Established 1968
Established 1968
It began with a phone call from a longtime Martins Hi-Fi customer whose audio journey started in the late 1980s with a modest Marantz CD player, integrated amp, and Mission loudspeakers. Four decades and numerous upgrades later, their system had evolved into a truly reference-quality setup.
"I'm relocating to France, can you help move my system?" they asked. Our immediate response: "Certainly we can." Despite complications from Brexit and COVID-19 creating unexpected delays, the day finally arrived when our customer was ready to settle into their dream home nestled in the French Alps.
The project began with a meticulous day of dismantling and carefully packaging the audio system for its overland journey. Two weeks later, our team embarked on an early morning drive to Luton airport, followed by a flight to Geneva where our customer awaited.
The subsequent drive into the Alps was breathtaking—impeccable, pothole-free roads winding through picturesque switchbacks under clear blue skies. Mountain ravens soared overhead as vivid blue rivers crashed into foaming white waterfalls. Charming alpine farmsteads dotted the landscape along our route.
Not your typical Monday morning commute.
The chalet was strategically positioned to capture the most magnificent mountain views, with a three-story wall of picture windows ensuring stunning vistas from every corner of the spacious open-plan living area.
Then we beheld the pile of boxes—the true purpose of our visit. A daunting sight, but we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. We began by assembling the Stillpoints ESS racks, the foundation for many high-end systems. Each shelf was meticulously measured, installed, and leveled, with every component placed precisely and cable runs double-checked.
Once completed, it was time to assemble the PMC Fenestria loudspeakers. These slotted together with precision and immediately blended seamlessly with the room, symmetrically placed around the wood-burning stove.
By day's end, we were nearly ready to power up the system. After one final check, we pressed the power button on the PS Audio PS20 power regenerator. To our relief, everything powered up and settled down, ready to go.
With the basic checks completed and sound emanating from both left and right channels, our customer insisted we take a break for "a" beer and some food—it had been a long day. Upon our return, after enjoying "a" beer and some delicious food, we sat in front of the system to assess its sound.
All we can say is that our customer had the broadest smile on his face—the scale of the sound was truly immense. The solid soundstage appeared wider than the speakers, with vocals emerging perfectly from the center. The bass displayed remarkable weight and control, effortlessly distinguishing the kick drum from the bass guitar. We knew the system would require some time to settle, so we retired for the night, leaving it to run.
The next day, we fine-tuned the speaker positioning and basked in the luxurious sound. It was mesmerizing and incredibly difficult to stop playing music. We discovered that the initial position was not far from where the speakers needed to be. By experimenting with toe-in and distance from the glass, we achieved a slightly more focused sound, which the customer preferred.
We were all surprised and delighted to find that acoustically, the room was an interesting space. Despite the large glass area, hard floors, and minimal sound absorption, the wood cladding did an excellent job of breaking up resonances. Halfway up the stairs to the mezzanine floor, there was a significant bass node point that made our trousers flap. The rest of the space had very even acoustics, resulting in a great outcome.
All in all, it was one of the most enjoyable systems we've had the privilege of installing. Happy in the knowledge that we had fulfilled our customer's dreams: sitting in a comfortable chair, with a fire crackling, a drink in hand, a mountain view, snow falling in the background, and the best sound system effortlessly playing music.
