The audiophile pursuit is so isolated from the "real world" that it's always a pleasant surprise when there is a mention of the hobby in the main stream media. Below is a clip from Mystery Science Theater 3000, know as MST3K to fans.
Unfortunately the robots reactions mirror the attitudes of the general public a little too closely. My favorite part is when he is seen applying the green pen tweak to a CD. Mike Nelson is an audio enthusiast having written for Home Theater magazine in the past and having seen selling used gear on Ebay. I wonder if the system that he named in the clip was his dream system or his actual system at the time. Being from Minnesota he really should be have mentioned Magnepan and Audio Research to give some good people who make stellar gear a bit of free publicity.
All too often the high-end hobby spend lots of time and resources preaching to the choir. In some respects it’s understandable. High end manufacturers have limited resources (most employ less than 50 people) and by targeting their message towards hobbyist they guarantee some return on their investment. However, this does nothing to bring new blood into the hobby. A greater number of people involved in high quality audio reproduction is a good thing not only for audio companies, but also for consumers. As production increases the prices that companies have charge per unit to remain profitable and innovate will drop.
Recently, there have been a number of steps in the right direction. According to Steve Guttenberg’s March 11 blog Thiel audio and Bryston have teamed up to set up a system at the headquarters of Rolling Stone magazine. The system will be in place for three months and consists of Thiel 3.7 loudspeakers and SS2 Subwoofer. As well as Bryston’s BCD-1 CD player, BP26 preamp, and 28BSST mono block amps. Hopefully the writers at Rolling Stone will be so impressed that one of them will write an article about perfectionist audio, thus helping raise it’s exposure.
Another category that is helping to raise the profile of high-quality sound reproduction is the partnerships between auto manufacturers and high-end audio stalwarts. This trend began in earnest when Mark Levinson teamed with Lexus and seems to only be gaining momentum. Other partnerships include Aston Martin/Linn, Jaguar/B&W, and Bentley/Naim, Volvo/Dynaudio, BMW/Lexicon, and Bugatti/Burmester. According to Wes Philips’ excellent blog Naim has taken things a step further by setting up a listening room at the 2008 International Auto Show.
Last, but certainly not least American Express has given the industry some unbelievable free publicity with their Plum card advertisement that features music direct, a highly regarded mail order audio retailer on their TV commercials. Jason Victor Serinus wrote a great post on Stereophile's webpage about how this commercial came about.
Digital Sources: Primare D20 CD player (used as a transport) and Theta DSP Pro Basic III DAC. Analog Sources: Pro-Ject 1.2 Turntable fitted with Audioquest sorbothane record mat mounted with a Grado Gold Cartridge and a Pro-ject Phono Box phono stage. Tandberg 3011A FM Tuner. Preamplifier: Adcom GFP-750 Amplifier: Threshold Stasis S550e Power Conditioner: Panamax Max-5510 Speakers: Martin Logan CLS Cables: Audioquest Panther, Jade and Quartz interconnects, Audioquest Gibraltar speaker cable, DIY hand-terminated true 75 ohm digital cable. Transparent Power Link Plus power cords on Power Conditioner, Transport, DAC, Preamp, and Amp. Audioquest AC15 powercords with Wattgate ends on speakers. Tweaks: Ayre wood blocks under all components, except speakers. Non-upgraded power cords have Audioquest Noise Stoppers installed. All unused inputs on preamp are filled with DIY shorting RCA plugs.
