On November 2nd, the Goldmund pop-up Brand Store opened its doors in the Hobbemastraat 3 in Amsterdam. The official celebration of this event took place on November 16th, 2019.
Indonesian restaurant Sama Sebo, located in the same street, provided the catering.
The Chicken Satay was really nice and all of it was gone in what seemed like only minutes. Meanwhile, a special guest had arrived.
To celebrate the opening of the brand store, famous Dutch cellist Maya Fridman performed live with the wireless and fully active Goldmund Prana speakers as her companion musicians.
I was present at this special event and I have to say, it really was very special. I have heard Maya play on recordings but it wasn’t until I saw and heard her play live in front of me that I realized how truly gifted a musician she is.
The setting was intimate and the mood was perfect. Maya looked stunning and was highly concentrated and the crowd’s attention was 100%. Meanwhile, the mood was further enhanced by Trams rumbling by, the noise fitting in nicely with the music.
Maya performed absolutely flawlessly, blending in seamlessly with the Goldmund Prana speakers that truly acted as her fellow musicians.
What also became very clear is how excellent the Goldmund Prana speakers are. I’d already reviewed the Satya’s and heard the Prana’s at the XFi 2019 premium audio show but the absolute best way to hear how true to fidelity a speaker is is to compare it directly to an unamplified acoustical instrument in the very same room. What’s more: the recordings that were used for this were sourced from the masters of the Red Velvet album craftily made by the Dutch TRPTK label, provided for this session without Maya’s main part.
There is no beating actual live music. And although it is still impossible to fully capture and replay a complex instrument such as a Cello in their full glory and make this sound precisely as in real life, we can actually come very, very close. I kid you not: there were parts in the recordings, where Maya played along with herself using the same instrument, and during this passage, I honestly found the recording to sound scarily close to the real thing. The timbre, the dynamics, the transients, the attack and decay, all was identical. Really the only difference that I noticed is that the unamplified instrument had slightly more warmth. But since a 100% reproduction is impossible and a replay chain with more warmth inevitably leads to reduced performance in other aspects, I’d say this is pretty much as good as it gets. I was certainly much impressed.
Flowers for the lady handed out by Robert and Daan
In the Benelux, Goldmund is represented by PUUR audio, video & domotica by Daan Vreeswijk & Robert Brijde. As Robert explains:
“Until now, we mainly received interested people in our showroom in Oostzaan where several Goldmund products can be seen and heard, but we wanted to do something special with the brand, to make it more visible for the people. The store had to be in a special location, a place where the brand would really come into its own. After a thorough search, we found a space that was suitable as a real hot spot, right in the center of Amsterdam. Soon after, the realization of the brand’s very first pop-up brand store in Europe was a fact. ”
The Goldmund Brand Store is open Wednesdays to Sundays from 12:00 to 20:00 until January 2nd. Feel free to drop by! Alternatively, you can visit the PUUR audio, video & domotica showroom which, during the Brand Store period, is open only by appointment. Also, you could reserve a spot for one of the upcoming Goldmund Suite sessions where Robert and Daan play a selection of classical compositions integrally on the Goldmund system as part of a theme that is different every time.
Experience True Beauty in wireless, fully active Audio & Design at the Goldmund Brand Store.
PLUG. PLAY. ENJOY!
Goldmund Brand Store
Open Wednesdays to Sundays from 12:00 to 20:00 until January 2nd 2020
Hobbemastraat 3
1071 XZ Amsterdam
(next to MOMO Restaurant, Bar & Lounge)
PUUR audio, video & domotica Showroom
During the Brand Store period, only open by appointment
Skoon 80
1511 HV Oostzaan
Phone: (020) 722 09 05
Website: puuravd.com
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