Miles Davis "So What"

A study on the space between notes as much as the notes themselves, Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is a masterpiece beyond compare.

When I lived in Grand Haven, I started listening to NPR's Jazz Profiles, which released an entire episode on Kind of Blue. I was somewhat enthralled by the album and soon bought it on SACD. 

Kind of Blue kind of blew my mind, and I played it over and over while sorting sports card and/or playing video games.

When I went to buy my first "big kid" surround-sound system for my home theater, I took a few CDs, including Kind of Blue.

This was my second visit to the store. The first time, the sales rep connected the listening room to a big-ass television and played a sci-fi movie with a soaring score and a ton of sound effects. Most of the speakers were impressive, but I always listened to music more than I've ever watched movies.

The rep suggested I bring back music I was familiar with to listen on various speakers, and when I returned with the CDs, the rep saw what I had in hand and changed the brand of speaker he recommended to the Paradigm Reference Series.

The first song I played was "So What," and it sounded so good -- so crisp and clear -- I didn't play anything else and bought a pair of Paradigm fronts and a Paradigm subwoofer.

To this day, I use only Paradigm speakers and currently have a setup of:

• Monitor 11
• CC-300
• Titan
• PS-1200

The PS-1200 is the same one I bought in 2001. I bought the CC-300 from the same store a few months later. I have re-foamed them and refreshened their box pads multiple times, keeping them in tip-top shape.

Each time I refurbish them, I put on "So What" to make sure they sound the way they should.

Location: Michigan, USA

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