A Day Of Mixed Emotions

I'm sorry George!

Btw......there was a couple for sale not far from here which were refurbished by experts.....a hell of a temptation!

Dear Gianluigi,

If you can afford the temptation then be tempted.

As Oskar Wilde said, "To resist temptation is to be weak." Or something of the sort! 

The ESL experience is something nobody who cares for great music reproduced in the home should miss!

Very best wishes from George

Hi George,

I think I understand mixed feelings (although you speak of emotions) better than anything else. I seem to only be able to have both a feeling and its contradiction... Together, of course.

I wonder if I could live without loudspeakers: in my younger days, the image itself of a stereo system was the that of the two loudspeakers at the two sides of something, be it a stack of electronics, a sofa, a cupboard with modern vases on it..

Quads are even more iconic: I still remember the first time I heard them, at the SIM in Milano in 1974; it was a revelation.

I hope you'll get over any feeling of separation from such an umbilical - it's my impression that you have one of the most deeply emotional connection with reproduced music among the forum members, so I wish you good times of enjoyment whatever the medium, as long as music is there.

Best

Max

Dear Max,

Thanks for your post. Not everyone understands that replay must be the servant of music rather than the master.

Med Glad Hilsen, with best wishes from George

I shall miss my annual listen.... but I also fully understand George's motivations for re-aligning his replay choices.

Joff

A sad day indeed George,

At least you are getting much music from the Sennheisers.I was looking foward to you getting the Leak mono Poweramp but with the Troughline dying and all that it wasn't to be.But never say never.

As Max says your connection to music on the forum is awesome.You have introduced me to some lovely classical.I particularly enjoyed the Baroque a couple of years ago you gave me a link to.

Being a electrostatic user my self with Quad 2805's the vanishing act they can do in the sweetspot is magical.But from what you have posted on the Sennheiser thread they sound comparable with the the 57's.Never been a headphone listener but I am seriously tempted to have a dem of different cans up to £500 now...I blame your enthusiasm and the forum !

ATB   Ian

They are on their way in a friend’s car. Hopefully they find themselves in the hands of a happy new owner by the end of the day.

Just listening to this 

Tárrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra

Something blue for the moment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdaPoUNk5R8

Segovia in splendid form. People play this so fast these days, like something out of a Tarantino film sound track. This is a Spanish song of lament when played by a master like Segovia. All the time in the World ...

ATB from George

Thanks!

I am lucky enough to have this piece on commercial release. Of course I never saw Segovia in concert, but that is the glory of recording. It preserves what otherwise would only be legendary and still unknown.

ATB from George

George, this is no surprise, you have been signposting this for a few weeks now but does feel an end of an era. I also feel ever so slightly responsible with my musings on valve headphone amps and Sennheisers...that led on from valve tuners and home made balanced aerials.     but I am glad you are at a place you are enjoying your music replay even more.

I share your observation that replay equipment is subsurvient to the audio replay process and not the master... and reading these forums it's fascinating to see how many perhaps have different perspectives... but that of course makes this an enjoyable place to peruse... on the whole..

Simon

Dear Simon,

Please don’t feel in anyway responsible! For certain I did follow up on your posts about the Little Dot Mk 3, but it came before any final commitment to selling the amps and speakers. 

I have the aim of entering into a shared ownership of a retirement apartment next year, so you could call it clearing the decks ready for a major operation! Anything that I own that is of value will be weighed in the balance concerning this ...

I do hope that in a while it will all be settled, and then I might consider going back to a single ESL, and getting the Trough Line completely rebuilt will all new capacitors and resistors! That will not be cheap. It is a lot of work, but this is because I liked what the TL did when it was going well. I think that security will bring a great deal of contentment from where I can build up confidence!

And the LD 3 is a splendid thing! I am not deprived with the HD 600s, so powered ... 

Very best wishes from George

Gianluigi Mazzorana posted:

I'm sorry George!

Btw......there was a couple for sale not far from here which were refurbished by experts.....a hell of a temptation!

Gianluigi, if you're not too far... Here you can listen to a pair of 2812.

George, I'm not for sell it because I'm knowing you will return, one day or another, to ESL, but I'm consulate knowing that are now well used by a friend of you!

Tárrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra

Segovia in splendid form. People play this so fast these days, like something out of a Tarantino film sound track.

 So true George, and for a fine example of how NOT to play it just click on the John Williams clip on the right to the Segovia video you shared, and he rips through it in under 4 minutes, with no emotive concept at all. That then segues into a Yepes video where he does it even more mechanically on a 10 string...then Kim Chung doing it much the same.

Unfortunately this is a syndrome that has been afflicting classical guitar for some time now.  Technical perfection devoid of any feeling or interpretation.

There's a LOT more to playing classical guitar than playing all the right notes in the right order.  (Or any any other guitar or music for that matter.)

I've ordered The Art of Segovia and will download it tomorrow. When I play it I will think of you, George, and the wonderful introductions to music that you have given me over the years. 

Hey Nigel, don’t be sad. I am not leaving the Forum, though I shall not have much to post about replay!

But I’ll hang around in the Music Room!

Thanks Maurizio. I do believe that one day if all the ducks get lined up, I’ll have another ESL, but there is a lot to sort out in the meantime! I know perfectly well that there is no other speaker type that would please me over a long time except the ESL. Once bitten there is no turning back!

Best wishes from George

Dear George,

I would just like to wish you love, peace and happiness, as you move into a new chapter of your life.

Please take care..

Graham.

Strange to say, I am not sad now that the ESLs have actually left. They brought a great experience, and one I would love to repeat if circumstance does allow. 

The run-up was different.

After they had left, I spent the day on the usual household chores, and then tinkering with the old Carlton. I fitted a cheap Halfords wired speedometer and burnished the wheel rims, especially the braking surfaces. And changed the front large chainwheel from 53 to 52 teeth. Not that that will make a really significant difference, but even marginal things can help!

I shall be totally happy when the new owner reports successful setting up of the ESLs!

Dear Graham, Thanks for the kind words, but I have a nice job [just about to be nine years since I started there], and what I want to do is get the housing equally secure. I value security of housing as the top priority, so if I can do that then things really will fall into place.

Best wishes from George

I was thinking of you today listening to Friedman playing Mendelsohn's Songs without Words, and Beethoven Kreutzer sonata with Huberman on the same Naxos album. I'm sure you'd love it.

all the best

mike

Dear Mike,

Those Huberman recordings [of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and his “Kreutzer" Violin Sonata] were my most recent special find. Even after all these years, I am still finding special musical performances, though I have to admit that my search for new music is fairly much among the composers I love best, because there is so much great music that nobody could listen to it all and become intimate with it in a lifetime. 

Even if you said one composer, I believe that Haydn and Bach both wrote more music than one person could actually learn by heart!

ATB from George