PART I
It's difficult for me to sum this all up in a way that explains it properly. The shortest way possible would be to say that on Thursday last week, I purchased a matched pair of KEF Reference Model 105.2 speakers, with matching A&B serial #s.
Even coming across a pair of these speakers is enough, but for me it is major achievement and milestone. The culmination of a year-long search. There are other speakers and items of gear that I am interested in, but the 105s are basically the only piece I had to have.
It's difficult to explain what it is about the 105s that intrigued me so much, but I first became aware of them talking to someone who became an audio mentor to me while I was still working in HT sales. Keep in mind that I'm only 24 now, so it was something new to meet someone who had been in the business for 25 years and cared about sound in a way that few others in it that I've met do. We were in a store that had moved location and wasn't being advertised properly, so we had a lot of time to stand around talking. I'd pick his brain about TT setup and anything else audio related that I'd never had access to answers about. I forget how it came up, I guess it was one of the times I was complaining about the current lack of focus on stereo gear and asking what kind of good equipment he used to sell back in the day, and he started talking about some classic speaker designs. The KEF 105s, 104/2s and B&W 801s are some models in particular that I remember. I looked them up and got particularly interested in the 105s because of their TOTL status, their current prices and their power requirements. (And the way they look...) And the more KEF gear I heard, the more I wanted to find 105s.
I admit, I became a little obsessed. At times I maintained a daily ritual of searching for KEF or even just "speakers" in every local or semi-local classified ad listing. Even sometimes when I wouldn't have been able to afford them, I had to look, just in case a pair showed up. And a few did, but at market value I couldn't spare the cash.
But after those early hits, they just didn't seem to exist. The habit was fading away. I was checking the most local Craigslist once or twice a week. Until last Saturday, after going to visit my buddy at the old store. He asked me if I'd found a pair yet, and on a whim I extended my search a little bit the next day.
And I found a pair. A lot cheaper than usual. I'd only seen them go this cheaply on an auction website, when people refused to ship them and didn't set a reserve or had crappy photos/description. And admittedly, the photos weren't outstanding here. The ad was already a day old... at that price there was little chance they were still around. And even at that price, with tuition due I didn't really have the cash...
Well, they do look a little shabby, I told myself. I'll email the seller, find out that they're in bad shape and cure this feeling that I'll regret ignoring them. Already I was thinking about how to free up the cash. I realized that'd it mean a lot to have some really excellent speakers. There was a fair amount of stuff I was willing to sell to get them. I decided on my surround speakers, a 5.1 setup composed of the Athena Technologies AS series. I'd bought them cheaply while I was in sales, but I'd gotten better speakers for less since. I figured I would be able to sell them and get more money back than I needed for the speakers. But not fast enough!
The next day, my girlfriend was visiting.
"Darling," I said. "Sweetie, honey... take a look at this!"
"What?"
"These are those speakers that I've been obsessing over, and they're asking much less than they usually go for!"
"Should I buy them for you," she asked, looking me in the eye, no malice or hidden meaning.
"Uhhh, wow, uh, that'd be convenient," I managed to stammer. "I thought you'd just tell me I was crazy for looking at them. I decided I would sell my surround system for them. There's no way I could move it fast enough, though. And anyways, they probably are in crap shape, at that price."
"Well, I'd rather you didn't lose a lot of money on your speakers trying to sell them quickly. Just pay me back when they do sell."
I was astounded. I mean, she's great, yes, but this was incredible.
And yet I knew, the speakers had no chance of either being available or being worth anything. Things could only be going so smoothly if it were true that they were bad. I knew, somewhere unseen, in the background, Fate was quietly slipping the lead into the boxing glove.
PART II: THE REPLY.
I didn't receive a reply. The next morning, I was checking my email every hour, but nothing came. I got bored, and went for a drive around some shops with my brother. In the evening I picked up my girlfriend, and we were making dinner when I remembered to check my email. There was a reply! Hours ago! No details about the speaker, just "I'm in and out today, give me a call." I called. They were out. I waited five minutes, and called again. No luck.
I went back upstairs and tried to act normal. Things needed doing for dinner.
Twenty minutes passed, and I was losing it. I told myself I'd at least wait for half an hour to have passed before I tried again, and then I'd leave it to them to call me back. Minutes crawled by. Finally it was time, I dialed the number. The phone rang, and rang - and then was picked up! But there was no greeting, just silence. I ventured a querulous "Hello?" The lady on the phone sounded more confused than me. "Hello?" she said. And then "Who is this?"
