Your buffer arrived this afternoon and immediately went into my gear. initially, i thought it would be prudent to let it burn in for several days before i wrote to you, but what greeted me has proven such a wait is not needed. i used several cd’s which i think might be somewhat universal among us.
first one i listened to was glenn gould’s 1981 goldberg variations in its fantastic anolog version reissue. everyone knows that glenn gould had the annoyance of a habit to hum along as he played. i usually could tolerate or even ignore this idiosyncracy of the great artist, that is, until this afternoon when the low humming in the first track – aria turned into singing, or rather a recognizable melody, with your buffer’s help. once the lyrical and gentle aria was over, i was greeted by a sudden burst of strength from the second track – variation no. 1 that sent a sensation of surge into my arms through the finger tips something i would normally feel at a higher volume setting, which sometimes bordered on being too noisy. for this album, my usual volume had been set at 12 o’clock, and it was at 10 this afternoon.
enigma’s name sake album has always been my favorite for test listening, in which case i really only mean “principles of lust” for its excellent instrumentation. my listening volume was at 9 instead of the usual 11; nevertheless, i was feted with a much more brutal mauling than i had gotten from any previous volume preference. the bass was rushing at me in waves of throbing vibration that sonically compressed my chest cavity, and the steel frame of the couch that i sat on also was sending counter-resonance through my body. vocals in this song were no less gorgeous – the latin verse sounded truly preacherly, the gregorian chant was sonorous all the way to the ceiling, and the female panting was downright erotic instead of immodest.
the last album was the carpenters’ greatest hits. karen’s voice took on a tinge of melancholy in “yesterday once more” in addition to its already silken quality, and the background really came through but never intruded to the front. what i like about karen carpenter is sometimes the insouciance and languorousness in her voice, rather elusive qualities but captured here.
in summary, this buffer has brought clarity, presence, and power. the vocals are much more palpable but not “in your face”; the bass has added more density and more of a clearly defined shape; the higher register is coming out with aplomb but no shrill. the overall rendition speaks faithfulness and honesty with fidelity to details. i don’t know how much db gain this buffer brings, but whatever it gains here translates not so much in a louder volume as in true musicality and character.
complements to you all,
Feng Shanghai