Mannofield Music Club .....

I am 73 years old at the time of writing (August 2025) and live in the historic but much underrated city of Aberdeen in Scotland with my lovely wife of 52 years. Retired from chasing the 'fo£ding stuff' and after many years of public service it's time to start enjoying my most favourite pastimes .....  walking our beautiful miniature dachshund 'Lily' in the woods and at the seaside, listening to and playing music and tending our garden where I find peace and tranquillity.  I would describe myself as a 'happy melancholic' and this is reflected in much of the music that I enjoy listening to. 

HEALTH ALERT!  Unfortunately old age does not come alone and is often accompanied by assorted maladies and for me it's stiffness and loss of some feeling in my hands, poor short term memory and the concentration span of a flea and other stuff that I won't bore you with. The important thing is to keep going and enjoy what you can do and not brood about the things you can't do. So dust off that instrument and enjoy it again in your own way.

My music of choice would be baroque & romantic periods of classical music and also trad / New Orleans jazz but I find enjoyment in most genres.  It would be difficult to choose any favourite pieces of music to play (I find them all difficult) but I do enjoy listening to Pete Fountaine, Sidney Bechet and Acker Bilk.  Favourite classical music, there's just too many to mention but Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102: II. Andante always brings me a moment of peace in a noisy world, as I said above I'm a 'happy melancholic'.

Feeling stressed ? Take five minutes and  Just listen here 

I don't do so called 'Social Media' and I never ever discuss religion or politics or the old argument of which is better 'CD or Vinyl' but I do have a life-long love for hi-fi equipment but for me it's all about the music, having said that I will always argue the case for having a decent hi-fi system.

For those who are interested, the system that I have now was bought during the COVID pandemic when hi-fi  dealers were shutting down their listening rooms and moving to sell on-line, not ideal. So I set myself a budget, read reviews and using the knowledge that I acquired over fifty years of buying and selling hi-fi I went on-line shopping.  As it turns out I still have my 'covid' hi-fi, it's the longest time I have ever kept any hi-fi system and I have no intention of replacing it. For my budget of £3000 this is what I bought.

Quad Artera Play+ CD player/ DAC / Pre-amp,  Q Acoustics 3050i floor-standing loudspeakers and just for something a bit different I took a chance and bought a Muzishare X7 integrated vacuum tube (we call them valves in the UK) amplifier. I have since fitted bias test points and replaced the original valves with a set of  PSVANE Horizon valves. Whether by luck, educated guesswork or maybe just good decision making on my part I have an audio system that suits me and my taste in music for a very reasonable cost.