Interview with Peter Smith
Peter Smith loves vinyl and playing it through his classic amp and speakers. He loves his vinyl more than any other media format.
This interview by Tom Waters was originally published in Sound Travels (reprinted with permission of nextmedia Pty Ltd).
Tom Waters: Do you have a first memory, a first unforgettable musical experience that left an impression?
Peter Smith: My grandmother had a large windup record player that played 78’s. In 1950, when I was four, I remember her playing “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”, sung by Danny Kaye. I remember it well because the record player was taller than me – it’s one of my earliest memories. I still have that same record, although I can’t play it. But the thing that really fascinated me was the way that the light reflected from the grooves, and how the lead-in groove spiralled continuously into the centre. That image has never left me, and I still enjoy watching vinyl records playing.
TW: And did that start you on the hi-fi journey or did something else start you on the audio equipment quest?
PS: At four, I was a bit young to start on a musical journey, although I suppose it did encourage me in that direction. Later, during the 1950s, I listened to the hit parade on the radio and bought some of the hits on 45 rpm 7” singles. My favourite piece was the theme from Exodus by Ferranti & Teicher, but I couldn’t play it because we didn’t have a record player. When I was able to hear it properly for the first time on a friend’s RCA Stereogram, a strange thing happened. I broke into a cold sweat, started to shake and felt dizzy. That was the strongest effect that music has ever had on me. It was also the start of my musical journey, at maybe 10 years of age!
Later in the 1960’s I was in a record shop in Melbourne when I saw an LP with an interesting cover. It had a woman with a winged helmet fighting a flying dragon. It was called Stokowski/Wagner, Orchestral Masterpieces from The Ring of the Niebelung. I didn’t have a clue what it was about, but bought the LP because of the picture. When I got home and played it, the music just blew me away – I had never heard anything like it. That was the start of my Wagner journey.
My mother was also a great help because she joined the World Record Club, and each month we would pick out records to buy. That’s how I got Solti’s Ring on vinyl, and a lot of other vinyl records as well.
TW: Where do you think your system is going, or has it arrived?
PS: It’s basically arrived because it’s been 45 years in the making. The oldest components are a pair of Dynamo A-25 speakers which I bought in 1971 when I was living in Ithaca, New York. I still use them as surround sound speakers for my AV setup. It was in Ithaca that I met my wife, so I brought her home to Australia too!
TW: What’s your favourite piece of equipment at the moment, something that you wouldn’t sell?
PS: It would have to be my Krell KSA 200 B amplifier. It was built in 1991, and is pure Class A. It has a beautiful rich, warm, and dynamic sound and also looks beautiful (in an industrial way!). But it needs a 20 amp circuit and at least an hour to warm up before it sounds its best. It’s also broken down twice, so in that sense it’s a bit like owning a vintage car that can spend a lot of time at the mechanics. It’s a strange thing - I’ve found that if something looks beautiful, it sounds beautiful. There’s no logic in that, but it tends to be the case! The second least likely thing I’d sell would be my turntable!
TW: What do you see as your next hi-fi purchase or upgrade?
PS: There is none actually, because what I’d like are the new B&W 800 D3’s, but at $36,500 a pair, that’s not going to happen! Although nothing is planned at present, I would like to be able to replace my old B&W 801 speakers. Although not really hi-fi, I’d also like to upgrade my projector to 4K and 3D.
TW: I notice you don’t have any music server. Do you intend to go with a server someday?
PS: It’s not something I’ve really contemplated, nor the idea of streaming. In my opinion, good vinyl records produce the best sound, and at present it’s worth the physical effort to play them. But the day will come, hopefully many years down the track, when I won’t be able to play them. At that stage I’d have to use streaming or a music server. Being able to just search a menu and push buttons to play music would certainly be convenient. There is however, another aspect to this whole thing. I’m a passionate collector of vinyl, DVDs and Blu-rays, much to my wife’s distress due to the lack of space! I love vinyl LPs for the cover pictures, and the extra images and booklets that come with gatefolds and boxed sets. Bookcases of vinyls look great too. Bookcases of DVDs and Blu-rays also look great, particularly boxed sets, and 3D Blu-rays with lenticular holograms on their slipcovers. I also own this physical media, and would never part with it even if I had to stream the music or listen to it on a server. That’s only zeros and ones on hard disks, and although this is growing in popularity, it doesn’t appeal to me.