"I'm calling about the speakers... from Craigslist."
"Oh!," she said. "I had just connected the phone, and picked it up and there you were. Let me get my partner, they're his."
I didn't know what to make of the seller. It was difficult to get him to say anything definite about the condition of the speakers. I had been hoping it was an original owner, but he'd just picked them up. He said they sounded fine, but I couldn't tell what his frame of reference was. When I said I was from Canada he wanted to talk politics, which would have been fine if dinner hadn't been ready. I was finding the conversation a little frustrating, I was feeling like I was being a jerk to my girlfriend, but I had to know more!
We moved on to talking about stereo equipment and he mentioned his main system, which sounded rather impressive. He was seemed hesitant to deal with me, and told me that he'd had to part out some KEF 104/2s that he had picked up because all his buyers lamed out and didn't show up. I told him that I'd send him a deposit electronically if he'd give them a good listen and let me know more about their condition before I made the trip. He agreed, so I sent it while still on the phone. 45 minutes had passed.
I went upstairs, and apologized profusely to my girlfriend. We had dinner.
That night, a windstorm blew through the lower mainland. The power went out, here and everywhere. I hadn't written down contact info anywhere. I had told the seller that I would be in contact with him, and that I would come check out the speakers on Thursday. The power company was estimating that I wouldn't have electricity until Wednesday. Wednesday I was going to be out all day, culminating in taking my girlfriend to a concert. I wouldn't have time to call him that day.
You can imagine that I spent the day in a major state of stress.
But the power came back, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. I emailed the seller. Things were going well again.
On Wednesday, I hadn't heard back yet. I was feeling the stress. And then my car broke down while I was traveling to pick up my girlfriend. Stupid alternator/waterpump belt tore up as I exited the highway. I was stuck for four hours getting that sorted out for various reasons. Fortunately, I hadn't been planning to use that car to pickup the speakers. In any case, at this point I didn't think it was even happening. I was glad I'd used a credit card for the deposit.
Eventually I got my car rolling again, and just then the seller called with his address. I had my girlfriend take the call and write down the address. We make it to the show, only missing the opening acts, which our friends said were worth missing. The main band was great, though.
The next morning I'm worn out, and still feel cold from standing by my car so long the night before. There are wind and rain warnings for most of my route, and I'm going to be driving a sail of a van with nothing but a tape deck - and not one I'd trust any of my good tapes on. I can't stop thinking about everything I need to get done to leave and the wait at the border and hours alone in the car on a boring bloody interstate. I'm just about ready to give it up, but I know there aren't any days that I could conveniently get any friends to ride-along and that I can't throw away the chance. Yeah, the slim chance that the speakers might actually be good...
Now it's time to go, and I get everything together, borrow the van, buy a tape-adapter for my mp3 player, change my money, and pack a road lunch. I'm on the road! And I'm finally across the border and rolling by 5pm.
Winds assail me. Rain assails me. Tiredness drags at me, and I want to turn around. I can't focus on anything around me, even singing along with the music isn't keeping me in the game, forcing myself to keep my eyes moving isn't helping. I forgot a water bottle, and I'm parched, but I know that it's the make or break point and I can't stop. Despite the cold, I open the windows for some air. It works. Within 20 minutes I'm back. The wind and rain and traffic are still all keeping me moving slowly, but I'm thinking positive and I can focus. I'm less concerned with time, I start enjoying the music and maneuvering through the storm.
I get to the ferry and although I didn't bother to remember when all the sailings are, I've arrived within 15 minutes of one. The weather has slowed me down enough that I've missed peak traffic, and I load almost immediately. I stay in the van and nap for the trip, and wake up feeling even better. The weather is still bad, but the road ahead has curves in it. Everything is going well.
Until I arrive on the seller's street...
PART III: A YURT AND HOME.
Their address doesn't exist. I drive up and down the street, shining my flashlight at mailboxes and gates looking for it. There's nothing close to it. I phone to ask for clarification, but there's no answer. The situation is too absurd for me to begin feeling depressed. And then my phone rings! It is the seller's partner. She tells me that, yes, they actually are up the private dirt road that I hadn't noticed. She says that she'll wait for me at the end of the driveway with a light.
I drive the trail up the hill, and finally see the light ahead. She greets me and apologizes for me getting lost.
"You must have thought we were sending you on a wild goose chase!" she says. "We're right out there! Off in the forest and on solar power."
