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Washington Post Article

Just wanted to alert members to an article appearing in the Style section of today's (6/13/01) Wash. Post.It is one of those articles that seems to be recycled every few years ridiculing the excesses of the audiophile community. As is typical it focusses on the bleeding edge fringe of the hobby, profiling a man who is at $140K and counting,is obssesed with stopping hum being produced by his fridge. The article includes some quotes from Deja Vu Audio pointing out to the reporter a $10k turntable and a pair of speakers with "magnet-suspended" tweeters. Just what we needed! My girlfriend described the article as a disturbing glimpse of what I might become. (My system is circa $10K in total.) Thanks again to the mainstream media for shining a light on the seedy underbelly of the audio community.
128x128jond

Showing 2 responses by kthomas

kthomas
911 posts
 
That article is on the Post's website, for anyone interested in reading it - it's a pretty entertaining (if frustrating) read. Jond - you're right, the author is definitely focused on the bleeding edge fringe which is especially apparent when the author speaks to Mark Levinson who has a new, simple system that costs "only" $15K, which the author seems to think is rational enough to be of this earth. Of course, then the author goes on to chastise ML for the more expensive systems RR has.

Another interesting point about the article is their main subject, he of the $140K system, is that he's 71 years old and lives in a "modest" house. There is no mention of signs of poverty or neglect. It's never mentioned whether this person has a family. He's also described as being constantly with a smile on his face. Clearly this guy is a kook - he obviously doesn't understand that he's going to live forever, that he doesn't have the right to spend the money he earned in his first many decades however he chooses, or that he should obviously be living in a much larger house with a much smaller stereo. What an idiot! On top of all that, he actually tries to pass off that he's happy. What's more, the author drew attention to the fact that this guy seems to REALLY enjoy the sound his system makes, that he's truly moved by the music of choice.

I guess it's the fate of anyone who spends more than Circuit City / Bose prices on audio equipment to be viewed this way, but this article certainly isn't journalism's finest moment. -Kirk

kthomas
911 posts
 
Plato - I agree that I didn't think it was demeaning, but in the course of describing our idiosyncracies, the author wrapped it all in a sense of, "What the hell are these crazy people doing?!?!" instead of, "Huh, now isn't that an interesting set of priorities". It's as though she is somewhat offended by this particular excess within the context, as you identified, of a bit of sour grapes about the whole thing. I certainly agree that if you don't see a certain amount of humor in this audiophile pursuit, something's wrong. -Kirk
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