Edeltuner

Text: Olaf Adam; Photos: Architettura Sonora
This article originally appeared in 0dB - Das Magazin der Leidenschaft No.3

Eric Kingdon is something like the Golden Ear at Sony. He is responsible for the fine-tuning of the hi-fi products of the Japanese entertainment group, and has been for decades. But for him, it was never really about the technology.

A life for music

Since his childhood, the Englishman’s life has revolved around music—first in front of his parents’ radio, then playing the piano himself. Eventually, the music fan also became a hi-fi fan, and his enthusiasm for every form of music playback years later led to a job in technical marketing at Sony. Coincidentally, this was the same year that the CD digitized listening to music. His good ear, paired with a deep technical understanding, soon led to Eric being directly involved in the development process of new devices. 

That was 35 years ago, and since then, he has played a key role in almost every high-quality hi-fi device from Sony. Yet he has never forgotten what it’s really about. "I don’t do my job just because I like hi-fi. I do my job above all because I love music. Good hi-fi is ultimately just a means to an end, because it allows me and other people to enjoy music even more." 

Staying curious 

The curiosity for new music has never faded over the years. Genre boundaries and established preferences hardly matter. "In English, we have the expression It strikes a chord with you when something immediately resonates with you. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that a kind of emotional resonance is triggered when you hear a particular piece of music in a particular situation. That’s stronger than any preconceived ideas about what you like or don’t like. That’s how I recently ended up listening to an album by the band Simple Plan—something I never would have expected." 

Eric played a decisive role in the rise of the CD as a mass medium, and now he witnesses its gradual decline. Streaming services are increasingly taking over as the main musical supply for the population, which can be both a blessing and a curse. "The ritual of getting up, taking a record or CD out of its sleeve, putting it on, and sitting down again automatically made listening to music something special in the past. The danger with streaming is that you constantly skip to the next track and simply don’t take the time to really listen anymore. But if you give music the respect it deserves, streaming offers fantastic opportunities to discover new things."

Freeing the music 

Eric has spent almost his entire professional life searching for the best possible sound. But what is that, really? "Music works even without high fidelity. I vividly remember a recording of a Debussy piano concerto played by Walter Gieseking. The record is far from what you’d call audiophile—mono, not particularly good recording quality. And yet, it moved me to tears the first time I heard it, because I had never experienced playing like that before. Music on a sound carrier is like a wild animal in a cage that wants to be freed. And that, in my opinion, is exactly the job of a good hi-fi system: to reproduce the music as well as possible, to free it from the prison of the recording so that it can unfold its emotionality and power and transfer it to the listener." 

The most recent product Eric has been involved in fine-tuning is the DMP-Z1. A digital music player with a headphone amplifier, though not designed for your pocket. 

"We wanted to show what is possible with digital music playback today. If you want to experience the sound of a truly good stationary system through headphones, for example because there’s no space for a large system or you don’t want to disturb the neighbors, then the DMP-Z1 is exactly right."

Vinyl, CD, hi-res download, or streaming—for Eric Kingdon, the source isn’t important. What matters is the music. And that you respect it. 

Listening tip from Eric Kingdon: 

Debussy - Complete Piano Works (Walter Gieseking)

Box-set, 6 hybrid-SACD; Warner Classics 

 "These recordings were made between 1951 and 1954 at Abbey Road Studios. They were later remastered there for SACD release. Gieseking’s interpretations of the French master are stunning and belong in every classical collection!"