The driveway is a rough and pitted track through ragged trees. I see cars ahead and stop behind them; the bushes come too close to move any further. She meets me and explains that she is running a generator to pump water for their wood-heated hot tub, because the well drains so much power. As I go forward, the ground becomes more groomed and a clearer path is picked out until I am following a stone pathway. Ahead in the dark is a low, round building, and when the light shines on it I see that it appears to be a temporary dwelling. We come to the door and the seller opens it, a stick of incense in one hand.
"Hi, David. Come on in, I'll show you the speakers."
"Hi! Sorry for taking so long to get here."
I am immediately greeted by two mid-sized dogs. I look around the yurt, an inverted salad-bowl of a building with wall-hangings everywhere. There is a very welcome heater directly beside the door, and the middle is cozily roofed by a second floor that I learn is a dog-free bedroom. The right side of the building is filled with stereo equipment, and suddenly I see KEF 105s for the first time in the flesh. They invite me to sit down in a chair they have positioned conveniently for listening, and a Steely Dan record is soon spinning. The track he choses is Deacon Blues, which happens to be the only one I am familiar with. It's also a song that I like a fair amount, as I am someone who ought to be learning to work his own saxophone. Next up is Van Morrison, and Lucinda Williams, playing from a Coda preamp and Aragon power amp. (Didn't catch the CD source, although the TT was a Dual). The KEFs sounded beautiful. I checked their ferry schedule, paid, loaded the speakers and said warm goodbyes.
My drive back to the ferry was great. The weather has cleared up and I was able to make good time and once again sail off after a brief wait. I read the KEF setup guide and thought about how I was going to connect them and whether I would drop off the van first or set them up and listen to them immediately upon returning. I drove off the ferry at midnight, and was back home by 2:30.
Of course I set them up and began listening immediately.
The first album was Jean Guillou's organ adaptation of Pictures At An Exhibition. It was sounding good, but something was worrying me about the bass. I loaded up Nick Lowe's At My Age and confirmed that I was getting a buzz from the right woofer. When I hooked it up I had noticed that one of the speaker connections was a little loose and now the woofer being messed up on top of that was giving me a real sinking feeling. I wasn't sure how to respond.
So I opened them up, and pulled out all the damping material.
I was able to confirm that nothing was loose inside the cabinet... except the speaker connection's nut. A quick tightening and it was at 100%. Now to inspect the woofer. I checked for coil rub with it flat on its back... no good. I tried a few more times. Wait... it seemed to work okay some of the time. What was I doing that was working? Of course, applying completely equal pressure. It was late, simple things like that were getting easy to miss. I tried turning the speaker and putting it back in. I held my breath and pressed play again...
and was transported. It was all worth it. The speakers were imaging like nothing I had ever heard before, and showing levels of detail I hadn't known before. It was like taking an eye-patch off and getting glasses all at once. And yet so relaxed, so effortless. I had to tear myself away to go drop off the van (I had left my car at my sister's so I could get the van back for her to use in the morning without having to wake anybody). I came home again and as tired as I was had to listen to more. Sam Phillips, James Hunter, Baltimore Consort, Boccherini's guitar quintets. So many new things! The last, in particular, had always disappointed me because it seemed to have hardly any guitar, with most of the playing being on the string quartet part of the ensemble. Not on the KEFs, the guitar is always there, no matter how softly it is playing and how loudly the strings play on top. It was time for a record, so I spun one up and -
noticed something terrible.
My cartridge isn't very good! But more about that later.
After three hours of sleep, I got up for class. I had to try very hard to focus on my lecture till I could get home and start listening again. I spent the rest of Friday listening until I fell asleep, very relaxed, in my chair.
Saturday my girlfriend and I were off to another show. I picked her up before it and made her listen to "her" speakers while I got some dinner together. I tried not to say anything, to let her come to her own conclusions.
"There's something weird about these speakers..." she said.
"Yes..." I said, forcing myself to not tell her what she was hearing.
"They're... really, really, really good!" she said. "They're amazing! It's like you're not in the room, they're placing everything so exactly."
Then she asked to hear a record. "There's something about that..." I said. I put on some Nick Lowe.
"Oh... this isn't as good, is it?" she said.
"Well, I'm not sure. I don't think so."
We tried Joan Armatrading.
"No, this isn't so good. You need to get a better cartridge!"
I couldn't help laughing. "You know," I said, "when I post this on Audio Karma, they're all going to be very jealous..."
