Old becomes new.

I just got my work out. I dabbed in music. Let me explain. I have in my drum room a sound system that play music while my students try on an exercise. It was an old PA system, nothing fancy.

Meanwhile, I also kept my very first sound system somewhere in the house. We are talking vintage gear here. I got the stuff back in 1993. I think I already told the tale of that purchase in my blog, you can dig if you want, I won’t do it. Anyway. My intention was to sell that retro stuff. But, no two ways about it, I had to set the system up to give people a chance to hear it.

The sweat came when it was time to move the speakers, which weigh as much as a dwarf star. And there were two of them, and there were some stairs. Crud! I almost fell and broke my face, my collar bone and the rest, but, in the end, in my drum room sat my venerable sound system of yesteryears. I hooked it up to my little computer. I chose some oldie but goodie on Tidal and listened.

Well, tickle me pink and call me Daddy, it sounded really good. I was so surprised. More than good, actually, it sounded great! Everything was smooth and buttery. The highs were not shrill, the medium were well define without being overwhelming, and the bass, Holy Moly, the bass was fast and strong and powerful and glorious. I fell in love again. Couldn’t help it. I have listened to some excellent system throughout the years. Some with more definition, more clarity, more natural delivery, a bigger sound stage, a tighter imaging. And yet, this old junk was charming my socks off all over again. Among audiophiles, you get all sorts, like the analog people against the digital ones, that’s a great rivalry right there. There are the vintage guys, too, which I’ve never understood. Until now. Is the sound the music coming out of the speakers totally natural? No! that’s true. It’s not transparent, that’s for sure. But, it doesn’t matter. You want to listen to it, it pulls you into its orbit. And isn’t that the goal of any sound system, to make you listen?

All right, then, this gear stays with me. I don’t care, I’m not selling.