From the Vault

Pedal Power
The resounding ‘Pies Irae’ from Britten’s War Requiem was so stunning that I fulfilled a long held ambition to sit through the whole piece in one sitting – that’s how entrancing this system is! And it has the ability to change its character depending on the recording.

The lush yet precise quality of the instrumental colours in Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin [Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, RCA RL25094] is brilliantly etched by Lumley’s LM2 Signature floorstanders, yet the underlying warmth of a Kingsway Hall recording is so obvious that one immediately wants to explore other recordings made in this venue.

Switch to the reedy tones of the organ of Saint-Pierre de Geneve for Messiaen’s glowing La Nativite played by Louis Thiry [Calliope 1929] and the loudspeakers seem to expand to encompass the tremendous height of the instrument as well as the depth of the Soubasse 16ft pedal.

The lighter tones of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrouchka [Haitink/London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philips 6500-458] lift the spirits with dancing delight, while the David Oistrakh Jubilee Recitals [Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting the Moscow PSO through the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Melodya 01779-82], a 1968 recording I find to be virtually unplayable on most hi-fi systems, comes vibrantly to life when heard through these Lumley components.

Conclusion
There are not many set-ups that can create the urge to go on listening, not just right through the day but well into the dark hours of the morning until it is the music, rather than the hi-fi, which wears one out. This Lumley system of LM2 loudspeakers, PS2 preamp and M250 monoblock power amplifiers has all the right ingredients to manage this difficult feat, keeping you entertained until well past bedtime and handling your whole disc collection with poise and tolerance.

This is a ready-made system offering outstanding results that can be purchased with confidence – even the cable specification is perfect – and is guaranteed to produce musical satisfaction.