Industry Testimonials 3

“The Save The Stereo Project is a wonderful, timely initiative.  Thank you, Gordon, for all of your efforts on behalf of this worthy hobby.” – Larry Smith, National Sales Manager, Wireworld Cable Technology

“Great music is really a blessing in our crazy twenty-first century life.  It is something that can really help everyone keeping a good state of mind.  In this aspect, it is essential.  Thanks to you and to everyone in our industry for promoting it.  This project is great.” – Julien Pelchat, VP Verity Audio, Inc.

“The prospective future of the serious reproduction of music in the home should be a concern of all music lovers and audiophiles.  Any effort to ensure a healthy future for high quality audio should be both applauded and assisted if possible. My one suggestion, at this time, is to find the best method, for the most people, to actually experience a high quality system.  I am convinced that only such a direct experience will allow a person to appreciate all the benefits that a great “stereo” can provide them, and hopefully then inspire them to make the investment to have such an audio system in their home.” – Arthur Salvatore Editor and Owner, high-endaudio.com

“I have taken music lessons from the age of seven and listen to music every day.  I play the classical piano and also acoustic and electric guitar.  I am a fan of all types of music, as long as it is worth listening to, no matter the artist or genre.  I own, design, and fabricate high end audio gear and have hundreds of friends who also like high quality stereo systems.  I, too, am worried about the future of music as it is becoming a commodity instead of an art form.  This has to be reversed by exposing young people to high quality music played back through quality stereo equipment.  I heartily endorse what your organization is attempting to do.  Count me in!” – Albert Von Schweikert, Chief Design Engineer, Von Schweikert Audio hi-end speaker systems

“Dear Save the Stereo project,  As the President of the San Diego Audio Society (SDAS) I see the aging of our membership and very few members under fifty years old and no women. So I agree that if stereo is to survive we need to take action.” – George S. Louis, San Diego Audio Society

“The appreciation of high quality music reproduction is an unknown commodity among the under 30 crowd.  They have no idea what quality music sounds like and the enjoyment and the enrichment it produces.  All they know are MP3 players, brittle, lifeless music tracks, and ear buds.  We must strive to reintroduce stereo to a new generation and at prices they can afford.” – Bruce Rozenblit, President, Transcendent Sound, Inc.

“The industry has turned stereo into a plaything for the super rich. It has abandoned those that make less than $100K. This has to change.  Systems can be developed and sold that cost only a two or three thousand dollars for everything. We must have better avenues to reach out and market to middle and upper middle class buyers.” – Paul Helvin, Audio/Video Specialist, Premiere Home Theater

“As a long time Audio/Videophile, I am blessed to work for the last of the high end retail store fronts in Las Vegas.  Every time a person walks through the doors of our shop and gets an education in the world of great sounding audio, from a DAC, Turntable, CD player, music streamer etc., I am always rewarded by the response of “wow!” and “where’s the center channel?”  A relationship with good two channel audio is born.  No matter the source or technology, there will always be a place for all age groups and demographics to enjoy great sounding music.  Please continue to educate the masses!” – Paul Helvin, A/V Specialist, Premiere Home Entertainment

“Count me in! For the past decade we here at Hawthorne Audio have worked towards making high end home audio gear more accessible and within reach of those with a more constrained budget but with an unbridled passion for music.  This sounds like a movement that I could get behind and support.” – Darrel Hawthorne, Member of the fellowship of Audio Artist, Owner, Hawthorne Audio LLC

“Music is able to transmit countless feelings that can make you get goose bumps, cry, encourage, dream or revive memories.  All these feelings and impressions can make listening to music emotionally special.  I totally support Save the Stereo.  We need to re educate people and more, the ones who hear music with their mp3, mobile phones etc.They all have a completely wrong image of the real stereo audio quality.” – Patrick Rindisbacher, Design Manager, ELEMENT47, High-End Audio Cables

“Part of the, more, is vintage stereo and audio gear.  Some is high end.  Some not so high end.  By high end, I’m talking about quality, not price.  Since I am first and foremost a vintage vinyl dealer, I want people to have the best possible equipment to listen to their vinyl on.  Hence, my interest in good, high quality stereo gear.  I have been around audio gear since my farther sold stereo equipment for almost thirty years.  And, have grown to appreciate good sounding units.  Since I was learning at a young age, I’ve grown to lean towards tube gear.  Guess you could say, “I’m an analog kind of guy.” – Anthony Hartman, Owner, First Press and More Records

