During <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/a_visit_to_mikeys_and_the_gla… visit to Michael Fremer's house</a>, alongside all the LPs and cables and enormous amplifiers, I found myself thinking: <i>If only others could experience this, here, like this, they'd understand what all the fuss is about...</i>

At Salon Son & Image, I had my ears opened to <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/ssi2009/the_nordost_difference/">the differences cables can make</a> when Nordost's Bruno de Lorimier demonstrated several of the company's interconnects, from the popular Blue Heaven ($230/1m pair) to the hallowed Valhalla ($5000/1m pair). I wrote:

Remember <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/my_bat-lightning_heart/">that crush I had</a> on Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan?

I was very impressed by the hi-fi dealers I encountered while at the <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/ssi2009/">2009 Salon Son & Image</a> show in Montreal. Representatives from <a href="http://www.filtronique.com/en/default.asp">Son-Or-Filtronique</a&gt;, <a href="http://www.audiobasics.com/">Audio Basics</a>, and <a href="http://www.cdfaudio.com/">Coup de Foudre</a> seemed intelligent, enthusiastic, friendly, energetic, and cool: All qualities the high-end audio industry could use more of.