Audio Video Show Warsaw 2022

The Audio Video Show 2022 in Warsaw is behind us.‍

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Thank you to everyone who visited, customers and fans of the brand.

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Until the last minutes on Sunday, we hosted listeners who left us with a heavy heart. It is a huge joy and reward for us when someone listens to music on our equipment and is so emotionally involved in the reception. What guided me nearly 10 years ago in choosing the name for the brand - Closer > Closer - speakers that bring you closer to the music, is still, and perhaps even more than then, relevant. Being on the sidelines of mainstream audio, we stick to what I was so fascinated by - broadband speakers. We are fortunate to work with the family-owned Katy Fertin manufacture from France.

In turn, my fascination with wood and my obsession not to walk the beaten path leads to creating the best possible conditions for excellent EMS speakers - read speaker enclosures. Then there are the electronics, created by another broadband speaker geek and analog sound. Together put together, bundled into one system gives effects that we like very much, but... judging by the reactions of guests at this year's AVS, not only us.

We wanted to exhibit at the National Stadium this year with larger speakers, but since it was not possible to get a suitable room, we decided to create at Sobieski the kind of room one would like to have at home, or the kind of room that most listeners can actually adapt for the purpose of listening to music at home. Twenty-odd square meters is about right. The biggest problem is always height. Low rooms sound worse than high rooms, but well the reality is that the luxury of high rooms is old townhouses.

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Closer Acoustics audio set at Audio Video Show Warsaw 2022

Anyway, since our newest speaker is OGY, a small stand mount, it was on its shoulders that the burden of presenting the Closer Acoustics sound rested. The OGY considering the realities of the high end market is relatively inexpensive, but the rest of the system we presented costs quite a bit. Someone asked why we are showing such an expensive amplifier with these speakers... well, we didn't get a chance to show it last year, just as we didn't get a chance to show the Flō phono preamplifier two years ago for reasons known. So we have brought the best we have so that OGY can really shine.

Well, and I guess it did, judging by the reactions of listeners.

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Wojciech Pacula, in the third part of his report from the Audio Video Show 2022, titled - "the best of the best," begins by posting a photo from our room bearing the caption: "Closer Acoustics and OGY loudspeakers, one of the prettiest presentations at the AVS2022 show; sound also really high quality".

Our presentation was recognized and we were among the winners of the Best Sound Audio Video Show 2022 award. This is a great honor for us.

Sound Rebels, on the other hand, wrote:

„Another very pleasant surprise (life has taught me that, contrary to stereotypes, surprises don't have to be pleasant and nice at all) turned out to be a system of domestic production. We're talking about the system prepared by the Jastrzębie-Zdrój-based Closer Acoustics manufactory, which consisted of truly microscopic OGY bookshelf speakers, a 300B Provocateur integrated amplifier in Adam Sztaba's (supposedly) highest Signature specification, a Flō phono preamplifier and a thoroughly modified Lenco L75 turntable. And? And we have a recipe for success in a hotel room, where smaller speakers mean fewer problems with taming the lowest components and if you don't overdo the volume you can quietly listen for hours. And with pleasure.”

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Also, Szymon Faber wrote:

„Closer Acoustics speakers with the company's electronics, honestly one of the most successful presentations and a huge surprise. These microscopic speakers created a real soundstage, with plans and a coherent, coherent musical message. Of course, I realize the limitations of low frequencies, but this was one of the better sets. These broadband babies made you want to sit for a longer time and finally relax after the ubiquitous noise, whistling and pounding bass. Correctly sized instruments, aerated and supportive mids (with quite realistic timbre) and surprisingly good highs. Hand-assembled French EMS in the application of a domestic manufactory put me in a good mood and gave me hope that all is not lost. I am curious about other models from this company and am eager to learn more about its offerings. The more so because the prices do not make my head spin. It presses itself to the lips small in height, big in spirit.”

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Thank you beautifully for appreciating our work.

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The good news is that the OGY can play very well with a variety of amplifiers, while due to the fact that small high-efficiency speakers are scarce on the market - why, because the smaller the speaker the usually lower the efficiency - we point out that the OGY is the The Monitor for tube amplifiers

Note: clarification, - lately, my daughter, has been admonishing me to clarify some terms, because, after all, not everyone knows what "efficiency" is. The OGY is 91 db at 8 Ohms impedance, so, let me clarify. The higher the efficiency of the speaker, the less power the amplifier must deliver for the speaker to play well, including adequately loud. And so 7 watts from our Provocateur is completely enough to play the OGY with good volume in a medium-sized room. And after all, one does not play at maximum power. The first watts are the most important :)

Adam Sztaba at the 300B Provocateur amplifier, the version he signs with his name

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Among the guests there was Maestro Adam Sztaba, who kindly supports our brand. Together we listened to the music we love. In truth, it was behind the Maestro's inspiration that so much was John Williams. An excellent concert with the Berlin Philharmonic, fantastically recorded and released by Deutsche Grammophon with film music, which after all we all know inside out, was the perfect material to showcase the sound of the symphony orchestra as performed by OGY and the naturalness of the sound of the instruments.

In a while we will play Sophie Anne Mutter with John Williams, Across the stars

A conductor who stands behind his desk and hears the sound, violins, cellos, double basses, flutes, tubas, bassoons, harps, timpani, piano, wood, sheet metal of their place in space on a daily basis is like a model of the Sèvres meter. That's why I appreciate so much the cooperation with Maestro, who by some cosmic, improbable coincidence came to our station a few years ago. Thanks a lot!

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Michael Fremer visits Closer Acoustics at AVS 2022

We were also visited by none other than Michael Fremer, who they say is the "pope of analog," and recorded a conversation with me, which you can see on his new youtube channel „Trackingangle”.

So once again, thank you to all the visitors and listeners, organizers, business partners and also the team that works with us, especially Robert - thanks also for the photos Robert, and my brother Andrzej.