Member Almarg passed away last night

Rest in peace Al.My sincere condolences to his family.

It is with the deepest sympathy that I write this message to Almarg's family.  I know how hard it is to lose a loved one.  Find strength in one another and surround yourself with dear friends. Remember all of the good times in your mind and in your heart to get you through the rough times.  Think positive thoughts and cherish all of the good memories that you have developed over the years.  Also know that if Al has touched all of the people and their hearts here on Audiogon, he must have touched so many others in his lifetime that makes him so special in his journey in his life.  Life can be short and long but between that time is what really matters as a human being.  Al, keep a guiding light on for the rest of us.  Margaret, stay strong and love the time you shared together. 

Al exuded wisdom, knowledge and understanding of his subject, patiently explaining it in a way which was never demeaning to those posting, and, he was and is the standard by which all of us should conduct ourselves. He will be missed by many of us, and he left Audiogon a better place by giving us his best...
God bless you, Al.

@high-amp,
That was a nice thing to do. Kudos!

Al was a wonderful person who will be truly missed and always remembered by those of us on the forum, and I'm sure, everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.  My sincere sympathy to Marge and family.

…….very sad news indeed. Al and I traded emails on a bunch of topics and he always imparted his knowledge of this hobby without any partiality or biased opinion. '' May the fours winds blow you safely home '' Al.     

Al was a real gentleman, and his posts were virtually authoritative.  His posts were never based on an unfounded opinion, and not infrequently, they were more like answers.  He was always polite while correcting others.  Greatly missed.     

Every organization with which I have been associated has a group of individuals that collectively constitute the soul of the organization.  When those people are lost, the organization looses something that can't be replaced.  Al was a big part of Audiogon's soul.  He was a gentleman's gentleman and a scholar's scholar.  His tone was always polite and collegial- even when he was dealing with neophytes and buffoons.    Those of us who wish to honor his memory would do well to emulate him.

Goodbye my friend.  

My profound condolences to Margaret and family.  You are in my thoughts and prayers.  We were all truly blessed here at Audiogon to have had the opportunity to interact with Al. Al was always the voice of reason and will be sorely missed.  Our loss is heaven's gain.

So sad to hear about Almarg's passing. My condolences to his family and his friends.
Robert

Sad to hear, much love to his family.

Just this past May I learned through a conversation with Al that he owned a pair of Daedalus Ulysses speakers (for the past ten years). Al said he would likely never make it out to see Daedalus’ operation, so as it happens, Daedalus Audio is 15 minutes down the road from me. With camera in hand I went down and introduced myself to the owner, Lou Hinkley and toured his operation. Once done, I sent all those picture along with a long narrative back to Al so he at least got a chance to see where his speakers originated from. I was so happy I could do this for Al.
A true gentleman, with vast amounts of knowledge. My deepest sympathy goes out to Margaret & family.
Al will truly be missed.

So sorry to hear of Al's passing. 

Whether you dealt with Al on the various threads or directly, he was always polite, gentlemanly and so informative with his responses.

It would be a fitting tribute if members would strive to "model" future postings with the style and grace Al showed us all

He will be missed - A sad day for this forum indeed.

 

Didn't know him personally but could always count on Al to provide some of the best technical info on this site. He'll be missed.

Death, be not proud.  R.I.P. Al. 

….very, very sad as Al had also helped me on many different occasions with great impartial advice. '' May the four winds blow you safely home ''...……..  

Rest in peace, Al. You were always the gentleman on the site, and always full of great advice. You will be missed. 

Frank

My condolences to Margaret and family as they grieve the loss of Almarg, who was truly a remarkable and giving individual. You are in my thoughts and prayers...

Wig

How sad. My condolences.
Another good audiophile down.
Take care of yourselves out there. Especially old timers from the 70s/80s. Each one we lose represents a serious loss of experience, knowledge and wisdom that contributes daily to an entire “social memory” we share by communicating over years with newer audiophiles.

My condolences to Al’s family and close friends. RIP Al, your passing creates a deep void in those that both came into casual contact and to personally know you. You will be missed my friend.

Never had the opportunity to meet him but he was at the top of the list of folks I would love to have met.

I always took note of his very informative posts and often look up his posts when doing research on some new hifi topic that I know he talked about.

And yes, if look up the word "mensch" there should be a picture of Al there.

I believe he is the only person I know of with advanced degrees in both Engineering and Law. That gave him unique and insightful perspective on many things plus he was so uniquely literate and focused when he wrote, in addition to possessing such deep knowledge in many areas.

Can't say enough nice things about him.  One of a kind!

I enjoyed Al's demeanor on the forum. I understand he might be incredulous at some of the conversation, but always comported himself well. A good example for us all. 

Blessings and comfort to Margaret. 

Very sad news. Always was insightful, RIP Al

I can imagine years from now I'll be searching for some info and I will come across something that Al posted......and I'll smile.

The printed word lives on.

david_ten, thank you for being the bearer of the sadness...never a pleasant weight, but appreciated by all. :(

Sleep well, Al.
Your energy now surrounds us, and we join you soon enough. 🌹

@david_ten thank you for everything you have done to keep us posted.