:thmbsp:
It's difficult for me to sum this all up in a way that explains it properly. The shortest way possible would be to say that on Thursday last week, I purchased a matched pair of KEF Reference Model 105.2 speakers, with matching A&B serial #s.
Even coming across a pair of these speakers is enough, but for me it is major achievement and milestone. The culmination of a year-long search. There are other speakers and items of gear that I am interested in, but the 105s are basically the only piece I had to have.
It's difficult to explain what it is about the 105s that intrigued me so much, but I first became aware of them talking to someone who became an audio mentor to me while I was still working in HT sales. Keep in mind that I'm only 24 now, so it was something new to meet someone who had been in the business for 25 years and cared about sound in a way that few others in it that I've met do. We were in a store that had moved location and wasn't being advertised properly, so we had a lot of time to stand around talking. I'd pick his brain about TT setup and anything else audio related that I'd never had access to answers about. I forget how it came up, I guess it was one of the times I was complaining about the current lack of focus on stereo gear and asking what kind of good equipment he used to sell back in the day, and he started talking about some classic speaker designs. The KEF 105s, 104/2s and B&W 801s are some models in particular that I remember. I looked them up and got particularly interested in the 105s because of their TOTL status, their current prices and their power requirements. (And the way they look...) And the more KEF gear I heard, the more I wanted to find 105s.
I admit, I became a little obsessed. At times I maintained a daily ritual of searching for KEF or even just "speakers" in every local or semi-local classified ad listing. Even sometimes when I wouldn't have been able to afford them, I had to look, just in case a pair showed up. And a few did, but at market value I couldn't spare the cash.
But after those early hits, they just didn't seem to exist. The habit was fading away. I was checking the most local Craigslist once or twice a week. Until last Saturday, after going to visit my buddy at the old store. He asked me if I'd found a pair yet, and on a whim I extended my search a little bit the next day.
And I found a pair. A lot cheaper than usual. I'd only seen them go this cheaply on an auction website, when people refused to ship them and didn't set a reserve or had crappy photos/description. And admittedly, the photos weren't outstanding here. The ad was already a day old... at that price there was little chance they were still around. And even at that price, with tuition due I didn't really have the cash...
Well, they do look a little shabby, I told myself. I'll email the seller, find out that they're in bad shape and cure this feeling that I'll regret ignoring them. Already I was thinking about how to free up the cash. I realized that'd it mean a lot to have some really excellent speakers. There was a fair amount of stuff I was willing to sell to get them. I decided on my surround speakers, a 5.1 setup composed of the Athena Technologies AS series. I'd bought them cheaply while I was in sales, but I'd gotten better speakers for less since. I figured I would be able to sell them and get more money back than I needed for the speakers. But not fast enough!
The next day, my girlfriend was visiting.
"Darling," I said. "Sweetie, honey... take a look at this!"
"What?"
"These are those speakers that I've been obsessing over, and they're asking much less than they usually go for!"
"Should I buy them for you," she asked, looking me in the eye, no malice or hidden meaning.
"Uhhh, wow, uh, that'd be convenient," I managed to stammer. "I thought you'd just tell me I was crazy for looking at them. I decided I would sell my surround system for them. There's no way I could move it fast enough, though. And anyways, they probably are in crap shape, at that price."
"Well, I'd rather you didn't lose a lot of money on your speakers trying to sell them quickly. Just pay me back when they do sell."
I was astounded. I mean, she's great, yes, but this was incredible.
And yet I knew, the speakers had no chance of either being available or being worth anything. Things could only be going so smoothly if it were true that they were bad. I knew, somewhere unseen, in the background, Fate was quietly slipping the lead into the boxing glove.
PART II: THE REPLY.
I didn't receive a reply. The next morning, I was checking my email every hour, but nothing came. I got bored, and went for a drive around some shops with my brother. In the evening I picked up my girlfriend, and we were making dinner when I remembered to check my email. There was a reply! Hours ago! No details about the speaker, just "I'm in and out today, give me a call." I called. They were out. I waited five minutes, and called again. No luck.
I went back upstairs and tried to act normal. Things needed doing for dinner.
Twenty minutes passed, and I was losing it. I told myself I'd at least wait for half an hour to have passed before I tried again, and then I'd leave it to them to call me back. Minutes crawled by. Finally it was time, I dialed the number. The phone rang, and rang - and then was picked up! But there was no greeting, just silence. I ventured a querulous "Hello?" The lady on the phone sounded more confused than me. "Hello?" she said. And then "Who is this?"
