Vivid Video: JA Interviews Speaker Designer Laurence Dickie

This past weekend, John Atkinson and I attended the debut of Vivid Audio's new flagship speaker, the G1 Spirit, at a private home in Itasca, IL (to the west of Chicago.) The event was hosted by concert pianist and audio retailer George Vatchnadze of Kyomi Audio. Prior to the event's start, JA and Vivid speaker designer Laurence Dickie had a stimulating conversation about speaker design, focusing on the G1 Spirit loudspeaker.

As well as the Giya G1 Spirit loudspeakers ($93,000/pair including external crossovers), the entire setup included a TechDAS Airforce 3 turntable ($29,750) with a Graham Elite 9" tonearm ($12,000) and a Koetsu Jade Platinum MC cartridge ($10,000), a Luxman EQ-500 vacuum-tube phono stage ($7500), MBL 1621a CD transport ($28,000), a Merging+ NADAC Player MC8/music server/DAC running Roon v1.3 ($14,000), a Luxman C-1000f control amplifier ($35,000), Luxman B-1000f monoblocks ($60,000/pair), Artesania turntable platform and stands, and Stealth cables throughout.

COMMENTS
foxhall's picture

I really enjoyed the interview with Laurence Dickie. Down to earth designer.

Why was someone talking in the background? It's rude and makes no sense whatsoever.

Jason Victor Serinus's picture

Wait 'til you get to an audio show, and you encounter the group of guys going room-to-room, rattling their plastic bags as they listen for 30 seconds and then begin a long, loud conversation. They do this in room after room, mind you. If you politely ask if they could talk outside because you're trying to listen, they will look at you as though there's something very, very wrong with you.

cgh's picture

Agreed. That is no fun. Happens at audio group meetings too. It's not as bad as when I get to a great room, it isn't too full, I settle in for a listen, the selection isn't the usual empty audio show anti-music, and then a reviewer walks in. The rep usually loses their composure - like a teenager getting a green light for the first time, he fumbles around with the equipment like boychik (or girlchik) with their zipper. After some musical chairs you're basically made to feel like you shouldn't even be in the room. Out comes an amazing pressing. The Gutenberg Bible of pressings. Maybe a lacquer that's only been played twice, and you get to hear it reflected and refracted through the electron cloud of lookyloos that have formed around the sweet spot. A nucleus of audio pandandrumancy. It's happened more than once but, on this occasion, I arguably experienced that pressing more closely when that Golden Ear's farrago of twaddle landed in my mailbox the following month mentioning at length that room and that pressing. I'm a one magazine man nowadays. Larga vida a la Stereophile!

John Atkinson's picture
foxhall wrote:
I really enjoyed the interview with Laurence Dickie. Down to earth designer.

"Dic" is one of the few speaker designers who starts from first principles.

foxhall wrote:
Why was someone talking in the background? It's rude and makes no sense whatsoever.

Our host Mario's home is open-plan and although people arriving kept to the kitchen area, their conversations did leak into the listening area. There wasn't much we could do about it, I am afraid.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Axiom05's picture

Yes, very enjoyable interview. I just wish I could afford a pair of Giya 3 speakers.

Anton's picture

Any chance we could get transcripts of these?

Reading is so much faster!

Solarophile's picture

Not a verbatim transcript, but just a summary would be better. Relatively little content in there that could not have been said in a few paragraphs. 30 minutes way too long with all the distracting fillers, stutters, and interjections. Not everybody interviews well.

cgh's picture

Finally finished video. Great content. Very interesting perspective. I really liked the Giyas when I've heard them. TY.

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