Words by Rafe Arnott, photos courtesy of Markus Driessen. Photo above: Driessen's living room, shared with his partner, occupies a section of a former fruit and vegetable shop in a building dating from the 1800's in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
You may ask someone what a listening space is, but the answer would be as different as every person you asked. For some it could be a public venue, for others a private one. And for others yet, it is less corporeal and more abstract – an idea, a state of mind. A mirage.
Oases, those idyllic islands of lush flora and cool, deep waters springing from the arid sands of countless films and books as mirage must often seem just that: a fiction. Imagine sighting one flickering in the bent light of shimmering heat waves on a distant, sand strewn horizon – the feeling of salvation it would imbue – as one’s tongue flicked over dry, scabbed lips bereft of moisture. A scenario many music lovers and audiophiles looking to slake their thirst for fidelity can relate to, and surely part of the reason so many choose to construct their own sanctuary in the comfort of home.
But how to find these sacrarium? How to access their visage or connect in aspirational homage? These places are not advertised, and in the classic parlance of the previous century; “…it’s who you know.” Luckily, Resistor is able to secure invitations to these personal realms where only family, friends or loved ones are granted access, not because of a lack in capability or empathy to share music, but because these are private spaces for not just listening, but living… enjoying one’s life and those with whom it is lived.
As I’ve written previously regarding this, a listening space is a structure for the deep exploration of music’s impact on our collective and individual psyches. And so, Listening Space is back with a fifth instalment (Read the first HERE, the second HERE, the third HERE, and the fourth HERE). This time around we spend time with Markus Driessen of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
This escape into hi-fi journalism is supported by Hi-fi Centre.
I’ve always had a deep, emotional connection to music...Over time my love for music also brought people into my life who understand me because they went through something similar, these people are my closest friends today."
–Markus Driessen
Resistor Mag: Can you give us some background on who Markus Driessen is? Where do you call home?
Markus Driessen: “I’m 32 years old and live with my wonderful girlfriend in a former fruit and vegetable shop in a building from 1896 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. I'm an introverted, emotional person with a passion for music and interior design. My passion for music and some experiences in my life have awakened my interest in psychology, philosophy and spirituality over the past few years. In the past I was a soldier and Afghanistan veteran. I also worked as a roofer for three years. The last six years I have worked in a company that makes radar systems for the mining industry. I lost this job a few days ago due to the current situation in Germany (energy crisis). Now I'm totally focused on finding a way to live for the things that I love.”
Resistor Magazine: Have you ever played any musical instruments?
Markus Driessen: “Unfortunately, I have never learned to play an instrument, which is really surprising when I think back to my childhood. It's definitely an item on my ‘to do’ list.”
Resistor Magazine: Was music playing in the house when you were growing up? Was music an important part of family life?
Markus Driessen: “Music was part of family life when I was growing up. My mother played guitar, my father played accordion. At Christmas they always played Christmas carols together. My father also loved the aesthetics of instruments. If he saw somewhere a beautiful instrument for sale he bought it and placed it in the living room. We had a piano, violin, trumpet and of course my mother's guitar and several of my father's accordions. As a child I even had an organ in my room for years because there was no space in the living room for it. At first I often “played” with it, but I lost interest as a teenager. I also had a small portable record player that my mother got as a teenager from my grandparents. I listened to three of her old records on repeat; The Beatles (1962-1966), The Beatles (1967-1970) and Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix. I still have the records, but sadly I no longer have the portable record player.
Photo above: Driessen: "I think you miss out on a lot of good music if you only focus on specific genres." Photo left: Part of his LP collection.
“With my older sister I always watched Miniplaybackshow – a German televison show from the ‘90s where children performed popular songs with playback. Sometimes we also did our own Miniplaybackshow. My older brother had some CDs and cassettes that I secretly borrowed on a regular basis. One album I remember to this day is Play Games by DogEatDog. On this album I heard a saxophone for the first time.”
Resistor Mag: Describe your relationship to music today, has it changed since you were a child? A teen?