"I'm calling about the speakers... from Craigslist."
"Oh!," she said. "I had just connected the phone, and picked it up and there you were. Let me get my partner, they're his."
I didn't know what to make of the seller. It was difficult to get him to say anything definite about the condition of the speakers. I had been hoping it was an original owner, but he'd just picked them up. He said they sounded fine, but I couldn't tell what his frame of reference was. When I said I was from Canada he wanted to talk politics, which would have been fine if dinner hadn't been ready. I was finding the conversation a little frustrating, I was feeling like I was being a jerk to my girlfriend, but I had to know more!
We moved on to talking about stereo equipment and he mentioned his main system, which sounded rather impressive. He was seemed hesitant to deal with me, and told me that he'd had to part out some KEF 104/2s that he had picked up because all his buyers lamed out and didn't show up. I told him that I'd send him a deposit electronically if he'd give them a good listen and let me know more about their condition before I made the trip. He agreed, so I sent it while still on the phone. 45 minutes had passed.
I went upstairs, and apologized profusely to my girlfriend. We had dinner.
That night, a windstorm blew through the lower mainland. The power went out, here and everywhere. I hadn't written down contact info anywhere. I had told the seller that I would be in contact with him, and that I would come check out the speakers on Thursday. The power company was estimating that I wouldn't have electricity until Wednesday. Wednesday I was going to be out all day, culminating in taking my girlfriend to a concert. I wouldn't have time to call him that day.
You can imagine that I spent the day in a major state of stress.
But the power came back, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. I emailed the seller. Things were going well again.
On Wednesday, I hadn't heard back yet. I was feeling the stress. And then my car broke down while I was traveling to pick up my girlfriend. Stupid alternator/waterpump belt tore up as I exited the highway. I was stuck for four hours getting that sorted out for various reasons. Fortunately, I hadn't been planning to use that car to pickup the speakers. In any case, at this point I didn't think it was even happening. I was glad I'd used a credit card for the deposit.
Eventually I got my car rolling again, and just then the seller called with his address. I had my girlfriend take the call and write down the address. We make it to the show, only missing the opening acts, which our friends said were worth missing. The main band was great, though.
The next morning I'm worn out, and still feel cold from standing by my car so long the night before. There are wind and rain warnings for most of my route, and I'm going to be driving a sail of a van with nothing but a tape deck - and not one I'd trust any of my good tapes on. I can't stop thinking about everything I need to get done to leave and the wait at the border and hours alone in the car on a boring bloody interstate. I'm just about ready to give it up, but I know there aren't any days that I could conveniently get any friends to ride-along and that I can't throw away the chance. Yeah, the slim chance that the speakers might actually be good...
Now it's time to go, and I get everything together, borrow the van, buy a tape-adapter for my mp3 player, change my money, and pack a road lunch. I'm on the road! And I'm finally across the border and rolling by 5pm.
Winds assail me. Rain assails me. Tiredness drags at me, and I want to turn around. I can't focus on anything around me, even singing along with the music isn't keeping me in the game, forcing myself to keep my eyes moving isn't helping. I forgot a water bottle, and I'm parched, but I know that it's the make or break point and I can't stop. Despite the cold, I open the windows for some air. It works. Within 20 minutes I'm back. The wind and rain and traffic are still all keeping me moving slowly, but I'm thinking positive and I can focus. I'm less concerned with time, I start enjoying the music and maneuvering through the storm.
I get to the ferry and although I didn't bother to remember when all the sailings are, I've arrived within 15 minutes of one. The weather has slowed me down enough that I've missed peak traffic, and I load almost immediately. I stay in the van and nap for the trip, and wake up feeling even better. The weather is still bad, but the road ahead has curves in it. Everything is going well.
Until I arrive on the seller's street...
PART III: A YURT AND HOME.
Their address doesn't exist. I drive up and down the street, shining my flashlight at mailboxes and gates looking for it. There's nothing close to it. I phone to ask for clarification, but there's no answer. The situation is too absurd for me to begin feeling depressed. And then my phone rings! It is the seller's partner. She tells me that, yes, they actually are up the private dirt road that I hadn't noticed. She says that she'll wait for me at the end of the driveway with a light.
I drive the trail up the hill, and finally see the light ahead. She greets me and apologizes for me getting lost.
"You must have thought we were sending you on a wild goose chase!" she says. "We're right out there! Off in the forest and on solar power."
