the sound quality, but the finish isn't as good as professional ones. If you're okay with less polished aesthetics and pay a bit more for labor, it can be done. It will take time, and we'll need a skilled carpenter for the enclosures. There might be some trial and error in getting the enclosure volume just right."
Rui Xiaodan said, "I don't know much about audio technology, but can you copy exactly? Both Le Sheng and KTA47 use 5-inch drivers. You don't need to design; just replicate Mr. Ding's speaker dimensions, driver positions, and materials. I don't mind if the finish is a bit rough."
Ye Xiaoming asked, "How much are you willing to spend?"
Rui Xiaodan said, "You're the seller, you should tell me."
Ye Xiaoming calculated and said, "Honestly, I make at least 1,500 yuan profit on a set priced in the ten thousand yuan range. You're essentially buying two sets. I'll charge you the original cost price for the components and speakers, and you pay me 4,000 yuan for labor. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. It's a bit of work, but I'll earn money and gain experience. If you agree, I'll need a 1,000 yuan deposit."
Rui Xiaodan said, "Deal. Draft a simple contract, and I'll sign it and pay the deposit tomorrow morning."
Ye Xiaoming said, "Alright, it's a deal."
Rui Xiaodan said, "Then I'll be going."
"Wait," Ye Xiaoming called as she turned to leave. "There's something else I need to tell you."
Rui Xiaodan stopped.
Ye Xiaoming picked up the Mutter violin CD and said, "I don't know if you're really friends with Mr. Ding, but he's definitely in some trouble now, facing some difficulties. I thought you should know."
Rui Xiaodan asked, puzzled, "How do you know?"
Ye Xiaoming handed her the CD, saying, "Look closely at this CD."
Rui Xiaodan examined the cover and the disc itself, noticing the personal seal with the characters "Yuanying," which she had seen on "Daughter of Heaven."
As she inspected the CD, Ye Xiaoming brought out several CDs from his own collection, each bearing the "Yuanying" seal.
He explained, "I bought these from the Solitary Island Audiophile Record Shop. The owner is also an audiophile, and familiar customers get them for 80 yuan each, while retail is 100 yuan. They've been selling for over six months. People in the circle wondered where he got so many collector's CDs. When I saw Mr. Ding's CDs today, I understood. So, I borrowed one for comparison. If Mr. Ding's name is Ding Yuanying, then these are his. Stamping a CD with a personal seal means it's cherished. Who would sell such items unless they had no choice?"
Rui Xiaodan felt a pang in her heart, almost brought to tears. The story was so poignant. Was Ding Yuanying really in such dire straits that he had to sell his cherished CDs?
This revelation changed her impression of Ding Yuanying. She recalled Xiao Yawen's words: "With my intelligence, I can't understand such a person."
She thought, "This guy really has some character!"