During
our visit to Michael Fremer's house, alongside all the LPs and cables and enormous amplifiers, I found myself thinking:
If only others could experience this, here, like this, they'd understand what all the fuss is about...
Well, guess what.
Gizmodo's John Mahoney
got the chance. And he
loved it.
The initial response:
I hear the needle drop on Air's "Run" from Talkie Walkie. It's a song I've never heard, but one that I'm now listening to all the time. Because, with all honesty, I have never heard anything like that song played on that stereo system at that moment. Ever.
And then the MP3 test:
We play my solid 256kbps VBR MP3 of "Heroes" off my iPod; it sounds like shit. Free of pops and crackles, yes, but completely lifeless, flat in every way. This is the detail that matters: Audiophiles are basically synesthesiacs. They "see" music in three-dimensional visual space. You close your eyes in Fremer's chair, and you can perceive a detailed 3D matrix of sound, with each element occupying its own special space in the air. It's crazy and I've never experienced anything like it.
The truth:
Because the thing is, Fremer loves music first and foremost. The audiophile I had feared was one who cares far more about the overpriced gadgetry than the actual music. This is not who I ended up meeting. This man listens to music and makes sure it was recorded with the best fidelity, that the intents of the artist have been preserved. And thank God he does, because we certainly don't.
Gizmodo readers seem to be responding positively to the article. Take a look at the comments. Obviously, there's lots of curiosity and enthusiasm there!
