Stephen Mejias

You're my hero, Stephen. I especially love the link to the Zanden on "shiny things that make noise"! Thanks for blogging me!

What? You're my hero, dude.

Early on, as part of a forum exchange, I suggested to Erik that he seemed to have his head on straight (or words to that effect). The more we hear from him, the more I'm convinced that was correct. I'd like to hear what got him started - addicted, whatever.His call to action is a good one, and yet I think many of us old guys have learned the hard way that you can lead a horse to water but you can't always get him to drink. Reflecting on good equipment I've given away to young people as my system has evolved, I'd say my batting average has been no better than 250.Maybe, as a bona fide member of the group we need to reach, he can, from his experience, give us some clues how to set the hook more frequently.

I was wondering about this, too, Clay. What exactly, if anything, leads a person to becoming an audiophile? We can even forget about the term "audiophile." What leads a person to really care about sound quality?In an e-mail, Erik told me a little about his experience with discovering great recorded sound. I'll ask Erik to share that with us here. But what was really interesting to me about Erik's story was that it so closely resembled stories I've heard from others in the hi-end audio industry. Basically, these people grew up around music. Either the mom or dad, or both parents, were musicians. As kids, they ended up listening to tons of great music at home, and also had the opportunity to see lots of great live performances. They knew what real instruments sounded like. They loved their music. They wanted their music to sound real. Recorded music was never quite good enough, but, every now and then, there was a hint of that real thing...

You're absolutely right, Stephen. Recorded music and audio components are designed to simulate the true music experience. I've read many Stereophile reviews, and I think that the highest compliment that can be paid to a piece of equipment is for the reviewer to say he forgot he was in his living room. The appreciation of high fidelity sound is the product of a familiarity with the real sound, as it would be heard live.I'm the son of two jazz trombonists. As a child, I saw a lot of live performances. Not only that, but there was always music in the house. I have fond memories of my mom practicing. The sound was only interrupted when she made an error, paused briefly, and said "no" into her mouthpiece.I think another reason the children of musicians often have an appreciation for accurately reproduced music is that the parents have that same appreciation because they know even better what everything should sound like. When my parents were still together, we had a system upstai

...upstairs and down. I've been around audio gear since birth.Sure, Stephen, I'd be happy to share the story.One of the first records I bought (several months ago now) was The Chicago Transit Authority, the debut album of the group thereafter known simply as Chicago. I grew up hearing Chicago all the time and they continue to be one of my favorite groups. The band isn't really important, though. What really struck me was one instrument: the trombone. That old, familiar friend from my past that I hadn't heard in years suddenly was right in the room with me, as soon as stylus met vinyl. All the memories of concerts and practicing came back so quickly that it almost brought a tear to my eye. It was so real.The love of hi-fi is, at its heart, the love of music. So, Clay, to "set the hook", I suggest jazz clubs, rock venues, and the symphony. The best way to learn to appreciate superior sound reproduction is to hear its production.

Thanks for filling in the blanks, Erik. For trombones worth your time I suggest you look for old recordings of Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart's group billed as "The World's Greatest Jazz Band". Lou McGarrity and Vic Dickenson were on trombone. Two very different styles and two of the greatest players ever.

Very nice open letter, I am from Slovakia and Ipod and mp3-s are also quite popular at young people at this part of planet.I am 21 and I realized when I was 17 that I am an audiophile.I have a turntable, a tube-amp,separated mains line for my system...etc.It is very interesting that two completely other parts of the world, the young people have the same questions when they see somebody with a vinyl record:-But it is popping and clicking -lower quality than CD...After I mention that I am washing the records in the special device the laugh out loudly.Especially girls.And then they put on their earphones.But there are also cases when there is a light of hope - as it was mentioned - a take him under my wing - I invite them to listen to my system, I am helping them in choosing some entry level speakers and and amplifier.I am also working at a hifi and high-end studio, and quite often I am advising audiophiles which are aged twice as me... I think life is too short for listening to music in low quality.