ModBlog – When More is not always Less…
Modern audio eschews the notion of anything that tarnishes the pure audio signal. Aside from some DSP room EQ’s, no tone controls, bass boost, treble cut or other equalization. This wasn’t always the case and I started questioning why.
I have an engineering student working for me as a technician, who really appreciates all music despite his 22 years of age. He restored a 1970’s ‘stereo’ recently; old school, wood sides, weighted knobs, backlit displays, bass, treble controls, loudness and channel balance. It checked so many boxes aesthetically, functionally and build-wise. And yet, to the modern engineer in me, it missed so many others?! Where were the banks of power transistors? Where was the massive toroidal power transformer?
How did it sound? Amazing!
When I look at the trajectory of high end audio design over the past 50 years, I see a turning away from ways to contour or customize the sound. Less is more, has characterized modern design, with most audiophiles rejecting any form of control or other artifacts in the signal path.
A most notable exception to this is Mark Levinson’s Cello Audio Palette. It was a full audio EQ device that sold for $25,000 in 1990s’ dollars! It was designed by Dick Burwin to be a studio grade EQ. THAT is cool, and people today speak of it in hushed tones.
The Analog Bridge is one of our products that has proven to be very successful. Typically added to an all-solid-state system, the Analog Bridge adds tube tone and 3-dimensionality to the audio signal with exceptional results. It is not a tone control, but it does improve tonality!
Our PH 9.0, 9.0X and 9.0XT phono stages are also exceptional sellers and they have on-the-fly loading, gain, stereo/mono and MM/MC as well as mono/stereo. In addition to great sound, adjustability is a big selling point.
In our modern pursuit of Perfect Sound, have we lost touch with what makes music great? What is cool about the vintage ‘stereo’ that my young technician restored, is that it made beautiful music and was simply fun to listen to. Isn’t that how we all got here?
LIstening to music should be enjoyable. Based on the success of our Analog Bridge and PH 9.0 series of phono stages, I wonder if there isn’t a market for audio gear that further allows the user to contour the sound to their room and listening tastes. Yes, I’m talking about tone controls, bass, treble and channel balance control. I’m envisioning a modern design that will require a new way of thinking. Not just outside the box but disregarding the box entirely.
I see a lot of knobs and functions that aren’t needed, but are useful. A one-box solution that ties the room together and makes it a better space. Maybe tube, solid state or both. A product that just makes you smile.
Maybe more is not always less…and we should all have more reasons to smile!
(And don’t worry, there will still be a BYPASS function for those who need it…)