Time for one last musical example, one that encapsulates what is perhaps the Trilogy amplifiers’ most important quality. You can break down their musical attributes and sonic presentation. You can dwell on how those things combine to greater musical effect, but it’s the whole that ultimately matters and which needs to both combine and be greater than the sum of those parts. The really great, musically involving and communicative products achieve a balance between those internal strands which communicates the sense of the performance as a whole, as well as its sound. What the 914 and 944s build from within the recorded signal, is exactly that sense of human agency, the energy and enthusiasm that creates a performance. With its mid-hall balance and matching perspective, this is not the reach out and touch/spit on the microphone immediacy of a system like the Trio G3, nor would it be appropriate. This is more the concerted sense of energy coming off of the stage – and in terms of distance and match to the image and dynamics, that is entirely appropriate. You can hear it in the vigour and focused enthusiasm of Il Giardino Armonico, as well as in the poised precision of Isabelle Faust (il virtuoso, il poeta – Harmonia Mundi HMM902398). You can hear it in the consistently insistent prompting of Bobby Timmons’ piano across Moanin’ (Blue Note BST-84003). You sure as shootin’ hear it as Lee Morgan’s trumpet rips it up in the solo that closes out the album’s title track. …
But we started with Steve Earle and it’s a perfect place to finish, only this time round, let’s dip into Copperhead Road (Geffen UNID-7). From the shuddering impact of the thudding crash that opens the title track, there’s no missing the solid substance and energy projected by these amps. But there’s nothing static or leaden about the sound, despite the weight and power of that bottom end. Just listen to the masterpiece of musical mayhem that is ‘Johnny Come Lately’: you hear that joyous, infectious energy in the musical free for all, a torrent of energy over which the Trilogy amps maintain control, despite its riotous nature, instilling purpose and direction. But more importantly, you hear it in the sardonic twist, the emotional gut-punch at the end of the track. This album is no audiophile recording – but it is a great band delivering a great performance. That’s exactly what the 914/944s communicate – in all its raw energy and in all its contrasting facets. No one trick pony, the Trilogy combination can shift, chameleon-like, to reflect the shifting shades within the music.
Used as a pairing, the 914 and 994s sound both engaging and forgiving. Rhythmically articulate, they take the notion of Pace, Rhythm and Timing way beyond the toe-tapping strait-jacket of early flat-earth thinking and well into the realms of artistic subtlety and expressive range. An almost physical sense of presence that allows the performance to connect with and draw the listener in, makes for compulsive musical experiences. The natural tonality, absence of glare or hardness and stable sonic picture add up to a presentation that’s as inviting as it is easy to listen to – often for hours on end. These are amps that invite you to share the space and share the musical event with the musicians.
