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PHILOSOPHY That the High End as we know it today has turned into some kind of a circus, or even worse some kind of medicineshow in this case, the snake oil being $1000 power cords speaker & interconnect cabling!! Cabling products for the sytem costing as much as a power amp, pre-amp, source or even equalling the total cost of all the above. Never mind surge protection, isolation from contaminated mains!! I guess the ultimate outrage is, that hi-end product from the 50’s & 60’s,(Mac & Marantz tube stuff) commands prices 5 times higher than it sold for back then. However more often than.not it is equal or superior to the so called hi-end products sold today THINGS TO PONDER HOW DO I GET WHAT I WANT AT THE RIGHT PRICE? IN ORDER TO REACH THIS GOAL SEVERAL APPROACHES CAN BE USED. a. THE DIY ROUTE. b. THE UPGRADE ROUTE. c. THE VINTAGE ROUTE. check out internet & print rescources Positive Feedback webzine (formerley print) LISTENER MAGAZINE (NO LONGER PUBLISHED) John Meluish's hm.pge. and the Single Driver web site. SYSTEM EVALUATION I've compiled a list of CDs. that I use to evaluate the resolving power of my audio system. The most important tools I have for evaluating systems are my ears & brain. a/b comparisons really only do one thing, that is to show that amplifiers do sound different, wire, interconnect, speaker cable, and mains hookup also make differences in the way systems sound. However one must live with a change in the system for a time before an accurate decision can be made. Snap judgements made in an audio salon or based on a review in a magazine are the reasons why Canuck-audiomart & audiogon have so many listings! The music is theeeeee most important thing in my opinion! Putting together a system free of listener fatigue is the goal!! Imaging   LEONARD COHEN The Future. Coaxial, Duplex, Dual concentric, and full range/crossoverless loudspeaker designs, radiate from a single point scource!  Sound radiating from a point scource is less likely to have time delay & phase problems than sound from a speaker with remotely mounted tweeters and woofers.   In my opinion speaker examples by Altec, Tannoy, phy/Hp, & Lowther are noted for their ability to image well. I especially like Tannoy. Soundstaging MOBY..... PLAY....I LIKE TO SCORE MORCHEEBA..BIG CALM I think that to throw a sound stage a speaker needs to be able to image first. Where everthing ends up on the sound stage depends on how well the whole stereo system interacts, scource, preamp, amp, speakers cabling, mains filters ..... everything!!! Think Synergy. Change one thing & everything changes. Like building a web page!!!

More things to ponder
about the pursuit of the audio holy grail
I believe that it's time I started writing about the hobby that I love. Before it dissappears forever!
 

First and formost I've learned that the audio business is a difficult way to make money. I started my web page back in  1999 as fred's audiophyle-options at the suggestion of a friend who shall go unnamed! I've learned from this same friend who builds amplifiers in my hometown the reality of being a small electronics manufacturer in Winnipeg in 2009.  Here's what's involved in bringing an amplifier, preamplifier, phono/preamp etc. to market.   The thing that takes the most time is the actual conception of the design, then breadboarding it to see if it will work. Then if it works protoyping the design. My friend says he needs typically 200 to 300 hours to get it to protoype. He designs his own circuit boards too! The initial design work-the schematic, the circuit board, the blueprints for the chassis design, the manufacture of the chassis, anodizing the front panel, the controls, knobs switches etc. drilling holes for heat convection, all the parts necessary to stuff the circuit board not to mention assembly.............and on and on!  My friend sells his amps for around the 3to 4000 dollar mark, intentionally less than amps he's competing with!    When I tell my non audiophile friends how much an amp costs they exclaim thats' 5 mortgage payments. And they're right. When you factor in all this time involved and you look at how much a reasonable wage is. You begin to understand how dedicated these small audiophile manufacturers are! A typical shop rate for electronic repair is $50 an hour. At that rate the cost of prototyping alone would be $15,000. Obviously he's in the business for love.  McIntosh & Audio Research and Bryston are companies that can get the best price on chassis parts circuit boards etc. because they buy in bulk. If McIntosh was in Walter's shoes their $7000 250 watt integrated amp would have to sell for $100,000!!   That an amp from my friend's work bench embarrasses an audio research product should be a scource of pride for Winnipegers, More and more cottage industry audio manufacturers are in the same boat as my friend right here in Canada. With the sale of I-pods etc. increasing I wonder how long this hobby which I love will last.