Years ago, I moved to a new city and discovered that I lived near an audio reviewer. I contacted him by email and he graciously invited me over to his home. As soon as he turned on the music, a whole new auditory world opened up. It was immersive, expansive - and captivating. I’ll never forget it. Truly an ’aha’ moment. This became my reference. My stereo at the time was very nice sounding - but nowhere near its potential.
His mantra was that good SQ should be affordable. He only reviewed audio products that were reasonably priced. He believed that clean power, quality cabling and vibration control were fundamental building blocks.
He invited me over frequently when he reviewed new gear. I asked him what components in particular made his system sound so amazing. So, one day, we completely tore down his system - removing all tweaks. Slowly, we added each tweak, one by one, with a listening session in-between. After completely re-building the system, we realized that it was a cumulative effect. Everything mattered!
It took him years to assemble that system. Trying to find the best synergy. He also had a wonderful room that let his system breath. The sound stage was so large and deep that you could get out of the listening chair and walk a few feet into it. Kind of wonderful!
Later, I moved back to Los Angeles. By attending the yearly audio shows, I’ve been able to maintain a reference. Many of the exhibitors’ rooms are just okay. But, several rooms are phenomenal. Those are the rooms that remind us of what this hobby is all about. And what a crazy hobby it is! But, still cheaper and less frustrating than golf.
His mantra was that good SQ should be affordable. He only reviewed audio products that were reasonably priced. He believed that clean power, quality cabling and vibration control were fundamental building blocks.
He invited me over frequently when he reviewed new gear. I asked him what components in particular made his system sound so amazing. So, one day, we completely tore down his system - removing all tweaks. Slowly, we added each tweak, one by one, with a listening session in-between. After completely re-building the system, we realized that it was a cumulative effect. Everything mattered!
It took him years to assemble that system. Trying to find the best synergy. He also had a wonderful room that let his system breath. The sound stage was so large and deep that you could get out of the listening chair and walk a few feet into it. Kind of wonderful!
Later, I moved back to Los Angeles. By attending the yearly audio shows, I’ve been able to maintain a reference. Many of the exhibitors’ rooms are just okay. But, several rooms are phenomenal. Those are the rooms that remind us of what this hobby is all about. And what a crazy hobby it is! But, still cheaper and less frustrating than golf.