Such a sad day in the Audiogon world. Al was the epitome of everything this place could be. He set an example we should all look to follow.  Apart from that, he was a friend. I’m honored to have gotten to know him. God bless you, Al. Peace to Margaret and the family...

As a few have alluded to, Al IS that example we should all aspire too. I simply cannot thank Al enough for that. It is not easy, yet his example will persist forevermore.

Margaret, my condolences to you with prayers asking for comfort from the Lord above. And thoughts of Al being warmly greeted at the Pearly Gates.

David, thank you so much for your kindness toward Al, his family, and to us all.

Douglas Schroeder and others, much appreciation for your having reached out to Al.

Margaret asked me to share the link below, should Audiogon Members want to sign the guestbook, send an online sympathy card, upload a photo, etc. 

https://www.boutonfuneralhome.com/obituary/alfred-wirtenberg

My condolences and prayers for the family. This is a big loss for the audiophile community which he touched so many lives. RIP Almarg. You will be missed.

So Sorry and Sad to hear this.

Al was always a true Gentelman,
by kindly and generously sharing his knowledge, informing and educating those like myself when understanding of things electronics and electrical had hit a wall...
I for one am in his debt.

Thanks a bunch Al

Also my deepest condolences to Margaret and all his loved ones.

@falconquest  (from above)...

we must also remember to celebrate a life well lived, which it sure sounds to me that Al led.

In addition to Al's audio related posts, I always enjoyed reading his posts that pointed to his love of Porsche.

Lest Porsche be given a bad name, hifiman5, I regret to say that the Porsche of recent years seems to have no resemblance to the company as it appears to have existed in 2000, based on Bruce's description of it as "bad" at that time.

My experience purchasing two such vehicles in the past four years (a 2014 Cayman S and a 2017 Macan S) has been nothing short of amazingly good in every conceivable respect. And in recent years Porsche has ranked at or very near the top among all manufacturers in J. D. Power surveys of initial quality and longer term customer satisfaction.

Sorry! Regards,

-- Al

Deepest condolences...I haven’t been on in a long time and read this last week and had to contribute.Al always had lots of good info...just a good soul....Big rip al....and keep the volume down.^^^

RIP Al

Al was an all-around beautiful person. My condolences to Margaret and family.

Rest in peace, Al, you live in our memories.Condolences to Margaret and family.

Very sad news. Although I never met him I respected his knowledge and his ability to present it in an understandable manner without ever being condescending. Always the gentleman I never remember him demeaning anyone although some of us would have deserved it on occasion. Rest in peace Al. Condolences to his wife, family and friends.

Condolences to Al's family and friends.

I am very sad to hear of Al's passing. I will miss his always informative posts, and most of all I will miss the way he treated everyone with respect and dignity. Peace be with you.

RIP Al. Condolences to Margaret and her family. Al was a brilliant man with a gentle touch.  Audiogon will not be the same without him. I'm sure anyone who knew him personally will miss him more than we here on Audiogon. And, as we can see form this outpouring of sympathy, we will miss him tremendously.

Thank you so much David for acting as the conduit between this board and Al’s family. It is with great sadness that we receive this news. I wish the best to Margaret and her family as they work through this trying time. Al will indeed be missed. While we are all saddened, we must also remember to celebrate a life well lived, which it sure sounds to me that Al led. So let’s be glad that we were able to have him among our community and let us honor him as we move forward by asking ourselves, What would Al do? I wish peace and condolences to all.

Condolences, to the family.     RIP, Al        Will miss his insights.

I was deeply saddened to learn that Al was ill.  I am even sadder to learn about his passing. 

Al and I traded many online and offline  messages over the years.  Al always taught me something new and interesting. 

I really cannot add much more to what has already been said above.  Every kind comment and recollection is all so true, and yes, he is and will be missed.

May Ha Shem comfort Margaret and her family.

Baruch Dayan Emmes.

Bruce
  

His knowledge was exceeded only by his kindness. Truly one of a kind and he will be deeply missed.

My condolences to Margaret and family. I've had a heavy heart since hearing the news of Al's illness. As I logged onto the forum each day, there was a noticeable absence, I'm sure other members felt it as well.
Al was the elder statesmen of Audiogon, we all appreciated the knowledge he shared, how devoted he was to problem solving, and his respect and kindness toward all of us.

I will truly miss the email notifications stating "You have a message from Almarg."

I hope there will be beautiful music for Al during his final rest.

I am very sorry to hear of Al's passing.  He was a great help to many, myself included.  His hobby here seemed to be helping people as much as it was audio.  

I'm so sorry.  Almarg's post were always insightful and detailed.  I'm sorry for you loss.

I always found his posts filled with insight and common sense.
R.I.P.

So sad. We will miss you Al. Rest in peace.

Another very sad event in a year overburdened with them. I'll treasure my memories of our conversations and use them as a model of how to behave online always. I only hope to be as good at it as Al was.