Reviewer's Bio

Chris Beeching
Exploring the world of music.

  I still blame my father for my love of music, and also my love and appreciation of audio gear. Was born in an era when aspirational acquisitions were a decent push bike, a record player, and (from a family perspective) having a color TV. In the days before smartphones things like easy access to being able to record music, and the ability to take (and then print) photographs were labor-intensive and needed quite an investment in terms of time and money. It was also the era of the birth of stereo, the stereo LP and I suppose the early stages of air travel for the working man.

Piano lessons were the initial order of the day, eventually accompanied Dad on his violin, which later became a viola which I think he enjoyed more. We were always encouraged to have open ears on music and aside from Dad's love of classical music, there were forays into Bill Haley, contemporary jazz, and even some (bootleg I think) test recordings from the BBC's studios.

Recorded music replay was initially on the home mono system with a Collaro transcription deck, Leak mono pick-up, QCII, and Quad II amplifier into a massive sand-filled corner cabinet housing a Wharfedale Super 12 and Super 3. To this day, I still have a love for that older Quad gear, and it remains a benchmark for 'listenability and musicality' despite its (minor) flaws.

My first system sported an Amstrad amplifier (all I could afford a the time), a Garrard SP25 MkIV, and a nondescript pair of ELAC speakers in woodworm-infested cabinets (yes, they made them from real wood in those days!). Fortunately, Dad's pique resulted in him letting me keep the drivers and then making me a half-decent pair of cabinets to put them in. These served me well until I fell on a pair of Quad 57s very cheaply, followed by a 33/303 combination… and so the quest for a better system began. The 57 is still a speaker I revere, and I have a pair that is often called on if I need to get a different perspective on something I can't quite pin down.

Live music was always going on at home, so this has become my reviewing benchmark. If a system sounds anything like the acoustic instrument that it's portraying then it has to be heading in the right direction. If it's musical, engaging, captivates you as a listener, and lets you into the world of the recording, in my book, it's doing its job. If, as well, the sound quality is superb (the two do not necessarily co-exist) then that's an added bonus.

My musical career took me to university where, as an organ scholar and a music student I got to play many of the most magnificent instruments in the UK, and latterly France. A music degree was filled with many different genres, and at the time the first Fairlight computers were being used for compositional purposes, so they were indeed exciting times. But exposure (as a keyboard player) to 'virtually everything' was a real education in sound, sound quality, and musicality, facets which are very important to me even now.

My university holiday job was researching and writing sleeve notes for EMI Classical in London, and my brother found a job working in Popular Music Contracts so we (mis)spent many evenings in London at various venues soaking up the live music scene. I continued to play the organ, did the occasional jazz gig with my brothers, and slowly grew my writing career in the background.

My first review was published late in 1984, a short piece for Audiophile in the UK, and then odd pieces here and there eventually becoming a contributor for HiFi News, writing the odd bit for Gramophone magazine, and then a long stint at Art Dudley's Listener (sadly missed, both!). Pieces in HiFi World, Audio Quarterly, and equipment coverage in things like Jazz On CD followed, as well as a short-lived column in Classic CD.

Have also spent way to long in control booths at recording studios (and was at Bernie Grundman's when he recut the Miles Davis Kind of Blue for Classic), and also while at EMI during my working time there.

I was also company secretary for a music education trust offering tuition and opportunities for disadvantaged children who showed particular musical promise. I still play music, though my access to a proper organ is now limited. However, there's plenty in the piano repertoire to keep my fingers occupied. But for home listening, and this really harks back to Dad's system all those years ago, for me I view equipment as a 'home music system'.

Although the equipment is the conduit, the reality is that we listen to the music. I review purely subjectively, within the context of my system. Every review is by substitution, so the only change is to insert that bit of kit (and remove what I had there before). I also never do a comparative review as in my view, if someone is contemplating spending their hard-earned cash on something, they want to know what it does well, and perhaps not so well. But to try and pick over what four or five or more similar items do seems to result in a lot of negatives. I'm only interested in giving people a positive experience at home listening to music. And I've been shot down for saying it, but, if you can't hear the difference buy more music.

For source evaluation my 'reference' system (by reference I mean a system I know well in the context of the room it's in etc) and comprises an SME 20 turntable with a 12" Supatrak Blackbird arm, Kondo Io cartridge, Whest 60Se Pro phono stage, Vocale Audio reference pre, and Vocale 2A3SE (Loftin-White) power amp driving a pair of Klipsch Heritage Forte IV speakers. I have a second room where I can accommodate more powerful amplifiers and bigger speakers if needed, so I can cover most bases.

Despite the time I spent with my ears pinned back critically, I do still listen for pleasure a lot, and am constantly surprised by the wealth of music emerging, especially with the 'discovery' of women composers which seems to be prevalent at the moment. My final year dissertation was on the early music of Amy Beach, so it's heartening to hear more of her output (and other women) being given air time.

At the end of the day, my 'holy grail' is whether I am captivated by the music, can visualize the performers in front of me, and simply disappear into being one of the audience.

This is the truly corny bit though: at the end of the day, if I can encourage more people to go explore the world of music, and enjoy having a good / better / best system they can afford, then my job is done. After all, it's all about how you enjoy the music.

High-End Audio System Gear List
SME20 Vinyl LP Turntable
Supatrac Blackbird tonearm
Audio Note (Kondo) Io phono cartridge
Pioneer PD-S802 (Trichord modified) CD player
Didit DAC (digital-to-analog converter)
Whest 60Se Pro phono stage
Vocale Reference pre amplifier
Vocale 2A3SE power amplifier
Klipsch Hetirage Forte IV loudspeakers
Radio – Quad FM3 or FM4

Other Turntables Include 
Collaro / Leak mono
Thorens TD150
Technics SL-150 / SME3009