TW: What’s the most memorable pair of speakers (or system as a whole) you’ve ever heard?
PS: It was at Len Wallis Audio about 15 years ago. I think the system was two Halcro dm58 mono-block amplifiers, B&W 800 pre-diamond speakers, a Meridian CD player and AudioQuest Volcano cables. At the time, that was the best sound I’d ever heard.
TW: Is there any component you’ve owned and sold that you now regret selling?
PS: In the 1960’s I bought a vinyl system from Alex Encel (Alex ran a hi-fi shop in Melbourne years ago). I sold it in 1970 because I was going to live in the US, and needed the money. For nostalgic reasons, I wish I still had it.
TW: Do you use the same music for comparing components as you do for listening pleasure?
PS: I don’t have any opportunity to compare components, but if I did, I certainly would use the same music.
TW: What genre of music do you listen to mostly and who are some of your favourite artists?
PS: My favourite genres are 50’s and 60’s pop, rock and folk, electronic and classical. Some of my favourite artists and composers are: Beethoven, Bob Dylan, Bruckner, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Harry Belafonte, Hank Williams, Kitaro, Peter Paul and Mary, Phillip Glass, Roy Orbison, Simon & Garfunkel, Tangerine Dream, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Eagles, The Seekers, Neil Diamond and Wagner. I don’t like any new stuff – after the 70’s things changed, with the exception of the Eagles. I also like performances, concerts and musicals on DVD and Blu-ray. Some of my favourites are Black & White Night by Roy Orbison and anything by Andre Rieu.
TW: What would be your ‘desert island’ music albums if you could only choose, say, three works?
PS: 1. “Belafonte at Carnegie Hall” - the Classics Records re-mastered version on eight single sided 45 RPM vinyl LPs. 2. “Songs of Two World Wars” - with Jack Warner and the Mike Sammes Singers. 3. Wagner’s “Orchestral Masterpieces from The Ring of the Niebelung” - Leopold Stokowski conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
TW: How would you describe the sound you’re getting from your current system?
PS: Vinyl sounds warm, sweet and lush yet somehow still dynamic and crystal clear.
TW: In what way does music affect your life, your emotions and the way you feel?
PS: Profoundly. I don’t know how best to describe it. If I don’t listen to music for a week, I get a strange feeling in my stomach – I’ve just got to listen to something. The music transports me. The music puts so many endorphins into my system that it even helps to overcome my back pain.
TW: Where do you see the high-end audio industry going in the future?
PS: I have no idea, because I don’t spend any time thinking about it. I find the video aspect to be as important as the audio, and for most movies these are inseparable. The new UHD (4K) Blu-rays have Dolby Atmos as part of the audio specifications. This is compatible with stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 sound systems, and is available on some 2K Blu-rays. When playing these in my home theatre system, the difference between this and Dolby Digital 5.1 is startling. It’s a moving 3D sound field where the subwoofer shakes the house. I always get worried when my windows start rattling! As UHD equipment and discs become more common, we will get better sound as well as video.
TW: Where would you like the audio industry to go or to evolve to?
PS: I would like the vinyl revival to roll on. The more vinyl the better! I would also like to see Dolby Atmos Blu-rays released with music, performances, concerts, operas and musicals.
Audio Equipment:
AV Equipment:
This interview by Tom Waters was originally published in Sound Travels (reprinted with permission of nextmedia Pty Ltd).
Tom Waters: Do you have a first memory, a first unforgettable musical experience that left an impression?
Peter Smith: My grandmother had a large windup record player that played 78’s. In 1950, when I was four, I remember her playing “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”, sung by Danny Kaye. I remember it well because the record player was taller than me – it’s one of my earliest memories. I still have that same record, although I can’t play it. But the thing that really fascinated me was the way that the light reflected from the grooves, and how the lead-in groove spiralled continuously into the centre. That image has never left me, and I still enjoy watching vinyl records playing.
