Finding your groove: getting into vinyl with Audio-Technica
I’d like to think that I could’ve been friends with the late Hideo Matsushita, founder of Japanese Hi-Fi powerhouse Audio-Technica. If I could, I’d travel back in time to 1960’s Tokyo, where a young Matsushita curated “vinyl listening sessions” at the Bridgestone Museum of Arts, exposing visitors to the sounds and possibilities of high end audio and the warmth of vinyl records. I imagine sitting with him in a mod coffee shop, listening to the stories of what he witnessed in those sessions, the conversations he had with visitors, and what ultimately motivated him to head back to his small apartment above a ramen restaurant and start an audio company of his own. In the histories I’ve read regarding AT’s humble beginnings, Matsushita’s motives seem clear. Produce high end audio at affordable prices, bringing audio excellence into spaces and to customers that simply didn’t have access to it before. His first two products, the AT-1 and AT-3 phono cartridges did exactly that, and...
Dec 6, 2023
Also hopefully you or someone else splurged on your behalf and you got some nifty new gear? Santa (and some credit card or another) brought me some spanking new Campfire Audio Vegas. Holy crap they're wonderful. I have a pair of Jupiters and told myself I didn't need anything else....ever. That self of mine rarely listens though. There's nothing these earphones can't do splendidly. The bass on these is just endless, deep and rumbling...but only where and when it's meant to be, and stops on a dime. You'll find layers of sub bass that you never knew was even there. All this awesome power and range and yet a Norah Jones song or Sade will just melt you with clarity and emotion. I have and enjoy most every genre of music you can think of, haven't sampled everything yet but confidence is high.
I learned from many years collecting watches that it's a lot like an addiction, you're always chasing a stronger "high". You start with Invictas and waste quite a bit of money till you're into IWC and Rolex land. I finally grew tired of watches and found headphones. I prefer iems after a half dozen or so circumaurals, peaking out at Hifiman 400i's and Senn 600's. So now I have my Jupiters, JH Audio 13ciems and these glorious Vegas and a few other less notables.
I run my music from an iMac and Grace Design m900 (up from a JDS Labs Element, which is excellent). I also use Roon, Tidal, Bit-Perfect and JRiver.
So did the holidays bring you good people any great new swag?