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Roger Alan Modjeski (RAM) 1951 - 2019

It is with great sadness that I announce Roger A. Modjeski passed away peacefully in his home in San Pablo, CA after an 12 month battle with cancer. Roger started Music Reference in 1981 and later RAM Tubes, The Tube Audio Store, and The Berkeley HiFi School. For more than 38 years he tirelessly ran his business and designed some of the most unique and well received audio components in the industry. Right until the near end Roger was working, designing, and teaching until he physically was unable to continue.

The link below will take you my playground where I have posted my tribute to Roger (click ENTER after the page loads):

http://www.electrafidelity.com/

Fare thee well my friend.
clio09
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,487 posts
 

I don’t know (perhaps clio09 does?) if Roger left behind an assistant who can continue to provide service for the Music Reference products. But Tom Carione at Brooks Berdan Ltd. in Monrovia California knows the amps well (and appreciates their design sophistication and build quality), and can keep your MR gear working the rest of your life. Tom is a maintenance tech at an L.A. radio or TV station, and is in the shop on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He was Brooks’ electronics man for years, and stayed on after Brooks’ wife Sheila took over in Brooks’ (R.I.P.) absence.

It was Brooks who hipped me to Roger and his amps, of which he was a huge fan. He was happy to take more money from the customers of his who wanted to own bragging rights amps from VTL and Jadis, but those who were looking for value were directed to Music Reference.

BB Ltd., last time I was in the shop, had a healthy stock of RAM Tubes on hand, matched in pairs and quads by Roger himself. Best tubes in the business.

In my last email exchange with Roger (which I just reread, from only a month ago), I asked for his advice on installing a capacitor on the input jacks of the RM-10 Mk.2, to create a high pass filter at 80Hz for use with subs and the old Quad ESL, one of the two loudspeakers Roger used as his load in developing the amp (the other was the Vandersteen 1 or 2). Learning that I own a First Watt B4 active x/o, he advised me to instead x/o at 100Hz (the Quad has a nasty resonance in the 80-90Hz region), using Linkwitz/Riley 4th-order filters on both high and low pass. I offer that info for the benefit of other Quad/RM-10 owners, a magical combination.

In that email, Roger apologized for not responding more promptly, saying that he had been dealing with some health issues. Little did I know.

clio09 OP
3,413 posts
 
Thank you @bdp24 for providing that information. While we mourn the loss of our founder and friend I will only add at this time Roger did make plans for the future of Music Reference/RAM Tubes. For now, tube sales will continue as normal and can be ordered via the Tube Audio Store website. Prior to his death Roger identified a couple additional vendors to provide service while the company transitioned. He settled on the following:

Scott Frankland Associates in San Jose, CA
Audio Classics in Vestal, NY

Scott has already been performing service work for us and has all relevant schematics and access to parts to do repairs. Audio Classics was referred to Roger by one of his loyal customers who lives in the area. They are quite a busy shop and as such you can expect a lengthy wait time, but Roger was very pleased with how they run their operation and the level of expertise their techs have.

As mentioned Tom at Brooks Berdan performs repair work in an expert and timely manner. We refer most of our SoCal customers there. Roger and Brooks were very good friends and both Sheila and Brian Berdan were shocked and saddened at the news of Roger's passing.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,717 posts
 
@high mu , Eric and Cleo thanks so much for the heartfelt posts, Roger helped me select study books and test equipment and I regret not attending a Burning Amp he participated in...

good to know RAM will continue!!!

Clio can you post up some of Rogers fave music, I would like to remember him by playing it....
clio09 OP
3,413 posts
 
@tomic601 for his service Roger specifically requested Lyle Lovett and Linda Ronstadt songs be performed. He was also a big fan of Billie Holliday, Willie Neslon, Emmy Lou Harris, and Keith Jarrett. He also listened to classical programming on KQED while working.

Here is an interesting story. Roger receives a call from someone who asks him why he made the fuses so hard to access on the RM-9 MkI. Turns out this guy had a couple of them and he had to change the fuse in one and found it to be a pain to have to remove the bottom plate to do so. During the conversation it turns out that it was Keith Jarrett who owned the amps and per Roger he was the influence behind the decision to mount the fuses on the top plate in the MkII edition of the amp.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,487 posts
 

To read lots of Roger’s thoughts on all things hi-fi (and some musical. I remember him mentioning Emmylou Harris’ and Beethoven’s names, two favorites of mine as well), head over to the Music Reference forum on Audiocircle. His Circle has been closed since 2014 (apparently after a complaint from Ted Denney of Synergistic Research ;-), but is still acessable. Lots of info and ideas to be found there, including Roger’s "informed" opinion on hi-fi reviewing and tweaks. Prepare to have your conceived notions challenged!

For a song I find particularly fitting, give a listen to "No Time To Cry" by Iris Dement. Iris and Emmylou are mutual-admirers, the latter appearing in one of the former’s early music videos. And speaking of videos, let me reiterate that the videos viewable on You Tube of Roger's seminars at a few of the annual Burning Amp Festival events in San Francisco (in 2015 and 2018, iirc) are REALLY something you want to watch. A free education in tubes and tube amp design! Tape them, as you will want to watch them more than once.

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