TAS. The Absolute Sound?


Has it lost its way? 

I just happened on Bob Harleys' Ref System. Does this have relevance?

ptss

@tonywinga   You would like my listening room. Check it out. I strove for perfect symmetry in the name of maxing out imaging.  The part you would really like is the custom DIY cabling--no mess there.  Now the stacks of CD's next to my chair---that would clearly have to go!!

The presumption being that reviewers must have the ultimate in gear to be qualified  to write about lessor offerings affordable to mere mortals?  And in this case affordable means equivalent to the cost of two or three high powered luxury automobiles.  

Robert Harley and Micheal Fremer are the ying and yang of stereo reviewers.  One has this pristine, perfect room for listening optimized to the point of being in the middle of a desert to preclude any outside noises or risk of any spurious sound reflections bouncing back from adjacent homes while the other is in a cramped, messy room full of gear and more records than the library of congress.  The design and construction of Mr. Harley’s perfect listening room is fascinating.  In contrast, watching Mr. Fremer chronicle the revamping of his house’s old electrical system was equally fascinating.  

I’m a neat freak myself and could not relax in my listening room if so much as a CD case was out of place.  Could that be why I find Mr. Fremer so charming?

Could it be it’s not quite  so absolute these days? Things ain’t what they used to be.