My Audiophile Journey

It all started with my love for music. We did not have proper audio equipment back in the 1980s, which in Bulgaria were dominated by cheap Russian transistor electronics. I was first introduced to what could be considered an advanced audio system in the home of my drawing teacher, where I attended lessons together with a group of other children.

The room in the old house was brightly lit, and we were all staring at the still life arranged in front of us.

I was contemplating the contrast between the regular shapes of the pottery and the irregular forms of the drapery behind it, and I remember how my struggle to capture the intangible interplay of shapes and shadows was relieved by the gentle flow of classical music our teacher was always eager to play. These three-hour weekly sessions were my first introduction to the beautiful world of classical music and my first initiation into serious listening.

The whole atmosphere—the smell of turpentine and the timbres of acoustic instruments floating through the space—left a mark on the development of my future musical taste.

Later, when I left drawing behind and became interested in the guitar, I was introduced to another type of music: jazz. The small room of my guitar teacher resembled a shrine dedicated to the gods of music. The walls were covered with posters of musicians, several guitars in their cases were leaning against the walls, records were piled almost to the ceiling, and music scores were stacked on the shelves.

Amid all this apparent chaos, two medium-sized speakers together with a tape deck, tuner, and amplifier formed what should have been a decent hi-fi audio system. He introduced me to musicians such as Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and many others.

Although I never became anything more than an amateur performer, these early experiences influenced my musical preferences, directing them primarily toward classical, jazz, and world music.

A few years ago, I only had an iPod Touch feeding my Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro headphones, and streaming CD-quality content from Qobuz was more than sufficient. But everything changed when a friend of mine—a vinyl enthusiast and flea-market early bird—decided that I needed a stereo system so that we could both enjoy music while sitting on the sofa during his visits.

He brought a collection of old devices, including two floor-standing speakers that he had probably rescued from a flea market. They were rather shabby-looking pieces of equipment that, in fact, sounded terrible. However, although the system did not sound good, the soundstage was large, and I sensed the potential to experience music in a completely different way.

That was how my journey into the world of high fidelity began: by trying to improve this initial collection of discarded components.

The system went through several iterations of refinement, each one starting with its final link—the speakers—and moving upward through the amplifier to the source. With every iteration, the performance improved, and I gradually developed my own criteria for good reproduction, based on expectations of natural and vivid tone colours combined with a realistic soundstage—something that turned out to be far from simple to achieve.

Apart from experimenting with different analogue and digital sources and a few transistor amplifiers, I tried several mainstream reflex-box speakers. They all seemed to add certain colourations to the sound, not to mention their inability to render a convincing soundstage.

It was in a specialized speaker shop in Hamburg where I first encountered the magic of single-driver back-loaded horn speakers. Although they were using the smallest 3-inch full-range driver, the Fostex FE83, they sounded far larger than their physical dimensions suggested. Their ability to create a believable three-dimensional soundstage was simply astonishing.

I realized that what was presented on the covers of mainstream hi-fi magazines represented only a tiny slice of the industry and that an alternative approach existed, based on technological achievements from the past. Through obscure sources on the internet, I learned about the golden age of audio reproduction, when bespoke systems built around high-efficiency speakers partnered with low-powered triode amplification were setting standards for fidelity.

As my system advanced further with the acquisition of full-range horn speakers and a tube amplifier, I decided not to compromise on the front end. The source, where the signal is born, should be as clear as possible in order to avoid complications later in the chain.

That is how the largest portion of my budget went toward the digital processor (AMR DP-777), which, combined with the streamer (SoTM sMS-200), produced rather satisfying results. In its current state, the main virtue of my system is its ability to convey the sense of liveliness contained within a recording. The soundstage is transparent and detailed, the instruments possess body and weight, and they are easy to locate within the acoustic space.

With the elevation of the system’s performance, I developed a strong interest in so-called timbral listening. I realized that, apart from musical content, the timbres of instruments possess their own aesthetic value and that tone itself can be an independent source of pleasure.

This interest in timbral listening shifted my preferences toward natural recordings—those made in natural acoustic spaces while avoiding artificial manipulation of the signal. I discovered that the sheer tonal beauty and richness of acoustic instruments in a natural environment could not be fully matched in the studio. It is the right balance between direct and reflected sound waves that makes an instrument appear truly real.

The only caveat I can identify now is a certain degree of listening fatigue that becomes apparent after prolonged listening sessions. Part of the problem might be that, being crossover-less, my speakers have a slightly more pronounced midrange than usual. However, I suspect that the amplification is also responsible for this unpleasant effect.

Apart from the quality of the components, the circuit and topology play an important role in shaping an amplifier’s performance. It has been suggested that Class AB push-pull designs combined with negative feedback can increase the presence of certain higher-order odd harmonics in the signal, which are often associated with reduced long-term listening satisfaction.

Therefore, my plan is to try a Class A single-ended amplifier, which might prove to be a better partner for my speakers and eventually transform the system into a dream machine.

On the consumer side, my attitude toward listening differs from the one established in the contemporary entertainment context. The listening room is not merely an acoustically friendly environment—it is a temple that opens the doors to musical heaven.

The audio components are not just tools for reaching the essence of the music. I believe they carry a certain soul, some trace of the designer’s spirit. Listening to music is a sacred act that brings joy and peace to my weary soul. It is always intentional and resembles meditation.

I prefer silence as a background, and I never play music for that purpose. Keeping my ears clear most of the time makes the appreciation of music even more profound, and I find joy every time a recording comes to life in my humble shrine.

Thank you for stopping by!