James
Lord of the Erg\o/s
Back in the day, I used to chase the holy grail of hifi-dom, as I'm sure many of you have done or are doing. That sometimes entailed spending money I didn't have to get further up the ladder to audio nirvana with the next newest or greatest piece of kit.
The first revelatory moment for me (and some visiting friends) was when we heard how much better a fully restored Pioneer C-21/M-22 combo sounded compared to the best Densen had to offer with the B-250/B-350 monos combo. That started a new journey for me that progressed to hunting for, and eventually landing, a pair of Yamaha NS-1000M. I was totally prepared to be disappointed (as I was when I heard a pair demoed at my last home, which had appalling acoustics), but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Since they took up residence, none of my Ergo designs have come back out to play. This is not a slight on my own creations - far from it - but the appeal of a retro-sounding system that I'm becoming rather attached to.
It reminds me so much about what attracted me to hifi in the first place. Vinyl records that I've collected since the late 70s are seeing the light of day again - especially since acquiring a much more disposable and less anxiety-inducing MM cartridge. In fact, since buying the cart earlier this week, I have not played a single CD. Instead, I have been comforted by, nay grooving to, music that is imbued with euphoric warmth, nostalgic memories and the occasional click/pop.
With well over 2,000 records in my collection, I dare say it will take me some time to get through them all. Time will tell if this is just a phase I'm going through, or if there is something more credible and enjoyable about a retro system.
I know I'm not alone thinking this way, but I wish I realised it much earlier.
The first revelatory moment for me (and some visiting friends) was when we heard how much better a fully restored Pioneer C-21/M-22 combo sounded compared to the best Densen had to offer with the B-250/B-350 monos combo. That started a new journey for me that progressed to hunting for, and eventually landing, a pair of Yamaha NS-1000M. I was totally prepared to be disappointed (as I was when I heard a pair demoed at my last home, which had appalling acoustics), but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Since they took up residence, none of my Ergo designs have come back out to play. This is not a slight on my own creations - far from it - but the appeal of a retro-sounding system that I'm becoming rather attached to.
It reminds me so much about what attracted me to hifi in the first place. Vinyl records that I've collected since the late 70s are seeing the light of day again - especially since acquiring a much more disposable and less anxiety-inducing MM cartridge. In fact, since buying the cart earlier this week, I have not played a single CD. Instead, I have been comforted by, nay grooving to, music that is imbued with euphoric warmth, nostalgic memories and the occasional click/pop.
With well over 2,000 records in my collection, I dare say it will take me some time to get through them all. Time will tell if this is just a phase I'm going through, or if there is something more credible and enjoyable about a retro system.
I know I'm not alone thinking this way, but I wish I realised it much earlier.
