“Does Frank want a drink?”, my husband calls from the kitchen. It’s a running joke about our home music system: at times it truly sounds like a private gig is going on in our living room. In this instance, a new vinyl pressing of one of my favourite albums – Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely – is on the turntable, and ‘Ol Blue Eyes is back.
Pictured from left: Marshall’s Acton III speaker; Cambridge Audio Alva ST turntable
I fervently believe investing in a decent audio set-up – and regularly feeding that kit with more music – is an investment in your emotional well-being. Music lifts you up, calms you down, stirs your soul, get you singing, dancing, laughing, crying…. Sometimes all at once. And the better your music system, the more powerful the emotional connection you make with the song, the artist and the moment.
‘But that’s what gigs are for’, you cry. Naturally! I love live music – being part of a collective experience, connecting with artists you love – but tragically I’m never again going to see Prince ripping up the Roundhouse or Maxi Jazz fronting Faithless at an epic midnight Montreux Festival slot. And with ticket prices soaring, gigs are increasingly a major investment rather than a regular treat. Also, quite frankly, my festival days are over unless a luxury Winnebago is on offer.
Over the years, I’ve built a rather special home system, but shudder at the word ‘audiophile’ – I can and do listen to music anywhere, on any device (while reserving a special place in hell for people playing music from their phones speakers on public transport.)
The key is buying the best kit you can afford – no, that £40 smart speaker made for pennies is not going to cut it, and neither are those generic earbuds – and feeding it with high-quality music streams/discs/vinyl.
Pictured: Goldmund ‘Prana’ speakers
And why does quality matter? It’s what’s transforms bland, background listening into an active, engaging experience. Listening to the music you love in a higher-quality way is akin restoring a masterpiece to its original glory, stripping away the weight of grimy compression to reveal details, depth and emotion that are transformative.
So, for music streaming and digital downloads, that means Qobuz, which only has CD quality music and above – including the largest selection of higher-resolution albums. It also means revisiting discs of all types… With vinyl prices occasionally verging on the risible, the humble CD is having its own revival – as noted in this recent Esquire feature, showcasing our client, Cambridge Audio.
A recent standalone feature on the CD revival in Esquire
Whatever format you choose, it’s the music – and that connection with the artists that created it – that truly matters. Whether it’s choosing better headphones or upgrading to a superior speaker.
It’s no coincidence that the best audio products are created by companies of music lovers – many themselves musicians. You could form an epic supergroup, a cracking orchestra and even a double-drummer combo from the ranks of our brilliant music brands, including Astell&Kern, Cambridge Audio, Focal and Naim, Goldmund, Marshall, Meze Audio and Qobuz.
Pictured from left: Focal Theva N1; Meze Audio 109 Pro; Astell & Kern SR35
They’re also united by a true passion for the people and stories behind the music and bringing that to life through the product and services they provide. (On that note, check out Cambridge Audio’s fabulous Made by Music podcast.)
I was recently travelling back home on the train, in the mood to listen to some Motown. I remembered Qobuz had Mary Wells Sings My Guy in high-resolution and pressed play on the title song, both written and produced by Smokey Robinson. As the track started to fade out, I could clearly hear iconic Motown bassist, James Jamerson, strumming not the Fender Precision bass guitar he played on so many hits, but his original instrument of choice, the double bass. That track was recorded 60 years ago, and yet I could instantly picture Mary and the Funk Brothers laying down the timeless track. That’s the magic trick music can play when you listen properly.
Anyway, I must go: Frank’s Jack Daniels won’t pour itself.
