Of audiophiles and music lovers

I just recently visited a friend – Nadia – she is a music lover and her vinyl-based rig consisting of some vintage components is located in the kitchen. As opposed to me she listens to music while she is cooking or doing something else in the adjacent room or when simply chilling out on the veranda. On contrary at my place I always listen intently and in front of the audio system. But I did enjoy the evening we spent on the veranda chatting about things, drinking and laughing with couple of fellows.

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Slightly metaphysical

March is slowly approaching its end, and this reminds me that for quite some time I haven’t written anything in this blog. The reason is simple, not much is happening here, though some interesting bits are circulating in my emails to Biju and Peter recently. I find writing to a real person safer and easier than to an abstract audience. Writing for the general public is like wielding a two-edged sword – you never know how the effect of your writing will reflect on you. Email communication is enjoyable, but it is a private thing, and there is not much left for you, dear reader.

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Good vibrations

Recently my attention is being focused more on the artistic interpretation than on the reproduction quality. I think this is a good sign. The decisions when to hit the string and how long to let the tone ring, as well as how intense each stroke should be are aural expression of the artist’s interpretation of the music at the moment of transferring an idea into a sound. As an amateur guitarist I’ve been confronted with that matter throughout my own experience and I realize that even a simple three-chord progression might be performed in many different ways by slightly varying the timing and the intensity of the strokes.

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System update December 2017

Some time has passed since Audio Note OTO SE Signature took over the amplification task in my audio system, and as it usually happens when a new component of higher quality has been introduced, some deficiencies intrinsic to other links in the audio chain are being revealed. Armed with some new knowledge, obtained during the communication with Peter Qvortrup, I went through a process of system optimization evolving around this single-ended amplifier with the main goal to bring the best out of it. I am glad that the end result is a level of enjoyment that surpassed anything I used to know.

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My audiophile journey

It all started with the love for music. We didn’t have proper audio back at these communist times in the 80s, which were dominated by cheap Russian transistor electronics. I was introduced to what should have been an advanced audio system in the home of my teacher where I was taking drawing lessons together with a bunch of other kids. The room in the old house was brightly lit and we were all staring at the still life arranged in front of us.

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