TW: And did that start you on the hi-fi journey or did something else start you on the audio equipment quest?
PS: At four, I was a bit young to start on a musical journey, although I suppose it did encourage me in that direction. Later, during the 1950s, I listened to the hit parade on the radio and bought some of the hits on 45 rpm 7” singles. My favourite piece was the theme from Exodus by Ferranti & Teicher, but I couldn’t play it because we didn’t have a record player. When I was able to hear it properly for the first time on a friend’s RCA Stereogram, a strange thing happened. I broke into a cold sweat, started to shake and felt dizzy. That was the strongest effect that music has ever had on me. It was also the start of my musical journey, at maybe 10 years of age!
Later in the 1960’s I was in a record shop in Melbourne when I saw an LP with an interesting cover. It had a woman with a winged helmet fighting a flying dragon. It was called Stokowski/Wagner, Orchestral Masterpieces from The Ring of the Niebelung. I didn’t have a clue what it was about, but bought the LP because of the picture. When I got home and played it, the music just blew me away – I had never heard anything like it. That was the start of my Wagner journey.
My mother was also a great help because she joined the World Record Club, and each month we would pick out records to buy. That’s how I got Solti’s Ring on vinyl, and a lot of other vinyl records as well.
TW: Where do you think your system is going, or has it arrived?
PS: It’s basically arrived because it’s been 45 years in the making. The oldest components are a pair of Dynamo A-25 speakers which I bought in 1971 when I was living in Ithaca, New York. I still use them as surround sound speakers for my AV setup. It was in Ithaca that I met my wife, so I brought her home to Australia too!
TW: What’s your favourite piece of equipment at the moment, something that you wouldn’t sell?
PS: It would have to be my Krell KSA 200 B amplifier. It was built in 1991, and is pure Class A. It has a beautiful rich, warm, and dynamic sound and also looks beautiful (in an industrial way!). But it needs a 20 amp circuit and at least an hour to warm up before it sounds its best. It’s also broken down twice, so in that sense it’s a bit like owning a vintage car that can spend a lot of time at the mechanics. It’s a strange thing - I’ve found that if something looks beautiful, it sounds beautiful. There’s no logic in that, but it tends to be the case! The second least likely thing I’d sell would be my turntable!
TW: What do you see as your next hi-fi purchase or upgrade?
PS: There is none actually, because what I’d like are the new B&W 800 D3’s, but at $36,500 a pair, that’s not going to happen! Although nothing is planned at present, I would like to be able to replace my old B&W 801 speakers. Although not really hi-fi, I’d also like to upgrade my projector to 4K and 3D.
TW: I notice you don’t have any music server. Do you intend to go with a server someday?
PS: It’s not something I’ve really contemplated, nor the idea of streaming. In my opinion, good vinyl records produce the best sound, and at present it’s worth the physical effort to play them. But the day will come, hopefully many years down the track, when I won’t be able to play them. At that stage I’d have to use streaming or a music server. Being able to just search a menu and push buttons to play music would certainly be convenient. There is however, another aspect to this whole thing. I’m a passionate collector of vinyl, DVDs and Blu-rays, much to my wife’s distress due to the lack of space! I love vinyl LPs for the cover pictures, and the extra images and booklets that come with gatefolds and boxed sets. Bookcases of vinyls look great too. Bookcases of DVDs and Blu-rays also look great, particularly boxed sets, and 3D Blu-rays with lenticular holograms on their slipcovers. I also own this physical media, and would never part with it even if I had to stream the music or listen to it on a server. That’s only zeros and ones on hard disks, and although this is growing in popularity, it doesn’t appeal to me.
TW: What’s the most memorable pair of speakers (or system as a whole) you’ve ever heard?
PS: It was at Len Wallis Audio about 15 years ago. I think the system was two Halcro dm58 mono-block amplifiers, B&W 800 pre-diamond speakers, a Meridian CD player and AudioQuest Volcano cables. At the time, that was the best sound I’d ever heard.
