24 hours later. Its a quiet Friday morning here in Florida. I got a good night's sleep and I m looking forward to giving the big system a listen.
My first impression is this is something different. I'm not sure what to make of what I am hearing and I will do my best to explain. I think the system is doing more of what it is capable than ever before. What does that mean you ask? I think or maybe I want to believe that the Everest X is allowing the gear plugged into it to do more than they were able to do before. I say that since I don't think what I am hearing is the item but rather the system having its revealing traits unleashed to a higher order. As some of you may know I am a fan of drummers like Steve Gadd. I have a wide assortment of things and types of music I listen too but this is always a good place for me to start. I own the speakers I do partially because of how well they do the things I like that most others don't. ( a story for another time).
I played some of my favorites to see what I could find and here is what I feel. The system is less here than it was yesterday. I am hearing more of the leading and dying edges of notes ( air and space) there is a you are there sensation to the music ( live records I am playing) than ever before. Its got the toe tapping in spades, like really in spades and my mind is racing about what I want to play.
Drums are really important to me and this is the best they have ever sounded. When I listen to recordings that have space or the sensation of space they are spookier. Examples:
Fisherman- Baba Blues-
LIve * - Blues Like Midnight- Savoy Brown featuring Kim Simmonds - truly like being in that place
Here but I'm gone - Vanessa Fernandez
Kol Nidre - OP 47 - Aaron Rosand and John Covelli- something I love and play all the time never sounded more real. I believe a Peter MCGrath masterpiece IMO
Zapateado- Pepe Romero- scary just scary today
You can do it ( baby) Nuyorican Soul - George Benson
Never Can say goodbye- Joey Defrancesco- a great organ
Cryin Time - John Scofield
So What - Michel Petrucciani
Korean BBQ - Blicher Hammer Gadd
These are some of my regular listening items just not normally on the same day but today I wanted them all to try to get a handle on what was going on. I'm not sure that everyone will get what I am trying to say but I think that this otem is letting the pieces that are plugged into it to do more, maybe more than they did before. Maybe I will after a short time try to make some other adjustments to the system to see if I get more out of it as well. Maybe this won't make everyone happy, maybe they will think that more is not a good thing, maybe this will expose flaws that have been covered, who knows but I think that this is clearly more, more information, more air, more space, more extension, more decay, more leading edges. For me I respect and like that as I always find myself wanting to get more from what I have. The Shunyata crew has in the short time I have been working with them a pathway to get more, and more in a way means less, less noise, less crap, less grit, which in turn leads to more purity from your gear and the music.
I don't know if tomorrow will be better yet but its fun to FAFO.
shunyata.com
