This room played modern tube equipment on old Western Electric 757 speakers from 1947.

These speakers sound very different from most speakers of today. The resolution was much less than average, the notes ended a little too quickly, lots of midi-dynamics, but minimal micro- and macro-dynamics.

But the sound was immediate and very, very honest. – by which I mean that nothing was exaggerated and the sound was very predictable [lots of speakers sound different if a note happens during a complex passage versus happening during a quiet passage].

Silbatone preamp

Silbatone amp

So, as the world turned and the decades passed by like cars on a train…

So some companies built speakers with lots of resolution, some with notes that decayed slower and were ‘warmer’, some added lots of micro-dynamics (ceramic drivers) or macro-dynamics (big tall speakers with lots of big drivers)… AS IF many of these companies tried to address a weakness in this classic design while ignoring its other weaknesses and ignoring its strengths.

So now we have a plethora of flavors, a veritable Wall-mart of flavors, some even fashionable for a year or two, and only a very few designs that actually improved on this original by doing many things better, and very few things worse.

Anyway, that is what I think is the attraction to so many people when they listen to this system – and those like it. Its like a body-builder who only worked on their biceps for 64 years seeing a Olympic gymnast for the 1st time. It’s like ‘uh, maybe some of the ways we have been doing things have gotten kind of to the point of grotesqueness…?’

Joan waiting for the music in the last few grooves on the LP to be played.

I love this photo because, if you have ever done this yourself [and who hasn’t?] there is a interesting state of mind that occurs [usually]. You now just have one single task in life: listening to the music until the music’s over. A good deal of calm settles in and one [me anyway] listens to the music not so much intently as in this casual, enjoying the moment kind of way.

Serious Stereo’s 2A3-based amp

The Galibier turntable

For me, this was the best this room has sounded over the last few years. Simple, enjoyable, musical. [Never did get to hear Blows Against the Empire though, you guys. 🙂 Then again, the end of Sunrise should approach (virtually) 150db reflecting the dawn-apocalypse that is humankind’s arrival on this planet 😉 and I’ve never heard any system be able to do this… yet. We’ll have to try it with the Gaku-On’s someday]