Words by Rafe Arnott, photography by James T. Green. Image above: Eddie O'Loughlin relaxes in his listening space.
A listening space can be many things. It can be the focal point for the appreciation of music through playback of the recorded moment, in analogue or digital format, singly or in groups. It can be the nucleus for discussions on music culture, history, art, literature, politics, emotions – all inspirational triggers themselves which help bring people together to exchange ideas or sentiment. But a listening space, in my mind, is mostly about exploration. The deep exploration of music’s impact, context and texture upon one’s cultural, and intellectual makeup – spiritual or secular influences. The consideration of the intersections where music and life collide, blend, antagonize and placate the savage breast of (hu)man.
The entire gestalt, aesthetic… vibe, of a listening space is predicated on the personality of the individual who curates it. And so, in the spirit of something that is somewhat of a lost art, and a most noble pursuit, Resistor Mag is initiating a limited series – Listening Space. This new endeavour will focus on offering the public a glimpse into the private lives of people willing to share the stories of how they found a sweet spot for music integrated with life. To kick things off, it gives me great pleasure to introduce an individual who hails from the far side of our world, Renaissance man Eddie O’Loughlin, whom Resistor Mag caught up with recently from his home in Sydney, Australia.
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Photo above: The bespoke Condesa Electronics Lucia (a discrete analogue rotary mixer) handles the two Technics SL-1210 turntables.
Resistor Magazine: Who is Eddie O’Loughlin, and how would you describe his relationship to music?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I’m a 40-something living in Sydney, Australia with my 10-year-old daughter. I juggle working in digital engagement for Human Rights, Environmental and cause-based NGOs and a music career. Music has been a constant in my life, both as a consumer/collector and a creator. I’ve been lucky enough to DJ professionally for the last 20 years (under the name ‘Edseven’) supporting people like Roy Ayers, Gilles Peterson, Peanut Butter Wolf, Domu, Mark de Clive Lowe, Linkwood etc., and also promote parties, host radio shows and release my own music through some great labels.”
Resistor Magazine: Do you remember the first LP (or cassette or CD – physical media) you ever bought?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I bought N.W.A. and the Posse and, Straight Outta Compton when I was 13 years old, so I suppose that counts. My dad had a huge vinyl collection he donated to a radio station archive just before I started collecting. I have a lot of childhood memories of flipping through records with my sister and choosing albums based on cover art.”
Resistor Magazine: Could you estimate the size of your record collection? Does it encompass many genres, or tend to focus on key ones?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I collect (and play) a wide range of stuff. Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, House, Disco, Bass, Bruk, Boogie, Afrobeat, Jazz, Neo Soul, etc., and all the stuff that floats somewhere around/between these genres. I have about 2,000 records. I played vinyl exclusively for the first 10 years of DJing, but as digital became more viable I stopped buying releases on vinyl for a long time. This was mainly due to funds and convenience, and also touring with vinyl can be a nightmare. (I once watched from a plane window as my precious record bag was thrown to the pavement by ground staff). Full circle, and I now have the space and time, so I’ve dived right back in to vinyl (thanks pandemic). I love the deliberate nature of vinyl, not treating music as a convenient background, but as a focused appreciation of an artist’s work.”
Photo right: An affordable, Audio Technica VM95SH moving-magnet cartridge makes up part of O'Loughlin's vinyl front end.
Everyone’s taste is different and if my system connects me to music I love without second-guessing stuff then I feel like I’m doing it right."
–Eddie O'Loughlin
Resistor Magazine: Do you play any instruments? Music creation software?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I produce music using Logic, Abelton, some controllers and a few keyboards… I’m not formally trained, but I can get down ideas and build on them. I also mix most of my own releases and have dabbled in mastering when needed.”
Resistor Magazine: What came first, interest in the music or the gear?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “Music. And still, that’s where the focus is. Gear for me is just an avenue to enhance my connection to music.”