Markus Driessen: “I’ve always had a deep, emotional connection to music. As a teenager and well into my 20s I was very insecure and afraid of rejection. I carried a lot of pain in my soul and to protect myself I built a wall and tried to play the tough guy on the outside. During this time, music was like a good friend who understands this pain and gives me the strength to endure it. As mentioned, music and some life circumstances sparked my interest in psychology, philosophy and spirituality, which has helped me to understand the source of my pain, heal my wounds and find my true self. Over time my love for music also brought people into my life who understand me because they went through something similar, these people are my closest friends today. What has changed is my taste in music, which has always been, and still is, a kind of reflection of my emotions.”
Resistor Magazine: Can you recall the first LP (or cassette or CD – physical media) you ever bought?
Markus Driessen: “My very first CD was a present from my parents. When I was seven or eight they gave me The Beatles The White Album for Christmas along with my first compact audio system. I've been listening to the album every day for a long time. When I listen to it today, it often feels like a journey back in time to my childhood. The first CD I bought myself was the black Self-titled Nirvana album.”
Resistor Mag: You have a sound system that blends effortlessly with your living space, how important was that aesthitic aspect in bringing it all together?
Photo above: Fisher The 101 vintage early '60s all-valve integrated amplifier.
Markus Driessen: “The aesthetics of my living space are very important to me. There is an interaction between every person and their environment, whether other people or objects. If you don't feel comfortable in your environment, it makes you unhappy in the long run, and if you're unhappy, you unconsciously transfer these negative feelings to those around you. You attract more and more negative influences into your life, which make you more and more unhappy. A chain reaction occurs. In order to create a positive chain reaction, I try to fill my everyday environment with beautiful things that I love, such as furniture from the ’60s and ’70s and of course the tube powered horn speaker setup. All this fills the space with a wonderfull warm vibe in which I can do nothing but feel good.”
Resistor Magazine: Is there a theme to your record collection, do you cover a lot of genres, or tend to focus on specific ones? Are you into seven-inch 45s? Or mono recordings, for example?
Markus Driessen: “The majority of my collection is jazz and classical, but I also have some rock, blues, soul and funk. Basically I'm open to all genres. Duke Ellington once said "There are two kinds of music, good music and the other kind...". I think you miss out on a lot of good music if you only focus on specific genres.”
Resistor Magazine: What got you started down the strange path of high-end audio?
Markus Driessen: “To be honest it started because of sustainability. When I was 18 I bought a 5.1 surround system from Samsung. It was connected to my laptop, which had all my music on it. This surround system was already broken after five years and of course could not be repaired, which really annoyed me. Somewhere in the basement I still had a Pioneer integrated amplifier (A-335) and a CD player from my father's old hi-fi system. So I bought a pair of new Canton speakers for 600 euros and put everything together. Although the Pioneer units were from 1990, which is the same age as me, everything worked right away and I started listening to more CDs again.
On eBay I discovered a private seller from my town who offered a collection of stoner rock CDs. When I visited him and entered his living room, I was shocked. He was a vintage Pioneer collector and had two big audio systems in his living room. His main system consisted of Arcus TL-1000 loudspeakers, Pioneer Spec-4 power amplifier, Spec-1 preamplifier and a Pioneer PLC-590 turntable. I’d never seen or heard anything like that before. I told him about my "new" system and he gave me the advice to sell the Canton speakers and use the money to buy speakers from the ‘70s or ‘80s. That's exactly what I did. I sold the Canton speakers for 500 euros and bought a pair of Arcus TL-200 for 250 euros. I was so impressed by the look and build quality of the Pioneer Spec-1 and Spec-4 that I wanted to have them too. So I started saving money and bought them a year later. This is how my journey into the wonderful world of high quality audio began.”
Resistor Magazine: Music first, or gear first? Which is the master, which is the servant?
Markus Driessen: “For me music always comes first. I can enjoy Kyung Wha Chung's Con Amore on my phone with headphones for $20 and still get goosebumps. But if you show me Britney Spears on a crazy expensive high end audio system then you have to hold me with two people so I don't run out of the room screaming. Nevertheless, I don't want to do without high quality audio.”
Photo above: The vintage Sony PS-2250 turntable with PUA-114 tonearm. The cartridge is an Elac D90 E18. Altec Santiago in background.