“Quadraphonic, SACD, DVD-Audio… the market has spoken.  Stereo has survived.  Now let’s help it thrive!” – Ken Ward, VP Electricity, Musicar Northwest

“It is important to promote high end analog and data /computer based audio (and video integration) not only for some unwashed next generation, but for ours and older generations too.  A Save the Stereo publication is a nice way to do this.  Hopefully it will grow roots and flourish.  It can only do so if folks pool together knowledge and information to present and thus attract new folks into the hobby.” – Rick Roberts, President, Simplyphysics

“With the coming of new technologies, we only see the downsize and the downgrade in audio reproduction quality.  I welcome Save The Stereo Project’s initiative to bring back the music lovers in the right path.” – Christian Ouellet, President, Solen Electronique Inc.

“I think any idea which contributes education and explains and helps people better understand and appreciate music is a good thing.” – Elliot Goldman, Sales, Ask the Advisors

“Music is such an important part of life.  Without experiencing it in high fidelity, enough is lost in translation to make it just background noise, not engaging, involving or meaningful.  I wish you well in your project and pledge to help in any way possible.” – Loren Roetman, Owner, Cloudburst Technology

“Listening to music through a revealing high quality audio system is one of the greatest joys of life.  Exposing it to a broader audience is a very worthwhile endeavor.” – Mike May, National Sales Manager, Rane Corporation

“Sad to think that a low-res MP3 file played through a cheap set of earbuds is as good as it gets to many people.  Long live quality music recording and playback.” – Dean Standing, Director of Sales, Rane Corporation

“Great idea Gordon!  Save The Stereo Project is exactly what the industry needs to educate the next generations about the pure enjoyment that listening to music through high quality sound systems can bring to their lives!  We look forward to supporting your efforts.” – Len Miller, President & CEO, Soundstring Cable Technologies, LLC

“I support the goal of Save The Stereo to encourage people to learn about and appreciate the value of high quality stereo reproduction.” – Ethan Winer, Co-Owner, RealTraps

“Music in my life has always been a reference and a tool that has strengthened my decisions and attitudes in life.  Music is for me subjective 95% and the other 5% sounds like technology.  It is a very important the percentage of objectivity.  Save the Stereo seems to me a platform for social purposes so that new generations of music lovers can receive 100% of the music.” – Joan Rallo, President, JRaudio

“Two Channel stereo is and will continue to be the best avenue for the reproduction of recorded music.  As an active listener since the 1960s and an industry contributor since the 1970s it is my belief that music does indeed soothe the savage soul, in all of us.  It is time to free people from the ravages of MP3.  I applaud your dedication and efforts to further the passion.” – Dave Elledge, President and Managing Partner, P.I. audio group, LLC

“Finally, a wise approach to educate the iPod Generation.  Even though they are music lovers, they are clueless on how to listen to it decently.” – Antonio Plasencia, Owner, Plasencia & Hijos Silver Cables

“Keeping in mind the constantly changing landscape of the audio products industry, Save The Stereo is a fantastic way preserve the essence of true two-channel music listening and to promote the awareness of HiFi for the next generation of music lovers.” – Louis Dorio, Product Specialist, Ortofon Inc

“Hi Fi became a big part of my life in 1958 when I met my future wife to be and she invited me to meet her dad who had just purchased a HiFi system.  It was installed in a dining room sideboard cabinet and it sounded great.  The system consisted of a Bogen DB20 amp, a Garrard 88 record player and a University 15″ three way speaker.  I was hooked and have been in the business ever since.

Good, clear, realistic sound is essential to life.  If it’s allowed to die and go extinct, it would be a real shame.  What I can’t understand is that most car stereos are very good yet at home people are satisfied with iPads and small computer speakers.  What we need is for everyone of us who loves high fidelity recorded music to spread the word to the younger generation about quality sound and to point out the good things it will bring to their lives.  I firmly support Save the Stereo.”  – Art Powers Sr., President, Madison Fielding

“I’ve been in high-end audio retail for thirty-three years, and a music and audio enthusiast for even longer.  In the 1970s and 1980s, a good stereo system was one of the very few gotta have possessions for a young person. And, I’ve seen that there is often a correlation between the quality of one’s system and the variety of musical genres that one learns to enjoy.  Now we see twenty-somethings come into our shop who have honestly never heard a good HiFi in their entire lives.  And, the range of music that they enjoy”on their buds, Beats, and Bluetooths is often predictably narrow.

