In this months article, Matt from Audio T Cardiff takes a look at how we connect to music and how choosing the right Hi-Fi system can further ignite our passion for music and also expand our music collection…

Music in Evolution

If we really think about it, music has always been a driving force for us as a race. Regardless of our personal tastes, there is something for everyone. Casting our minds back roughly 40,000 years ago to early human civilisation, rudimentary handmade percussion instruments were being played around the fire, creating different rhythms, dancing and singing. People making their own musical entertainment, this was the start of it all.

Fast Forward around 38,200 years to the genius of Ludwig Van Beethoven with his era defining ‘5th Symphony’, jump again another 160-odd years to the late 1960s with yet another musical genius, Jimi Hendrix, which everybody will know for ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’.

Moving forward again to the 1970s, we have the likes of Black Sabbath and their early track ‘Black Sabbath’ that believe it or not used to scare some members of the audience due to the rather ominous guitar tone of Mr Tony Iommi and Ozzy’s lyrical content (which never stopped me listening). Some would say this is where heavy metal started. Moving onto the 1980s, and one of my personal favourites, Van Halen. Mr Edward Van Halen turned music on its head yet again and changed how we think about playing the guitar and the evolution of heavy metal as we know it with tracks like ‘Jump’ and ‘Panama’.

Now, admittedly the aforementioned artists are particular favourites of my own musical tastes. It is important to remember that throughout these periods, there were countless artists pioneering different genres. Take for example Hip-Hop and acts like Public Enemy, who rose to fame with tracks like ‘Don’t believe the Hype’. And of course we can’t forget the Beastie Boys who believe it or not actually started as a punk band but became more well known for their Hip-Hop side with their breakthrough album ‘Licensed To ill’ and of course the track everybody knows, ‘Fight For Your Right’.

It’s safe to say that music is so deeply embedded in the human experience that we often take it for granted.

“Music is the key to everything”

Anyway, enough of me talking your ears off about music history as you all know there’s a hell of a lot more out there than the small number of artists I’ve just talked about. But what do all of these famous bands and acts have in common? They are all innovators in their different styles of music, and have all in some way influenced our lives and left their mark regardless of what music we’re into. Whether you’re into Classical, Hip-Hop or you’re an old rocker like me, we go out and buy their albums, go to their gigs and festivals and we are drawn into their music that has made a connection with us.

As my Dad used to say to me when I was very young, “Music is the key to everything”. It’s stuck with me my whole life, I even say this to my own kids to this day… I feel I was very lucky growing up. My Dad was a sound engineer working for Harlech Television (HTV) , which is now known as ITV Wales. At the time I spent a lot of time hanging out in the studios after school (probably much to his annoyance). The guys there would always play albums to keep me entertained. Even then I found music to be a beautiful distraction.

The first time I heard Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” was in those studios. The track “Time”, with the clock chimes, still makes me jump to this day. I also first heard Van Halen “Jump” as a result of hanging around the studios. Both bands and their albums are firmly implanted in my memory. It’s safe to say that my Dad was my biggest influence on my musical tastes. I feel he was definitely right when he said “Music is the key to everything”. I couldn’t imagine a day without music in my life, a day without music would be a very dark and sad one for me.

Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories

All of us will no doubt have a song or an album that brings back a memory. That magic when you first hear a guitar riff or drum beat, that person sing for the first time, the emotional connection we have with music. This sensory phenomenon is known as Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories (MEAMs). It can also be induced by Rhythmic entrainment, a process whereby an emotion is evoked by a piece of music because of a powerful, external rhythm in the music. For instance, Van Halen will always put a smile on my face, although the songs weren't always written about happy subjects, such as “Ain’t talkin bout Love”. Perhaps it’s the association that Van Halen influenced me to learn to play the guitar. Who knows?

To me Eddie Van Halen was and still is the coolest, although he’s sadly no longer with us his musical influence stays true till this day. Even going to my first gigs seeing my favourite bands, especially later on with my wife, have had a great influence on my musical taste.

When I talk of an emotional connection and how it affects us, as we know music can make us happy, putting a smile on our faces, make us dance or even bring a tear to our eye.

Music has the power to help and in some cases heal. There are many forms of music therapy. Many people think it is joining in and playing instruments as a group, but listening can have the same positive effects. This is no more apparent than when patients with crippling Alzheimer’s or dementia listen to a piece of music that reconnects them with favourite memories., making them lucid and talkative. Studies show that music has great benefits on our mental health. It never ceases to amaze me (I know this will sound cheesy), the power of music and what it can do.

It’s all for the love of it…

Over my years, especially in the music side of retail, I feel I’ve been lucky enough to see connections customers have with music first hand, with customers from my days in the pro audio industry handing someone their first guitar, hitting that first chord and watching their reaction, the look of excitement as the sound of the guitar comes to life, whether it being an electric guitar through an amplifier or playing acoustically, it’s that magic.

Years on, I proudly work for Audio T and I count myself very lucky to watch similar reactions, this time with customers listening to their favourite pieces of music on a high-fidelity sound system. Watch feet tap and heads nod, watching facial expressions change when they become engaged with that album or piece of music. There’s nothing like talking to like-minded people about such a great subject that I'm passionate about, as we’re all passionate about music.

Rega planar 10 rega aria with rega elicit mk4… And they call this a job?

recent vinly & coffee evening at mec coffee shop crwys road

As we know, the last decade has seen a massive resurgence in vinyl, with more independent record shops hitting the high streets, not just the veterans such as Spillers records and The Record Exchange, both situated here in Cardiff.

In fact, we’ve been running our own vinyl evening at our local coffee shop, Mec Coffee.

Sound Reproduction

Many of you will already own fantastic hi-fi systems, capable of reproducing music to the highest quality. But for those that don’t they might find themselves asking “Where do I start building a Hi-Fi system?”

One of our favourite entry setups consists of a Rega Planar 1 turntable, Rega iO amplifier and a pair of Dali Spektor 2 speakers, and maybe even a pair of Atacama Nexus speaker stands. This is a great example of how you don't have to break the bank to get a great sounding Hi-Fi system. There are many other choices in turntables, Rega has a fantastic range from the Planar 1 right up to the legendary Naiad.

But let’s not forget there is a great range of CD players and transports out there such as one of our favourite brands Cyrus Audio. With their new Classic Range and their flagship XR Range and fantastic QXR Dac. Their very existence proves CDs are very much alive and well.

But if you didn't want to go down the physical format route and perhaps look into streaming music, a great option would be the Bluesound Node streamer which you can plug straight into the Rega iO amplifier.

Streaming

Streaming music can certainly help with exploring new music, with services like Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz there’s a whole feast of music at your fingertips. For instance, I use it for exploring new bands and to decide whether I’m going to buy an album on vinyl.

There are countless streamers available on the market, such as the previously mentioned Bluesound Node. There are other great streaming products out there like Naim’s Uniti range and Cyrus have also got a new range of steamers coming very soon.

As I know myself, choosing a Hi-Fi system is very much like choosing a musical instrument, both are very personal to the listener and as I always say “there are no wrong answers”. Whether you like more of a bright and lively sound or a warmer tone, there is something for everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re using vinyl, CD or streaming; the amplification, the speakers even down to the speaker cable, each part of a Hi-Fi system is very personal. Much like the feelings and memories we have when we listen to certain songs.

So why not give us a call or pop in and see us to share your music experiences and let us take that journey through Hi-Fi with you.

Thank you for reading

Matt, Nick and Kerrin - Audio T Cardiff

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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