kjb
Proof reading not always a strength
The insurance on these must be astronomical
Ojas at the Lisson Gallery
- Thread starter Sonnyboy958
- Start date
paulfromcamden
Baffled
kjb
Proof reading not always a strength
That reminded me that, in a previous life, my wife once had to carry canisters with the final cut of Velvet Goldmine on the NY Metro. She was told it couldn't touch the surface of the train as the electrical charges could damage the film.
daytona600
Registered User
As someone else posted upthread it seems surprising that BN are allowing the actual master tapes of such important recordings to be shipped to the UK and played for a few dozen people
Universal supplied copies
Universal supplied copies
paulfromcamden
Baffled
You mean they provided the actual masters or they provided copy tapes?
paulfromcamden
Baffled
He's certainly skilled in hyping his brand. But I can't hold that against him. I don't have the £££ for one of his systems - or even one if his £79 t-shirts - but appreciate his enthusiasm for the sort of gear we more typically see in Japanese audiophile magazines. Best of luck to him.
Some photos here of a speaker building workshop he held recently:
https://thevinylfactory.com/features/devon-turnbulls-speaker-workshop/
Graham H
pfm Member
Would especially love to hear a master tape, or even a safety copy, of Out to Lunch.
Engels - looks like you’re just gonna have to go back.......I bet the queue has already started for tomorrow.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Thanks for posting this. The video could have been seriously edited down but it was very interesting to see how they scan and OCR tape boxes.
I'm sure it's a great sounding system (if I had the room and funds, I'd probably own something like it) but, sorry, I just can't get past the pretentiousness of the sound installation/shrine to music angle that Devon is using to promote his wares. He could have hired some other space in central London to show his system but, of course, that wouldn't have had the artsy-craftsy appeal of the Lisson Gallery.
And what were Blue Note thinking when they allowed those master tapes to be played? Notwithstanding the wear/damage that could result, it's a pointless exercise due to the very nature (uniqueness) of the medium!
And what were Blue Note thinking when they allowed those master tapes to be played? Notwithstanding the wear/damage that could result, it's a pointless exercise due to the very nature (uniqueness) of the medium!
Did you not read the above? Devon has worked with an art gallery in NYC with success, so the obvious choice was to use their associated art gallery here in London. His system is no more pretentious than 90% of other audio demonstrations at shows, and at least he has made what is promoting, unlike most of audio demonstrations where you just get a sales person spouting the usual sales and marketing BS about what they are selling. Devon's approach is at least new and different! Anyway, he is not looking to sell to the usual elderly Hi-Fi enthusiast. He is looking to promote and sell to a much younger audience. Good luck to him is what I say...
paulfromcamden
Baffled
I also appreciated that on the day I visited they were playing original (complete with pops and clicks) copies of interesting jazz records. A lot more interesting that the usual audiophile recording chud.
I am aware of his shows/exhibitions - or whatever you want to call them - in NYC but it's just a hi-fi system at the end of the day (or, to be more precise, loudspeakers, since these are the only components he produces himself), not an art object. I think the late Glenn Croft would have been highly amused if someone had suggested he take the same approach to promoting his amplifiers!
But if he's looking to attract the sort of well-heeled young clientele that feels comfortable attending prestigious art galleries, then, yes, I suppose it's a valid marketing strategy.
Graham H
pfm Member
The hifi industry is on its knees wondering how it is going to attract a younger generation of new customers. Maybe embracing contemporary Art and Design movements is the way to go. I bet many younger people genuinely interested in music feel more at home in an art gallery than a hifi shop or hifi show - after all music is an art and hifi is about design. I’m watching this with interest, and wouldn’t hesitate to visit the Lisson Gallery if I lived nearer London.
Did anybody get to hear the BN tape sessions? (Engels? Paul?).
It’d be interesting if LJC attended and reported back. (Doubt if he will though unless those tape spools were pressed by Plastylite).
Did anybody get to hear the BN tape sessions? (Engels? Paul?).
It’d be interesting if LJC attended and reported back. (Doubt if he will though unless those tape spools were pressed by Plastylite).
I bet most young people genuinely interested in music have no qualms about using hi-fi shops - what has changed in the 40 years since I bought my first serious hi-fi system that has supposedly made these stores such intimidating places to visit?
It's not just young people that the industry is failing to attract, it's females of all ages too, but art galleries is not the answer. Audio equipment is not art and spinning records is not sound art; Devon Turnbull's system may be perceived as such only because it is exotic and has serious retro appeal, not because there is anything novel about the experience it provides.
It's not just young people that the industry is failing to attract, it's females of all ages too, but art galleries is not the answer. Audio equipment is not art and spinning records is not sound art; Devon Turnbull's system may be perceived as such only because it is exotic and has serious retro appeal, not because there is anything novel about the experience it provides.
Heme
Well-Known Member
I too like to think his work is not sound art nor is it an art work/ object whatever they call it. But I think he’s doing an interesting intersection of art, sound and music. An installation set up that is visually attractive, together with pleasures and attractions of hifi and music. Maybe that is why what he is doing is refreshing. He simply merge the strengths and weaknesses of both art and hifi into one space.
Tony L
Administrator
Agreed. What he’s doing is great IMO. It is also a neat twist between established concepts, e.g. the many ‘live vs. recorded’ demonstrations from the likes of Quad, Wharfedale, Leak etc back in home audio’s golden age that took place at classical music venues, plus the whole Japanese culture for ‘jazz bars’ etc. The Japanese have led the way for decades when it comes to high-end audio; not the mass market stuff they sell to the world, but establishing the whole idlers, valves and horns vintage culture that Devon is building on. It is all just another facet of the same story. This is real audio, not the naff consumer or vulgar oligarch lifestyle tat that we are usually force-fed. He’s presenting ideas more than selling equipment. I bet a lot who visit will have had their eyes opened and will walk away knowing there is far more to hi-fi than some tacky little gloss painted MDF box with tiny drivers for a couple of £k. That is a very good thing IMO. I wish I could get there for a listen!
gustav_errata
pfm Member
Although he obviously is looking to make money and has things to sell, by presenting the system in an art gallery where it's not being directly sold to the majority of visitors, what he is doing is not directly comparable to a hifi shop display room or a traditional hifi show. The design-focused event is instead inviting us to consider what could be, via the interactive display of one ideal of a hifi system. When most of the world has turned to small smart speakers, Bluetooth speakers, and sound bars, this is a bold presentation of a polar opposite alternative. I believe the best outcome of this would not be hundreds of new orders for Ojas systems bit rather people going home and looking into how they could put together a more modest system with similar goals.