The Splendor of Music
Almost everyone loves music. Then there are those of us that live for music. The word many don’t even know: audiophiles.
I first understood the power of music when I was an early teen and my Dad bought me a small, pretty basic stereo with a CD player. Except when I listened to good music on there, it moved me. I felt a vast array of emotions at a depth that nothing else brought. I was pretty much hooked from day one. By senior year, I had two JBL S412 speakers and the very first SACD player. I’d sit and listen all night, my heart dancing not with the beat, but with the emotional depth of the music.
Audiophiles come in all shapes and sizes for many different reasons. Most genuinely enjoy the sense of being immersed in as close to what sounds like live music as possible. Almost all are obsessed with equipment and frequently swap out components, searching for that perfect sound. In general, we’re perfectionists and nitpickers. And it’s not just speakers and stereo setups. Headphone setups can get wildly good as well so we usually have a great setup of each.
In my case, I went from the JBLs to some Paradigm Studio 100s and a Music Fidelity integrated amplifier, which was a deeply meaningful gift from a very special friend to this day. At the time, I felt surrounded by audio bliss, even though there were very few SACDs on the market and I couldn’t afford a high end CD player. I would spend endless nights on the couch listening to Damien Rice, Sigur Ros, James Blunt, Jeff Buckley, and John Mayer’s Continuum which remains one of my all time favorite albums.
It remained that way for a long time. These were the days before I had art so I would generally pick an apartment based upon having a good space to listen and the ability to turn it up loud, because if you ask any audiophile, we do not listen at normal volumes.
After many years, the opportunity arose and I upgraded to Revel Studio 2s and an NAD M22 amplifier, with just a Sonos feeding a high end DAC. Again, the leap in quality was stunning, and apart from changing out my DAC, that remained my setup until about month ago.
I finally realized I was missing out. Sonos has fallen behind the times and doesn’t support the latest high end streaming audio codecs or local files). I had many fantastic headphone DAC/AMP combos over the years and had heard truly insanely high quality audio. At one point I had a separate DAC mostly playing DSD (SACD) files going into dual mono block balanced headphone amplifiers, one for each ear, into my Audeze LCD-XCs. I would sit in my DWR LC4 and listen for hours on end, reaching a meditative state for the first time in my life through that setup. Ultimately, my situation changed and I wasn’t using it much so I sold it (as any audiophile knows, equipment is always coming and going) but man do I miss it. I still don’t have a use case where I would regularly use it but if I could fly, that setup felt like touching the sun.
This whole time, I was discovering new music. Interestingly, while I generally love all music, the songs that genuinely moves me is pretty rare. Having been an audiophile for over 25 years now, these are my all time favorite tracks:
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Jonsi - Happiness
Sigur Ros - Fjögur píanó
Damien Rice - Delicate (Live in Dublin on B-Sides)
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Ghostly Kisses - Zombie
Jason Isbell - Elephant
Iron & Wine - The Sea and the Rhythm
Joep Beving - 432
Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
Trent Reznor - Hand Covers Bruise
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
Coldplay - Amsterdam
Ludovico Einaudi - Nuvole Banche
Sigur Ros - Glósóli
Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight
Ben Frost - Theory of Machines
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Flight from the City
Jon Hopkins - Immunity (Asleep Version)
I made a playlist for you all to enjoy.
As someone with a pretty hyperactive mind who doesn’t drink, the ability to calm myself is paramount and any of these tracks can stop me in my tracks.
So about a month ago, I upgraded my DAC and Sonos to a new streaming device. Originally, I was going to get a Hifi Rose 150B, which has stellar reviews and a great look, although it was wildly expensive. Then I saw a random Youtube video of a guy reviewing the Eversolo DMP-A6. Now, this was a combination DAC/streamer with compatibility for Tidal MQA, Qubuzz 192/24, and even had a hard drive for your own DSD files, of which I have many. This review was interesting because it was a very highly respected reviewer and what he had to say was shocking. This little streaming box, which cost under $1,000, sounded as good as his $10,000 DAC. Soon, the whole internet was calling it the audiophile product of the decade. It took a few weeks since it was on backorder but I finally got one.
Those first few moments of listening to The Scientist by Coldplay via Tidal MQA redefined for me what streaming music could be and what my stereo was capable of. Quite simply, I had never heard music this wonderful in my life. Since then, I’ve been hooked. I have gone back and rediscovered hundreds, if not thousands of old tracks that sound unbelievably different and like brand new music on my new system. A relatively small purchase has once again redefined for me my adoration of music and just how capable it is of moving and calming me.
Then today, I took the step of installing the SSD and transferring my DSD and ultra high end files to it…and discovered something entirely new. This is music that it doesn’t even matter what you are listening to because it sounds so good. As a friend put it, you can hear the guitarist’s fingernails as they pluck the strings…and you can. At this level, you can just listen to music for music’s sake. I close my eyes and slide deep into my couch at a level of joy and contentment I’ve rarely experience in my life.
I find it such a shame so few people have ever even experienced anything close to this. I see so many people listening on AirPods or other bluetooth headphones with comparatively low quality setups at home. Rest assured, I have brought many a friend over, sat them down, and watched with glee as they get to experience something entirely new. I’ve converted more than a few friends to audiophiles after they get to hear what music is capable of.
So today, I’m happy, although I am of course now annoyed not all of my music comes in the ultra-rare highest quality type. Interestingly, I never got into vinyl because I’m not the type that enjoys listening to an album all the way through. I do enjoy my curated playlists and variety so I stick with digital, albeit the highest quality I can find.
Even more than my art, music has played a pivotal role in my life. I use it as a tool to shape my emotional and mental state whether working, relaxing, partying, etc.. My styles and selection go widely further than the songs listed above, but I’ve found each kind of music has its place and time. The ability to listen to it in its purest form allows me to reach a kind of bliss that little else can achieve, which is worth its weight in gold. You don’t need to spend a ton to dramatically increase the quality of your music listening experience, especially if you understand you just need to start from somewhere. If I were building a system now, I’d recommend:
The Eversolo streamer
Some polk, Bowers & Wilkins, or Paradigm entry level speakers
A Tidal Subscription
Not to say everyone can afford that, but if you’re interested in seeing what music actually is, I cannot possibly recommend it a better investment. When I move, nothing else comes out of boxes until the audio system is setup. That’s how important music is to me and my life.
Don’t you want to try it? Give it a go. If you have Tidal, let me know and I’ll send over a bunch of great playlists.
Have a good night.