Were you an audiophile in the 1980s and 1990s?
If so you will probably recognize a lot of the anecdotes in my new book about the music, the equipment and behind the scenes in some of the audio journals. It's "The Lucky Audiophile - Anecdotes from High End Audio".
"Mike Kuller’s book, part autobiography, part musical history, chronicles his life and journeys in the world of high-performance audio during the 1980’s and 1990’s with Harry Pearson and The Absolute Sound magazine. His reminisces bring back memories of what could be considered the “Golden Age” of audio. His concert lists document many of the important and influential artists of the last thirty years. If you ever wanted to peer behind the curtain of The Absolute Sound during its heyday, give Mike’s book a read." Steven Stone, reviewer and columnist for The Absolute Sound and FutureAudio.com
"It's a fascinating and engrossing tale of the journey he has taken. An enjoyable read." John Atkinson, Technical Editor Stereophile
@bdp24 is correct about Holt starting Stereophile 10 years before Pearson started TAS. But which was more influential? Or fun to read? Do you recall The Audio Critic or International Audio Review (IAR)? They all played a part in my audio journey I discuss in my book. What equipment brought you into High End audio? I bought a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s in 1977 and it changed my life.
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HP copyrighted the term "High End" for TAS even though he wasn't the first to use it or to review high end equipment. Sounds like you've been into high end audio longer than I have. I was one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Society in 1979 and I'm still in the Bay Area. You might enjoy my book, even with your strong opinions. 😁
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At this point I’ll just make a few comments about the posts above. The unique thing HP brought to audio writing was his insight from comparing the sound of his big systems with his regular seats at Carnegie Hall. I believe he was among the first to discuss “soundstaging” and 3D “stereo imaging”, among the terms he is credited with. Yes HP had a big ego, was erratic and sometimes went on too long in his writing, but I always found his reviews very interesting. He also brought out the personalities of the designers of the best equipment. JGH in contrast was more humble, down to earth and more direct in his writing. ”Coninuousness” is a quality you can hear most easily with full range electrostatic speakers. All of the music seems to be “cut from the same cloth” since there are no discontinuities created by different drivers made of different materials, spaced differently or crossovers. All speaker designers strive to create it. I met Kevin Conklin and Art Dudley at the staff meeting weekend at Sea Cliff. We are in the group photo I put in my book. |
