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Demetris Backlavas, Ypsilon Electronics INTERVIEW
‘To electronically re-create the sound of acoustic
instruments, price no object, that’s an aim of
ours—we think about it constantly—how to
improve our products,’ says Baklavas. ‘It’s almost
an unattainable peak, but the pleasure is in the
climb.’
Both men were in Australia to exhibit
in the rooms at the show booked by Telos
Distribution, which distributes both brands
in Australia, Telos itself being run by the
redoubtable Con Lucas. All three men agree
that what makes Demetris’ and Mark’s suc-
cess so sweet is that they rely on research and
development over marketing brawn, which
has allowed them to make front page news
in audio magazines around the world—from
Australia, to Europe and the USA. ‘In audio,
thankfully, quality doesn’t equate with quan-
tity,’ says Demetris. ‘Ingenuity trumps all.’
In his review of the Ypsilon Aelius mono-
bloc in Stereophile magazine Michael Fremer
wrote: Greek austerity ends at the factory door
of Ypsilon Electronics. The luxury components
designed and manufactured within are innova-
tive, high-performance, visually elegant, and
expensive. They’re aimed at audio enthusiasts,
mostly outside Greece, who can afford to indulge
themselves... and as Ypsilon’s slogan suggests,
their products are “untouchable... but not un-
reachable.”
The aspiration of obtaining the best state-
of-the-art equipment appeals not only to
well-heeled audiophiles but also to the simply
‘well heeled’: those wanting audio in their
yachts and overseas holiday homes. At the
same time, according to Demetris, a house-
hold name who knows sound and heads one
of the biggest music companies in the world
recently upgraded his system with Ypsilon
monoblocs. ‘These are not cheap,’ says Dem-
etris, ‘but the real cost is embedded in countless,
unpaid hours of research and development.’
Despite this, Demetris considers retail price
to be a moot point in his design philosophy.
‘It’s not about money, it’s about sound,’ he says.
‘Music is an art, it’s a science—it’s not always
fun, but it has a purpose, a philosophy, and
the Greeks as a people love their music in all its
guises: in concert, in their homes, and in public
places. Our company in Athens is still small but
we are ambitious. We can compete on quality,
and a price-no-object basis with any company in
the world.’
You could say the epiphany started in
Vegas. But in reality the hard yards were done
long before that fateful meeting in a corridor.
I asked Demetris to elaborate on his personal
quest to give voice to the lyre of Orpheus in
audio form.
Peter Xeni: ‘Is there any particular product
that you’re most proud of?’
Demetris Backlavas: All our products are
very special in design and we are very proud
of our uniqueness, compared to our competi-
tors. There’s something different and unfussy
about them that appeals to listeners.But I would like to say I didn’t do this with-
out a lot of help from others, particularly my
partner Fanis Lagkadinos. In reality, it’s more
accurate to say that me and Fanis did eve-
rything together before I met Mark. For the
record, our phono stage and amplifi ers are
two of the components we are most proud of.
If I’m allowed to say so, I am very proud of
all the equipment we have here at the show.
The Amplifi er SET-100, Pre Amp Silver Wind-
ing PST-100MkII, D/A Converter DAC-100,
Phono Stage VPS-100, CD Player CDT-100. All
of them represent a lot of innovation for us.
PX: How did this career in hi-fi begin?
DB: I started this company in 1996 with
my partner Fanis Lagkadinos, who is now
aged 50 also. I was an electrical engineer,
fi nishing my advanced studies in 1992 in
Athens when I fi rst became active in audio.
We started very small in the Greek market in
1996 with a few components and expanded
from there.
My life in hi-fi began at about age 17,
when I built my fi rst amplifi er in high school.
I knew very early on what I wanted to do in
my life. At the same time while I was study-
ing I recorded live performance for broadcast
and on record for staging companies in pub-
lic arenas as a sound engineer. The mixing
desks for some of these events, I made them
myself. I have now about 25 years experience
as a sound engineer in developing systems for
live concerts. They are big events in Greece.