Blissful High Sound Quality [Cafe Romanticism 8]

[Cafe Romanticism]
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There is an abundance of music that should be listened to during this season, which is one of the few times of the year that is neither too hot nor too cold.

Since there is little music suitable for the rainy season or the intense heat that follows, one should enjoy it to the fullest while they can. In particular, it is highly recommended to have your favorite songs ready for your daily coffee time.

Hidekazu Yoshida, a leading music critic, was also a resident of Kamakura and a fellow Kamakura literary figure alongside Chuya Nakahara and Hideo Kobayashi.

Pre-war phonographs and records were extremely expensive, and it seems that whenever he bought a new record and brought it home, other literary figures would gather around, naturally turning it into a listening session. Young music lovers of that time were likely the same everywhere.

It was an era where the types of records available were limited, and other than German classical music, it was rarely possible to obtain anything else; there was no way to know other pieces of music except through live performances from sheet music.

In such an era, his writing is appealing because it does not just list expert knowledge, but instead strives to convey his own emotions poetically.

Perhaps stimulated by his fellow Kamakura literary figures, Yoshida's interest in painting and traditional Japanese culture deepened after the war, and he wrote many critical essays with profound expressions born from diverse inspirations.

The culmination of this is the "Music" trilogy shown in the photo, as well as the "Eternal Hometown" quartet, which focuses on vocal music.

If you are a classical music lover, placing this book on your coffee table and reading even one chapter a day would be an incredibly elegant pleasure.

With recent advancements in acoustic technology, Dolby Atmos (spatial audio) has emerged as a groundbreaking high-quality recording format. Even if your playback equipment is not compatible with Dolby Atmos, or if you are not subscribed to a streaming service, you can often still experience the high sound quality if the original source is compatible with Dolby Atmos.

This benefit is bringing a breath of fresh air to classical music more so than to pop or hip-hop. In particular, the sound of string instruments has improved dramatically, sounding like different instruments compared to the violins and cellos of the past. Musicians seem to have noticed this as well, and there is an increasing number of Dolby Atmos sources centered on chamber music, such as cello sonatas and short violin pieces.

In a previous article, I introduced a Dolby Atmos source for Elgar's "Romance."

This time, I will feature Elgar's "Enigma Variations, Op. 36: Variation IX (Nimrod)." High-quality Dolby Atmos recordings truly show their worth in slow movements for strings like this one.

This album, "Immersive Experience," is performed and recorded based on the concept of a "musical experience that makes the most of Dolby Atmos," and it is one of the best-sounding albums in my collection. In addition to the Elgar "Nimrod" I introduced, it includes pieces where you can thoroughly savor the tone of string instruments, such as the third movement of Brahms' "Symphony No. 3," Albinoni's "Adagio," and Mahler's "Adagietto."

The performance is by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the British conductor Ben Gernon. "Nimrod" from the "Enigma Variations" seems to be a special piece for the British, and like Holst's "Jupiter," it is always played at every Olympics and ceremony.

The charm of this piece lies in the string ensemble that resonates like a spiral, but with Dolby Atmos, a multi-layered depth of sound is created, adding even more solemnity and nobility. At home, I enjoy these high-quality tracks on the Marshall "Emberton III" speaker released last year.

While some audiophiles might place six or more speakers to reproduce spatial audio, that is simply too expensive and time-consuming for me to attempt. With a Bluetooth speaker like the "Emberton III" that can be easily carried in one hand, it is very convenient as you can easily set it up for a coffee break.

Marshall is famous for its guitar amps used in hard rock and heavy metal, but in recent years, it has also begun producing many high-performance speakers. The new Emberton III delivers powerful bass and crisp tones despite its compact size, making it a great fit not only for hard rock and pop, but also for classical music. It also appears to support the Apple Music codec (AAC), which was not supported by the previous Emberton II.

Above all, its classical design is perfect as an interior piece, blending well into a study or a space where you enjoy coffee. Why not try listening to Dolby Atmos tracks or using a speaker like the Emberton III to make your daily breakfast or tea time more elegant and comfortable?

[Cafe Romanticism]
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