Another trip in the car and another organ. This time it was to Svendborg in southeast Fyn where a young organist showed off his talents at St. Nikolai's Church. It was immediately apparent that this organ had plenty of seriously deep bass compared with the rather more subtle organs I had recently enjoyed. Three 16' stops were listed this time. The audience was far larger than previous recitals and provided suitable applause to encourage the clever young man at the console. The 4 + 1 pieces played within the half hour recital produced a feast of exhilaratingly deep bass tones. Listening to the descending notes as they dug ever deeper was a revelation to my ears. I had waited for so many decades to hear such stunning clarity, weight, depth and sense of limitless power. Finally, I had a reference with which to compare my IB subwoofer back at home.
I knew immediately that had I allowed myself to enjoy live organ music on a regular basis that my speaker system would have left me deeply disappointed for every moment of those 40 long years. Until, that is, the last moment before I had fired up my IB manifold. My pair of DIY 6th order series subwoofer could do wonders but were just too muffled and coloured in retrospect. The big SVS cylinder had plenty of output down low but was just too muddy on organ music. The IB had been the breakthrough in bass quality which I had been seeking since the late 1960s. Until now I had nothing with which to compare it.
My IB speaks the language of the organ as far as my ears are concerned. It can chuff or breathe itself slowly into life. It can bellow with raw power and still whisper the subtle truth in the next moment of inky black silence. It provides the same immense weight and grandeur as suddenly and effortlessly as a real organ. Easily conveying the power of the great pipes which congregations and audiences have held in awe for hundreds of years. I am beginning to realise that I need new, more revealing main speakers to capture the clear, sharp tones and airiness of the smaller pipes in these vast spaces.
Click on any image for a larger version. Back click to return to the text.
