I object strenuously to the "senior" label, but I've been interested in the quality of playback systems since the late 60's. As a college freshman what I could afford was not high-end, but it was interesting, a KLH Model 11 in walnut. Record player with built in amp and little speakers. They made a version in a suitcase style that Sandy Koufax used to take on road trips to listen to Sinatra. (Because of his demeanor, people used to assume he was listening to classical.) I was so fond of that littel all-in-one "system" that I think of it all the time when I see the little shoebox sized LS3/5a's and Harbeth HL-P3's.
It wasnt until the early 70's that I became aware of the high-end and started listening to a guy named Skip Weshner on KFAC in LA. (Skip was married to Ronnie Gilbert of the Weavers.) It was a classical station but he played whatever he liked that sounded good, on high end equipment lent to him as demos by his high-end retailer advertisers. From him, I learned about a store called Dimensions in Stereo, where I used to hang out, but couldnt afford to buy much. I even did some market research for a high end rep firm as a field study project for my MBA.
Maybe we simply show our age when we say the music of the late 60's and early 70's is our favorite, but it was the desire to get as close to the real in-person sound of Tracy Nelson (Mother Earth), and my endless quest for copies of the Barbara Keith lp that Warner Brothers pulled and deleted when she gave back her contract and abandoned the business (it was and is the best album ever made by a girl singer) that really got me hooked. I liked classical too and went to a lot of concerts, but the music of people our age at that time just resonated with all of us, I think. I wonder if 18 to 25 year olds feel the same way now?
I suppose the happiest time was when my kids were babies and toddlers and Alison Krauss was just a few years into her career and my wife and friends and I would go to performances at McCabe's guitar shop in Santa Monica Cal on a fairly frequent basis.
But, I really think that now is the best time. I know that some high end equipment is ridiculously overpriced, but there are a lot of good values out there. You can get really good sound for not much money, and my current systems give me the best sound I've ever had in my home.
Furthermore, all the music you liked in the 60's and 70's can be found on cd. I even bought a cd of the Barbara Keith lp that I can play over and over without worrying about wearing it out. Great performers from the early 70's continue to put out good work, Los Lobos, John Hiatt, Irma Thomas, Merle Haggard to name some of my favorites. Barbara Keith even returned to the business with her husband and stepson as a little family band called the Stone Coyotes.
And, 30 years ago, we didnt have the music of Alison Krauss (a gift from above), Gillian Welch, Eva Cassidy, Mary Black, Maura O'Connell, Lucinda Williams or Iris Dement (like Barbara Keith, an absolute genius). Or name your favorites who weren't around back then.
These are the best times.
Paul
It wasnt until the early 70's that I became aware of the high-end and started listening to a guy named Skip Weshner on KFAC in LA. (Skip was married to Ronnie Gilbert of the Weavers.) It was a classical station but he played whatever he liked that sounded good, on high end equipment lent to him as demos by his high-end retailer advertisers. From him, I learned about a store called Dimensions in Stereo, where I used to hang out, but couldnt afford to buy much. I even did some market research for a high end rep firm as a field study project for my MBA.
Maybe we simply show our age when we say the music of the late 60's and early 70's is our favorite, but it was the desire to get as close to the real in-person sound of Tracy Nelson (Mother Earth), and my endless quest for copies of the Barbara Keith lp that Warner Brothers pulled and deleted when she gave back her contract and abandoned the business (it was and is the best album ever made by a girl singer) that really got me hooked. I liked classical too and went to a lot of concerts, but the music of people our age at that time just resonated with all of us, I think. I wonder if 18 to 25 year olds feel the same way now?
I suppose the happiest time was when my kids were babies and toddlers and Alison Krauss was just a few years into her career and my wife and friends and I would go to performances at McCabe's guitar shop in Santa Monica Cal on a fairly frequent basis.
But, I really think that now is the best time. I know that some high end equipment is ridiculously overpriced, but there are a lot of good values out there. You can get really good sound for not much money, and my current systems give me the best sound I've ever had in my home.
Furthermore, all the music you liked in the 60's and 70's can be found on cd. I even bought a cd of the Barbara Keith lp that I can play over and over without worrying about wearing it out. Great performers from the early 70's continue to put out good work, Los Lobos, John Hiatt, Irma Thomas, Merle Haggard to name some of my favorites. Barbara Keith even returned to the business with her husband and stepson as a little family band called the Stone Coyotes.
And, 30 years ago, we didnt have the music of Alison Krauss (a gift from above), Gillian Welch, Eva Cassidy, Mary Black, Maura O'Connell, Lucinda Williams or Iris Dement (like Barbara Keith, an absolute genius). Or name your favorites who weren't around back then.
These are the best times.
Paul