Resistor Magazine: How did you end up on the quirky path of being an audiophile?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “In regards to sound, the first time I visited a treated professional studio had a big impact. It was an ‘ah-ha’ moment in that it was such a clear, crisp presentation and made me appreciate how much the room influences sound. Over the years I’ve also played on some amazing sound systems, big horns, Funktion One systems, vintage Klipsch systems and big mono wall-of-sound reggae/dub systems, these experiences definitely had an impact.”
Resistor Magazine: Describe your current system and touch on some key pieces from the past which steered you in this direction of hi-fi.
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I’m very lucky to have two very different systems in my space, one that is very accurate for music production and a living room system for pure musical enjoyment (and some critical listening when mixing down tracks). The music studio is a treated room with a Genelec 2.1 set up that has been room and phase-corrected through DSP software and a microphone. It’s a wonderful, honest, clear, trustworthy representation of what you are listening to.
“Having this space for professional, critical listening gave me the freedom to go all out ‘warm’ in my living room. Over the last few years, I’d started picking up vintage Marantz amps from the ‘70s which offer a big, rich, warm sound. I loved the way they presented music; not too clinical, wide and listenable – and they’re gorgeous. Another good thing about desirable vintage brands (McIntosh, Luxman, Marantz, Sansui etc.) is that resale value is often the same (or higher) than the purchase price – guilt-free hoarding."
Photo left: The Dual Concentric driver utilised by O'Loughlin's vintage Tannoy Arden loudspeaker.
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I initially had some PMC standmounts, a Peachtree Nova amp and a generic subwoofer for about 10 years and then moved into a bigger space with no real noise restrictions. This allowed me to upsize my speakers, so I bought some new Wharfdale Lintons (great value vintage-like sound) and paired them with various vintage amps. I hadn’t considered vintage speakers seriously until I met Norm De Plume (Pash) who runs a vintage hi-fi, vinyl-only party called Analogue Discque that runs Klipschorns, La Scalas and Quad amps. I eventually DJ’d his party and really liked his ethos and the sound.
“Pash saw some Tannoy Ardens advertised in Melbourne (1,000km away) and messaged me to check them out if I could. I loved the sound of his various vintage speakers (Tannoy little Red monitors among them) so it was a good excuse to jump on a plane with my daughter to audition them. I asked my daughter to act cool when we sat down to listen to them in the seller’s house as I would bargain him down if possible. I played the first song through his Accuphase amp and my daughter turned to me and said “Oh my god they sound like a hologram, buy them!" I didn’t get to bargain much after that point."
Photo above: O'Loughlin's sound system, while visually stunning, still maintains an easy, approachable and unintimidating presence.
Eddie O’Loughlin: “The Dual Concentric drivers sound amazing.The particular ones I bought are the coveted MK1 HPD385 version with Alnico magnets, apparently these days you need to spend $25,000 or more to get a pair of speakers with those rare metal magnets. Luckily you can find second-hand vintage models for a fraction of that. The sound from these big Tannoys is effortless, the dual concentric design means the tweeter horn is in the centre of the 15-inch woofer so the sound comes from the same point. These efficient speakers push a lot of air and energy into the room, there’s scale and dynamics that only a large speaker can achieve I believe.
“Given I’m playing a lot more vinyl at home these days I also invested in a wonderful, Australian made rotary-mixer/preamplifier from Condesa Electronics. I’ve known the owner Medhi for years through touring Adelaide and music friends, he’s even lent me his own super limited Firecracker version of the Lucia mixer while mine is being built (Thanks Medhi!). I could have gone down the path of a stand-alone phono preamp but being a DJ, the Condesa makes much more sense. Condesa mixers are fully discrete, hand-built audiophile rotary mixers that easily compete with a high-end phono preamp on sound quality alone. They also offer a big warm sound that fits my living room vibe.”
Resistor Magazine: What’s your current system comprised of?
Eddie O’Loughlin: Sources: 2 x Technics SL1210/Bluesound Node 2i (streaming hi-res digital). Cartridges: Audio Technica XP5 (for DJing)/Audio Technica VM95SH and Nagaoka MP-110 (for listening). Mixer: Condesa Lucia Rotary. Preamplifier: Marantz 3300. Power Amplifier: Marantz 250M. Cables: OJAS speaker cable and interconnects. Speakers: Tannoy Arden MK1 (HPD385 drivers).
