HI-FI in Inner Mongolia?

[tcdriver]

I recently spent a couple of weeks in Inner Mongolia, China visiting relatives. I did not really get much chance to check out the High Fidelity scene. I did ride a camel and, on a seperate occasion, I did see some audio gear in two different department stores. One store seemed close to high end. Brands I recognized included B&W, Tannoy, Marantz and Tivoli. They also had some very nice looking Chinese tube gear on display. The second store looked a little more mid range. The only brand I recognized was Sherwood. These Sherwood components were nothing like what we see here though. The electronics and speakers looked much closer to high-end than anything with the Sherwood brand name I have seen stateside. Prices seemed pretty much in line with audio gear here.

The picture below is not the entrance to a HI-FI store. It is one of the many temples one now sees in modern China

My only HI-FI souvenir:

 

[HepcatWilly]

Very cool! My wife and I hope to visit Mongolia someday, we have friends there. What's it like?

 

[tcdriver]

Very cool! My wife and I hope to visit Mongolia someday, we have friends there. What's it like?

There is Mongolia (outer Mongolia) and Inner Mongolia. The latter is part of China. I was in Hohhot the capital city of Inner Mongolia which is a city with a population of between two to three million. Hohhot is very much like any Chinese city of that size; there are a lot of Chinese people there.

 

[HepcatWilly]

Hmm. Our friend is Mongolian, as in yurts and Range Rovers. Must be outer Mongolia.

 

[faradyne451]

Hey tc, thanks for telling us about your trip. Even when we're on the other side of the world we can't stop thinking about our passion!

 

[tcdriver]

Hmm. Our friend is Mongolian, as in yurts and Range Rovers. Must be outer Mongolia.

Most likely.

Hey tc, thanks for telling us about your trip. Even when we're on the other side of the world we can't stop thinking about our passion!

So true.

 

[Sandy G]

That "Throat Singing" they do there has to be one of the most oddly-beautiful things I've ever heard....Its really "Other worldly" to me.

 

[tcdriver]

That "Throat Singing" they do there has to be one of the most oddly-beautiful things I've ever heard....Its really "Other worldly" to me.

Yes and to me too.

For anyone interested in hearing this kind of singing, I recommend: Höömii and Urtin Duu, The Folk Music Traditions 1, JVC VICQ-5211. This CD features traditional music, some of which uses the Höömii technique.

“Höömii: This is a technique of voice production in which the singer vibrates his vocal chords to emit two sounds at once: a low pitch and harmonics produced using the windpipe and the oral cavity.”