Ypsilon, Nirvana and The Greek Audiophiles

By Thanos Argyropoulos

One of the things I love about audio, is that it gives you the opportunity to connect with other audiophiles around the world. This year I was lucky enough to be invited by Nirvana Sound’s founder George Moraitis to visit the Ypsilon factory in Greece with him.

It was an enlightening experience. Not only did we get an opportunity to see how some of the world’s great amplifiers are made, but we also got the chance to talk ‘all things audio’ with Ypsilon’s inspirational and humble founder Demetris Backlavas. His passion for the industry, unique design philosophy and depth of knowledge made it easy to understand why his products are amongst the best in the world!

After a factory tour & listening to some music, we were invited to spend an afternoon at the home of one of Greece’s great audiophiles – Thanassi. We were treated to some authentic Athenian hospitality first-hand and had the pleasure of experiencing his incredible system, anchored by the stunning Ypsilon SET100 Ultimate amplifiers. Thanassi was a generous host and we experienced the sound of his expertly curated Ypsilon based system. Wow, what a sound! Demetris was quick to point out that the only thing missing from this stunning system was a Döhmann turntable…

We then headed to a local tavern at 10pm (normal time for Greeks to head out for dinner) with Demetris, Thanassi, James (Ypsilon’s ‘Jack of all trades’) and Lukas (Demetris’s son) to enjoy the local cuisine. The restaurant resembled someone’s home on a typical residential street and the food was unforgettably good. It was a delightful evening filled with laughter and many story telling as the wine flowed. Some time after 1am, James graciously drove us home, bringing together one of the most enjoyable evenings in recent memory.

During dinner, I mentioned to Demetris and Thanassi that after Athens, I was heading west to Agrinio to visit my wife’s relatives. To my surprise, they mentioned that a great friend and fellow audiophile ‘Apostolos’, lives there. Before I knew what was happening, they messaged him and said with a grin “He’s expecting you!”

A few days later on the way to Agrinio, I casually mentioned to my wife that I had a contact in Agrinio that I would be catching up with. She immediately became suspicious.

‘What do you mean you suddenly have a contact in Agrinio?’
‘Who is this person?’
‘How do you know him?’
‘Who introduced him to you?’
‘Why have you never mentioned him before?’

I explained that he was a fellow audiophile and friend of the people I met the other night. They suggested I make contact with him.

“So we’re going to meet a man you’ve never met before just because he owns a stereo system?”, she asked in disbelief.

“Ahh… Yes.”

She mentioned this to her relatives in Agrinio and they were all convinced that no such man exists and that the person I would be meeting had sinister motives. The popular theory was that I would be leaving this meeting with one less kidney.

Little did I know, Apostolos’s wife was asking similar questions about me! I then received a text asking “should we bring the wives?” and I replied with a resounding “YES!”

We met the following evening at Agrinio’s coolest wine bar and the wives immediately connected and got along ‘like a house on fire’. Apostolos and I talked about audio, music, food, wine, family and our favourite Greek islands. The wives decided that it would be a good idea for all of us to attend the Munich Audio Show next year.

We really did experience “Philoxenia” which is at the heart of Greek hospitality. Thanks to Nirvana, Ypsilon and the ‘Greek Audiophiles’ for making it happen!

Endnotes from George Moraitis (Nirvana Sound)

It’s really important to us at Nirvana Sound that one day, our clients have an opportunity to meet these special creators of fine audio equipment. It really enhances the experience of ownership and helps you understand another dimension to the products… and it’s a lot of fun! I encourage everyone to do this at some stage of your audio journey.

That evening when we had dinner with the Ypsilon team will always be etched in my memory. What a great night! I’d like to acknowledge the generosity of Demetris, his team and also Thanassi for opening his house and heart to us strangers visiting from a far-away land.

Audio is always full of surprises. Who would have known that in a remote, sparsely populated part of the Greek countryside in a small town, exists an audiophile with a super system (SET100 Ultimates)? Thanos, I’m so happy that you met and became friends with Apostolos, the only audiophile in Agrinio! 😊