UHF No 70 (Net).indd - Ultra High Fidelity Magazine

Waitley, “It’s not what you are that
holds you back, it’s what you think
that you are not.” I was reminded
of that statement when I heard Gaetan’s
first comments as we
started on our tour.
“I don’t think my
ears are t rained
enough for this,”
he said, sounding
almost apologetic.
And yet, Gaetan is,
among many other
things, a guitarist
who remembers carrying
his instrument
along as reference,
when he bought his
first pair of speakers
(and what did he
settle for, you may
ask? Magnepans!).
“But that was a long
time ago,” he adds.
Strange, how many
people underestimate
their ability to simply
appreciate music when faced with an
array of sophisticated equipment. I don’t
know much about this, some would say,
dismissing the idea altogether, or I’m
not an expert. Yet they go to concerts,
they talk about what they heard, and
they know what they enjoyed and what
they didn’t.
Touring With Witnesses
This year I toured the Montreal
show twice with two very different
companions, and I thought I’d share
their impressions with you as if you
were here with us. I let them guide me
Feature In the words of psychologist Dennis
Illustrations:
Above: the unusual Wilson Benesch Discovery
speaker, with its external woofer.
Lower right: Musicians from a local high
school playing live in the Delta lobby
(perhaps to show us all up). On the next
page: two turntables. At top, the affordable
Pro-Ject RPM9 with carbon fi bre
arm and electronic speed control. Below,
the eye-catching Clearaudio Master
Reference.
28 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine
by Albert Simon
through the different rooms (well, okay,
I also suggested a few I thought should
be on our list), and I often asked them
to go in fi rst and let me know if I should
come in too. Interesting.
This won’t be an actual review, just
impressions, comments, a lot of nods,
raised eyebrows and silent wows.
“Look at this, a Thorens turntable, I
didn’t know they still made them,” said
Gaetan as we listened to a clear rendition
of Muddy Waters playing through a
Unico integrated amp and Opera speakers,
handcrafted in Italy. He didn’t say
much else, but I liked the presence and
the immediacy of the music. He didn’t
say much in the next room either, and yet
we were both impressed by the sound of
the blue and silver Shanling equipment,
glowing quietly. We took the time to
listen to Jheena Lodwick singing Getting
to Know You through a pair of ALI
Acoustics speakers.
We had an interesting experience
in another room, where a Krell SACD
player was hooked to professional-looking
Nagra amplifi ers playing through a
pair of Parsifal speakers by Verity Audio.
A track of Fidelio’s SACD Via Crucis
by Liszt was on: beautiful choral voices
rose airily, firmly supported by low
organ notes. And then the same track
was repeated in multichannel, using
an additional pair of similar speakers
behind us. We looked at each other with
raised eyebrows, the music fi lling the air
and seeming to transport us. As we left,
the same procedure was repeated with
Nicolas Major on solo guitar. Gaetan had
doubts written on his face. “My ears are
not yet accustomed to surround sound,”
he explained.
He smiled broadly as we entered the
next room, staring at the pair of B&W
805 Signature speakers, “I should be
able to recognize their sound, I have a
small pair of B&W speakers at home.”
Their music was fi nely produced by an
all-Classé system with the CAP-2100
integrated amp and CDP-100 player.
Later, as we listened to the Naim and
Spendor combination in another setting,
Gaetan pulled out one of his CDs
and asked to listen to it. It was a Frank
Martin composition played by guitarist
Jürgen Ruck. “Remarkable neutrality,”
he exclaimed. “There, that’s what a
guitar sounds like,” he added, looking at
the Naim CD5 player, NAC 112 preamp,
NAP 150 power amp and the Spendor
Classic SP3/1P speakers. As we were
leaving, I glanced at the Nottingham
Horizon turntable. “They’re back,” I
said. I don’t think he believed me.
Gaetan was now leading the way,
from one room to the next; his doubts
about his discerning ability had diminished,
and when we had listened for a bit
in some rooms, and he shrugged with an
apologetic smile, and I knew it was time
to explore some more.
Facing the large Martin-Logan
Ascent speakers he became very still,
totally concentrated, and asked to listen
to the same Frank Martin guitar piece.
The Wadia (Series 3) 302 player played
it through the Blue Circle BC3 Galactica
MKII (a dual mono linestage preamp)
and the BC28 hybrid power amp. Gaetan
didn’t say a word. He slowly sat down
and asked to listen to another of his
CDs, featuring the Hilliard Ensemble
of male voices. “Voices are the ultimate
test for me,” he whispered. He left the
room reluctantly, lost in his thoughts.
(He would often refer to this moving
experience after the end of his tour.)
Another memorable experience he
had was with the Living Voice Avatar