I was recently listening to an interview on NPR with Geoff Emerick, the recording engineer for the world shaking Beatles Revolver and Sgt. Peppers recordings. He spoke at some length about the precise decisions on sound made between the Beatles, George Martin and Mr. Emerick. It was clear that they cared very much about the sound that went on these recordings, with the specific qualities of the sound and recording techniques contributing greatly to the artistic statement that was being made in the music. This example of the effort that goes into creating a musical masterpiece represents a perfect synthesis of what an audio system should accomplish by communicating these efforts in all of their beauty and power.

At Bel Canto, an audio system must be able to clearly recreate the artistic intent of the artist, producer and engineer. Music, above all, is communication and a great audio system will allow the greater part of the musical communication to come through clearly, without editorializing, distorting or confusing the message. Assembling such a system that can clearly communicate the musical message defines the Bel Canto meaning of ‘musicality’. It’s not about everything played through the system sounding ‘nice’, or ‘golden’ or ‘sweet’, it is about the music moving you, understanding and feeling what the musicians wanted to get across when the recording was made. This takes you to a much deeper level, musically, and is most satisfying in the long term.

If you share a similar philosophy then your desire for discovery of deeper meaning in musical recordings aligns well with the goals of Bel Canto. We would like to help you fulfill this desire by offering products, system building approaches and esthetic goals that will lead down the path of ‘musicality’ and deeper communication of the message within great music, whatever the style, era or type of music that you love. Bel Canto is not just about superior performing audio equipment but a systematic approach to revealing and enjoying music in your daily life.

Home Audio 101 is a tongue in cheek reference to returning to the basics in assembling an audio system that can communicate in a compelling and musically meaningful manner. The emphasis is on communication. Music the Bel Canto way is about deep communication between an artist and the listener. This communication occurs through a long chain from the original artist, producer, engineers, storage media and ultimately through your home audio system and into your living space.

This column will focus on the home audio system and the Bel Canto approach to getting the most from the music that is encoded on your storage media. The media can range from the venerable and still loved LP to the latest hard disc, computer based, storage devices that offer exciting possibilities for both the present and the future.

Follow along with us as we go through the process of building an audio system that can offer long hours and years of satisfaction in listening to old favorites and discovering new ones.

John Stronczer
President