At the prompting of John Atkinson, yours truly organized and moderated a non-denominational four person "Meet and Ask the Writers" panel on Saturday afternoon. Joining me, on the left of the photo) were (left–right) A. Colin Flood of Enjoy the Music.com, Ray(mond) Seda of Dagogo.com, and Neil Gader of The Absolute Sound. Because the panel was sandwiched into the seminar schedule last minute, we only had 45 minutes to dialog without mikes over music not exactly wafting through the air walls. (A big thanks to Part Time Audiophile for his selfless photographic assistance and positive energy. Much appreciated by all.)

Adversity, however, added to the fun. Discussions were lively. My favorite: "What was the most memorable listening experience of your life?" Neil began, citing not a sound system, but rather the opportunity to visit the museum in Cremona, Italy and hear a prize Stradivarius played up close. I eventually followed suit with what served as the peak musical experience of my adolescent years: attending Joan Sutherland's debut in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Met. As it turned out, of the four of us, only one cited as most memorable a specific acquaintance with high-end audio. Which says a lot about our priorities, and what we value most from a music system.

And you?