Resistor Magazine: Describe your current system in detail and how you ended up with what you have.
Markus Driessen: “As mentioned, my first high quality setup consisted of Arcus TL-200 loudspeakers (four-way transmission line, efficiency 91db), Pioneer Spec-4 power amplifier and Spec-1 preamp. I listened to music very happily with this setup for a few years, until someone told me about the "magic sound" of tube amps. That piqued my curiosity and I started looking for tube amps. I found a Stereotronic STV-102. This is a Pioneer SM-83 modified by German engineers (larger output transformers, stereo potentiometer). I bought it and I recognized that my speakers sounded completely different with it.
"I immediately understood what the guy meant by "magic sound" and I loved it. I sold the Pioneer amplifiers and started to research more about hi-fi and especially about tube amplifiers. I noticed that tube amplifiers are very often combined with horn loudspeakers. A pair of JBL L-101 were being offered for sale in a neighboring town at this time. I bought them and hooked them up to my tube amp. After hearing the first song on this setup, I knew immediately that I was on the right track."
Photo above: The Fisher 101 and ALtec Santiago horn-loaded loudspeakers of Driessen's system are very difficult to source in Europe, but luck and patience often pay off in the vintage high-fidelity market.
Markus Driessen: "At the beginning of this year I found a pair Altec Santiago on eBay. They belonged to a former United States soldier in Frankfurt. He moved a year earlier and was looking for a smaller speaker for his new apartment. I called him and because I couldn't afford the Altec I offered him a trade; my JBL speakers for his Altec. He declined because of the price difference. A day later he called me back and said he had thought about it and wanted to make me happy so he agreed to the trade.
"After that I looked for a new tube amp for the Altecs. I was very interested in Fisher tube amps, especially the very first Fisher stereo amp – the 101. This amp is extremely rare in Germany. When one is offered, it's usually in terrible condition, so I had no hope of ever finding one. But I found a Rogers HG-88 MK2. I visited the owner and found out that he collects Fisher amps. Not only did he have one X-101 (first series), he had three of them – all in near perfect condition. I asked him if he would sell one of these and he agreed. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. First the Altec loudspeakers (that are also very rare in Germany), which I actually couldn't afford and then the Fisher 101. I'm really a lucky guy.
“As source I use a Sony PS-2250 with PUA-114 tonearm. The cartridge is an Elac D90 E18 which is actually a rebranded Audio Technica AT-440MLb. My cables are all from Oehlbach – interconnects are NF1 Master and speaker cables are SP-15. I currently see no point in a cable upgrade because I still have more important things to do, such as a new plinth for the Sony deck, a new tonearm and new cartridge, some room treatment, the Altec crossovers, etc.“
Photos above: Driessen's system integrates flawlessly with the style of his home, a repudiation of the 'lone-chair-in-the-middle-of-the-room' monkish aesthetic of the chastened audiophile.
Resistor Magazine: Would you describe your sound system, and the music it plays as an emotional touchstone for you? Does it promote well being in your life? For your family?
Markus Driessen: “That was the intent in curating this sound system and space. Sitting in the sweet spot with a cup of good tea and listening to beautiful music always feels like refueling the soul.”
Resistor Magazine: What have you learned about high fidelity over the years you’ve curated your equipment? Is there any advice you’d pass on to those looking to explore this world and integrate a system like yours into their life?
Markus Driessen: “The only advice I can give is not to underestimate vintage audio gear, especially when the budget is limited. To get the same build quality of audio gear from the ’60s or ’70s in a new device you really have to spend a lot of money. Otherwise, my philosophy for hi-fi as a hobby is the same as for life itself: Go your own way and make your own experiences. Try different things until you find something you like and then move on in that direction.”
Follow Driessen on Instagram @anima_sonus
Photo below: "I would like to thank Robert, said Driessen. "He's my favorite local record dealer. He brought so much good music into my life – such as The Black-Man's Burdon by Eric Burdon & War or Pharoah by Pharoah Sanders. We also had a lot of really good and deep conversations. Thank you Robert, you are a wonderful person."
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