Resistor Magazine: Your system seems to integrate with your life. This is obviously by design, why is that important to you?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “It’s really just the long process of filling the rooms I live in with stuff I love... plants, old furniture, records, art, etc. I work from home, so I spend a lot of time in the space, so why not put some effort into the vibe, make it sound and feel right? It’s not an overly deliberate process and it now has a character in which certain things will fit (or not). I think enjoying listening to music also involves the vibe of the space you’re in, so lighting, plants etc. adds to the experience.”
Photo below: O'Loughlin's mix of vintage gear curated over several years has yielded a system that integrates into a social environment, no single chair in the middle of the room here. Preamplifier: Marantz 3300. Power Amplifier: Marantz 250M.
Resistor Magazine: What have you learned over the years as you’ve curated your equipment? Any advice you could pass on to those looking to invest more time and effort into enjoying their music collections?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I don’t feel qualified to offer any sweeping advice but here are some personal take aways on hi-fi. I try my best to trust my own ears and not Internet forums if possible. The Internet is rife with opinions (including this one, ha!) mainly based on ownership pride or people repeating stuff they have read elsewhere. Everyone’s taste is different and if my system connects me to music I love without second-guessing stuff then I feel like I’m doing it right.
“Music enjoyment should trump clinical, sharp ‘accuracy’ in my opinion. There’s a school of thought that every instrument and sound needs to deliberately, independently draw attention to itself but that’s not what 'music’ as a whole is about generally. I’d much rather have a rich, cohesive presentation than lots of individual elements vying for their space in the mix. Don’t dismiss vintage gear. Hi-fi was much more important culturally in the ‘60s and ‘70s and some amazing gear is out there. Also, stuff from 40 years ago that is highly regarded has had decades to cement its reputation for quality. Finding a good tech is important to bring things up to, or close to original spec, and you can easily mix and match new and vintage equipment.”
“I try my best to find a balance between work, life and music."
–Eddie O'Loughlin
Photo above: The mix of plants, books, art and furniture offer up a philosopher's space.
Resistor Mag: Talk to me about your music production gig. What's the story behind your most recent release, MGIC?
Eddie O’Loughlin: “I try my best to find a balance between work, life and music. My home office is also my studio, so I try to blur the lines a bit and write music throughout the day rather than making it a special event. Lockdown has been productive with quite a few releases, two EPs with Dubai/UK artist Megatronic on Turntables on the Hudson (NYC), remixes of Ahu and Ezroh (featuring Blu and Exile) on Inner Tribe records, and a house jam through City Fly in the UK. I love mixing up styles and these releases cover Afrobeat, Neo Soul, Hip Hop, House, Disco etc... all an extension of the music I love to collect.
“My most recent release is a Neo Soul-influenced 4-track called MGIC with New York singer Tan Brown and special guest Phat Kat, from Detroit. It all came together very easily and was worked on completely remotely through WhatsApp and email. Tan Brown has an amazing voice/style and immediately got what I was after just through a couple of reference songs. Phat Kat brought the rawness and it was an honour to work with him, as I’ve been listening to him since his work with J Dilla. The EP has now been remixed by super talented friends Steve Spacek, Jonny Faith, Kid Sublime, Peret Mako and released as a separate remix EP on Inner Tribe Records. The 7-inch vinyl just landed too. So nice to hold your work in your hands.
Photo above: The soft glow of VU meters emanating from Marantz gear will contribute to a laidback vibe in any space.
Eddie O’Loughlin: "I actually included some shots of my space on the back cover and labels for the MGIC vinyl release, kind of a shout-out to where I made the music. I also host a monthly show called Steppers with Steve Spacek and Tom Studdy on Brighton radio station 1BTN. It’s been a great outlet over the last year especially with very few gigs allowed to happen... Here’s hoping we can all share musical experiences together again soon.”
You can follow Eddie O'Loughlin and on Instagram HERE.
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