TW: Is there any component you’ve owned and sold that you now regret selling?
PS: In the 1960’s I bought a vinyl system from Alex Encel (Alex ran a hi-fi shop in Melbourne years ago). I sold it in 1970 because I was going to live in the US, and needed the money. For nostalgic reasons, I wish I still had it.
TW: Do you use the same music for comparing components as you do for listening pleasure?
PS: I don’t have any opportunity to compare components, but if I did, I certainly would use the same music.
TW: What genre of music do you listen to mostly and who are some of your favourite artists?
PS: My favourite genres are 50’s and 60’s pop, rock and folk, electronic and classical. Some of my favourite artists and composers are: Beethoven, Bob Dylan, Bruckner, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Harry Belafonte, Hank Williams, Kitaro, Peter Paul and Mary, Phillip Glass, Roy Orbison, Simon & Garfunkel, Tangerine Dream, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Eagles, The Seekers, Neil Diamond and Wagner. I don’t like any new stuff – after the 70’s things changed, with the exception of the Eagles. I also like performances, concerts and musicals on DVD and Blu-ray. Some of my favourites are Black & White Night by Roy Orbison and anything by Andre Rieu.
TW: What would be your ‘desert island’ music albums if you could only choose, say, three works?
PS: 1. “Belafonte at Carnegie Hall” - the Classics Records re-mastered version on eight single sided 45 RPM vinyl LPs. 2. “Songs of Two World Wars” - with Jack Warner and the Mike Sammes Singers. 3. Wagner’s “Orchestral Masterpieces from The Ring of the Niebelung” - Leopold Stokowski conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
TW: How would you describe the sound you’re getting from your current system?
PS: Vinyl sounds warm, sweet and lush yet somehow still dynamic and crystal clear.
TW: In what way does music affect your life, your emotions and the way you feel?
PS: Profoundly. I don’t know how best to describe it. If I don’t listen to music for a week, I get a strange feeling in my stomach – I’ve just got to listen to something. The music transports me. The music puts so many endorphins into my system that it even helps to overcome my back pain.
TW: Where do you see the high-end audio industry going in the future?
PS: I have no idea, because I don’t spend any time thinking about it. I find the video aspect to be as important as the audio, and for most movies these are inseparable. The new UHD (4K) Blu-rays have Dolby Atmos as part of the audio specifications. This is compatible with stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 sound systems, and is available on some 2K Blu-rays. When playing these in my home theatre system, the difference between this and Dolby Digital 5.1 is startling. It’s a moving 3D sound field where the subwoofer shakes the house. I always get worried when my windows start rattling! As UHD equipment and discs become more common, we will get better sound as well as video.
TW: Where would you like the audio industry to go or to evolve to?
PS: I would like the vinyl revival to roll on. The more vinyl the better! I would also like to see Dolby Atmos Blu-rays released with music, performances, concerts, operas and musicals.
Audio Equipment:
- VPI Classic 2 turntable with Classic 3 tone arm assembly, stainless steel tone arm, periphery ring clamp and stainless steel centre weight
- Garrott Brothers P77i cartridge
- Graham Slee Revelation M phono pre-amp
- Parasound P3 pre-amp
- Krell KSA 200B amplifier, 1991 model. Until very recently this was the last pure Class A amplifier that Krell made, and to my ears, the best sounding.
- B&W 801 speakers, 1978 model
- AudioQuest Mont Blanc speaker cables
- Sennheiser TR 220 wireless headphones
- Ways of listening to CDs:
- Rega Planet CD player plugged into the Parasound
- Oppo BDP-105AU plugged into the Krell
AV Equipment:
- Oppo BDP-105AU
- JVC DLA-HD950 projector
- 92” LP Morgan screen
- 65” Panasonic plasma TV TH-P65VT60A
- Yamaha RX-A3020 AV Receiver
- Front left and right speakers: KEF LS50 (I bought these after I heard them at a Sydney Audio Club meeting last year.)
- Centre speaker: B&W LCR600 S3
- Subwoofer: 13” Focal-JMLab
- Rear channel: Dynaco A-25 (1971)