I could hardly call it a blur-moment a week ago. That is a more spontaneous occurrence. You enter a shop (just to browse) and come out twenty minutes later carrying something, having little idea of what happened, but being conscious that the balance on your Visa card has gone up like a rocket on Guy Fawkes night.
Much more agonising and web browsing took place, and being ignorant of the jargon I searched for a specialist retailer, but they are rare. I found Searle Audio at Barrow-in-Furness. I spent a couple of hours in their dedicated listening room comparing different systems with no pressure and sound common sense advice.
Last Saturday they came to my house and installed everything with a rare thoroughness including maximising all the settings on my tv.
In the past I had to almost stand on my head at the other side of the room to read a tiny display to select tracks on a cd. I now have a mini system next to my chair providing superb stereo sound on the tv, playing of music direct from my iPad via Bluetooth, or playing cds with easy track selection, and all combined with a brilliant DAB radio. I am rediscovering Radios 3 and 4 and many CDs that I had forgotten I had - I am in heaven, but...
...tomorrow I will abandon all this hedonism because I'm off on my travels again. Once you see the first post, hopefully tomorrow evening, you will be in a little doubt about the first part of my intended route. In preparation, yesterday I decided to tidy the front garden and severely stubbed my toe which now appears bruised and is still painful the day after - retribution for my rash expenditure? I hope it settles down a bit more before I set off.
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| Arcam Solo Mini Music Player |
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| Home made speaker stands for KEF Q100 speakers. Plastic drainpipe filled with pea gravel and painted black. All held together by internal threaded, bolted rod. |
Put the speakers somewhere else. The stands suggest seats in a Swedish bar (comfort derived from the most discouraging shapes) and this too is a step in the right direction. Here you may loll drinking Absolut vodka - the drink with philosophical overtones. Forget Mozart too, concentrate on Sibelius's fourth, a work that VR has elevated to her top five. Listen also to Stenhammer even if he isn't Scandinavian; his surname is a rhythmic outburst all on its own. Allow this act of prodigality to change you for ever; read Robert Musil and bar your door to everyone other than the postman. Practice eccentricity; don a fez and smoke a nargileh. This moment is too valuable to let slip.
ReplyDeleteRR - the stands are not in situ. They are much less prominent in their proper place.
ReplyDeleteI have been listening to Bartok and some Ives. Also the Fauré Requiem which I didn't like - seemed lightweight.
I think I might put a fez on my Christmas wish list and see what happens.