The driveway is a rough and pitted track through ragged trees. I see cars ahead and stop behind them; the bushes come too close to move any further. She meets me and explains that she is running a generator to pump water for their wood-heated hot tub, because the well drains so much power. As I go forward, the ground becomes more groomed and a clearer path is picked out until I am following a stone pathway. Ahead in the dark is a low, round building, and when the light shines on it I see that it appears to be a temporary dwelling. We come to the door and the seller opens it, a stick of incense in one hand.
"Hi, David. Come on in, I'll show you the speakers."
"Hi! Sorry for taking so long to get here."
I am immediately greeted by two mid-sized dogs. I look around the yurt, an inverted salad-bowl of a building with wall-hangings everywhere. There is a very welcome heater directly beside the door, and the middle is cozily roofed by a second floor that I learn is a dog-free bedroom. The right side of the building is filled with stereo equipment, and suddenly I see KEF 105s for the first time in the flesh. They invite me to sit down in a chair they have positioned conveniently for listening, and a Steely Dan record is soon spinning. The track he choses is Deacon Blues, which happens to be the only one I am familiar with. It's also a song that I like a fair amount, as I am someone who ought to be learning to work his own saxophone. Next up is Van Morrison, and Lucinda Williams, playing from a Coda preamp and Aragon power amp. (Didn't catch the CD source, although the TT was a Dual). The KEFs sounded beautiful. I checked their ferry schedule, paid, loaded the speakers and said warm goodbyes.
My drive back to the ferry was great. The weather has cleared up and I was able to make good time and once again sail off after a brief wait. I read the KEF setup guide and thought about how I was going to connect them and whether I would drop off the van first or set them up and listen to them immediately upon returning. I drove off the ferry at midnight, and was back home by 2:30.
Of course I set them up and began listening immediately.
The first album was Jean Guillou's organ adaptation of Pictures At An Exhibition. It was sounding good, but something was worrying me about the bass. I loaded up Nick Lowe's At My Age and confirmed that I was getting a buzz from the right woofer. When I hooked it up I had noticed that one of the speaker connections was a little loose and now the woofer being messed up on top of that was giving me a real sinking feeling. I wasn't sure how to respond.
So I opened them up, and pulled out all the damping material.
I was able to confirm that nothing was loose inside the cabinet... except the speaker connection's nut. A quick tightening and it was at 100%. Now to inspect the woofer. I checked for coil rub with it flat on its back... no good. I tried a few more times. Wait... it seemed to work okay some of the time. What was I doing that was working? Of course, applying completely equal pressure. It was late, simple things like that were getting easy to miss. I tried turning the speaker and putting it back in. I held my breath and pressed play again...
and was transported. It was all worth it. The speakers were imaging like nothing I had ever heard before, and showing levels of detail I hadn't known before. It was like taking an eye-patch off and getting glasses all at once. And yet so relaxed, so effortless. I had to tear myself away to go drop off the van (I had left my car at my sister's so I could get the van back for her to use in the morning without having to wake anybody). I came home again and as tired as I was had to listen to more. Sam Phillips, James Hunter, Baltimore Consort, Boccherini's guitar quintets. So many new things! The last, in particular, had always disappointed me because it seemed to have hardly any guitar, with most of the playing being on the string quartet part of the ensemble. Not on the KEFs, the guitar is always there, no matter how softly it is playing and how loudly the strings play on top. It was time for a record, so I spun one up and -
noticed something terrible.
My cartridge isn't very good! But more about that later.
After three hours of sleep, I got up for class. I had to try very hard to focus on my lecture till I could get home and start listening again. I spent the rest of Friday listening until I fell asleep, very relaxed, in my chair.
Saturday my girlfriend and I were off to another show. I picked her up before it and made her listen to "her" speakers while I got some dinner together. I tried not to say anything, to let her come to her own conclusions.
"There's something weird about these speakers..." she said.
"Yes..." I said, forcing myself to not tell her what she was hearing.
"They're... really, really, really good!" she said. "They're amazing! It's like you're not in the room, they're placing everything so exactly."
Then she asked to hear a record. "There's something about that..." I said. I put on some Nick Lowe.
"Oh... this isn't as good, is it?" she said.
"Well, I'm not sure. I don't think so."
We tried Joan Armatrading.
"No, this isn't so good. You need to get a better cartridge!"
I couldn't help laughing. "You know," I said, "when I post this on Audio Karma, they're all going to be very jealous..."
:thmbsp:
