A Day in the Life of OLLI’s “Absolute Sound” Shared Interest Group:
Talkin’ ‘Bout Circuit Design and Capacitors
Despite restrictions of the pandemic, OLLI’s shared interest groups (SIGs) are alive. At this point, one of the more seasoned groups is the audiophile group, “Absolute Sound,” which has been in existence for three years. As it happens, all current members are men, but women are welcome and have attended in the past.
The group met again in early February at the Otis home of Arthur and Diane Provenz. Eight attended, including two retired professional musicians. We enjoyed a lovely assortment of foods provided by our hosts, including Arthur’s famous potato pancakes. The real agenda, of course, was to listen to music on some high-end stereo equipment. The listeners gathered in the center the large living space, and listened to both vinyl disks and CDs. The music ranged from Miles Davis to the Cowboy Junkies and, unusually, the playlist did not include any classical pieces. The music volume at times was quite loud. One member wryly commented that the “reason for all of this is to expose ourselves to a somewhat dangerous level of sound.”
On the technical side, a smaller group met at the dining table and seasoned their listening with extended conversations about recording and reproduction technology. The topics ranged through circuit design (tubes and capacitors), how to properly clean a CD (use an automotive product called RainX), the inherent weaknesses in various kinds of CD recordings (they are not designed to always play well), and the disadvantages of listening on earbuds. These folks care about the details and can quickly spot a mediocre recording. Praise was scarce; one overheard comment was “Yes, the base is clean and tight; it’s not muddy. I don’t mind it.”
In short, the Absolute Sound members had been meeting regularly, happily enjoying each other’s company, listening to good music on good equipment, and learning how to improve their own systems. And they hope to meet again before too long.
- Peter Bluhm
