In this weekly series of articles you will discover what are the business insider’s favorite albums and tracks. We have contacted a broad selection of industry experts and each Wednesday you can discover one of those guy’s favorite albums and why this is so. Check out our previous “Favorite album of” articles here: https://www.headfonia.com/category/fav-album-of/
This week’s honor goes to Collin from Chord Electronics, a UK based maker of high end audio gear. We’ve looked at there products several times already.
The Chord Hugo: https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-hugo-reference-stuff/
The Chord Hugo Picture Sunday: https://www.headfonia.com/picture-monday-the-hugo/
The Chord Mojo 1: https://www.headfonia.com/review-chord-mojo-the-chosen-one/
The Chord Mojo 2: https://www.headfonia.com/review-chord-mojo-hot-or-not/
The Chord Mojo Balanced: https://www.headfonia.com/review-balancing-mojo-mst-audios-mojo-kai/
Who am I:
I’m Colin Pratt, Sales Manager for Chord Electronics, a world-leading British manufacturer of high-performance audio equipment, celebrated for its proprietary technology. Chord’s range includes award-winning high-end amplifiers (domestic and professional), advanced DACs and headphone amp/DACs, CD players and much more.
It has to be The Fragile from late 1999, five years after The Downward Spiral. I really wasn’t sure on the first few listens, but something just hooked me in. There is so much on this double album, so many layers of soundscapes, instruments and haunting noises, it just draws you in. I still listen to it now and hear something new. Sometimes I question myself and say: “honestly, is there a better album?” and I have to say no, I genuinely believe there isn’t. It is Pink Floyd’s The Wall in a more modern era, if a bit darker!
The Song
This is really tough as this album is all about tracks melding into the other. For example, I love the rolling drums on Just Like You Imagined. I like the way they go from a 4/4 to a 10/4, then add a section with Mike Garson’s piano, but it becomes even better because of the segue into Even Deeper. Each track is made better by the tracks either side of it; a true album in every sense. I can’t choose just one track, I try and then go: “but what about this one?” and so on!
Listening preference
My music comes purely from digital mediums. I am fortunate that when I worked in retail, I heard a Chord DAC, the original DAC64, the predecessor to our award-winning DAVE DAC/headphone amp. I was so impressed, I immediately sold my entire vinyl collection and now I work for the company!
So at home, which is also where my office is, I use a Chord’s flagship network music player, the DSX1000, which has a high-end DAC (Chord’s DAVE predecessor, the QBD76) inside, although I’m hoping to get a DAVE before long. Naturally, I use Chord Electronics’ amplification and I’m also using ATC passive speakers. If I need to use headphones at home, then I always go for Audeze, I own LCD-2s.
I spend a lot of time on aeroplanes, so for my on-the-go system, I use Tidal on my iPhone as a transport, into my Chord Mojo DAC/headphone amp with 64 Audio in-ear monitors.
Discover
If you want to check out Collin’s favorite album, you can do so here:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkMFSDeT4Pw&list=PLzJGT4i35CF4PO3wdE7ULzADRB5Mvp4OL
TIDAL: https://listen.tidal.com/album/3135670
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2aGSUmPQtxxPqr07llIBIU
Qobuz: http://player.qobuz.com/#!/album/0060694904732
Enjoy!
Thank you Collin for being on the series and for giving us a little insight in what you like to listen to. If you have suggestions of who we should feature in this article series, let us know in the comments!
Up to next week…
adam hynes
I bet you’ve heard it, but I thought it worth mentioning since it received so little press. The Fragile Deviations 1, from 2016. “An all instrumental version of The Fragile with lots of additional music from the era”. I have the $80 4X LP. Worth every penny!