[dBe]

We all have "that guy" or "the guys" that finally made high end audio click for you.  The ones that made you listen to what was really going on in the MUSIC, not the gear.

I had five that I will always be grateful for because they turned me from a strictly engineering guy into what makes sound quality (SQ) guy.

Mike Wolfe - director of the Recording Room at The University of New Mexico about 1980.  The gave a vinyl library of "Golden Ears" By David Moulton http://www.moultonlabs.com/full/product01  Everything started to make sense about that time and he is the man that told me to listen to the spaces between the notes because that is where the music lives.

Jim Fulton - mad man nuclear physicist that built all types of  DOE equipment and was a very critical listener.  HE is the guy that told me that a capacitor is not just a capacitor and that wire is not just wire.  He explained to me what "fast wire" is and why it is important.

Eric Larson - THE engineer at Quincy Street Sound in the 80's.  I was a member of the team that recorded Sara K's "Gypsy Alley" and Eric was another guy that taught me to listen into the music.

George Short (North Creek Music Systems & Wisdom Audio) - he taught me about the importance of really good inductors, capacitors and perhaps more importantly about the TCR and distortion characteristics of attenuating resistors. I taught him about Baltic Birch and the importance of cabinet stiffness.

Jeff Bagy - just a great guy that I had many long email conversations about concerning speaker design and the man that was behind (along with Paul Verdone) the FRD Consortium http://alloy.wishray.com/frd/frdgroup.htm

I am and will be forever thankful for these people in my life and owe much to them in the context of my way of thinking, design targets and musical enjoyment.

Who were yours?

[rogerdn]

I didn't have these quality experiences like you Dave but for me the light went on one day when a friend, I can't even remember who, invited me to visit an audiophile friend of his to listen to his system.  This was way back in my Dark Ages, maybe 1950, when my ears still worked like new, and I was simply blown away.  I had no idea reproduced music could sound this good and it's one of the more memorable experiences from my days as a teenager.  Sorry I can't remember his name.

Roger

[S Clark]

Although I've had decent midfi stuff (Advent, Teac, etc.) since my twenties, it wasn't until my early 50's when I walked into Danny Richie's living room with a group of students that I understood what I had missed all those years.  Then again, on the day that Gary Dodd put his prototype battery pre in my system in my living room.  These guys showed me the way, and I will always be grateful.   

[JM21]

Hi Dave -
My first taste of real hi-fi was 1983 in the USAF (Eglin AFB, FL). A friend/airman Curt had just returned from Germany and was able to purchase nice gear at a discount and get delivered to his house in Fl. His system was a Hafler 500, Carver tube pre, Infinity RS2 speakers, SOTA TT w/ Grado. The system sounded great and I still remember it's make-up to this day. Unfortunately, I lost touch with Curt(wife Julie).  I only had mid-fi systems thru the years (career, kids, life...blah blah). However, in 2004 our family was in Scottsdale, AZ on vacation and I was starting to reignite my interest. My teenage son and I went to an audio store and listened to a couple of different tube based systems. We were blown away as it sounded as if the musicians were performing at the back of the room. Well I've been trying to make-up for lost time since and haven't done too bad. Attending shows (RMAF 2x, AXPONA 2x), audio forums and some great folks on these sites have been very helpful! 

Best,
Jay M.