Sparkling Delights

…John DeVore whizzes by at light speed to ‘talk shop’ with guests…

What naturally happens when you combine stacks of music on vinyl, great gear, 10 pizza’s, 2 trays of sushi, drinks and of course 50~ friends throughout 2 nights night for music and camaraderie?  A very successful Greenhaus™ event, of course!  According to many, such as my customer Jeff G. from Los Gatos, California, my studio is a “..fascinating Alladin’s Cave of sparkling delights.”  Thanks Jeff, I like that!

The first night we warmed up with the awesome DeVore Orangutan O/96’s and as the night progressed we wired up the new Gibbon X (..photos soon, promise!..) loudspeaker, a first store debut, fresh from CES, to much applause.  The most erie part of the evening was when my good customer Steve P., from Sacramento, requested to hear his copy of Louis Armstrong’s St. James Infirmary Blues.  It was staggering through the LignoLab 301/EMT 997/Shindo SPU, Shindo Vosne-Romanee and Corton Charlemagne EL34 Mono amps, driving the ‘X’s.  So much so, the relatively loud conversation and murmur in the room ceased immediately upon the first measure of the music.  Goosebumps.  Btw, It was so packed this night it was tough to take photos!  John DeVore is definitely on top of his game.

I’d like to thank my friends John DeVore and Jonathan Halpern for taking the time to visit after a long CES show, and eagerly chatting it up with a few of you.  Of course, many thanks to all my customers and friends, both near and far (my good customer Bill D. visited from Texas, for example), who stopped by to hang out and listen to tunes and share a common bond.

…enjoying the vibe of the LM Audio 755..

The next night we started out with the new LM Audio 755 Field Coil Loudspeakers.  They have a purity of tone and a delicacy that single driver (crossover less) designs excel at.  Add to this the field coil design and it’s a magical listening experience.

Electronics this night consisted of the awe-inspiring Shindo 301 Player System, Shindo Giscours preamplifier and Lafon GM70 Amplifiers.  Everything was held nice and tidy, as well as maximized sonically, by the stout LignoLab Pneumatic Equipment Support.  This night culminated with enjoying the Shindo Latours – any record we played, such as the awesome album J.R Monterose & Joe Abodeely Trio In Action, produced the same effect as actually being in the room with the musicians (btw, if you listen to a lot of electronica/ambient music, you will feel as though you are in the computer, I guess 🙂 )

…enjoying the hot seat…

I actually witnessed a bunch of folks become startled a few times (actually looking up at the space in which the music was emanating from) expecting to see live musicians in the room as some tunes were played.  Fun stuff!

…audio banter between tracks before the music comes alive on Latours…

I naturally had a good time playing host and spun a wide range of music over the two evenings.  Everything from Belafonte Sings the Blues, Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue, Sam Cooke, Coltrane Ballads, Sinatra at the Sands to Starker Cello Suites, Curtis Mayfield Live.. to.. let’s see what else.. Coltrane Live at Birdland.. Don Cherry.. Tom Waits.. Townes Van Zandt.. The Doors..  Alla Rakha.. a touch of Floyd..Neil Young Live Massey Hall sounded phenomenal.  Sorry we didn’t get a chance to enjoy all the music brought by a few of you, but our cue stack was overflowing. Additionally, there was much music I wanted to dig deep and play – next time!

One of my first guests on the second night, digs in.

…Jonathan Halpern (Tone Imports) partaking in festivities…

Suffice to say, it was a jam packed two evening affair.  I will define my Greenhaus event as a time to unwind for a while and get together for a little music and company, while admiring the capabilities of the best audio equipment in a comfortable setting.  It’s not a time to necessarily audition, nor analyze (like imaging, or sound staging or other hifi spectacular) at these get togethers.

Although, yes, the gear is fun and a large part of it and showcasing certain products is to be expected.  But, when you start obsessing there is a tendency to stop listening to the music.  In fact with 25+ people in the room each night, it is literally impossible to demonstrate, per se,  audio equipment (many bodies absorb sound and change tonal characteristics to a large degree).  I’ve learned a few things to make the next get together even better..

Stay tuned for the next dates.

…when the musics over, turn out the lights…