Page 28 - Protagonist 108

I t all started with the djs. They have remained
(nearly) always faithful to vinyl, the classic 33
rpm records being particularly congenial to the
effects of altering the rhythm of the tracks that disc-jock- say that the classic analogue configuration envisages a turnta-
eys love surprising the public with from their consoles.
To a large extent, it is them we must thank for the fact that vi-
nyl records did not completely cease to be made while CDs and
digital music ruled the roost. However, analogue reproduction
of music is making a comeback; re-releases of legendary classi-
cal music concerts and the milestones of jazz, pop and rock on
180-gramme vinyl discs or re-pressed in monophonic versions
(a strictly philological choice for pressings made up to the 60s)
are proliferating; even the major chains specialized in consum-
er electronic goods are starting to open departments dedicated
to LPs. So once again it is perfectly normal to see people stroll-
ing around with the latest Bob Dylan LP under their arm... A
passing fad, a vaguely snobbish phenomenon? Absolutely not.
In fact, an ever-increasing number of people believe that ana-
logue music sounds better than digital. “The diaspora between
analogists and digitalists is all based on the harmonic frequen-
cies, which digital’s procedure of breaking down and sampling
sounds struggles to reproduce as well as analogue does. This
is not an insignificant detail, if we think for instance that the
uniqueness of the timbre of Maria Callas’ voice is provided spe-
cifically by harmonics”, explains Giulio Malegori, president and
CEO of a leading Italian advertising and digital communica-
tions firm. This last circumstance does not prevent him from
declaring himself, on the audio front, a staunch ‘analogist’, as
evidenced by his collection of 10,000 vinyl discs. From Vienna,
Ludwig Flich, music critic and organizer of klangBilder, one
of the most important trade fairs for hi-fi enthusiasts, echoes
Malegori: “Digital offers a valid solution to phenomena such as
the typical crackling that is sometimes generated by the physi-
cal contact between the cartridge and stylus and the groove of
the record. It should, however, be said that the compact disc
has greater problems of stabilization than vinyl records; prob-
lems that only a high-end CD player can resolve efficaciously”.
Top of page, left, the ultra-light RP-10 from the English manufacturer Rega, with a skeleton base, made from materials that are also
used in F1. Price: 4,900 euro, 5,500 dollars in the United States (excluding cartridge; www.regaitalia.it). Right, Gyro Dec
J.A. Michell Engineering (2,900 euro without tonearm and stub, approx. 2,500 dollars in the USA; www.michell-engineering.co.uk).
28 PROTAGONIST / N. 108
And so, we have switched to analogue. What system should we
choose? Without getting too deep into the technicalities, which
we would rather leave to the specialist magazines, we will just
ble, consisting of the platter and the tonearm which holds the
cartridge (often sold separately in top-of-the-range systems); a
pre-amplifier, which is responsible for normalizing the signal
coming from the cartridge (a much weaker signal than the one
that comes from a CD), a power amplifier, and loudspeakers.
The Forte S model from EAT with surfaces in ebony or
Gyro Dec from Michell Engineering with its transparent
look, right up to the fabulous Gabriel from the Swiss
company DaVinciAudio Labs, somewhat more demanding in
terms of investment (68,000 euro, approx. 73,000 US dollars),
are turntables that unite superlative performance with a highly
alluring design, making them authentic works of contemporary
art. It’s a similar story with speakers, where the go-to brands are
the American Rockport Technologies, whose Arrakis speakers
will set you back around 287,000 euro (310,000 US dollars, give
or take. Don’t worry; that’s for the pair...), and the Australian
Kyron Audio. We could devote an entire chapter just to valve
amplifiers, well known for their aesthetic appeal and for the
extraordinary quality they confer on the listening experience.
Malegori also warns us not to underestimate the importance of
the cabling, and the wires that connect the different components
of the system together (not forgetting power cables): “Analogue
reproduction of music basically consists of the chain that the
electrical signal generated by the cartridge traverses before
being converting back into the waves that vibrate the cones in
the speakers. Once you understand this, you see the importance
of investing in good quality cables”. These can be made from
special alloys of silver and copper and can cost up to several
thousand euro. Much appreciated by analogists, lastly, are the
so-called ‘record-cleaning machines’, which are able to greatly
reduce the electrostatic charge that builds up on the surface of
vinyl, negatively influencing the quality of the sound. There are