Who needs David Hafler, Peter Walker, Sid Smith, Bill Johnson, Frank Van Alstine, Ralph Karsten, Tim deParavicini, Nelson Pass, Roger Modjeski, and all the other Hi-Fi electronic designers? Uh, anyone who wants and/or needs electronics for the reproduction of music. You know, those who want a real Hi-Fi. If designing Hi-Fi electronics were left to audiophiles, almost all of us would be out-of-luck. For any audiophile who wants to build his own amp, Modjeski teaches a class in Berkeley, wherein he helps you realize your design idea. You are free to use any parts or fuses you like. ;-)
The above names don’t need to be dropped, the sound quality of their designs speak for their abilities. I’ve never heard one of them claim to work at any organization they actually didn’t (talk about name dropping and appeal-to-authority!), or to shamelessly boast about their products. They don’t need to, the sonic benefits of them are audible for all to hear. All that actually bother to audition them, of course. Some don’t feel a need to listen to those not containing "magic" parts. Now THAT’S a skeptic. ;-)