December 23, 2010

  • Gallo A'Diva Ti, Part 14

    Ah, one of my favorite cold weather albums is Simple Minds' Once Upon A Time.  While most people know Simple Minds from the awful "Don't You (Forget About Me)," true fans know that the band sounds much different and better.  At the end of '85, before "Don't You (Forget About Me)" killed Simple Minds' long-term career, they supplied us with "Alive And Kicking."

    Well, it looks like, despite the winter weather, my crabapple tree is alive and kicking.  The leaves have fallen off, but the flowers are blooming.  Most of the crabapple fruits are still there, too.  In fact, instead of falling off, the fruits just wilt.

    Here is a closer look at the flowers.  A closer look at Simple Minds' Once Upon A Time reveals the excellent song, "All The things She Said."  Even on KFOG and modern rock stations, this song never gets played.  So go find it, and play it!

    25 years ago, I was in Japantown.  Via my Walkman, I heard Simple Minds' "Sanctify Yourself," which has become a distant alternative to my "Big 3" cold-weather songs [A-ha's "The Sun Always Shines On T.V.," Depeche Mode's "Shake The Disease," and OMD's "Secret"].  I rushed home, turned on the stereo, and hoped to hear "Sanctify Yourself" in the room, rather than via the Walkman's headphones.  No dice.  So I bought it on 7" vinyl.

    In the mid-90s, when I went from bookshelf speakers (such as the Paradigm 5SE and Signet SL-280 B/U) to floorstanding Thiels, the sound went to hell.  For all of the CS.5's and CS1.5's merits, they must be used in larger rooms.  They prefer 3' of space behind them.  And in San Francisco's small rooms, that just isn't possible.  Here, most people put them a mere foot from the back wall.  In order for the drivers to gel, you need to sit at least 7 feet away.  And in a small room, that is often impossible.

    Don't let the Gallo A'Diva Ti's small dimensions fool you.  They are like the Thiels, in that they sound better, if you do not sit in the near field.  When you move at least 5 feet away from the A'Diva Ti, the sound becomes more open, transparent, focused, and stable.  The music then has breathing room, and it's almost as though I can feel, smell, and breathe the cool late-1985 air, as I listen to "Sanctify Yourself."  This means that they will be fine for living room use.  But if you use them as desk speakers, you will be disappointed.