It’s not difficult to impress these newcomers.  Everybody can differentiate good sound from bad.  The problem is that a huge number of these younger people can make it through their teens and twenties without ever being exposed to what they’re missing.  If the Save The Stereo project can help in bringing the awareness to these folks that they’re missing something very rewarding in their lives, I’m all for it.” – Keith Moorman, Owner, Overture Audio

“I whole heartedly support and encourage Save The Stereo Project for this worthy and timely initiative. It is all about the music, our soul.” – Tash Goka, Director, Divergent technologies Inc., Reference 3A Loudspeakers

“This is wonderful.  I fully support the efforts of Save The Stereo project.  Folks need to experience true audio.  It brings in the 4th dimension of sound – emotion. True high definition audio touches the heart and soul.” – Russell J. Torlage, President, ZUS Audio Inc.

“Decades of effort, investment and enthusiasm has provided the means to play music at high quality in the home. Its emotional and intellectual value is inestimable, not least thanks to the extraordinary treasury of recorded music now available.

We greatly value the rewarding musical experiences that fine stereo replay systems can provide, but it also seems we must now defend and promote those values in order that those enabling technologies will continue.

We cannot let the grey mediocrity of MP3 music formats and their equivalents, replayed over one-box pseudo stereo all-in-one reproducers, become the accepted standard for so called high quality audio replay.” – Martin Colloms, Publisher, Hificritic Audio Magazine

“High quality audio brings so many benefits to life that it is difficult for me to imagine without it.  Stereo audio is a superb way of listening to that high quality audio and needs support and promoting what in it can achieve.” – Stephen Hitch, Managing Director and Owner, Sonority Design, Ltd.

“All my working life has been in the stereo industry.  Music is an international language of feeling and emotion; unless you are able to frequent live music on a regular basis then a good stereo is still your main route into this magical world. Everything we do at Chord is to try to join our customers more closely to the recorded musicians so of course we wholeheartedly support this venture.” – Alan Gibb, CEO, The Chord Company Ltd

“The creations of all music makers; composers, performers, recording engineers, equipment designers and entertainment technologists deserves to be experienced at their best.  I applaud the initiative of Save the Stereo!  ‘Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.’ – Laozi” – Janice Mancuso, Multi-Tasking Maven, Reference Recordings LLC

Feedback for Save The Stereo Project:

“I strongly support Save The Stereo Project and urge my fellow stereo industry friends to do the same.” - Gene Rubin, Gene Rubin Audio

“Finally, someone realized that we as an industry need to do something to prevent extinction.  Hope that influential industry members can/will pull together.” - Vade Forrester, Contributing Writer, The Absolute Sound

“I love the idea to promote, reach, and educate not just the audio lovers, but also to advance the appreciation of the music we try to reproduce.” - Ernie Fisher, Editor, The Inner Ear Magazine

"Bravo, Gordon. Your efforts to advocate for quality reproduction of music are sincerely appreciated." - Richard Schram, President, Parasound Products, Inc.

"We heartily agree with the Project. Young people are always surprised when they hear music through our Nola loudspeakers and associated electronics. "WOW!", they say, "I never thought it could be this good!" - Marilyn Marchisotto, VP/CFO, Accent/Nola Speakers

"I heartedly support Save The Stereo Project." - Bill Thalmann, President, Music Technology, Inc.

“This is just the thing needed to promote and encourage the next generation of high fidelity music listeners.” - Craig Sypnier, Owner, Audio Renaissance

“Great idea, I sincerely hope we all can get together spreading the word.  Listening to music is one of the greatest ways to decouple and relax, be it live or from a great music system.” - Peter B. Noerbaek, President, PBN Audio LLC - Montana Loudspeakers

“I wish Save The Stereo Project every success.” - Steve Daniels, President, The Sound Organisation

“High fidelity stereo enjoyment lives on through Save The Stereo Project!” - Adam Johnson, Madisound Speaker Components, Inc.

"Brilliant! The efforts of Save the Stereo Project are timely and much needed. We at Veloce Audio look forward to helping in any way we can." - Mark Conti, Managing Director, Veloce Audio

To read all of the industry and community feedback for Save The Stereo Project, check out the Feedback section.