A Technics turntable and Cambridge Audio amp were top of my shopping list. But then we came to speakers. What I needed was a pair that were not too huge to annoy the neighbours and overwhelm the living room (visually or acoustically), but that would do the rest of the equipment proud. It’s easy to overlook the importance of great speakers – but they are, of course, crucial. What’s the use of having audio gear that can pick up the subtlest tap of a hi-hat if it gets lost on delivery?
So I‘ve now added the newly revamped LS50 speakers by KEF. I like the fact that KEF stands for Kent Engineering & Foundry , the site of the business when it launched, back in 1961, in a Nissen hut. Being a journalist – for my dreams of rock stardom slowly perished in my twenties – the KEF narrative appeals as it is so splendidly British. You can imagine white-coated boffins tinkering away under that curved corrugated iron roof, experimenting with sound. Some six decades after it began, the firm is producing some seriously impressive engineering.
The new LS50 Meta uses something called ‘Metamaterial Absorption Technology’, which in English means it absorbs unwanted sound, leaving you with something that is natural and clear. Sitting back on my sofa, equidistant between my two KEF speakers, I can safely say that however they do it, I feel I am literally in the room with the musicians. There’s clarity, there’s a sense of space… there’s atmosphere.
As for my return to vinyl, the ritual of putting on a disc, lowering the needle and then being taken on a journey track by track by an artist is as captivating now as it was when I was 16. I try not to buy albums that I owned before as that would be too annoying and make me feel even more of an idiot for giving my first collection away. Instead, I’m exploring classics by bands I never listened to first time around – The Velvet Underground is a current favourite – and, then, work by new artists: Parcels, an Australian electro-pop group who sound a bit like the offspring of Steely Dan and Chic, recent Mercury Prize-winner Michael Kawanuka, multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens, and the irrepressible London jazz band Ezra Collective, to name a few.
And these days, I live out my fantasy of becoming a pop star through my youngest son who fronts a seven-piece from South London called Bainbridge & Co. A cross between The Streets and The Specials – no, really – they can turn a pub into a dance club in minutes. This summer they were due to play Boomtown for the second year running and Glastonbury for the first time. I’m very proud of Emil, who at 19 has far more musical talent and star quality than his old man ever had.
But though I confess to being a little envious of his energy, youth and ability to work a crowd, I do still have one card to play. I know he’s seriously jealous of my speakers!
About Peter Howarth:
Peter has written for many publications, including The Guardian, The Observer and T: The New York Times Style Magazine. He has also been a columnist for Men’s Health, The Times and the Financial Times. In 2002 he set up Show Media with two colleagues from Esquire, a creative agency in London that specialises in content creation (for print and digital) and brand consultancy, and produces a portfolio of magazines including Brummell, Skibo and Hurlingham. Peter is a writer for The Times Luxx magazine and also a contributor to The Times newspaper. He is a trustee of the Cheltenham Festivals. He is also the editor of a book, Fatherhood: An Anthology Of New Writing, and has completed his second novel. He lives in London with his wife and has six sons.
