Shocking news.
Max has been a seemingly ever present figure in the world of audio for at least as long as I've had any interest in it.
There's a report in positive feedback which attributed the cause of the 78 year olds death to heart failure. However, this is not the best time for speculation.
In any case, Max and his olde worlde straight-talking "Aussie approach" approach will be sorely missed by many I'm sure. No doubt many will also feel they've lost a friend.
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The passing of Max Townshend of Townshend Audio
It is my sad duty to report that Max Townshend of Townshend Audio passed away on December 31 of heart failure. He was 78 years old. Max Townshend was born and educated in Australia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Western Australia. His first work experience was under a commission from the Royal Australian Air Force, where he was in charge of the technical aspects of the instrumentation on anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft. He was then employed at several Sydney-based engineering companies, where he worked on the remote control of hydro-electric power stations, the electronic indicators at Sydney race courses, mains step-down transformers for slide projectors, and the radar landing system now installed at Heathrow airport. A lifelong passion for music led to his founding of Townshend Audio in 1975, for the purpose of marketing parabolic diamond styli. The next development was a moving-coil cartridge that was likely the first to incorporate a line-contact stylus, followed by the first Rock turntable, which incorporated the unique front-end damping trough invented by Professor Jack Dinsdale. Max moved Townshend Audio to the UK in 1978, where, in the years since, he introduced a wide range of products, including loudspeakers, analogue and digital electronics, cables, and supertweeters. In 1989, Townshend introduced the Seismic Sink, the first product to acknowledge the importance of vibration isolation for all audio components, including loudspeakers. Townshend was also a pioneer in the use of cryogenic treatment for audio cables. Max Townshend was a tireless and enthusiastic innovator, and a gregarious colleague to many, including myself. He will be sorely missed. Townshend Audio, it must be noted, will soldier on in his absence.
Dan Meinwald EAR USA/Sound Advice