Post by shuggie on Mar 5, 2020 8:40:24 GMT
www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-34-salt-cellar-system
Herb Reichert always seems to write interesting stuff; and he writes beautifully (UK audio journalists please take note). This article on Stereophile struck a chord with me because last year I was exposed (through a customer) to a full-blown late 1920s Western Electric mono horn system with original WE field coil bass drivers, which together are not exactly 'compact' and not something that my modest little house could ever accommodate. That WE system immerses and envelops the listener in a huge sound, with visceral dynamic contrasts. Herb writes in this article about a similar system enabling him to 'see and hear the musicians' and that is certainly true of my customer's venerable WE system, which I expected to hate but came away with opposite feelings. Herb wonders what we've lost since those early days of simple electronics and high efficiency horns and I think he has a point, even if those old systems rarely have a place in modern homes.
The audio industry has, of course, to keep pushing new products and that's why 'lifestyle' stuff is so predominant, but one of the delights of this hobby is being able to exist in the past when music recording and reproduction were simpler and perhaps purer. And mono!
Anyway, this article from Herb is a lovely read. I also recommend this latest piece on 'listening' from Art Dudley www.stereophile.com/content/listening-207
Herb Reichert always seems to write interesting stuff; and he writes beautifully (UK audio journalists please take note). This article on Stereophile struck a chord with me because last year I was exposed (through a customer) to a full-blown late 1920s Western Electric mono horn system with original WE field coil bass drivers, which together are not exactly 'compact' and not something that my modest little house could ever accommodate. That WE system immerses and envelops the listener in a huge sound, with visceral dynamic contrasts. Herb writes in this article about a similar system enabling him to 'see and hear the musicians' and that is certainly true of my customer's venerable WE system, which I expected to hate but came away with opposite feelings. Herb wonders what we've lost since those early days of simple electronics and high efficiency horns and I think he has a point, even if those old systems rarely have a place in modern homes.
The audio industry has, of course, to keep pushing new products and that's why 'lifestyle' stuff is so predominant, but one of the delights of this hobby is being able to exist in the past when music recording and reproduction were simpler and perhaps purer. And mono!
Anyway, this article from Herb is a lovely read. I also recommend this latest piece on 'listening' from Art Dudley www.stereophile.com/content/listening-207
