Ultimate Audio Experience – STEINWAY!
Car audio is a funny old field and the public perception those who do not ‘˜get’ it – is solely in the direction of the boom. For they do not see the Phil Drouets, the Davids Higgins and Legg looking happily rapturous as they drive. They know nothing of Rafal the new boy, so rapidly climbing the sound off pure sound quality competition scene with his awesome audio kit. No, they know about the Iceman. They see the pisstake of my Max Power and Fast Car boys on insurance ads on the TV.
And I have tried to explain that there IS such a thing as ‘˜real HiFi’ in a car. I have got literally nowhere in twenty years of trying, although one magazine editor once told me that there was the ‘˜new’ field of ‘˜home cinema’ and that proper reviewers would not touch subwoofers, so I might have an in. Turns out I did and I have worked for Home Cinema Choice magazine since its first issue, as a freelance reviewer ever since, with my thumbnail in each magazine, saying I am the UK’s ‘˜leading expert in extreme audio’ and that I write about, ‘˜Bass, HiFi and cartoons’.
And it was for Home Cinema Choice that I first met Rob Sinden of Gecko Home Cinema. They sell astonishing stuff, including the Steinway Model D loudspeakers, builded just like their pianos.
Rodders gone deeeep
And as the audiophile is only as ‘˜golden eared’ as the best quality they have ever heard, I figured the time was over ripe to gather some Talk Audio SQ faithful and ask Rob to let us come and listen to the improbably good stuff he has there in his demonstration facilities. This was to provide a new quality reference for those lucky souls who could come along. Placement, imaging, clarity, potency and dynamics would all be supplied in more sumptuous splendour than they had ever heard before, or I am thin, I told them.
The remote is tempting
I enjoyed it immensely and even filmed myself playing the intro to a Pink Floyd track that can dismantle me. But in the event, it was not usable on a few levels. One was the clarity of the sound track on the video being too good, (this means YouTube climb on your non-copyright music use.) the other is I have a little faceleak but am so embarrassed that I actually uttered some odd noise of giggle that I had wept upon camera and even I reached my embarrassment limit besides, it spoils the track.
Anyway, the simplest thing to get some feel of how it was, is to just get a quote from the attendees as to what THEY thought. We know I am a beyond-convert.
The Sound Quality Audiophiles & How It Felt
Roderic ‘˜Rug Doctor’ Davies, was the only one I could not get hold of all day. (I think he was in Agrabah off the ‘˜net) so I will let him chip in by way of comment beneath! ‘mcc’ (name withheld), who said, ‘Very impressed, we played with the Steinways’ internal DSP system after you left. It had unmatched dynamics no matter how loud it played, it never compressed and no change in tone. It was the best midband I have ever heard. I was also in awe of the cinema set-up we were also played. A big 5.1 system, with huge sub bass. On the Model D though, I thought I could tell what metal the saxophone was made out of!’
Marty Cabbie, who said, ‘I enjoyed it it has made me rethink, my system though. It was absolutely brilliant. The top was unlike anything I have ever heard before. It’d be interesting to see if we could get some ‘˜air’ tweeters in a vehicle. I think they would cost a fortune, though. Rob was a top geezer and while I was sort of expecting someone quite stuck-up because the stuff was so expensive, I was happy to find he was a really nice guy!’
Mark Petersen, who said, ‘It was a perfect assault on my senses, visually stunning, audibly arresting!’
Carl ‘Shaky’ Shakespeare, who said, ‘Thank you very much, what a brilliant opportunity! It was unreal. Not many people get to listen to that level of equipment. It was the best sound I’ve ever heard. I am quite a realist, so I know I won’t go away and think I should try to reach that. So it was just such an opportunity. The whole set up at Gecko was really good, Rob himself is quite awesome, Really a ‘˜shut up and listen’ kind of a guy! It was good mate! I was so happy I didn’t want to leave at the end.’
Jonathan ‘Slomo’ Goldsmith, who said, ‘Absolutely awesome system. What I found most interesting was how the speakers project their sound when there’s no back to the enclosures. I actually expected them to go louder! The technology and craftsmanship in the Model D were simply incredible. The cinema system was just awesome, too and has given me a new benchmark. Thanks ever so much for the opportunity. I am going back to Gecko soon check out some options for upgrading my own home cinema speakers.’
A huge thanks to Rob at Gecko Home Cinema, link who sell MK Sound speaker systems starting at around two grand with tripoles at the rear and can go up to seven figure projects if you need fine audio around a large property.
