A Lifelong Love of Music and Sound - Sten Thorborg

For Danish music enthusiast Sten Thorborg, music has always been an essential part of daily life. Whether playing in the background while he edits photographs in his home library or taking centre stage during dedicated listening sessions in the living room, music accompanies many hours of his day.

His connection to music began early. At the age of twelve, his sister introduced him to the music of Frank Zappa. Even though he did not fully understand the lyrics at the time, the music itself resonated deeply and left a lasting impression.

Not long after, Sten’s interest in sound reproduction grew when he started working in a Hi-Fi shop at just fourteen years old. Spending weekends and holidays surrounded by high-quality audio systems gave him the opportunity to experience great sound early on, something that would shape his listening habits for decades.

Photo: Dweezil Zappa with Sten's wife Susan in his new Atmos studio in L.A. with his father Frank Zappa looking down from the wall. Sten has had the pleasure of meeting him several times. Photo credit: Sten Thorborg

From rock to jazz

Sten’s musical taste spans many genres and decades. While rock remains a favourite, he finds himself listening to more jazz these days.

His playlists might include artists as diverse as Frank Zappa, The The, Hothouse Flowers and Bo Kaspers Orkester, alongside classic bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Genesis.

For Sten, discovering new music can sometimes be challenging, but streaming playlists, particularly on Spotify, often leads him to interesting new artists and recordings.

He still values physical media as well. Recently he purchased two vinyl albums by Danish jazz musician Søren Bebe, not only because of their excellent sound quality but also to support the artist directly.

Memorable music and concert experiences

Over the years, music has created countless memorable moments for Sten. Many songs by Matt Johnson, the songwriter behind The The, continue to evoke strong emotions thanks to their thoughtful lyrics and distinctive sound.

Live concerts have also played a major role in his musical life. Among the highlights are a performance by Peter Gabriel in San Francisco in 1980, an unforgettable extended pre-show performance by Neil Young in Melbourne, and a memorable concert by Hothouse Flowers in Kilkenny.

Beyond the concerts themselves, Sten has also had the opportunity to meet some of his musical heroes. Experiences such as meeting Rodríguez, greeting Roger Waters after a concert, and getting to know guitar virtuoso Steve Vai are moments he still remembers vividly.

Building a system for music and movies

Sten’s passion for great sound naturally extends to his home audio system. Over the years he has owned many loudspeakers from DALI, beginning with the classic DALI 7 back in the early 1980s.

Today his system combines high-end stereo listening with a 6.1 surround setup for films. When listening to music, whether streamed or played from vinyl, the signal runs directly through his preamplifier and monoblock amplifiers to a pair of DALI EPICON 6 loudspeakers.

For film and video playback, the system expands into a full surround experience using additional wireless DALI speakers (DALI RUBICON 2 C, DALI OBERON ON-WALL C, DALI SUB E-9 F) and a dedicated audio hub. The result is a setup that remains clean and minimalist for music listening but can deliver a powerful cinematic experience when needed.

Sten’s current electronics include Wyred 4 Sound amplification, while his headphone listening is handled by a pair of Sennheiser HD 820 headphones.

Music first, technology second

Despite his deep experience with Hi-Fi equipment, Sten’s philosophy remains refreshingly simple: the music itself always comes first.

While he appreciates great recordings and well-designed audio equipment, he believes the emotional connection to a song matters far more than technical specifications.

As he puts it, if the right song comes on at the right moment, that experience matters far more than whether the recording is in the highest possible resolution.