Australian Hi-Fi 45
SOundTRavelS
ST: Do you have a first memory, a first
unforgettable impression of your very first
musical experience?
PS: When I was a young kid my dad had
a beautiful Telefunken valve radiogram,
purchased in the very early 1960s. It had
that wonderful warm dynamic sound that
has led me to own valve amps today. The
turntable/cartridge was a bit of a ‘nail-on-
the-vinyl’ combo, but it had a great sound
as a complete system... and it never needed
any repairs in the 20 years we had it.
ST: How old were you then?
PS: I remember being about three or
four years of age.
ST: What ‘hi-fi equipment’ impression
started you on your quest for hi-fi gear?
PS: It was the fabulous equipment and
wonderful sound quality at the many hi-fi
dealers in Hong Kong where I was living
at the time... Radio People Ltd and Excel
Hi-Fi, who had JBL Paragons, Magneplanars,
Audio Research amps, Thorens and Garrard
turntables with exotic arms and cartridges,
Nakamichi cassette decks, Mark Levinson
amps... oh those were the days!
ST: What’s the best audio system you’ve
ever heard?
PS: An amazing guy in Bretagne, France
who builds hi-fi equipment and also builds
working steam trains. His reference system
featured his own turntable with an air
parallel tracking arm and specially built
EMT cartridge. These fed into his own valve
preamp and power amps, and then into his
own ‘Orthophase 40’ speakers. Each one
includes 40 planar ribbons and an ionic
tweeter of his own design.
ST: What did it sound like?
PS: Astonishingly beautiful. (Sighs). Any-
way, I bought a pair of his OR-27 speakers,
which are wonderful.
ST: You have lots of audio equipment
around your home—predominantly from
the 1970s. Do you have a particular interest
in this period in terms of brands, or more
specifically, models?
In this issue we visit a British audiophile who has acquired a
veritable museum’s worth of classic UK audio gear.
Sound TravelS